Dangan-Pinguino

by LooseGazpacho

Chiaki Nanami enters Hope's Peak Academy for the first time! Everything seems fine until things start to get...out of control. Featuring characters from other works as well.

42. Recovery - Ikoroshia

Another day has passed. Another day, where the reality was that their teacher was abducted and held as a bargain chip for the ownership of the academy, for a costly price. The sun just rose over the horizon, yet those who were present at Chiaki's house were already awake. After what happened previously, they couldn't just let it slide like it was nothing. All of them were waiting for her to wake up, anxious to see in what state was she after the previous day. Luckily, they didn't have to wait for long, as Chiaki herself did not have a comfortable sleep. She slowly rose from the bed, still having eye bags present, but they were not as severe as before.

"Good morning, Chiaki." Mayuri gently greeted her as she was carefully observing her movements. Already from the get go, it couldn't be more visibly transparent that Chiaki was still in broken state. However, there was a glimmer of hope. A glimmer that she wouldn't hide it all in herself. Others hoped similarly, that she would trust them enough to be open with her state.

"...Hey." murmured Chiaki as she briefly made eye contact with Mayuri, only for her to stare at the ground. It seemed like there was still shame that she felt from before. Others could feel it, that she was still conscious about the day before. They just needed an opportunity for her to speak up.

"How are you feeling, Chiaki?" Hajime was the one who asked first, as he noticed that she should be open with others too. She already made steps with Mayuri, but at that moment it was her chance to go try with everyone else. For a while, Chiaki didn't answer, she just blankly stared at the ground. She tried to say something, but she constantly hesitated. Even after her talk with Mayuri, she still wasn't sure if she was prepared to reveal her true self.

Then, she began to talk.

"It's….Terrible. Just...terrible..." Chiaki couldn't hide it anymore. She confessed it right in front of everyone. Already, anxiety started to kick down, that they would be repulsed by what they saw. That they would leave her on the spot the moment she revealed who she truly was.

But that didn't happen. Instead, what happened was something Chiaki did not expect from anyone expect Mayuri.

"Well…you can tell us everything how you feel. We'll always be here for you." Hajime wanted her to truly open herself, so that she no longer hides it. Just her being open for once. Her mind had to process the fact that they didn't balk at her, instead they were fully supportive. Yet, her aversion to make them worry for her still prevented her to speak up. Chiaki looked around, just to see her friends. Just from their faces alone, they seemed prepared to hear what she had on mind, no matter what it was. But a brief glance at Mayuri, who didn't need to say a word to convince her, gave her slight reassurance. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't hurt to be fully honest.

"...Alright...I think...I'm ready to talk about it…" Chiaki took a deep breath and recollected her thoughts, carefully organizing them, so that she could say the right however. However, more she thought about it, more she kept thinking about what Mayuri said to her.

How much it hurts to see a friend constantly tear herself apart.

How much it hurt them that they had to see constantly put herself down, as if she never mattered at all.

All of these thoughts did nothing but to increase her guilt regarding it further and further. Out of instinct, she couldn't even hold onto Usami anymore, she just hugged herself, trying to protect herself from such thoughts. However, she was powerless against them. All she could do is confess her true feelings.

"...I….I'm sorry, guys….I'm really sorry for….everything...I'm sorry...for hurting you all….for being so weak…" Chiaki's lip started to tremble as she began to confess her true feelings right in front of them. All the guilt she stored for so much time was revealed right in front of them. Her friends were taken a back upon hearing her. For all the fun times, for all the support she gave to them, she thought she was nothing but someone who hurts everyone around her. Mayuri remained quiet, contemplating if it was a right choice that day. Despite feeling like it's something that Chiaki had to go through, she began feeling guilty over it as well.

"H-hurting us? What do you mean?" stammered Ibuki, barely comprehending that someone like her ever even hurt them. If anything, Chiaki was the very last person they imagined hurting them. Chiaki's grip on herself became tighter, taking more deep breaths because her anxiety just kept increasing. Her heart was beating ever faster, it was the moment that could potentially end up in her losing all of her friends. Yet, she already crossed the line. No longer could she bury her feelings under a facade of "being fine". Despite her fear, she continued.

"...I thought that…if...you guys saw who I really am….it would just make you unhappy….I don't want my friends….to suffer….I just want them to be happy…" confessed Chiaki as her voice became heavier through out it. It all dawned upon everyone that for their own sake, Chiaki completely pushed herself away. As long as they were happy, it was fine. The moment they realized what she was doing to herself, none of them had clear conscience anymore.

"Chiaki, don't tell me that you…" Hajime trembled upon realizing what Chiaki was doing to herself through out the entire time she was with them. They just never saw it due to her hiding it all to herself, but as the conflict went on, that facade kept crumbling.

"...It was more important that you guys are happy….but as it turns out….it was just hurting you all, wasn't it?" Chiaki just wanted to know if she was hurting them through out the entire time. What Mayuri said to her refused to leave her mind. Rest of her friends didn't know how to answer. They did notice signs before, but now that they fully know the sheer extent of it, guilt was there to be had. It did pain them to see how low would she go for sake of others, but they didn't know whether or not to say it. If they confirmed it, it would just make everything worse. To lie right into her face was also reprehensible, it would just make her more scared.

However, the surrounding silence told her everything she needed to know.

"…..I'm sorry….I'm really sorry….I'm really scared.….scared of losing people…." Chiaki hid her face behind her knees as she began apologizing for all the things she felt were her wrongdoings. Others could tell she wanted to tear up, but she was too exhausted to do so. All she could do was quietly let out her guilt.

"W-why would we-….wait a minute…" Chihiro, just before he said anything about them being always on her side, realized that her fear became true. The one thing she feared the most was happening right at the moment. "...Miss Yukizome…".

Immediately, her friend group realized that one of the worst scenarios for her was playing right in front of her eyes. Just when she had someone who could be a mother figure, she was torn away from her. Chiaki was still hiding her face behind her knees, remaining silent for some time. Then, she decided to attempt at opening up.

"...Miss Yukizome is the reason why was I able to connect with you all….I used to believe that it was impossible for me to get friends….games and Usami were only things I've got. But she….she showed me there's people who will be there with you…." revealed Chiaki as she slightly lifted her head, staring blankly at the floor. Such revelation was something they would have on their minds for a long time. Just the sheer fact that she held herself so low, that she thought she was completely unable to make any friendships at all, was like a punch to their hearts. Their entire perception of their friend completely changed. "...But now she's gone…".

It was all true too. Without Chisa, it would have been impossible for her to meet everyone there. Just when her life was about to shape for the better, the fate decided otherwise: to tear it away from her.

"….I just want her back…..that's all I ask for….please….just bring her back…" Chiaki begged everyone, almost sounding like she was on the verge of tears. Despite that, she couldn't cry. All the energy she had was gone. Everyone around her needed time to fully think about it. The urgency to rescue Chisa became greater, not only because they all genuinely wanted her back, but because that would bring their friend back. Back from the abyss she has fallen in.

They all resonated with her, felt the similar sadness as she felt. Mayuri even sat on the bed and gave her a hug, not saying a single word. Chiaki embraced her back, but her look was still locked on the floor. She still couldn't look at them without feeling guilt. Mayuri could feel all the sorrow brewing inside her friend. At the very least, despite everything, they were still here.

"But we'll get her back, Chiaki. It's gonna happen, no matter what." Mayuri promised her, just like they all did the day before. They still wanted to provide as much comfort as possible for her. Yet, despite that...

"...I want to believe it….I really do….but how? How can we save her? We can't even go against them head on, let alone…..save her…." questioned Chiaki, quickly grounding them to the reality of their situation. No matter how much they reassured her, the question regarding how to save their beloved teacher was still unanswered. Once again, silence struck them. They all thought about it, but the chances were still low, almost hopeless.

The solemn tranquility was shattered with the ringing of a phone. Hajime was startled upon feeling vibrations in his pocket. Others, including Chiaki, looked at him, curious about the origin of the sound.

"Wait, who now?" Hajime brought up his phone out of the pocket, only to notice that the one calling him was none other than his Yakuza classmate. It became slightly more clear on the reason behind the call. It was the time for status update. "Huh….".

Hajime accepted the call and leaning the phone on his ear. Others closely followed on what could be said through out the conversation.

"Hey, Fuyuhiko?" began Hajime.

"Yo, Hajime. Real big news ahead. Should have told you yesterday, but we got...busy…." Fuyuhiko quickly responded as he clarified that due to many events that day prevented him from giving him further information regarding their progress.

"Yeah? What's the status?" asked Hajime, letting him speak first.

"So….uh…..my clan is in the game. Shit could go FUBAR real quick if we act recklessly, so watch yourselves." Fuyuhiko warned about the recent involvement of his own clan in the conflict. He lived up to his word, the situation really called for it. However, Hajime did not receive such news with reassurance. In fact, the effect was the opposite. It caused him to freeze for a moment.

"...Oh shit…" murmured Hajime, already having possible consequences of escalating conflict in mind. None of it was even remotely pretty. His friends immediately noticed the fear he was showing through out the conversation.

"What happened, Hajime?" Mayuri wanted to ask, but he couldn't answer her on the spot. He gave an indication with his hand that every question will be answered later.

"Yeah, I know. There's no more opportunities to bullshit around anymore….not that there were in the first place. Don't worry about my clan, it will act with great amount of reservation. We are aware of the severity of it, that's for sure." cautioned Fuyuhiko, although he did reassure that his clan will behave accordingly. There won't be employments of morally reprehensible methods on their side, at least.

"...R-right...you've got this covered." stuttered Hajime, trying to sound like he was getting his composure restored, but fear was still present within. Even with Fuyuhiko's promise, the future didn't promise them a safe and clean path.

"So...that's not the only thing. Kuzuryu Clan is not the only one who's helping us….but this is where shit gets weird." continued Fuyuhiko in a much less cautious tone than before. He sounded rather unsure what will he say next would be too baffling to believe.

"What is it?" asked Hajime, noticing the change of tone in his voice.

"….So Gundham brought someone to help us. He's...uh….dressed like a cultist...and….he calls him "The Ancestor" or some shit…" revealed Fuyuhiko about the involvement of such individual in their conflict. For few moments, Hajime had to comprehend what he just heard. Not only that, the sheer shift of topics caused him to take a moment.

"….The hell?!" Hajime blurted out upon hearing it. Under normal circumstances, he would think that Fuyuhiko was hallucinating or at least making up. The issue was that the definition of "normal" got dumped in the trash bin a very long time ago. Anything was believable at that point. Others noticed it too, as they became curious. However, as indicated before, they would have to wait for an answer.

"I know, right?! From where did he even get him? What does it mean? I'm not the only one who finds it weird, Ryota told me his thoughts too. He was always suspecting him, but...yeah. Not sure if it's the best time at the moment. We have to be in together for now...then we'll deal with it later." commented Fuyuhiko regarding the aforementioned individual, although any question regarding him would have to wait.

"Yeah, we have priorities now. We have to sav-" reaffirmed Hajime about focusing on their main mission.

"Careful now!" Fuyuhiko shouted at him, causing Hajime to flinch due to how sudden was his caution.

"H-huh? W-what do you mean, Fuyuhiko?" stammered Hajime upon receiving such a warning through his ear.

"Ah, sorry. Had to before any….lets say...leaks happen." clarified Fuyuhiko before he went into detail regarding restrictions with communication. "So, third thing I wanted to say: Careful what you say on the phone. Just talk like as if you are delivering tofu in Akihabara and nothing more."

"What do you-…" Hajime wanted to ask, but it really didn't take him a long time for him to understand what was his Yakuza onto. Last time they tried to send information regarding their enemy, not only were they intercepted, but the adversary managed to locate them fully. None of that could be affordable. "No wait, I get it, I think. I guess we will just deliver tofu and possibly even make some more tempura.".

However, rest of the group didn't quite catch on.

"Wait, what? Tofu and tempura, how did we come to this?" asked Ibuki as she tilted her head.

"I think, huh….but yeah, like that. Speaking of "I think"…..how's she doing?" piqued Fuyuhiko. Ever since she saw her in complete shambles last time, he couldn't help but to worry about her. Not seeing her for some days didn't help either. That, however, gave Hajime an idea that could help his friend. Perhaps it would be good for her to try it out.

"Hey, Chiaki...wanna talk to Fuyuhiko for a bit? It's alright if you refuse, so don't really worry about it." Hajime suggested that she should answer him, to tell him about how she's doing. Chiaki didn't know how to answer immediately, so she looked around to see how everyone would feel about it. No one was forcing her, but something was telling her that it would be better if she accepted the call.

"You don't really have to….but it wouldn't hurt either…." Mayuri assured her that it was up to her in entirety, but at the same time, it vindicated Chiaki's feeling about them feeling like it would have been a better choice if she does it. After few moments of contemplating, she has decided.

"...Alright….it should be okay." Chiaki took a deep breath as she prepared herself for it. For a moment, Hajime smiled. He, along with her other friends, noticed that she was taking genuine steps, even if they were small.

"One moment. She'll be right there." Hajime gave her the phone. She slowly reached out for it, but once she took a glance at him, she eased a bit. Maybe it was that small smile of his that assured her that it was going to be alright. Chiaki grabbed the phone and put it near her ear. For a while, she didn't know what to say. She took slow breaths, so that she could focus.

"Hello? Chiaki, are you there?" Fuyuhiko asked due to how long she was taking it. He was thankfully being patient with her, considering the state she was in the last time he saw her.

"...Hey." murmured Chiaki, with her tone causing Fuyuhiko to be taken aback from it. Just from her voice alone he could tell how down she was feeling from all of it. He never wanted to see her like that, but such was the situation. Despite that, he still had his composure.

"Hey...uh, how's it going? Just checking, so that everyone knows. People have been really worried about you." asked Fuyuhiko, so that he could hear it from her own mouth. Upon hearing that people were worried about her, Chiaki's feeling of guilt increased even more so. At the same time, she had remembered what Chisa said: it is okay. It's nothing wrong. It's something what friends do. Yet despite being told, she still had a hard time comprehending. At the very least she could be honest with him.

"It's….Not good. It's really not good…." Chiaki really wanted to say that she was fine, but it would just be a lie. A spit in the face at what her friends are trying to do. She tried to reveal as little as possible, but still be honest about it.

"Goddamn….we all understand, though. You don't deserve to go through this shit. Not even once. I promise ya that things will be normal once it's all over. You have my word and I fail….then I failed as a person." Fuyuhiko reassured her, letting her know that she would never have to deal with such situation again once Chisa Yukizome is saved. Chiaki just remained silent, as her guilt kept building up. She didn't know what to say, she was just stuck in the powerlessness. Fuyuhiko took a note of such silence, he felt like he said something wrong.

"Just letting you know that….when it comes to this...we found more help." Fuyuhiko hinted at possible help that could bring Chisa Yukizome sooner than they would expect. Even though she was still out of energy, she listened. Perhaps there was a little hope that sparked within her.

"...Really?" murmured Chiaki. She had a bit of a hard time believing it. Maybe they had a chance at the moment. The possibility of her rescue was at least greater than before, even if it was just a small step.

"Oh, yeah. My clan is in, so we don't really have to worry much. Things should go faster now." Fuyuhiko confirmed who their help was to her. She was quite shocked that Fuyuhiko would do that just for rescuing their beloved teacher, but at the same time, it all seemed more hopeful. It was the type of hope that was needed.

"O-oh…" stammered Chiaki, still trying to piece together that an entire clan was willing to help them without any sort of ambiguity whatsoever. No longer did they seem like they were underdogs compared to their adversary, they could stand up against them properly. Or so they thought. Fuyuhiko, however, understood her response as the one of fear.

"Yeah, I know. It's gonna be scarier now-" lamented Fuyuhiko about how even smallest of mistakes could lead up to a potential bloodbath. However, he has completely misread Chiaki there.

"T-thank you, Fuyuhiko. This is really good, I think." Chiaki attempted to smile, but her friends could see that she wasn't truly able to. At the same time, thanks to that information, Chiaki was slowly climbing out of the abyss. It still wasn't enough, but a step was made.

"H-huh? I mean, I did say if shit hits the fan, the clan would be in. And it did happen, so...yeah." stammered Fuyuhiko upon hearing how she accepted such news with open arms, rather than concern that the Fellowship of Darkness and by extension Hope's peak academy would end up relying on a criminal syndicate. No other service was reachable, in their defense.

"Anything that will help us here is really good. It's more certain now." responded Chiaki, letting him know that even if they had to go through such lengths just to save their loved one, at least it will be for a good cause. At least there was a chance to save Miss Yukizome.

"A-are you sure about this?" stuttered Hajime, unnerved by the fact that she reacted to such news, that a Yakuza clan, one of the largest in the whole country, will be backing them up, with such a non-critical look. Could be pure desperation on her end that she was absolutely fine with it. At the very least they hoped that she would be aware of potential consequences.

"Um...can I ask what is going on here?" asked Chihiro, since he was one of three that still hasn't received the news in full.

"I'll explain everything later." Hajime promised him that it will be all cleared up right after the call ends.

"We're doing everything to get over this shit. Sooner it's over….sooner will it be fine." assured Fuyuhiko once again that after Miss Yukizome is saved, there wouldn't be any scenarios where they had to play an extensive role. That the peace will be brought after all of that, or so they hoped. Chiaki couldn't even be more grateful about clan's assistance, it all became much lighter for her. No longer was she held down by the lack of a chance.

"….You guys are all splendid. I wonder if I can do anything to repay you all. You all deserve...so much good." Chiaki still tried to smile, promising not only him, but everyone in the Fellowship that she will give something in return. Since they are willing to help so much, it would feel even better if she did something for them too.

"N-no, not much you have to do. For now, take your time and recover." stuttered Fuyuhiko as it could be easily told that he was a bit flustered. However, he did take Chiaki into consideration and suggested her the option that he thought was the best for her. Chiaki became quite startled by his suggestion. Not only she didn't expect it, but at the same time, she didn't know what to feel it. A friend of hers said it, so it must be good, right?

"B-but-" Chiaki wanted to express her desire to help as soon as possible. All that time, her guilt was stacking up. Even though she was pleased with the news, deep down she felt like she was dragging everyone else down. That because of her, she was making things worse.

"I know about our limited time….but we all want you to be well, too. We're not gonna let our friend be alone and revel in agony. We've got your back, just like we have you on our side. We're all eagerly awaiting your to be back. So...see ya soon. I hope the best for you." Fuyuhiko reassured her that her own group isn't the only one who's on her side. Her class was with her too. One way or another, they will be together. However, their call was coming to an end. They still got a job to do.

"….S-see ya soon and…..thank you...Thank you so much, Fuyuhiko." Chiaki expressed her gratitude to him before the call ended. Once it did, Chiaki returned the phone to Hajime. Quite a lot of contemplation followed from everyone's side, although each of them was thinking differently. Hajime's concerns were regarding the conflict, where as Chiaki's guilt prevented her to judge the situation. Hajime took a deep breath before explaining the rest of the group on what was going on.

"Alright...so there's some stuff to unpack here. Chiaki has learned one important thing already, so I'm telling everyone else here too…" Hajime hesitated about revealing the current status, but he pushed on. "...Kuzuryu clan has joined the fight."

Ibuki and Chihiro immediately felt chills down their spine. The revelation that a while Yakuza was backing them up was not something they could take so lightly. In a way, they had same fears as Hajime regarding that. However, Mayuri was surprised by the news, but didn't feel as scared as Ibuki and Chihiro. Something was telling her that Kuzuryu clan wasn't really that scary, although she couldn't exactly say the reason for it.

"K-Kuzuryu's clan? You mean like….a whole Yakuza is in?" Ibuki trembled, especially since Fuyuhiko did tell her how brutal can gangster warfare be. Even though Kuzuryu's were on their side, it was still something not to be taken lightly.

"Yeah, you've heard right. An entire Yakuza, backing us….that's surreal even to think about it, but here we are." confirmed Hajime while also reminding himself that none of this is normal. Absolutely nothing ever since that gangster octopus attacked Hope's peak academy has been even close to normal.

"...it's not gonna escalate, is it?" Chihiro put his hands close to himself as he also began to think about possible fates of his own friends, if any of them decided to play much more dirtily than before.

"Fuyuhiko said he wouldn't but….it's not a far-fetched idea. I do hope it doesn't though…" Hajime reminded them that while they can hope as much as they want, they are not safe at all. The possibility that something horrific could happen to any of them was making their hearts beat faster. Neither Chihiro nor Ibuki could hide their fear anymore.

"….I don't think it will. We can trust Fuyuhiko here…" Chiaki, even at such state, still tried to reassure them that it will be okay, that Kuzuryu clan is reliable enough that no lethal incidents would happen under their supervision. Aside from Mayuri, who was just following the conversation, others weren't so reassured.

"Um...I want to say you're right but….we're still being backed by a criminal syndicate. One thing goes and….I don't even want to imagine it." Hajime reminded her that they are "in the game", that nothing spares them from their lives being influenced by the criminal activity of others.

"S-still, even if Fuyuhiko's clan won't go extreme….what stops Daft Capo from escalating? T-that's a scarier thing." Ibuki raised a point that not even Chiaki herself could really debunk. Ibuki was absolutely right, just because Kuzuryu acts with restraint, doesn't mean that their adversary will, if at all. They have already shown that when it comes to their enemies, they barely hold back. More she thought about it, more it seemed like that there was a higher chance that things will never be okay after such point. Due to her state, all the reassurance she tried to give crumbled. Instead, she started to fear too. She hugged herself as she blankly stared at the floor.

"...It will be….okay….it really will be…." Chiaki was still trying to reassure others, but at that point, it seemed like she was telling herself that nothing bad would happen to them. It quickly faded away when she couldn't deny the possibility anymore. Just from her frown it could be told that she realized it. Nothing was needed to be said. Such, another moment of silence followed. One that was unnerving everyone in the room. However, Mayuri did take a note of Chiaki's behavior again. She felt like it needed to be addressed.

"Hey...um….Chiaki? What should we do if, in any case, unlikely lets say, things get worse? Just to be prepared after all, rather than to say it will happen. Just that." Mayuri asked her regarding a possible worst case scenario realizing and what could they do. Once again, Chiaki began to think about it, but her thoughts regarding it were clouded by anxiety. It was reminding her how low she truly was.

"We have to be….vigilant….and remain strong…" murmured Chiaki, that at the very least they could be strong enough to face the situation head on. The same did not apply to her.

At all.

"What are you even talking about? Remain vigilant and strong, even if you are completely unable to be? You're a joke, Chiaki. A complete and total joke." Chiaki thought to herself, what she truly felt about it. Everyone else could do it, but she couldn't. She couldn't do anything. She was just trapped in her own emotional cage, just remaining at the bottom of the abyss. Those thoughts were potent enough that she couldn't even put up a facade for them. She just had to accept it.

"...Ah, what am I even talking about…can't even back up it..." admitted Chiaki as she slouched her shoulders, confessing how truly powerless she felt. Her friends immediately picked it up on what exactly was she thinking about herself.

"Hey hey hey hey!" Hajime stepped in quite quickly, accidentally startling Chiaki, but he was gentle enough that he didn't really scare her. Instead, she listened what he had to say. He knew what he had to do, because it's something he felt a lot back then. "I know exactly what you're thinking, so let me say it: you are absolutely not weak for this. At all.".

"...But is it not true? While everyone is doing something, I'm just...here…unable to do anything..." lamented Chiaki, still taking potshots at herself for her powerlessness. She felt like she was nothing but a burden for them. It only got bigger as she became more honest about emotions.

"Still, it doesn't make you a weak person. It happens even to the strongest people out there. You've been hurt pretty badly, haven't you?" Hajime reassured her that just because she broke down doesn't make her any worse. Everyone has their own limits and must realize that no one can simply power through with repressing their emotions. Chiaki remained silent, but instead of hiding it deeply down within herself, she confirmed it with a nod. She did, however, hide any details about how hurt she was.

"Yeah...it's understandable….we all do understand it. We all want Miss Yukizome back….we really do….but not without you. We'll wait for you to recover….we wanna see our little Nanami be happy too." Hajime made it clear that without her, they aren't going anywhere. They all wish the best for her. It was with those words that Chiaki realized how much they do for her. Just like she does for them, so they do it for her. Somehow, her heart felt lighter. She wanted to tear up, but was still unable to. However, those tears weren't of sadness. Instead, the goodness brought by her friends was reassuring her that no matter what, she will never be alone.

"Your happiness is valid too. I know you wanna make your friends happy, but….you should be too." Ibuki joined in too, confessing that what she wanted the most was to see Chiaki smile again.

"We'll do our best to make you as happy as possible! Even if it seems unlikely, we will bring Miss Yukizome back!" Chihiro promised her with nothing short of determination in his eyes. He couldn't let his friend remain broken.

On other end, Mayuri remained quiet, but she didn't need to say anything. Her smile was enough for Chiaki to know that not only was it guaranteed that her friends will be always there, but she was glad that Chiaki was able to be honest with them. No longer will she have to hide her feelings from everyone. Chiaki was able to look at them, but she couldn't help but tear up a bit. Just a single tear or two rolling down her cheek, but the smile she had was one of relief. It seemed like there was a chance for the situation to become better. There was hope. That's what it matter.

Just to comfort her even more so, Hajime gave her a gentle pat on her head. After few strokes, Chiaki leaned into his hand, comforted by his gentle touch. Although sorrow was still present, such comfort managed to soothe her.

"It's alright. Feel free to let it out as much as possible. We're here for you." Hajime let her know that no matter what she does, they will be there. The smile that she tried to put on finally happened.

"Heh...it's so much easier with you guys….so much easier to live…." chirped Chiaki, finally reassured that it's not going to be as bleak as it seemed.

"And it's gonna be so much easier to rescue Miss Yukizome too." added Mayuri, knowing that Chiaki would be soon ready to face the situation head on. No way she would have done when she was so broken before. All of it was needed to make her move forward.

"Yeah...heh….we will do it…even if it seems impossible…" chuckled Chiaki before she wanted to know how could she contribute to the team. Even with all reassurance, she still felt like it wasn't fair that others had to go through it, where as she was behind. "...But what can I do now?".

"Just relax...and take your time with recovery. I know we're strained on time, but….that's the best option so far….trust me, it will be better after this." Hajime, just like Fuyuhiko before, let her know that it was alright for her to take some time off.

"Mhm! Hajime is right. After you went through so much, recovery is the best thing for you...but we will help too!" concurred Mayuri as well. Chiaki wasn't entirely sure if it was okay, but considering how much they were adamant enough that this was the best thing she could do, she had no other choice but to accept. If that's what her friends thought was the best for her, she would go through it.

"If you guys says so….." Chiaki went with it before she noticed that Mayuri was still comforting her with a hug. Now that she had her energy back, she noticed how soothing it was.

"You can take a nap, if you wanna. That soothes you, doesn't it?" Ibuki suggested, feeling like it would be a good idea for Chiaki to just have a rest, maybe a little nap would make it easier for her.

"….If I have to admit...it does...but….is it okay if…?" Chiaki accepted Ibuki's suggestion, but at the same time, she wanted to have someone close to her. Usami would usually take that role, but she needed someone's warmth there. However, a light blush appeared on her cheeks. She would accept it from anyone from her friend group.

"Hehe, of course, Chiaki." approved Mayuri as both of them laid down on the bed, both embracing each other with a hug. Knowing that head pats soothe her, Mayuri gently patted her head. Such comfort was enough for Chiaki to be relaxed enough to finally fall asleep. For once, she could escape into the land of dreams.

Once Chiaki fell into the deep sleep, Mayuri smiled before she turned her head towards rest of the friends. Her smile was like a little star, bright and comforting.

"Mayushii is very proud of you all. You all did so well today." Mayuri expressed her gratitude towards everyone for helping Chiaki when she needed it most. In a way, all of them were glad that they were taking Chiaki in the right direction.

"It wasn't really much. All I did was what a friend should do." Hajime downplayed his contribution a bit, feeling like it was something a sensible person would do.

"You guys did a lot, especially for her. After this is all over, you will see a much happier Chiaki." smiled Mayuri as she hinted that once Chisa is rescued, there will be much more fun times with their friend. There won't be any hiding anymore, she would be as open as she can be. In a way, it gave them comfort in the times that seem so bleak.

In the mean time, Fuyuhiko, Peko and some of the members of his clan were exploring one part of the city. It was a bit outside of the center, since they suspected that Daft Capo would use more covert parts of it, be it alleyways, isolated buildings and so on. The rest of the Fellowship had their own exploration zones, with each group inspecting for every clue possible. However, as they kept inspecting, Fuyuhiko couldn't stop thinking about her, especially after the call.

"….Goddamn….I hope she recovers soon. That was…it was like talking to the broken shell of Nanami." confessed Fuyuhiko that it was genuinely painful to hear her like that. Through out most of their school life, she was always trying her best to make everything as positive as possible. But at that moment, it was all gone.

"She was...much happier before….they have to pay for what have they done to her." Peko vowed vengeance upon their enemies as she clenched her fist. She only needed Fuyuhiko's order to strike them down. But as of that moment, no such action was affordable.

"Oh, we'll definitely kick their ass for sure. But have to find those bastards first…." Fuyuhiko reminded her that their adversary is still hiding in the shadows (or is it?). Even though they have inspected their zone of operations, they have yet a trace of Daft Capo. "Speaking of that, have you found any clues?"

"I regret to inform that I have found….nothing. Even the most suspicious elements were proven to be innocent." reported Peko, which wasn't really surprising. If they can erase themselves from a place where information is eternal, there was no way that they would find them so easily.

"As expected, sadly…no way we'd find them so easily, unless Yasuhiro's bullshit becomes real. Just stumbling into them, can you believe that?" sighed Fuyuhiko as he thought about whether or not was the luck really the only thing they needed.

"If I'm honest….considering everything that happened before...maybe? What exactly would make his proposal far-fetched, after everything we went through?" Peko pointed out that they have reached the point where nothing is too insane. A convenient solution among the insanity that has been encompassing their daily lives would be too good to be true, yet at the same time, not impossible.

"...You're right. It's hard to tell who's the voice of reason these days." lamented Fuyuhiko as they continued to search for any clues for that mafia, either it be huge revelations or just small hints. Anything would work.

Little did they know that a pigeon was circling above them, watching their every move.

In another corner of the city, the group that was supposed to take care of the decided inspection zone consisted of just Mahiru and Hiyoko. The latter didn't want to bother with anyone else, so she thought it was just enough of a job for two. The redhead seemed to be confident in preparation, since she carried a bag and a camera. Not only just one camera, but two cameras, along with many SD cards for it.

"Good thing I've got this camera with me. The moment I see those gangsters, I'm gonna take so many shots that even the most stubborn doubters would be convinced of their existence." Mahiru announced her plan towards her short grump, who wasn't exactly enthusiastic about it. However, it was not her usual pessimism.

"...I dunno if it's a good idea, Mahiru. You're not gonna upload them on internet, right?" Hiyoko asked her out of concern, surprisingly enough. Last thing she wanted was those gangsters beating up her actual friend.

"Considering what Ryota said, I won't….it's just gonna be with us." Mahiru reassured her that she had no plans of committing an action that would definitely have grave consequences, considering what Impostor and Chiaki went through, although latter's involvement was unknown to them.

"Even then, wouldn't you be a prioritized target? Other chumps can do whatever, but I'm really not sure if you should risk yourself like that." Hiyoko raised a point that since she is an Ultimate Photographer, that could mean that they would hunt her down first for "security reasons", as they would say. With such point, Mahiru's confidence in her plan decreased as she thought about possibilities of an entire mafia going after her. She gulped, but she kept composure.

"….Don't worry about it, Hiyoko. I'll be fine. Even if we get in danger, we'll get out of it unscathed." Mahiru responded with a plan that they would just evade them, rather than to engage them head on.

"Mahiru, are you saying that you're just gonna run away?" questioned Hiyoko with a raised eyebrow, having a gut feeling that Daft Capo would consider them "cowards" if they just kept running away from them. At that point, Mahiru's concerns became visible.

"….What else is there to do, Hiyoko?" asked Mahiru as she was becoming kind of unnerved at things that Hiyoko was implying to her.

"You can't exactly keep running away while that WE, by all means, are on offense here. I don't want you to be hurt, but you gotta fight. Hell, I know where to aim, at least." Hiyoko advised that in a case of worst outcome, she should at least put up a fight. She might at least stall for enough time for reinforcements.

"I uh….I don't think it's a good idea to do it. We're outnumbered after all. Even with-" Mahiru argued that even with an entire Yakuza clan backing them up, actual numbers of Daft Capo were still unknown. Little did she realize she almost slipped with her tongue.

"Shh! Sorry, but we have to shush about that, Mahiru. Who knows where are those lowly criminals hiding." Hiyoko hushed her just the right time, just in case that anyone was spying on them.

"R-right…" stammered Mahiru as they continued their way, still looking for clues. However, it seemed like Hiyoko's intuition was correct, as a pigeon was watching them from the roof, observing every single move they made.

Meanwhile in Akihabara, the Future Gadget Lab Detective Agency was thoroughly inspecting the electronic heart of the city. The "Detective Agency" part was only temporary, pushed by Rintaro Okabe himself. Kurisu, of course, had reservations regarding such name, as she thought it sounded silly. None than less, they kept looking. Akihabara was quite full that day, so any inspection was further hindered.

"Hmm...Christina, what did we say are the clues again?" Rintaro scratched his chin as he looked around the concrete jungle, filled with flats full of advertisement. Kurisu pouted at the usually called nickname. However, instead of engaging in the usual shenanigans, she decided to let it go for a moment. Priorities were had.

"You didn't have to-...I mean, we did say they use predominately European cars. Maybe American cars too? I know that Japanese cars are mostly out of question." answered Kurisu as she remembered that there was a lot of discussion regarding cars. With exception of Peugeot, any European car brand could fit in criteria of Daft Capo vehicle. However, one point had to be addressed. "But did we say if those European cars are made here or are they actually brought up from Europe?".

"...Good question." Rintaro raised his eyebrow as he looked at cars parked near the buildings. Amid the usual Japanese ones, like classic Toyotas, Mazdas and such, there were European ones too, such as Renault, Peugeot and such. However, not only did all seemed like they were registered in Japan, they were also pretty inconspicuous. Nothing that would give them a character of a Daft Capo punkster. "Hm….nothing so far sticks out.".

Suddenly, they found Itaru Hashida inspecting a Fiat Multipla, not exactly the most flattering looking car in the world. However, it was the first car that definitely stood out among the bunch.

"Daru? What did you find?" asked Rintaro as he and Kurisu stepped closed to the car that won the last place in the beauty contest.

"Hmmm…..this Fiat is certainly suspicious." noted Itaru as the object of interest on that car was the registry plate. It seemed like the car was registered in Italy. Already a potential clue, considering that one of the Elite Bois is an Italian on a next level. However, that was not the conclusive evidence.

"It does match what we said about their cars….but can we be so sure?" Kurisu questioned whether or not should they determine that Multipla as a clue. From a closer look a the inside, there wasn't a trace of anything suspicious. Although, what Itaru had in mind was different.

"Funny thing you mention it, Kurisu. Take a look at this one." Itaru pointed at the Fiat Multipla that was across the road, almost being identical to it. Although, there were two major differences: it was smaller and the car registry plate was from Japan.

"This does match! Could it be?" wondered Rintaro if it was truly the case. Could it truly be that they found a clue?

"I'm not sure about it. Lets wait to see who the owner is. Act...natural, so to say." suggested Kurisu that they should be patient while also camouflage themselves in the act of normalcy, just in case the owner of the car would turn out to be a Daft Capo member.

"Okey dokey!" approved Itaru as they all hanged around nearby, acting like nothing strange was happening. Rintaro whistled as innocently as he could through out of it. They didn't really have to wait very much, because as it turned out, the owner of the car just walked out from the nearby electronics shop. He whistled the tune of "Funiculi Funicula". The owner looked nothing like a Daft Capo punkster, more like a casual elderly man just minding his own business. He also carried two plastic bags, which carried electronics. Those three "Future Gadget Lab Detectives" felt a bit awkward upon finding out that they were suspecting an innocent person. As the elderly man went inside the car, he drove off without a worry. He didn't even notice those three spying on his car.

"….We got the wrong one, it seems." admitted Rintaro as they all walked away from the car.

"And so it continues, I guess." sighed Kurisu as their investigation of Akihabara continued. However, a pigeon flew over such place. Oddly enough, the pigeon did not notice Future Gadget Lab members, since Daft Capo seemed to lack information on them. Only one they truly knew was Faris.

At least, it seemed like it.

The investigation zone nearby Hope's peak academy itself was handled by the very leader of The Fellowship of Darkness, Gundham Tanaka and his close colleague Sonia Nevermind. Usually, penguins would have accompanied them, but they had their own investigation zone. They suspected that due to attacks on Hope's peak itself, they could perhaps track down possible traces there. Despite being dedicated to the mission, they were distracted for a moment.

"Say, Gundham. May I ask who is this The Ancestor? He looks so cool...and such a dreamboat! That voice! Oh my god! So good!" Sonia began asking as her eyes began to sparkle. The aforementioned person seemed like straight out of a novel, especially the kind that Sonia loves reading. The horror ones.

"Hmm….the information will be sparse, but The Ancestor is someone who has guided The Overlord to the right path. It is thanks to his wisdom that I, Gundham Tanaka, have become forged through the trial of fire!" elaborated Gundham in his own way, although despite using the usual chuuni language, he sounded oddly serious about it. Just from the fact Gundham held that "The Ancestor" figure in such high regard just made Sonia even more excited.

"Woah! That is so hella cool! I assume that his life must be full of adventures. After all, wisdom does come from experience." cheered Sonia while correctly guessing that whoever this figure might be, their life was certainly not boring. If anything, it was the exact opposite.

"I must admit that his life is shrouded in secrecy...but from what I know, he is quite knowledgeable in the period that is The Darkest Era." Gundham spoke once again, mentioning her a period he himself had great interest in. Through out his life, he has extensively studied it, although he only had publicly available sources to use. Nothing too extensive, as a lot of its details are shrouded in pure mystery.

"Darkest Era? What could it be? Could that be a synonym for 14th century? Back then, things were….well….how should I say…" Sonia tilted her head, even more curious than before. The princess did have quite the knowledge for Middle Ages, and she was quite familiar with how the living conditions in the aforementioned century were nothing short of diabolically ghastly. And such were condition even before the plague.

"Actually, it's quite later. You should be thinking of 19th century. It all began when-" Gundham wanted to clarify, but a quick glance at the tree made him stop his tracks. A pigeon clinging on to a branch, watching their every move. However, Gundham could sense it. He observed the bird with caution, almost as if they had a staring contest. The suddenness of it caused Sonia to be become a bit confused.

"Huh? What's wrong, Gundham?" asked Sonia, curious on what did her chuuni wizard friend find.

"This pigeon….is suspicious." Gundham immediately revealed the root of the disturbance. He pointed right at the pigeon. The bird still kept watching them, intrigued by their moves. At that point, no one from the Fellowship has laid suspicion on something so inconspicuous as pigeons.

"Pigeon? What could be so ominous about a bird? Aren't pigeons docile usually?" questioned Sonia, even taking into account that pigeons often carried mail. There was a conspiracy theory regarding how "pigeons aren't real", but it was hard to take it seriously. However, espionage potential of pigeons within Daft Capo circles was not left unnoted.

"Observe." Gundham started approaching the pigeon carefully, making sure that his movements were slow. He could sense the menacing aura of the pigeon, as its eyes were locked right on the wizard man. Gundham stepped sideways, like a crab would, just so he would know how would the bird react. As expected, pigeon kept tracking him down. It became quite obvious to him what was going on. After performing his experiment, he made a gesture with his hand that Sonia should come with him, away from the tree. They have decided that the best place to discuss would be somewhere inside, since it would be unlikely for pigeon to storm inside. Not impossible, just unlikely. Since they were so close to Hope's peak academy, they just entered it as if they had normal classes, not even going really deep in it.

"Call everyone on your phone and tell them to return to Hope's peak academy. We are being watched." advised Gundham as he told her his observation regarding that pigeon.

"H-huh? I'm sorry, but how did you come to that conclusion?" questioned Sonia, not quite understanding the logic behind his observation. By all means, that pigeon could have just been curious about him, since he is the Ultimate Breeder, someone who is supposed to be good with animals.

"I can sense aura of many kind within fauna. Such is the power of my seventh sense. However, there's malice to be had within these avians of dread. They are watching our every move, just waiting for an opportunity to realize their agenda." reasoned Gundham. Had he been talking to another person, he would be dismissed immediately. Instead, Sonia was intrigued by how he managed to pinpoint the exact feeling of an animal just from a glance.

"But...are they connected with Daft Capo? I mean….come to think of it…" Sonia pointed out that while pigeons might have watched them, there was no decisive evidence that would link them to the mafia. By all means, no gadgets were visible on them, not even as simple as a string.

"Such fate has not been decided, but we better not risk it. We have to discuss it thoroughly." suggested Gundham that even if it might sound like rambling often indulged by conspiracy theory nutjobs, it would still be a sensible thing for them to discuss possible security measures. Sonia was convinced with his reasoning.

"Understood. I will comply." nodded Sonia with determination as she pulled out the phone, typing a message to everyone, so that they could discuss the aforementioned security issue in thorough detail.

By the time those two have already disappeared from its sight, pigeon wondered about Gundham's behavior. Unlike with others, he acted with greater caution than others. Then, the pigeon realized it.

"What? What what what?" spoke pigeon, although it sounded like a sample from hardbass song called Gopnik McBlyat – Protein, when one person is shocked upon learning that the other one is "armed enough danger, baby". The pigeon took off from the tree, flapping its wings intensely as it rushed down towards Zona Daft Capo, where his boss Golubotnik and client Tom were waiting for any possible news.

As the rest of the Fellowship of Darkness gathered back in Hope's peak academy, they all went inside the gym, their current and temporary hideout. Thus, they began.

"Status report!" Skipper pointed his flipper at them with a demand. Every single member so far has participated in the investigation, with each group having their own zone of inspection. Most of them stated their results.

"We found jack shit, that's the status." reported Fuyuhiko on his behalf, that even with Kuzuryu clan's help, they couldn't find anything.

"Our investigation zone did not provide any evidence." added Kyoko as well. She went with Makoto and Impostor, exploring more of coastal area of the city. Thanks to them finding the older, now retired hideout, Tsurihito Warehouse, she thought that they could find clues there. However, nothing was found. That paper from way before was the only thing they found, and it was bloody useless.

"It appears that we have the same conclusion." said Kowalski, also reporting from their zone of operation.

"Nothing in Akihabara so far, sadly." sighed Kurisu, even though they were for a moment convinced that they found a clue there. However, that Fiat Multipla, as aesthetically unremarkable as it is, was innocent in the long run. Most of the groups had the same answer, that nothing was there to be found.

However, one group was an exception from that.

"We are being watched, my minions." suddenly revealed Gundham, causing shock and disarray among the Fellowship. Suddenly, everything seemed much more difficult, now that they've been "blessed" with the knowledge of Daft Capo establishing surveillance on them.

"W-what?!" blurted out Makoto, sharing a similar reaction as many of them did.

"Wait, how?" Kazuichi, although spooked by the news, was wondering how exactly were they being spied upon. Wouldn't have been the first time, but they weren't exactly aware of it before.

"Drat! They're onto us!" Skipper shook his flipper like a fist, frustrated at how Daft Capo was always four steps ahead of them. Just when they get closer, the enemy takes a leap forward.

"It appears that, although it has yet to be confirmed whether or not Daft Capo is involved, though it very likely is, someone is spying on us through pigeons." Gundham elaborated on how exactly has been surveillance established on them. A lot of expectations regarding some super secret technology being used or some ominous men watching them were quite challenged by Gundham's notion.

"That is uh…." Aoi wanted to dispute it at how "far-fetched" it sounded, but considering they saw things like a walking talking Italian octopus and a cat in zoot suit with the capability of causing tornadoes out of his hands alone, nothing was off the table anymore. "Wait, is it even ridiculous at this point?".

"I knew it! Pigeons are never up to something good!" Skipper pumped his flipper like a fist, even more frustrated than before. Not only did they had to deal with Daft Capo, but also those pesky pigeons as well. Whenever pigeons come, things won't remain clean.

"The government's onto us!" panicked Yasuhiro. His reaction caused a lot of baffled eye brow raises and stares within the Fellowship, as they were not exactly sure what kind of leaps of logic did he take to come up to that conclusion.

"Don't even begin with such nonsense." scoffed Byakuya, who did not hide how much was he wincing just at the idea. At the very least, Yasuhiro believed birds are real. Although avians used for espionage purposes by all means wasn't exactly too far off from reality.

"Did they have any visible devices on them?" asked Kyoko as she assumed that there must be some gadgets on them. It would make sense, at least.

"Those avians were in their pristine form. They were not muddied with human inventions. However, there was still presence of malice within them." answered Gundham that what he gained from observing that pigeon seemed like lack of presence of such gadgets. That was when the confusion kicked in for others. If they had no such devices, how could Gundham reasonably (meaning no usage of chuuni terms) explain on how did he figure it out just from a look?

"No surprise, they're like bird mafia on their own!" Skipper fired away an answer right from the get go. Those baffled stares that were locked on to Yasuhiro now focused on the penguin himself.

"D-don't tell me we have to deal with ANOTHER mafia at the moment!" stuttered Kazuichi, terrified at the prospect that they would have to face two criminal syndicates at once. Some, like Sayaka, were scared too, but others weren't as much due to the fact what Skipper was hinting at implied that such "mafia" consisted only of pigeons, not some hardened gangsters.

"Well, it's more of a secret network of pigeons. The hippie fella was close, but very far with his guess." elaborated Skipper as he pointed at Yasuhiro. While pigeons did not (officially) have ties with the government, there was still some kind of shadow network of them. At least, that's what penguins thought.

"….C'mon, that was low." Yasuhiro did not appreciate being called a hippie.

"The truth is, they do not care for anything else than to establish a global dominion over balconies and they will all...for anyone that is easily nauseated, I suggest to leave...you know...poop on everything else. That is the true desire of a pigeon!" ranted Skipper as he could no longer hide his distaste for pigeons. All of it was based upon his personal experience with pigeons, which predate their encounter with Daft Capo itself, but followed the defeat of some octopus called Dave, who really wanted to make the world hate penguins because they overshadowed him in popularity.

If there were crickets present at Hope's peak academy, they would have chirped. Instead, it was nothing but a very awkward silence.

"That is….out of all things I've seen and heard, the most idiotic, moronic, inane and banal piece of information I have ever heard in my life." Byakuya verbally demolished the whole idea of a secret plot to establish absolute dominance over balconies, conducted by pigeons.

"I agree completely, and I have to deal with my classmates." scoffed Hiyoko while taking an opportunity to dunk on everyone else there.

"It is, however, the truth. We have already uncovered their plot in Manhattan. I assume it is the same here." argued Kowalski with utter seriousness in his voice, insisting that there was a legitimate plot like that and it must be stopped.

"I must ask….how is this relevant?" Gundham steered the direction of the conversation back where it was supposed to be: on the potential of Daft Capo surveillance, not some worldwide balcony domination plot conducted by pigeons.

"Oh, uh, right….pardon me….so you've said there's a big chance that these pigeons work for Daft Capo?" Skipper listened to his words and wanted a refresher.

"Who else could be? If, as you said, they only eye for balconies, why would they constantly observe us?" Gundham pointed out, taking his encounter with the pigeon into account. However, due to sheer absurdity of Skipper's conspiracy theory, many of them, mostly more cynical ones, couldn't believe what they were saying anymore.

"At this point, I refuse to believe it. This has become truly moronic." countered Byakuya as he crossed his arms. Just hearing the word "pigeon" was enough for him to stop listening.

"Go outside then, if you need to be convinced. The Overlord saw it with his own eyes, and you should too." suggested Gundham as he pointed towards the exit. So far, seeing with one's eyes was the most effective measure to convince them of absurdities happening in their time.

"Fine then. I shall go, just to prove how utterly ridiculous this whole stew of nonsense is." Byakuya accepted the offer, but only to make everyone else here look like a buffoon. He waltzed out of the gym, doing exactly as intended. For a moment, everyone in the gym was silent.

"Finally, some peace…." sighed Aoi, taking some time to enjoy the silence.

As he was walking through the hallways, he was smirking to himself on how will disprove them. He will bring the proof that their ramblings were baseless. Being right was something that always pleased him.

However, the moment he stepped outside, he was the one who was disproven. Every tree in the park that surrounded Hope's peak academy was occupied with, as one would guess it, pigeons. All of them were staring right at him. Togami couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled with just how many pigeons were suddenly there.

"Strange...they weren't here before…" Byakuya thought to himself as he stepped closer to some tree. It didn't matter which, since every tree was infested with pigeons. Once he got closer, he looked up and saw that pigeons were really staring at him. Even when he looked to other sides, pigeons were staring at him with their soulless orange eyes.

"Vroo uhm!" cooed the pigeon.

At that point, Byakuya realized that those "conspiracy nutjobs", as he deemed them, were completely right. A rather noticeable hit on his pride was had.

"…..Are you serious right now? Has the world gone so mad, that even nonsense like that becomes true? I guess...I have to accept this reality….ughh…" Byakuya contemplated before he went back inside, walking as fast as he could. Through out his time, he thought about how absurdities have become the norm. Nothing was mundane anymore. One could make up the most inane story and it would turn out to be completely true.

Such was the world.

Once he reached the gym, he went inside quickly, no longer having such a vain expression on his face. Instead, he looked a bit concerned. Other members were curious on what caused him to be such way.

"So? What did you find?" asked Gundham, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"...There is….an entire flock waiting outside of school." Byakuya hesitantly revealed that pigeons, a whole load of them, were just waiting outside, as if were predators. At that point, no one could deny it anymore.

"Crap! They're really onto us!" Yasuhiro panicked once again, although he was now more leaning towards Daft Capo being behind it rather than the government.

"So...what should we do?" asked Mahiru as she was visibly unnerved, like many of them were. Their moves were being watched. Not exactly a relieving thought to be had.

"I suppose we can make ourselves less transparent with it. We could search, but under the guise of pretending that we're just going through daily lives." suggested Kurisu, giving the same advice as she did to her own group when they were inspecting that Fiat Multipla.

"Hmmm….that is a logical suggestion. I do not have any objections." Gundham approved the idea, since that was exactly on his mind. More and more, they would have to go undercover, just to even reach basic steps.

"We could also work more separately, rather than in groups." suggested Kyoko as well. She had the idea that some could go alone through out the search, rather than in big groups. Although most of the groups consisted of three at most, some were larger. Kyoko felt like working in larger groups would make the more suspicious to Daft Capo.

"Hm, I feel mixed about that one. On one hand, it is a greater cover. On other, it leaves one more exposed. We cannot afford to risk that." argued Sakura, discussing the possibility of isolated members being more vulnerable to potential attacks by the adversary. The only option they would have in such scenario would be to run away, although that would also depend on how fast one is.

"Perhaps a pair or two would be sufficient enough. But nothing like a whole team. Considering that it's been confirmed that we are being observed, it would certainly help when it comes to obscuring their view." Kyoko took a compromise that at the very least the groups should be of two at most. Just like they had it at the moment, although nothing larger than that.

"Hmmm….that plan is….acceptable." Gundham approved it as well.

"Any objections?" Skipper inquired for opinions of others, but no one really objected. They all thought it was a decent plan for them to be more undercover. "Alright then! Back to work!".

"What about pigeons?" Kazuichi pointed out that they can't all just waltz outside by using the main entrance, since it's being monitored by pigeons.

"...Right. Everyone find their own exit. That is my order!" commanded Skipper as one by one, each of them went through a different exit. All of them avoided the main entrance, so they had to find a way. Slowly and surely, they were going back to the Operation Metropolitan Hunt, trying to find any possible evidence of those gangsters.

Meanwhile, the pigeon that spotted Gundham arrived to Zona Daft Capo. He dived in right into the alleyway, where Golubotnik's gang jammed to hardbass. Tom was with them too, leaning on the wall and flipping a coin, just like he felt it. The spy pigeon maneuvered through the alleyway until he landed right in front of Golubotnik and Tom. Immediately, those two higher ups looked at him. With just a look, the pigeon knew he had to spill the beans.

"Vroo uhm!" reported the pigeon.

"The boi's got some news for you. Apparently they spotted those scrubs be walking all over the city. However, one might be onto us. He was acting suspicious." Golubotnik translated the report for Tom, confirming the suspicion that there was action taken against them. Tom closed in a raised an eyebrow, like that one wrestler, curious to know who was the one that got onto them.

"Wizard man." revealed Golubotnik to Tom. As if a lightning struck nearby, Tom immediately sensed the danger posed by Gundham. He nodded as an expression of gratitude before he sprinted towards the hideout like Terminator would. Didn't take him much time to reach that World War 2-esque bunker like building that was their hideout. Once he managed to reach it, he went inside, immediately seeing Wile E. Coyote, who was just monitoring what was going inside. Coyote was well prepared in the case that they would receive the news, although he was the only one of the Elite Bois that was inside the hideout at that moment.

"Status report?" Wile lifted a sign with a demand. With the help of pantomime, Tom requested him to bring up other Elite Bois and a need for a blackboard, so that he could tell them the whole news in his own way. Tom then looked around and wondered where were the rest of them.

"They're watching Formula One in the Zona Kino." Coyote shared the news with a sign before he lifted another one, just to express the reason why he didn't go along with them. "NASCAR superior, by the way.".

Tom made an inviting motion with his hand as both of them started running towards the aforementioned theater. Zona Kino was a specialized movie theater, catered to Daft Capo tasted. As expected, each cinema hall had at least three rows of VIP chairs. Even the normal chairs were quite nifty, they were made to be somewhat of a compromise for lower prices. Movies presented there were chosen by Daft Capo itself. Any movie that was deemed "cringe", such as basically any anime movie not made my Hayao Miyazaki (although Mamoru Oshii was also an exception) was not screened for it. However, the Zona Kino had another purpose as well: the biggest cinema hall was currently reserved for a live recording of an ongoing Formula One race. Every other Elite Boi was there, watching the race intensely. They were all munching on that salted popcorn. They were not the only one present, as the whole cinema hall was filled with punksters. The sounds of Formula One engines echoed through out the hall, thanks to the enhanced audio.

"Hamilton is gonna win, for sure!" rooted for his favorite racer as he watched him overtake other racers as well. Due to Lewis Hamilton's statistical success, "betted" on him to win that season. He also thought that Formula One car that Hamilton drove was, in his words, "the most wicked looking.".

"He always does." grumbled Dastardly, who was only there to kill time, since he had nothing to do elsewhere. His car was still in maintenance. Just like Coyote, he was part of the NASCAR fanclub, like a true American.

"Italy better win this season! FORZA ITALIA!" Herman waved small Italian flags as he cheered for any Italian driver in the race. He has, for some forsaken reason, brought a vuvuzela with him, so he could play it when Italy wins, or to spite others when Italy loses.

"Man, I miss Schumacher though. He was the best." lamented Fritz regarding what happened to a legendary racer. Many of Formula One fans shared his sentiment.

"I disagree, it's Dino Beganovic who is the best." Rando raised his finger, arguing that there was a better racer than Michael himself.

"Sure, but Schumacher was the legend." disagreed Fritz as they all continued to watch the race, oblivious to the fact that they just received important news. Tom and Coyote were in the cinema hall, observing how all of them had their eyes glued on the race.

"Ahem, attention!" Coyote lifted a sign, only for him to remember that he and Tom are legally not allowed to talk. "Oh right.".

However, Tom had an idea. He pointed at his foot, while also showing Coyote that he should smack it with his signs that he can pull out of thin air.

"Are you sure?" Coyote raised a sign, along with his eyebrow, not exactly quite getting what would smacking Tom's foot be useful for. In response, Tom gave him a nod. Coyote then looked around and then realized what exactly was Tom getting at. Just in preparation, he brought up earplugs and plugged them in his big eyes. Then, he was ready.

"Alright." Coyote lifted a sign before….

SMACK!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!".

The scream was so viscerally powerful, that nearly everyone in the cinema hall fell out of their chair. The whole projector shoot thanks to resonance caused by the scream. All of those on the receiving end had it ringing in the ears for some time, as if an explosive went off. Only Tom and Coyote were standing. Before it all cleared out, Elite Bois and punksters picked themselves up and looked towards the source of such volatile sound. All of them were utterly furious for not only him assaulting their ears, but because he interrupted them during a Formula One race.

"PER L'AMORE DEL CAZZO, NON GRILLI DURANTE LA FORMULA UNO!" Herman exploded on him as he made aggressive gestures with his hand. The amount of appreciation he had for it equated to zero.

"I think my eardrums received a significant emotional event." commented Rando, being rather confused than being pissed. He was kind of dizzy as well, due to the sound based assault.

"Out of all times to yell, WHY NOW?!" yelled at them in rage, furiously glaring at those two, who were just proudly standing. Not only that, but the scream bugged his systems inside the armor with a giant clock for a moment.

"Thank you for your attention." Coyote smugly lifted a sign before he and Tom stepped in front of Elite Bois, who did occupy the VIP seats. "Now, we've got news."

Upon seeing that sign, the guy behind the projector paused the live stream of Formula One race and focused those lights right on Coyote and Tom.

"What could be so important that a Formula One race had to be paused for?" scoffed , not pleased that they had to pause something he was actually a fan of for whatever reason.

With a snap of his finger, Tom ordered Coyote to bring in the blackboard. So he did, but the first blackboard was too small for requirements that Tom set up. The feline gangster requested a larger one and so Coyote provided it. Upon closer inspection, Tom found out that it was just the right size. It even came with white chalk, just what he needed. Once he snatched it, he began to draw. At lightning pace, he managed to draw caricatures of Hope's peak students meandering around the city. Some of them were exempt from being drawn, due to the fact pigeons haven't seen them. Unlike caricatures of students, pigeons were drawn in a shockingly detailed and true-to-life art style, right down to each feather. They were drawn as if they were "badasses", one could say. All of those pigeons reigned supreme above those "scrubs", but then came the part that was the whole reason for that pigeon to report. Gundham Tanaka, unlike other students, was drawn in the same art style as pigeons, and staring right into pigeons eyes. Both were drawn in such a way that they stared at each other, like a man and a feathery beast. For the conclusion, Tom added a little comic book esque cloud above Gundham drawing, saying "sus". Once he finished the drawing, he crossed his arms in pride, all of it was done through lightning pace.

"Aha! Knew it they would begin. Desperate bastards!" Fritz snapped his fingers as he correctly assumed that action would be taken. However, there were still questions remaining. Just like The Fellowship of Darkness had to question on how did Gundham find out, Elite Bois would have to question Tom how did he come up with that conclusion.

"I'd like to ask how exactly did the wizard man figure out that we're spying on them because he just looked at the pigeon?" questioned Dastardly, because he thought that "seeing with your own eyes" doesn't exactly reveal the bigger picture. In that case, how did he guess correctly? Was it truly just

In response, Tom drew a linear scale. On one end, a dopey portrait of Chiaki Nanami's head, beady eyes and sticking out with her tongue, with an X ray vision of her brain, where a tiny peanut resided. He made the peanut so small that it was barely visible. On other end, a renaissance like portrait of himself, with his brain so big that many drawn moons revolved around him. Just like before, he has drawn it all within seconds. On the scale, he put an arrow in the middle, with text above it. It said "Gundham Tanaka.". Perhaps it was some kind of respect that he had for Gundham, for he also sensed some kind of aura within.

However, that just confused the judges. raised an eyebrow upon implications that a Hope's peak student was anything more than an utter moron. Or worse.

"Even with that considered, that still doesn't make sense! Again, how could he figure it out solely because he looked at a pigeon?!" Dastardly further questioned his reasoning.

In response, Tom erased the scale with a sponge as he thought up an idea. Perhaps instead of a single image, a small comic would be sufficient. Of course, he had to draw it from left to right, not right to left, since the audience present was mostly not Japanese. To fit the time constraints, he just focused on Gundham and Sonia. Tom began with a drawing of aforementioned duo, although Sonia was drawn like a caricature. Gundham, however, regained his "badass" art style. The first panel was just them walking around, with the detailed pigeon observing them. Then, the next scene was a close up of them, with Gundham's eyes looked towards the side. Suddenly, a dramatic panel, with an extreme close up of Gundham's eye. What followed next were two panels of pigeons, one from a far, other one up close. The pigeon looked quite menacingly as both of them locked their eyes onto each other. Side by side, they stared at each other like two shounen characters. The next panel consisted of Gundham approaching the pigeon, with the latter remaining still. With the gleam of their eye, they could sense the mutual contempt for each other. They knew their destiny will be a hostile one. The comic was concluded with Gundham walking away as the pigeon still looked at it. For further explanation, Tom added a text that said "good with animals" above Gundham.

The comic succeeded in two. It both entertained the Elite Bois and it explained on how did Gundham uncover their surveillance attempt.

"So it's a hunch, huh….I guess that makes sense….for how convoluted it is." Dastardly scratched his chin as he stopped arguing with him. He was just a little convinced, but at the same time, he understood that the Fellowship was more aware than they let it.

"Hmmm….well one exception among morons is barely enough of a threat. However...Coyote, you've said that you wanna fill Zona with booby traps, right?" scoffed at the idea that anyone from Hope's peak could be an existential threat for Daft Capo, but at the same time, he couldn't afford to be lax anymore. Perhaps a deterrent was needed indeed.

"Of course." Coyote proudly lifted a sign, smirking as well.

"Then...it is your opportunity now! But make sure that Hope's peak officials wouldn't be ones to land….if they ever come. I swear, it's been some days and I still haven't gotten response. Do they just simply not care? If that's so, that would be wheeze inducing." officially allowed him to do as he intended, but not before pointing out that officially, Hope's peak academy itself, apart of Fellowship, has yet to act upon the hostage crisis.

"I hate to say this, but you're right. It is really weird...unless…." contemplated Dastardly before a thought appeared in his head. A thought that, despite not exactly considering himself to be a moral man, kind of disturbed him. "Gentlemen, before Coyote goes and does with his shenanigans, I'd like to ask the possibility that the higher up of Hope's peak academy are using their students to do their work, because that's kind of messing me up.".

They all thought about it. So far, only of the "higher ranking members of Hope's peak academy" that has taken serious action was Chisa herself, which at the moment was not a threat at all. Koichi participated as well, but his contributions were not as noticeable to Daft Capo as Chisa's were.

"I think that'd be actually funny. It would show how utterly pathetic the school is." chuckled at the idea that Hope's peak itself would use their own Ultimates as disposables. If, in any case, that were true, then the whole idea of Ultimate was a worldwide scale level con job.

"Herman, you know more here. What do you think?" asked Fritz as he wasn't exactly sure. He didn't quite look into Hope's peak itself, since he was, lets say, busy.

"Hmmm….nah. It's the Manhattan boys who lead them, not Headmaster or some fucker there. Remember that. I swear, Hope's peak itself feels like a separate entity at this point…" admitted Herman, while reminding them that the major player were penguins, not exactly the administration of school itself. Which was odd to them. For penguins to raise up arms, not officials themselves.

"Sure does, considering it's that those scrubs are looking for her and not...you know….the officials." Fritz pointed out that no official has assisted them so far.

"It would certainly be nice if they hasten their response and already give in our demand. Although I do not mind more time for lecturing that skank, if you know what I mean." commented while also smirking at the idea of what he usually does to the hostage herself. Dastardly winced upon the implications, since they've all heard it.

"...I'd prefer it if we just got money earlier. And the school. At least we'd be competent at running it." grumbled Dastardly while already thinking about what sort of reforms would Daft Capo bring to the school itself. But for now, all they needed to do was wait. They would have, but has decided not to risk it.

"Well know….Coyote, do your job!" gave him an order to fill the city with non-lethal booby traps, in the case that any Hope's peak student would feel cocky enough to infiltrate Zona Daft Capo.

"With pleasure!" Coyote lift a sign, grinning all the way as he and Tom exited the cinema hall, returning back to the hideout. Once they were there, Coyote pulled out a blackboard out of thin air as they began with the aerial view of the city. Both of them maliciously rubbed their hands as they started to brainstorm regarding the possibility of The Fellowship of Darkness striking.

Both sides were no on the edge, although one was even more so. Whatever the Fellowship planned next, they would have to be prepared for Daft Capo's response.