FCHTACK!
TOPONTHEMORNINGUYSMYNAME'SPUPLAAND-
(take medicine)
Alright, alright, I'm good. Sorry about that.
ANYWAY! I'M BACK BITCHES!
No, in a more respectable form, I'm really sorry for making all of you wait. September was as hard as hell to go through! There were just too many things happening at once, and thus I couldn't update. So if you add the bios I've been working my ass off, well... shit just go down.
But don't worry, I'M ALIVE! I don't want you guys to suffer another syndrome where you have to wait so much for a chapter that will never come...
Looking at ya, Jibster.
Anyway... THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE COMMENTS!
Seriously, guys, you have no idea how good you guys make me feel when I read your comments. It just... makes my day. So I've gotta say this now. You guys are the best. So stay awesome. And that's not a request... IT'S AN ORDER.
*ahem* Sorry again. Let myself carried away.
So, with that said, enjoy the story!
CONQUERING HOPE CHAPTER 4:
HELLO AGAIN, ELITES!
"*yaaaaawn* Man, I hate to wake up early that early! It's been like this for the entire week!"
"I-it can't be helped, Masaru. You know how Naegi-onii has to work hard today…"
"Well, I'm just glad this is the last day! I'm going to ruin my cute face with those early wake-ups!"
"That's what you're worried about? Today is an important day for Aniki, and all you care about is your face?!"
Makoto sighed at this, Monaca by his side. "Does every school morning had to begin like this?"
"Oh, but you can't help it, Naegi-onii!" Monaca cheered. "They're all kids, so they have to cherish their youth!"
The Luckster sweatdropped at this. "Aren't you a kid as well, Monaca?"
"Oh, but a big one! Don't underestimate me just because of my age!"
Makoto laughed at her little sister pouting at her. Yes, there were children alright, but seeing seems quarrel was funny… well, as long as it wasn't something important they're discussing. It was nothing serious most of the times, fortunately.
DING!
"Uh?" Makoto turned the sound of the door nearby. Seeing that he was the closest and that he was the first one ready as usual, he shouted to the rest of his family, "I'll get it!", went towards the door, opened it and-
"Ah! Good morning, Naegi-kun! I hope you're ready to work hard today!"
"Seriously, Murasame?! Of all the things you could have told him to greet him, that's what you decide to say?!"
"I was simply trying to pump his spirit up for the day! You don't need to be so harsh about it, Ikuta-san!"
The first sight that greeted him was the two of the members of the Student Council, Soushun Murasame and Kotomi Ikuta. Right after the first one saluted the Luckster, the second one scolded him for his behavior, leaving for another argument… in a row since the beginning of the day.
Soushun is a man of average height with brown hair and hazel eyes. He wears the school uniform of Hope's Peak Academy, a brown suit with a blue necktie, and a white cuff around his right arm.
Kotomi has yellow eyes and long red hair, with some strands flaring out rather dramatically. She wears a white headband and the standard uniform of Hope's Peak Academy.
"Murasame-senpai? Ikuta-senpai?" Makoto questioned in a surprised tone. "How did you found my house?"
Soushun was the first one to snap out of his argument to face the Luckster. "Oh! Well, you see, Ishimaru told me about your address! Then we decided to go pick you up!"
"Y-you didn't have to go that far, you know…"
"But we wanted to make sure you wouldn't slack off!" Kotomi commented. "We never know, maybe you would have overslept or something like that! ...even though you don't seem to do that."
Just before Makoto could think of an answer, Nagisa came out and faced the two teens, glaring at them. "I'll let you know, Aniki has never missed to his duties before. He always did his best in everything he did, and he wouldn't miss an important mission that was put on his shoulders."
"Hell yeah! It's Nee-san we're talking about!" Masaru was quick to follow his brother. "What gives you the right to talk bad about him?!"
The two others looked at the two boys in disbelief, as Soushun tried to calm them down. "We-we didn't say anything bad about him-"
"You better not!" Kotoko emerged from her spot. "Makoto-onii is not a slacker like my other brothers, so don't put him in the same bag!"
"What?!"
"Excuse me?!"
"You've heard me."
"Ara ara, you three are so troublesome!" Monaca said, joining her family along Jataro. "That's not a way to talk in front of Naegi-onii's friends, you know!"
"A-also, we're going to be late if we keep talking, right?" Jataro said in a hesitant way. "A-and I thought today was an important day, right?"
"Of course it is!" Soushun beamed happily. "This event might influence our school's future in the right way! Let's discuss it while we're going, shall we?"
The other kids grunted in advance, as Makoto laughed awkwardly. Thank God Soushun did not notice. Kotomi did, on the other hand, as she sighed while smiling in the same manner than Makoto. "This is going to be a long day for sure…"
Yes, it would be. But Makoto didn't mind. After all, that meant he would pass time with the Student Council's current members.
He didn't have the chance to interact with them as much as with the others, probably because their schedules wouldn't allow this to happen.
But the few time he met them, he had some good moments with them… mainly.
And he hoped that he would have the occasion of sharing more memories with them as well.
"And then, I would like you to meet the future recruits of the Student Council when you will have more time! It is your duty as a future member!"
"I-I'm not sure I'll be a part of it, you know…"
"I'm sure you will! You are exactly what we need, Naegi-kun!"
"Maybe not exactly, but your help will be indeed appreciated. We need someone who can take care of things when we will graduate, after all!"
Makoto listened to the encouragements of his two friends, feeling flattered at their statements. After they got the kids to their classes, Soushun mentioned this year's recruits, the students who were attending at Hope's Peak Academy for the first time and who were observed by the Steering Committee.
Makoto did meet the class 79-A a very few times, but it was probably the class he was hanging with the least, considering the fact that he was focusing on the 79-B class since the beginning of the year because of the Koichi incident… and also because he kept being asked by class 77-B and his own class.
However, since Jin assured him that Soushun was the one who was taking care of them, he had less to worry about.
Though he wondered why they would recruit him only when he was half-way his three years at Hope's Peak Academy. Wouldn't it be better to just assign people who could assist those persons? Something about this wasn't right…
And Makoto wouldn't call himself a valuable asset for the Student Council either. Sure he did a good job with his own class, and he did help the other classes a little, but asides from that…
Perhaps he's been chosen as a candidate because Soushun liked him a lot. He was very similar to Taka when it came to rules in general, but he was a nice person that would only act for everyone's good, classmates and friends alike.
"I'm sure everything will be just fine!" The Politician exclaimed with a proud and happy manner. "Those siblings of yours seems full of energy earlier, so I'm sure that they will be a great help for-"
"WHAT?! Because they have to work as well?!"
The shouting was coming from none other than the Journalist, who seemed outraged at hearing this. "I-Ikuta-senpai?!"
"This is simply unacceptable!" Kotomi fumed. "Don't they know that the legal age for minors to work is at least 15 years old?!"
"Erm, it's not really working, Ikuta-san," Soushun tried to explain. "You may call this an activity of a sort…"
"Well, perhaps they should have just told us that to us instead!"
That got Makoto's curiosity. "Uh? You mean they didn't tell you about that?"
"And they didn't tell us about the event being public either!" Kotomi continued in her frustration. "The Headmaster had to move himself to tell us only this morning, and the decision was only taken yesterday! Why do know this only know?! We're the Student Council, for crying out loud!"
"J-Jin-san told me yesterday, you know…"
"Only because you're the one who came up with the idea!" She sighed in anger. "I swear, those guys are the worst!"
That also shocked greatly Soushun. "Ikuta-san! Don't say something like that within the school! What if they can hear what you are saying?"
"So what?! They say whatever they want with us, so why can't we just do the same?!"
"Because they are the upper heads! We can't just disrespect them. What would the Reserve Course Students thought if the Student Council of their own school would behave like that towards their own authority?!"
"They have common sense, Murasame! If they feel that way, then nothing should stop them from saying what they think!"
Kotomi was also very strict when it came to rules. But unlike her classmate, she wasn't the kind of girl who would stay silent when something bothered her, like lying or hiding things that are important to everyone.
And unfortunately, some of the Steering Committee's decisions were among the list of things that pissed her off.
Perhaps it was something due to her talent, he figured.
That's why Soushun and Kotomi were arguing. Because even though they both mean good, their methods were quite different. Someone who would follow the rules, and another one that would break it? It was a mix that would only end up with many frictions.
It didn't happen as much between him and Kotomi. Probably because he was more passive and listening to what she said most of the time, without interrupting her.
In all this, Makoto only watched the two friends having another quarrel about what's right and what's wrong. He couldn't help but think, Kotomi was right about their lack of respect for procedures. And yet, if they could get past of this… maybe this event will be successful.
"Ara ara… you kids really have to learn how to be more discreet, you know that?"
The three widened their eyes in shock as a familiar teacher in an apron was just next to them. Useless to say, the two council students shouted. "S-SENSEI?!"
"Ssssh, you three are so loud!" Chisa put a finger on the two shouting student lips to make them stop. "You don't want to disturb the others while they're working, do you?"
Makoto was surprised at her presence, and asked. "H-hello, Sensei. What are you doing here?"
"Oh! Hello there, Naegi-kun!" She turned towards Makoto with a happy face. "I was simply walking around to give the others instructions about the instructions for the day! And when I've heard you, I decided to tag along!"
"R-really?" Soushun asked, taking recovery from his surprise. "Well then, I believe we have to thank you, Yukizome-sensei!"
Kotomi was less enthusiastic about this. "W-why did you have to approach ourselves by behind like that? You could have simply called us!"
Chisa giggled at her reaction. "That's right, but then I would have let you disturb everyone while they are hardworking! And I don't think Ishimaru-kun would have appreciated it."
"KOIZUMI-SENPAI! Please be careful about those installations! You could hurt someone with your clumsiness, and the school will make you pay if you break anything!"
"Well, maybe if you just decided to take care of it instead of letting me do the job, I wouldn't have trouble with those! What kind of man are you, telling others what to do without doing anything in return?!"
The four persons turned their attention towards the rec room, which seemed to still be in preparations. "See? I think that giving his current mood, he will not tolerate any other interference." Chisa sighed.
Makoto sweatdropped at this. "Don't you think we should give them a hand?"
"Don't worry, I think that the Mitarai-brothers are with them!" the Housekeeper reassured with a smile, before advancing towards the group. "Besides, I already have the instructions for you."
"R-really?"
"Do you remember Bandai-senpai and Gozu-senpai from the 66th and 69th class?" She began to explain while keeping her smile as she explained. "Well, you three were assigned to help them on the fields for the morning, for 8:00 am to 10: am!"
"Well, thank you for the information, miss!" Soushun greeted with recognition. "I'm really glad that our older seniors agreed to give us a hand!"
"Yeah, sure, but…" Kotomi asked, happy about it as well, but feeling something odd. "Why can't anybody else help them? I mean, people like Nishizawa-san or Gouryoku-kun? Aren't they more adapted for those tasks?"
"For nutrition and physical endurance? Yes, that's correct." Chisa explained. "However, Nishizawa-san's services were asked with Kimura-san. As for Gouryoku-kun, he had to take care of a few things with Sakakura-kun. And since there is not much help available… I think you got the idea."
Makoto could only smile at the mention of Seiko's name… but he also nervously sweatdropped when Juzo's name came out of Chisa's mouth. Unlike the Pharmacist with whom he entertained a good relationship even when she graduated, it wasn't the same with the Boxer.
The Luckster decided to dismiss those thoughts as he looked at the Housekeeper and affirmed, "Well, we'll do what we can. Thank you for the information, sensei!"
"No problem, Naegi-kun!" She answered while keeping the same smile. "It's only a part of my job! Now hurry up, okay?"
"Okay!" With this, he turned towards his two friends and told them, "You've heard her! Let's go join them!"
"Right!" Soushun affirmed, and the two boys headed towards their destination, with Kotomi following near behind them while sighing… and giggling very softly.
"Those two… no wonder why they get along so well…"
"Go for it, kiddos! You've got what it takes!"
"It's *puff*… easier said *puff* than done, Gozu-senpai…"
"Never try to accelerate a tree's growth. It's not good to push others to their limits like that…"
"But it's by surpassing their limits that they will become adults! I thought you would know that, Bandai!"
The two adults were discussing, near arguing, about how the three others students should do, while Makoto, Soushun and Kotomi were panting and sweating heavily as the manual activity was slowly drying them out. Once arrived at their destination, Daisaku and Gozu greeted them and asked them to dress properly for the situation, for they were about to work on the fields today, in order to demonstrate not only the physical endurance that the students are showing presence of, but also their skills about selection of the ingredients in order to prepare the best dishes…
Useless to say, someone was not too happy about doing it, even if it was for a noble cause.
"God, this is… this is killing me!" Kotomi exclaimed, all the while sweating bullets as she sat down on the ground, not caring about getting her sports trucks dirty. "How can we do all of that stuff in time?! We're not the right people to do that kind of physical effort!"
"Calm down, Ikuta-san!" Soshun exclaimed, trying to calm her down despite his exhausted state. "This is for the greatest good! If we don't show the example, how can we stand in front of those who admire us?!"
"I still think they should have picked the adapted people for this!" she continued in her frustration. "Just look at us! We're all dirty and exhausted, and I think that if I do more than I do right now, I'm just gonna get hurt!"
Makoto who managed to catch his breath, decided to approach her and said, "Ikuta-san, I understand why you're frustrated. I mean, yeah, this job is really something. But, I don't think that giving up is an option for us right now, is it?"
Kotomi looked at him dumbfounded, before trying to say, "I-I'm not saying that I'm giving up! I'm just starting this job is really hard!"
"Then I'll support you."
"Uh?"
"You've heard me, Ikuta-san." Makoto smiled despite his tiredness. "If you can't keep on doing it, you just have to count on me. And I'm sure Murasame-kun and the others will lend a hand as well."
"He's right!" Soushun followed in the same state. "As friends, it is our duty to help each other when things are going down! So… don't worry about… not being able to…"
The poor boy could not finish his sentence, as his body went limp and fall to the ground. Obviously, his stamina came to an end… and Makoto was near this state as well, considering his shaking legs and his sweating face. "Wow… I-I… I didn't think… that…"
"Wow wow wow!" the Journalist just add enough time to catch the dizzy Luckster, who could barely say anything properly. He could just hear her say a sighing, but also amused way, "Don't say cool stuff like that when you're exhausted, you light-hearted idiot."
In fact, the girl was giggling a little at seeing this. She wasn't always like this, but… with the right people, she felt like she could relax a little.
Kotomi was also very strict when it came to rules. But unlike her classmate, she wasn't the kind of girl who would stay silent when something bothered her, like lying or hiding things that are important for everyone.
And unfortunately, some of the Steering Committee's decisions were among the list of things that pissed her off.
Perhaps it was something due to her talent, he figured.
That's why Soushun and Kotomi were arguing. Because even though they both mean good, their methods were quite different. Someone who would follow the rules, and another one that would break it? It was a mix that would only end up with many frictions.
It didn't happen as much between him and Kotomi. Probably because he was more passive and listening to what she said most of the time, without interrupting her.
It was nice for her to have someone like him around. Too bad they did not interact this much. She could get used to it.
For now, she will just have to watch him being taken by Morpheus into the realm of dreams.
…
…
"Snrk…"
…
…
"Uh?"
Makoto slowly opened his eyes and felt a soft pillow behind his head. He slowly rubbed it deeper so he could feel more comfortable… which was followed by a giggle.
"Hey there, sleepy head."
Makoto blinked a few moments at the new yet familiar voice as he looked up and saw-
"…K-Kimura-senpai!"
Seiko giggled, and since her mask was off, the Luckster could see her smile at him as she said, "Hello Naegi-kun. Did you enjoyed your sleep that much, or are you just happy to see me?"
Makoto chuckled lightly at the comment. "Both, actually! It's really good to see you again!"
"I feel the same way." Seiko kept her smile on her face. "I'm glad to see that you're doing okay as well, Naegi-kun." She chuckled again. "And I see that I managed to make you comfortable too."
"Uh?" The Luckster blinked at her remark, before he looked at his sides to see that he was on a couch outside, which was prepared for the workers in the fields. He snuggled his head a bit only to feel some gap.
Then he realized it. He was on Seiko's lap.
"I-I'm sorry!" He shot up and sat away from the Pharmacist.
But she simply shook her head and said, "It's okay. I place you there myself actually."
"I'm really sorry!"
"Don't worry, you… actually looked comfortable with it." She said with a giggle. A small blush could also be seen, but it she quickly dismissed it and smiled at him. "You haven't changed much, you know?"
The Luckster chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I guess I didn't…"
"Not like it's a bad thing either. You seemed pretty happy while sleeping, too." Seiko reassured him, before asking him in a slightly worried tone, "Speaking of, are you okay? You really looked exhausted earlier. Did you overworked yourself?"
"Eheh, it seems like it…" Makoto laughed awkwardly, closing his eyes as he remembered his passing out. "I guess I was so focused on my job than I didn't notice anythin-"
He stopped dead on his tracks and opened his eyes in surprise when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and as he turned his head toward it, he saw that Seiko approach him with a somewhat worried face. "K-Kimura-senpai?"
"Naegi-kun, I have no doubt that you want to help." Seiko said, expressing what she was thinking. "But it doesn't mean you have to make yourself all tired out. You could get yourself sick because of it, or maybe even hurt yourself."
That reminder was calm, yet the tone she used showed that she was concerned about his wealth. Makoto chuckled and said, "I-I guess you're right, but-"
"I think you remember I was the Ultimate Pharmacist, Naegi-kun." Seiko said, with her tone still gentle, yet with a little strictness hidden within it. "Therefore, I think you should take my advice when I tell you to take some rest, okay?"
Makoto was surprised at her words, but he slowly smiled at her and said while chuckling a little, "Okay, Kimura-senpai. I'll make sure of it. It's not like I'm going anywhere soon, since I feel a little… drained out right now." He then smiled towards Seiko. "Thanks for the attention, Kimura-senpai."
That made her blush as she turned away. "I-I'm only doing my job, Naegi-kun. I-It's my duty to take care of others, you know."
"B-but it's a very sweet thing to do. It shows that you care about others sake… at least, I think so."
The two shared a surprised look before turning towards the source of the feminine voice which was approaching. Makoto recognized it almost immediately. "Nishizawa-san?"
Indeed, Kiriko Nishizawa, a girl who had violet eyes and light magenta hair, with part of the latter styled into a pair of small buns, was approaching them. She was wearing the standard dress shirt of Hope's Peak Academy and a dark gray/black skirt with white undergarments. She also wears a red headband with a bow on top of her head.
The Ultimate Nutritionist bowed to them in a polite and awkward way. "A-am I disturbing anything? I-I'm sorry if I do, m-maybe I'll just-"
"Hey hey, it's okay, Nishizawa-san!" Makoto was the first one to answer, and he was also about to stand up if it wasn't off Seiko's grip on his shoulder.
"Y-you're still too tired, Naegi-kun!" she reprimanded with a worried but quick tone. "You can't move too quickly like that!"
Kiriko decided to step in as well. "I-I'm sorry again! I-I just wanted to see if Naegi-san and the others were alright, that's all!"
"I-I'm fine, don't worry about me!" the Luckster said, trying to be reassuring. "And h-how are the others?"
"M-Murasame-san is still resting somewhere near your position," she explained while still being a little nervous. "A-as for Ikuta-san, I think she must be-"
"I think I just saw her trying to get up, but Bandai-senpai wouldn't let her. She was all sweating at the moment."
"Kyaaa?!" The girl was shocked to the point of jumping of surprise when the new masculine voice was heard. "K-Kubo-san! D-don't scare me off like that!"
"Eheh, sorry about this. I didn't think I would make you jump like that."
That's what Daiki Kubo, a boy with a squarish face, greenish-gray hair, and very dark brown eyes that seem to have little to no sclerae, said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He wears the standard uniform of Hope's Peak Academy.
The boy greeted his friend with a wave of his hand. "Hi, Naegi-kun. Seems like you're having trouble again, right?"
That comment made the Luckster laugh awkwardly. "W-well, I guess so, Kubo-kun. You can say this is my daily routine."
"Fainting in the middle of the work?" Daiki laughed a little as well. "Yeah, that looks like it."
"Hey! Don't laugh at Naegi-kun's misfortune like that!" Seiko took her friend's defense in a surprisingly reprimanding tone.
Kiriko followed next by saying in a quieter voice, "Y-yeah, Kubo-san. I-it's not like he wanted anything to happen to him in the first place."
The Food Critic was a little surprised by this outcome and took a few steps back, sweat dropping in the process. "T-that's not what I wanted to-"
POKE!
He couldn't even finish his attempt for excusing himself, for he felt he collided with something on his back, which seemed like a glass… and a full one at this. "Oh crap!" The result of it was an average wet spot on his right shoulder… followed by a loud but genuine laugh.
"Hahaha, you better watch your back, young man!" Great Gozu exclaimed in a happy tone which held no malice in it.
That didn't stop Daiki to complain. "Man, my uniform is stained again! It's the fifth time this week!"
Poor Daiki… this kind of occurrence was frequent with him.
That's probably the reason why Makoto and he liked each other. They were both people whose luck were not favorable to either of them.
And considering the Foo Critic was a nervous person to begin with, that did not help his case in the slightest.
"Humidity is always followed by drought." The voice belonged to Bandai, who was following Gozu shortly behind with another tray with glasses full of yellow liquid. "Your suit will be washed, don't worry. Besides, if it survived this long, it will handle some water, right?"
"Well, technically, it's lemonade, so…" The Food Critic said… and he should have stayed silent, because a massive hand landed on his shoulder… followed by a strong shake.
"Are you seriously letting some liquid stop you from work?!" the Wrestler yelled in passion. "That is not a way to become a man, lad!"
This time, Kotomi decided to interfere, seeing that the attention was getting Daiki really nervous. "Gozu-senpai, p-please don't scare him like that. H-he wasn't saying any of those things…"
"Sorry about this. As you probably already know," The Farmer tried to explain, "my partner is quite the high-spirited man when it comes to effort."
"Y-yeah, we've seen that," Makoto said, smiling as he remembered certain events from last year. "But I think that it's a good thing. Having something that motives you can allow you to achieve your goal. At least, that's what I think."
He had everyone's attention with those words, especially Seiko's as she smiled at him without him knowing it. "Naegi-kun…"
"Ah! You know what you're talking about, aren't you, kiddo?!" Gozu approached him with a proud tone, and put on hand on his shoulder, this time in a gentler way. "You were like this at the tournament from last year, you know? Always the cheerleader that encouraged his comrades when they're down… I cherish those values more than anything, young boy! But I think you remember it well, hahaha!"
That comment made the Luckster blush. "I-I think you're exaggerating…"
"And there was also that meeting at the half of the year!" Daisaku followed next, ignoring Makoto's protest. "You don't seem like it, but you can be the kind of person that would instruct people and stick them together! A good field must always be prepared with the best weather to give the best food!"
"I-I don't think that it's even a prove-"
"C-can you please tell us about it?" The Pharmacist interrupted him without wanting too. "I-I didn't get all the details, so I would like to hear it."
"M-me too… if it's okay with all of you, of course." Kiriko followed.
"And I would like to hear it as well!" Daiki raised his voice. "I still remember the contest, but I may have missed one detail or two."
Gozu then turned towards Makoto and said, "Well, what are waiting for, kid? Your fans are waiting for their stories!"
"I-I still think that you're exaggerating," the Luckster blushed more while chuckling before he cleared his throat. "But that's fine. I'll make sure to tell as much as I remember."
And so, the Luckster began to tell his two stories.
The first one was regarding the tournament who was held officially for the anniversary of a certain league of fighters in Japan, the Honor Fighting Championship, which is still currently known for reuniting the best fighter on all categories in the whole country.
A place where people like Kenichiro Gozu competed in the past. And a place where Sakura was interested in.
So making a similar tournament at school was not that hard, considering the situation at the time.
He was also very lucky that Gozu was chosen for training them. He was a great help when it came to bringing Sakura back to her feet.
Despite his rude language and his… dangerous behavior at some times, he revealed himself to be a very passionate person who would push the others to their limits, and beyond.
Just like Nekomaru, but more intensely than him, as hard as it was to believe.
As for the second story, it was not as grave regarding a person, but it was still very sad and tragic.
Learning that your mother's sickness got worse was not something that Makoto would like to experience.
But that's something that Teruteru had to go through. It affected him as badly as anyone could think… and even more.
The Cook didn't even react when he saw Sayaka's old photo. Imagine how his classmates freaked out at that.
But their freak out was nothing compared to their restaurant. Or rather, what remained of it after a fire incident.
And the fact that it happened just before the preparations for receiving important people regarding the school's future was not helping.
So you can bet that when Makoto and Daisaku brought Teruteru's mother in order to supervise him… he was not pleased. Not at first, at least.
The idea was something that the three persons agreed on, even though her state worried the Luckster. But she assured everyone she would be fine. Mothers where naturally strong as she put it.
Besides, she could see how much Makoto helped her son. And it warmed her heart knowing that Teruteru could count on someone.
Plus, it allowed Makoto to know Daisaku, if only a little. He didn't talk to him too much, and the few times he did, he couldn't understand some of his sayings…
Not that Daisaku really knew what it meant either, even though he was the one who came up with them in the first place. Which was very… bizarre, to put it lightly.
But he had a very good amount of knowledge about farming and agriculture in general, and he could understand why he had been chosen to also supervise the cooking sessions in general.
In the end, they all managed to get Teruteru's spirit up, and the success was evident on the guest's faces when the day came.
The future Chief was glad that he managed to do his job right… but that meant nothing compared to the sight of her mother, smiling happily and proudly at him. She looked so… full of life. As if she was reborn because of what he did.
And he would not let her down. He was her only hope. Since his two other siblings didn't seem to bother showing up because of their locations, he was the one who had to take care of her… and thus, until the day she would have to… leave.
But he was glad he was not alone on this one.
He was glad he had good friends he could rely on.
"I think I've never seen a family so happy before," the Farmer added, the memory traveling through his mind… and little tears in his eyes. "I have to say, all of this work for his mother's devotion… I could tell that the fire of the sun was in his eyes."
"That would be an understatement." Makoto corrected him. "Hanamura-senpai is always proud of what he's accomplished, and he really loves his mother…" He then smiled to himself. "I'm really happy that it worked out well for both of them."
"Ah! And I suppose that you had something to do with it?!"
That surprised Makoto who looked at Gozu. "Uh?"
"Don't play dumb, young man!" The older man exclaimed, almost angrily. "You played a role in this situation, didn't you?!"
"I also thought the same thing," Daisaku didn't give him time to answer. "The fact that you were standing next to this mother was a pretty good indicator you know. And what are you embarrassed yourself for? I think you did the right thing, even if it was surprising coming from you."
"Oh, well," Makoto started to explain his point, "I was there when the news announced his mother's… incident." His face showed a bit of worry when he pronounced those words, but he quickly dismissed it and went back to his usual happy face. "So I decided to lend a hand to them, yes. But I haven't done that much, you know. I just suggested the idea."
"And that's why you shouldn't try to deny your part in the story, my boy!"
"Uh?"
"You wanted to help this family, just like you helped your classmate during the tournament." The Wrestler explained, not even trying to hide the pride and voice in his voice. "When I've first met you, I've seen it. You looked like the kind of people that would help those he cares about without hesitation, and I'm glad to see that I was right!"
His laugh made the younger boy scratch the back of his head in a sheepish way. "Oh, I was just helping out some friends, that's all!"
"Well, that's what he just said," the Farmer added. "And I share his ideas. I don't really know how to say this, and I don't think I have any proverbs coming to my mind, but… you have, some kind of aura around you that make things more… comfortable."
That only made the Luckster blush a little, as the others looked at him with a smile on everyone's face. "Oh, I think you're all exaggerating right no-"
"I don't think so, Naegi-kun."
He was silenced by a hand on his shoulder, and once again, he noticed that it was Seiko it belonged to. "K-Kimura-senpai?"
"You've done a lot of things for those around you," the Pharmacist said with a gentle tone. "I speak with facts since… you've also helped me with my personal issues, you know? Even if I didn't ask you to get this far for me, you… you still did." A smile appeared on her unmasked face. "And I still am grateful to you for that."
The Luckster looked at her in a surprised way, then laughed lightly. So she didn't forget, uh? Even after at least one year, she seemed to be as thankful.
And yet again, Makoto didn't think it was this important. For him, it was only helping someone with whom he was working on… helping them to make the difference between helping someone and doing the right thing.
That's the feeling he had when he met Seiko, Ruruka and Sonosuke for the first time. He felt that the trio, despite being together most of the time, didn't have any… clear chemistry between them. Asides from Ruruka and Sonosuke, but… even that was too vague for his taste.
And it was even more evident between Seiko and Ruruka. Even if he hated to say that… it was clear to him that the later was using the first.
He was glad he could help Seiko having a better idea of friendship alongside Mikan, when they were assigned to work together in order to prepare one of her final exams.
And he was also glad he could have helped the three other people in their relationship later on… but that's a story for another moment.
He smiled at her in return and said, "W-well, I've already told you, but you're most welcome, Kimura-senpai. I-I just wanted to lend a hand."
"W-we can imagine, you know, Naegi-kun." Kiriko decided to speak for them. "Y-you look like a nice guy, you know… even if I'm sure you've already heard that from other people."
"Yeah, and it's nice to have someone to hang out with who is normal!" Daiki followed while trying to explain as he saw he had the attention of everyone, especially Kiriko's. "I mean, the people in the academy are nice, but with all those differences, it was obvious that not everyone was going to get along, so… yeah, I think it's a good thing for you to be here!"
Makoto only watched as those around him, who were all smiling. Well, he couldn't tell for Gozu's case, but he had his answer when the adult came to his side and told him this:
"Young Naegi Makoto, even though you may not realize this, but as far as I know, you've been nothing but help towards those around you, and this, without asking for anything in return. I can tell you, I haven't met many people like you before, and as you can guess, I'm ùore than happy to have crossed paths with you!" He then took his shoulder… and shook it violently enough to make him dizzy, but not as much as earlier. "Therefore, don't reject the thanks of those who are really grateful! Accept them and face them with dignity when they do so! Understood, ya little idiot?!"
"Wowowow - okay, okay!"
"Hey, stop doing that!" Seiko took Makoto off the older man's grip to make him more comfortable. Being as worried as ever, she then asked her friend, "A-are you okay?!"
"Y-yeah, I think so…" He tried to reassure her.
A feminine giggle was heard, and it belonged to Kiriko. "I-I'm sorry, but I think it's… kind of cute to watch."
"Yeah!" Daiki followed. "You look like an older sister who's taking care of her sibling!"
That made Seiko blush furiously. "W-where does this come from?!"
The others could not help but laugh at her shy and embarrassed face, as they shared their moments.
"D-dear friends! What are you doing here?!"
"Isn't it obvious?! They're taking a break, Murasame!"
The group turned to see their two friends getting close to them. "Murasame-senpai? Ikuta-senpai?"
That was what needed the adults, with Daisaku getting up and saying, "Ah! With this, I think the trees are finally blowing!"
"Uh?"
The perplexed looks of others meant for Gozu that they didn't understand. So he translated… and it meant no good for them.
"What my partner said was, you guys seemed to have recovered! Therefore, it's time to get back to work!"
The trio of workers gulped down. This job was going to kill them for certain.
"Uuuf… I… I think I… I'm really drained out now…"
"Kimura-senpai told you not to overwork yourself, Naegi-kun. And yet, you didn't listen to her!"
"T-that's right, you know. Y-you shouldn't ignore our senior's advice like that, or else you'll be sick…"
The sermon that Daiki and Kiriko were giving him was a friendly one, of course, since it showed that they were worried about their friend's health. During the activity, Makoto wanted to take back the time they've lost in the little break they took, and as such, he overworked himself. Now, here he was, taking lunch in the cafeteria with his two friends from the class 78-A, who were watching over him.
"I-I'm sorry…" he tried to speak between his breath. "I-I just… you know… wanted to help…"
"B-but that doesn't mean you have to act so recklessly to help others!" Kiriko protested, putting a worried face. "Y-you really have to listen to others more!"
"Besides, what makes you think that overdoing yourself will prevent you from coming to the event?" Daiki followed. "You won't be able to assist to the event, and you won't be able to come to see your friends from the Reserve Course!"
Makoto sighed in defeat, but smiled at them. "I know, I know. I'll make sure to take care. I promise."
That surprised the Nutritionist, but she seemed pleased with the answer… and she also looked away. "T-then it's good. I-I maybe shouldn't say this, but it's good to see you in good shape."
Makoto only smiled in return. That was how Kiriko was.
She had a lot of common points with Mikan. She was nervous and awkward towards people in general, but her knowledge about nutrition and also medicine in an extent was not negligible.
Though they have not interacted much, they appreciated each other's company. While Makoto was a pushover at times, she felt good when he was around.
"With all the stuff that's been happening to you, of course she would!"
"Oh man, it's Nishizawa-san we're talking about! She would worry about pretty much everyone!"
Probably because he wasn't as harsh or hotheaded as the two boys who were walking towards them. She couldn't even believe the latter had a crush on her…
The first one was Shouji Yokou, a boy with golden-yellow hair and eyes. He wore a necklace, a black jacket and suit with a blue shirt.
Standing next to him was Sousuke Ichino, a young man with yellow eyes and short red hair styled to resemble flames. He wore the standard Hope's Peak Uniform, with the jacket tied around his waist.
Both boys were grinning towards the Luckster, who greeted them. "Ah, Yokou-senpai! Ichino-kun!"
"Hey there, monkey eye."
Makoto laughed a little at the surname that Shouji gave him. "A-again with that surname?"
"You know it, little guy." The Make Model greeted the group with a smirk. "When I give someone a name code, it sticks for a long time!"
"T-that doesn't mean it's a nice thing to do, y-you know…" Kiriko protested weakly, enough for making him not notice… but there's something else that made him.
"*sigh*"
"Gotta say something about it, Buta-boy?"
"Stop calling me that!" The Food Critic exclaimed while getting up in a frustrated way. "You know I can't control my weight! And I'm not that fat!"
"Yeah, you're just a little wrapped up, that's all."
"I DON'T NEED YOU TO KNOW THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
"Wow wow, you guys, let's not getting fired up, okay?" Sousuke decided to put himself between the two, since he was the one who could actually do it. "We're just here to take some relaxation with our buddies, that's all!" He then turned to Kiriko and sat next to her, with hope-filled eyes. "Isn't that right, Nishizawa-san?"
She just turned over and avoided his gaze. "J-just friends, that's all."
That killed his mood, much for Shouji's enjoyment. "Ha! Told ya it would happen! Classic Ichino!"
"Y-you shouldn't be laughing about that, Yokou-senpai…" Makoto tried to speak with his senior.
"Heh, a little joke never killed anybody before." Shouji shrugged it off, before taking a seat on the opposite side of the table they were on. "'sides, can help to suppress the stress, if only a little."
Makoto sweatdropped. "I-I see…"
"I mean, the shit we had to do was pretty basic." His friend continued, before scoffing. "Or at least that's what those old hags told us. 'cause…"
"What?"
"Oh, it's nothing of a big deal, really," Sousuke answered, seeing his senior hesitating with a frown on his face. "It's just that… it's freaking boring."
"Boring to death, even." Shouji explained. "All we had to take care of were to check out the names of the different companies that are implied into the event, and also those who are interested in. But it's not supposed to be our jobs right now." Another scoff got out of his mouth. "If we have talents, at least let us uses it."
That didn't surprise Makoto however since he knew that because the school was opened to the public, of course some companies would be implied…
Not like he was happy about it, but then again, he had no control over it.
"R-really? T-that's not the same kind of assignment I had!" Kiriko said, clearly surprised by this. "I had to assist Kimura-senpai!" She then turned towards Daiki and said, "And I think you were assigned to have an eye on Hanamura-senpai, correct?"
"Yeah, I did." Daiki said. "I think he was as determined as on that day." He then laughed awkwardly. "That's crazy, he looks like a different person from his…"
"Perverted self?"
Shouji's comment finished his thoughts. "Yeah. He was so focused on the food, it was like he was in his own little world…"
"Well, we all have that side!" Sousuke said. "I mean, I know how he must feel. I have the same kind of behavior when I play!"
Shouji then smirked. "All of us? Not sure." He then looked at Makoto.
"Uh?"
"You know what I mean, right?" The Male Model said, his smirk still on his face. "You're probably the only normal people in this school, so I doubt you have any extreme habits, do you?"
"H-hey! That's not nice!" the Nutritionist protested slightly. "You shouldn't say things like that!"
"What? I didn't say anything harsh." He answered. "I just teased him a little. Besides, it's not like it hurt, right?"
"N-no, of course not…" Makoto reassured, laughing awkwardly. "I-I think you're right. I don't have any special habits like my friends, so..."
"See? He didn't die from it."
"T-that's beside the point!" Kiriko tried to argue.
"Well, it's Naegi we're talking about!" the Rock Star shouted happily. "Of course he wouldn't get mad at something like that!"
The Food Critic sweatdropped at the comment. "H-how you say this is like giving a habit to him…"
"Oooh, but it's true, man! It's not like he'll get mad or anything! He's our buddy after all!" He then put his hand on Makoto's shoulder and said, "Hey, Naegi! Mind if I show you something cool? "
Before Makoto could give a proper answer, Sousuke lifted him up, making sure that he won't fall off from fatigue. Kiriko then looked at them in a worried way. "W-what are you-"
"Don't worry, we won't break him or anything." Shouji said, before getting up and following his friends who were leaving.
"I promise, you're gonna love this, buddy!"
"I-I'm sure of it, j-just give time to - Woah!"
"No chances here, buddy."
The shootings in the hallway made the girl sigh. "Why do Ichino-kun and Yokou-senpai has to be so… hasty?"
"I guess it's how they are," Daiki answered. "I just hope Naegi-kun has a good stamina, because my guess is that Someya-kun and Umezawa-senpai will probably join them too."
"Oh dear," the girl seemed shocked, but not distressed. "Do you think we should check on them?"
"No, don't worry too much. I mean, he can handle a class full of oddballs, so taking care of them should be easy…" He then closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, I hope so, at least."
"Hey, where are you taking me?!"
"Come on dude, it's a surprise! I and the dudes worked so hard on this one!"
"By 'me and the dudes', he means himself and Someya. Umezawa was dozing off as usual, and nobody wanted to help me with that shit of an assignment…"
"Oi, stop complaining, dude! You've been like this the whole day!"
"Maybe because I had to do all the work while you guys are goofing around like kids?!"
"G-guys, please don't argue!"
The trio of guys was heading somewhere in the academy. Where exactly, Makoto had no idea, since his eyes were bandaged. Sousuke had the idea when he was heading towards their destination, in order to make the surprise bigger… even if Shoujo was annoyed by this, that he could hear. Because of this, Sousuke had to give directions so Makoto wouldn't have some… unlucky encounter.
Then, the sound of a door opening could be heard as they walked in slowly. It had to be a very big room where Makoto never went before, since he could even hear the echo of their footsteps, and even his friends talking. It was probably a new room he was entering now, considering he never had the feeling of going there before.
Sousuke then went behind him and pulled off the scarf from his eyes. "Okay buddy, you can open your eyes now!"
"O-okay, so what do you-"
The Luckster widened his eyes in shock as he could not finish his sentence because of what he saw. It was a room that seemed like… an opera room. It was like the music room, but way bigger… and with way more material. Every instrument imaginable was here, and the decorations were simply majestic. And he could also see that there was a very big stage, probably for people to perform on it. There was also a large gap, which was surely for the orchestra when they had to play.
"So? You like it?"
Makoto took a little time to answer, as the surprise transformed slowly into amazement. "I-Ichinou-kun… this… this is truly amazing!"
"I know right?" Sousuke cheered. "I'm the one who came up with the idea, ya know?! It took a lot of time for them to build that on the underground of the new buildings! My old man passed by the school this morning, and the staff helped us bringing all this stuff! And God, thankfully I already had some of the instruments. I mean, shit! That stuff was expensive!"
"R-really?!"
"My family is a musical one, so they have access to pretty much everything! We're pretty rich too, so ya don't have to worry about anything, buddy!" the Rock Star reassured, before calming down. "Oh, but all instruments I bring will not be played here. There are also other rooms, not as big as this one though." He then ran his hand on his hair. "That's kind of odd, by the way. I mean, I'm known as the Ultimate Rock Star, but this room is more for classical music, even though I can practice all kind of music, you know?"
That didn't surprise Makoto. Sousuke was also someone that would take something related to music to heart. He was friendlier than some other people in the academy, but he didn't bother to hide his passion either.
Makoto could only hope that he would fine any suitable members for his band soon. Ibuki was competent, but… she was just too wild for hi on style. Even fi the two seemed to have a good relationship.
And he didn't want to crush Leon's dreams.
But he also didn't want to crush Sousuke's dreams either. After all, his relationship with Kiriko was… inconsistent to say the least.
Even so, the two had many similarities. Neither of them wanted to give up, which was admirable in a sense…
The Luckster only wanted the best for his friends, after all.
"That only because classical music is more popular than rock music." Shoujo commented. "But yeah, honestly, this is so awkward. The dudes will find this strange too." He then sighed. "Then again, it was a decision from the Steering Committee, so we can't say anything."
Makoto sighed at the statement. That was the truth, despite his optimistic self who tried to convince him that everything was going to be okay. "Yeah, right…"
"Oi, Yokou!" the Rock Star yelled at his friend, apparently annoyed by his antics. "Why do ya have to destroy the good mood like that?!"
"I'm simply stating facts here, buddy," the Male Model argued back. "It ain't like any of us doesn't know about this shit."
"Just because we know that doesn't mean you have to say it like it was gonna happen! We're all here to have a good time!"
"And also to help those students out there, may I remind ya. But hey, I guess it's gonna be tough since ya didn't even help me with those papers."
"Again with that?!"
The little arguing the two Council members were having made Makoto smile lightly, even if it wasn't intentional, true, but that was also a form of bonding…
Even if most of the times, it ended up with a quarrel or a fight. But he knew that not all of his friends were like that.
The Luckster then decided to ask, "By the way, Yokou-senpai, can you please show me those companies name?"
"Uh? Oh, sure. This way." Shouji was a little surprised, then smiled a little and went towards a small table that was at the entrance of the opera. "Finally, someone who's at least trying to do his job without working himself…"
"W-what about Murasame-senpai and Ikuta-senpai?"
"What did I just say?"
"Oh…"
"Hey, come on!" Sousuke complained. "They're just doing their best! That's why they're the President and Vice-President, dude!"
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean they have to act as if they have to act like they were perfect!" Shouji countered while giving the sheet to Makoto. "Honestly, Ikuta's a freaking time bomb which can explode at any bad placed comment, and Murasame is sometimes way too optimistic guy. It's a freaking miracle they still have their jobs!"
Makoto only remained silent, as the two friends entered yet again in another quarrel. This was reminding him of his two female friends from the Reserve Course. Despite the comments and the arguing, he knew they meant well. Just like his male comrades right now.
He then sat on the chair near the table, looking at the sheets closer. He observed every name that was on it. On the top was written the name of his friends' families, probably for assuring the school's future on domains. For instance, he could understand that the Togami Corporation would be implied for the economical influence, or he could see that Sonia's royal family could offer some cultural exchange.
Then, he noticed a particular name. "Uh? Yokou-senpai?"
"Yeah? What is it?"
"I see your name on the list. 'Yokou's Fashion Flame?" He eyed him with a perplexed look. "Isn't that… your family?"
The concerned boy frowned and looked away, staring at the ground. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."
And with that, he took some steps away from them. Soushun then approached Makoto, noticing what was going on in his head and whispered towards his ear, "Psst! Naegi, buddy!"
"Uh? What is it?"
"I think you don't know about this, but… well, let's say Yokou don't get along with his family, ya know?"
That surprised Makoto, and not in a good way. "R-really?"
"Yeah, man." He scratched the back of his head. "He said something about 'not belonging in the bunch' or something like that, I think."
"I-I can imagine…" Makoto said sadly. "I wonder what happened to him."
"Don't know, but it gotta sucks. I mean, family is basically everything, so if you're not in good terms with your own…"
Makoto didn't need him to finish his sentence to know what he was talking about. Having friends with similar problems helped him to understand that no matter if you're talented or not, your life is not always bright. Heck, now that he thought about it, it was because they were talented that they suffered that much.
"I think that' why he wanted to show the public his graffiti, ya know?"
"Uh?" Now that was something Makoto was not prepared for. "He… he made graffiti?"
"Yeah, just look, man!" Sousuke showed him some picture plates which were just next to the table. Makoto wondered what were those when he noticed them, thinking it was also some assignments. But he was proved wrong when he saw Shouji's work. It constituted on some logos like "Rock on!" or "Live your lives!" which were presented as rural graffiti made by Americans artists on the walls, combined with the colors and shapes of classical Japan.
"W-wow…" Makoto could not help but be amazed again. "This… this is amazing! I-I know I'm repeating myself, but… I-I didn't know he could do stuff like that!"
"That surprised me too, ya know!" Sousuke yelled, forgetting that they weren't alone. "I mean, he's supposed to be the Ultimate Male Model-"
"Yeah? And does that mean I can't learn to make other stuff?!"
The two looked astonished as they saw Shouji approaching them… and with a displeased look on his face. "Y-Yokou-senpai?!"
"I've made them during my free times, so I wouldn't like you to ruin it for me before I get to show them to the others, got it?!"
The two were a little shocked at his rude behaviors, but as the polite one, as he was, Makoto was the first one to apologize. "R-right. Sorry, Yokou-senpai."
The Male Model sighed deeply, then said, "It's okay, just… ask me first next time."
Sousuke couldn't help but ask, "Man, you sure become pissed! What, is it because we talked about your-"
"No." Was his simple and sharp answer before showing them his back. "Now let's focus on those fucking assignments."
"Oi! No need to be rude!" Sousuke shouted in annoyance.
Makoto could only sigh at what just happen. Looks like he didn't want to talk about it right now. He hoped he could try to comfort him another day…
Come to think of it, he didn't interact much with Shouji really much. He didn't like to talk much, but the few times he did, he seemed a little harsh, but not in a bad way.
He was more… realistic, if he had to choose a term. He took into consideration every possibilitiy when he was talking about a matter.
That's probably why he was not the most social student there.
But that didn't mean he was alone. Makoto, Sousuke and some other people tried to talk to him sometimes. And while he was not rude, he didn't like to talk about personal matters.
He guessed that it was connected to his talent, as the outburst from earlier had let supposed.
He guessed he really needed to talk to Shouji about it one day.
He didn't want one of his friends to carry some burden that would eventually make him snap.
"Hey! Did we missed something?"
As soon as the boys heard the voice, Makoto turned to the origin of the voice-
"Makoto-san!"
"Ouf!"
The Luckster was tackled by the front, but this time, he could restrain himself not to fall on his back. When he looked at his tackler, and it was easy to recognize him… or in this case, her, since he also some kind of yellow bunny ear. "U-Umezawa-senpai!"
"Hey, I told you, stop calling me like that! This is not how you should call a friend!" The girl known as Aiko Umezawa pouted in a cute way.
That small and short girl with short, wavy, brown hair and a noticeable blush on her cheeks had heterochromia; her left eye was green, while her right eye was blue. She constantly wore a yellow bunny hoodie over the standard Hope's Peak Academy's uniform. The ears seemed to mimic her expressions. She also wore black socks and white slippers that have a bow on the instep.
"Y-yeah. Sorry about that, Ume- I mean Aiko-san!" Makoto caught his mistake quickly this time, which could not be the same for the blush from
"Heh, she always knows how to make people do what she wants, Naegi-kun! Be aware of her eyes!"
The voice belonged to Ryota Someya, a short boy with blue eyes and blue hair styled in a loose bowl cut. Instead of a dress shirt and tie, he wore a grey hoodie under the standard Hope's Peak Academy blazer. He had several stuffed animals on his person; a yellow teddy bear in the left pocket of his blazer, a blue teddy bear in the right pocket, and a green dragon or dinosaur in the front pocket of his hoodie.
The comment made Aiko turn at him in an annoyed way. "You meanie! Stop using my eyes for your stupid jokes! It's not even funny!"
"It is for me!" Ryota smirked at her reaction. "You're soooo cute when you're like that!"
"STOP IT NOW!"
"G-guys, please don't argue now…" Makoto tried to ease the little tension as his female friend pouted in embarrassment. But taking aadvantage of the fact that Makoto took a glance at Sousuke who wanted to check on Shouji with the sheets in his right arm, Aiko took his left arm in hers, taking the Luckster in surprise as he blushed. "A-Aiko-san?!"
"Come on Makoto, let's go behind the scenes! I want to show you some scenes I've been working on!" Aiko giggled. "And after that, let's eat something at the cafeteria!"
"But isn't that- Wowow!"
It was too late for him to reply, as the girl brought him to go down the stairs of the room.
"Hey! Wait for me, you two! I wanna show you guys some new dolls replicas of you guys!" the Seamster yelled at them happily before joining them.
"Uum, guys?" Sousuke noticed their departure and also tried also to take advantage of the situation, but…
"Oi, trying to flee again, aren't ya?"
A hand on his shoulder kept him in place… and a serious look greeted him when he looked behind him. "Since the only person serious enough to do his job had been carried away, I only have you left… and there's no way I'll let you slack off again."
Sousuke gulped at Shouji's implications. Man, once again, Makoto's luck saved him from another round of anger from the Male Model… he had to admit, in those situations, he was totally jealous of him.
DRRRR!
"Hey! Stop teasing me with your stupid dolls!"
"They aren't stupid, they're cool! And I've worked so much so they could look exactly like you guys!"
"Well, mine is not as cute as me, so you didn't work hard enough!"
"You're the one who's telling me that, you lazy butt?!"
"Hey, hey, stop arguing, you two. You're like that because of what happened, that's all."
"Well, this dummy didn't have to rip my hoodie with his stuff!"
"Hey, you're the one who got it stuck in the first place! What do I have to do with this, uh?!"
"But you're just too slow! I swear, if I had more time, I would have done it myself!"
"Yeah, if only you weren't so lazy."
"SHUT UP!"
Makoto sighed, as his attempt at stopping another argument failed. He looked at a plush replica of himself in his arms. The meeting with his friends could be resumed to this: Ryota showed some replica dolls of all of the students from class 78-B, 77-B and 79-B, along with the Student Council, the staff, and the other classes. Since he showed his work first to his friends from the Student Council, they all add their own in their room, with the exception of Aiko who kept it all day, despite her claims of 'being a bad replica of her cuteness'. She then changed the subject by showing them some of the scenes she was working on along with other classmates… except that during one of her performance - which was pretty good, despite her not being an actress - she tripped and fell on her belly. She would have got up immediately, except that on part of her hoodie was stuck between two part of woods on the flooring… probably due to a bad installation.
Man, he couldn't help but think, some adults really are messing up at their jobs, more than Ultimates.
And so, Ryota had to make them leave, in order to try and fix it with his machine. They were in his room, which was on the fifth floor along the rest of the Student Council, so they can go to their own Meeting Room, where they could debate sooner. The Seamster's room was full of dolls, notably of his friends or anime idols, and also had some instruments that he used to create dolls, but also all kind of clothing, and he also had a machine that could resew them if they were damaged, which he was using right now, having to stand his friend's complaints.
"Come on, speed up a little!" Aiko said, laying on the bed of the room, and eying him with an annoyed expression. "I don't want to hang here all day!"
"Hey, I do what I can!" Ryota answered with the same tone. "I need to concentrate, so stop complaining or else I'll really mess up!"
The Costume Designer pouted in defeat as she turned towards Makoto and stated, "Man, it's so boring! Whoever did this flooring is a complete goofus!"
"I-I thought the same thing…" the Luckster said, admitting his thoughts, but feeling some pity for the poor guys or girl who was probably going to have some problems at his enterprise…
"So, Makoto-san!"
"Y-yes?"
She eyed him with a smile on her face. "What kind of person do you think there'll be in the event? I know you probably heard that question from the others, but I'm kind of curious."
"Oh, well," Makoto began, "I honestly have no idea. I mean, even though I'm friends with some of them, I don't know what kind of stuff they like, so…I'm as clueless as you guys are."
"Hey, it's okay, Naegi-kun!" Ryota exclaimed while working. "I mean, we'll just adapt and show them some cool stuff! Like old anime and shows!" The happiness was evident in his voice. "Man, I wonder what kind of stuff they like!"
Makoto couldn't help but feel amused as the Seamster said that. The Ryota from the Student Council was far different from the Ryouta he knew.
Indeed, despite the fact that they both had similar tastes when it came to anime or manga, this one was way more cheerful and energic than his older counterpart from class 77-B.
And he was also a prankster sometimes. Especially towards Aiko, to the point that some people could think they are siblings or cousins when they were arguing.
Well, better that than being Kokichi, Makoto supposed…
"Hey, focus! I don't want you to do something else to my hoodie!" The Costume Designer shouted at him, then turned back to Makoto, staring at the floor. "Pff, I just hope none of them aren't downers! I mean, I've worked hard on those costumes, you know! And it wasn't as fun as I hoped!"
That got Makoto's attention. "Really?"
"You're only saying this because you don't want to do anything." Ryota joked. "Ikuta-senpai won't like that, you know?"
"HEY! Stop being so mean to me!" the Costume Designer shouted, in both anger and sadness, as far as Makoto could hear. "I'm not that lazy! Compared to that new Magician, I don't slack off on every occasion!"
"But you sure don't like to work," the Seamster replied, all the while not losing the hoodies in sight. "At the beginning, you were pretty happy about the event happening, you know? But then, it faded away next day, the moment we were given our assignment!"
She pouted in annoyance at the reply. "I didn't expect so much work!"
"Guys, guys, calm down, please!" Makoto tried to appease the two. "It' not a big deal, really! I-I mean, it IS, important, but if everyone has something to gain in the end, then it's fine, right?"
"I sure hope so, Naegi-kun!" Ryota said happily, grinning while doing so. The sound of the machine suddenly stopped. "There! It's finished!"
That made Aiko jump from her place. "R-really?!"
"Just like I'm telling you!" He then showed the result. "There! As good as new!" And indeed, the damage was resewed almost perfectly. The fact that it was repaired could still be seen, though.
And of course, the concerned was not fully happy about this. "'As good as new'?! Are you kidding me?!"
"Hey, I can't do miracles!" Ryota protested, clearly offended. "I mean, what's important is that I fixed it!" He then turned his gaze towards Makoto. "Right, Naegi-kun?!"
Makoto looked at his friend shocked, before saying, "Y-Yeah, of course. At least, you could fix her hoodie, so that's what matters."
That seemed to satisfy the shorter boy. "See? At least, someone looks happy! And he's not even concerned!" He then grinned proudly. "Besides, he appreciates my replica doll!"
Makoto laughed awkwardly at this statement. Aiko, on the other hand, only pouted in annoyance. "It's not as cute as my hoodie…"
"And he doesn't complain about everything!"
Just like a brother and a sister, the Seamster and Costume Designer argued yet again. Makoto only sighed and separated them before anyone could make a move. "Okay, you guys, that's enough. We don't have time for this."
"But-"
"How about we go to the cafeteria and get you some yokan?"
That stopped Aiko's complain before she could even formulate it, as small stars appeared in her eyes and a sense of glee on her face. "Yeah! Yokan!" She went behind Makoto and stuck her tongue to Ryota. "See? He's not as goofy as you!"
Aiko was basically a lot like Ryouta… except that she was more lazy and sneaky that him, that is.
Ryouta especially. But sometimes, he asked for it.
Oh, that didn't change the fact that she was very friendly with others in general, of course. She just didn't like to work, that was all.
And no, the fact that she called people by name most of the times didn't count. It was some kind of quirk of hers when she considered the person she was talking to as a friend…
Makoto knew someone else who was way harsher on this point.
But what was a little odd for him was the fact that she called him by his first name and that she allowed him, or rather forced him, to call her by her first name as well. Apparently, it was something that she did when she considered herself very close to the person in question.
And he was one of the few people having this privilege. One of the other was Ryota Someya, but it didn't happen often, thanks to their relationship.
Speaking of who, the shorter only smirked. "You still call him a dingus all the time, you know."
"That's beside the point!"
Once again, Makoto only chuckled at their attitudes, as he unbolted the bolt and opened the door-
"I'm telling you, I can't. My dad need for something important on that day. I'm sorry, but-"
"N-no, it's okay, I completely understand. I mean, I would do the same in your position. A-and we will still have plenty of occasions, I suppose…"
Only to spot on the pairing of the Student Council not too far of Ryota's door, Tarou Kurosaki and Tsubasa Kamii, talking about something. Being the polite individual as he is, Makoto decided to go salute them, while still noticing their sad expressions. "Oh! Kurosaki-kun! Kamii-san!"
Tarou was a boy with short, moderate cornflower blue hair, green eyes and somewhat feminine eyes who wears Hope's Peak Academy's school uniform but with a darker, unbuttoned shirt and without a tie.
As for Tsubasa, she was a girl with long, light-colored hair which reaches down to her waist. It's left mostly loose but some of it is tied back with a hair ornament in the shape of a butterfly surrounded by leaves. Her eyes are a pale blue and her skin appears fair. She was wearing a customized Hope's Peak uniform consisting of a white dress shirt, a standard red bow, and a dark blue skirt. Additionally, she was wearing black, thigh high stockings and a low cut, caramel colored cardigan. Her shoe wear was typical school shoes.
Both of them took notice of the three people that approached them and decided to dismiss whatever expressions were on their faces for a pleasant one, with Tarou greeting them first. "H-hey there! What are you doing here?"
"Well, Umezawa-senpai had ripped her hoodie, so we had to go to Someya-kun to repair it."
"Hey, I told you, stop calling me that!" Aiko scolded him. "And he didn't 'repaired it' totally!" She showed them the side of her cloth. "Look! We can still see the mark!"
"I told you, I can't do miracles!" Ryota protested. "Besides, blame the one who made the floor! He's the one who couldn't do his job right!"
"O-oh, I see…" Tsubasa laughed awkwardly. "This is troubling, yes…"
"I wanted to grab some yokan for her, and then we saw you." Makoto explained, then asked. "By the way, how are guys doing? I hope we didn't interrupt anything."
Something that the pairing caught on really fast, with the Movie Maker being the first to react. "Oh! N-no, of course not! We were just finishing anyway, and we were about to go back to our offices!"
"Yeah, that's right!" the Graphic Designer assured. "And speaking of which, I think we should hurry. Kisaragi-senpai and Hino-senpai may need assistance."
The boy left first, leaving his girlfriend behind, who looked sad when he turned his back on her, which made her sigh in sadness, making the three watching friends frown in sadness.
From Makoto's point of view, the two of them looked really close to each other, even though he didn't see them too much…
But it was clear that their relationship was not as strong as before. It pained him to think like this, but… he could recognize when a couple wasn't holding up.
And he couldn't help but think… that Tarou was the one who was distancing himself from Tsubasa.
He didn't know why, but he supposed he had some reason. He didn't know Tarou as much as the other boys in the other classes, but he doubted he would try to do that to his girlfriend intentionally.
The fact that he still did anyway bothered him, though.
Makoto asked her worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"Uh?" Tsubasa said surprised at the initiative, then dismissed it. "O-oh, y-yes, I'm fine Naegi-kun! I-I was just… thinking about some unimportant things, there's no need for you to worry!"
"That seemed to get you down, though." Makoto countered. "You know, you can talk to me or anyone else if something is wrong, right?"
"Yeah! It's what friends are for, you know!" Ryota backed him up, before grinning and eyeing Aiko. "Even though I doubt everyone will listen fully."
"Will you cut it off?! I'm not like that and you know it!" she protested angrily, before joining Makoto in his efforts of comfort. "But Makoto-san's right, you know! If you don't exteriorize your feelings, you're gonna, like, explode!"
The Movie Maker then laughed in an amused way. "Haha, I thank you for your support, but like I said, you don't need to worry about anything. I can handle this on my own." She then gave them a hopeful smile. "But I'm happy to know that you guys are here. That… reassures me a lot."
"You are most welcome." Makoto returned the smile, before saying, "Hey, how about I help you and Kurosaki-kun with those assignments?"
That surprised Tsubasa very well. "Uh?"
And that also surprised Ryota and Aiko, who didn't seem too happy about it. "Hey! What about my yokan, uh?!"
"And what about my sanity?!"
"QUIET, YOU!"
Makoto laughed at the scene, then said, "Aiko-san, if I remember correctly, Andou-senpai should be here. With some luck, maybe you can ask her to make some for you!"
She pouted in answer. "That weirdo Confectioner? She's like, not trustable at all! Remember what happened last year?!"
"I know, but don't you think that she may have changed?" Makoto argued back. "Because when she reunited with her friends, she seemed happier than before, you know."
The Costume Designer turned her head to the side. "I still don't trust her…"
Makoto then turned towards Ryota. "As for you, Someya-kun, I think you can take care of her pretty well. You've already done that before, right?"
"Well, yeah, but…" The Seamster said. "But she's so annoying when she's like that! She's older than me, and yet she acts like a five-year-old girl!"
Said girl did not appreciate this comment. "Not true!"
"Yeah, it's true!"
"Ahem!"
The act of Makoto clearing his throat loudly draw back the attention of the room on him. He then pursued. "I don't think it's important right now. You know each other for one year and half now. So you should know what pleases her and what doesn't."
"But-"
Makoto then chuckled happily. "Don't worry, I know what it's like to have a little sister like her. That's a part of being a family, right?"
"HEY!"
"See? You'll be fine." Makoto smiled at the two, ignoring the cute glare of the Costume Designer. "Both of you will. Go enjoy your yokan, okay?"
The two looked at him surprised, then Ryota smiled. "Okay. I'll take care of everything." He then turned towards his friend and smirked again. "You've heard him, sis! I'm in charge now!"
"That's not what he said at all! And we're not even siblings, so stop calling me that!" She then turned her gaze towards the Luckster, all the while blushing in embarrassment. "And YOU! You better not screw up whatever assignment you have to attend to, you… you… DINGUS!"
"I'll be fine." Makoto chuckled again at the insult. He then turned towards Tsubasa… who was restraining her laugh. "Is something wrong, Kamii-san?"
"N-no, it's just…" she was having a hard time restraining herself. "You just… looked like a big brother right now."
"I have some siblings, so I've learned how to handle this kind of situation." Makoto explained all the while smiling, then said, "Let's go. Kurosaki-kun and the others must be waiting."
"Right."
And with that, the two of them headed together towards their friends, leaving the two others to watch… and to wonder.
"Man, I hope everything is going to be okay," Ryota commented. "I mean, I don't like seeing this, so…"
"I'm worried too," Aiko followed near. "I mean, I've been working so hard to make them together with Kiriko-san…"
"And you still don't want to help Ichino-kun?"
"That's because she doesn't want to be in this kind of relationship with him!"
"But you still ship Kurosaki-kun and Kamii-san, even after all of this?!"
"MY POINT STILL STANDS, YOU IDIOT!"
"Okay, Tsubasa-san. How are things going with the different activities? Did you get any pieces of information from the others?"
"The Health and the Culinary Department are almost done with most of the preparations and activities. As for the Fashion and Music department, the rooms specific to them are prepared, but I've heard from Yokou-senpai and Ichino-kun that some aspects still have to be finished… and I didn't hear anything from the Art and Crafts and Drama department…"
"I've seen Someya-kun's plushies and Umezawa-san's scenes, so I would say they are handling it fine!"
"Thank you for the information, Naegi-kun. And speaking of plushies, they are perfect! They look exactly like us!"
"That's why he's the Ultimate Seamster, after all. But, what about the others, Tsubasa-san?"
Makoto and Tsubasa managed to catch up with Tarou, who asked them about the result of the briefing of the day, while still heading to the Student Council office.
"Well, I've heard that Murasame-senpai and Ikuta-senpai were heading outside to check on Kashiki-san and Gouryoku-senpai for their initial tasks," the Movie Maker explained. "But I've heard that some of our seniors are having some trouble with our friends. I think that they mentioned Ouma-kun and Komaeda-senpai most of the time? I'm not sure."
"Well, I guess we will have to also check on them." the Graphic Designer sighed. "I know I shouldn't say this, but honestly, those two are really becoming more and harder to deal with, especially Ouma-kun. And he just arrived here, so I can only imagine him becoming worse."
"W-well, let's hope not!" Makoto sweatdropped again, knowing too well the Supreme Leader's malicious tendencies. He then looked at Tarou and told him, "And don't be so harsh with Komaeda-senpai. He doesn't mean any harm."
"I find it questionable sometimes." Tarou countered. "The misfortune which happens to him all the time is pretty unnerving. Last time I talked to him, I found myself head-first in a trash bag."
"And his constant speech about 'hope's greatness' is also very scary, not to mention, his low self-esteem is not helping his case…" Tsubasa followed, getting a little tense.
"I know all of that," the Luckster assured them. "But I also know that he's trying to improve." He smiled at them in a confident way. "I'm sure that if you give him a chance, he will prove it to you that he's a good person."
The pairing was a little surprised at this, but Tsubasa chuckled lightly. "I understand, Naegi-kun. I am not going to promise you that I will befriend him in the end, but I will at least try."
"That's the way, Kamii-san." Makoto smiled proudly.
Yes, he was sad that the pairing was… not on the best terms as they were in the past.
Because even though he didn't pass much time with Tsubasa, the few times he did… he really appreciated it. And he knew that she was feeling the same way.
To put it simply, she was probably one of the sweetest people in the Student Council. Caring, gentle, you name it. And… it fitted with her beautiful appearance, to be honest.
On top of that, she had very good knowledge of cinema. Even though she had her preferences in tastes, she seemed to really love what she did.
That was probably the reason why she decided to become a movie maker. Even though she was more a critic like her friend Daiki.
So seeing her in difficulty with her own love life… Makoto couldn't help but feel worried about them, even though he didn't like to show it, and even though it was none of his business.
Still, despite his hopes of them making up… he knew that some obstacles would be on their way.
Like the Graphic Designer's slight distrust which was going to be displayed.
"I guess it won't hurt to try." Tarou joined them. "It's true that he doesn't look like a bad person… even if his acts are questionable. But it's true that some people are worse than this." He then looked to the side, looking tense… and angry. "I remember that Confectioner from last year. I've heard that she used her candies to manipulate people so she could do whatever she wanted… That disgusted me back then, and it still does. No wonder why her boyfriend broke out with her."
"Hey, don't be like that." Makoto tried to reassure him, the memories of the girl in question who happened to be his friend… after some issues. "What Andou-senpai was not good, but everyone deserves a chance to improve. And besides, just because they are not together anymore doesn't mean they don't get along now! Heck, last time I saw them, they seemed ready to start all over!"
"Do you really think we have time for those sweets! For real, this is as school ground here, not some kind of bakery!"
"Hey, no need to be so mean! I just asked you once! And I'm a CONFECTIONER, not a BAKER!"
"P-please don't be so loud, Andou-senpai. W-we're trying to work here…"
"Ruruka, you've heard them. Let's not disturb them more."
"Hey, you're supposed to back me up, Yoi-chan!"
The trio recognized the voices immediately, which was coming from their office. Their reaction was not the same, however. Tarou, for instance, narrowed his eyes in frustration. "Speaking of the devil…"
"P-please don't be like that, Tarou-kun…" Tsubasa tried to reason but considering her face of discomfort, it faded away pretty quickly… or rather, it disappeared as soon as it appears.
But Makoto did not share this emotion with them. "Was that… Andou-senpai with the others? Looks like something is going on. Let's go check on them!"
And thus, he was the first one to enter the room, followed by his friends not far behind. When he passed through the door-
"And will you get your muffins out the room already?! This is no time for that kind of thing!"
"I made them just because I was worried about you guys, and this is what I get?! And these are MACAROONS!"
"H-Hino-kun, if you can't work, can you at least argue outside with her?"
"Ruruka, we're just being nuisances for them. Let's go."
"NOT UNTIL HE APOLOGISES!"
"Uum, Andou-senpai? What's going on?"
All the attention drawn on the Luckster, with the Confectioner's face switched to a happy face saying, "Ah! Mako-chan! There you are!" before running right behind him and staring at Asukasei with a great displeasure. "Tell this little snob to be nicer! He's been like this since I arrived!"
"And will you please get her off the room already?! I can't work under those conditions!"
And Makoto could not even think of an answer that Asukasei Hino decided to complain again.
Said boy had short dark-colored hair and reddish brown eyes. He wore glasses and the standard Hope's Peak Uniform with a bright turquoise tie.
"I-I hate to agree, Andou-senpai, but he's right. We-we have an important duty right now. W-we appreciate the gesture, but… now's simply not the time."
And his statement was joined by Karen Kisagari's nervous and tired voice.
The girl had short brownish green hair, which falls just above her shoulders and was slightly curled, notably, two of her bangs cross over each other on either side of her blue-green eyes behind her thin white glasses, and she wore the standard uniform of Hope's Peak Academy.
"We understand." The Blacksmith nodded. "Disturbing you was not our intention in the first place."
"You could have been polite about this, you know!" Ruruka continued to be in her sour mood. "I just thought about someone else for once and this is how-"
"Hey, Andou-senpai? Izayoi-senpai?"
Said girl and boy turned over Makoto, who only smiled at them. "How about we hang out somewhere together? I would like to hear about what happened to you guys since last time."
Ruruka was a little surprised at first, but she was quickly beaming with joy after hearing that. "That sounds like a good idea! I wanted to make you eat some of my new sweets, you know?"
That seemed to please Makoto. "Is that so?"
"Yeah!" And then she stuck her tongue out at the direction of the Banker. "And as long as it's not in a room with him, then everything should be fine."
Said boy only turned his head to the side in annoyance, not wanting to see her look. "Whatever."
"Alright then." Sonosuke who was taking the plate of macaroons then spoke. "Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere you want!" Makoto answered, before turning towards Tarou and Tsubasa. "Sorry to leave you like that."
"Don't worry, we completely understand!" Tsubasa reassured while smiling. "We will take care of things from here!"
"Just try not to let us wait too long, okay?" Tarou added. "We may need you, in case something goes wrong."
"I doubt it, personally…"
"Be nice, Hino-kun!" Karen scolded him slightly.
"Well then, it's decided!" The Confectioner beamed before taking Makoto's arm. "Hey, Mako-chan! Seiko and I wanted to show you what we've done together, but she had things to do! So why not I show you for her?"
Makoto seemed happy to hear that the friends seemed to be able to work together, which meant that they were in a better relationship than before. "Well, sure! Lead the way!"
And with this, the two of them left the room, with Sonosuke bringing the sweets… with a displeased face. "Of course, she would lighten up with him…"
Luckily, nobody seemed to have understood what he said… but someone did see a similarity. And this person was Karen, who sighed slightly. "I hope everything is going to be fine…"
"Say 'aah!'"
The Luckster obeyed and opened his mouth, letting his friend putting a macaroon in it. The only thing that he needed to do was simply taste it.
"There! How is it?"
Makoto took a little moment to let the taste take in, then widened his eyes in shock. "That… that taste amazing! And you're telling me that it's free-sugar?"
"Yup!" Ruruka beamed. "I had this idea with Seiko right after we graduated from Hope's Peak, you know? It was not as easy as I thought, though. I mean, I'm a confectioner, but I don't really know how to separate sugar from the rest of the sweets…"
"I can imagine…"
"Plus, you argued time to time." Sonosuke pointed out. "You were pretty obstinate when you saw that the result was not what you wanted, despite Kimura trying to help you."
"Hey! I wanted to try some things, and you know it!"
The former couple was quarreling with each other about their preparation, Makoto was watching over them in a perplexed way. Since Ruruka wanted to show him what she and Seiko had been working on, he followed her to the Chemistry Lab, here Sonosuke put the sweets on the table for the degustation. True, it wasn't the appropriate place to eat, all the more so as the room was already prepared, but… on the other hand, the cafeteria was three floors below them, and nobody really wanted to go down some floors just to eat candies. Besides, there was still a table which was not used, so they figured it wouldn't disturb anyone if they used it.
"What I'm trying to say is," the Blacksmith explained, "even though you were wrong at some points, you refused to listen to Kimura."
"Because I didn't want to let her do all the work!" Ruruka protested. "I wanted to work hard too, to do my part of the job! Unlike…" she then looked down. "…unlike before…"
Makoto was surprised at this. "Really? You want to… help her?"
Sonosuke shared his emotions. "Is that why you-"
"Of course that's why!" she shouted, annoyed by the question. But then, her tone was softer. "I mean… I never really did anything, except giving you sweets. Most of the time, I… I simply sit and watched you guys do all the work." She seemed sad at this. "Just like… just like before."
Sonosuke began to regret what he said. "Ruruka…"
"Besides, sweets with no sugar… it's weird when you hear this, you know. But I wanted to do it, because…not only Seiko-chan, but also similar persons with her sickness would be able to eat sweets. But, I guess the reason I was so stressed out was..." she looked on the ground. "...probably because I felt like I had the chance of doing the first useful thing in my life… but I was afraid of messing it up like I usually do."
"Andou-senpai."
She was surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and lifted her head up to see the younger boy smiling down at her in a comforting way. "W-wha-"
"I understand completely now." Makoto said with confidence. "You wanted to prove that you've changed your ways since last time, and that's why you wanted to do this on your own. However, I think that denying her help was not the good way, even if I understand why you did it."
Ruruka was surprised at his sayings, before asking, "B-but then… what was I supposed to do? I couldn't let my own desires take the best of-"
"I know, Andou-senpai." He continued. "But think of it as a natural gesture of friendship."
"Uh?"
"I agree with you on the fact that what you did with Kimura-senpai and Izayoi-senpai was not good. Heck, I think I'm the first one who will say that." Makoto's soft voice hardened just a little, before becoming gentle again. "However, I think that you're really trying to change. Those macaroons are proof of it. But don't forget: you've done this together with Kimura-senpai, which means she wanted to help you improve on her own free will." He kept his smile, looking at her deep in the eyes. "Denying her help is not the solution, because it may bring you back to your old ways… and I'm sure you don't want this to happen, do you?"
She was astonished at his words, but quickly recovered and said in a determined way, "Of course not! I-I don't want to betray my friends again!"
"And you won't." Makoto affirmed. "I think you proved that you could and will get better. But I think that you should accept help from your friends when you truly need it, okay?"
Ruruka stared at him, small tears in her eyes. "M-Mako-chan…"
"Ruruka, I think I also owe you an apology." Sonosuke started. "I realize that I should-"
BRRRR!
The sound of a phone vibrating was enough to make him stop. After the effect of surprise, the Blacksmith only sighed in sadness as he picked it up. "Yes?"
"Yoi-chan?"
"Sonosuke-senpai?"
The Blacksmith stayed in silence, before nodding. "I understand. I will arrive as soon as I can."
After he hanged up, Sonosuke walked towards the door. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave. I've heard that they needed me at the weapon exposition outside."
"Wait!"
Sonosuke then turned to see Ruruka looking at him in a worried way. "We'll talk later if you want, okay? I know you're not on the mood now, but… I want you to know that I'll be listening."
The Blacksmith looked a little surprised at the moment, but then smiled softly. "I know that, don't worry. We'll talk after the preparations if you want."
And with that, he left the room, with only a perplexed Makoto, who watched him with sadness in his eyes.
He didn't interact with Sonosuke as much as with Seiko or Ruruka, but the story which concerned the trio of friends was a little sad, to be honest.
And while he was happy for the two girls were on better terms, he didn't know much about the older boy, considering how quiet and stoic he was.
Makoto didn't feel any disdain towards him, and he didn't think the Blacksmith felt ill about the Luckster either, but… he didn't know what to think of the situation.
"I'm worried about him."
"Uh?"
"He's been like this for a while now…" Ruruka said in a sad manner. "He says that he knows that I care about him, but he's being more silent than usual…" She lowered her head again. "I wonder what's on his mind…"
"I'm sure everything is going to work out."
Ruruka looked at him, and received a hopeful smiled. "You're not even sure you are the cause of the problem here. And you've heard him: he will talk to you when the preparations will be done. If you listen to him, then you'll be able to resolve any problems he might have."
The Confectioner couldn't help but feel reassured and smiled in return. "You… you know what you're talking about, aren't you? After all…"
She then hugged him by the side, making the Luckster blush. "A-Andou-senpai?!"
"You're the one who allowed this in the first place, you know?" She said closing her eyes as she let the feeling in her heart express itself. "You… you really tried your best to help me… and also Seiko and Yoi-chan… are you always like this?"
Makoto stared at her in surprise, then smiled at her reaction. "I'm only doing what I think is best for those I care about. I guess I'm a natural when it comes to helping people."
"Then you're pretty good at your job." Ruruka laughed lightly. "If you can even help someone like me to improve…"
She didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't have to. Makoto knew what she was about to say, and he had to agree, the Ruruka Ando he saw looked like a nice person to hang with, even with her bashful personality showing up time to time.
Nothing to do with the malicious and manipulative girl who used her sweets and friendship to gain what she wanted.
And her behavior was quick to notice at Seiko's exams.
Makoto didn't like this in the slightest when he saw that. But considering he didn't want to hurt Seiko's feelings, he decided to let it slide and focus on Seiko's work.
Problem is, you couldn't really ignore her actions when you were assigned with her sometime later for the Universal Children's Day.
Using her sweets to make other people doing all the work for her… that was wrong, no matter how he looked at it.
Man, he was glad he had that tooth problem. Talk about luck… then again, he was the Lucky Student of his class, so…
But what surprised both Makoto and Ruruka was the fact that Seiko told him about her sweets. That was a betrayal in Ruruka's book. The fact that both her friends were ignoring her did not help at all.
And unfortunately, both Makoto and Miaya's warnings did not prevent the trio's friendship to fall apart for a time… just the day of the Confectioner's birthday no less.
All of this, because had trust issues.
That, Makoto noticed very quickly. And Ruruka only admitted it when she recognized that she ended up alone because of her insecurities.
And the harder was still to be done: confront her former friends and admit her faults. And giving her reaction the other day, they were distant, heck, cold with her… but she knew couldn't blame them. Not after realizing the errors of her way.
But… at the very least, she wasn't alone. Makoto was here for her, along with his family.
And she was glad that in the end, she could restore the friendship she had with Seiko and Sonosuke, and to turn a new leaf… even though she couldn't have the same relationship with him anymore.
Not after developing a strong liking towards the Luckster, unknown from him.
Still, while they were still good friends like before, her relationship with Sonosuke was not just different. Both Ruruka and Makoto felt like there was something wrong with her friend. As if… as if his smile looked forced.
Why? Why was he like this?
"Are you two done yet?"
"Hey, you're not cool, Matsuda-kun! I wanted to see what kind of thing they were about to do! It could have been erotic!"
The two blinked in surprise, looking at each other in surprise when the two voices were heard. Then…
"KYAAAA?!" The Confectioner lifted up brutally from her position, surprising Makoto in the process. The girl then glared deadly at the entrance and then shouted, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO PERVERTS DOING IN HERE?!"
"First of all, don't put me in the same bag as this perverted brat over there." The voice of Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist, could be heard, as narcissist as ever.
"Hey, don't be so mean to me!" the young voice of Yuuto Kamishiro, the Ultimate Secret Agent -and yes, it is pretty strange and even contradictory to have a title like this show to everyone - could be heard next, apparently not liking his given qualification. "I was trying to be nice here!"
"Not working then." Yasuke replied, not losing his sight on Ruruka. "Second, what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be working in the cafeteria right now."
"Hey, I was only taking a little break with my friend over there!" Ruruka protested in annoyance. "Is that forbidden?!"
"No, but you had an assignment to respect, and you're completely not doing this right now." Was his simple but sharp answer. "Now go. You are wanted."
"Hey, who do you think-"
"I've heard that Teruteru was about to put some aphrodisiac in your sweets."
"WHAT?!" Her reaction was instantaneous. "That freak perv?! No way I'm gonna let him do that!" She then turned towards Makoto and tried to smile despite her current disposition. "H-hey, sorry about that, Mako-chan, but I've gotta go! Hope we'll see each other later!" She then ran off, all the while grumbling, "Why is every boy here except Mako-chan and Yoi-chan so rude…"
Makoto only nodded in a comical way. "U-um, sure! See you later, Andou-senpai!"
The two older boys entered the room, with Yuuto salivating seeing the macaroons. "She forgot her candies! Sweat, I always wanted to taste one of Andou-onii's candies!"
"Do whatever you want, but don't drop crumbs. Seriously, this room was cleaned just one hour ago." The Neurologist told him, before turning his gaze towards the Luckster. "Hey, what I said also applied to you too."
That made Makoto blink in surprise. "Uh?"
"I've heard that Asukasei and Kisaragi will need support." Yasuke informed him. "I think that Kurosaki and Kamii are going to do their own thing. Go help your friends instead of going all goofy with them." He narrowed his eyes lightly. "May I remind you you're supposed to work on an important event?"
The stare was enough to make Makoto gulp. "R-right! I should be going by now!" He then bowed and said, "Thank you for reminding me this, Matsuda-senpai!" before dashing out of the room, leaving the two seniors… with the shorter one beginning to drag an important subject.
"You didn't have to be cho mean about chich!" Yuuto said while munching on the sweets. "He probably wanted to help her in chome way, you know!"
"Well, he must learn to have the sense of priority." Yasuke sharply answered. "I don't say that what he did was bad, but he also has to work with the others to make this as… peacefully as possible."
The Secret Agent noticed his hesitation. "What do you mean?"
The Neurologist sighed. "Those people have waited for two years and a half now for a place in the school that they won't have, and all the school is giving to them is enticing them even more."
Yuuto gulped what was in his mouth to say, "You're too pessimistic, Matsuda-onii. Yeah, what happens in this school sucks, but we can maybe hope that it will turn out to the better. Maybe there will be more things like this, and maybe it will evolve into something more."
"I wouldn't say I'm pessimistic, Kamishiro." Yasuke replied, all the while walking towards the windows of the room, looking at the Reserve Course Department. "I'm just being realistic here. Yes, it would be possible, but knowing those who form the Steering Committee right now, I would say that the chances of that happening are near zero…" He then narrowed his eyes.
"And I know a certain someone that would totally agree with me down there."
"Ah! Naegi-kun! There you are!"
"Ahah, sorry for being late you guys! Guess I didn't see time passing!"
"Yeah, we've noticed. Now, if you would like to be helpful, stop talking and help us already. Seriously, I'm probably one of the only person doing his job here…"
"Hey! You don't need to be so mean, Hino-kun! Besides, you're the one who told him to go with Andou-senpai earlier!"
"Yeah, but I didn't tell him to hang out with her all day! Look at the time, it's already 4:00 pm, and we're still here until 6:00, heck, even 7:00 pm!"
"We know that! But that doesn't mean you have to get angry like that!"
I-it's okay, Kisaragi-senpai. H-he's right in a sense…"
"Of course I am!"
Makoto could only sweatdrop as he went and sat next to Karen, as he thought that Asukasei was not in the mood right now. Yes, he ordered him to go with Ruruka and Sonosuke, but he stayed with them because he wanted to hear about them. On the other hand… it did take some time, yes. But could anyone really blame him?
Deciding not to think about it any longer, he decided to ask the Paralegal, "So, how are things going?"
"Uh?" She blinked a little, before realizing what he meant. "Oh, right! Well, the Athletics and Disciplinary Departments contacted me while you were away. They've told me that things were coming handly, which is a good thing considering this is our last day for us. Also..." She then smiled a little, out of relief regarding of the news she was about to deliver. "The Drama and Art and Craft Department finally answered our call!"
Makoto laughed a little at this. "O-oh! Well, I guess they finally decided to work on their own assignments. N-not that I'm implying anything!"
"Oh, it's okay! You're not far from the truth actually!" Karen reassured him, putting a hand just in front of her. I mean, don't get me wrong, the dolls were cute and all, but… well…"
"They aren't doing anything useful." Asukasei finished her sentence. "Between a lazy girl who gives up at the first difficulty and a kid who don't understand the full understanding of work-"
"They aren't that bad, Hino-kun…" Karen countered, sighing in annoyance. "They're just-"
"Kids. They are kids." The Banker interrupted her. "And I'm not even going to talk about our 'cute pairing' from our Council…" He sighed, all the while not leaving his papers to sight. "Honestly, they better solve their problem quickly. They can't even do their job properly together now, let alone when they are on their own. I mean, Kamii is supposed to be the event coordinator of the bunch, but-"
"Hino-senpai, I think you shouldn't be so harsh on them." Makoto decided to step in, sad and a little angry that Asukasei would say that about his friends. "They are doing their best to do their job. And throwing salt to them like that isn't going to help. Besides, it's not her official job. She just feels like she has to do in order to help Kisaragi-senpai here."
Karen looked at him in a surprised, but soft way. "N-Naegi-kun…"
"Well, excuse me for trying to respect my deadlines!" The Banker replied, in a tone that indicated that he was starting to get impatient. "Unlike all of you guys, I try to focus more on my job! For goodness sake, am I the only one who's trying to be logical here?!"
This comment made Makoto narrow lightly his eyes. Coming from Hino, it was to be expected he supposed, but…
Of all the people in the academy he knew personally, one of those he had the least progress with was the Banker himself. He didn't know if it was because of his talent or his position, but his attitude in general was less than pleasant.
At last, Byakuya was now giving credits when something was done right. And while Maki was cold, she didn't bash out anyone without reasons.
Hino, on the other hand? If Kotomi and Shouji were not afraid of speaking his mind but at least tried to do so without hurting anyone, then the Banker didn't even mind doing so.
And Karen was one of those people who was beginning to be fed up with his attitude, as she replied with a sharper tone. "First off, you're not the only one who try to help, because, alongside me, there's also Ikuta-san, Murasame-kun and Naegi-kun around here, and before you say anything, YES, I do consider hanging out with Andou-senpai useful, since she was disturbing us, and you know I can't work when there's too much noise! And at least you don't see me yell at them the way you did!"
Makoto looked at her in surprise, not knowing what to say in order to calm her down, as she continued. "Second, who do you think you are to talk all crap about how a relationship between two lovers should or shouldn't be since you don't like to hang out with others for that matters?! Uh?! What gives you the right to judge others like that?!"
Makoto was a little surprised to see her like that. He figured it was the pression she had on her shoulders which made her snap, but… he still didn't like to see one of his friends like that.
While Karen was also a nice girl to him, she was someone that would focus on her job first. Which wouldn't be such a problem, except that… she seemed to have a hard time handling her stress.
That's why it wasn't a good idea to disturb her while she was working. Because no matter how nice she tried to be, the way she would stop being as such wouldn't be petty.
At least, that's what he've been told. And he could see that she was near her limit.
Thankfully, that never happened while he was with her. Apparently, they were both doing their jobs fine the few times they were together, and they managed to have nice conversations… even though most of them were related to work.
Some others, on the other hand, gave her hard times. Like Asukasei, for instance.
Said guy, while getting angrier at the minutes passed, decided to reply and looked at the Paralegal, as calmly as possible. "Well, to answer your question, I believe that work and feels can't mix. It always went this way and this way only. AND since our job in the present is supposed to be important, I assumed that our priority is to focus on it, instead of trying to fix a cracking relationship - because that's what I see right now when I look at them and trust me, I saw this before. So what gives me the right to judge them? Personal experience, and also a desire to finish my duty as quickly as possible, so I don't have to deal with this!"
"But does that mean you are forced to ignore other people's feelings? I don't think so."
VRRRR!
The voice of a monitor could be heard at the entrance of the room, and as the trio looked towards the door, Makoto recognized its owner. "Ah, Gekkogahara-sensei!"
"Even workers have feelings, you know." Miaya Gekkogahara, the Ultimate Therapist, who also plays the role of the school's therapist, explained via her computer's avatar named Usami. "Emotions are proofs that you are human as well, and while I agree with you on the fact that emotions are or are better separated, I also think you can't completely suppress them. You'll be nothing more but a machine."
Asukasei simply shrugged his shoulders as he returned to his former duty. "Whatever. Don't come and complain when things go wacky."
Makoto could hear a faint sigh from Miaya, and also a more marked one from Karen, as the Therapist's wheelchair could be heard approaching the duo. "I suppose you two are worried about your friends, aren't you?"
Makoto nodded, smiling sadly. "Well, yes… but they keep telling me that everything will be fine in the end…" His face brightened up a little. "And I want to believe that everything will be fine in the end."
"It would be such a relief if it did work out in the end," Karen added while sharing the same hope on her face before it faded away a little. "But you know… I'm starting to be worried about them. I mean, they don't hang out as much as they used too… and even back then, their contact was rather… I don't know how to put it… short…"
Makoto was saddened as he heard that, but Miaya spoke in his name. "It is a shame indeed, but do you think you can actually do something about this?"
The Paralegal blinked in surprise, before bowing her gaze a little. "W-well… to be honest with you, Gekkogahara-senpai, I… I'm not sure if interfering is the right thing to do, so…"
"I feel the same way…" Makoto confessed, looking slightly ashamed as he spoke those words. "I mean… I support them as best as I can, but… on one hand, I want to do more in order to fix their relationship… but on another hand, I feel like forcing myself to do anything will only making things worse…"
"And I think you both are making the good choice."
The two shared an expression of astonishment. "Uh?"
"I will give you my personal opinion on the matter." Miaya began to explain. "While the gesture of trying to act in order to help is noble, it is a double-edged tactic: it can also make things worse, just like you said, Naegi-kun. Besides, and that's the most important point…" She gazed the two seriously. "It is a problem that can only be solved by the two concerned. Which means, only Kamii-san and Kurosaki-kun can either solve the problem… or end their relationship. That is what I will tell them if they decide to talk things with me."
That took both teens back. "Uh? You mean they didn't speak to you about it either?" Karen asked, clearly not expecting this answer.
"But that's what I was willing to tell if they go on like this," Asukasei remarked. "Seriously, this situation is starting to get on my nerves."
"We didn't need to hear that, thank you!" The Paralegal shouted at him, clearly having more trouble with the Banker's attitude.
"Ahem!" The Therapist coughed virtually before continuing. "My point is, simply continue to support them the way you do right now. Maybe it will work out in the end. Only time will tell."
But while Makoto seemed satisfied with the conclusion, it was not the case for the glasses girl, as she asked, "W-what if it doesn't work out? P-please don't get me wrong, I respect your opinion… I-I'm just afraid that one of them will get hurt in the end, or maybe both!"
"If that's the case, then we'll be there for them."
The two girls looked at Makoto, who looked… surprisingly determined. "I'm sure that everything will be fine in the end, but if it doesn't, then… I'll be there to help them. I'm concerned by the matter at hand, since I also tried to contribute to their happiness in my way, so… I'll stick with them until the very end."
The two females could not help but smile a little, as Karen followed. "I-I… I guess you're right then. Well, I'll help them too! I-I don't know if I'll be of big help, but I'll do my best!"
"That's the spirit, you two!" Usami cheered, expressing her user's feelings. She then looked at Makoto with glee into her eyes. "I see that your attitude can be quite contagious, Naegi-kun… in a good way, of course."
Makoto blushed at her words. "O-oh well, I guess it is! But it's not like it's anything special, really! I just do what I think is right!"
"And that's making it more special indeed."
To say that he was dumbfounded was an understatement. "…excuse me?"
"Your ears are not deceiving you, Naegi-kun." Miaya explained while Usami looked at the teenager with tender happiness. "I think that your will to help people is purely genuine… and that's what makes you even more special. At least that's the image you give to others… me included, I will admit."
Makoto only looked at her in shock, trying to find the words. "I-I… I had no idea that… I mean, I'm not-"
"I know what you are going to say. But don't. I think you are indeed special, despite all of your claims to deny it. But I suppose that's also a part of you, isn't it?" The Therapist then approached her wheelchair towards the Luckster. "I think that making you my little assistant was a very good initiative on my part."
Makoto could only scratch the back of his head. He noticed by the tone of Miaya's voice that she was probably smiling behind that red scarf of hers, and the fact that Karen was giggling did not help.
Only Asukasei seemed annoyed, but then again, they weren't sharing the moment with him.
Yes, within the first year, the Luckster and the Therapist became really close. That is due to the fact that Makoto, being the helpful person as he was, was always the first one that would try to help his friends, or to ease a conflict between them.
At first, it was only his classmates who were concerned… and, as the days passed, other people started to like his presence. Class 77-B, for instance. Even some teachers. In a matter of a few months, he became 'the unofficial therapist of the school', even though he himself consider that he was simply giving pieces of advice that seemed logical to him… and of course, it came to Miaya's ears.
She didn't really know what to make of it. Yes, he was helping his classmates and other people with their problems, but… it was her job. And plus, it could be a very tiresome role to take on.
She knew what she was talking about.
Besides, the description the people gave him surprised her a little. A normal, average-looking student who had been chosen by luck was the one who helped everyone by being optimistic? This was… unexpected to say the least.
It was also surprising to see how much girls had taken interest in him, yes, but… that was another story.
So, she decided to see for herself what he was capable of, and convoked him at her office, to provide some background to this young man.
And… the description she fitted him perfectly. Asides from one thing that she discovered: his calm aura alongside him.
She could see it further and further when he helped with some of her cases. For instance, when two Reserve Course girls went into a fight.
That's mainly how he met the Student Council, considering their tight schedules did not allow him to do so before. That's how he managed to see the bad cohesion of the group times to times, alongside the pressure the Steering Committee put on their shoulders. And yes, those reunions were one of the two reasons of how the Lukster met the Steering Committee.
And each time they met, he felt really… cold. As if they absorbed every inch of warmth inside of everyone else who was with them.
Still, it didn't prevent him to help the Student Committee the few times he was with Miaya. And she as glad that someone in this academy as like this.
What she didn't expect was that… he would also go as far as helping a teacher with her personal life.
That's what happened after Valentine's Day, when she expected Chisa from being heartbroken by hat happened… but instead, she looked really happy. And it surprised her greatly because she knew Makoto was with her at the time, and he confirmed that he was here to help her.
And it really saddened her that she couldn't have done anything about someone being depressed, while it was her job to help others. It was her own insecurity, after all. She feared that she wouldn't be needed.
And to think that she said that to a student no less… she was beginning to feel ashamed of it.
But Makoto was not going to have it.
Whatever talent or position someone had, he was not going to let anyone feel depressed either.
That was when she realized that… the two of them had a lot of common points.
But unlike Miaya, it wasn't officially his job… he just wanted to help.
And honestly? She liked the feeling of being taking care of, for a change. It was a very nice feeling to relax and let other people listen to your problems, even if they were small.
It was also nice to be considered as equals… not to be pitied because of her differences and her difficulties.
And his words… they were kind. Gentle. Full of hope, even. It was… a little weird at first, but… she grew to like it.
Was it what other people felt when they listened to her? When they listened to him?
She didn't know, but… it was nice knowing that someone could be here for you.
And she would make sure to return the favor. After all, he was her unofficial assistant… and she wished he would graduate soon.
So she could pass more time with him… and not just to listen to his problems.
Could she really blame Chisa, or any other girl, for feeling the way she does about someone like him now?
"My, my, I see that the ambiance is pleasant around here."
The comment surprised everyone, and Miaya the first, for she recognized the owner of the voice pretty distinctively. "T-Tengan-san?!"
"Oh, it's okay, Gekkogahara-san. I did not mean to interrupt that heartwarming scene in front of me. I'm not a cruel man." the old chuckle of Kazuo Tengan, the Chairman of the school appeared just in front of the entrance of the room, looking pleased, to almost everyone's surprise.
Karen the first, since the first thing she did was to stand up and bow. "C-Chairman T-Tengan! W-what brings you here?!"
"There there, no need to get all stressed, my child." the old man only chuckled more, clearly amused by her overreaction. "I was simply passing by to see if everything was alright, nothing more." He then eyed Makoto and Miaya in an amused way. "And I see that indeed, everything is fine."
The Therapist looked away and let her avatar Usami express her annoyance. "Yes indeed! Your gesture is appreciated, but as you can see, everything is under control!"
"Mostly, anyway," Asukasei commented. "Not thanks to you guys."
"Do you know how to say anything without being mean, Hino-kun?!"
Kazuo could only laugh as the two members of the Student Council argued again. Apparently, he was not even worried about them."Ah, young people… it reminds me when I was younger." Then, he eyed Makoto. "But in a more serious tone… I wanted to talk to you, young man."
Makoto blinked in surprise. "Uh? Really, sir?"
"There. You have your ticket out of this mess." Asukasei snarled, clearly losing his temper. "Lucky Student indeed."
"Will you stop?!" Karen shouted in annoyance and anger. "If Tengan-san wants to talk to him, then Naegi-kun will go with him!"
Makoto was not as sure as his friend. "A-are you okay with that? I mean-"
"Do I look okay with that?!"
"Don't mind him, Naegi-kun." Miaya took the initiative. "I was sent here by the Headmaster to help you anyway. You go with Tengan-san and see what he wants to talk about, okay?"
The reassuring tone she used seemed to work, as Makoto smiled back at her and said. "Well, if you say so… thank you, sensei." He then bowed to his two comrades and said, "Sorry for leaving you like this, guys! See you later!" before turning towards Kazuo and politely asks, "So, where do you want to discuss, sir?"
"Well, how about we take this outside?" The old man proposed. "The weather is perfect today, and it would be a waste not to make the most of it, wouldn't it?"
"Well, you decide, sir!"
And with that, the two men left the room, leaving the trio to work… and one of the members to complain.
"'It would be a waste not to make the most of it', he said", sighed the Banker in exasperation. "I've been here since the whole day, thank you very much, and you don't hear me complain!"
"Not until now, and I would have been fine that way!" the Paralegal shouted, now having enough of his behavior. "Besides, you're not the only one who had to go through this!"
"I'm simply stating facts here! I'm not like some lucky idiot who happens to ditch on all the work just because the Chairman wants to save his skin!"
"It's because he needed him! And don't call him that!"
Miaya only sighed in annoyance. Being with those two will be stressful. But she had to admit, he had a point: she would have preferred if Makoto stayed…
Only not for dealing with the Banker's sharp tongue.
"Aaah, the air so pure outside! And the air is still soft, even though the sun is about to set!"
"I thought the same anything. It gives us quite a beautiful view. And an old man like me highly appreciates fresh air."
"Y-you're not that old, sir…"
"No need to flatter me there, young Naegi. I know you're trying to be polite here, but there's no need to. I know my own age, so don't worry about this, alright?"
"I-I guess…"
The Luckster laughed awkwardly while walking with an amused Kazuo into the giant schoolyard, who was full of stands with their own respective owners. They were heading towards the entrance of the Main Course's schoolyard when Makoto looked at Kazuo and asked, "so what do you wished to talk about, sir?"
"Oh, nothing too important, don't worry." The Chairman looked at him with a pleasant face. "I was simply wondering, what do you think will happen during this week?"
"Well, I hope nothing too dramatic!" Makoto tried to joke while laughing awkwardly, then said in a more serious tone, "But honestly, I have no idea. I hope everything will be alright, and I'm sure they will, but…"
"But?"
"I-I'm going to be completely honest with you… I'm kind of nervous there."
That made the Chairman raise an eyebrow. "Because you fear that it's not going to be like how you wish. Is this correct?"
Makoto was surprised at this deduction but nodded nevertheless. "W-well, yeah… I mean, I hope that everything will go for the better. I hope that among the two groups, there will be some people on both sides that will try to get to know each other and share information, and maybe even more…" he paused, looking a little sad at this. "But I can't help but think… what if doesn't? What if the reserve Course… don't like that initiative?"
"Then we will simply have to accept it."
Makoto looked shocked at hearing this. "Uh?!"
"The intention is noble," Kazuo explained, "but as you probably already know, some people can prey on the situation for their own interests." The old man sighed. "I think you already know what I'm talking about, don't you young man?"
Makoto only nodded sadly. To think that he worked so hard just to see his intentions possibly getting dirty because of someone else… he couldn't help but feel sad. And the fact that those who did it are the Steering Committee was not helping.
"But while it does stain the act," the Chairman continued, "some people can also naturally think that this is not the right thing to do. We can't force everyone to approve our methods, or else it would only be a dictatorship environment, and we don't want that to happen, do we?"
Makoto frowned a little more at that. "I-I suppose so…"
"But that does not mean it would be over for them."
Makoto was again surprised by his statement. And the look on the young man's face expressed the desire for the old one to explain himself, and thus he began. "Of course, it would be a pity that not everything goes according to plan… but if some of them want to go somewhere else, we can only encourage them to do so." He then carefully pointed his finger towards the Luckster. "Just look at yourself, for instance. You were chosen by the annual lottery of the school, unless I am mistaken."
Makoto looked a little astonished by the rhetorical question, but then answered, "W-well, yes… I mean, to be honest, I was really hesitant about accepting the offer, but-"
"So you wanted to decline it, correct?"
The fact that Kazuo finished figured out made him more surprised, but then he said, "Y-yes… I must admit, I-I… didn't think I would fit in, you know? Next to those amazing people who got here by their own skills, I'm here just because of pure luck. That was... not a pleasant feeling at first, I've got to admit."
"But how do feel about this now?"
Makoto thought about it a little, then smiled in direction of the sky "Well, I'm quite happy. Most of those people are really friendly, and all of them have their own experiences to share. And our moments together… I really cherish them. I can't help but think of them as… my second family of some sort."
"And that's why you should be proud of yourself."
The young man lets a few seconds in order to let the words sank in, before turning back towards the Chairman with a dumbfounded face. "W-what?"
"Naegi Makoto, you decided to attend with the fear of not being accepted for who you were," Kazuo explained with a comforting smile on his face. "But look at you know, the class representative of your own class, the Ultimate Therapist's assistant, a potential member of the Student Council, and let's not forget the unofficial mascot of the school. And you earned all of that just by being yourself: a kind young man whose only wish is to help those around him. Am I wrong there?"
That made the Luckster blush in embarrassment. "W-well, I suppose not…"
"Everything you've done not only for your classmates but also for the other child and even the staff of the school is more than enough of a proof for me." the old man continued while keeping his smile. "I'm pretty sure your family must be proud of your for that kind heart of yours, and let alone from your generosity and your selflessness. Because I suppose they are the reason why you are here now?"
Makoto chuckled at the mention. "Y-yes, they are. My parents were so happy when they saw the letters, and they encouraged me to accept it. And my sister…" he laughed as the memory flowed in his mind. "My sister would not let me hear the end of it. She harassed me all evening with this, and she scolded me to be not confident enough…"
Yes, he could count on his family to back him up.
Just like he could count on Kazuo and Jin to give him some good pieces of advice.
Truth be told, he did meet Kazuo a few times, and the two of them always seemed to like each other's company, the old man sharing his experience with him while the Luckster told him about some of the events that happened during the classes.
The three men shared the same beliefs, so the relationship was a good one.
Too bad they couldn't do things they wished. It would have been beneficial for many people in the academy…
Kazuo laughed with him. "You do seem to love your family very much, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I only wish the best for my family. It's just that…" That laugh slowly became awkward. "My family can worry too much sometimes. And the day I had did not help with their behavior either. They were becoming to get worried for me when they've heard the news."
"Uuum?" Now that picked Kazuo's interest as he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that? Did something happen? Do you want to talk about it, maybe?"
"W-well-"
"Oi, what are you doing here, kid? The Week of Adaptation only starts Monday. Don't think that coming early will change anything."
"I was simply passing by. No need to let your horses on the loose for that."
The conversation was interrupted by two voices coming from the front gate. "W-what's going on?" the Luckster voiced their thoughts.
"One way to find out, young man." Kazuo told him. The two advanced towards Juzo Sakakura, who was at the entrance with other security guards, in front of what looked like a student. "S-Sakakura-san?"
"What is going on, Sakakura?" Kazuo asked the guard.
Juzo Sakakura, the Security Head of the academy, who continued to stare at the one in front of him. "That kid was staring at the school for some time now. I was simply making sure he wouldn't get the wrong idea."
"Way to be polite to someone who was just looking at the school for two minutes. Last time I checked, the school's rules didn't say that eyeing the Main Course's department up was forbidden."
Makoto and Kazuo looked at the student, who looked like a Reserve Course student, which would explain why the security staff was blocking his path. He was pretty tall, well, much taller than Kazuo and Makoto, but smaller than Juzo, so he was around the 180 cm. He had short, brown hair in a bowl cup style, except for a small gap on the left side and some stand here and there. Behind his black glasses were two green eyes, and he had an averagely sized beauty spot on the left cheek, and also had a light peach fuzz above his upper lips, on his cheeks and chin, and also around his neck. He seemed to wear the reserve Course uniform, except that it was much darker and formal… the kind of suit you would put at a job interview. His expression was… hard to describe. He looked like he was annoyed and cynical, but he also looked very calm, as if he was expecting this kind of thing to happen. The wallet he was transporting also looked very… professional.
"Tch!" Juzo looked at him with disdain. "I wouldn't get cocky if I were you. I've met many little shits before ya, and I've taught them not to bother me, so don't think you'll make any difference."
"I thought I told you, I was only passing by." The student replied in an annoyed way. "Is this just me, or are all of the security guards that paranoid?"
"What was that?!"
"Now, now, Sakakura," Kazuo put an arm on his shoulder. "There is no need to get violent here. This one seems to know the rules here." He eyed the student in question. "Please excuse him. He is only doing his job, that's why he got a little carried away."
"HEY!"
"Yeah, I've noticed, Mister Chairman." The student answered, his expression getting softer, but not too much, still looking neutral. "However, I do think that there is a limit to this kind of behavior. Just because you won two tournaments doesn't mean you automatically have to punch every person who passes by near the school you're working for."
That only made Juzo greet his teeth in annoyance. He just met this kid, and he was already running on his nerves. Talk about guts. Or being stupid. Or maybe both. Kazuo and Makoto were also intrigued by his appearance.
Then the Luckster noticed that the boy seemed to… analyze him now. "Uh? Is everything okay?"
The student simply look at him and asked, "Naegi Makoto, Ultimate Lucky Student from class 78-B, I presume?"
Everyone seemed to be a little surprised at this, as the Luckster asked, "You-you know me?"
"Your name is probably the most memorized in the Reserve Course Department, you know," he explained. "The times I am in class, some students talks about you. But I think I heard it the most with our seniors. Especially the 'quarrelsome trio', as I like to call them."
"The… quarrelsome trio?"
"Hinata Hajime, along with Satou Mikasa and Kuzuryu Natsumi, if I'm not misspelling their names."
"O-Oh!" Makoto could not help but sweat drop at the name. "T-this is a special way to talk about your friends, you know…"
"They're not my friends, simply my seniors." The student looked at him frankly. "I like to give people names, and suitable ones, if that can be possible."
"A-alright then…" Makoto sweatdropped again, not noticing the smile on Kazuo's face. He then asked, "How did you know it was me?"
"The physical description I received helped a lot." the student explained. "Short, average, nice, ahoge, pretty basic. Ah, and a bit of a pushover. And you seem to have a lot of similarities with Hinata, so when I noticed you weren't him…"
Makoto only stared at him in surprise. "D-did you get this description from my friends?"
"Nope. From Matsuda. He also said you looked like an idiot sometimes. Well, Kuzuryu also said you were too nice for your own good, so I guess it does count to some extent."
Aaah… so that explains the sharp choice of words…
Kazuo decided to rescue him from being red with embarrassment. "So you are a friend of young Matsuda?"
"Not really." The boy said, keeping the same monotone voice. "We just talked a few times before. The guy can be an asshole if he's not one already."
Ouch. That will probably hurt Yasuke… or maybe not, knowing him.
"Yeah, yeah, that's great and all, but you ain't supposed to be here!" Juzo began to lose his patience. "Why the hell are you doing outside at this hour?!"
Makoto blinked in wonder. Come to think of it, it was true. He supposed that the schedule form the Reserve Course indicated that classes were still on now. So why was he here?
Kazuo voiced what he was thinking. "That is a good question. Shouldn't you be in class, my boy?"
The student simply looked away. "I have better things to do than this crap."
Well, that was not what he expected. And the answer did not please the Boxer. "Oh yeah? What, for instance?!"
"I'm not telling you."
And that answer only choked them even more… and contributed to the Security Head's anger. "What?! Why the hell not?!"
"Simply because it's none of your business."
"'None of my business?!'" Juzo raised his fist in fury. "I don't know if you realized this, moron, but you're in Hope's Peak Academy now! Ya really think that behaving like an asshole while leading you anywhere?!"
"Say the guard that loses his temper for one glance from a Reserve Course student. I perfectly have the right to remain silent," the student countered, calm but annoyed, glaring coldly and intensely at the Boxer, completely unimpressed by his opponent's physical stature. "Besides, you are not my boss, my brother or my father for that matter. You're nothing more but a guard, and guess what? Your job is to guard the school, not to ask personal questions. That's a detective's role. And trying to punch me won't help you with this problem either."
Nobody could believe what was happening right now. A Reserve Course student who is not only unafraid of the Boxer but who enough guts to call him out. Not even Natsumi was foolish enough to do that, but that kid? He completely did… but he didn't seem to enjoy it.
Juzo only wanted to lash out at him now, but Kazuo interfered and placed himself between them. "Enough! Both of you!" He turned towards Juzo. "Haven't I told you before?! Using violence will not lead to anything!"
Juzo simply looked away in annoyance. "Well, he didn't have to start this shit."
"And as for you, young man," Kazuo turned his gaze towards the student, "I also suggest you calm down. This is a public school, so I will not accept any hostility towards the students OR the cast!"
"I wasn't going to do anything, you Head Security did, on the other hand," he replied, before starting to walk away. "Some people within the school really need your advice. Think of that before Monday, or else someone might really get hurt."
With him walking towards his unknown destination, Juzo began to take a deep breath to calm down. "Damn it… I sure hope there ain't any other assholes like him, or else I might burst a vein for real!"
"I-It's okay, Sakakura-san," Makoto tried to calm him down. "I-I mean, y-you will maybe not see him next week, so…"
Juzo only glared at him intensely. Then he sighed and said, "Yeah, whatever."
"Hey! Is everything okay?"
"We've heard some noise. Did somebody tried to break into the school?"
"They won't be able to get away. There are guards everywhere within the school."
The trio turned their head to see three figures running towards them.
The first one being Suzuko Kashiki, a girl with short brown hair, bright blue eyes and a slightly darker skin than her fellow members. She wore the standard uniform of Hope's Peak Academy with a red ribbon instead of a tie.
The second individual was Tomohiko Goryoku, a large man with a powerful build and stern facial features. He has his dark hair tied back in a short ponytail, with the strands spiking outward in many directions. His Hope's Peak Academy uniform was noticeably unique, including overalls, a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a yellow tie.
The last one was Isshiki Madarai, who seemed ready to jump into action… which could be seen as scary for anyone. Just his looks would be enough to scre most people.
Makoto decided to explain the situation. "I-It's okay you guys! W-we just met-"
"A pure and insufferable asshole," Juzo cut him off, this time calmer than before.
"R-really?" Suzuko looked concerned, but more by the Boxer's words. "W-what did he looked like?"
"W-well, he looked like a student," Makoto answered, nervous at the Boxer's menacing temper. "He said he was a Reserve Course student."
"A Reserve Course student?" Tomohiko raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't he be in class at this hour? I don't think their program is finished for the day yet."
"That is indeed suspicious," Isshiki hissed with his long tongue. "We may need to watch over him, just in case he doesn't do anything bad."
"Do what you want to capture him," Juzo hissed. "But I do the beating after that. I can't believe he just walked away like that. I'll get him for this!"
"Uuum, Sakakura-san?" Makoto voiced his opinion, a little afraid of the consequences. "I-I think Tengan-san told you to behave. I-I wouldn't want you to get into trouble, you know?"
Juzo inhaled a deep breath, then sighed as deeply. Then, he turned towards Makoto… and putting a hand on his shoulder, which made Makoto flinch nervously. "Okay there, I think I need to make a point clear here, kid. So listen up, because I won't repeat myself."
Makoto was silence but nodded slowly. The grip on the Luckster was becoming tight, and the look Juzo gave him was sharp and menacing, as much as his words and tone. "I was only sent here because Munakata told me to, so that means that I obey his orders and his alone. So just so your job, and don't try to play the tinpot dictator, or you will regret it. Got it?!"
Makoto only stared at him, sweating like he was about to die. Messing with Juzo's temper was definitely a death sentence.
He did not know why, but the Boxer couldn't stand seeing his face. And trying to be nice didn't do any favor either.
Sure, he was the Head Security of the school, but did he needed to be this rude? At least, Isshiki only looked scary, as he could be approached without fearing of being punched in the face.
Why? Why was he like this? Why was he behaving like this towards him?!
He had no answer, and he didn't want to be punched because he didn't answer the question, so he stammered, "Y-yes! D-don't worry, I-I won't pose any problems, I swear!"
"Good." His gaze softened up a little, then, he released his shoulder…
PATA!
Before slapping the back of his forehead, making the Luckster a little dizzy and taking him by surprise, almost making him lose his balance in the process. "Now go back to work. I'm not in the mood for you right now."
Kazuo sighed at this. "Very well." He then turned towards Isshiki. "Can you please get an eye on Sakakura over here? I do not think he will be able to fully assure his function now."
"Of course, miter Chairman. I will do my best as usual."
"WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN, CRAZY OLD MAN?!"
"Let's go back to our office, everyone. We have still had a lot on our plate."
"R-right, sir!"
And thus, ignoring the Boxer's furious shoutings - and luckily enough Isshiki was strong enough to restrain him just in case -, the small group headed to their offices.
Waiting for being out of the Head Security's sight, the Sprinter decided to ask Makoto in a worried tone, "Are you okay? H-He didn't hit you too hard, did he?!"
"N-no no, don't worry, Kashiki-san!" Makoto waved his right hand in reassurance. "I-I'm fine, he didn't do anything too harsh!"
The Bouncer only looked at him with his stern face and said, "You don't look fine. More like stressed out."
"J-just a little shaken is all! I really appreciate the attention, but I'm fine, really!" He tried to convince them. "He was not that bad to me, he was just… not in the mood because of what that boy said, that's all!"
"But still, his behavior is not all forgivable and you know this, young Naegi." Kazuo frowned a little, as he was leading the way. "This is yet a problem that we need to solve before it goes further."
Makoto sweatdropped mentally. In his mind, he hoped that if he had to help, the Boxer won't end up punching him…
"Heeeey! So that's where Na*hic* Naego-kun waaaas!"
But the shouting that was coming towards them interrupted this awkward though, as an arm wrapped his right shoulder firmly. And even if it wasn't harmful, the surprise was still there. As he and the group looked at the person-
"Heeeey, kid, it's no good to *hic* leave one of your teach behind, ya know!"
They sighed in exasperation, as they knew instantly who it was. Kazuo was the first one to react. "Kizakura, why are you in this state?"
"Oh, I was just having a little fuuuun, mister old Chairman!" Koichi was there, holding a bottle of beer all the while shaking the poor Luckster. "I thought 'why not' since every *hic* thing was fine!"
"Are you drunk again, Kizakura-san?!" Suzuko yelled in a scandalized way. "Don't you know that now's not the time?!"
"Oh, come ooooon, kids! What can one or two little glasses do to me?" Yes, Koichi was on cloud nine right now.
"Judging by your current state, I doubt it was only one or two glasses!" Tomohiko was rarely expressing any emotions, but his face clearly expressed outrage. "Where did you get that?!"
"S-Souda was kind enough to bring some! He-he said that it would make things more fun, and daaaaaamn! He wasn't wrong!" And nothing could get him off that cloud now.
Kazuo sighed in annoyance. "So that's it, uh? I guess I will have to remind him of some rules that are applied here…"
"Oh guys, lighten up!" Koichi raised his voice. Luckily they were in an isolated space, so they didn't bring any attention. And it was not needed right now. "J-Just look at Naego, ma boy! A-Always happy no matter wha-*hic!*" He pointed his finger and pressed it in his cheek. "You… you're a good boy…"
Makoto chuckled nervously, not liking where this was going. Usually, he would have liked this comment coming from him, but… the thing was, he was drunk.
And he knew that this kind of thing was bad, especially coming from the teacher.
That was one flaw that the Luckster could add with his lazy behavior.
And no matter how much he liked his laidback attitude, he would like it if Koichi took his job seriously, instead of just wandering around, leaving Makoto to take care of his class in his class…
Otherwise, he would perhaps believe him more when he proclaimed to be reliable. Maybe.
Makoto could only say this, in order not to hurt his drunk teacher, who wasn't really his teacher but who was still an acquaintance of him."I-I'm flattered, sensei…"
"A-and," he continued, "r-remember w-when… you told every *hic!* one, that… that you would be… a shoulder to… to lean on?"
Because of that sudden change of attitude from him, Makoto and everyone felt that it was becoming weird… and not in a good way. "Y-yeah?"
"W-well… I-I could use it…. right noeeeEEEUUARGLH!"
SPLOARTCH!
But unfortunately, no one reacted enough to prevail the vomit fall coming from the school's scout, splashing on Makoto's school uniform, much to his dismay, horror and disgust, something that he shared with his friends.
"Kyaaaah!"
"What the-"
"Y-young Naegi!"
The poor teacher could only collapse on the floor, as more vomit erupted from his mouth. Whatever words he wanted to speak, the flow transformed it into disturbing grumbles.
"N-Naegi-kun!" Suzuko was the first one to react and went towards the Luckster, who himself was still processing what was going on. The contact with the substance was far from enjoyable, and when he finally realized what happened, he did the most common thing to do in this situation…
He yelled in disgust.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Oh God, I'm so relieved that the smell is gone!"
"I-I'm just glad that you're all cleaned, Naegi-kun. I mean, I know that Kizakura-sensei can be irresponsible with alcohol, but…"
"I've heard that he was still sick from Ouma's prank on him. I guess that his stomach and liver were so messed up that only one drop of eau-de-vie can be too much for him."
"I-I see…" Makoto laughed nervously, not wanting to remember what happened what happened. After the incident, the Sprinter went alone to the laundry room and the Bouncer decided to escort him to his room in order to hide him with his stature in case someone saw him, because at the time, he only had his pants. Then the poor Makoto had to take a shower to get rid of everything, because they didn't have much time, as they had to attend the last reunion of the day for the event. Due to her talent, Suzuki was quick enough to put the Luckster's school uniform to be washed without being too noticed, all the while Tomohiko giving him his usual clothes. And now, here they were, heading to the Student Council for their last meeting for the day.
"That doesn't excuse what he did." The Bouncer said in his usual neutral, calm voice. "He shouldn't have taken those glasses in the first place."
"That's right, you know!" The Sprinter joined him. "He's a teacher and the school's scout! He shouldn't be drinking in a moment like that!"
"I-I guess it's a part of him," Makoto sweatdropped again, scratching the back of its head. "He-he's laid back for sure, b-but I know he means no harm…"
"But he will have to improve if he wants to keep his job," Tomohiko said. "I'm surprised that the Headmaster hasn't done anything yet."
His comment seemed cold, but deep down, he was not a bad guy. At least, Makoto didn't think so.
After all, being a bouncer wasn't an easy job. That meant he had to assure the security of everyone while working. And he knew he was serious about his job.
He simply hoped that everything wouldn't go wrong. After all, even though he never saw Tomohiko angry…
Who knew what he could be capable of if he had to resort to violence?
"I-I'm sure he will talk to Sensei about it." Makoto tried to reassure them, then eyed his friends with an awkward glance. "J-just don't tell the others about it. I-I don't want to remember this for now."
"O-okay then." Suzuko could not help but chuckle lightly. "E-excuse me, I just… I just can't help it. All of this happening to you… I just can't believe all of this is happening to you, you know?"
That, of course, made Makoto blush and turn his head away, and Tomohiko knew what it meant. "I think you are just making him more embarrassed."
"T-that wasn't my intention at all!" Suzuko defended herself. "I-I just thought about my brothers with their own activities!"
"Aren't you the one who scolded Kubo about the same thing Monday?"
"That's because I thought he was mocking him!"
In all of this, Makoto could not help but smile as he looked at his two friends, who were slightly arguing about him all the while talking. They looked like brother and a sister. A little like himself and Komaru…
Then again, Suzuki was a person that would always try to get closer to other people. A lot like him, in fact.
Both of them considered themselves as complete normal students who happened to attend one of, if not THE best school in all Japan.
But while Makoto had only been chosen by luck, Suzuko had a real talent… but she did not seem to take pride in it.
In fact, she seemed… a little unsatisfied by it.
He hoped he could help her with that. After all, he did encounter similar cases before…
"Ah. There you three are."
The voice of the Bodyguard made them flinch lightly. Apparently, they already reached their destination without them realizing it. Isshiki then said, "You're the last to arrive. Well, if you don't count Munakata. He's the one that will be giving that little briefing since Headmaster Jin will be talking with your seniors."
"Alright then." Tomohiko said. "Did anything bad happened?"
"Except Asukasei being annoying as usual, nothing."
Suzuko sighed in annoyance. "Is that so? I guess it was to be expected…"
"You know the drill." the Bodyguard said, before advancing towards them, grabbing and touching both sides of the Bouncer. "You're clean. Proceed."
"Alright." Tomohiko entered the door, and from what Makoto could hear, Aiko was the one who greeted him first.
"Hey! Grumpy Grizzly! There you are!"
"Stop calling him that already!"
"It's okay. I've heard worse names in the past."
And Kotomi's voice was also heard. "Looks like the Pikachu Princess is teasing her favorite toy," Isshiki said in a neutral voice. "Wonder how she can approach people like him so easily."
"Sh-she did approach you easily too," Suzuko said, a little nervous as the Bodyguard came to her checked on her body as well.
"You're also good."
"O-okay." The Sprinter also entered the room, and as soon as she did, Kiriko's voice could be heard. "A-are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it! Just… thought about something."
"Compared to that girl." Isshiki said. "Also, she's a bad liar." He then went towards Makoto, and of course, noticed his appearance. "Needed some clothes changes?"
"Y-yeah…" the Luckster said nervously, as the memory of the… incident, flowed back into his mind. "M-my school uniform got all stained."
"Again, your luck showed its bad side, eh?" The Bodyguard joked with a little smile, which made him creepier with his appearance. "Well, let's see if it didn't mess with your usual clothes as well." The procedure went on. "Okay, you're good, lucky boy. You may pass."
"A-alright. Thanks." Makoto smiled awkwardly before entering the room.
Soshun was the first one to greet him. "Oh! Hello again, fellow partner! How things were going on your side?"
"W-well," began Makoto, wanting not to mention what happened earlier, "it was a… special day, to say the least."
"Special?" Kotomi switched her attention towards him, in a curious and somewhat impatient way. "What do you mean by special? Did something happen? And why are you with your regular clothes?!"
"H-Hey, easy there, Ikuta-san!" Karen tried to calm down her friend. "It's not that big of a deal, really. I mean, all of us have different variations of the official school uniform, so…"
"Y-yeah! No need to explode there!" Suzuko joined her, being one of the witnessed the whole thing and promised not to say a word about it. "Besides, some of us here don't even wear it!"
"B-but this is surprising…" Kiriko voiced her opinion with anxiety. "I-I mean, don't get offended, I-I respect the fact that you prefer to wear your hoodie! I-It's just that…"
"That you've been wearing your school uniform until now." Daiki finished her sentence. "I would find it odd to change clothes during the same day, you know."
And before Makoto could even think of an answer, Aiko involved herself in the conversation, eyeing Makoto with a cute and curious glance. "That's true, you know! What happened to you this time, uh? Uh?"
"And they say I like to point out his bad luck," Shouji smirked at the scene. "In the end, everyone likes to do it. Sorry Naegi, but your hell is not gonna end anytime soon."
"Oh, come on, man! We don't do it to hurt him!" Sousuke scolded his senior. "It's a friendly message, and you know how it works since you do it all the time!"
"Even though I do not approve this method, I can understand why you boys do it." Tsubasa looked at the Luckster, before chuckling a little. "Though I don't really see Naegi-kun doing that kind of thing either."
"No, it wouldn't really fit him." Tarou also joined the smile. "Not like I would blame him. I'm not a fan of violence myself."
"Neither am I, but sometimes, desperate times means desperate measures," Tomohiko said. "Now, can we talk about today's activities?"
"About time someone brings this up," Asukasei grumbled, still not in a good mood. "Jeez, you're all talking about Naegi like he was a saint! Yeah, he's nice and all, but we're not here to praise him or something."
"Hey! We weren't doing this!" Ryouta shouted at him. "We were just talking about him, that's all! Why do you have to be so grumpy all the time?!"
"Hey now, calm down, you guys!" Makoto decided to act again, so another argument won't have to start. "Gouryoku-senpai and Hino-senpai are right. We're here to discuss what still needs to be done for next week. We can't just let our differences get the best of us now."
"My thoughts exactly."
Everyone turned to the entrance of the door, who showed the Ultimate Diplomat, gazing at the students… in a judgemental way. And something told Makoto that it was not a good judgment. "M-Munakata-san…"
"Here you are, the Student Council, the representatives of the students of Hope's Peak Academy, who are tasked to take the decisions that will help those who need it the most, behaving like a bunch of kids in nursery school for secondary problems." Kyosuke's tone was as cold and sharp as his words, and his serious gaze only intensified this feeling, as most of the students, by fear or shame, looked away on the floor or on the sides. The few that had enough courage only stared at him in an unpleasant way.
But that did nothing to stop the older man, as he sat on the teacher's chair and placed documents on the deck. "We still have some time before class will be over. So I suggest we begin this meeting as soon as possible… and with the seriousness and maturity that is required for this situation."
"Yes, sir."
In his own movements, Makoto noticed one thing by looking at his friends. They were all focused on their paper sheets, on which were written the results of what was done today, and what was still to be done. But their faces were… uncomfortable. Even Asukasei and Tomohiko who weren't the happiest people within the council seemed more tense than usual. And everyone's answer to Kyosuke's resolve was calm… just like the ambiance.
Calm, but fearful and sad, the complete opposite of the mood earlier, who was certainly chaotic, but joyful and happy, because they were actually enjoying each other's presence… well, most of them anyway. But now… Makoto could not help but think…
He wished the meeting happened while the hopeful mood was still there.
"And that will be all for today. I expect you to behave well during that week. The school's reputation is in your hands. Do not disappoint us."
"We won't, sir."
"Good. Have a nice way back home then. Class dismissed."
And thus, the different members of the Students Council slowly picked their things and left the room, saying goodbye to each other and to Kyosuke, but with little to no emotions at all.
As if everyone's energy and emotions had been sucked into a black hole of coldness, mechanical and lifeless seriousness.
In the end, the two only remaining people were the Diplomat and Makoto himself, who advanced towards him a little nervously. "Uum, Munakata-san?"
"Yes? What is it?"
His voice was monotone, but that didn't stop Makoto to speak. "I-I just wanted to talk about some things with you, if you don't mind of course."
Kyosuke only looked at the young man with an undecryptable expression. "Go on."
The Luckster took a deep breath, and then spoke. "Don't you think that was a little… excessive?"
"What do you mean?"
"Y-your speech when you entered the room, sir." Makoto began to explain. "I-I know I may not be in the position to tell you this, but… don't you think that you were a little too cold with them?"
"Are you talking about their behavior from earlier? I don't think so." Kyosuke answered, keeping the same tone as earlier. "As I said before, they are the Student Council of the school. As such, they have a big responsibility on their shoulders, and they cannot allow some simple dispute to distract them from their tasks." He narrowed his eyes very lightly, but enough to be seen by the Luckster. "And that also implies to you, Naegi Makoto."
That took him back. "U-uh?"
"As you were the one who suggested this idea event to happen in the first place, you cannot simply stand still and watch everyone else do all of the work, and just supporting the others won't be enough." The Diplomat continued, returning to his previous tone. "Trust in my experience, you always have to do your best to achieve your goal."
Those words were supposed to encourage Makoto. They were supposed to support him. Instead, however… Makoto felt a heavy feeling on his shoulders, as if someone was trying to place something on his back, something really cumbersome that needed great strength to be moved… and under Kyosuke's glance, or what he had interpreted as a glare, he felt like his legs would crack at any moment.
Chisa told him about her… friend sometimes. She said he was a very devoted man who would work very hard to ensure the good thing is done correctly.
And while he could see it… he thought that he was a little extreme for that.
But what he didn't see too much… was the fact that he smiled when he was happy.
Well, as far as he's seen, he has only smiled a very few times…
And the last time he did, it ended up hurting Chisa.
But he didn't have to bring this up. It wasn't his business, and she said they were still in a good relationship, so… he had to focus on the current problem he had.
It may be useless in the end, but at the very least, he would have made his point.
In one more attempt to talk things with him, Makoto then said, "I-I know that. The Student Council know about their responsibilities, I can assure you."
"That's not the impression I had when I entered the room." Kyosuke countered. "Why would they argue right in the middle of such an important meeting?"
"Because they are friends, sir." Makoto tried to explain, while trying to smile at the situation. "Friends does argue sometimes, but in the end, it only makes their bonds stronger. Because they actually share something important, and it's a very good thing for their minds." He then eyed Kyosuke, in the hopes of making him at least understand his ways. "And they won't be able to do their tasks if their minds are down, would they?"
The Diplomat looked at him for a little moment, a little surprised at Makoto's face, then closed his eyes and looked away. "Well… put like this… I suppose I cannot argue with this."
"See?"
"But I still need to be convinced about this approach."
"Uh?"
Makoto's hopeful face slowly faded away, as Kyosuke spoke once again. "If I have learned anything from the years I've been a diplomat, it's that mixing your feelings and work will not lead anywhere. So you will understand that I believe it's quite hard to do your own job by implementing your theory… and especially for a task that was not supposed to happen."
If Makoto was shocked before, that was nothing compared to know. "W-what?! What are you talking about?!"
The Diplomat took a deep breath, and then answered. "You see, I also wanted to talk to you about that event you wanted to organize. And if I understood correctly your intentions, it is supposed to help the Reserve Course students, who paid a high fee for attending this school alone, correct?"
Makoto only nodded, as he was still looking at the Diplomat who continued. "Well, the gesture is noble, and I will be honest with you, I expected this coming from you…" he interrupted himself for a small moment, before saying those words…
"But you shouldn't have done this."
And of course, that surprised Makoto in a bad way. "W-what?! Why?!"
"Hope's Peak Academy was originally opened for those who were considered as talented," Kyosuke reasoned. "For many years it went this way peacefully. And to be perfectly honest with you, I've always thought that it was perfect logic, and didn't need to change." He then frowned in a more pronounced way than before. "The only way you can obtain a talent is by hard-working, perseverance, and devotion. What kind of talent consist to pay a huge fee just in order to have a hope of something you will never obtain? Unless a title of Ultimate Desperate Student exists, of course."
The Diplomat snarled as those words came out of his mouth, but he did not see Makoto staring at him in a complete dumbfounded way. He did not need Kyosuke to explain his point, because he understood perfectly what he meant by this. He just said that those who paid in order to attend Hope's Peak Academy were nothing more but desperate fools, who were only wasting their time and money for something they will never get. And considering he had friends who indeed were doing that… it only contributed to his uneasiness.
"So listen up very well, Naegi Makoto." Kyosuke calmed himself down by his own, while he started also to pack his things up. "As I've said earlier, the gesture was full of kindness, and it's all to your honor… but you would have been better off not doing anything. Because those who have the power here will never see those students as suitable people. What I'm saying is…" he stopped and paused again, then…
"You have to get over it. Because the chances of this kind of event happening again… are completely null."
That sentence really saddened Makoto, who only stared at the floor. Kyosuke sighed by seeing this, and spoke again. "I apologize if I shattered your hopes like that. It was not my intentions to do so. But I simply wanted to warn you about what could happen."
Makoto looked at him with a sad face, but smiled anyway. "Of… of course, sir. I understand…"
"Good. Now go back to your home. Your family will start to get worried." And with this, the Diplomat took his things and advanced towards the exit, before coming to a halt. "Oh. I forgot."
"Uh?"
"I have a feeling that from now on, your life is going to get through a lot of obstacles… and I mean a lot. So my last advice for you is…" He turned himself towards Makoto, and stared at him in an intensive way.
"Stop counting on your luck to save you from now on. Step up your game, or else you will not have enough time to regret it."
With that last advice, Kyosuke left the room, leaving he Luckster in his thoughts… not knowing what to do about the situation.
Yes, it was a desperate attempt, but… could he really blame them? Him, who managed to attend here because of luck? Him, who was just supporting his friends in the background? Him, who was nothing more but a regular student whose only trait was to be optimistic?
No. He couldn't.
Heck, he would even understand them. Hope's Peak Academy is the number one school in Japan, after all. Who wouldn't want to attend here? Besides, he envisaged to decline the offer, but in the end, his family encouraged him to accept the invitation...
Who was he to judge?
"Okay, Naegi-onii! We'll just wait in front of the door! I'll take care of everyone, so you don't have to worry about anything!"
"Thank you, Monaca. I'm sorry for that little lateness…"
"It's okay, really! Monaca and the others understand that you've got a lot of work! We also had to do some things ourselves, under Harukawa-san's watch!"
"Really? You'll tell me when I'll be here, okay?"
"Okie Dokie! See ya later!"
"Right!"
And with this, Makoto ended the communication with Monaca via his phone, smiling lightly to hear that their day was good. At least, they didn't have to confront the tension… well, maybe Nagisa since his parents were formerly teachers in the school, but since they've been fired, he seemed to be calmer in general.
In all of this, Makoto was slowly wandering around in the corridors of the school, still lost in thoughts and thinking deeply about what Kyosuke told him.
'The chances of this kind of event happening again are completely null.'
In the back of his mind, Makoto was a little mad. How could he tell? True, the Steering Committee were not the best people, but everyone could change for the best, right?
…then again, the same could be said to the opposite side, so that was not really good point.
But despite his words… Makoto wanted to believe otherwise. That's what he was doing since all that week: thinking about what kind of student he will encounter, what they like and dislike, how they do they think… and how they would behave. Sure, he expected to encounter some people that would not agree with what will be going on here, probably like that guy from the front gates, but overall, he thought that everything would be okay. And now, here he was, questioning the outcome of this event… and even why he did it.
Was it wrong to have some hope?
"Hey, Naegi-kun!"
The voice behind him made him look back to see- "Ah, Yukizome-sensei!"
"Shouldn't you be on your way home?" Chisa asked him in a curious way. "I think you're siblings are going to get worried."
"D-don't worry about it, sensei!" Makoto said in a comforting way. "I-I just contacted them a few minutes ago. They are going to wait for me in the Elementary department, and that's where I was going anyway."
"Are you sure? You looked rather on your thoughts for me." The Housekeeper looked at him while starting to be worried. "Are you OK? You look depressed. This is not really like you."
Makoto did not want to worry her, of course. "W-well, I-"
But she did find out what was going through his head right away. "Are you worried about Monday?"
The Luckster looked surprised at her, then sighed. "I-I guess I am… I mean, I don't what's going to happen, and asides from my three friends from there, I didn't interact much with them." He looked down in sadness. "Is… is this really going to work out?"
"Don't be like that!"
The Luckster almost jumped from his position, as he saw the Housekeeper's face very near his, pouting at his direction. "S-sensei?!"
"Where went your motivation?!" Chisa reprimanded him, not pleased by his attitude. "You're going to waste your youth with that attitude of yours!"
Makoto laughed nervously at her attitude. "W-well, I guess you're right." His smile faded away a little. "B-but even so… I can't help but feel a little nervous about that."
"Why so?" Chisa kept her grumpy face. "Who told you that it wasn't going to work out, uh?"
"M-Munakata-san, sensei."
That seemed to calm her down a little. "…oh. W-what did he say exactly?"
He didn't want to tell her the entire truth, considering that they were talking about her former crush, and that they were still good friends. So he said, "He-he told me that… he didn't like the direction it could go, you know."
Then, Chisa laughed at that, obviously buying the story. "So that's why you were so worried about? Don't worry, Kyosuke means well! He's just worried about the school's well being, that's all!"
Makoto was reassured about her reaction. "I-is that so? I-I'm glad that-"
"But he shouldn't, and neither should you."
"Uh? What do you-"
Makoto could not even finish his sentence, as he was brought into a hug by the teacher, which of course made him furiously blush as he could feel two soft sensations near his neck. "S-sensei?!"
"You are the one who allowed this to happen, you know?" Chisa said in a calm and sweet tone. "Everything you've done for this school, for those within it, for those you cared about… they also allowed them to have a better life, to feel hope… just like I did when you helped me, one of the teachers of this wonderful school." She giggled at those words left her mouth, then released him and smiled down at him brightly, looking at him sweetly. "So why would anything wrong happen? I personally believe you should be optimistic like you always are… it's who you are, after all."
Makoto only stared at her in awe, not knowing what to say except, "S-sensei…"
"You've heard the girl, little man. Cheerleader Chisa always knows what to say in that kind of situation, just like ya."
"*sigh* Koichi, do you really had to say that?"
Makoto and Chisa stared at each other in shock as the new yet familiar voices. Then, both of them turned all flustered to see- "Aaah! Kirigiri-san?! Kizakura-sensei?!"
"Ahah, hello there, you two." Jin greeted them politely, looking at them in an amused way. "I'm sorry to interrupt whatever moment you were having together, but I was simply passing by with Kizakura here and I've decided to see what was going on."
"Oh, come on, Jin!" Koichi told him in his usual tone, indicating that he has returned to his normal self. "We've got to let them alone for some time more! Maybe there were going to-"
"NOTHING!" Chisa shouted, surprising everyone in the process. "W-we were simply talking about what was going to happen this week! Nothing more!"
Although a little surprised at the Housekeeper's sudden outburst, Makoto coughed in agreement and said, "She's right. I was simply… worried about what would happen this week, but Chisa assured me everything would be fine." He then turned towards Chisa and smiled at her. "Thank you, sensei. I really appreciate it."
That, of course, made her blush, as she turned to the side and answered, "O-oh, don't worry about that, Naegi-kun! I-I'm only doing my job! Besides, it was a pleasure, really!"
"Oh, ya sure looked like you loved comforting our little mascot, girl!" Koichi teased her, grinning at them all the while, knowing fully what was going on in her mind. "Hey, too bad I didn't bring my camera with me today! That would have been hilarious to record!"
That of course only contributed to her frustration, as she turned towards the school's scout red-faced and shouted, "Is that all you came for?! To make fun of us?!"
"Sorry about Kizakura's behavior. You know how he likes to tease people like that." Jin apologized to Chisa all the while sweat dropping, then turned towards Makoto. "Naegi, I suggest you don't do your head in about that. You focus on having a good time with your friends, okay?"
"R-really, sir?"
"Don't worry, I too believe everything will be fine! I am an optimistic person as well, if that can reassure you!" the Headmaster laughed. "Besides, if anything happens, we will simply take care of it. So cool your head about this, okay?"
"Yeah! You've gotta believe, little man!" Koichi joined the laugh. "We'll make sure everything will go smoothly! We wouldn't want any incident to happen, right?"
The way Koichi eyed the Luckster made him understood that it was his way of apologizing for what he did earlier, and Makoto was too happy to refute, as he eyed the three staff members and said, "O-okay then! Thank you for the advice!" He then bowed to them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go for my siblings! Have a nice evening and thank you again!"
And with this, he dashed towards his entrance, leaving the trio looking at him with smiles on their faces. Chisa just shouted, "Bye Naegi-kun! Tell them I said hie!"
"Try to relax, kiddo!" Koichi joined her. "Enjoy your two days left to do so!"
Jin only smiled at their reactions. He even laughed, which got their attention. Koichi was the one who asked the question. "What's that, Jin?"
"Nothing, just…" the Headmaster ended his laugh, before explaining himself. "Just looking at you two, I have the feeling of seeing three friends giving their goodbyes to each other. It just made me laugh because… you know, we're supposed to be their teachers and principals, so…"
Of course, that comment made Chisa nervous. "T-this is not what it looks like…"
"Hey, some students are friends with their teachers, ya know." The Scout reminded him gently. "Besides, wasn't that a friendly advice you gave him earlier? 'cause it looks like it to me."
"Exactly!" Chisa joined him, looking at the Headmaster in a reprimanding way. "You can't correct us when you did the same as us! Besides, it's also a part of our job to help our students!"
"Of course this is, Yukizome-san." Jin chuckled. "But tell me…"
"Yes, sir?"
"Now that I think about it, Kizakura has a point." Jin smiled at her in a cocky way. "You did seem to enjoy helping him the most today."
The Housekeeper blushed again, as she looked away and denied the facts. "I-I'm telling you, I was simply helping him! Nothing more, nothing less!"
"You're not answering his questions, dummy." Koichi only laughed at her reaction. "But there's nothin' to be ashamed of! It's the kid we're talking about here!"
"Kizakura is right, Yukizome-san." Jin joined his friend. "How do you feel about him… I don't fully support this, but I completely understand why… especially after he saved you. Because that's what he did, am I wrong?"
Chisa widened her eyes in shock, then looked a little calmer when she spoke. " …how can you tell?"
"The way you look when you're around him or talk about him help, ya know!" The scout told her. "Who knows, if I was a girl, maybe I would feel that way around him after that kind of shit happened to me?"
"K-KOICHI!" That was a joke, but Jin, of course, looked distressed as he understood what he meant. He then eyed Chisa in a worried way. "Look, I'm sorry for-"
"It's okay, sir. As I've said before, I'm perfectly fine."
The voice was calm and relaxed, contrary to what Jin had expected. "Y-Yukizome-san?"
"That's ironic, isn't it?" The Housekeeper looked towards the direction where Makoto ran off and smiled all the while. "A teacher developing a silly crush towards one of her students… and even with all the men I've dated since that day… I only feel that way around him specifically. It's ridiculous, isn't it?"
Jin looked at her in a shocked way, then smiled. "Apart from your social position, no, I don't find it ridiculous. Yes, you have at least four years of difference, if I were to be honest… I don't think a relationship is impossible. I am aware of both of your status and social position, but if you can get pass through that, then… I believe it should be fine."
"Aaaah… have you never learned that it's no good to try to feed an impossible dream?" Chisa only sighed in a sweet way, thinking happily about the student that saved her.
From what did he saved her? A monster? A robber No, she was fine physically.
The damage was more mental and emotional.
But that was an understatement. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned, and people don't always return the feelings you have towards them.
That was unfortunately the lesson she had to learn the hard way when she saw her beloved, Kyosuke Munakata… with another woman. The day they planned something on Valentine's Day, no less…
Needless to say, she was not the same person for the whole evening after that. Being at the 'single table' along with some other people…
Even perverts like Yuto didn't bother her. In fact, she didn't pay mind to anyone…
Probably because she started to drink.
And that didn't go unnoticed by anyone. After the party, she was probably the loudest person in the room, ranting about the whole deal.
Come to think of it, she still never apologized to Kazuichi for that bottle hit. Guess it will have to wait until Monday.
So, being the helpful young man he is, Makoto volunteered himself to bring her home to her home. There was no way she could do that on her own in her current state.
And plus… he was of course worried about her. Seeing someone breaking down silently and trying to hide it… it was unbearable.
Still, he did not expect her to force him to stay with her. Probably her sadness coupled with her drunken trance… he just hoped that things would pass without an inch.
But, of course, as if destiny had plans for him… the unexpected happened.
"Mm...that feels nice…" The Housekeeper mused as Makoto was currently massaging her legs while they were sitting at the opposite side of her couch, which was against his moral code, but considering her drunk state, he could not say anything about this, or he would probably receive a knife between his two eyes.
"Tell me, Naegi-kun…"
"Y-yes, sensei?"
As he looked at her, he noticed her grumpy face. "I would like you to answer me not as a student… but as a friend."
Makoto sweatdropped at her request. "I-I'll try my best, Sen-"
"Call me Chisa."
"I-I'm sorry but I can't do that."
That made pout. "Ngh… at least call me by my last name…"
"I-I'll try…" He sighed. "So, what is your question?"
"Do you think I am… unattractive?"
That question surprised Makoto, before he answered, "I don't think so, Sen-"
"Chiiiii-"
"Yukizome-san." He corrected himself. "I think Sensei is… attractive in her own sense."
"Is that so?" She only stared at the ground sadly, completely unimpressed. "Then why didn't Kyosuke chose me, uh?"
Ah… so this was what it was about. Makoto tilted his head and said, "Well… I don't what made him took that decision, but… I think he's making a mistake." He tried to reassure her with a smile. "Because he missed an amazing person."
"Really?" Chisa kept the same tone. "Then… how do you think I am?"
The Luckster thought about it for a minute, before answering. "Well… Y-Yukizome-san is an amazing person. I know that she is bright and bubbly at times, never stopping to cheer on others with her optimistic mind, and also quite beautiful."
She stared at him, making wave his hands in denial. "Not that I'm hitting you or anything! I just… tell you what's on my mind, that's all!"
Chisa couldn't help but smile fondly at the boy. In her drunken state, she thought of him a nice and understanding person who will always try to find a solution adequate to their problems and who's sensitive towards their feelings...
Unlike a certain someone.
The Housekeeper laughed lightly, getting the Luckster's attention as she got her legs off him. "Naegi-kun…"
"Y-yes?"
"Thank you… for listening to an old teacher's ranting."
That smile made him happier. "You're welcome. Glad I can help-"
"Do you think you can... help me a little more then?"
The tone she used was enough to make him nervous again… and the fact that she began to approach herself from him was not helping. "Y-Yukizo- Sensei?!"
"I'm not really sure your words are for me, you know? So I want to see for myself..." She began, not paying attention to his growing discomfort, especially when she was so near to him to the point of their noses were touching each other. "If I'm this amazing… can I be with anyone I want?"
"Y-Yukizo-"
CRACK!
She was not paying attention to the sofa who was cracking under their combined weight, which was odd since it was a new one, and one who was supposed to be of good quality.
What a turn of bad luck… but then again, compared to what was going to happen, it could be considered as a life saver… or could it?
"Ouch… Fucking shitty sofa…" Chisa grunted, not minding her language. She then eyed Makoto who was beneath her and said, "So, where were w-"
She stopped dead in her tracks. For she noticed something that wasn't right.
Makoto looked really pale. And it started to make her panic. "Naegi-kun? What's wrong?"
"S..sensei… my… my stomach… it hurts…"
"Y-your stomach? What's with-"
She interrupted herself and widened her eyes in horror as saw pink blood on his belly… which was coming from inside of it, and more precisely, from a wound on the left side of the belly… which was stabbed. And one of Chisa's knife was on the bleeding wound.
"Oh-oh my God!" Chisa who was still drunk panicked, got up and picked the Luckster carefully so he wouldn't suffer too much. "Naegi-kun! P-please hang out! Don't go to the light, please!"
Makoto could not hear her, as his world slowly faded to darkness.
"Uuuurm…"
Makoto slowly opened his eyes, and slowly noticed something warm… and also some pain on the side of his stomach. "Ouch… just what-"
"N-Naegi-kun…"
"Uh?" Makoto turned to the side to see the Housekeeper, who looked shocked… and most of all, sad. As if something bad happened. "S-sensei?"
"P-please don't move, Naegi-kun." Chisa told him in a quick way, looking away from him. "Y-your wound is not fully healed yet."
"M-my wound? What are you-"
And then, he remembered. The uncomfortable approach, the sofa cracking… the pain in his stomach who was still present. "O-oh…"
"I-I already took care of it, but it still may hurt a little, so please don't move okay?" Chisa was still not looking at him.
Makoto looked around. Only now, he noticed that he was in what he deduced the Housekeeper's bedroom, and more precisely in her bed, which explained the warmness that he felt… probably Chisa's doing. And judging by the time outside, it was already nighttime.
Guessing how she was feeling at the time, Makoto only said, "Well, I guess… thank you for what you did, sens-"
"What did you just say?"
"Uh?"
"What… did you just… say?"
Makoto blinked in surprise, then answered, "Well, I just said tha-"
"How can you thank me, uh?"
Makoto was silenced because of the voice of the teacher, who seemed sad, angered… and broken.
"How can you possibly thank me for what I did to you, uh?" The Housekeeper almost yelled, still looking on the ground, far from Makoto. "I freaking stabbed you in the stomach, Naegi-kun! You-you could have died because of me!"
"I-it's okay, sensei!" He tried to reassure her, though it did not seem to work. "I-I'm fine right now! Look!" He removed some of the blankets on him and heightened the low part of his uniform to show her a bandage, the very same she did. After having confirmation, he then eyed her again. "See? Everything's fine now!"
But she was having none of it. "I'm telling you, you're only going to hurt yourself more if you move! And besides, what kind of teacher would I be if I didn't heal after hurting you?!"
"It was an accident, sensei!" The pitch was graduating slowly, but surely, although it was not intentional on both parts; "You didn't mean it to happen! You wouldn't have done it if you were in your normal state!"
"THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT!"
That reaction made him silent, as he could only watch Chisa finally turning towards him slowly… crying endlessly.
"Don't you get it… I wouldn't have hurt you if only I wasn't so stupid!" The Housekeeper could not hold it anymore and felt on her knees. "Here I am… drunk… sad… after realizing the man I love going out with another girl… and the fact that I stabbed a student while trying to seduce him to relieve my stress…"
"Sensei…" Makoto looked at her in sadness. Instantly, his drive to help people kicked in as he got off the bed and slowly went towards his teacher. "Y-Yukizome-san…"
She was surprised at the initiative. "N-Naegi-kun, I told you to-"
"It's okay. You're the one who's in more pain right now." He took her by her shoulders, which only made her eyes widen more. "I know that it's just you drunk, but… if there's anything that I could do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."
As she continued to stare, she only looked away. "Why would you… help your assailant, uh? And especially an unattra-"
"You are beautiful to me."
That also made her very surprised, as she looked at Makoto again, who seemed confident this time. "I'm not saying this to try to make you feel better. I really mean it. It's like I told you: Munakata-san don't know who he's missing right now."
Chisa only trembled a little more, as tears began to appear on the side of her eyes. "I… I only wanted to be loved by him… you know?" She voiced her sadness. "Ever since I've met him… I always wanted to be his partner, and yet…"
Makoto hugged her tightly, which contributed to her astonishment, as he said, "It's okay. You can cry on me if you want. I'm ready and willing to share it with you."
He could feel her shaking, trying to save the last bit of cool composure that she desperately tried to contain… but it was becoming more and more difficult by the second.
And Makoto's warm words were the one which broke that limit. "It's okay. Cry all you want. I'm here for you… Yukizome-san."
That did it. For a long moment, Chisa let out a long and agonizing cry of pain and sadness which lasted at least five minutes, because of the amount of emotion she had to endure watching her beloved dance and laugh with another woman who was supposed to be her… it was a moment of her life when she felt weak and powerless against destiny…
But in the end, she had someone to support her. And that seemed to ease the pain, even if a little bit. And even if that person was one of her students.
In the end, Chisa felt asleep in Makoto's hug, probably due to all of those emotions which tired her out. The Luckster brought to her bed in order for her to relax. And when he brought the blankets to her side, he heard the teacher saying in a very soft and silent voice, "Thank you… Naegi-kun…"
Makoto only smiled at her reaction. He mentally said, "Anytime for those I care about.", before going towards the living room. Guess he will have to contact his family about him staying at a friend's house… again.
"Uwoaaaah… what… what happened last night?"
Chisa groaned as she slowly opened her eyes as sun rays blasted them. She felt a pang on her hand before yawning a bit. Here she was, laying on her bad, fully dressed in her usual clothes, as if nothing bad happened… but how could she possibly have ended in this position? Unless of course someone was here-
…
Wait…
What was that noise coming from the opposite side of her door?
"Here! Ha, should be good enough!"
Someone was here?!
And it seemed like it was a student… what was going on? Was he here last night as well?!
Being caution as she should be in that kind of situation, Chisa decided to open slightly the door in order to have a better idea of what she had to expect, knives ready to be thrown. Then, she decided to fully open it and-
"Ah, Sensei! Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"…Naegi-kun?"
And indeed, Makoto was standing here, wearing… an apron. One of her cooking aprons, more precisely. He was also holding one of her saucepans, with a crepe in it. "Ah, sorry for the noise, but I just wanted to make some breakfast for both of us, you know. I thought you might want to eat something good, so uh… here I am!"
The Housekeeper was at first surprised, but then couldn't help but laugh a little, feeling a little more relaxed as the fact that it was a familiar face, and put her knives away and pointed his torso. "W-where did you get that?"
"Uh?" Makoto looked at what she pointed with her finger, and then chuckled. "O-oh! W-well, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't stain my outfit, so I wanted to wear something in case something happened, you know?" he explained while he aligned with at least then others which were on a plate on the table. "By the way, sorry if I couldn't make more of those… I woke up like, thirteen minutes ago, and it was the simplest thing I had in mind, so…"
"Hey, it's okay, really! I appreciate the gesture!" Chisa assured him, before eyeing him in a curious way. "That being said, Naegi-kun, forgive me if I seem a little dumb, but… what are you doing in my house?"
Makoto looked at her with a worried face. " …so you don't remember what happened last night?"
The Housekeeper blinked a few times, not understanding what he meant. "W-what happened last ni-"
Then, memories flashed over her head, and with that, the pain in her heart slowly returned. "O-oh… that's right…" she said a realization hit her. She looked at Makoto who said, "Is something wrong?"
"Do you hate me?"
"Uh?"
"Do you… hate me for what I did?" she asked him one more time. "I-I stabbed you and… and…"
"Not in the slightest."
She was a little surprised at this, considering that she did not expect him to follow his words from last night. But what really shocked her was when she felt a hand on hers. She looked up at Makoto who smiled at her. "Like I said, you weren't in your normal state when it happened. Besides, you did heal me in the end, right? Therefore, I don't hate you, sensei."
"I-Is that so…" Chisa wondered. Then, she remembered something important. "Ah! H-how is your injury?!"
"It's fine, don't worry!" Makoto reassured her, as he again lifted up his uniform to show her the stab mark, which had almost disappeared. "See? Nothing's wrong."
"Aaaah… then it's good…" she sighed in relief. She then sat on a chair near her, and looked on the ground a little sad. "But… why are doing this for me?"
"Because I care about you."
Well, Chisa kept being surprised by words in those two days. She eyed Makoto who explained. "You asked me to be there for you as a friend, and that's what I'm doing right now." He then smiled. "Don't worry, I called my family and told them that I was staying at a friend's house, and Gekkogahara-san also contacted me! As you can imagine, she and the Headmaster were worried about you, but I told them everything was fine!"
"The-the Headmaster?" Chisa blinked. "Wait! What time is it?!"
"11:30 am, sensei. School had started without us today."
That, of course, made her look down in shame. That meant that because of her drunk trance, they both missed their assignments. "Ooooh… I see…"
"Don't worry, they said they understood! And they also assured us that they will say to our classes that we simply couldn't make it today! Which will allow us to focus on our problem for today!"
…
Chisa blinked again, as she eyed Makoto in a dumbfounded way. "E-excuse me?"
"I can't let someone I care about suffer all alone, you know," he told her while going towards the boiling machine. "And after what happened, I am certainly not doing this to you. Right now, you need support. Do you want something?"
Chisa stared at him, then said, "Uuum… there's the peach tea right next to the machine, please…"
"Alright." And so, while he prepared her drink, he asked her, "Do you believe what I told you?"
"Uh?"
"Do you remember me saying that you were attractive in your own way?" Makoto said. "Because I meant it. Like I told you, I meant everything I said last night."
That comment made her blush slightly. "Y-you don't need to precise it…"
"I have a feeling I do. Because something is telling me that you're not convinced." Makoto eyed her in a worried way. "Is that true?"
Chisa looked at him, surprised that he understood what was going in her mind so quickly. Then, she bowed her head in sadness. "Well, I do remember saying that I wanted to be loved by him… and yet… he's with someone else… and the worst things is, I don't understand why."
"Please go on."
"Y-you… you said I was beautiful. You said I was bright and bubbly at times, never stopping to cheer on others with my optimistic mind…" She looked away in sadness, looking at a picture of a photo showing her with Kyosuke and Juzo, looking all happy. "But despite all of this… he chose someone else… so what went wrong?"
"He had simply met a different kind of people."
Chisa eyes him in a sad, but curious way, as Makoto explained advanced with a cup full of her peach tea. "I don't know why he chose her over you either, but… I suppose that it's because he thought she was more of her type."
Well, that didn't really help her mood, and the Luckster took notice "I'm sorry if it hurts you, but I think this is the only logical answer I can give you."
"Aaaah… so I wasn't good enough for him…"
"And I suggest you do the same."
…
A moment of silence ensued, which was then ended by Chisa, who did not take this too lightly. "E-excuse me?!"
"If my theory is correct, then something attracted him more towards this woman than you," Makoto conclude. "But it's because, during his trip out of Japan, he had met many people. so of course, it would also lead to a different opinion, personality… just like us, but in a more extended way. So it's not really surprising that he did found someone interesting." He then turned towards Chisa and told her, "But everyone can do this. I, for instance, have met a lot of different people when I enrolled at Hope's Peak Academy, but some of my childhood friends were also quite the… special bunch, you know? And that's only an example, like so many others. Which means that wherever you go, there will always be different people… and that's what you should do."
"Uh?"
"Go meet other men. Go find someone that matches your tastes." Makoto told her with a confident smile on his face. "Among all of those people, there is inevitably someone that will love you for who you truly are. And yes, there will never be quite like Munakata-san, but… what is the most important is that he has to make you both happy."
The Housekeeper stared at the Luckster's eyes, which seemed... shining to her. She never noticed it before, but… that was a very cute side of him.
But she dismissed that feeling and closed her own eyes, sighing tiredly. "Easier said than done. I mean, there must also a lot of people who will find me too weird for their taste… and I'm not sure I'm in the mood for that kind of "boyfriend research"... that will be tiresome and… it probably hurts when it will not work out…"
"Then I'll be there for you."
Those words…
Just those words made her heart melt, as she looked in a stunned way at Makoto, who kept his beautiful and hopeful smile. "I know this will not be easy for you, sensei. And I know it may take a long way before finally finding the man… but know this: I'm all the way in, because it's my project. Maybe a silly one, but it's still important for me... because I believe you're worth being happy. And I think that seeing you happy will be the most satisfying reward I can have." And then, he took both of her hands in his own. "So until then, I'll be there for you. Each time you will feel down or lost, I'll know it, and I'll try everything I can to make you feel happy."
That, of course, made her blush. Now it wasn't just the words, the eyes or the smile… it was him. She thought that in that small moment, everything about him was not just cute… but beautiful. "N-Naegi-kun… I-I don't know what-"
"Then don't say anything." Makoto anticipated. "As a student, I feel like it's my duty to cheer on those around me, even if it's one of my teachers."
"I-I guess…" She began to weep again, but this time, it wasn't from sadness… it was from joy. "But really… this means a lot to me."
"I can imagine." The Luckster assured her. "Now then, do you want to talk about yourself?"
"Uh?"
We will pass the day talking about you." He explained, with a determined face. "Your personality, your qualities and flaws, your likes and dislikes… nothing is going to be overlooked!"
Chisa could only laugh at his attitude. "Is that so? Well, I'm ready anytime, mister officer! When do we begin?"
"As soon as I've found some paper and a pen!" He answered, laughing at her joke. "Where is the office room, please?"
"Just to the left of the living room!"
"Right! I'll be right back! And begin without me! It's going to get cold!" The Luckster warned her before going to the room he was looking for… leaving a Housekeeper who had stars and little hearts in her eyes when he left.
"A man… that matches my tastes, uh?"
"Aaaaah… I still have dreams about this, you know?" Chisa said in a dreamy way, as the memory flowed back in her mind.
"I can imagine." Jin said, looking happy for her. "Naegi is really a good person."
"Yeah! And a forgiving one, too!" Koichi added. "Even when I stained his unifo-"
He stopped dead in his tracks, but by then, judging by Chisa's outraged face, it was too late. "Wait a minute, WHAT?! So that's why he was with his hoodie instead of his school uniform?! YOU were the one responsible or this?!"
"Uuuum… yes?"
FCTHAK!
And a good slap on the right cheek was enough to let a good red mark on the Scout, making him cry a little.
"Do you have ANY idea of what you just did?!" Chisa scolded him like no tomorrow. "You literally THREW UP on him, Kizakura-san!"
"T-that was an accident, Yukizome-san…" Jin sweatdropped at this, but then stared at her in surprise. "Wait a minute, how do you know what happened?"
"I saw Kashiki-san running with a stained uniform earlier!" Chisa fumed, almost in rage. "If I had known what happened, then… Raaargh!"
Next thing they knew, she was running somewhere. "Yu-Yukizome-san? Where are you going?!"
"WASHING WHAT THIS ROTTEN OLD ORANGE HAS DONE!"
That left the two of them alone, and with one of them not so bothered to have spilled the beans. "Oops, that escaped my lips... Oh well. Let's just hope our poor girl won't tell anyone about this."
"Y-you asked for this one, personally…" Jin said, before sighing heavily.
And of course, Koichi noticed. "Uuum? Something's wrong?"
"Well, you know…" Jin began. "Have you noticed how much we've talked about Naegi this year?"
"Well yeah, dummy." Koichi smiled. "You didn't help, ya know. Giving him that title of mascot of the school… and didn't you planned to make him the 'Ultimate Hope'?"
"Y-yes, I was about to do that…" the Headmaster hesitated, before looking at him seriously. "But then, I thought 'why giving him what he doesn't need?'"
"What he doesn't need?"
"Like attention."
Now Koichi widened his eyes in realization. "Oooooh, so that's what it's about, uh? Ya really care about that kid, don't you?"
"I'm only doing what I think is best for him." Jin simply answered. "With all the other students he has to take care of, and let's mention certain staff members… I think this is already too much for him."
The Scout told him, "Aren't ya a little too worried about this, Jin? I mean, come on! That kid endured one year with those crazy students, and he managed to survive like a pro! What makes you think that it's going to change uh?"
"Exactly this kind of thought, Koichi."
"Uh?" Koichi turned towards his friend… who was now narrowing his eyes.
"What would happen… if things were to change one day?"
AAAAND DONE! HOLY SHIT, more than 300 thousand words for this one! God damn it, I'm glad I won't do a chapter as long as that for a while!
And yeah, the professional student is an OC. Tell me if you like the idea or not.
Now then, before I do the usual thanks to my friends Kimi (you're awesome as always, bro) and also to Doomqwer (same thing, man)... I've gotta tell you something, guys, and it might not please you.
Now let me warn you guys: next time, it will concern the Reserve Course trio, BUT also some of the DR:AE staff. Just to let ya know.
Anyway, see ya next time in two months!
Pupla out.
