A.N: Hello again, everyone! Here's Chapter Two of this story, taking place during the first day of Class 78th at Hope's Peak Academy! Warning for Byakuya being an asshole lol. I hope you like it!

Chapter Two: Beacons of Hope

Byakuya crossed his arms disappointedly. Looking around the room, the Togami heir did not see anyone he could recognize from the elite circles, meaning that his classmates were only a bunch of lowly commoners.

He expected as much but was disappointed nonetheless.

And this is a school for Ultimates…? Pathetic.

The boy stood in one corner of the gym, wanting to see if anyone would come to introduce themselves to him. He admittedly did not care either way, but he was curious. However, before anyone did, something caught his attention.

What the hell am I smelling here…? Byakuya wondered, an uncomfortable smell entering his nostrils. He noticed a purple-haired girl standing not too far away, biting her nails. I know everyone can't be a billionaire, but showers aren't a privilege!

The Ultimate Affluent Progeny tried to stand it for a few minutes, but it became too much to bear at some point. He could have just moved, of course, but this would have meant that a smelling plebian had prompted him to do something he did not want to do.

Evidently, this would not happen.

"Hey, you." He approached the girl with a frustrated look on his face. She looked up and took a step back. "Your smell is going to intoxicate someone. Move away, understood?"

The distressed girl was clearly intimidated by Byakuya's assertive orders. She continued to bite her nails, neither replying nor complying.

"I asked you to move, plebian," he repeated, trying to stand the smell for a short while longer. "Who are you, anyway? The Ultimate Stinking Commoner?"

She finally looked at him in the eyes, although she was still clearly nervous. She pointed at him accusingly and took another couple of steps back.

"A-And w-who are y-you, f-first…?!" Her voice was filled with frustration as she shook with fear. "I-I d-didn't come t-tell you that y-you stink, d-did I…?!"

Whoever she is… she is going to get on my nerves quickly. Byakuya thought, feeling insulted that someone had dared to point their finger at him. "Byakuya Togami. Ultimate Affluent Progeny."

The girl was forced to sigh as the Togami heir's angry blue eyes stared at her.

"T-Toko F-Fukawa… T-The U-Ultimate Writing P-Prodigy…!" she finally answered. "W-Why are you l-looking at me l-like that…?! I-Is it b-because you think I'm u-ugly…?!"

Well, at least she is aware of it. "Indeed. Had it been only the smell, I would have only felt offended. Now that I've seen you, I feel insulted. Go away and don't approach me again." And she's a writer? Writing crap, most likely.

The novelist weakly nodded before walking away, making Byakuya breathe a sigh of relief as the smell went away with her. However, he had to admit he did not understand the strange look of pleasure on the girl's face as he insulted her.

Usually, the commoners he mocked felt humiliated, not content.

Whatever. The boy returned where he was before, deciding to wait a couple more minutes before leaving orientation. Two other girls approached him. Now, who is this bimbo-looking blonde…?

Hina smiled as the Headmaster finished his speech. So far, Hope's Peak Academy seemed like it was a bit of heaven in the world of the living! And looking around, the Ultimate Swimming Pro noticed that her classmates all appeared to be different in their own ways, and she could not wait to meet them all.

Maybe I should go greet some of them…? She wondered, noticing a muscular girl with long white hair not too far away. Woah, she must work out all the time! Alright, I'm definitely greeting her first!

Cheerily, the junior Olympic champion walked over to the girl in question, prompting her to turn in her direction before they bumped into each other.

"Oh, my apologies; I did not see you there," the white-haired said and bowed. "My name is Sakura Ogami. I stand here as the Ultimate Martial Artist. It is an honor to meet you, Miss."

Yeah, that definitely makes sense… And polite, too! Sakura, Sakura, Sakura… She wrote the girl's name in the palm of her hand three times to remember it. I feel we're going to be friends! Hina extended her hand Sakura's way, smiling at her. "My name's Aoi Asahina, but my friends call me Hina! I am the Ultimate Swimming Pro! Glad to meet you, too!"

The two Ultimates shook hands, smiling at one another. Her body type could definitely seem intimidating, but Sakura appeared to be a friendly person! And the swimmer was happy to meet another sporty Ultimate.

"Hina… Alright. I must offer you my thanks for not running away at the sight of me," Sakura said, sighing. "I'm afraid my… muscled body often intimidates and scares people away."

Hina gasped in horror. "N-No, not at all! Geez, people are so mean!" She pouted, puffing her cheeks. "You have an amazing body, Sakura! You must work out a ton! This is impressive, not scary!"

The martial artist chuckled and shook her head. "I appreciate it, Hina. And yes, I do work out a lot at my family's dojo, with the aim of becoming the Strongest Human Alive. This requires hard work and dedication, of course." Hina felt Sakura's eyes all over her body. "However, I must say that you have quite an athletic body as well, Hina. I have no doubt this is the result of hard work, too."

Better not tell her about all the donuts I eat for now, yeah? The Ultimate Swimming Pro thought, sweatdropping. "Well… I practise many sports other than swimming, so I'm fit, yeah. Actually, my biggest worry is to become fat, so I try to keep my body just the way it is, you see?"

"Yes, I do," Sakura answered. The two girls smiled at each other again. "Actually, would you mind if we worked out together from time to time? With the facilities offered by Hope's Peak Academy, I believe it would be a waste not to have a training partner."

"Sure, I'd love that!" Hina nodded fervently, joyed by the idea. "Working on my own gets a little boring at some point, so I wouldn't mind a partner!" Especially someone so strong! I'm sure she has so many tips that could help me improve even more!

Even though she was a champion acknowledged by all in all fields, Hina always tried to improve even further. Motivation was one of the things the girl never lacked, pumped up at the idea of breaking new records and winning trophies and medals.

"I'm glad. I'll be looking forward to working with you, then, Hina." Sakura looked around the gymnasium, seeing people introduce themselves to others. "I think we should go introduce ourselves to our classmates. I would like to explore the school, and considering how gigantic it is, the earlier I begin, the better, I believe."

"Yeah, you're definitely right!" Indeed, the campus of Hope's Peak Academy was nothing short of a small city. Fully exploring it would take at least hours, maybe even days. "Let's go, then! I think we should go meet the boy with the weird hair and the short girl with the skirt there!"

With enthusiasm, the Ultimate Swimming Pro powerwalked to the other side of the room while Sakura followed her at a more leisurely pace.

I've already made a friend! I couldn't have been off to a better start!

"Hey, doesn't this boy look really lonely over there?" Hina asked, pointing at Byakuya in the corner of the gym. Sakura nodded in agreement. "Let's go introduce ourselves to him, then!"

"Alright. However, you might want to avoid pointing at people, Hina," the martial artist pointed out. "It is quite impolite."

The swimmer scratched the back of her neck embarrassedly. "My bad… I was just surprised to see him all alone like that. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like he noticed me."

The two new friends approached the Togami heir, who did not acknowledge their presence with words. Instead, he just looked at them with contempt.

Who are these two commoners…? And what kind of body frame is that…? Byakuya wondered, looking unimpressed, even if he knew that the average plebian could be intimidated by the white-haired. The other one looks stupid, even by commoner standards… This will be a waste of time.

What's up with this guy…? Won't he talk to us? "Hm… hello there?" Hina tried, cocking her head and waving at the boy. "We came to introduce ourselves."

"I don't care." His response left the Ultimate Swimming Pro stunned. "Byakuya Togami, Ultimate Affluent Progeny. Go away now."

"H-Hey! What's wrong with you?!" What a douche! The blue-eyed girl thought, seeing red. "Why are you so impolite?!"

She felt Sakura's hand on her shoulder. "No need to get angry, Hina. Our classmate Byakuya might just be in a bad mood at the moment."

Byakuya sighed. "I am in a bad mood because I expected this school to be for elite students. Instead, I get lowly plebians as classmates. My disappointment is the only Ultimate thing around here."

This time, the young heir drew a strong reaction out of both Hina and Sakura.

"L-Lowly plebians?!" Who the hell is he?! I'm going to slap him! The Olympic athlete mused, getting more and more frustrated at her arrogant and insensitive classmate. "Haven't you learned manners, Mister Arrogant?!"

For lack of intelligence, this girl likes to talk back. Byakuya could not hide a cocky grin. Those who had talked back to him before had finished on their knees. "Decline your identities and leave me alone. You're not worthy of a chat with a Togami."

"My apologies, Byakuya, but I do not think our attitude has warranted this discourtesy," Sakura noted, her voice reasoned. "Still, I think it is better if we introduced ourselves, you're right. My name is Sakura Ogami, and I am the Ultimate Martial Artist."

She gave a slight bow, making Hina's eyes widen in disbelief. If this prick thinks I'm going to bow to him, he can think again! "Aoi Asahina, Ultimate Swimming Pro." The swimmer added, crossing her arms with her friendly mood ruined. "I wondered if there'd be any douchebags among my classmates, and I've just found one!"

If you knew how little your opinion matters to me, girl… The Ultimate Affluent Progeny thought, not even caring about Hina at this point. "If you're done, I'd appreciate that you left me alone. I don't remember asking for any company."

"Gladly!" the Ultimate Swimming Pro exclaimed, chuckling ironically. "I've got better things to do than to waste my time with an overconfident, self-righteous jerk!"

Unhappy, Hina stomped away, not bothering with hiding her frustration. How someone could be so rude with people they had just met, she did not know. However, it angered her, almost pissed her off.

Let's hope he's the only one like that! I wouldn't be able to stand two like him!

"Very well. Sorry for the inconvenience." Sakura respectfully bowed again before joining her friend and leaving Byakuya alone.

The Togami heir sighed disappointedly. So far, I haven't met anyone who could ever hope to be part of the elite… To say that the closest I got to that was that blonde bimbo… He noticed a short, brown-haired boy and a blue-looking girl approaching him. It appears I'm not getting any luckier…

"And what might you two commoners want, hm?"

To be continued…

A.N: I hope you enjoyed this second chapter! Please leave a review, and I hope you all have a nice day :)