A.N: Hello again, everyone! Here's the third chapter of this fic, taking place the day after the second chapter. One of my OCs appears in this one, and you can find out more about them in my main story entitled The Academy of Hope, which some of you might have already read. I hope you enjoy it :)

Chapter Three: Homeroom Teacher

Byakuya was upset as he walked in the hallways. He had not planned to waste his precious time visiting his homeroom teacher, but she had hardly left him a choice.

Who does this commoner think she is…? To waste a Togami's time like this… The Ultimate Affluent Progeny clenched his fist. He was supposed to attend an important meeting of entrepreneurs this afternoon, and this impromptu order was going to cause issues.

He reached the classroom and knocked. Whatever the woman wanted to tell him, Byakuya expected it to be worth the trouble his absence would cause. Billions of dollars could be lost, after all. He doubted a high school teacher, Hope's Peak Academy or not, could ever pay that back.

"Come in!" it said from inside, prompting the Togami heir to do as he was told. "Ah, Byakuya. Thank you for coming." She gestured to a chair in front of her desk. "You can sit there or stay up if you want."

Inside the classroom was Yuki Yoshida, Class 78th's homeroom teacher since yesterday. The boy did not have an opinion of her yet, but something clued him that he would after this.

Byakuya opted to stay up, unwilling to sit down in front of anyone. "What you need to tell me better be important." He glared at her, showing her his frustration. "My family is losing money every second I waste here."

Yuki cocked her head, her brown eyes set on the Ultimate's face, not hiding her surprise. It did nothing to impress Byakuya, who wanted her to know how upset he was.

"A commoner like you wouldn't even be able to grasp the concept of having so much money. I would pity you if I cared, but I don't." He crossed his arms and sighed. "Make it short."

The teacher narrowed her eyes on her student before she slowly shook her head. "Alright, then. I'll keep this short, as it seems I'm wasting your time." Yuki's tone turned stricter. "I should thank you for proving the point I was about to make, actually."

The Ultimate Affluent Progeny tapped his foot on the floor, wordlessly showing his impatience.

"Byakuya Togami… you have an attitude problem, and I'm not going to let that continue." Her features hardened, although Byakuya barely cared. She smashed her hands on her desk. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

What the hell is that plebian's problem?! He wondered. "Make your words interesting if you want me to listen. I couldn't care less what a commoner like you thinks of me. You might be a teacher, but do not even entertain the idea that you would stand above me."

"Okay, I'm already so fed up with this!" The young woman exclaimed. She got up from her chair and walked over to the door before slamming it loudly. "You arrogant little brat! I can be kind to my students, but I already can't stand you anymore! I don't care that you're the heir to a prestigious family or that you're going to lose money! I'm your teacher, and no matter how kind I can be, you owe me respect, understood?!"

Byakuya was taken aback. No one had ever stood up to him so much before. To be called a brat… hurt his ego. But for some reason, he did not have the rebuttal he was looking for.

W-Why can't I find something to tell that commoner?! He wondered, gritting his teeth. "Y-You-"

"Shut up! You speak when I allow you to! Understood?!"

He was also surprised by the way the homeroom teacher was addressing him. This seemed out of character for her. And at this rate, the woman would get on his nerves and get in danger. Standing up to the heir of the Togami Empire could end tragically.

"Understood?!"

The boy turned his head to the side. "Y-Yes…" he muttered, although it hurt him more than anything. This was the first time he had given an inch to someone in his life. He felt ashamed. Such a dishonor to my good name…!

"Thank you!" She went back to her desk and sat down. She let out a long sigh that was filled with frustration. "Back to what I was saying… I hate to disappoint you, but your status doesn't mean anything in this school. At least, it doesn't mean anything to me."

A more neutral expression returned to her face, although it was far from the kind and gentle countenance she usually showed.

"I understand that you might be uninterested, but you shouldn't have come to this school, then," Yuki told him, placing her arms on the desk. "In my class, all students are equal, and whether you want it or not, I'm your homeroom teacher, and you must respect me. If you do, I will respect you in turn, but don't expect it to be the other way around."

Is she going to be done soon…? Byakuya wondered, not daring to say that aloud.

"In the same way, I expect you to respect your classmates, whatever your opinion of them might be. I had been told that you are self-centered, and while I cannot do anything about that, something will need to change," she said, pulling out a sheet of paper from a drawer. "Let's see… I've chatted with six of your classmates so far, and five of them named you as the most unfriendly person in this class. What do you have to say about that?"

The Togami heir sighed. He did not know who these five students were, but he would be lying if he said he was surprised. However, that did not mean he cared.

"I don't care. I know my worth, and I know theirs. My classmates range from stupid to barely intelligent, but they share the disdain I have for them," the boy said, making the teacher roll her eyes. "I joined this school hoping to meet the elite. I was met by a bunch of plebians calling themselves Ultimates."

"I see, then. Well, I'll have you turn around, whether you want it or not," Yuki assured him with her assertive voice. "You're free to go, Byakuya. Tell your billionaire friends that your commoner of a homeroom teacher is sorry, will you?"

The irony in her voice did not go unnoticed by the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, although he was hardly going to amuse her. He walked over to the door and opened it.

"Goodbye," he simply said in a flat voice, walking through the door and into the hallway.

Byakuya hoped that the entrepreneurs would not defy him. For their sake. He was not in the mood to be bothered anymore. He sped up in the hallway, trying to reach his dorm room as quickly as possible.

"Oh, Byakuya. Good afternoon." The boy looked to his left as he walked and noticed Hina standing there. "What are you-"

He paid no mind to the swimmer, descending the stairs with the hopes that the time he had wasted had not cost him too much money.

The Ultimate Swimming Pro stared with disbelief as Byakuya walked past her without saying a word. She had been kind enough to even greet him after their first meeting the day before, but she regretted it.

"What a prick," she said aloud, shaking her head. I can't wait for the day he's served his slice of humble pie!

Putting the Ultimate Affluent Progeny out of her thoughts, the girl walked over to the door and knocked. She smiled as she picked up on the sound of somebody whistling.

"Yes, come in!" Hina heard and walked inside, noticing Yuki typing on her phone. She set it on her desk and smiled at the young athlete. "Good afternoon, Hina. It's good to see you."

The swimmer bowed respectfully. "Good afternoon, Ms. Yoshida. I hope I'm not late."

"No, you're not," the teacher assured her. "I just finished with your previous classmate, actually." She noticed her sighing. "Thank God for that."

Hina laughed. It was not difficult for her to put the pieces together. "Byakuya, right?" Yuki nodded. "He walked right past me in the hallway and didn't even greet me back." The Ultimate rolled her eyes. "Not that I expected a prick like him to, honestly."

"I'd… like not to agree with you, believe me." Yuki sighed again. "But please, go sit." Hina nodded and did as she was told. "So, how did that video game competition go? Good attendance, I hope?"

The homeroom teacher had asked the Ultimate Swimming Pro and the Ultimate Fashionista to organize a video game competition earlier that afternoon so that the students could start bonding closer. Ten of them had attended, which was more than half the class.

"Yeah, we were ten! Me, Sakura, Makoto, Mondo, Taka, Leon, Sayaka, Hifumi, Chihiro, and of course Junko," she replied. Who would have thought I'd remember a list of ten people…? I'm impressing myself… She rolled her eyes at the thought. "It was fun, even if I absolutely sucked!"

The young woman chuckled. "Well, that's kinda out of your field, is it not?"

"Totally. Chihiro and Makoto were much better, for example." Now, the girl would be damned if she did not try to improve. She had had fun, but that did not mean she was not disappointed about her losses. Her competitive side begged for her to improve and get her revenge someday.

"Well, I'm not surprised. Although the results of your competition hardly matter to me. My job is to make you all bond closer, so as long as this worked, that's a success," Yuki explained, although a frown quickly appeared on her expression. "Still, that's not a total success, either… The names you listed do not surprise me. I just wish others had gone."

The remaining students were Kyoko, Mukuro, Celeste, Toko, Hiro, and Byakuya. Listing them in her head made Hina understand where her teacher was going with this.

"I have no doubt that the ten of you will have no problem bonding, and quickly, at that," she added, taking out a sheet of paper and writing down the missing names. "For the other six, I'm not too worried for Celeste or Hiro, but the other four are another story. That is why I'm gonna need people like you to spend time with them so they can warm up to you."

"A-Ah, um… I-I don't mind." Well, it depended. Kyoko seemed nice when you got over her cold persona. Mukuro was reserved, but they could bond over their shared athleticism. Toko… was someone Hina figured had issues with socializing, and she would not mind helping her.

However, she had no intention of growing closer to the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. He was not reserved or asocial: he was just arrogant, and Hina already could not stand it anymore.

"No way I'm bonding with Byakuya!" Hina exclaimed. "I can do many things, but not that!"

The teacher sighed. "I expected you to say that… Still, do you really not think you could try, just a little bit? I know someone like Makoto will continue to try until he can make him change, but I doubt he'll be able to it alone."

The swimmer crossed her arms. "I know that, but… I have no guarantees that he'll improve, so I don't wanna waste my time with a prick like him when I could be spending time with my close friends, like Sakura." Seeing her teacher's disappointed expression, Hina felt guilty. "I-It's not against you, Ms. Yoshida…! I-It's just…!"

"It's alright, I understand," Yuki assured her, her voice calm. "There's a chance I would have said the same thing if I were in your shoes, so I don't blame you. The thing is," she paused. "I can't entirely blame Byakuya for who he is, either. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and got used to it. To be associated with people from different social classes is new to him. He needs time to adapt to these new living conditions."

But that doesn't mean he has to be arrogant and detestable about it… Hina thought, not convinced. What he really needs is a reality check!

"Well, you don't seem so excited by the idea," the teacher stated, noticing the swimmer's doubtful face. "Forget it for now, okay? I'll come up with something to make him bond with the rest of you." She scratched her head embarrassedly. "I dunno how I'm going to do that, but I'll find a way."

Good luck with that… The girl deadpanned. Her teacher stood up from her chair, prompting Hina to do the same.

"Well, you're free to go, Hina. Thank you for coming." Yuki smiled at her student. "I hope you have a good afternoon."

"Thanks, Ms. Yoshida!" The swimmer bowed again. "I'll see you soon!"

The homeroom teacher shook her head amusingly at her student's enthusiasm. Hina walked through the door and headed back to the dorm with a new smile, happy that her teacher could agree with her, at least on some points.

She would accept to bond with the Ultimate Affluent Progeny on the day he would stop being a prick, and that was final!

To be continued…

A.N: If there are any Byakuya haters here (who knows?) you must be very happy with this chapter. I don't hate Byakuya at all, but I'd understand if some of you told me that it's pretty satisfying to see him being served his slice of humble pie from someone who doesn't give a damn who he is. Well, I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave a review, and I hope you have a nice day!