This chapter was revised, improved, and added on to give more context.
I was crazy to even do this considering I didn't even really know who this girl was. Well, I did by name, but not really knowing her. And yet, I would make a choice that would alter not only people's lives, but also his life as well.
I ended up enduring the slap for her and I almost fell back before he hung on to a desk. A big red mark appeared on my face and I held it for a little while. It took me a little while to gather my thoughts and think about what just happened.
(Heh, so this is how it feels to get slapped by a girl. Kind of charming, I won't lie.)
Everyone looked at me like I was some crazy psychopath. Even Natsumi was surprised someone actually came to her defense. Well, as much as I shouldn't have, I still felt like she deserved a second chance. I had looked and Sato and wanted to reassure her that it was okay.
"Sato... are you done? Is your anger gone?" Mahiru ran into the room later to see if anything bad had happened. She saw Sato, Natsumi, and I in the circle, me with a mark on my face. She had ran to Sato quickly and had held her arm, implying that she wanted them to leave quickly before things got worse. Well, not like it would help.
"I'm fine... But... Riki..." She couldn't help but grin slightly.
"You might be the most interesting person I've ever met. Hmph, I'm out of here." Sato left the classroom furious, with Mahiru tagging behind her. She was definitely still mad.
Natsumi was still surprised at what happened. But before she could say anything, a random teacher came in the classroom to settle things down.
"Alright, everyone settle down! Natsumi and Riki, you are coming to the headmaster's office with me! Everyone else, sit down!"
Everyone did as he said and Natsumi and I followed the teacher to the headmaster's office. Hajime was worried about what would happen to us, but most likely, it's probably a tiny detention and we'll be free to go.
...
...
Hope's Peak Academy
1:15 P.M.
Headmaster's Office
I was waiting outside along with Natsumi. Now that I think about it, it was quite a crazy scene. I touched the place where I was slapped. It still stung, but it was worth it to make sure nothing escalated. Natsumi and I didn't say a word as we walked to the office. She was looking at me with eyes that were saying, "Why did you do that?". Why I did that, I still don't know, but at least your okay. Physically, at least.
So here we are, in the Main Course building. I will admit, I'm a bit disappointed. I thought there were gonna be some major changes. Well, not there isn't. I saw some places that people go to during their free time. Looks like rooms that are tailored to people's talents. But other than that, the building looks the exact same than the Reserve Course building. And this is where Hajime wants to be? Maybe I'm being a bit pessimistic. I have only been here for hours after all.
"...hey"
I must have zoned out again because Natsumi finally spoke to me, making sure I heard her.
"Hey! Why did you step in like that?" Natsumi demanded an answer.
"Is that the question you really should be asking me right now? I think the proper question is, why did YOU do that?" I brought the question back at her.
"Huh? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?! I can get my brother to take you out!" W-Whoa, let's calm down here!
"T-that won't be necessary. All I'm saying is you really didn't have any reason to rile her up like that. She's just a regular student like all of us. I can only assume that you and her have some drama. This is about Mahiru, right?"
"H-hey, how did you kn-"
"Sato told me everything about you. How you and her had the same class, how your the sister of the Ultimate Yakuza and all that. Natsumi Kuzuryu, is it?"
NATSUMI KUZURYU
Age: 16
Height: 5"3
Weight: 99 lbs
Likes: Her brother
Dislikes: Milk
Birthday: March 27
"Yeah, don't get it wrong either!"
I see she gets riled up easily. Well, I won't pry. Yet.
Sato ends up getting here about a few minutes later, and we all stepped into the Headmaster's Office.
When we all get in there, there stood the headmaster of the whole school, Jin Kirigiri. This guy looks a bit intimidating but it seems like he cares about the school. That's good.
"Hello. I am Jin Kirigiri, the headmaster of this academy. Sato and Natsumi, this is your third time coming here, so I'm not surprised. But may I ask you your name, sir?"
I introduced myself.
"I am Riki Aiuchi. I transferred to the Reserve Course today."
"Ah, so you are the new kid. Unfortunate we had to meet like this, but that's okay. Now will someone explain what happened?"
Seems like both Natsumi and Sato didn't want to say anything, so I spoke up in their place. I explained everything.
"Well sir, Hajime, Sato, and I were heading back to our classroom after lunch when all of a sudden, Natsumi had started to rile her up, making her very upset. I can only assume that Sato probably did something to make her feel this way. After that, they kept trash talking each other, until Sato had raised her hand to slap her. I got in the way and took the slap for her. After that, a teacher had called us here. That's all sir." I mangaed to keep it simple, but also to make sure that we were all to blame. Well, I didn't really do anything wrong but I still felt it was necessary. After a while, the headmaster finally grinned and spoke up.
"Thank you Riki. At least someone had the courage to tell me. Well, the way I see it, both of you should be thanking Riki, otherwise I'd suspend you two for what you did. You all are free to go."
All of us bowed and left, but Jin called out to me.
"Riki, can you stay for a bit longer? I'll let your teacher know you are here."
"Oh, ok." Well I'm not complaining. No class? Perfect.
Natsumi and Sato were angry but complied and left. Surprisingly, they didn't try to chew each others head off after that.
"So Riki, let's take a tour of the building for a bit."
And I would end up following him into the Main Course, for some reasons unknown. Why is he doing this knowing I'm a Reserve Course student?
Maybe he sees something special in me?
Hope's Peak Academy
3:15 P.M.
Reserve Course Building, Classroom 2-D
Hajime's POV
I wondered why Riki was taking so long. Did he really get in trouble for what he did? I mean, Sato and Natsumi are the main problem here. I just don't get it. Class is already over and yet he's still there. Maybe I should wait for him...
"Still staring at the Main Course building?"
I turned around to see Natsumi talking to me.
"What do you want now?"
"Don't talk to me like that! You just keep staring at that building like you have a chance to get in!"
"I just... I really admire this academy ok? Of course, talent means everything to me."
"Ha! Too bad. I already have my talent. The Ultimate Little Sister!"
...
...
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey, what's so funny?"
"Haha, really? The Ultimate Little Sister? That isn't really a talent!"
"Whatever. I'm just wondering what's taking Riki so long."
"Do you know what happened to him?"
"Hmph! The headmaster wanted him to stay for some reason."
"Really? Hmm... I'll go look for him."
"Ha, your just gonna leave a pretty girl behind like this? I'm following you!"
"A-alright, calm down "sister"."
We both ended up waiting at the fountain for him. It's the halfway point to both buildings. As I walked there, I wondered why Natsumi was so curious about following me. And where was Sato? I haven't seen her since the incident after lunch. I hope she is okay. Maybe Mahiru already had talked to her, letting her know about the consequences.
Hope's Peak Academy
4:00 P.M.
Fountain of Hope's Peak Academy
Riki's POV
I stepped out of the Main Course building, not before getting a scolding from some boxer guy. Geez, guy must have no chill or something. Who smacked him today?
Jin told me quite a lot; I'm still processing it all. Why would he tell a reserve course student all of that information? Guess he sees potential in me or something. Either that or he knows i have celebrity parents. Hopefully it's the former.
As I was walking to the fountain, someone accidentally ran into me. Well, more accurately, someone hit my back and didn't move from the spot.
When I turned around to see who it was, it was someone that was playing a video game. Quite an old one too. Seems like she is a Main Course student. When she finally won in the game, she looked up at me and smiled.
"...hello."
"U-um, h-hey."
I couldn't help but blush. She looked so beautiful in the sunset. Her curly hair, her cool eyes. N-no! Stop! Don't get flustered. Just think of something else. I looked at the game she was playing.
"Is that Gala Omega?"
I must have said something right because she got even closer to me very excitedly.
"Oh my gosh! You know Gala Omega? You agree it's one of the greatest games ever?"
"U-um, yeah. It's a really cool game. Have you ever played Ace Attorney though?"
"Yes! I love the part where he always says Objection! That does it! You are going to show me your collection of games one day. Promise?"
"Uhm... Promise."
All of a sudden, we were just talking about video games like it was nothing. We walked to the fountain, where surprisingly, Hajime and Natsumi were waiting for me.
"Hey Riki. Ah... I see you met Nanami-senpai." Hajime must already know her.
"Oh... sorry I didn't introduce myself back there. I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer."
CHIAKI NANAMI
Talent: Ultimate Gamer
Age: 17
Height: 5"2
Weight: 101
Likes: Games
Dislikes: Alarm Clocks
Birthday: March 14
"The pleasure is mine, Nanami-senpai." I made sure to give her the proper respect.
"Aww, you don't have to do that. Just call me Chiaki." She puffed at me for some reason.
"O-okay C-C-Chiaki." That's gonna take some getting used to.
"Are you okay Riki?" Hajime was genuinely worried. Ah, I just realized he called me by my first name. I should do the same.
"Yeah, I'm fine Hajime. Just, the headmaster told me a lot. For some reason."
"Hmph, lucky! You didn't even have to come to class!" Natsumi was a bit upset, but I knew she was joking.
We were all talking to each other for a little while when all of a sudden, two people had came up to us. Whoa, I didn't even see them! Where did they come from?
"Sis, you okay? I keep telling you to not get in trouble! Your lucky you got bailed out again!"
"Fuyu, I'm not twelve okay? I can take care of myself! You need to worry about your girl toy over there!"
"Hey! She is not a girl toy!"
I'm gonna assume this is her brother, the Ultimate Yakuza. He's way shorter than I thought. Hell, she's taller than her own brother! And who is the one with the gray hair and red eyes? She looks very intimidating... Also, he has a babyface. He'd probably really kill me if I said that out loud though.
"Whatever Natsumi. Who are these two people? Do you know them?"
"Hmph, this is Hajime. And this is Riki, the one who had... helped me." She seemed embarrassed to admit that. Guess her pride didn't want to break there. I kinda wish she didn't say that because now this guy was glaring at me.
"Hey, I know you kid. You were the one the headmaster was taking around the school for some reason. Any reason for that?" He really demanded an answer.
"Sorry, the headmaster told me not to tell." That was a lie, I didn't want them to know yet.
"Hmph... well as long as you aren't making a move on my sister, it's alright. Appreciate ya for helping her out. She can be a bully sometimes." That got a "hey" from Natsumi. "I'm Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza. This is Peko Pekoyama, my childhood friend and the Ultimate Swordswoman."
FUYUHIKO KUZURYU
Talent: Ultimate Yakuza
Age: 17
Height: 5"1
Weight: 94
Likes: Fried dough cookies
Dislikes: Milk
Birthday: August 16
PEKO PEKOYAMA
Talent: Ultimate Swordswoman
Age: 17
Height: 5"6
Weight: 112
Likes: the color black
Dislikes: Candy
Birthday: June 30
These two are scary! Just shake their hand, Riki!
"N-nice to meet you both." I gave them a firm grip to assure I wasn't scared.
"Ha! Nice handshake buddy. I oughta give you an award for that." Fuyuhiko was praising me?
"Nice to meet you. Thank you for protecting Natsumi.",said Peko.
"Don't worry Riki. They are both really harmless." Chiaki seemed to reassure me. Well, if she says they are fine, its okay.
"Well, cool. C'mon Peko, Natsumi. Let's go home."
The three of them walked off, leaving me, Hajime, and Chiaki.
"You have some... interesting classmates Chiaki." Hajime said as he was blushing. Seems like him and her are really close. I should give him a little push.
"Well, I have somewhere to be. Bye Hajime! Bye Chiaki!"
"Wait Riki!" Chiaki stopped me. Did I forget something?
"Y-yes Chiaki?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Um, Chiaki?"
"...come here to the fountain every day after school with me and Hajime okay?" Well, that wasn't what I thought she was gonna say.
"Uhm, o-ok. B-bye!" Man, she really knows how to make a guy blush! And she doesn't even try! She's always staring off into space.
I walk home, leaving Hajime and Chiaki there.
Hope's Peak Academy
5:00 P.M.
Fountain of Hope's Peak Academy
Hajime's POV
After Riki left, it was just me and Chiaki playing video games. Gala Omega to be exact. Once again, she ended up beating me again. No wonder she is the Ultimate Gamer.
"Wow Chiaki. You are really the Ultimate Gamer! Amazing..."
"It isn't that impressive."
"I do wish I had a talent like you. Then I could finally be considered as your friend, y'know?"
Some silence passed by. Did I say something wrong? I was only expressing my honest feelings. Maybe I was right. I don't deserve to be her fr-
"Talent isn't everything Hajime."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Talent is all good, but at the end of the day, what really matters is how confident you are. No matter how much talent you have, if you aren't confident, then it doesn't matter. You won't love yourself. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous of you Hajime."
"Y-you are?"
"Yes. You may be a Reserve Course student, but that means you can be anything you want without being restricted. I will always be the Ultimate Gamer, but that's all I'll ever be in my life."
...
...
"I-I guess I didn't think of it like that."
"Hey! Chiaki!"
All of a sudden, someone had walked up to us. She had on an apron. Is she a teacher or a cook?
"There you are Chiaki! You need to head home. C'mon."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Okay Ms. Yukizome." Chiaki seemed to reply very quickly. Maybe she knows her.
"Oh, hey there! Hajime, right?"
"Uh, yeah. How do you know me?"
"You are one of the well-known Reserve Course students, you know? You and the new kid."
"A-ah.. I see. W-wait, how do you know Riki though?"
"It's a secret!" She had put her finger on her lip to indicate she was shushing me. Well, guess I won't get that answer for a while.
She picked up Chiaki and they both headed out the gate.
"Bye!"
Chiaki ended up waving back at me. I waved back and I headed home as well. Should I tell Riki about me in the Kamukura project? Maybe it would be nice to get his insight on it. I'll wait on a good time to tell him about it. In the meantime, I guess I should just live life like Chiaki said, right?
Riki's House
7:00 P.M.
Living Room
I can't believe I had to head home by the train because the road was being fixed. Utterly ridiculous. Well, at least I'm home. Also, the neighbors are really kind to us. A bit too kind, I'll say. While me and my sisters were preparing dinner(our parents rarely have time to see us, so I have to take care of them.), a knock on the door stopped us.
"I'll get it. Keep making dinner."
I walked up to the door to see a person with a box of donuts in their hand.
"Hey! Glad to see you moved in!"
"Thank you. Glad to be here in this peaceful neighborhood." I couldn't help but notice he was around the same age as me. I asked out of curiosity.
"Are you in Hope's Peak Academy?"
"Oh, yes I am! I am Makoto Naegi, the U-ultimate Lucky Student... yeah. It isn't good is it?"
Ahh, so this is the Ultimate Lucky Student they were talking about. Seems this isn't the only one either, as Chiaki mentioned earlier.
MAKOTO NAEGI
Talent: Ultimate Lucky Student
Age: 16
Height: 5"3
Weight: 115
Likes: Curry
Dislikes: Dried mackerel
Birthday: February 5
"Hey, I wouldn't necessarily say that. You should feel happy you got here, even if it is by luck."
"R-really?" Wow, this guy really has no confidence in himself. Let's give him some to encourage him.
"Yeah! I know you are a good person. I have a feeling you might make more of an impact than you think. Just hang in there, ok? Also, I go to Hope's Peak Academy, as a Reserve Course student. Let's be friends."
"R-really? O-ok! Thank you... sorry what's your name?"
"Riki Aiuchi. Just call me Riki."
"Ok Riki! I will try to be more positive! See you tomorrow!"
"See ya." We shook hands and left. How thoughtful of him to get us a box of donuts even though he didn't have to.
After that exchange, I continued to make dinner with my sisters and we ate and talked before bedtime.
As I tried to sleep, the words Jin said came to me again.
Hope's Peak Academy
3:25 P.M.
Main Course Building
A few hours ago...
"So Riki, you are probably wondering why I called you here."
"Yep, so what is going on?"
"I'll get straight to the point. We need someone to spy on the Reserve Course. I fear something crazy is going on there. Specifically with Hajime Hinata."
Hajime is involved somehow? What should I say next?
"What about Hajime?"
"He is the candidate they chose for the Izuru Kamukura Project."
What is this project? I recognize that name though. That's the founder of Hope's Peak. Jin would then explain to me the entire project and after he got done, I was shocked. Why would Hajime agree to this? I couldn't find a reason. I decided to ask him about it later.
"Okay, but what do you want me to do? I'm just a Reserve Course student."
"Simple, find anything suspicious. Anything you find that you think might be a clue, take it to my daughter. She will know what to do. We won't start until a few days though, so make yourself at home here at Hope's Peak." He has a daughter?
"What, is your daughter a detective or something?"
"Actually, yes. She is the Ultimate Detective." Of course she is. I should have seen that coming though. If she is like the other girls I have seen, I don't know how I can handle it. Stop, Riki! You can't think like that.
Not after what happened last time...
"Okay, you can rely on me sir. I will help you out with this plan."
"Thank you Riki. Oh, one more thing."
"Yes, sir?"
"I noticed how much you get along with a few people in our Main Course building. Seems like your well-liked on your first day."
"I guess. I'm just being my honest self, sir."
"Keep being that way, young man. You might surprise yourself one day."
He finally let me go after a little while and I know I should tell them; he never said I couldn't. But what happens if Hajime actually goes through with this? Will I even see him again? I should wait until we are alone.
...
...
"Hmph, who is that guy?"
"I don't know, but he doesn't seem that much of a threat."
"Yeah, whatever. Apparently, he's in the same class as my sister. We'll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't try anything funny."
"Noted, master."
"Argh, I told you that you don't have to address me as that anymore. Just Fuyuhiko."
"Okay, Fuyuhiko."
Hope's Peak Academy
4:05 P.M.
Fountain
A week later...
Alright, I think that it is time for me to confront Hajime about this project. I had told him to come meet me after classes so that we could be alone. I didn't want anyone else creeping in on our conversation.
When he got there, he looked oblivious as ever. Heh, funny guy.
"Hey Riki. So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
"I'll get straight to the point then. Is it true that you are a candidate for the Izuru Kamukura Project?"
He looked shocked as ever. There were so many questions swirling through his mind I thought. I couldn't blame him.
"H-How do you know about that?"
"The headmaster had pretty much confirmed to me that he had said you were chosen for the project. Obviously, he said you haven't made a decision yet but that you were leaning towards it. Just be honest with me. I won't be mad."
...
...
"So, you had lied to Fuyuhiko and Peko when you said that it was a secret."
"Well, yeah, but it was more of a white lie than anything. I didn't want to say it without hearing from the source, which was you."
"Well, I thank you for doing that. It would have definitely been a scare for me. It's true. I was the candidate chosen for the project."
Well, he confirmed it. Now the next question already came to me.
"But why though? What made you want to do this project, especially knowing that it could potentially change your entire life? That's dangerous man!"
"I-I know that. But I-I really want to impress Chiaki."
"Impress Chiaki? How does this do that though?"
"By getting a talent, I can prove that I'm getting better towards her and I can finally be something meaningful to her. I just want to be with her no matter the circumstances!"
I fight the urge to slap him. As much as I want to, I'm a pacifist, not a fighter. It would go against my morals. And I don't want to be like an emotional punching bag on him anyways. I have my respects.
"Dude, that's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard!"
"Huh?"
"Look, if you are thinking it like that, then she definitely won't be with you! She'd rather have the present Hajime! You! The one that has shown her kindness, compassion, friendship, so much more. If you throw it all away just for some talent, then she definitely won't feel the same anymore. Look man, at the end of the day, it's your call, but don't give away your entire life. You can still be yourself and be with Chiaki."
...
...
"Your words definitely has me thinking more now. I'll think about it more man. If what you say is true, then maybe I won't go through with it."
"That's fine with me. Just think on it more. Alright, now that the serious stuff is out the way, let's have some f-"
"Oh hey, Riki!" Mr. Bushida had called out to me.
"What is it sir?"
"Oh did you forget? It's your turn to clean the science lab."
Are you serious? Argh... fine. Let's get this over with.
Hope's Peak Academy
4:55 P.M.
Science Lab
A week has passed since I first got here. My time here has been really nice. I got to meet some cool people: Hajime, Sato, Natsumi, Mahiru, Chiaki, Fuyuhiko, Peko, and Makoto! And they are some cool friends. I definitely made the right choice transferring here. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay. Hajime still plans on going through with the project. When am I going to start searching for clues? I was supposed to meet Jin's daughter today, but she hasn't showed up yet. I had to stay back to clean the science lab since it was my job. Stupid class responsibilities.
All of a sudden I heard something break, like a window or something. It wasn't in the lab, so it must have came from somewhere else. I walked out and heard where it was coming from. It came from the music room! I ran there and I saw a sight I wish I didn't see.
...
...
Sato was about to murder an unconscious Natsumi.
W-Wait, why is she doing this? I t-thought that was i-it! Why is she d-doing this?! I have to stop her!
I immediately ran in front of Sato to stop her from going any further.
"Riki... get the fuck out of the way..." Sato was really pissed off. Natsumi, what the hell did you do this time?! I stood my ground, no matter what happened!
"No! I won't! You're trying to kill someone I care about!" Why did I say that? It isn't like Natsumi is a true friend... I guess she must have came around to me, even if her personality is a little crappy.
"What?! Riki, you've only known her for a week and she's been nothing but rude to you! How can you say that?!"
"I don't know! But what I do know is that you will be making a major mistake if you go through with this! Think about your future! Everyone's future is on the line here if you do this!" I was trying to do anything to convince her to stop! But it seems that it didn't work...
"Please, Riki, get out of the way. I don't want to do this to you!"
"No! I refuse!"
"T-then you leave me no choice."
She swung the bat at me and I deflected using my right arm. I felt so many bones crack. That hurts!
"Agh! Sato, p-please stop this!"
No matter what though, I kept staying there taking the hits. I felt myself about to lose consciousness. After a while, I had gave up, my right arm and ribs broken badly.
"It d-didn't have to be like this R-Riki. But I have to! To save Mahiru!"
"Sato! What are you doing?! Please stop!"
Mahiru came in to save the day! Not only her, but three others as well. Oh thank you Mahiru!
"M-Mahiru!" All of a sudden, she cried loudly. Mahiru hugged her to let her know it was okay. She didn't have to do this anymore. She then dropped the bat.
All of the other girls surrounded me and Natsumi.
"T-they are both still breathing. They are okay! Although, he has taken a lot of hits. It's amazing he is still alive." One of the other girls says.
"We know that you skank!" Wow, she is really rude.
"Let's get them out of here!" And one of them are really positive and excited, for some reason.
I mustered up enough strength to say something.
"...are y-you okay?"
All of them seem surprised considering they were perfectly fine and I was the one hurt. After that, I don't remember what happened. I ended up blacking out due to the amount of hits I took, but not before I heard a slight click. I really was used as a baseball target. Now that I think about it...
...
...
Was that the right choice, Riki?
Seems like Riki saved Natsumi, although it came with a major consequence. What will happen now that he altered a major choice that can change reality as we know it? Will this prove to be the right choice later on down the line? What pushed Sato to do such a thing? And will Hajime go through with the Izuru Kamukura project? Find out in the next chapter!
(Fun fact: This chapter was added on, revised and improved to give more context.)