This chapter was revised, improved, and added on to give some more context.
"Riki, you've only been here a week, yet you already are impressing others around you, believe it or not. Just think to yourself, a Reserve Course student making more happen. A lot has happened since your saving of Natsumi. You are definitely going to be in for a ride. Just remember, no matter what you do Riki, you are making a choice of your own accords, and each choice has a consequence, whether it be good or bad. Be very careful of what you do after this. It's time for you to wake up. See those that you really care about. But most importantly, think about yourself every once in a while. There may come a time when you have to take charge and get out of your comfort zone. See you soon, Riki. I'll be waiting."
Hope's Peak Academy
12:15 P.M.
Main Course Building, Nurse's Room
A day later...
Natsumi's POV
It's been a day, and he hasn't woken up yet. Riki is still in those bandages... W-what if he won't make it? Idiot! I haven't even got to thank you or even punish you yet!
Here I am, waiting with Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki, and Mikan(seriously, what kind of names are those?), seeing if he will wake up.
"I-I'm sorry. H-he hasn't woken up yet. I-I'm gonna keep working on him though!" Geez, Mikan is such a fucking pushover. Literally a leaf hurts her more than herself.
"Okay, we'll check again in a few hours. Thanks Mikan!" Mahiru is as chipper as ever, I see... Hmph...
"Yeah, see ya skank!" Mikan cowered at those words.
"Hiyoko! She didn't mean that."
"Ibuki is going to her room now. Bye!"
Before Mahiru leaves, I pull her to the side.
"Hey... can we talk?"
"...and why should I do that? After what you said to Sato..."
"Yes, I know what I said was wrong. Which is why I want to talk to you."
"...fine. Follow me."
I follow her into the rooftop. Wow... It is really beautiful up here.
"Look Natsumi. What is going on between you and Sato? You are lucky Riki defended you. Not once, but twice. Explain yourself!"
Argh... do I really have to admit this? My pride and my integrity is gonna be broken forever!
...
...
"...I-I... was... jealous."
"What? Speak up!"
"I was jealous of you, ok?!"
Silence ensued between us. We didn't speak for a while. I broke the silence again.
"It's just that... you were always the most popular with everyone. I'm also upset you have a talent here and I don't! And even worse, you stole my best friend from me! I had feelings for him, yet he went to you like nothing happened! Do you know how fucking upset I was? To not only lose my best friend, but even to you! I didn't mean to take it out on you. I was just... really upset. I'm not using it as an excuse, but more to give my side of the story so it doesn't seem out of place."
...
...
"S-Say something, p-please."
"Wow, Natsumi saying please. That's a first. Maybe I should do this more often."
"Y-Your teasing me!"
"Heehee, had to. All jokes aside, ...I didn't know that. I just assumed he was another guy and I didn't have feelings for him romantically. Honestly, I don't really have a fondness for boys right now. They just seem to want to take advantage of me. But it seems I had invalidated your feelings. I'm sorry about that. You still could have told me though; we could have resolved this earlier you know!"
"I know that, and I'm sorry I didn't come forward. Really, I'm sorry for everything that has happened. I... I want to try to change. Starting with you and Sato."
Once again, silence happened upon us. Mahiru then stepped up to me and hugged me.
"About time. You know, I felt like me and you actually had a lot in common back then. It's just ironic how it happened." I hugged her back for a little while before we pulled away.
"Yeah, definitely. Where is Sato by the way?"
"She got a very lengthy suspension from school. She probably won't be back for a while."
"I'm surprised she didn't get expelled. No offense."
"None taken. Your savior, Riki, probably saved both of you again."
"H-hey! He... he has saved me numerous times hasn't he?" I started to blush at the thought.
"Maybe you should make a move. Because if you don't, I'll definitely do it before you." Mahiru was clearly teasing me, which made me blush even more.
"S-stop teasing me!"
"Haha, sorry. Hopefully, I'll see you again. Bye Natsumi." She waves at me.
"Bye."
Well, that is one problem solved. Haha, I actually feel much better because of it. I think I should take some anger management classes after this.
Hope's Peak Academy
3:15 P.M.
Reserve Course Building, Music Room
Hajime's POV
So, this is where the scene happened. Crazy to believe how much can really happen over the span of a week. What started out as a simple argument turned out to be something even more than that. Riki, you definitely should not be underestimated. I wonder how bad it would be if someone got on his bad side. Well, seems like it takes a lot for him to get angry anyways.
I was cleaning the music room for the day since it was my responsibility. I only had tomorrow to think about the project. Am I really going to go through with this? I would like to have a talent to impress Chiaki, but her words still linger on in my mind.
("Talent isn't everything, Hajime. You aren't restricted by anything, so you can be whatever you want to be. I'm actually jealous of you. I'll always be the Ultimate Gamer, but that's all I'll ever be in life.")
Then Riki's words came to me as well.
("If you throw it all away just for some talent, then she definitely won't feel the same anymore. You can be yourself and still be with Chiaki.")
Do they really think that about me? Should I start listening to them more? I mean, besides being fond of her and Riki being my best man. Heh, it's like I look up to them a lot. Well, tomorrow would be the last time I see them both as well. Do I really want to throw that all away just for a talent?
As I was thinking, the door opened, and there stood Mr. Bushida.
"Hey Hajime. How are you today?"
"I've been better, to be honest sir."
"Ah.. the project still lingering on your mind."
"Yeah... it definitely isn't an easy decision. I've been thinking a lot about it."
"Hmm... I see. Well, do you want my honest opinion?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"The way I see it Hajime, talent is definitely something that people master. But, who is to say talentless people can't master something as well as the talented, heck possibly even better? For example, the Ultimate Lucky Student is just really lucky. But whose is to say you aren't lucky? Not to say luck is a talent, because it isn't, but you see what I'm saying? The point is, you shouldn't have to throw your life away just to find a purpose in life, when you can already do that being just the person that you are."
...
...
"W-wow... I don't think anyone could have phrased that any better sir. That definitely changes things for me."
"Glad I could help to some extent. Remember, the choice is up to you no matter what. Make sure it is of your own accord."
"Definitely. Thanks, Mr. Bushida."
"No problem! You can head out. I'll take care of the music room."
I did as he said and went to the fountain. Chiaki is waiting for me.
Hope's Peak Academy
4:00 P.M.
Main Course Building, Nurse's Room
Riki's POV
Ugh... Where am I? Am I in the hospital? Please don't tell me I died. I am too young to live!
I took a good look at where I'm at. Seems like I'm in the Main Course Building. What happened? Oh, yeah the memories are coming back.
Sato had made Natsumi unconscious. Most likely by choking her. She then tried to end her life with a baseball bat. That's when I came in after I heard something breaking. I stepped in her way and then proceeded to get pummeled by the baseball bat. It broke my right arm and my ribs are definitely hurt. Other than that though, I seem to be perfectly alive. Damn Natsumi and Sato, remind me to never get on your bad sides.
As I'm thinking to myself, someone steps in the room.
"A-ah! Your finally awake!"
A girl wearing a nurse outfit walked up to me while I was in the bed. She had bandages all over her. Is SHE okay? I hope that she didn't get those because of me. I'd feel bad. I tried to move but I ended up just hurting myself even more.
"O-Ouch..."
"D-don't move so much. Your s-still a little w-weak."
I did as she said and I chilled out for a bit.
"Have you been taking of me?" I wanted to be sure.
"Y-yes! My name is Mikan Tsumiki. From the bottom of my heart, I hope we can get along. O-oh, I'm the Ultimate N-Nurse!"
MIKAN TSUMIKI
Talent: Ultimate Nurse
Age: 17
Height: 5"4
Weight: 125
Likes: Bathroom smells
Dislikes: Oversized things
Birthday: May 12
Man, is every girl at this academy adorable and/or elegant?
"I'm Riki Aiuchi. It's nice to meet you Tsumiki-senpai. I thank you so much for saving me! I hope we can be good friends!" I think I sounded a bit too excited.
...
...
All of a sudden, I heard her cry. Uh oh, did I say something wrong?! I should stop her from crying before someone gets the wrong idea!
"Um... Tsumiki-senpai? Did I do something wrong? Why are you crying?"
"No! It's just that, I haven't had a friend in so long! Thank you so much for accepting me!" Whoa, has she had some trauma in her past or something? I hope that no one would hurt her. She's too pure for this world...
"Well, I can assure you after today, we are definitely friends. Promise."
"O-okay!" We made a pinky promise that day.
After a hour later, she cleared me to go. I refused the cast though, since I could still move my right arm fine. I'll just treat it every now and then.
As I walked to the fountain, I saw three faces I knew: Hajime, Chiaki, and Natsumi. To my surprise though, Natsumi runs up to me and hugs me.
"I-idiot! You could have gotten yourself killed! If that happened, I-I-I would have never been able to forgive you!" She starts crying. Did she really just cry? This day is getting crazy. I hugged her back.
"Don't worry. It's gonna take more than being baseball practice to take me out." I tried to make a joke to lighten the mood, which didn't sit well. "Not the time?" Hajime nodded, although he was grinning a bit.
"A-anyways. IF you tell anyone that I cried, I will take you out myself!" She was smiling. Finally, we got somewhere.
"Haha, promise."
We all ended up being close friends that day. Hajime and Chiaki seems to have gotten closer. Good on them!
"Riki?" Chiaki whispered to me.
"Yes, Chiaki?"
"Can you convince Hajime to be more confident and unlock my love scene?"
"W-what?! Why do you want me to do that?"
"Because I like him too, but I want him to feel the same." Well that definitely made me happy and a bit sad. Happy because Hajime and Chiaki is perfect! A match made in heaven! At the same time, I'm a bit sad, because she's basically taken. She really is cute. Anyone would be lucky to have her.
"Okay, I promise."
...
...
"Thank you." She patted me on the back.
We kept talking for a little while until...
"Hey Riki. Could I talk to you alone for a bit?" Hajime wanted to talk to me.
"Sure." We headed to the front of the Reserve Course building.
"As you know, I'm a candidate for the Kamukura project. I've been doing a lot of thinking. I was really contemplating it, but after some advice, and definitely after what you did yesterday and even before that, the talk we had, it showed me that I don't need to do that kind of stuff to be great. I think I finally understand what Chiaki was talking about. Because of that, I've chosen not to go through with the project."
"Hey, that's great news! Glad to have ya back buddy."
"Yep. I can live my life and even stay with my best friends, you and Chiaki of course."
"Man, when's the wedding dude? It's clear you two love each other."
"H-hey! Not so loud!"
After I joked with him for a bit, we headed home.
Japan
12:30 P.M.
Karaoke Bar
A day later...
Today is a holiday, so no school today. I could call my friends but they are probably busy. I wouldn't want to wake them. So I decided to go to a karaoke bar. Why? I have no clue, but I want to have some fun! When I got there, I saw Mahiru and some other girls hanging out. I didn't want to get involved since it was most likely a girl's day for them. I sat on the other side of the bar purposefully.
"Hey, is it just you here?" I looked up to see a girl. She looks familiar... Do I know her?
"Yeah, it's just me."
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
"No, go ahead." Now that I got a good look at her, she had long blue hair, and she looked like a goddess. N-not that I would care! She probably already has a boyfriend.
"Y'know, I'm still single, which means that I can find someone for me. Could it be you?"
"Huh? Did you just read my mind?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you. I'm psychic!"
W-Wait, really? Or is she trying to say I'm really easy to read?
"Just kidding, I have good intuition." Uh huh... Sure you do... Maybe I shouldn't doubt it though. She did just read my thoughts earlier...
"Wait a minute... Your Riki!"
"Hmm? You know me? We've never met before though."
"No, it's fine! Makoto told me all about you and how you helped him gain confidence!" Ah, so she's a friend of Makoto. They must be in the same class.
"Really? Well, I didn't do much. Just gave him a push in the right direction."
"Well, it clearly worked. He's friends with everyone in our class and even is the class rep!"
"Hey, I'm proud of him. Wait a minute, now I know you! Your Sayaka Maizono, aren't you?"
SAYAKA MAIZONO
Talent: Ultimate Pop Sensation
Age: 16
Height: 5"5
Weight: 108
Likes: Singing
Dislikes: dirty deeds
Birthday: July 7
She starting giggling and covered my mouth.
"Shh... Not so loud!"
"Ah, sorry. But what are you doing here?"
"I'm just relaxing for a bit. You know, paparazzi and all surrounding me. Hey, we should perform a duet! Just you and me!"
"U-uhm I don't know if that is a good idea. And besides, you just said you wanted to avoid paparazzi. Your just gonna ignore that?"
"C'mon! It's just for fun! Let's go! And besides, I don't really mind it."
And thus today marks the day I sold my soul to sing a duet with a beautiful girl.
"Wow! We have a celebrity! Sayaka Maizono will sing a duet with someone! Let's hear them!"
And now, I'm on stage for everyone to see me... Even Mahiru... Geez, this is so embarrassing... All of a sudden, I hear, the song "Leave the Door Open" by Siik Sonic. Hey, I love this song! She likes American music too? Never would have thought.
We sang our hearts out and surprisingly, I found out today I have a good singing voice. In fact, it was so good, people actually thought I was impersonating Bruno Mars. Well, I do like to do voice impressions in my spare time.
"Imma Leave the door open!"
"Imma Leave the door open!"
...
...
After that, we sat down, feeling excited.
"Ha! I knew you could sing! All jokes aside, thank you for making me feel great today! You are a great guy, Riki. Anyone would be really happy to have someone like you." She blushed a bit. Was she flirting with me?
"A-ahh, well..." C'mon Riki. Find the words!
"I'm beautiful and amazing. Is that what you wanted to say?" Did she just read my thoughts again?! Okay, maybe she is psychic after all.
"Uhm..."
"I'm psychic you know. Hehe, just kidding. I have good intuition. But is that what you were really going to say?"
I just nodded absentmindly.
"Aww, thank you!" She gave me a peck on the cheek. "Hope we see each other again! Bye!" After that, she left.
W-wow. Is this how it feels to get a kiss from a girl? Well, it wasn't my first kiss yet. But it was close! After all that though, Mahiru, Mikan and the others had came over to the commotion and surprisingly Mahiru was kinda angry.
"Hey, you never told us you got out! Really? And then your getting kisses from a girl?! Hmph..." Then I had to deal with Mahiru. Haha, I did forget. Wait, did she just get jealous? How come?
"Ahh... I'm sorry. I don't really have any excuses. Also, I didn't want to bother you; you looked like you were having fun." I just spoke honestly, choosing not to mention her being jealous.
"You know you are always welcome after how much you done for me and the others. Even Fuyuhiko thinks nice of you, and he doesn't usually do that at all."
Guess I did end up doing more than I thought. Who would have thought?
"Anyways, seems like you already know Mikan. These two are Hiyoko and-"
"I'm I-BUKI MIO-DA! That spells Ibuki Mioda! Nice to meet ya!"
HIYOKO SAIONJI
Talent: Ultimate Traditional Dancer
Age: 17
Height: 5"5
Weight: 103
Likes: Squish Squish!
Dislikes: Lectures
Birthday: March 9
IBUKI MIODA
Talent: Ultimate Musician
Age: 17
Height: 5"3
Weight: 92
Likes: Walking
Dislikes: Boredom
Birthday: November 27
Well I will admit, Mahiru definitely has a interesting set of classmates. Well, not like I have any room to talk. As I talked to them, I couldn't help but feel like I've seen Hiyoko before. Did we go to the same middle school or something?
"H-hey, what are you looking at?" Hiyoko puffed her cheeks at me. Oops, I stared at her for too long!
"A-ah.. I'm sorry."
"Hmph..." She was blushing a lot.
"A-anyways, come with us Riki. We were just about to go to the park to relax." Mahiru insisted I come with her.
"Is it okay for me to go?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well I was under the impression that it was a girl's day for you all, and having a boy kinda ruins the point, y'know?"
"Exactly! So why are you inviting him Mahiru?! He's just another slave!" Ouch, I don't know if she was serious or not.
"Give him a chance! I'm sure he wants to relax just like us. Right, Mikan, Ibuki?"
"Y-yes! All of us should r-relax once in a while."
"Of course! I have no objections here."
"Hmph... fine. But no staring, lover boy!"
Now I definitely feel like I know her. There's only one person that calls me that. But is it really her? It's just not clicking in my mind... Why is it so hard to figure it out?
"Alright, let's go!"
We all went to the park to relax. As I looked at the sun, someone was blocking my way.
"Hello there, Riki!" Ibuki, for some reason, was really happy today. Guess she's always like that.
"Hi Mioda-senpai. How is your day so far?"
"My day is excellent. And cut the formalities! Just Ibuki is good!" Wow, your the second person to do that.
"Okay Ibuki."
"How has school been for ya?"
"Well, besides the incident that occurred, I'm honestly having a fun time here. I've made so many friends that I find it almost unbelievable that an average Reserve Course student like me even made that much of an impact in so long."
"Do you really think of yourself as just a Reserve Course student?"
"Well... I am that aren't I? Just your typical average Reserve Course student."
...
...
"Riki, I think I need to give you a reality check."
"Excuse me?"
"Follow me!" All of a sudden, she grabbed my arm, yanked me up and we ran off somewhere where they couldn't see us. There was a tree bush with a few seats there. Someone has been here clearly.
"You run pretty fast! Where are we even at?"
"This is my secret spot. I come here to get away from stress." Wow, even someone like Ibuki gets stressed?
"Now look Riki, even if it is true you are a Reserve Course student, do NOT let it be a label to you. You are so much more than that. You've befriended about half of my class in the span of a week, you saved Natsumi, and you even made a name for yourself. That can't be overlooked. Don't be so modest all the time. It's okay to have the attention once in a while. Let your guard down, okay?" For once, Ibuki was actually looking serious. She meant every word of what she said.
I-I... I guess I never thought of it that way. All this time, I was just criticizing myself for what? Because of the Main Course and Reserve Course. Maybe they aren't so different from each other after all. All I could do was look at her in astonishment.
"I-Ibuki... That... I definitely think I needed to hear that. T-thank you so much!" I don't know why, but I started tearing up a bit. Aww, your not supposed to cry in front of a girl Riki! But she actually hugs me, which I returned the favor quickly.
"Of course! It's my job to help you feel happy whenever you feel down. We can always come here to talk if you want to."
"Definitely. I'll take you up on that promise."
"Perfect. So, about your singing skills? You never told me you could sing. You need to join Ibuki's band now!"
"Uh.. w-wait!" She already had lectured me on her genre and what she does for a living. After a while, she finally let me go and we went back to the park. Surprisingly, no one seemed to notice we were gone.
Japan
2:30 P.M.
Park
Hiyoko's POV
"Are you really sure it is him? The guy you liked back then in middle school?" I was talking to Mahiru about Riki, who I'm certain is the same childhood friend I've had for a while.
"Yeah, it has to be. He's the reason I-I'm not as rude as I am now. He really... changed my life."
"Then go talk to him!"
"But he doesn't even remember me! There's no point!" I started crying, although it was fake.
"Well, you won't know that if you don't talk to him! All you did was call him a slave and a lover boy."
"He still should have gotten the signals. I think its because I look way different from my middle school photo to now..."
"If that's it, then he probably does recognize you; he just can't picture it right now. Give it time then, ok?"
"Y-yes! His memory is probably hazy!" Mikan butted in when I didn't ask her to!
"Yeah, I know that!" I refrained from calling her a skank since I know she was trying to help and reassure me. I do have my boundaries on how much of a bully I can be.
"Can we go home?"
"Sure, let me just tell Riki."
Mahiru called Riki over to where we were.
"Hey, it was fun hanging out with you Riki! Let's do this again sometime."
"Sure, I'm down." I kept stealing glances. He really grew his hair out; he definitely looks more adorable. If only he knew who I was...
"Hmph, well if you didn't, I'd force you to come with us!"
"Ibuki thinks your falling in love Hiyoko!"
"H-huh?! Who would fall for someone like him?!" Riki couldn't help but laugh.
"Definitely feels like I've heard that before. Mahiru, you said the same thing, right?" Mahiru then blushed a bit.
"I-I didn't mean that, you know." Seems like you definitely didn't!
"Well, I'll leave you all alone then. See ya!" Riki walked off and left.
"So what do we do now?" I asked with a disappointed face. I think I didn't really want him gone after all... Why am I so difficult to understand?!
Hope's Peak Academy
4:00 P.M.
Headmaster's Office
Jin Kirigiri's POV
Alright, I think it is finally time to initiate Plan: Kamukura Project Questions? Mainly, figure out why they decided to run this project without my permission, how they planned on doing it, and what is the true purpose of the plan? With my daughter and Riki, this plan should come into fruition.
Kyoko walks into the office.
"Father, is it time to start the investigation?"
"Yes, tomorrow will be the start. After school, you will meet up with Riki Aiuchi. He has black hair and green eyes. You two will search the Reserve Course Building together. After that, you two are on your own. You will take the Main Course, and he will take the Reserve Course. Take care of these plans and I'll be sure to grant you any wish you want."
"Yes sir. Consider it done." She then walks out of the office.
I sigh. If only I had a better relationship with her... I want to be back in her life, but it seems like her grandfather really told her a lot of things. Can't exactly blame him completely though. I have to take a part of the blame after all.
Hope's Peak Academy
5:05 P.M.
Reserve Course Building
Riki's POV
Two days later...
Whew... another day for exams, more passing grades. I knew I had something good going on here.
"Excuse me. Are you Riki Aiuchi?" I looked to see who called me. She had lavender hair, and she looked very beautiful. Well, lavender is my favorite color, so that's a plus in my book.
"U-uhm, yes. And you are?"
"Kyoko Kirigiri. The Ultimate Detective. I've been assigned by the headmaster to help you on the investigation. Well, shall we get started?"
KYOKO KIRIGIRI
Talent: Ultimate Detective
Age: 16
Height: 5"6
Weight: 106
Likes: Her hair braids
Dislikes: Coriander
Birthday: October 6
Ah, so this is the headmaster's daughter. Geez, I didn't know she would be this elegant. She seems way more intimidating than her dad, to be honest. She definitely doesn't let her guard down easily. Hell, she probably has a hidden mask that she's showing me right now.
"Hello? Earth to Aiuchi-kun?"
"Uhm, Y-yes. Sorry, I spaced out a bit. L-let's get started."
"Are you okay? You look a bit red. Do you have a fever?" She touched my forehead to check. That only made my cheeks redder.
"N-no! I'm fine. Let's get started, shall we?"
"Hmm.. okay." She still wasn't convinced however; she didn't pry further. Whew!
Well, what are we going to find on this investigation? I guess we'll find out when we get there...
Well, chapter 3 is complete. I'll be talking every odd chapter to give you guys a bit of a recap and what's going to happen next, as well as my own thoughts and how I'm doing with the story so far, and even some fun facts and easter eggs I put in.
So far, I'm really having a lot of fun with the story so far. It's getting to the good parts and I can't wait to show you guys what I have in store for later. It's a secret for now though!
(Did anyone see the "Leave the Door Open" song coming by the way? It's my favorite song of 2021 so far, I had to put it in there somewhere. That will probably be the last time that happens though, MAYBE...)
Seems like Riki is starting to make more friends and bonds. It's even possible that he might know someone from his childhood. Will they become a major person in his life? Also, what is going on behind the scenes of Hope's Peak and why does Jin care so much about what is going on in the Reserve Course? And what happened to Sato after her attempted murder on Natsumi? Find out in the next chapter!
As always, be sure to follow and favorite so that you will always be notified of new chapters. Also, leave reviews. I always like to see reviews and know what I can improve on in the future. Thanks for reading, and see you in the next chapter! :D