Hey guys! Before we start the fic, I just wanted to address a couple things.

There will be character deaths and talk of self harm, as well as use of profanity. Any other trigger warnings I need, I'll add at the start of each chapter, so be sure to check before reading.

This is an au of Trigger Happy Havoc with Aoi Asahina as the protagonist. In addition, Junko and Mukuro are no longer the Despair Pair.

Finally, this is my first real fanfiction, so please be kind! I'd love to hear any constructive criticism you may have as long as you're cordial about it.

I'll try to release chapters every other week, but I can't make any promises as I've got a pretty busy semester ahead of me. Either way, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

There's a dark classroom full of smoke, and faint music can be heard, if you're looking for it. Suddenly, the music picks up a funky, unexpected beat, and a single light flicks on, revealing a curious sight: a small bear, half white, half black, with a sinister crimson glow coming from its jagged left eye, sitting in front of the desks with a large red button in front of him. He's staring at a man with dark hair, tied to a chair at the front of the dark room. He's been blindfolded. He's struggling against the ropes, but to no avail. The bear watches this for a moment, appearing almost amused by the pathetic sight. Then suddenly, he pulls out a gavel, lifting it high into the air, before slamming it down onto the button with full force.

There's a loud crash, and a huge metal contraption comes through the ground, surrounding the man. He's screaming now, his voice raw with fear and pure, utter despair. The massive contraption begins to close around him, completely sealing in his pathetic form. It's a rocketship, with the strange face of the bear at the top.

Blast Off!

The ship's lights come on, and it begins to spin rapidly in place, before launching through the roof, crashing through floors upon floors, eventually breaking to the surface and beyond. Any last words from the man are drowned out by the destruction the ship leaves in its wake.

It keeps going up, up, up and away, launching through the stratosphere and beyond. It feels almost as if the moon and stars themselves are witnessing this atrocity, before the ship begins to flip over and fall right back down, picking up speed as it continues, until it lands with a jarring crash in the center of the classroom. The desks are blown away and the single light falls to the ground, now illuminating the entire room. The bear miraculously survives. The music comes to a halt, as if it's holding its breath with the audience. The door to the ship slowly swings open, creaking ominously, revealing an empty chair- that is, until a pile of bones fall from the ship's floor and into view. Even its cracked skull is frowning. There's a somber silence for a moment.

Then, the smallest chuckle can be heard. It feels louder than it should be, breaking through the deafening silence. It grows steadily, going from a light laugh to a manic, crazed sadness disguised as delight. And the bear- the very thing that somehow summoned this destruction- falls over laughing before the dust can even finish clearing.

The giant high school towered over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like Hope's Peak stands at the center of the whole entire world! They say it brings in top students from every field imaginable. A super awesome government-funded school of privilege for the best high schoolers in all of Japan! If you come here and manage to graduate, you'll basically be set for life. And they've been doing this for almost eighty years now, sending the cream of the crop into the workforce! It was built to raise hope in the nation's future, which makes Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name!

There are two things you need to attend this school. One, you've gotta already be in high school. And two, be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself. And walking right up to the gate of the ultimate school filled with all of the ultimate students... is me!

But before we go any farther, I should introduce myself to you guys. Hi! My name's Aoi Asahina! I may not look like much, but I'm actually a student of Hope's Peak myself! Or at least, I'm about to be. See, they invited me as the Ultimate Swimming Pro! Pretty impressive, huh? I mean, I've always wanted to be able to become a swimmer for the Olympics and get a gold medal, but becoming a student at the Hope's Peak academy? Now that's an opportunity!

Getting there though, it was kind of intimidating, ya know? Like it's got this big presence, waiting for me to go inside and become a part of it. It's super cool! I couldn't wait to go in! I was sure I was gonna be late, but it looks like it's only about seven forty-five now, so I've still got fifteen minutes!

I quickened my pace up the stairs, eager to meet all my classmates. I wonder if any of them are athletes like me! It'd be great to have someone to train with every day! I was super pumped! But looking back, I probably shouldn't have been. As soon as my hands hit the door, everything got all weird. It was like the world got thrown into a blender, and I couldn't make out all the different shapes and colors as everything blurred together in front of me. It was all mixing and twisting in an almost hypnotic kind of way, and I could feel myself falling, falling, falling into a big darkness as it was swallowing me whole.

Prologue- Welcome to Despair High School- Begin

Ugh... Why does my head feel all fuzzy? This is weird...

I woke up laying on cold tile floors, facing eerie green lighting coming down from the ceiling. What...

"Oh shit! You alright over there?"

I sat up slowly, still trying to understand what happened, and turned toward the sound. Down at the end of the hall was a taller, muscular boy, now rapidly approaching me. He had a large black coat that dragged behind him as he walked towards me, and orange hair tied back in a bun. As he got closer, he knelt down and offered me his hand. "Hey, you alright?"

"Ah... y-yeah! I'm fine now!" I took his hand, and he helped pull me up. He was really strong! "Thanks!"

"Yeah, no problem, but, uh... what were you doing on the floor? Did ya trip or somethin?"

I went to answer him, then stopped. How did I end up on the floor? "Well... it's kind of embarrassing, but I don't actually remember! I guess I hit my head pretty hard, cuz the last thing I remember was going to the doors of Hope's Peak- this is Hope's Peak, right? Haha!" I tried to laugh it off, but it was super awkward.

The boy seemed lost in thought. "Huh? Oh, yeah, this is definitely Hope's Peak. I mean, unless we all went to the wrong place, but no chance in hell that happened! Name's Mondo Owada, by the way. Nice to meetcha, even if it's in fuckin' weird circumstances."

"Nice to meet you, too, Mondo! My name's Aoi Asahina, but my friends call me Hina!" I was trying to stay positive, but it was clear that something was up. "Are you looking for the opening ceremony too?"

"Nah, I already found the main hall. It's just... You said you don't remember shit after getting to the door, yeah?" Mondo looked at me intensely- or maybe he didn't. I wasn't entirely sure to be honest. He seemed like a pretty intense guy. "Here, I'll take you to the main hall and you can tell everyone else that. I've gotta look around and see if I can find any other new students."

I smiled at him. "Sounds great! Lead the way, Mondo!" And we walked together back down the hall. Finally, I'll get to meet the rest of my classmates! I wonder what all their talents are... I wonder what his talent is! "Hey, Mondo, why are you at Hope's Peak? I'm the Ultimate Swimming Pro!"

"Ever heard of the Crazy Diamonds?" Mondo replied nonchalantly, glancing into the rooms they passed. Probably because he said was looking for other students, right? How'd we all get separated like that? Wouldn't everyone be in the main hall? Maybe people split up to look around the school. It's pretty dark though, so I guess you could get lost easily. Maybe that's how I fell! But why's it so dark? It's like, not even 8 am! Are there not any windows on this floor-

"Yo, are you even listening?!"

I jumped. Mondo was looking at me expectantly. "Ah... Sorry! Guess I got distracted! Could you repeat that?"

He sighed loudly. "Yeah, whatever. I said I'm the leader of the Crazy Diamonds. So I'm the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader." He grinned widely. "Pretty fucking cool, yeah?"

"Yeah... Yeah, super cool!" I agreed, but I was already focused on the walls. It looked like there were meant to be windows, but wherever there'd be one, there was a giant metal plate with oversized bolts and screws holding it up. What's going on here?

Soon enough, Mondo and I made it to the main hall. We opened the doors and were greeted by a collection of voices.

"Hey! You found another new kid!"

"Excellent work, Mondo!"

"Who's this new girl? Hey, new girl, who are you?"

"Betcha I can guess her talent just by looking!"

"Perhaps we should all give her a bit of space."

It was hard to hear everyone talk at once. I couldn't focus on anyone! Luckily, Mondo whistled with his fingers and got everyone to stop talking.

"All of y'all shut up! She's got something to say!" Then he turned to me. "Go on. Tell 'em what you told me about how ya got here."

"Well, okay?" I turned towards them all. It looked like there were about thirteen other people besides me and Mondo. All of them were looking at me expectantly. "Um... my name's Aoi Asahina. But you can all call me Hina! And, uh, I don't really know how I got in the hallway. I mean, I remember getting to the door of the school, but then I think I passed out or something-"

As soon as I said the words 'passed out,' everyone totally freaked out! Some of them started talking to themselves, others started to clam up, and everyone's nervousness was starting to rub off on me, to be honest. But I wasn't about to let it show. I had to stay positive! "So yeah, that's basically it. Oh, and I'm the Ultimate Swimming Pro! It's nice to meet you all!" But none of them were focusing on me anymore. They'd all started talking again.

"Hrmmm... Most peculiar!"

"What does this mean?"

"How insufferable."

"Th-there's no way this is a-a coincidence."

"EVERYONE, QUIET DOWN!"

We all turned. The loud, commanding voice had come from a boy closer to the front. He was wearing an all white uniform, with a red armband on his upper arm. A hall monitor? "Everyone, Hina has just given us all valuable information! But first!" He turned to me, then pointed dramatically. "You are late to the opening ceremony! Please explain yourself!"

Is this guy serious? "Seriously, man? I was passed out in the hall! I don't know how I got there! And it sounds like none of you do either!"

The boy drew his arm back by his sides, still standing at attention. "Hmmm... I suppose you're right! Very well! I will allow it this time! Hahahaha!" And with that, he turned over to Mondo. "Thank you for finding our missing classmate!"

"Yeah, whatever, dude," he said, brushing the boy off. "Now what the fuck are we supposed to do, hall monitor?"

"Wh- Is that sarcasm?! A hall monitor is a very respectable position!" Soon enough, the two were arguing, completely blocking the doors. I looked over towards the entrance- and then I realized. The doors I'd gone to this morning were gone, completely replaced by a massive metal wall with a large hatch in the center, similar to what you'd expect to find in a bank vault. I walked towards it, fascinated. I wonder if there's a code or something. Where did it come from?

"I've already tried to break through it. Whatever it's made of, it's incredibly strong."

I turned towards the deep voice and saw the most gorgeous woman I'd ever seen. She was tall, taller than anyone else in the room, with long white hair down her back and over her shoulders. She had a long, hooked nose, and a massive scar over her face. And she was muscular- oh my gosh, she was so muscular! I could already feel myself blushing. "Oh! Well, yeah, uh, if you couldn't break through it, then probably no one can, huh?" I laughed as I scanned the room. No one else even came close to her in size. "I mean, you're probably the strongest out of all of us, huh?"

"Most likely," she agreed, looking me up and down. Oh my God why is she looking at me like that? Is there something on my face? She looks at me again. "You have a good build. Though I suppose that should be expected, seeing as you are an athlete."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, being a good swimmer requires a lotta lotta training. And protein! And I gotta train even more for all my other sports, like tennis and soccer and basketball! I do all that stuff too! So, ya know, I'm basically always training, haha!" Oh God I sound so weird! I mean, it's true, but she's probably way cooler than me! I mean, look at her! I wish I could have big muscles like that!-

"I understand the need to train as well. It's quite difficult to maintain the proper physique and have continued success in the ring." She offered her hand to me. "I am Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist."

I took her hand eagerly- maybe too eagerly- and started to shake. "What's up? I'm Hina- well, I guess you already knew that, hehe! Hey, we should totally train together sometime!"

She held my hand firmly. "I agree. It would be nice to have a training partner that can keep up with me, at least somewhat."

"Yeah, totally! And, since we're both girls, we can use the same locker room! It's perfect!" I thought I saw her eyes widen for a moment, but I got distracted by two girls arguing nearby.

"Junko, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Fine?! Mukuro, on what earth is mass memory loss gonna be fine? Come on, you should be backing me up on this!"

"Oh, sorry..."

The voices were coming from two girls nearby facing each other. The big one had a familiar face: she was Junko Enoshima, a popular model who designed all her own clothing. I saw her all the time on magazine covers! With long, blond hair in ponytails and bright blue eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses, she was what every girl our age aspired to be: popular, confident, and fabulous. The other girl was slightly taller, with what looked like militaryesque clothes and black gloves. She had short black hair hugging her neck, and freckles all over her tanned face. It looked like she was trying to calm Junko down. I looked back at Sakura, then walked over to the two of them reluctantly. "Hey, what's going on?"

Junko turned towards me, fuming. "Uh, hello? We all totally got kidnapped and everyone's like, completely calm! Am I the only one that's worried?!"

"Junko, of course everyone's worried, but panicking isn't gonna help us figure out what to do," the tan girl said softly. "We just need a minute to get our bearings, that's all."

Junko glared intensely at the girl, then sighed. "Ughhhh, I hate that you're right..." She pressed her head against the girl's shoulder, then stood back up and smiled brightly at us. "Of course, what happened to my manners? Sorry about that, you guys!" She stuck a hand out at me to shake. "I'm Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista! And this-" she pulled her hand away just as I was about to take it and pointed at the girl beside her- "is my super awesome sister, Mukuro Ikusaba!"

Mukuro bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you. I'm the Ultimate Soldier."

Oh, so they're sisters? I never would've guessed! Although, now that I'm looking closer, they've got the exact same eyes! "Wow, that's super cool that you both got chosen for Hope's Peak as sisters! I guess that explains how you already know each other, haha! Oh, but then how come your talents are so different?"

Before either of them could respond, the door I'd come through earlier burst open. A small boy ran through the doorway, almost falling over, before straightening up. He had messy brown hair and a dull green hoodie with a checkered red pattern on the left side, and he seemed nervous. "Ah- Am I late? Sorry, I woke up in a classroom and got kinda lost..."

"Yes, you are! However, an exception is being made for everyone due to the unordinary circumstances!" the loud boy in white proclaimed, more to the entire class than just to the new boy, then headed over and began speaking to him. God, that guy is loud. But he had the right idea talking to him, so I decided to follow suit and talk to the rest of the class. I turned back to the sisters. "Well, it's been cool meeting you guys, but I'm gonna go talk to the others! First impressions are super important, ya know?"

"No problem, girl! I totally get it," Junko beamed, putting an arm around her sister. "We'll be fine over here, promise!" I smiled at them, then started looking for someone else to talk to. I settled on a small girl in the corner in a poofy brown skirt. She looked really shy and wasn't talking to anyone in the room. If anyone in here looks like they need a friend, it's definitely her! "Hey, I don't think we've met yet! I'm Hina. What's your name?"

"Oh! Um... my name's Chihiro Fujisaki!" She seemed surprised that I was talking to her.

"Nice to meet you, Chihiro! So, what's your thing?"

"My thing? Oh, do you mean my talent? Um, I got picked as the Ultimate Programmer..." She paused. "Sorry, I'm not very good at talking to new people."

"Oh, that's okay! I know talking a lot isn't everyone's thing! Don't worry about it." I pat her on the shoulder, trying to reassure her. It seemed to work for the moment, because she smiled softly at me. I smiled back. Now we're getting somewhere! "So, Chihiro, what kinds of stuff do you program?"

"Well, I do a lot of stuff, but I really just do whatever will make my computer as efficient as possible. I can't really tell you about everything because of my contract, but I've been working on a really cool project that I think is really gonna help people!" Her entire demeanor changed when she started to talk about her programs. She stood up straighter, and her eyes lit up. She seemed so much more confident! Then, just as quickly, she stopped. "But you probably don't know much about that stuff. And I can't really tell you about it, anyway. Sorry..." She shut down, almost tearing up.

"Oh, no, that's okay! You're totally fine!" Don't cry! "In fact, we can talk about it later if you want! I really wanna hear about it!"

She sniffed. "R-really? You wanna hear about my programs?" She looked like she didn't believe me.

I beamed at her. "Of course! I wanna know all about the stuff my friends love!"

"F-friends?" She thought about it for a moment, wiping her tears away. "Yeah... Friends! I'd like that!" She smiled at me, still tearing up a bit. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, no problem!" I smiled again, relieved. It was hard to stay so positive, especially when I still didn't know what was going on, but if it helped keep everyone calm, then it was worth it. "Hey, I'm gonna go talk to everyone else, okay? But let's talk later!"

"Okay, yeah! Let's talk later, once we know what's going on!" She nodded at me excitedly, then started looking around the room at the other students. I walked away, ready to find more of my classmates.

"Pardon me, but you have been introducing yourself to everyone, yes?"

I turned to my left and saw two girls standing before me. The first was wearing some kind of elaborate goth lolita ensemble, her skin was so pale it looked pure white, and she had piercing red eyes that seemed to cut right through me. Beside her was a chubby girl with short white hair framing her face, with a single braid on the left. She was wearing an all purple uniform, with dark gloves covering her hands. Each of them gave off a dangerous aura, but with the two of them standing next to each other, I felt smaller than I've ever felt. Then the girl in purple spoke.

"You're collecting everyone's names, right? I'm Kyoko Kirigiri." And before I could say anything back, she turned and walked away, leaving an air of mystery in her wake. Kyoko Kirigiri, huh? Interesting.

I turned to the lolita girl that was still standing before me. "Is she always like that? Do you know?"

"Ah, I would not know, I am afraid. I only met her briefly, you see, when we both came over to meet you." She giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. "But now for more important matters. I am sure you want my name as well, yes? Then I shall introduce myself. I am Celestia Ludenberg. But if you please, I would prefer you call me Celeste." She smiled then, lacing her fingers together beneath her chin. "And you are Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimmer, yes? And you wish to be called Hina?"

I was a little surprised by how calm she was. I mean, just about everyone here seemed at least a little worried. But she looked like nothing was wrong in her world. It was actually kind of impressive. "Yeah, that's me! What's your thing, Celeste? The Ultimate Actress, maybe?" It would explain the weird taste in clothing.

"Oh, no. Though I suppose acting is similar to what I do, in a way. I am the Ultimate Gambler, you see, so I have developed quite the poker face." She rested her hands again on her skirt. "It is quite effective, is it not? You have quite the poker face as well, though your inner confusion shines right through for someone as experienced as myself."

So she knew how nervous I was right from the start, huh? Well, I guess if she's an Ultimate Gambler, then it makes sense. "Wow, you really saw right through me." Okay, time to get serious. "But we've gotta stay calm when things are weird like this, right? Otherwise, everyone will panic, and we won't be able to get anywhere."

"That is true," Celeste agreed, scanning the room with her eyes. "After all, not many seem to be holding themselves together well here. Quite disappointing for a class of Ultimates, but I suppose it is inevitable. Talent does not measure one's true willpower, after all." She smiled at me again. "But I will not hold you here any longer. I am sure you are eager to speak to the others, after all."

"Oh! Well, yeah, I guess so. Talk to you later then!" I walked away, a little more afraid than I'd been before. I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going. I wasn't sure if it was her intention, but I'd lost a bit of my confidence after talking to her. She seemed so completely secure in herself and the situation we were in. I guess that's the skill of the Ultimate Gambler, I thought to myself, before walking right into someone. I jumped back, immediately embarrassed. "Ah! Sorry about that! I should've looked where I was going!"

The person I'd walked into turned around. He was taller than me, with thick brown dreadlocks tied together in a big knot, stray dreads sticking out here and there. In his hands was a large glass ball, which he was carefully regaining his grip on. He sighed in relief once he had it secure, then turned to me and gave me a wide grin and a thumbs up. 'No harm done, man! We're all good here!" Then he leaned closer to me, squinting. "Uhhh, which one are you again? I must've really hit my head hard, cuz I can't see anything properly, haha!"

"Oh, uh, I'm Hina, the Ultimate Swimmer," I said politely, backing up a bit. "And you are? The Ultimate Fortune Teller, I'm guessing?" I asked, pointing at the glass ball in his hand. He certainly looks the part.

"Haha, you guessed it, kid! They brought me in as the Ultimate Clairvoyant, Yasuhiro Hagakure! But you can call me Hiro. I've got the highest accuracy rating in all of Japan!" he said excitedly. He was almost as loud as the boy in white from earlier, but he wasn't quite that obnoxious.

"Wow, really? The highest accuracy rating?" I tried to seem interested.

"That's right! I've got a thirty percent accuracy rate! So if you ever want a reading, hit me up! I'll give you a special student discount for being my classmate if ya want! Plus your first reading is thirty percent off! Ya know, cuz it's got a thirty percent accuracy rate, haha!"

No way am I paying for only a thirty percent chance! "Oh, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll take some time to settle in to class and stuff before I uh... think about getting a reading. You get it, right?" I tried to laugh it off. Luckily, he seemed to accept it.

"Yeah, no problem, man! I totally get it! You're not ready for the secrets of the universe yet, there's nothing wrong with that!" He smiled at me again before walking to the boys near the door. "Hey, guys! Anyone interested in knowing what lies in the future?"

I sighed in relief. He seemed friendly enough, but he sure was overbearing. Then a thought came to mind. I hope I haven't been acting like that around the others! Am I the one being overbearing?

"Don't worry, I don't think you're being overbearing like that at all!"

I jumped in surprise. Next to me was the most popular girl in all of Japan. With long blue hair and a brand new schoolgirl's outfit, I recognized her immediately. Anyone would. This was Sayaka Maizono, the lead singer of the most popular idol group to come out of Japan in years. She'd announced recently that she'd been accepted to Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Pop Sensation, so I knew I'd meet her, but still, to think we'd be in the same class! But surprisingly, she didn't seem the least bit intimidating. As she stood before me, smiling kindly, she seemed just like any other schoolgirl you'd meet. And yet, she'd somehow known exactly what I'd been thinking.

"How did you know?" I asked, letting go of some of the tension I was feeling.

She laughed with me. Then she stared at me, dead serious. "Actually, I'm psychic." I stopped laughing. A fortune teller and a psychic? In the same class? She laughed again. "Just kidding! I have really good intuition, that's all."

"Woah, you scared me there for a minute!" I laughed too, relieved. I guess that's how Sayaka became so popular. She had kind of an aura that put you right at ease! It was a big relief after meeting so many weird people in the class. Everyone all had their own distinctive, strong vibes, but Sayaka was just an ordinary girl like me! She leaned forward a bit, glancing towards the hall door, then lowered her voice. "Actually, could I get your help? I really wanna talk to the guys over there, but I'm a little nervous, and none of my friends are here to help me. Would you mind going over there with me? I know you've been trying to talk to everyone, so..." She started to blush a bit as she talked, like she was embarrassed.

Wow, she really is just a normal high school girl! "Don't worry, Sayaka. I'm great at playing wingman! I always helped the others on my swim team back home with this kinda stuff, so whenever you need me, lemme know!" I grinned proudly, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Now let's go talk to those guys!"

"Thanks, Hina. I knew you'd be able to help!" She smiled at me thankfully, and we both walked over to the group of boys. Mondo and Hiro had left, but the other three were all still there, talking together. The redhead seemed to be leading the conversation, but stopped when he saw us approaching. He ran a hand through his hair and grinned at us. "Ladies! Come to check out the view?"

I felt myself rolling my eyes, but Sayaka giggled beside me. Well, everyone's got different tastes, I guess. "You wish," I joked, nudging Sayaka with my elbow gently. "We just figured we'd come say hi, that's all! Right, Sayaka?"

She turned a bit pink, but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's right," she said brightly. "Since none of us had met yet, it just seemed like a good idea, right? Haha..."

She was really shy in front of the guys all of a sudden. I decided to take over for her. "So, what are all of you guys here for?"

The redhead went to answer, but before he could say anything, the loud boy in white spoke. "Ah! You wish to know what all of our talents are! Then I shall tell you! I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass! Let's all work together on our educational crusade!" He stuck his hand out robotically, a big smile on his face. Sayaka and I looked at his hand, then at each other. After a moment, I took his hand. As soon as I had, he began to shake it vigorously. His grip was like titanium, and I had no hope of escaping it. He had a very commanding presence, like he was born to lead. I guess that's why he keeps being so loud. Then again, I've kind of been doing the same thing, so I guess I can't judge.

"Okay, Taka, I think you've done enough damage to her hand," the redhead said, grabbing his arm and ending the intense handshake. "Chill out a little bit." Then he turned to me and Sayaka. "Sorry about him. I'm pretty sure his lowest setting is 'intense.'"

Taka withdrew his hand, embarrassed. "Ah! My apologies! My intentions weren't to harm you!" He scratched the back of his neck, awkward. "Ah- I'll just go speak to some of the others now!" And he marched away towards some of the other students, head held high.

Well, now I feel kind of bad. "He didn't seem that bad, did he? He just got too excited, that's all."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure he's always like that. Gives off the vibe, ya know?" The redhead said, running a hand through his hair. "But that's not a bad thing. We'll just have to adjust." He grinned. "Guys like him always seem intimidating, but they're all bark and no bite."

"I hope you're right," Sayaka said, twirling a piece of her hair with her finger. Her eyes were going back and forth between the two boys. "I'm Sayaka Maizono, by the way. I'm the Ultimate Pop Sensation! What about you guys?"

The quieter boy spoke up. "Oh, my name's Makoto Naegi. And actually, I don't have a real talent. I just got accepted through a lottery as the Ultimate Lucky Student. I'm nowhere near you guys."

"And I'm Leon Kuwata," said the redhead, running a hand through his hair again, looking right at Sayaka. But Sayaka wasn't paying him any attention anymore, I realized. She was entirely focused on Makoto.

"Makoto...Naegi? You're Makoto Naegi?" She brought a hand to her face, covering her mouth. "Oh my gosh, I remember you! We both went to Blackroot Junior High! You were in class two, and I was in class four! Do you remember me?" She seemed delighted and moved right past me, grabbing at Makoto's hands. "Wow, I didn't think I was gonna see anyone I recognized here! I'm so lucky!" She started laughing, shaking their hands back and forth.

Makoto seemed shocked. "I just can't believe that you remember me! I mean, we never even spoke to each other!" But pretty soon he was laughing alongside her. Leon and I glanced at each other. The two of them had completely forgotten about us.

"Let's leave them to it," I said to Leon, and the two of us stepped away from them. Leon looked back at them, annoyed. "Damn, I can't believe they already knew each other! There go my chances..." He looked back at me, then grinned. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'm heartbroken."

"Save it, Leon. I'm not interested in men." I held up a hand. "Nice try though! I'm sure someone in here will fall for it if you just keep trying."

He laughed. "Yeah, fair enough," he said. Well, at least he takes no for an answer. That's a relief. Unfortunately, he kept talking. "I mean, it works out great for you, though. I mean, who better to get girls with than the Ultimate Chick Magnet, Leon Kuwata?" He flexed- I think. I mean, he struck a pose at least- and smirked at me.

"Wait, I'm sorry, did you just say that your talent is the Ultimate... Chick Magnet?" What would the criteria even be for that? More importantly, how would they track something like that?

He dropped his smile as soon as I mentioned his talent. "Uh, no, it's not my technical talent or anything. I mean, it doesn't really matter, but they accepted me as the Ultimate Baseball Star. But I'm leaving that life behind me, cuz I can't stand baseball! As soon as Hope's Peak accepted me, I quit it for good!"

I was shocked. He hates his own talent? "If you hate baseball, why even show up? I mean, I know you'll be set for life, but that's only if you practice your talent, right?"

"Yeah, I thought about that. So I figured, I'll just become the Ultimate at what I really love! So while I'm here, I'm gonna become the Ultimate Guitarist instead!" He started miming playing a guitar, laughing maniacally. "Besides, I'll pick up way more chicks with music than I ever could with baseball!"

So his main motivator is girls. Got it. "Well, good luck with that, Leon! I'd love to stay and chat, but I haven't met everyone yet, sooooo..." I started to inch away from him.

He looked up from his air guitar performance. "Yeah, sure. Later, Hina!" He whipped out a hand mirror and started checking his hair. Well, he's an egomaniac, but it could always be worse, I guess. I started to look for anyone I hadn't spoken to yet, but I was running out of options. I saw Sakura at the other end of the hall, staring at the ceiling. Maybe I can talk to her some more! Since our conversation got interrupted, of course.

I started to walk back over to her, but as I did, I thought I could hear a small, miserable voice. "Oh, of course, a-and she goes right over to anyone else, b-because I'm just chopped l-liver to these people." I stopped to look in the direction of the voice. It was a girl with long, brown, ankle-length braids and oversized round glasses that were falling off her face. As soon as she saw I was looking at her, she scowled. "Wh-what are you looking at? I-I didn't ask f-for your pity!"

She seemed really unpleasant. I remembered meeting girls like her over and over again, and all of them always got on my nerves. Like, if you want people to like you, maybe try actually being nice to them! Then people would want to talk to you, duh! But I knew that thinking like that would only feed into her complex, so I smiled and walked over. "Sorry, I didn't see you over here earlier! I've been trying to introduce myself to everyone, that's all. So, what's your name?"

She seemed surprised for a moment, then went right back to scowling. She refused to look me in the eyes. "W-well... not like you'll remember, but I'm... Toko F-Fukawa. Th-The Ultimate Wr-Writing Prodigy. Got that? I-I won't repeat it." She crossed her arms, then leaned back against the wall. "Now l-leave me alone."

Despite how rude her words were, I couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. Maybe she's just not used to being around a lot of people, I thought. Besides, the best thing you can do for girls like her is set an example and hope they reach out, right? So I smiled at her. "Toko, huh? What kinds of books do you write?"

She glared at me. "Romance novels, m-mostly," she forced out. "I'm an accomplished writer, s-so I only put out the best w-work that I can." She smirked at me, finally meeting my eyes. "Not like some airhead swimmer w-would understand the difference, r-right?"

I was shocked. I'll show her an airheaded swimmer! "Okay, that's crossing the line! You can act sorry for yourself all you want, but don't go putting me and other girls down to make yourself feel better, okay? I'm not gonna baby you! If you want people to notice you, maybe don't hide in a corner and talk shit! No one here is gonna fall for that!" And with that, I turned on my heel and walked away, ignoring the surprise on her face. If she wanted me to keep talking to her, then she shouldn't have insulted me like that!

"H-Hey! I-I didn't want you over here!" she yelled as I left, but I was done. I didn't turn around. "Fine! W-Walk away then! S-See if I care!" I knew it. You wanted someone to come pity you. Well, you can find someone else to be your pity party! I kept walking and found myself approaching a blond boy with thin glasses and a fancy suit. I kept walking towards him. "Hi! My name's-"

He held up a hand to stop me. "Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. Now go away. I have no energy to deal with commoners like you, or anyone else here, for that matter." He then began inspecting his nails, completely ignoring me.

"Well, hey! There's no need to be so rude!" I rolled my eyes. Guess I saved the worst ones for last. He glanced back at me.

"Oh, I see. You viewed that as some sort of insult. In reality, it's a mere statement of fact. Compared to me, you are, in fact, nothing more than a simple commoner, and I have no patience to speak with any of you at the moment. Now, run along and continue your little escapade. I believe you still have another classmate to haphazardly stumble upon." And he went right back to his nails.

This Byakuya guy was making me irrationally angry. I wanted to punch his stupid smug face in! But I wasn't about to lose my cool. I took a deep breath in, turned around, and let it out. I scanned the classroom, looking for the last student he'd mentioned, and found him. He was sitting down close by, rummaging through an orange backpack, muttering to himself, sweat running down his rounded face. I walked over and kneeled down to his level. "Hiya! Whatcha looking for?"

He didn't acknowledge me at first, continuing to rifle through his bag. When he finally looked up, he seemed reluctant to stop. "Our current situation has given me a genius idea for my latest creation, so I just had to mark it down immediately! I'm the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, you see, so my massive following is always waiting for the latest updates! But it's most peculiar..."

"Hm? What is?"

"You see, in order to jot down my ideas, I must put it in my E-pad. But it seems to have vanished from my backpack entirely!" He showed me the inside of his bag, revealing tons of papers and binders crammed together- but no E-pad. "It's a travesty! And not only that, my phone is missing! And my tablet as well!" He threw his backpack around his shoulders and began to sob. "How am I meant to continue sharing my content if I can't even reach my following? Oh, woe is me..."

Hm, his phone is missing? That's strange... I dug into my pocket to grab my own phone. Wh-? It's gone! "Um..."

The boy looked up. "Hifumi Yamada," he offered.

"Right, Hifumi. Well, I'd let you borrow mine, but it looks like mine's gone too." I stood up then, then called out to the rest of the class. "Hey, everyone! Does anyone have their phone on them?"

At first, there was a moment of confusion. Then silence as everyone checked their pockets. But one by one, everyone realized what Hifumi and I had.

"This isn't good! My phone is gone!"

"Hey, what happened to my phone?"

"My radio is gone as well."

"I-I didn't e-even have a phone."

"This is certainly not ideal."

I watched as everyone's panic started to rise again. I could feel my own worries starting to rise as well. Why are all of our phones missing? Does it have something to do with all of us passing out? What happened to the entrance? What happened to the windows? Why can't anyone remember-

"EVERYONE, PLEASE CALM DOWN AT ONCE!"

Everyone stopped. Standing in the center of the room was Taka.

"For now, worrying about our cellular devices won't do us any good! Besides, the rest of our luggage is gone as well, so perhaps our phones and other devices were simply taken to the rooms we will be staying in! Now, the best thing we can do is remain calm, stick together, and look for more information!"

He immediately took charge, organizing the class and giving everyone something to do. I felt my own worries starting to quiet down as he directed the class. Eventually, he came to me. "Hina, I'd like you to stay here and watch out for the rest of the class and keep everyone calm. Can you do that for me?" He grinned at me. He was clearly comfortable in his role. But before I could answer, we all heard a new voice.

"A-hem! Testing, testing! One, two! Am I on? Great!"

The voice was coming from a speaker above us. We looked up and saw a screen that was built into the wall, displaying some sort of odd shape. The voice coming from the speaker was high-pitched and playful, and yet, it felt malicious, like there was some hidden intent behind its words.

"Now, to all of our new students, I'd like to begin the entrance ceremony at... right now! Please head to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience! All of your questions will be answered there!" And with that, the screen switched off, leaving us all confused and worried yet again.