"Wanna sneak into Hope's Peak again?" School had just ended and Seijo wasted no time asking Hajime.

Said teen turned towards Seijo with raised eyebrows. Did he seriously just say that out loud? Again? Right after class? "Seriously dude?"

His headphone wearing friend shrugged. "What? It's not like anyone important is listening." He then turned and gave his classmates-who were obviously listening-a cheeky wave, which just pissed them off. "I got a couple more disguises we can use, but you have to be the one to get us in. Think of it as another test!"

*Slam!

Hajime opened his mouth to respond, but right as he did a certain green haired classmate slammed her hands onto his desk. "Oh no, you aren't going in there again, no way! I don't want either of you to cause any trouble for Hope's Peak, because then it might trouble Mahiru!"

Natsumi was the next to arrive, with her eagerly nodding her head. "Exactly! I won't let either of you idiots mess with my brother!"

Seijo and Hajime glanced at each other, already having the same idea. "You two could come with us?" They proposed.

"We're in!" Both girls immediately exclaimed.

Seijo checked his wallet and grumbled, "You guys are gonna bleed me dry, I only have so much money…"

Natsumi turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You have an heir to the biggest Yakuza in Japan right in front of you and you're worried about money? Or disguises as a whole?"

Seijo simply raised an eyebrow back. "I'm not gonna beg for cash, or make anyone who doesn't want to spend the money help me." He leaned back in his chair and said, "If you want to help me, cool, we can go out together and get what we need. But I refuse to simply sit back and ride the coattails of others, friends or not."

Natsumi smirked and pulled out some kind of card. "I knew you'd say that." She then grabbed Seijo by the arm and pulled him out of his seat. "Let's hurry then. I know the perfect place for raw materials and clothes. You have ideas on what you want?"

Seijo allowed it and the two of them began to walk off, "Yeah, I have a few ideas. I was thinking of the Ultimate Paparazzi…"

Their voices trailed off, and Hajime and Sato were alone. Said girl turned towards Hajime and asked, "What did he mean by a test? You trying to become a criminal to something?"

Hajime hummed and idly thought if he was allowed to tell anyone, but then realized that he was the one trying to get a talent, he had to ability to tell anyone he wanted. "Yeah, I'm trying to become the Ultimate Thief. Seijo and I have been practicing my stealth and stealing for the last week or so."

Sato, in turn, looked genuinely surprised. "Wait, seriously? You're trying to become an Ultimate?!" When Hajime just nodded, Sato gained a look of frustration and yelled, "Just give it up Hajime! It won't work out, trust me! You're just going to fail!"

The old Hajime, the one on the first day of school, might have been bothered by Sato's words, but the Hajime of the present simply accepted what Sato's said and countered, "Maybe, but I have to try. I would rather try to achieve my dream rather than just sit here and wonder what could've been. Wouldn't you?"

She looked like she bit a lemon, but instead of arguing more, she just heaved a sigh and collapsed into her chair. "Alright, I can see that you won't give up on this." She then raised an eyebrow and asked, "So? What's the plan?"

Hajime nodded. "See, last time we just walked right in, and no one knew the wiser. Instead, what if we went through some sort of back entrance? I was thinking…" The two brainstormed over Hajime's desk, making a plan, criticizing it, and debunking it for the next few hours, until they were kicked out by staff.

And thus, all the pieces began to fall into place once more. As Seijo walked with Natsumi, he couldn't help but smile. He needed to interact with the Ultimates more, and sneaking into Hope's Peak was the only way he could do that, at the moment anyways. He knew eventually he would gain access to the place, sooner or later, but he needed to speed up the process. So, sneaking in was the best bet. Plus, it was also a way to keep Hajime dedicated to becoming an actual Ultimate so that he wouldn't accept the Project's proposition.

Yes, everything was falling into place once more. He was playing with fire, sneaking into Hope's Peak again, but he learned from his previous experience with the building and it's inhabitants, so he was more ready than ever. Besides, he didn't have the time to take things slow, he only had at most a year. Playing with fire indeed… but the potential success was worth everything.

"Hey idiot, you coming or what?"

Natsumi snapped him out of his inner monologue, and the boy smiled and caught up. "Sorry, I was just thinking about what everyone should wear." He glanced up at the super expensive clothing store and turned to Natsumi. "Is this really okay?"

She smirked, "Of course it is! Now hurry up, we got disguises to make!"

He smiled. "Right. Let's do this."

"How do you all four of you know you're all gonna be sick tomorrow? At the same time?" The next day, the four Reserve Course students handed in sick forms, and their teacher was giving them a scrutinizing look.

Seijo asked, "Be honest Teach: do you get paid enough to care?"

Their teacher stared at the four of them for a few seconds before shrugging. "Nope. I can barely afford rent, so I won't question it. Just..." He paused, looking for the right words, "...Just make sure none of whatever you four are doing links back to me. I really don't have the cash to get sued."

Seijo nodded. "You got it!"

With that, their plan was officially in action! Seijo turned to his three friends and declared, "Operation: Stealthy Students is a go!"

All three cringed at the title. Hajime was the first to speak up, "Seriously? You couldn't come up with anything better?"

Seijo shrugged. "Eh, not really. Unless you guys have a better title, we're going with Sneaky Student."

Hajime proposed, "Operation: Hope Finder?"

Sato muttered, "Operation: Infiltration."

Natsumi shrugged. "I literally couldn't care less."

Seijo took in all suggestions and nodded. "Very well, we'll rename our plan to…!"

"Operation: I Literally Couldn't Care Less is a go!"

"I am going to kill you, Kajiya."

The four had met up the next day and were all standing at the entrance to the Reserve Course section of the campus, as per Hajime's request. Said boy clapped his hands to grab his three friend's attention. "All right, Operation Whatever is starting right now. Instead of immediately dressing up in our disguises and then entering the campus, we'll go through the Reserve Course area in our uniforms first, and then in place with low security we'll all dress up in our disguises, brought to you all by Seijo and Natsumi."

Said girl quirked an eyebrow and asked, "And where will we be changing? We can't be caught by anyone from the Reserve Course because we said we'll be absent, and we can't go to the Main Building because we aren't Ultimates." She then narrowed her eyes, "And I'm not changing outside."

Hajime nodded and explained, "That's why we'll be going to the Old Main Building that's on the northern side of campus. It's pretty likely that it's abandoned, or has very little security. We sneak in there, change, and then we sneak into the Main Building."

Seijo raised his hand and asked, "Alright, but how will we get into the Main Building?"

Hajime smirked and pulled out his phone. "I texted Chiaki to see if she could leave a certain window unlocked near the back of the school."

Natsumi and Seijo looked surprised, but Sato simply smirked. She was the one who proposed that specific idea. After all, if you had inside help, why not use it?

Hajime finished with, "But we still have to make sure we don't get spotted on the way to the Old Building, as well as on our way to the Main Building. Security is still a problem, especially since the head guard most likely reinforced it since the first time."

Seijo nodded, "Which is why we each have our own disguises." He nodded at the four duffle bags in his hands. "None of them are marked with anything, so if someone stumbles upon them, they wouldn't know who they belonged to." He then gave out the bags to each of his friends. "I already double checked which one goes to who, so there's no worry about getting mixed up." He gave one to Sato, one to Natsumi, and one to Hajime. "Also, I would like to make a proposal: the Old Building has five floors, so we should each change on different floors and meet up near the entrance once we're all done. That way, the chances of our stuff being spotted in the first place would be a lot lower than if we had them all together. After all, our Reserve Course clothes will still be in the bags after we change, and if someone saw four bags filled with clothes from the non-Ultimates, they would most likely get an idea of what's happening. Especially after last time."

Hajime nodded, "Yeah, that's fine. Are there any other questions?"

Sato spoke up and asked, "So, what's the point of this anyways? Why are we sneaking in?"

Seijo shrugged. "Felt like it. I just want a good layout of the building, and maybe interact with a couple students. Once we're inside, you guys can do whatever you want, really." The girls seemed to be satisfied with that answer, and Seijo continued, "If anything, we could split up too. There's no real reason to stay together, right?"

The other three nodded in agreement, and Hajime cleared his throat. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

"Yeah!"

Thankfully, sneaking across campus into the Old School Building was incredibly easy. As Hajime thought, security was lax everywhere except for the Main Building, so the four Reserve Course students managed to get to their changing rooms with ease. The problem was…

"Seijo, what the hell is this?!"

The costumes.

All four students looked incredibly different from their normal looks, and Sato (and Hajime himself) weren't very excited at what they were wearing.

The first one was Seijo. A bright yellow construction hat, a white dust mask, a bright orange and green vest covering a dirty white shirt with equally dirty blue jeans, a pair of leather gloves, and finally, a pair of work boots. The man messed with the brown tool belt on his waist (with a wrench, a screwdriver, a hammer, and a sack filled with nails on it) and asked, "What? It's your disguise."

Sato growled. "I look ridiculous!" Said girl's hair was covered with a black wig, which was extremely curly and reached her mid-back. She had a ginormous pair of sunglasses that covered her eyes and most of her forehead, and her normally naked mouth was covered in the most garish pink lipstick Hajime ever saw. Her outfit was just as… interesting, with it being a black long-sleeve shirt, an olive green over coat, a pair of white skinny jeans, and black sneakers. What really stood out though was the comically large camera that hung around her neck. "I look like a stalker!"

Seijo raised an eyebrow, and his now icy-blue eyes filled with mirth. "Well, you're dressed like the Ultimate Paparazzi, so that was the intention..."

"WHAT?!"

The yakuza of the group huffed,"Oh calm your tits, it's not like you don't fit that title normally." Hajime turned his gaze towards Natsumi, who was also in her new outfit. The girl had her hair in a high ponytail, with a yellow hair tie keeping it in place. Moving to her face, she had red eyes instead of green, her permanent blush was gone with black smudges of paint replacing it, and she had a bandage under her left eye. Moving on to her actual outfit, she had wore a light orange crop-top, which was also stained with black marks, a tan belt covered in pouches, a pair of sweatpants, and black sneakers. "At least you get to have everything covered. Why do I have to wear a crop-top again?"

Seijo shrugged. "It was something that Natsumi Kuzuryu would never wear, so I picked it. Besides, I think it makes you look more like an Ultimate Prankster with. The less clothes, the easier it is to run from the scene of the crime." The girl shrugged, apparently indifferent to the amount of skin being shown.

Finally, Hajime looked at himself. "Is that why I'm dressed like a robber?" It was simple, but told so much. A blue ski mask with a matching three piece suit and black dress shoes, a white undershirt, black gloves over his hands, and finally, a white and gold watch on his left wrist with a… duck symbol in the middle?

Seijo shook his head. "Please, as if a robber would look as fancy. You're the Ultimate Spy!" Then, he started making...noises. "Maah. Mamama! Hey ho! Yes! No. Hum!"

Hajime raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Seijo stopped and said, "I'm changing my voice. I've always wanted to do an impersonation!" He cleared his throat once more and continued. "Mah. Mmm. Hmm. Yes. Yes! YES!" Incredibly, it worked. His voice lowered an octave, and it became rougher, like his throat was covered in sandpaper.

Hajime was impressed. "Wow. Never knew you could do that."

The man raised an eyebrow and asked, "Whaddya mean, buddy? This is how I've always sounded. Hmm, right!" Even his accent changed!

Sato was not amused. "If you think I'm going to such lengths, then you're stupid." Natsumi nodded behind her.

Seijo guffawed. "Nah, y'all ain't gotta do that. Just Hajime an' I! After all, everyone's already heard our voices!"

Both girls cringed at the way he was talking, but Hajime was intrigued. "I guess that makes sense. But I don't know how to change my voice like you do."

Seijo shrugged. "Just go an octave higher or lower, and work around that as your normal voice. Like playing a song in a lower or higher key. That's about all the advice I can give ya."

Hajime nodded and began to think. He was a spy, and spies in movies always sounded charming and suave. Maybe lower his voice? "Hmmm… How do I sound?" He lowered his voice a little. "How do I sound?" A little lower. "How do I sound?"

His fake construction friend nodded. "That's good, now just relax your throat. After that, just try to use fancy words, I s'pose."

Hajime did as instructed and hummed. "Fancy? I must admit my confusion, my companion. What ever could you mean?" He gave the rest of the group a cheeky grin.

Sato looked mildly impressed while Natsumi simply rolled her eyes. "You sound like a perv."

Seijo chuckled, "Why, don't all fancy people sound like that?" He shook his head and his smile left. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. I dunno what y'all are expecting, but be prepared to run if y'all think you're in trouble. If we stick together, we should split up once things go south so that we won't all get caught." He smiled once more. "Should be simple for folks like us. We got this in the bag." He clapped and asked, "Alright, now how 'bout some names? We need some new ones if we don't wanna get in trouble again. I'll go first: I'm… Shuri Okutski! Ultimate Construction Worker!"

Hajime pondered for a minute. He didn't want to spend more time than needed, so… "Supai Kazuya. Ultimate Spy."

Sato sighed, muttering, "Sutoka Hisegawa… Ultimate… ugh, Ultimate Paparazzi..."

Natsumi giggled. "People call me Mondai, Ultimate Prankster."

Seijo took a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I'm Shuri. Hajime is Supai. Sato is Sutoka, and finally, Natsumi is Mondai." After a moment, Seijo deflated and grumbled, "Aw heck, I suck at names. How the hell am I gonna remember four fake ones…?"

Hajime huffed in amusement, and then began to walk towards the Main Building. "Well, now that everything has been settled, shall we begin our brand new adventure?" When his three friends nodded, Hajime grinned. "Good. Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin!"

Hajime lead his three fellow Reserve Course students through the campus expertly, dodging and hiding from any official looking person along the way. He expected it to be a lot harder than it actually was, as Sato, Natsumi, and Seijo followed his every word to a T and were silent the entire journey. Even when a security guard was right outside the bush the four of them were hiding in, no one made a single peep.

So, despite the security, the four managed to find their window. Hajime took a quick look around to see if there was anyone nearby before he grabbed the window and pulled. Just like Chiaki said, it was unlocked and the pane opened with zero resistance.

As fast as he could, he hopped inside. He took a glance of his surroundings, satisfied that there wasn't anyone around, and signaled his fellow criminals to hop inside. Immediately Seijo hopped over, just as silent, but Natsumi and Sato both crashed into the ground when they entered, surprised at how high the window was from the ground.

All four froze, but after a moment of silence, relaxed. Apparently it wasn't as loud as they thought-

"You're Hajime, right?"

All four whirled to face the person who asked and came face to face with Chiaki Nanami. Hajime relaxed and nodded. "That is correct, in a way. But my name at the moment isn't, no." He gave a her a smile and dropped his accent. "Hey Chiaki. Thanks for helping us get in."

The girl was standing in the doorway of a room, smiling. "Of course! When you texted me that you wanted to sneak in again, I couldn't just say no! I really wanted to see you two again, and I think the rest of my class do too." She then peeked at the two girls behind the boys. "Who're these two?"

Seijo smiled. "The camera girl is Sato, Mahiru's friend. The yellow haired one is Natsumi, Fuyuhiko's younger sister."

Sato stood up and adjusted her sunglasses while muttering, "I thought we needed to stay undercover. What happened to that?"

Natsumi whacked Seijo over the head and yelled, "Yeah idiot, what gives?!"

Nursing his now aching head, he answered, "Chiaki is in on this plan as well. It wouldn't be a good show of trust to not tell her who we are and what we're doing. She's risking a lot to help us," (Was she really? Hajime honestly thought Ultimates could get away with anything, including letting several non-Ultimates into the main building.) "So it's only right to meet her half way and trust her."

Surprisingly, Natsumi was immediately pacified with the explanation. "Ah, that makes sense. It's like a drug deal: without trust, the entire situation falls apart."

Hajime didn't really like how that was the first example Natsumi gave, but Seijo either didn't care or ignored her remark entirely, since he turned towards the Ultimate Gamer, new voice in full effect. "Well, now that you're in on our plan, guess we should fill you in."

As Seijo explained everyone's new names and 'talents,' Hajime took a glance behind the girl and into the room she was in. He couldn't see much, but what he did see wasn't very surprising. A huge tv, an arcade cabinet (Gala Omega?), and a couple consoles were visible, as well as a poster on her wall, which looked to be of… "Solid Viper?"

"You know him?!" In a flash, Chiaki was right in front of Hajime. "He's one of my favorite protagonists of any games! Solid Viper is the epitome of cool, don't you think?!"

Before he could respond, Seijo spoke up. "Eh, I think I disagree. Personally I think Sky Cooper is cooler mahself."

She turned to Seijo and yelled, "You know about Sky Cooper Seijo?!"

The fake construction worker raised an eyebrow. "Seijo? Don't know anyone by that name. I'm Shuri! And of course I know him, my younger sister is obsessed with the fella! She bought every single game!" He turned to the side and grumbled, "With my paycheck, of course..."

Wow, Hajime almost felt bad, if he didn't know Seijo was an only child. "As the Ultimate Spy, I have spent countless hours observing many different archetypes of Spies myself! Solid Viper is a decent infiltrator, I must admit, but there are many better examples of an intruder." He turned towards his fellow fakers and stated, "Friends, I believe we have wasted enough time standing around chatting. Shall we explore Hope's Peak?"

The three nodded, and as they were leaving Chiaki asked, "Can I join you?" When everyone turned to her, she offered, "I can be your tour guide. Plus, if anything happens, I can vouch for you guys!"

Hajime was touched. "I must thank you, Chiaki. I'm sure no one is against this idea?" When he turned towards the others, he was relieved when no one objected. "Then lead the way, my friend."

She gave a lazy smile and took lead.

Today was a free day, so Kazuichi immediately went towards his Research Lab. He was behind on a few projects since Miss Yukizome adamantly refused to let anyone from Class 77-B leave for any reason. Got a stomachache? Well, Mikan was right there! Hungry? Teruteru could whip something up without leaving the room! Feeling restless? Nekomaru could do… something.

Whatever. Long story short, Kazuichi needed to get back to his Lab. He was commissioned by someone to make an extremely powerful engine for their car, and the boy wanted nothing more than to work on it.

So when Miss Yukizome declared that today was a "do whatever you want" day, Soda was one of the first to run out the classroom! He headed over to the Research Wing on the second floor, a smile on his face, when he saw that he wasn't alone.

In front of him was a group of four being led by none other than his Class President, Chiaki. He raised an eyebrow, but decided that they weren't worth it. He hadn't recognized any of the people surrounding his friend, but he trusted her. It wasn't like she was being led anywhere devious, right?

...Right?

…

He quickly ran over to the group with a smile. "Oh, hey Chiaki!"

The pink-haired girl finally noticed him and gave a small smile. "Hey Soda. What are you doing here?"

He pointed down the hall, stating, "Well, since Miss Yukizome decided to give us a day all to ourselves, I wanted to head to my Research Lab and work on one of my projects." He turned to the four strangers and asked, "Who're your friends?" Actually, now that he got a closer look, the two ladies were pretty cute…

The tallest one, a guy in a suit and mask, stepped forward. "It is a pleasure to meet a fellow Ultimate. I am the Ultimate Spy, Supai Kazuya."

The girl black-haired girl with a huge camera around her neck scoffed. "Are you sure you're a Spy, giving your name out that easily?" She stepped past him and offered a hand. "Sutoka Hisegawa, Ultimate Paparazzi. Say..." When he took her hand to shake it, she leaned forward a little, (totally not giving Soda a look down her shirt, not that he looked, right?! Right?!) "Got any good gossip around here? I could make it your while..."

Blushing a little, he couldn't do anything when the second girl (just as pretty, wow) walked up and pushed Sutoka off. "Oh please, as if he's interested in someone like you!" She gave him a cheeky grin and introduced, "People call me Mondai, Ultimate Prankster!" Her grin turned a bit sinister as she whispered, 'Don't get on my bad side, okay?"

Scary and cute?! God, Soda felt a whole whirlwind of emotions. Still blushing from the two ladies, he turned his attention to the guy with a hard hat. "Name's Shuri Okutski, Ultimate Construction Worker. It's nice meetin' you."

Kazuichi blinked. Could this be…? "Wait, Ultimate Construction Worker? That means you've worked on some good projects, right? Big buildings? Famous places?"

His fellow teen raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, got some work under ma' belt. My best work is probably keeping the Statue of Liberty clean, to be honest. I'm it's yearly stabilizer. Replace old screws, keep it functioning, make sure it doesn't fall apart, stuff like that."

This was perfect! "I'm Kazuichi Soda, Ultimate Mechanic! Hey, Shuri, mind coming with me for a minute? I've got a project that needs your help!"

The Worker looked surprised, but before he could say anything, Sutoka slapped Shuri on the back and exclaimed, "Of course he would! He's been gushing about the architecture of Hope's Peak since day one! I'm sure he's eager to see what a fellow Ultimate made!"

Soda missed Shuri's glare at the Ultimate Paparazzi and smiled. "Great!" Without hesitation he grabbed the Worker's arm and started dragging him away. "Come on, my Lab is just around the corner!"

Shuri himself still looked a little out of it, but gave a smile anyways. "S-sure thing, Kazuichi. Lead the way."

This was great! Right when he needed a new point of view, he stumbled onto one! "Sweet! Thanks man, you won't regret this!" He turned towards the group and waved. "Thanks for letting me borrow your friend guys!"

"Wow Sato, that was cruel." Hajime had to admit, he wasn't as surprised as he felt he should've been.

She smirked. "He had it coming for a while. And if he gets his cover blown…? Eh, too bad!"

As she cackled, Hajime turned to Chiaki and asked, "A free day, huh? So you can just do whatever you want?"

The Gamer nodded and explained, "Yeah, we get one at least once a week. Miss Yukizome said that while high school education is still important, our talents are the main reason why we're here. So, she gives us a day off so we can focus on our talents."

Natsumi asked, "Speaking of talents, what was that pink head talking about earlier? You guys have science labs for your talents?"

Chiaki shook her head. "The Research Labs are rooms created for a person's talent. It's essentially a room to further improve your talent. My Lab is filled to the brim with different kind of games, ranging from console, to PC, to arcade cabinets. Any and all types are games are in it."

Sato whistled, envy in her eyes. "Damn, sounds like the life." She looked down at herself and whispered, "I wish I had talent..." Silence took over the four for a moment. Realizing she had effectively ruined the mood, the "Ultimate" Paparazzi panicked. "I-It's just a passing thought! I-I didn't mean-! Sorry!" She frantically looked around and pointed out one of the windows. "W-What about that?!"

When Chiaki turned to look, there was a note of surprise in her voice. "Oh, that's..."

"Yer trynna do what?" As Seijo stared at Kazuichi, he lamented ever teasing Sato. Yeah, this was definitely karma coming back to bite him.

The Ultimate Mechanic nodded, the two of them in his Lab. "A company noticed my talent and decided to give me a chance. I didn't really trust them, but they gave me a great deal! They wanted me to make a 100% eco-friendly engine, and I'd get more money than ever before!" He gestured to the absolute monster of a machine that sat in the middle of his workshop and began to gloat. "This bad boy runs entirely on water, wind, and bio-fuel. It's strong enough to power a building with twenty stories all on it's own!" His proud grin turned to a frown. "I've been working on it in the background for a few years, but I think I finally did! There's a huge problem though, it's super heavy."

Seijo raised an eyebrow. "How heavy are we talkin'?"

He shrugged. "About 8 tons." He put his hand on the engine and explained, "The problem with this being super heavy is that the company wants to place it directly in the middle of their building, like on the tenth floor, so that the rest of the city can see it."

Oh God, 8 tons?! 16,000pounds (about 7200 kilograms)?! "Sorry to say this, but even some of the most structurally-sound buildings would struggle under that weight. The whole thing would have to get remade from the ground up if your contractors want it anything above ground level," he lied.

Kazuichi sighed, visibly upset. "Yeah, I know, but they asked me to do it!"

Hold on… they asked to him? "What was the request specifically? Did you even get a contract for it?"

The Mechanic raised an eyebrow. "Why would I need a contract? I do my job, they give me money. It's always been like that."

Always huh? "You've never signed a contract before? What about your last job? How much were you paid then?" Noticing Soda's apprehensive look, Seijo decided to explain. "Ya see, without contracts, people could very easily exploit you. You might be putting in too much effort for something that can barely keep yourself afloat." Seijo paused, trying to think of something. "For example, uh, my old company hired me when I was only ten years old, and because I didn't know any better, I was getting paid minimum wage for things that professionals couldn't even do." He lied, "I didn't realize I was getting tricked until about four years later, when I discussed wages with another company. How much did you say you were getting paid for this job?"

Appeased, Kazuichi shrugged. "About 600,000 yen."

Doing quick mental math, Seijo counted that as about five thousand American dollars. "...Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yep! This is a big project, so I'm getting much more than usual! Pretty sweet, huh?"

"...And what's the name of this company?"

"Eco Friends Imported. Some kind of 'nature-friendly' business that imports stuff that doesn't use oil or gas."

Seijo whipped out his phone and 'boogled' the company's net worth. "...8 BILLION revenue a year?! Buddy, you're getting ripped off!"

The smile slipped form his face. "Huh?"

"Look here: they're earning back what they're paying you in an hour!" He then turned towards the engine and cried, "Hell, I bet if you put this thing online, you'd get a couple million yen as the lowest offers! Fuckin' hell, you're worth more than pocket cash with your talent!"

Kazuichi blinked, a confused look on his face. "B-But… this is the biggest job I've ever had… This was supposed to be my big break…!"

Seijo looked at the lost kid, and an idea began to form in his mind. "Look, if you don't believe me, we can always ask for another opinion."

Suspicion crossed the mechanic's face. "Really? Who?"

Seijo felt himself smile.

The Steering Committee had another idea, it seemed. As Jin Kirigiri, Headmaster of Hope's Academy, read the latest proposition the Committee offered, he couldn't help but wonder if something was going on behind the scenes. Despite his reluctance, he learned some detective skills when he was a child.

Seriously, increasing the monthly price of the Reserve Course? Sure, the Committee were the ones who proposed the idea of the Reserve Course, and granted it was a great one, but there was a line between paying for a premium education and being wrung dry for every cent. Good people were paying top money for the education! To raise the cost of that education without giving anything back? It was needless extortion.

After giving the document another read, he decided that the idea was a poor one. Not only would it put further stress on the Reserve Course students and their families, it had a chance to destabilize the image Hope's Peak had: one where money was secondary and talent was first. He grabbed his 'DECLINED' stamp, pushed it into some red ink, and then slammed it firmly into the 'Approve or Decline' part of the document.

As he put the paper into the small paper holder on his left, there was a sharp knocking on his door. He paused. Did he have any meetings today? After a second of thinking, no, he realized, he didn't. Today was supposed to be a catch-up day, where he finally made progress through his huge stack of paperwork.

So, why the knocking? After taking another moment, he shrugged. "Come in." He needed a break from the tedious work anyways. Focusing back on the present, in walked two men, teenagers to be exact. The first he recognized immediately, Kazuichi Soda. The boy had his signature blue jumpsuit on and wore a confused yet nervous face. The other… wasn't an Ultimate. Jin knew every single Ultimate by face and name, and this boy wasn't one of them. Furthermore, he recognized the outfit, an American construction worker's uniform. That begged the question though, why was he wearing it in the middle of Japan of all places? "And what do I owe the pleasure to this surprise visit?"

Kazuichi opened his mouth but was cut off when the boy to his left stated, "Kazuichi is getting ripped off, but he doesn't believe it."

Jin blinked. "Well, that wasn't what I was expecting." His mind began to work as he leaned forward, his hands kneaded together. "Explain, please." And so the two kids said everything, and Jin had to admit, he was surprised once more when he found out just how badly Kazuichi was being treated. "I'm afraid I would have to agree with your friend, Kazuichi Soda. It seems like you've been tricked." An idea popped into his head, and Jin felt himself smile a little. "If you'd like, Hope's Peak wouldn't mind purchasing the engine."

The mechanic's face lit up, but once more his friend spoke first, a calculating look in his eye. "How much are ya offerin'?"

"One hundred million yen."

Kazuichi sputtered, but the boy next to him remained stone faced. "That's a little too low for his work. Four hundred million."

Jin felt his smile grow a little more. Seemed this kid had some backbone! "That's too much, even for Hope's Peak. One hundred fifty million."

The boy narrowed his gaze. "This engine that Kazuichi made can power an entire twenty-story building on it's own for decades. Three million."

"Two hundred million, no higher. Hope's Peak must still remain in business if we wish to use Soda's engine."

The 'construction worker' raised an eyebrow. "Fine, but only if my friend gets a personal favor from you."

A wave of intrigue flowed through him. "Oh?" He then turned his gaze back to the mechanic, who had been watching the interaction with a dumbfounded look on his face. "And what kind of favor would you like, Kazuichi Soda?"

The boy stammered, obviously caught flat-footed from the sudden attention. "W-what?! W-Well, uh..." He flailed his arms around as if he was physically pushing away their gazes. "I-I don't know! I'm honestly a little lost... are you sure this is okay?! I-I mean, that's… that's a lot of money! A-And and favor from you?! The Headmaster?! It's… I don't know!"

The boy at the mechanic's side laughed. "Ha! You can jus' ask for a favor later on! Like a debt! If you're in trouble in the future, you can ask him! You don't have to answer now, you know? If ya want, just hold on to it!"

Jin nodded in agreement. "It is as he says. Besides, if I didn't want to buy your engine, I wouldn't have offered any money at all."

Kazuichi absorbed the words before nodding. "A-Alright, I got it. It's just..." He sighed. "I've been an idiot, haven't I?"

His friend laughed once more. "Aww, don't worry 'bout that! All you can do is be better from now on!"

The mechanic gave a small huff. "I guess you're not wrong..."

Jin smiled. "Kazuichi, he's right. You must learn from the past if you truly wish to make a future for yourself." He felt a wave of nostalgia as he stated, "Trust in your friends when you cannot trust yourself. They will lead you to bigger and better heights." Oh, Suzu, if only she was still with him…

Jin took a moment to recollect himself. Pushing his memories back, he focused on the two students in front of him. "Now, is that all you two need from me? I'll have the contract for you in a couple days and we can finalize the details then. Is that fine?"

Kazuichi opened his mouth but shut it just as quick and turned towards his friend. "W-What do you think?"

He smiled. "I can't say. In the end, it's your project, not mine. If you think this is the right answer, go for it."

The mechanic teared up a bit. "Really? This isn't..." He paused. "This isn't some kind of joke? No tricks? I… I can… I can have it? The money?"

Jin nodded. "And a favor, whenever you need it."

Tears sprung from the corner of his eyes, but they didn't fall. "O-Of course I accept! I… This is more than I ever thought! I can't..." Once more, the look of pure disbelief was on his face. "This is reality, right?"

His fellow student grabbed the mechanic's shoulder with a warm smile. "You've earned it buddy. You poured your blood, sweat, and tears into your engine, and now it'll be used by the best academy in the world. You did good!"

Kazuichi hung his head, tears finally falling. "T-thank you…! Thank you both, so much..!" Without another word, he turned around and ran out of the room, emotions finally overtaking the kid.

The other student chuckled. "Heh, good kid." He turned towards the Headmaster, a warm smile on his face. "Thank you for this, Headmaster Kirigiri. This means a lot, to both of us."

Jin smiled, but not because of the words the teen in front of him said. "I'm sure it does, Seijo Kajiya." He immediately saw the teen tense. "Why don't you take a seat?"

The boy did so, albeit it reluctantly. "Guess I got a little too cocky, huh?" Jin noticed the boy's voice wasn't as deep or gravelly as before. "As expected of a Kirigiri."

The Headmaster felt himself smile, but it lacked any real warmth. "Would you mind telling me why a Reserve Course student is sneaking around the Main Course building? And before you try anything..." Jin tapped on his desk. "There's a button underneath here that sounds a silent alarm. Should you lie or displease me in any way, I will not hesitate to call the authorities."

Instead of the fear or worry he expected, Seijo barked out a laugh. "HA! Yeah, guess I really did bite off more than I could chew!" In an instant, all levity dropped from his face, and in it's place was a mask of indifference. "Alright then. Let's talk."

AN: A little shorter than planned, but chapter five has ended! I didn't initially plan anyone helping Hajime in, but then I realized: why not? Criminals get inside help all the time, why wouldn't the Ultimate Thief? And then once Chiaki came into the picture I began to think about who from Class 77-B would love the Ultimate Construction Worker, and Soda immediately came to mind, next thing I know I suddenly have a way to progress the plot! How convenient!

Onto to other things: Sorry for the wait guys. However, I haven't been doing nothing this entire time I've been gone. In fact, I've been busier than ever! A mix between college, looking for a job, and setting up a very special something, I barely had the time to even think!

And thus, here is the very special announcement: I have an original story now! "Fate Fixers" on is live! It's essentially a story about other original stories! Concepts that I think of, characters that I would like to use, and more! If you're interested, you can find it under my name on FictionPress! (TheOneAndOnlyBanana)

I also have a couple other things in the works, but due to real life getting in the way, I can't announce them just yet (these announcements were the main reason why there hasn't been any updates lately, sorry!), but just know that a couple other things are in the works.

Finally, thank you all for your patience and continued support! If you like the story, please Follow, Favorite, or write a review! They keep me going!

Thanks for reading, and have a good one!