It wasn't that hard to remember it. Some of the details left her, but she could recall the more important parts of that day.

Chiaki was out, as usual, checking out the local arcade, seeing and trying out most of the new cabinets that came out. She won't be lying if she said she had some fun there; sure, it's just her spending long hours in there, and aside from curious passersby, no one made ways to talk to her. Likewise, she did the same.

The cabinet beeped out the game's victory jingle. She slumped back. She beat her high score again. It's a little bit lower than what she usually aims for, however. Still, that's fine; it was sort of fun, and that's what mattered the most.

She checked the windows out and saw that the skies have already turned orange. Not the first time it happened to her; if anything, it happened so frequently, she might've lost track of how many times she stayed there until one of the employees still around would kindly ask her to leave.

But then again, when those times happened, the skies would've been pitch black. She can guess this is a slight improvement over that.

She got her bag over her shoulder. She decided; she should end things off a bit earlier than she would've had. After saying her thanks and goodbyes, she went off.

Her mother's still going to be slightly disappointed over this, she realized that, but it's a bit better than what might've happened instead.

Eyes remained glued on the pavements. Car engines and all sorts of distractions from other people tuned to easily-ignored background noise in her ears.

The lights went red. She stopped, blending in with a small group of people that also waited for the lights to back to green. Out of habit, she lifted her head a bit, to try and take a peek on the other side of the road. From that side, there was a group of high school girls. Judging by their uniforms, they're from a different school.

It's too far to properly hear what they're saying, but judging by their faces and gestures, they playfully bantered against each other.

Although one of them looked a bit annoyed by where their conversation is going, it's easy to see that they're all really happy being with each other.

The lights went green.

The small group broke apart as quickly as it'd formed moments ago. While everyone else went their ways, she took a shortcut she knew that'd eventually lead to her residence. It's always been just her when it came to walking home. She's alright with that, actually; her life's always been this way.

She's used to it.

Before she knew it, her house came into view. She went through the gates, knocked on the front door. The door creaked a bit as she slid it open. "I'm home." She announced as she got inside the house, and took her shoes off.

Her parents were busy as usual, or at least she thought they were; they're probably in the living room. She was about to head straight to her room. She wasn't expecting a reply to come her way.

A strict voice she knew all too well made its way to her. "We need to talk." Her mother told her as she came into view. Because the older woman was still wearing an apron, she must've been in the middle of preparing dinner from the kitchen.

Bracing herself for impact, Chiaki bowed her head down. She admitted, "I know. I came home late again."

Her mother shook her head in reply to that. "You indeed have, although it was quite earlier than how it usually is." She gestured her to come over at the dining table. "With that said, that's not what I wanted to talk with you about."

She didn't have a good feeling about this. Her grades weren't as high as her parents hoped, but they weren't a complete failure either; they're just average.

When she got herself seated at the table, she saw her father was there as well. His face was a bit softer than it usually was. Once her mother joined in, Chiaki will say this to herself; this was starting to become a surreal experience. She can't remember the last time everyone sat at the same table at the same time.

Her father glanced over her.

Her mother cleared her throat. "Starting next month, you'll be attending Hope's Peak Academy's reserve course batch."

The moment those words came out, her mind temporarily went blank. 'I…What?' She tried to rehear what her mother just said, doing it again a few more times in her mind. But, the more she repeated it, the less sense it made.

"Doesn't that sound wonderful?" Her father broke the silence. An unusual smile was on his face as he said. "It isn't a big guarantee that everyone who applied will manage to make it in there, so imagine how happy your mother and I were when we heard they accepted you."

It didn't sound right. Facing the table was starting to be a lot more comfortable than facing her parents back; she mentally kicked herself over for thinking of something as rude as that. "But, isn't there a tough entrance exam before that? I don't know if I can pass through that."

She glumly added in her mind, 'I've heard that the reserve course's entrance exam felt like it was targeted towards college students, instead of graduates who were just starting with high school.'

"You don't have to worry about the entrance exam." Her father reassured with a gentler tone she never heard so often. "I'm sure you'll do just fine there."

Her mother spoke up once again. "Remember, we're doing this for your future. You can't waste your life away in those childish games of yours." She palmed her face. "I can only hope you won't waste this opportunity granted to you."

"I…" It was getting harder to say anything back against them. Before this, she always nodded off to whatever they wanted her to do.

Both her parents looked at her with such expectancy she always saw them had before.

She never said anything that went against them. She couldn't do anything like that after all. And so, she resigned herself to the decision they already made for her. "I promise I won't."

"That's good to hear." Was what her mother said. "There's no better way to secure your future other than graduating from Hope's Peak."

As for her father, he added, "I'm glad you can see where we're coming from. You know that we only want what's best for you."

While her parents talked over that subject, she went back to reflect on their decision. She still had a hard time believing it. Someone like her was going to attend a school as famous as Hope's Peak? While it's true she's not going there as an Ultimate student, even attending there as a reserve course student isn't something to brush over.

The tuition was quite expensive, or so she'd heard. Paying it wasn't the problem, her family was well-off in the first place; it's just that, she's not sure if she can make it even halfway through the school year.

'Maybe it won't be so bad,' A small, more hopeful part within here voiced out, 'The reserve course will help their students find their potential, right? Maybe then, you can be just like the heroes from your video games.'

By the time her first month came and went by faster than she thought it would've, Chiaki never realized just how off her expectations were.

The first time she went over to the reserve course building, she won't be lying if she said that the size of it made her eyes squint a bit. For a place that's supposed to house ordinary students like her, it was a lot bigger than she thought it'd be.

It'd reasonable for her to assume that if the reserve course building was that big, then the main building would dwarf over it in comparison.

And if the rumors were true, then the school was also planning to build another, much bigger building for the Ultimates to stay in this year.

Chiaki darkly wonders if that's the true reason why the reserve course's tuition was so high, even by rich folks' standards. It sounded like a ridiculous conspiracy, but if this was set in a fictional setting, then that kind of scenario wouldn't sound that far off. It would've been the perfect setting for a high-stake mystery game.

But, she doesn't live in that kind of setting. She lives in this old, plain, and average reality and so, something like that couldn't happen here.

Even if it did, it wouldn't be a fun scenario to live in, unlike the way that kind of idea would've been idealized or even romanticized as.

About her classes, well, it's the usual kind of classes she'd see in every normal high school; she didn't see any point in thinking about it any further than she had to. The only difference between the reserve course classes and the ordinary classes is that their subjects are a lot more advanced. If it wasn't aimed towards senior high school students, then it's aimed towards fourth-year college students.

It's only natural she'd end up dozing off a few times when those topics fly pass by her.

Yeah, their teacher isn't exactly happy about that.

She lost count on how many times a piece of chalk was sent flying to her head in the span of a few weeks or so, and the reason those tend to happen so often was because she gets ended up getting caught for that. Once she wakes up with a sharp jolt of pain on the side of her head, she'd hear some giggles behind her.

When it came to those quick chalk shots, the most she can say she was that she's sort of developed immunity against it. To be more specific, she never really notices when a small piece of chalk hits her in the head anymore; at least, not until she sees it fall off in front of her. Sometimes, the sharp pain she'd normally feel from that didn't even register in her anymore, and in the case it did, it tended to be a really, really late reaction.

She'll admit that at first, it was funny to see her teacher get infuriated about it. It ended up becoming less funny when he started to send her outside to the hallways instead, and her peers snickered about that. Since then, she's forced herself to let her drowsy habits die off slowly and painfully.

She hasn't fallen asleep during class as frequently as before, although, that didn't stop her from yawning now and then instead. It's not her fault that these kinds of things happen.

When the first week of May came in, she got herself used to the class' gloomy atmosphere. The teacher tended to drone on their lessons. She heard all sorts of whispers and curses from her classmates who cried about how the school isn't fair to them.

'I can see where they're coming from. It's just that, I don't know if there's anything we can do about it.'

After the first half of another normal day came by, she didn't expect something like this to happen. For one, one of the staff members came up to her after their first period was over, and right before lunch break had started. For two, that same staff member asked for her to come by to the staff's office.

Without even questioning the reason why, she got up with her belongings and followed them to the office. At first, she thought that maybe her teacher finally got fed up with her, and now he's asking for the other staff members to deal with her as soon as possible.

It's not like it was the first time it happened to her, anyway.

So, imagine her surprise when it turns out that it wasn't the case at all. Chiaki gets herself comfortably seated in front of a group of well-dressed old men. If she's to guess from what little she'd heard of them, these men are the members of Hope's Peak Academy's Steering Committee.

The shortest, and arguably the oldest member, speaks to her first. "So, Chiaki Nanami, was it?" Nobu Mizushima is his name if she read about them correctly.

"That's me."

Mr. Mizushima clasps his hands together. A glint is present in his normally dark glasses as he asks her, "Would you be interested to participate in the Hope Cultivation Program?"

Her heart nearly stopped over when she hears that. "The Hope Cultivation Program?"

The elderly man nods. "Yes. You've heard that correctly. I believe you've heard about it before, is that right?"

She bites the inner part of her cheek. The truth was, she did hear snippets about that particular program before, mostly from her classmates. Apparently, in this program, the members of the Steering Committee would personally handpick potential volunteers themselves, and once approved by the headmaster, would then be screened to become a potential Ultimate student.

It sounds too good to be true.

"In a way." She admits. From other similar sources she's heard of, other reserve course students have already signed up for that, but they're still accepting volunteers.

"Then I take the program sounds rather intriguing to you, then?"

She shrugs. "Maybe."

"In that case," The old man slides a bunch of papers in front of her. "Would you like to start your application for it? I can assure you that by the end of the program, you'd make for a fine Ultimate student. How does that sound to you?"

Mr. Mizushima flashes a smile to her. He must've thought it made him look more charming or something like that.

In any case, something in her stirs. It sounded so tempting, but…

"Nanami?"

She snaps back to reality. "I…" She lightly bows her head. "If it's okay with you, please let me think more about it. I don't know if I can decide right here and right now."

Though the old man's voice remains pleasant, his smile drops somewhat. "That's alright. Take as much time as you need before you make that decision." Mr. Mizushima reassures, his gravelly voice tingling with the usual pleasantries despite his neutral-looking face. "It's understandable. I'm sure you feel like it's a rather big decision to make, especially for someone of your age."

She nods off. "I guess so."

To close it off, the old man adds, "If it'll help ease any further worries in your mind, we'll contact your parents about the program. Perhaps with their permission, you'd be more considerate about it."

"We shouldn't keep you around any longer." A man with bald, graying hair, and a beard interjects. He narrows his eyes before adding, "Perhaps you should go and take your break right now."

Chiaki replies with a simple, "Alright." and stands up from her seat. Before she leaves, someone else comes up.

"If you're still interested in the program," Another member speaks up; this time, it's the round member with a bob cut. His name is Shouhei Minami. "Then don't hesitate to let us know immediately. You know you shouldn't let your potential go to waste."

She doesn't bother to look back at them as she answers, "I'll try to keep that in mind."

She leaves there as quickly as she could; she didn't care for the weird stares the other Ultimate students passed to her. She went back to outside of the reserve course's building. She breathes in and breathes out.

Chiaki tries not to think about the program too much. No one she knew saw her, right? She didn't want to imagine what'd happen if the others heard about what happened moments ago.

She shakes her head free of those uncomfortable thoughts. To keep herself from thinking any more of those, she pulls her pink GGA out of her bag and boots it on. For obvious reasons, she wouldn't be able to use them in class; this is one of the few moments she grew to take care of.

A wave of relief goes over her when she heard the nostalgic, beeping main theme of Gala Omega. She lets a small smile take over her as she started to shoot at enemy AIs in-game.

Some time pass. Even with her attention focused on the game as its retro sound effects fill up her ears, more of those thoughts come creeping up within her.

The voices of her former peers rear back up, accompanying those unpleasant thoughts.

"You're just trying to compensate for a talent you don't have."

"I can't believe these parents thought that it'd a good idea to buy their kids' way in Hope's Peak."

"Huh, you got all the good stuff. It must be nice being rich..."

Maybe her old classmates were right. Maybe someone like her just isn't cut for this kind of school. Maybe this was all a mistake.

Her parents wouldn't be happy if they ever heard this from her, but honestly, she feels like she's starting to regret coming here—

And then, she bumps into something. Or rather, she realizes as she looks up and her eyes meet with green ones, someone.

In the real world, the first day of semester break has already passed a week ago.

Chiaki closes her eyes with a soft sigh. She really should get up and start the day, but as each second passed by, it's probably just her, but it feels like it's starting to get a little harder to want to do that. It might not be the ideal way to spend the rest of her time here, but the idea of doing nothing but laying there and sprawled all over the bed was starting to get very comfortable real fast.

Huh, her mind's wandering off again. She was thinking of something else earlier.

It was that odd little encounter. That day was also the first time she met Hajime; it happened from way back in the first semester, and yet, she still remembers every detail clearly, as if it happened only moments ago.

When Hajime told her he'd see her again tomorrow, she told herself not to get her hopes up back then. That kind of reminder remained constantly in her mind, even as she patiently waited for him at the public bench.

But then, no matter how much she tried to keep her expectations down, pretty soon it soon got harder to not raise them instead.

For the first time in her life, someone waved back at her. That alone was almost unbelievable.

Minutes pass, and before she knew it, she finds herself sitting upright on her bed. A yawn leaves her. Her previously scattered mind is starting to rearrange itself back to something slightly more cohesive again.

She checks over the desk from the side of her bed. She inwardly groans at herself; the stacks of textbooks hasn't lessened a bit, and if anything, it looked like the stacks got taller instead.

Maybe putting all of those assignments off last week wasn't a good idea. Oh well, she'll make some time for it later. Or tomorrow. She'll manage somehow.

After much deliberation, she officially gets herself off of the bed, gets herself prepared and dressed, and then went straight back to that bed.

A ding comes from her phone. Out of curiosity, she grabs it and sees a text from Hajime.

Hey Chiaki, how're you doing out there?

Wait, I'm not bothering you too early, am I?

As she reads it over, she suddenly remembers that he told her he'd be going out on a summer trip with his classmates last week. He invited her over, and she politely declined. Don't get her wrong, she'd love to join in. It's just that, well, she doesn't know what his classmates would think of her, and so, she played it safe.

Her fingers deftly taps over the keypads as she sent her reply.

Doing fine. Still trying to catch up somehow.

And no, you're not bothering me at all, really.

Several seconds pass by before she receives a reply from him. She immediately went over that one too.

Great to hear that.

A beat passes and before she knew it, her friend follows it up with another message.

The part with you doing fine, I mean. I still remember
how much summer homework sucked.

Chiaki lets herself lightly laugh at that. Just a little bit. Although she feels a little envious that Ultimates don't get saddled with those kinds of schoolwork, in a way, she's glad that there won't be any unnecessary stress for him.

I can tell you that they still do. Good thing you
won't be experiencing those kinds of stuff anymore.

Are you having fun with everyone there?

Once it's been sent, she wonders if she sounded too clingy with that. 'I mean, he's at the beach with his class. And it isn't just any normal beach; it's a special one that's been reserved just for them.' Her eyes glaze over the text.

Seconds went, and his reply come in.

Yeah, I think I can say so.

Right now, two of my classmates are sparring
against each other.
Sonia and Pekoyama, to be exact. Winner gets
to have a petting session with Kaz's pets.

As you can probably imagine, the stakes are
high for those two.

Everyone's already gathered around to watch
them. And yeah, I'm with them too. I got a little
curious.

Well, that's new. From what sorts of stories he told her often, she had a good idea about how crazy his class can be, even by Ultimate standards. It should've sound surprising, but when others look at some of their talents, it's bound to happen at some point.

Are you betting on anyone in particular?

I don't do bets. But in this case, I think the winner's
kind of obvious when you analyze their talents and
their backgrounds.

Kaz is going to disagree with me, but Pekoyama's
having this.

When Hajime puts it that way, that did make sense. Although she never met any of them in person, she can guess that the bodyguard's tougher background would give her an edge over a swordswoman who does it as a hobby. Of course, that doesn't mean she should be underestimated. Sonia did earn the Ultimate title for a reason.

As he predicted, Pekoyama did end up winning the mock fight. He told her in complete detail on how happy the bodyguard was when she snuggled over the two rodents, even if her face isn't showing.

An hour passed that afternoon; both of them were already done with their lunch breaks by then.

In that time, their new conversation devolved into a lot of intense topics about upcoming releases for that month. Hajime asked her about which games she was looking forward to the most, which was a bit hard for her to answer.

They were so deep in their debates about deep themes, moral implications in some of the player's choices, and who was the best romance option, she hardly noticed how much time had passed. At least, not until she checks at the top of her phone's screen and sees it's already 5 PM.

As if noticing that too, her friend next reply is,

I think we're going to have to end this soon.

Sorry, but the rest of the guys are going in
the hot springs soon. I don't know if I can turn
them down, at least, not without a good reason.

Yeah, I can understand that.

Before she can close her phone, it buzzes once more with another message. She looks it over, and even though it was so simple, her breathing hitches.

But before that, is there anything on your mind
lately?

That question came out of nowhere. What made him ask that in the first place? That's what the logical side of her told her. And yet, there's a small part of her wanted to tell him in her next message,

Hajime. There's something that's

been on my mind a lot nowadays.

It's been months since she last spoke with the Steering Committee members, but she hadn't forgotten about them. The Hope Cultivation Program was still open to her, and it's all because she told them she needed more time to think about it. Even if the old men hadn't thought to remind her about it every so often, it'd always return at the back of her mind when she least expected it.

She never told anyone about it before. She wanted to tell him at some point, but every time she found a chance to do so, she backed away at the last moment.

Just like how it always was, she never had the heart to hit send. Soon after, that message is quickly deleted.

She exhales. She shouldn't dump her baggage on him. He deserves better than that kind of treatment.

Instead, the message she sent is this,

Nothing much, really.

Just homework and all of that.

Anyways, you shouldn't keep
them waiting. See you later.

Yeah, I definitely shouldn't.

Well then, see you later too.

After that last message, she takes that chance to turn her phone off at last. She glances over her desk and shakes her head. She still hasn't made much progress with her school work. To be more specific, not even a single homework has been cleared yet.

It's not like she got the mental fortitude to go over them at this state. She still has time this summer; she'll do it another day.

While trying to retake her scattered thoughts, Chiaki slumps over her bed. The fact that she might've skipped dinner doesn't cross her mind.

Instead, the ones that did are a short reflection of some sort. 'Hajime wasn't a perfect person by any means, but he's still a good one. There's no doubt about that.'

There's a good reason why Hajime deserved the title of an Ultimate. It wasn't just because of his counseling talent; it's also because he knew about his flaws and his shortcomings. He indeed accepted them, but unlike most people, it doesn't stop there.

He also did his best to improve whenever he can. It's pretty amazing, to think that he started to get along with the classmates he used to be indifferent with at best.

'And compared to that…' Chiaki lays over her side with a soft sigh.

She always knew that she wasn't anyone special; there weren't many things she's good at, and she doesn't know if beating a lot of video games even counted. She never felt strongly about it, at least, not before.

In her familiar terms, she'd say that she's just another blank, unremarkable NPC in the background; the same kind that'll repeat the same line all over again when spoken to by the player. The ones who don't contribute in any meaningful way to the game's system, whether in plot, mechanics, or even as a part of the world.

She's just…there. She isn't any better than a prop.

So bland. So generic. So forgettable.

Before she met him, she never thought twice about these kinds of things. She's always been in the background. It was her normal way of living; if she hadn't experienced anything else other than that, then there's no good reason for her to rethink it.

But now, she never thought that she'd ask this kind of question to herself. 'What am I doing with my life?' If Hajime can break through it all and make changes for himself, why isn't she putting even a little bit of effort to do so?

The faces of the Steering Committee members flash in her mind. What they've told her back then continues to echo in her.

"You'd make for a fine Ultimate student."

"You know, you shouldn't let your potential go to waste."

As much as she wants to shake them off, they kept clinging to her. 'The potential to be an Ultimate student, huh?' She muses. It's still hard for her to believe it, but…

If she accepts their offer, maybe, just maybe, she can be the kind of person her parents and Hajime will be proud of.

Maybe then, she can finally do something good in her life.

The same things happened in her daily routine. Wake up, get herself prepared, try and catch up to the summer homework she frequently procrastinated with weeks ago, check up on her emails and texts with Hajime, then pass the night with another playthrough of Dragon Quest, just to keep her mind off of certain things.

(Like the program that was offered to her back in the first semester. Someone like her had the potential to become an Ultimate student? If she wasn't feeling down about that, she'd probably laugh it off. Then again, maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe she wouldn't be an embarrassment anymore to the people who knew her in that case.)

But even with all of that going through, summer vacation passed by so slowly to her.

At least in that way, she didn't get hit with a vacation hangover. It didn't make her classes any less unpleasant, still.

Speaking of her classes…

They're back here once again. The classroom hasn't changed much since last semester. Their homeroom teacher is still the same old, overly strict middle-aged man. She knows him all too well; he's the same one who pelted her with chalk whenever she's caught falling asleep during his long lectures again.

But just because some things stayed the same, it didn't mean it had to. Even though she's slouched over her desk, with one arm propped up to support herself, and is seated from the corner of the room, she manages to sneak a peek towards someone in front of the class. She doesn't recognize that boy and judging by the hushed murmuring from her classmates, they don't either.

That said, that boy is wearing the reserve course uniform. She has a feeling about this, and she already knows where that was going to end.

'Come to think of it, one of my classmates dropped out a week before summer break began. I guess that might've made things convenient for some.' She yawns. 'I'm just glad we don't have to work twice as hard to cover for a missing classmate anymore. Hopefully.'

"Everyone," Their teacher begins, "As of today, we have a transferee who'll join our class." He gestures towards them. "Please introduce yourself."

Chiaki tiredly glances up at that transferee, to try and take a closer look at him. She won't say anything out loud, but she's going to be honest here; she didn't expect her new classmate to look anything like that.

Dirty blonde hair. Soft gold eyes. Rosy cheeks. Most noticeable of all, a scowl that, instead of making him look intimidating, further enhances his baby-like face. It's the same effect that came with angry little things, like tiny dogs or cuccos.

The second option might've been more accurate, now that she thinks about it.

Despite the way he looks, she can't help but feel like this is one of those people who shouldn't be messed with. She's seen similar archetypes before, after all.

With the harsh way the new classmate introduces himself, he only proves those impressions right.

The new boy glares at them with the kind of intensity that didn't suit his childish-looking face and short stature. If it wasn't for his voice, it'd be easy to mistake him as someone younger than he was.

"I'll say this only once, so you bastards better remember it." The new reserve course student snaps with some bark towards them. "My name is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu."

A/N: Would you look at that, we're around quarter-way through in this whole thing.
As you can see here, I've pretty much embraced Extra Life's headcanon (Chiaki's parents were rich but neglectful, and to compensate their lack of attention, dropped loads of gifts like video games on her to keep her occupied). Also, since the reserve course students tend to mention 'taking up free slots' and all that, I think it's not a stretch to think that's exactly how it works in their own classes.

And yes, I've decided to give names to the Steering Committee. Because it'd be a lot easier to write (and to hate them all the much more) if I had something to identify with. Before anyone says anything, yes, I did name them after a theme in mind. And yes, it's pretty ironic when you think about it.

With their official art as a reference (sorry, but fanfiction dot net doesn't allow links here, but it should be there on the AO3 version), here are their names, from left to right:

Katashi Akiyama - ["hard/firm", "autumn" and "mountain, hill"]
Shouhei Minami - ["soar, glide" and "level, even, peaceful", "south"]
Nobu Mizushima - ["trust" "prolong/stretch", "water" and "island"]
Ryunosuke Sasaki - ["dragon" or "noble, prosperous" and "forerunner, herald", "help, aid" and "tree, wood"]