I'm lying in bed. What should I do? I can't just do nothing.

Let me think…

If this were a Danganronpa game… I would spend my free time getting closer to people, and earning skill points. Well, that last part is just a video game mechanic. But getting closer to people is also a good idea in real life. It's like Naomi said—the closer we are, the more united we'll be.

Maybe I should go talk to someone.

-FREE TIME-

I decide to check out the cafeteria.

It's mostly empty. But there's one person sitting at a table near the wall. Naomi. The table is covered with papers, and she's using a pencil… she's probably sketching.

This is my chance! From the moment I found out Naomi was in my class, I was determined to get her to like me. I won't pass this up!

Nervously, I walk up to her. "Um, hi, Naomi," I say.

She glares up at me. I think she's annoyed that I broke her focus.

"I—I'm sorry to interrupt!" I stammer. "I've just—I've never seen a professional mangaka at work before. Is it okay, um, if I sit here and watch for a little bit?"

Naomi glares. Then her face softens, and she sighs. "I suppose there's no harm in it," she says.

"Okay!" I cheer, excitedly sitting down. I can't mess this up! Just stay calm, Koi…

I watch Naomi sketch for a while. These are characters I've never seen before. And the art style isn't what I'd expect from Naomi.

Eventually, my curiosity can't contain itself anymore. I wait until Naomi's done sketching a character. Then I ask: "Is this for your next series?"

Naomi flashes me a sliver of a smile. "It hasn't been announced yet," she says softly. "Don't tell anyone what you saw here, okay?"

"Of course!" I squeak.

I'm keeping a secret for Naomi! That's the first step toward being friends!

"So, what's it about?" I ask excitedly.

Naomi stares at her sketch. "It's about a thirty-year-old office lady," she says, "who's tired of her stale, monotonous life. Soon, she gets cast off on a series of wild adventures—but as it turns out, this doesn't make her happy, either. Her unhappiness is something that comes from within—it's a problem of attitude, not of circumstance. When she returns home, she comes to appreciate what she already has." Naomi pauses. "It's my first work for this particular magazine," she says. "I'm trying to reach out to a new demographic."

A new demographic? I think I know what she means…

Not shojo…

Not seinen…

"Oh—you're submitting this to a josei magazine?" I say.

Naomi nods. "I've written plenty of shojo and shonen manga," she says. "And I've occasionally dabbled in seinen, given its broad appeal. Josei—manga for adult women—are the least likely to get an anime adaptation. However… now that I am an adult woman, I've found that josei manga has become more appealing to me."

"Yeah, that makes sense," I say. "I mean, you are eighteen now."

Naomi blinks. For some reason, I think she stiffened up a little just now. Did I say something wrong?

"Um…" I say. "Anyway… this is your first adult female protagonist, right?"

"It is," Naomi confirms.

"You've always written great adult characters, though," I say. "Even when you were a kid! I mean, no one ever guessed Green Mountain Paradise was written by someone so young! You wrote it under a pseudonym, so—everyone just assumed you were an adult!"

Naomi smiles. "I waited a full year before revealing that detail."

"Yeah, I remember," I reply. "You had that interview with that magazine—but they didn't reveal your name, or your exact age, or anything like that. Only that the author of Green Mountain Paradise was a child. It was a huge shock!"

Naomi sighs, still smiling. "I suppose it's pointless to talk about myself around you. You already know every detail."

"Haha, yeah!" I reply. Wait… is she calling me a stalker? "That's not really true, though," I add. "I only know what's publically available. Until recently, you hadn't even revealed your true identity! You were using, like… a million pseudonyms!"

"Thirty-five pseudonyms, to be exact," says Naomi.

"Yeah," I say, "and you hadn't revealed that they were all the same person. But we figured it out eventually! It's the way you draw faces—plus, there are some phrases that you rely on more than other people. By the time you went public, manga fans had already figured out that thirty-two of your pseudonyms were the same person. I contributed a lot to those threads! I was really proud of myself for noticing—you have a way of drawing… um…"

Naomi is glaring at me.

"…Naomi?" I say. "Is something wrong?"

"My identity isn't a game," she says tersely.

I'm taken aback. "…Well, it's not like we revealed your name, or something," I argue. "We just… figured out which manga you'd written."

Naomi doesn't respond. She just looks at the paper, and starts sketching again.

Wow, this is going really badly all of a sudden…

"Naomi…" I say. "I… I'm sorry. You're right—I wasn't thinking about you as a person. It was all just a game to us. I… I don't know why you wanted to keep your pseudonyms separate, but you had your reasons, so… I'm sorry…"

Naomi stops sketching. She sighs. "Well," she says, "it's water under the bridge, now. To be accepted as the Ultimate Mangaka, I had to go public, and reveal everything I'd written. It all would've come out eventually."

"Yeah…" I say. "I'm still sorry, though…"

Naomi goes back to sketching, and I go back to watching.

Well… this didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped. But at least I learned a little about why Naomi was holding a grudge against me. That's a step forward… I think.

So… maybe we got a little closer today, after all.

I hope so, anyway…


I'm lying in bed again…

There's still plenty of time to kill, though.

I should get out and do something.

-FREE TIME-

I decide to go to the gym.

In one corner, Ryu and Yuna are doing pushups and other exercises.

Across the gym, high up on the bleachers, Akiko is… swaying?

I decide to go talk to her.

I walk up the bleachers, and stand next to her. But she doesn't see me. Her eyes are closed. She's swaying in place.

"Um… hi, Akiko," I say.

"Oh!" Akiko exclaims, her eyes snapping open. She turns, and stands straight. "Hi, Koi!"

"Um… why were you swaying?" I ask.

"Was I swaying?" says Akiko. She winks. "Or was that just the motion of the ocean?"

"Um, well, we're in a school, so… it definitely wasn't the ocean…"

"Haha, good point!" says Akiko. "I guess from your perspective, I was just swaying in place. But from my perspective, the whole boat was swaying!"

"The… boat?" I repeat.

"Yep!" says Akiko. "This boat we're on!" She closes her eyes. "As long as I close my eyes and sway a little… it's almost like we're out at sea!"

"Oh," I reply. "I guess… you must be really eager to get back out to the ocean."

Akiko's eyes open. She looks at me. Her smile shrinks a little.

"Right now," she says quietly, "all I can do is pretend."

There's a sadness in her eyes. I feel bad for her all of a sudden.

"So, tell me about this boat we're on," I say, deciding to humor her.

"Oh, it's just a simple little sailboat," says Akiko. She points to the gym entrance. "That's the bow," she says. "Which means we're on the… left side of the boat."

The left side of the boat? I think there's a word for that…

Not stern…

Not starboard…

"You mean port?" I say.

"Koi!" Akiko exclaims, smiling widely. "I—I was holding myself back! I didn't think you'd know a nautical term like 'port' or 'starboard'!"

"Well, there's this really popular manga about pirates, so… that's pretty much why I know it…"

"Hey—that's a start!" says Akiko. "Every interest has to start somewhere, right?"

"What about your interest in sailing?" I ask. "How did that start?"

Akiko closes her eyes, and faces forward. She starts swaying again.

"Believe it or not," she says, "I was kind of a problem child."

I find that pretty easy to believe, actually…

"It's totally shocking, right?" says Akiko. "When I was little, I'd throw big tantrums every day! I'd run around screaming and destroying things! I was totally out of control! Can you blame me, though? Because of my condition, Mom never let me go outside. Ever! I was totally cooped up! I barely even got to leave the house!" She keeps swaying. "One day," she says, "Dad snuck me onto his sailboat. Mom never would've allowed it—but he was at his wits' end, trying to get me to behave. So, he took me secretly, just to see how I'd react." She pauses. "That day," she says softly, "I learned just how big this world is. I learned how open and free it is, once you take away all the walls and floors and ceilings. Just… water beneath you, and air all around you. And an ocean that goes on, and on, and on…" Another pause. "I started behaving better after that. Dad promised to keep taking me back if I was good. Obviously, Mom went ballistic when she found out… but it was the only thing keeping me in line, so it was hard to make us stop."

I think about this.

"This gym is the biggest room we have access to," I say. "That's why you're here, right?"

"Yep!" says Akiko. "The bigger, the better! Open spaces are always better than closed spaces!" She opens her eyes, and holds out her arms. "If the walls are far apart… then it's easier to pretend they don't exist!" She drops her arms. Her smile shrinks a bit. "It's not perfect, though. It doesn't smell like the sea. And it doesn't sound like the sea. It doesn't even feel like the sea. There's no wind!" She turns, and gives me a crazed look. "Ugh—I can't take it anymore! I need wind! I haven't felt a breeze in days! It's driving me bonkers!"

I recoil. Akiko looks like she's on the verge of panic. What do I do?

"Um…" I mutter. "Maybe… if we had a fan…"

"No way!" says Akiko. "The air from a fan is too consistent. Wind doesn't feel like that at all!" She crosses her arms, and nods calmly. "The best way to simulate wind… would be for you to blow on my face."

I laugh.

Akiko doesn't laugh.

"C'mon, Koi," Akiko says. "What're you waiting for? Blow on me?"

"W-what?" I stutter, recoiling further. "A-are you serious?"

"Of course I am!" says Akiko. "You blow on my face, and I'll blow on yours. We'll simulate wind together! It's the closest thing we have to a nice ocean breeze!"

I wasn't prepared for this…

"Um…" I stutter. "Th-there are other people in the gym, though… they might see us…"

"They can join in, too!" Akiko replies, unperturbed.

"I… don't think they'd want to, though," I say. "They'll probably… just laugh at us."

Akiko chuckles. "That'd be silly," she says. "Laughing at people for having a good time? Someone like that must be broken inside."

"But… you wouldn't feel embarrassed, though?"

Akiko gives me a strange look. "Um, I don't really understand that question."

She… doesn't understand?

She really… doesn't care how other people see her?

Well… Akiko has survived skin cancer four times. That sort of thing probably affects your outlook on life. Maybe that's why it's hard for her to sweat the small stuff—and why she won't let other people's judgment get in the way of what she wants.

"Oh—you should go first," says Akiko. "Close your eyes!"

"Okay…"

After that, we spend a while blowing on each other's faces. It's embarrassing that I'm doing something so ridiculous in public. I have to admit, though… with my eyes closed, I really can imagine that Akiko's breath is a gentle seaside breeze.

Akiko and I got a little closer today… I think.


It's dinnertime now. Time to meet with everyone in the cafeteria.

On my way there, I happen to pass Hiroto as he's leaving his room.

"Oh," he says, seeing me. "Hey, Koi."

"Hi," I reply. "So… wanna go grab a bite somewhere?"

"Do you have anywhere in mind?"

"I know a place."

Laughing to ourselves, we approach the cafeteria.

"Hiroto!" says Akiko. "Koi! So glad you guys came!" She's standing in front of the closed cafeteria door, wearing a smile that's just a bit too wide.

"Well… this is when you told everyone to meet," says Hiroto, reaching for the handle.

"Nope nope nope!" Akiko says, slapping Hiroto's hand away. "I did not say you could go in yet!" Her voice is as peppy as ever, and she's still smiling, but none of it feels authentic.

"Um… what's going on?" I ask.

"Um," says Akiko, "well, we have a bit of a situation today. The important thing is, you need to go directly to your seat. No detours! And you especially shouldn't lean down, or crouch, or anything! Naomi and Ryu are on lookout duty, so they'll be watching you."

"What's wrong?" asks Hiroto. "What happened?"

"The thing is," Akiko says, "there are knives."

"There are knives?" I repeat.

"That is a true statement," Hiroto says, suppressing a grin. "Knives do exist."

"There are a lot of knives," says Akiko.

"That's also a true statement," I point out.

"There are a lot of knives in the cafeteria," Akiko clarifies.

"How many?" asks Hiroto.

"Um," says Akiko, "probably like… a thousand."

We stare at her.

"You probably think I'm exaggerating," says Akiko, "but Shingo is good with numbers, and he says there might literally be a thousand knives in there."

We stare.

"Well… bon appétit!"

Hiroto opens the door, and we enter the cafeteria.

Yeah, there's probably like a thousand knives. They're everywhere. All over the floor. Big piles of knives are stacked near the wall. Hiroto and I look around in awe.

"Hurry up to your seats!" Ryu's voice booms. "You can gawk later!"

We hurry up. Between the door and the table, there's a large section of floor that's clear of any knives. Once we sit down and look around, we realize why. Shingo and Mizuki are literally sweeping up knives—pushing them to the walls with large brooms.

The table is about half full when we sit down. Naomi's watching everyone from her usual spot, near the head of the long table. Ryu's watching from his small table—the same place he was seated during breakfast. They both look disgruntled.

"What happened in here?" I ask.

"Fuckin' Monokuma," Ryu growls.

"The cafeteria was like this when we got here," Naomi explains. "We called for Monokuma to explain himself. He insisted that adding more knives was 'within the rules.' His exact words were, 'If I'm not violating any rules, you don't have any business with me.'"

Gradually, the table fills up. Shingo and Mizuki take their seats. A short while later, Akiko calls everyone's attention, and begins the meeting.

"So!" says Akiko. "As you guys can see… there are knives!"

"Wow, really?" Tsubasa deadpans. "I didn't notice."

"I did!" says Jeff.

"Hmm," Momoka drawls. "This is kind of a problem, though…"

"It is a problem!" Akiko agrees, sounding as cheerful as ever. "But that's okay! Because Captain Mizuki is on the case!"

"Um," Mizuki mutters. "It's… really Shingo… who should get credit…" For once, she's almost audible. Now I'm sure Naomi gave her a talking-to.

"The Quartermaster is also on the case!" says Akiko.

"As soon as I've counted and organized these knives," says Shingo, "I'll be able to tell from a glance whether any have been taken."

"On top of that," says Naomi, "we'll tape up the cafeteria door, so we can tell if anyone's broken in. Cafeteria usage will be limited to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Captain and First Mates will always enter first, so that we can keep an eye on everyone."

"Sucks shit, I know," Ryu says, shrugging. "But that's the situation we're in."

"Also," Naomi says, sighing, "I hate to say it—but we'll need to do another thorough room check."

There's groaning and booing.

"I'm sorry," says Naomi, "but there's a chance that someone found the cafeteria… in this state… before we did. We need to make sure no one's taken any knives already."

"This is so fucking lame," Rin groans. "Whatever happened to privacy? Like, shouldn't the Ultimate Attorney guy be telling us we have rights, or whatever?"

"Privacy is a fundamental right in free societies," Hiroto agrees. "But… this isn't a free society. Monokuma is watching our every move. He knows everything about us. Every secret we keep from each other is another weapon in his arsenal."

"Words of wisdom!" says Akiko. "And that applies to more than just opening our rooms to each other. We should open our hearts to each other, too! Which brings us to our next point—daily room checks! …Well, it's actually Point Four of the Pirate Code, but let's skip ahead to it!"

"Um," Mizuki mutters, "the… the thing about room checks, is…" The poor girl just isn't used to speaking up. Her voice quickly softens to an inaudible murmur.

"So, here's the thing about room checks!" Akiko says, relaying the Captain's murmurs. "Starting tomorrow, they'll be nice and quick! Room checkers will come in, see that everything's fine, and move on! Unless everything's not fine, I guess…"

"Room checkers might search random areas of your room," says Naomi, "so that you don't feel safe hiding anything. But—hopefully—these thorough room checks are over."

"Yep!" Akiko agrees. "And they're not just about finding anything suspicious. Every morning and every night, we want to make sure you're okay! And maybe we want to chat! You should totally get friendly with your room checkers! It's a big reason why the policy exists! We're trying to get closer, and more united!"

"Our morning room checkers," says Naomi, "will be myself and Akiko for girls; Shingo and Ryu for boys. Captain Mizuki will be an evening room checker—but we still need one volunteer from the girls, and two from the boys."

"I volunteer!" Yuna shouts, raising her hand.

"Um, no way," says Rin. "I will not have this girl, like, looking at my snacks? And shaming me for it?"

"It sounds like you're volunteering, Rin!" says Akiko.

"Yeah, no. I think this whole thing is fucking bullcrap."

"Heh," says Jun. "A woman after my own heart."

"Um," Mizuki mutters, "I-I think that…" Again, her voice softens and fades.

Akiko points. "Momoka Ito!" she says. "The Captain has selected you for nighttime room check duty!"

"Me?" Momoka says, looking as surprised as her constantly-blank face allows. "Why?"

"To put it bluntly," says Naomi, "you're the girl who's least likely to get on anyone's nerves."

"Yep!" says Akiko. "And since you smell so nice, people might even look forward to it!"

"Hmm," Momoka drawls. "It sounds kind of annoying. But, if it helps everyone, I guess I should do it…"

"We also need two male volunteers," says Naomi. "Preferably, someone who has a good intuition for sensing if something is off."

"A shinobi's intuition must always remain sharp," says Takeru.

"Also," says Naomi, "someone who can get it done quickly."

"Like a speedrun?" says Tsubasa.

Mizuki mutters.

"The Captain has spoken!" says Akiko. "Takeru Tao and Tsubasa Haneda are now officially the boys' nighttime room checkers!"

"I accept this new mission," says Takeru.

"It could be a fun challenge… I guess," says Tsubasa.

"Okay!" says Akiko. "Now, let's get to the rest of the Pirate Code! It's actually really simple! There are just a few basic points!

"Point One: a pirate ship is a democracy! The will of the majority always prevails!

"Point Two: keep the peace! No stealing, no fighting—basically, just follow the normal rules of society, and you should be fine!

"Point Three: the Captain will choose a punishment that fits the crime! So, don't misbehave…" She points. "…Or it's straight to the brig!"

"We have a brig?" says Jeff.

"I think she means that creepy jail cell in Mizuki's office," I say, shuddering.

"Yep!" says Akiko. "On the other hand, if a First Mate misbehaves… they'll be punished with a bare-butt spanking from the Captain!"

"…She's joking," Naomi mutters tonelessly, massaging her forehead.

"Haha, yup!" Akiko says, winking. "I'm the only one who gets that privilege!"

"…Not really, though…" Mizuki mutters, blushing and fidgeting.

"Point Four," Akiko seamlessly continues. "Room checks every morning and evening!

"Point Five: breakfast and dinner meetings are mandatory!

"Point Six: pirates always share booty! And our booty… is information! If you learn anything that might be useful, share that sweet information booty with the crew!

"Point Seven: no dangerous objects! Semi-dangerous objects must be properly labeled! And don't think you can fake it! The Quartermaster's keeping a comprehensive list!

"Point Eight: going out at night is okay, but stay in groups of three or more!

"And… that's it! Sorry we couldn't use your longer version, Hiroto."

"I understand," Hiroto replies, smiling slightly. "I prefer rules to be more comprehensive… but I'll let it slide for now."


The girls leave two at a time, always flanked by a First Mate and an evening room checker. The boys are going last, so that Ryu and Shingo can stay on lookout.

Naomi and Momoka accompany me to my room. Naomi's holding my "semi-dangerous" items, which are now marked and labeled in various ways.

When we get to my room, Naomi starts tearing it apart for the second time today. Momoka mostly just stands around and watches. I'm not entirely sure why she's here. I guess it's to get a sense of what's in my room, for future reference.

I'm glad she's here, though, because she smells amazing. And now my room will, too.

"Hmm," Momoka says, walking to my bookshelf. She pulls out a manga volume. "I've heard this one's good…"

"Oh, you haven't read Fruits Blanket?" I say excitedly. "It's one of my favorites!"

"It was my biggest inspiration," Naomi says, rummaging through my clothes.

"I think you'd like it a lot, actually! Wanna borrow the first volume?"

"Hmm… thanks," says Momoka.

Naomi, Momoka and I talk about comics for a while. By the time they're done, I'm actually sad that they have to leave. But I'm excited for Momoka's next room check. Maybe she'll be ready for the second volume by then.

Now I get what Akiko was talking about. This is all to bring us closer together.

And the amazing thing is… it seems to be working.


Author's Note: voting for FTEs is now closed. In the end, there was a three-way tie between Mizuki, Akiko, and Naomi. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the Captain and First Mates won. What does surprise me is that 7 characters all got at least 1 vote. That makes me feel like I'm doing something right.

There are four FTEs this chapter. Since there were three winners, I'll pick the fourth character by assigning a number to each individual vote, and then using an RNG lottery. (So, characters with more votes are more likely to be picked.)

Thank you to everyone who voted. I was nervous about including an interactive element—but I'm glad I did it this way. Just knowing that other people out there have opinions about these characters is enough to make this project feel worthwhile.

Any and every form of engagement is extremely motivating. All reviews, follows, and favorites are greatly appreciated.

Coming up next: a dildo, for some reason.


STUDENT E-HANDBOOK: REPORT CARDS

~·~·~

Female students:

~·~

Koi Amaki

• Ultimate Fangirl

• 5'4"

• Eyes: hazel

• Hair: auburn; has an ahoge

• Outfit: navy-blue sailor fuku with a red necktie; pixelated Kyoko and Chiaki earrings; a pixelated Kaede pin in her headband

• Freckles

The protagonist. An otaku who loves the Danganronpa franchise—among other things.

~·~

Rin Ono

• Ultimate Golfer

• 5'10"

• Eyes: gray

• Hair: blonde (bleached)

• Outfit: a white button-up shirt that isn't buttoned all the way up, and a short skirt

• Tanned skin, and glossy makeup

A gyaru who was raised in deep poverty. Her golfing skills have brought her fame and fortune.

~·~

Naomi Shimizu

• Ultimate Mangaka

• 5'6"

• Eyes: reddish-brown

• Hair: red; tied up in a professional-looking bun

• Outfit: a businesslike suit

• An intense gaze

She's written award-winning manga since she was a child. Her works span nearly every genre.

She was appointed Second First Mate by Captain Mizuki.

~·~

Emi Togami

• Ultimate Origamist

• 5'7"

• Eyes: blue

• Hair: black; clipped up in a traditional Japanese style

• Outfit: an elegant red kimono

• A pink origami flower in her hair

She's often smiling—but what's behind that smile?

The late Byakuya Togami was her second cousin twice removed.

~·~

Akiko Narumi

• Ultimate Sailor

• 5'4"

• Eyes: pink

• Hair: white; pixie cut

• Outfit: a sailor fuku with a white top, blue necktie, and short blue skirt; a white sailor hat

• Very white skin

Despite her albinism, she's sailed around the world several times.

She was appointed First First Mate by Captain Mizuki.

~·~

Mizuki Tenshi

• Ultimate Moral Compass

• 4'11"

• Eyes: green

• Hair: light-brown; pigtails that begin below her shoulders and reach down to her legs

• Outfit: a plain, black dress, with a white collar, and a skirt that goes down to her ankles

• A pink armband

She's very shy, and very quiet. But she cares a lot about enforcing the rules.

She was elected Captain by a one-vote margin over Ryu.

~·~

Yuna Koyama

• Ultimate Dietician

• 4'8"

• Eyes: violet

• Hair: violet; tied up in a ponytail

• Outfit: a white lab coat that goes down to her knees

• Tiny

She can be pretty annoying—especially if she finds you eating junk food.

~·~

Momoka Ito

• Ultimate Perfumer

• 5'2"

• Eyes: dark-brown

• Hair: blue; frayed, tangled, and disastrously unkempt

• Outfit: a yellow sweatshirt that's too large, and a navy-blue skirt with little tears in it

• Looks like a mess, but smells amazing

She seems to barely have a grip on reality. As if she's drifting through life on good smells alone.

~·~

Male students:

~·~

Hiroto Oshiro

• Ultimate Attorney

• 6'1"

• Eyes: blue

• Hair: dark-brown; combed back a bit

• Outfit: a black suit, and a navy-blue tie

• Tall and broad-shouldered

He hates seeing people locked in a cage, even if they've done something wrong.

~·~

Ryu Minamoto

• Ultimate Yakuza

• 5'9"

• Eyes: green

• Hair: dirty blonde; greased back

• Outfit: an expensive-looking striped suit, and a black tie

• Looks tough—but he has a charming smile

Heir to the Minamoto Clan. He's pretty friendly, despite his family's notoriety.

He was appointed First Second Mate by Captain Mizuki.

~·~

Kenji Sasaki

• Ultimate Linguist

• 5'8"

• Eyes: brown

• Hair: black; slightly unkempt

• Outfit: a normal, dark gakuran uniform

• An all-around regular-looking guy

He speaks over 300 languages—but he's not much for conversation.

~·~

Jeffrey Silverstein

• Ultimate Kabuki Actor

• 5'9"

• Eyes: blue

• Hair: brown; short

• Outfit: white t-shirt, and blue gym shorts

• Strong-looking, though not too bulky

A good-natured, optimistic American who's loved kabuki theater since he was a child.

~·~

Tsubasa Haneda

• Ultimate Speedrunner

• 5'4"

• Eyes: green

• Hair: yellowish-green; spiky; sticks out in all directions

• Outfit: baggy jeans, and a loose, black t-shirt with a game controller design on it

• Several earrings. A sort of punk vibe.

A gamer who's easy to get along with. He's very straightforward, and tends to speak his mind.

~·~

Jun Mujun

• Ultimate Hacker

• 6'2"

• Eyes: brown

• Hair: black with blue highlights; hanging around his head in big, messy locks

• Outfit: jeans, and a leather jacket

• Tall and lanky. Bags under his eyes.

An enigmatic genius. It's hard to faze him.

~·~

Takeru Tao

• Ultimate Child Caregiver

• (not a ninja)

• 5'7"

• Eyes: violet

• Hair: violet; sticking straight up

• Outfit: a full black bodysuit, and a green camo vest

• Headband has a metal plate over the forehead; the Hope's Peak crest is carved into it

He seems to think he's a ninja. Kids love it. His parents don't.

~·~

Shingo Chiba

• Ultimate Accountant

• 5'11"

• Eyes: gray

• Hair: black; well-groomed

• Outfit: a black suit with a bowtie

• Thin-rimmed glasses

An orphaned prodigy. He's literally accounted for everything.

He was appointed Quartermaster by Captain Mizuki.