Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.


Chapter 18:
A Performance To Remember

"Wow, that's incredible, Nanami-san! This is the third time in a row!"

Mikan's voice lacked its usual stutter and meekness. The reason for this being obvious.

She was having a lot of fun.

It was kind of scary for her to think about. She was having fun. So much fun that nothing else seemed to matter right now. It was like tonight existed in a different plane of existence, where she could just hang back and have fun with all her new friends.

That last part might be a bit of an over exaggeration, but that's how happy Mikan was right now.

The nurse, who was in her kimono with her hair tied in a bun just how Sonia had instructed her, was hanging out with Chiaki at the moment. The two girls had been some of the first ones to arrive to the park. They were both excited to see how things turned out, but for different reasons. Chiaki wanted to see how people took to her games, and Mikan just wanted to have a pleasant evening with her friends.

They had met up and decided to hang out for a bit, just the two of them. They had visited Teruteru's stall earlier and had heard Sonia's message through the speakers. Now, they were at a different stall where Chiaki was attempting to win a stuffed animal for herself. All she had to do was shoot down several targets with a toy gun, something that proved to be very easy for the Ultimate Gamer.

Mikan was more than impressed as she cheered Chiaki on, who was now attempting to win her fourth stuffed animal. The one on her sights this time was a stuffed fox, because it reminded her of a certain blond friend of hers.

'I'm sure Tsumiki-san will like it as a gift.'

Chiaki was fine sharing her victory prizes with the others. Playing the game itself was more than enough fun for her.

"Oh wow, Big Sis. That's some fine aiming you got there. Are you in the military?"

The two girls paused when the child-like voice reached them. It took them another second to realize the voice was coming from behind them. When they turned, they found a very short boy looking up at them. He was wearing the Hope's Peak uniform and was holding a bag full of pastries. He had a bowl haircut and puffy cheeks. With his height and other features, he definitely looked like a child alright. But his uniform…...

Chiaki then realized he was talking to her.

"Oh, um. Thank you. But no, I'm not in the military."

But that would be sort of cool. Leading people like a video game. Chiaki was sure she could do it…..maybe.

Or maybe not. Real life was not like a video game. Your character didn't reset after death. Trying to compare the two was childish of her.

"That's a shame, you have real talent. Gorgeous too."

Chiaki was a bit stunned by the straightforward compliment, but she still accepted it.

"Thank you."

"Your friend too." The boy took one of the pastries from his bag and started munching on it. "Either of you interested in having sex with me?"

Now that was beyond straightforward. It was the first time Chiaki was in a situation like this, if she was being honest. She didn't socialize much before coming to Hope's Peak Academy, so to be approached like this…..it was totally new for her.

Mikan on the other hand was more familiar with situations like this. However, while in the past she would have been more open to please people so that they wouldn't start ignoring her, she had started to change from then.

"U-Um, we're good thank you. We're not really interested in that sort of stuff….."

Mikan rejected him as nicely as she could. It was the first time she was doing that, rejecting someone. It felt…..liberating.

"Aw man, that's a shame." The boy didn't seem to mind all that much. "I guess I'll have to follow my original plan and hit up the girls from Hope's Peak. Did you hear? They're all supposed to be beauties."

Mikan didn't understand this guy at all.

Chiaki neither. "You're from Hope's Peak, aren't you?"

"Yeah, my uniform gave me away, huh?"

"You didn't wear a kimono?"

"Are you kidding? I'd look more like a little kid than I already do. And my face would stand out even less." At this, he seemed disappointed. "My features are very common, don't you think? They don't make me stand out at all."

True enough, it had taken Mikan and Chiaki a few moments to even notice him. Although that could also be because he was shorter than both of them.

"I think I can make my mark today, though." The boy happily munched on his pastry as he took a look around. "When I first heard about this festival, I was surprised. Ultimates don't usually work together, ya know? And when they do, it's not as a class."

That was virtually unheard of.

"R-Really?" Mikan started to become curious about this. "Your class doesn't work together?"

"Huh? Hell no." He shook his head. "I'm in class 77-A, the newest batch. We're not united at all. Especially this one troublesome guy. He never even shows up to class. Then again, I rarely do too."

There was no point. Rarely anyone talked to one another. Those that did only did it out of necessity, for group projects and such. There was no friendship to be found there.

There was no "hope" that Hope's Peak boasted so much about.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Chiaki was sincere with her words, knowing full well how gloomy that must feel.

Meanwhile, Mikan had to wonder, if Naruto hadn't been in their class, would they have been the same way? Nothing more than strangers who barely talked to one another and didn't care about the other at all?

How lonely.

"I don't think you should give up so easily," Mikan said, her face timid. She didn't think she could be good at encouraging people, but she wanted to give it a try. "Our class was the same way, but we've been able to come together. It hasn't always been easy, b-but it's been so much fun!"

"Your class?" The boy stopped munching as understanding washed over him like a bucket of water. "You two, you're from class 77-B, aren't you?"

Guilty as charged.

"I should have realized sooner!" He started munching on his pastries again. "I really feel like my skills of observation failed me just now. And you rejected me too. That's a bigger shame."

'He just says what's on his mind, doesn't he?' Chiaki sort of admired that, despite his mind being filled with lewd thoughts.

"I'm Kamishiro Yūto. Nice to meet you…..formally that is."

At least they had his name now. That was good.

"Tsumiki Mikan. I-It's a pleasure as well."

"Nanami Chiaki."

"Mhmm, I'll make sure to remember those names." The now named Yūto glanced around. "But hey, if you any of your female friends is interested in having sex with me, just let me know. I'll be around. If you can find me that is."

His talent made sure that he was hard to spot. He both hated and loved it. It was truly a double-edged sword. But that was pretty much the case for just about everything in his life.

"O-Okay." Mikan blushed a little at his bluntness. She couldn't believe he had so much confidence in himself. Her past self would have definitely been on the floor from embarrassment. She was still embarrassed, but she was able to keep herself steady. Chiaki's presence helped a lot in that.

Chiaki just tilted her head as Yūto started to walk off, taking another pastry from his bag as he took in the sights.

"He's very weird."

It was almost like that was a requirement to entering Hope's Peak Academy or something.

"I-I don't think I could get along with him very well," Mikan admitted. She didn't like speaking ill of others, but it was the truth. While she may not look or act like it, she was a romantic at heart. Acting so blunt toward sex and having it with just anyone….Mikan didn't like that sort of thing. Unfortunately, it was her very strong desire to please others to make sure that she wasn't forgotten that clashed with that romantic side of her.

That, and Mikan knew that she also had a darker side to her as well. Despite her shyness, she could definitely be indecent from time to time. When she was alone of course. These days, most of this indecency revolved around a certain blond.

Mikan blushed just thinking about it.

'N-Now isn't the time for that…..'

She was here to enjoy a simple festival with her friends. She could worry about that other stuff later.

In private.

Chiaki just shrugged the whole thing off and went back to her game. She needed that fourth plushy dammit.

The two of them continued to have fun.


'I'm a total idiot.'

Yasuke was convinced he was cursed. He had to be. Otherwise, why would he bother coming to this stupid festival with all these stupid people around? He could be back at Hope's Peak right now, working on his many projects that he needed to complete.

And yet, he was here.

Why?

Yasuke wasn't wearing a kimono. Not a chance. He'd rather drop dead before wearing something like that. He was in his messy school uniform, as usual. He hadn't even bothered to change out of his sandals. It wasn't worth the effort.

Besides, he was sure he wouldn't be here for too long. He was simply curious. Yeah, that's all. He just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. He was interested to see what Uzumaki and the others in his class had put together.

'No one in my class would do this.'

They were all busy advancing their talents, just like he was. There was no time for pointless crap like this. They were the chosen ones. They were blessed with talents. That's why they needed to make sure they used their talents wisely and for the sake of the future.

And yet, as he watched all the smiling faces around him, Yasuke had to wonder if his ideal was truly ideal.

But….no, it had to be. He was working hard for the future, so that other people didn't have to go through the same bullshit he experienced. Someone like Uzumaki couldn't understand that, though. That guy was only goofing off with his friends, nothing more. They were all wasting their time, wasting their skills.

It was frustrating.

'Ah, the adoption is that way.'

Yasuke had heard the announcement earlier, and the speech that some girl had given. He wasn't here for the animals, though. They really didn't interest him. However, he was sure that Uzumaki was down that way. Meeting that guy now….

The thought alone put a bad taste in Yasuke's mouth.

The boy was about to turn the opposite way when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

How odd. No one ever called him. Only one person did, and that was….

'Crap.'

Yasuke pulled out his phone from his pocket and answered it.

"Junko."

Sure enough, it was his only friend calling him. Right on time. Well, it was past the normal time actually. But that was his fault, not hers.

"Fiiiiiiinnnallly." Her drawn out voice came from the other end. "I called you like three times already! What gives? You never miss my calls."

All the noise and distractions around here must have made Yasuke not notice his phone vibrating. It was a bit embarrassing if he was being honest.

"Sorry. I'm just sort of distracted right now."

"Distracted? You? Hey, wait. What's with all that noise? You got people working with you?"

She knew that wasn't the case. Yasuke always worked alone. In rare occasions he asked assistance from others, but that was only if he really needed the help. Which rarely happened.

"No, I'm at a festival right now."

"A festival? You? Pffft!" Her beautiful laughter rang in his ear. That was probably him just being bias, though, labeling her laughter as 'beautiful' of all things. "No way, you hate that stuff! Are you wearing a kimono? Am I missing something rare?"

"T'ch. Shut up, dumbass. It's nothing serious. I just wanted to check it out. That's all."

"Hmm." She started humming. Yasuke knew he had piqued her interest. And to Junko, that was something worth more than gold. "This is the first time you've done something like this. Is that place really that fascinating? That Hope's Peak or whatever?"

She was over-analyzing this. She was always doing crap like that. It honestly put Yasuke on edge at times. Junko's talent was not something anyone wanted to mess with.

"You're putting too much thought into this. Some students here organized an event. Probably led by that idiot, but-"

"That idiot?" She cut him off. Crap, he'd said too much. He should have put more thought into what he was saying. But the damage was done. "What idiot? I know you don't like people, but to single someone out. Must be someone interesting, huh?"

Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap. She was definitely interested now. Not good. This was the last thing Yasuke had wanted to happen.

"It isn't. This place is just a means to an end for me. I don't care about anyone else here. You know this."

And that's all Yasuke wanted to say on the matter.

But Junko's mind was already working, her gears turning. She was connecting a lot of dots together. It was a specialty of hers. Even with little information, she could figure things out most people couldn't.

Junko hated this part of her.

"Well, I don't care regardless. I'm too busy with this new photoshoot that's coming up. Seriously, these people are going to work me to death. I'm a delicate flower. They should realize this."

It was pointless crap. Yasuke knew this. Junko didn't really care for modeling or her status among high school girls. Why she did it, Yasuke didn't know. Maybe to pass the time somehow? It was just another part of Junko's character that confused him. It was happening a lot these days, and some part of him worried greatly about this.

If he couldn't understand his only friend, then who else was there?

"But you know, maybe I should join Hope's Peak Academy with you."

Wait, what?

"Why?"

It was baffling. Yasuke knew Junko didn't care about the supposed reputation Hope's Peak Academy had. He didn't either. He was only here because of the opportunities it opened up for him. All the hype about Ultimates and all the extra crap was not in his radar.

"Well, normal high school is boring. Like, extra boring. So boring that I want to slice my head off sometimes. Or maybe have the teacher do the decapitating herself. Whatever works. And don't get me started on my so-called classmates. Is it illegal to order someone to stab someone else? Oh wait, it is. That's a bummer. I'm getting bummed out just thinking about it. Like I want to slice my head off. Oh, I already said that. This is so boring I'm forgetting what I'm saying. Can you understand how terrible this is?"

Believe it or not, Yasuke could. Normal people were a bore. It was one of the few things he could fully agree with her on. However, unlike her, he didn't fixate on it. He simply kept to himself, finding it easier to go about his life that way. Besides, other people would only distract him from his one true purpose.

"So yeah, maybe that school can make stuff interesting for me! That, and I've been sorta mulling something over recently. I'll probably need your help for it."

What was she thinking about now?

"But I can tell you about that stuff later! Maybe. Anyway, enjoy that festival of yours. Oh, and your new friend. Pfft-ehehehe!"

Uzumaki was not his-!

Oh, she hung up.

Sighing, Yasuke pocketed his phone again. For some reason, he was feeling tired all of a sudden. That was happening a lot, almost every time he talked to Junko. He didn't understand why.

And this "something" she was mulling over…..it was putting him on edge again. He found it really hard to predict her these days, and that wasn't something he liked. Not knowing stuff, to be precise.

'Junko….'

Well, whatever. It was probably something stupid. She did that a lot, to try and make things more "exciting."

'I should go.'

Yasuke was about to head out and head back to the Science Building when he spotted a stuffed animal of his favorite manga character in one of the stalls nearby. It was a small thing. And it was sure to be a waste of time. But Yasuke still found himself walking over to the stall.

A few more minutes wouldn't hurt anyone.


Things were still busy back at the stage, where the adoption process was fully underway. Gundham made sure to question any and all who participated. He wanted to make sure they were serious about taking care one of his precious "familiars." He wasn't going to let them go with just anyone, after all. That was the kind of guy he was.

Sonia provided support wherever she could while Kazuichi just followed after them. At first, it had been out of jealousy. But over time, he got sucked in the whole thing. Gundham was acting different than normal. He was serious, and he didn't bother messing around. This meant a lot to him. Kazuichi could see this. That's why he felt compelled to help and started doing just that, telling Gundham about anyone who looked fishy and keeping his eye on any potential troublemakers.

They made a good trio, in Naruto's mind.

The blond wasn't on the stage. He was off to the side with Fuyuhiko while Ibuki talked to some of the people waiting in line, telling them fantastical stories that she made up. It was amusing if nothing else.

"So your sister isn't coming?"

"When I told her you were going to be here, she flat out refused." Fuyuhiko sighed. "I have no idea what happened between you two, but you really pissed her off."

"Eh, I don't think I did anything." Naruto scratched his cheek in thought. "I only told her to not idolize you."

"Ha, trying to talk sense into her is almost impossible." Fuyuhiko cracked a small exasperated grin. "She's always been crazy. Worse still, no one outside of our family has ever stood up to her. I think it's gotten to her head."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Shut the fuck up. I can still stab you."

No, he couldn't.

"I don't think words alone are going to be enough to dissuade her." Fuyuhiko was convinced of this. He had been trying to talk her out of her obsession with talent for a while now. No matter what he said, she was never convinced.

"They do say that actions speak louder than words," Naruto said with a shrug. "Maybe she just has to see that she doesn't need talent."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"No idea."

Fuyuhiko nearly facepalmed. "You're useless."

"Hey! That's not true, and you know it. I'm a pretty reliably guy to have around."

"Yeah, reliable to get you into complicated messes."

"You know you love it. You're having fun, right? I bet Peko-chan is too. Speaking of which, where is she? She did come, right?"

"Yeah, she's here."

She was probably out in the festival somewhere. Fuyuhiko didn't know. All he had told her was to go out and have some fun, and that he would join her later after this adoption nonsense was over. It was for the best. Fuyuhiko knew the girl needed to loosen up a bit, and that could never happen if he was always around her.

That's what he was hoping for anyway.

Their conversation had to stop there as the sound of a commotion started to reach them. It was coming from somewhere in the waiting line.

Naruto did a quick scan. It didn't take him long to find the source of the commotion. It was a group of guys, who appeared to be around seventeen or so, surrounding another group, only that this group was made up of kids. Five kids to be precise. One was even in a wheelchair. Despite their size, they were looking ready for a fight.

"We already told you that we were here first!" One of the girls was screaming and pointing at who Naruto suspected was the ring leader of the older group. The girl had two pigtails and bright pink hair. She was in a pinkish kimono that matched her hair and wore a pink hairband with horns.

"If you want to go on stage, then wait your turn like everyone else!"

"Yeah!" One of the other kids, a boy this time, tried to back her up. He had spiky red hair and bright blue eyes, with a pair of headphones hanging loosely around his neck. Unlike the girl, he wasn't in a kimono but shorts and a red and black striped t-shirt.

"Damn stupid kids, it's only a couple of spots. What does it matter?"

"If it doesn't matter, then leave already." The third kid who spoke up, another boy, was a lot calmer than the previous two. He was in a kimono, a white one in fact. It complimented his blue hair rather nicely. "You're causing a scene. You don't want to get kicked out, do you?"

"You think you can threaten us?" One of the teens pointed to the stage where Sonia was. "Do you know who that is? I doubt it since you're just brats. And even if you did, you probably wouldn't know what to do with her."

"Lousy jerk!" The pink haired girl wasn't giving up. "You can't just push us out of line like this!"

"Is that a challenge?"

The teens were growing annoyed, that much was obvious. But would they really resort to physical violence when dealing with a couple of kids?

Turns out they would as one raised his fist and aimed for the pink haired girl. It was the quickest way to dealing with the situation in his mind. It would scare them off, and they could continue with their many fantasies about Sonia.

Sadly for him, Naruto had already seen what he was about to do and was one step ahead. The guy didn't get anywhere near striking range before he was pinned to the ground, with Naruto twisting his arm behind his back.

Even while wearing a kimono, Naruto could move very fast.

"Ow-what the fuck!?"

He wasn't the only one surprised. The other teens took a step back, not having seen Naruto until after the blond was pinning their friend down. The kids were in the same boat, as was Fuyuhiko who was left standing alone before he realized what Naruto had done.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" The teens were able to come out of their stupor and turned to glaring at Naruto. "Get off him!"

"Not until he understands that his careless actions have consequences." Naruto pressed down harder, causing the teen under him to flinch in pain. "Hitting a defenseless girl, who do you think you are?" Naruto turned his attention to the pink haired girl who was watching everything with wide eyes, as were the other kids around her. "You alright, little one?"

"E-Eh?" The girl started to blush when she realized he was talking to her. "Y-Yes! Um, thank you!"

She was obviously too startled to think properly right now.

Naruto nodded. "Alright. Now as for you." He focused back on the guy below him. "You're going to leave now, you got it? Troublesome guys like you aren't welcomed here."

"What!?" The other teens were outraged. "What gives you the right!?"

"These guys right here." Fuyuhiko was quick to make his presence known as well, having heard enough. He brought two of his "underlings" with him. Said underlings didn't bother hiding the fact that they were armed and ready to exact less than peaceful measures to keep the order.

The group of teens knew they didn't have a leg to stand on here. They looked at one another and came to a quick decision.

They were going to leave. They didn't want to risk their lives over something so stupid. They still made sure to shoot Naruto nasty glares as they were escorted out, especially the one he had pinned down. He was only lucky Naruto hadn't broken his arm, which would have been very easy to do in that situation.

"Ahahaha, that was incredible, Uzumaki-kun!" Nagito came walking up to them with Hiyoko in tow. "You handled those troublemakers spectacularly! You as well, Kuzuryu-kun!"

"Jeez, why do you sound so happy?" Hiyoko blanched. "It was an annoying situation, don't you know?"

"I definitely agree." Nagito's face started to darken a little. "They should be lucky that their punishment was so light. Not understanding the greatness before them…..people who don't understand their place are worth less than trash."

Hiyoko suddenly wanted to stand as far away from Nagito as possible.

Fuyuhiko merely shook his head. "T'ch, stupid fool."

"Ah, but that's not important anymore." Almost instantly, Nagito returned to his normal go-happy-self. "We shouldn't let that ruin the fun for us, right?"

He was met with silence, which was only broken by the red haired kid whispering a little bit too loudly to the others.

"This guy is weird."

"Still, we must give our thanks." It was the blue haired kid who stepped forward. "We thank you for helping us just now. We had no idea what we were going to do until you showed up."

"What? That's not true!" The redhead huffed and stomped his foot on the ground. "I could have taken care of those guys, Nagisa, and you know it!"

"Yeeeaaahhh, I don't really think that's what happened." The final boy of the group finally spoke up. He was in a brown kimono and wore a freaky looking leather mask. It definitely made him look dangerous, but his tone of voice was more reserved than the others. "You looked totally scared just now, Masaru. Kotoko would have totally gotten hit just now if this guy hadn't done anything."

"S-Shut up, Jataro! You didn't have to say that out loud!"

The final girl giggled. She was the one in the wheelchair. She had short green hair with matching eyes. Like her friend, she was in a kimono. It was pale blue.

"Now, now. We can't be getting into an argument right now. We still have to be thankful to our kind samaritan."

Samaritan? Naruto had no idea what that meant, but he was still impressed when he saw the four other kids lower their heads and heed her words.

"Right, of course." The girl named Kotoko skipped over to him and bowed. "I thank you personally for saving me just now, mister. You were totally adorbs just now."

Adorbs? That was a funny way of putting it, but Naruto accepted her gratitude.

"Don't mention it. We put on this festival for everyone to enjoy. I wasn't about to let those jerks ruin your experience."

"Eh?" Kotoko looked surprised. "You're the one who organized the festival?"

"Well, not just me." Grinning, Naruto gestured to Fuyuhiko, Nagito, and Hiyoko. "It was a group effort. Everyone from our class pitched in."

"So you're from Hope's Peak Academy." The blue haired kid, Nagisa, nodded in understanding. "I see now. Your speed earlier. That sort of thing would only be possible if you were an Ultimate."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You know about Ultimates?"

Even little kids were in the know-how. Hope's Peak Academy was truly popular alright.

"But it's only natural." Hiyoko raised her sleeve to cover up her smug look. "I'm always recognized wherever I go. That's why you should be thankful that you can talk to me whenever you want, Big Bro. It's not a privilege I give to just anyone."

Right, right. Whatever made her happy.

Fuyuhiko wasn't buying it, though. "Cut the bullshit. You cling to Uzumaki like a little puppy these days. It's more like the other way around if you ask me."

The blush on Hiyoko's face could rival the sun in brightness. "Y-You lowly yakuza….don't say such stupid things! I can take you down!"

Fuyuhiko wasn't afraid. He was amused really. "Heh, try it if you dare. It'd be interesting if nothing else."

"You little…."

"So she's an Ultimate too?" Masaru pointed at Hiyoko. "She looks like our age, though. Can you skip grades?"

Hiyoko's ire switched from Fuyuhiko to Masaru, who went deathly pale when he noticed Hiyoko's murderous gaze on him.

"What did you just say, you little twerp?"

"U-Um-!"

"Now this is a first." Nagisa seemed pleased. "Someone who can actually make Masaru shut up. It's great, right?"

Kotoko nodded. "Mhmm!"

Jataro tilted his head. "I don't know, you guys. It's a little bit freaky to me. But, ah. My opinion doesn't matter, does it?"

"I think Masaru was out of line just now." The girl on the wheelchair folded her arms on her lap. "If he gets into trouble, then it's on him."

Masaru looked teary-eyed by her words. "That's just mean, Monaca! I only said the truth! She's short and flat! She's totally our age!"

'Oh boy.' Naruto and Fuyuhiko looked away, knowing the kid had just dug his grave. Nagito just chuckled to himself.

"You totally said it now." Hiyoko started to crack her knuckles as she approached the shaking Masaru. "You're not Tsumiki, but I'm going to take my time teaching you how to speak to a lady."

"B-Bring it on!" With shaky knees, Masaru put on a fighting stance. It wasn't intimidating in the least. "I can take you! Y-You're probably weak anyway!"

Seems like he was too young to grasp the concept of a pissed off high school girl.

You weren't going to win that fight.

And the torture began, Masaru's screams echoing throughout the park.

This festival was totally kid friendly!


"We'd like to thank you one last time for your assistance." It was Monaca who was expressing her thanks to the blond. "We're not sure if we can adopt one of the animals here, but we wanted to see one."

"I bet they're totally adorbs!" Kotoko beamed as she hugged Naruto's arm. The little girl was totally smitten with him, probably because of his actions earlier.

"The guy running this thing is a total hardass." Fuyuhiko crossed his arms as he looked over to Gundham. "I doubt he'd let you take one."

"We sort of expected that." Nagisa wasn't troubled by this at all. As Monaca had said, they were only here to look. They wanted a break from their bleak lives. That's why they had come to this festival in the first place. It was close, and it was being run by Ultimates. It was a total win for them.

"Say, say!" Kotoko nudged Naruto who looked down at her. "What is your Ultimate talent? I'm the Li'l Ultimate Drama!"

Li'l Ultimate?

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked, not understanding the title at all. These kids weren't like Hiyoko, right?

"You haven't heard of it?" Nagisa said. "We're from the Hope's Peak Elementary School. It's not as glamorous as the main school, but I would have thought an Ultimate would know about it."

"That place." Unlike Naruto, Fuyuhiko wasn't as surprised. "I had heard of it, but this is the first time I'm meeting a student from there."

Naruto was somewhat dumbfounded if he was being honest. An Elementary division? For little kids? First the Reserve Department and now this. Hope's Peak was a lot bigger than he'd first thought.

"This is also a first time for us," Nagisa replied. He was definitely a lot more calm and level-headed than Masaru. "Monaca and the others were kind of excited to meet an Ultimate."

He was too, but he wasn't going to say that.

"And you're totally cool!" Kotoko had sparkle in her eyes. "You were like a guardian angel."

Naruto turned sheepish by the praise. "I think that's going too far….."

"Hell yeah, he's the last guardian angel you'd want." Fuyuhiko threw a smirk Naruto's way. "You'll probably end up dead from all the mishaps he gets into."

Naruto grumbled. "You need to learn how to speak more nicely about others."

"And lie? Not my style."

Terrible, just terrible! Be nice, Fuyuhiko!

Monaca giggled. "You guys are funny. And not like how I pictured you."

Oh?

"I always assumed Ultimates were these elite people who didn't socialize at all."

"They're the symbols of hope." Nagito, who had been quiet up to this point, felt the need to speak up. "They are unapproachable to the common person. But you're all stars yourselves, right? If Hope's Peak Academy granted you titles, that means you're on your way to getting there." Smiling wider, Nagito spread his arms out. "This has totally been a grand night! For me to meet such little rising stars. I feel very lucky!"

Kotoko hid behind Naruto but still clung to his arm. "This guy is giving a dangerous vibe. Not adorable at all."

Naruto forced a chuckle. "Yeah, he can say some weird stuff sometimes. But don't worry, he's a nice guy. You just have to get to know him."

For the most part.

By this point, the line was winding down and only a few animals remained. This had been a total success for them.

"Ah, Naruto-chan!" It was here that Ibuki made her presence known again as she ran up to the group. "There you are! Why would you disappear on Ibuki like that!? It's not cool at all! And where is Hiyoko-chan!? It's almost time for us to start rocking out, you know!"

Oh, Hiyoko. She was….over there, still beating the life out of Masaru who was still trying to put up a fight. The kid was tenacious, if nothing else.

"T'ch, you're totally gonna kill people tonight," Fuyuhiko said under his breath. Listening to more of Ibuki's music was not something he was looking forward to, but he would power through it.

"Come oooonnn!" Ibuki started pulling Naruto away from the group, much to Kotoko's disappointment. "You too, Hiyoko-chan! We have to put on a good show!"

"Eh? Oh, right." Hiyoko's ire vanished, much to Masaru's relief who quickly ran over to Monaca and Nagisa. He was too young to die! "You got lucky this time. But I might not be so kind if we cross paths again."

"S-She's a demon!" Masaru hissed to the others, who all just shrugged.

"I think that was your fault," Jataro said. "You shouldn't have said your thoughts out loud…..ah, I just said that out loud! That's my bad."

"We need to work on your social skills, Jataro," Monaca said with a sweet smile.

"You don't have to worry about that, Monaca. I'm a lost cause. People are bound to hate me for it for the rest of my life."

Fuyuhiko looked put off by the exchange. 'What the hell is up with these kids?'

They looked normal, but some of the stuff they said….it was questionable to say the least.

But whatever, it was none of his problem. Their parents could handle it.

With that, Fuyuhiko made to follow after Naruto and Ibuki but stopped when he saw that there was a small tug-of-war going on for the blond, Kotoko pulling on one arm and Ibuki on the other.

"I really have to go." Naruto was trying to smooth the situation out. He didn't want to lose either of his arms here. "But we can talk later if you want."

That made Kotoko stop pulling. She let go of his arm and stepped back. "You promise?"

"Yeah, of course. There's a whole festival to enjoy!" Naruto grinned. "So have as much fun as you can."

Kotoko nodded her head shyly. "Okay….but you still haven't told me your name, or your talent."

"Hm?" Naruto was already walking with Ibuki but stopped. He glanced back at her. "Uzumaki Naruto. I'm the Ultimate Ninja. It was nice meeting you."

With those parting words, the blond walked off with Ibuki, Hiyoko, and Fuyuhiko following after him. Nagito gave the group of kids a final wave and smile before he followed as well.

"That was a lot more hectic than I would have liked," Nagisa said with a huge sigh. He was just glad the situation had been resolved.

"Don't be like that, Nagisa. And look." Monaca gestured to the line. "We're almost there. So cheer up, okay?"

The boy started to blush a little. "R-Right, of course. You're right, Monaca."

Kotoko would usually tease him at this point, but she was too busy staring at Naruto's treating form to notice.

"Hey, we can totally meet them again, right?"

Masaru spit on the ground. "Why would you? That blonde girl was scary."

"Yeah, but the blond guy was totally handsome! And cool!"

"I don't get you at all." Masaru placed both arms behind his head, his face uncaring. "That guy was nothing special."

"Of course, a perverted idiot like you could never understand." Kotoko stuck her tongue out at him. "You could learn a lot of things from him. At least, he's more manly than you."

"S-Say what!?" Masaru looked ready to rush at her. "That's not true! I have the total qualities of a badass superhero!"

"Stop this bickering, both of you." Nagisa was quick to step in. "We don't want to draw more attention to ourselves. Remember?"

Masaru turned away with a huff. "Tell her that."

Kotoko didn't care enough to respond. She simply stuck her tongue out at Masaru again.

"We're totally not in sync today, guys," Jataro said with a shake of his head. "I think it has something to do with being outside."

As usual, the others ignored him. Kotoko would have said something snide at his expense, but she was too busy thinking about Naruto for that.

And Monaca…..well, she was just Monaca. Smiling, and with a kind expression.

They were all the best of friends for sure.


"I'm sorry I'm late!"

When Naruto, Ibuki, and Hiyoko started to make their way up the stage to start prepping for their show, they were stopped by Mahiru who ran up to them. She wasn't alone as there was someone else following right behind her. It was another girl, this one with long dark green wavy hair and violet eyes. The two girls were wearing kimonos, Mahiru's a beautiful rose red kimono with a grand floral pattern while the other girl wore a rather simple lime green one. Mahiru also had a magenta flower hair pin that fit rather nicely.

"Mahiru, you're here!" Naruto's face brightened when he saw the redhead. Earlier, he had been worried about her absence. He was happy to see that he had just been paranoid.

"Big Sis!" Hiyoko was just as happy as Naruto to see the photographer. She ran back to where Mahiru was and quickly engulfed her in a hug. "Where were you? You almost missed our show!"

Mahiru hugged her back. "I'm sorry, I got held up with my friend here. We had to make sure her kimono fit her properly."

"Your friend?" It was here that Hiyoko took notice of the other girl standing next to Mahiru.

Naruto sweatdropped. 'She didn't notice her?'

Hiyoko could have such a one-track mind sometimes.

"U-Um, hello there." Mahiru's friend was obviously nervous from all the focus on her. "I-It's nice to meet you all….I'm Mahiru's friend. You can call me Sato."

'Is she…..?' Naruto's eyes narrowed a little. If this was the same friend that went to the Reserve Course, then he had just his lucky break.

Fuyuhiko didn't seem all that interested and simply shot her a quick nod before he went back to lounging at the bottom of the stairs.

Sato shied away from him, already knowing who he was. It was unfortunate that he had to be here, but Sato knew that there was nothing she could do about it. Fuyuhiko didn't take notice of this, though, and kept to himself.

Nagito on the other hand openly stared at Sato, his eyes boring right into her.

"That's strange," he said after a moment of silence. "I was sure I knew every Ultimate at Hope's Peak Academy. But I've never heard of you."

Then again, he hadn't heard about Naruto. Maybe this was just another case of that? If so, Nagito wanted to die from embarrassment. To not know of such talent…...he really was the worst, wasn't he?

"You wouldn't know about her, Komaeda." Mahiru shook her head. "Sato doesn't go the Main Course like us. She's a Reserve Course Student."

That little piece of information changed everything for the luckster. "Oh, I see."

Sato felt a very strong chill run up her spine when she saw the new look Nagito was giving her. His gaze was no longer warm or welcoming. It almost felt like he could lash out at her at any moment.

"Now, now. Let's not worry about pointless details like that." Nagito's cold gaze stopped when Naruto came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Any friends of Mahiru's is a friend of ours. Right, Nagito?"

"Uzumaki-kun." Nagito looked unsure. He struggled to say something before simply settling with a nod. He knew Naruto was too nice to turn away a talentless person. Even so, Nagito would make sure Naruto's light never got tarnished. That rang true for Mahiru as well. He was sure he could protect them both.

"Is the adoption over?" Mahiru took this opportunity to change the subject. She glanced up the stage where the last few people were looking at the few animals that remained. There were two dogs and a cat. "I wanted to get some pictures of it."

"I think it's a little bit too late for that," Naruto told her before turning his eyes to the very back of the stage where Ibuki was already prepping her guitar. "But I think you're just in time to watch us suck."

"Hey, that's not fair." Hiyoko almost threw herself at him. She pouted. "We're going to do just fine. After all, you have me. As long as I'm up there, there's no way we can fail."

Naruto and Mahiru both sweatdropped. Yeah, real motivation booster right there.

"Ahahaha, I don't think you should worry at all, Uzumaki-kun." Nagito smiled at him. "I'm sure things will turn out fine."

"Yeah, right. You've seen us performing together." Naruto's shoulders slumped. "We're going to suck bad."

"Ah jeez, where's your motivation?" Hiyoko glared at him. "You better not slow us down, you hear me?"

He probably was, though. But oh well. He had already a promise to the two girls. He wasn't going to back down now.

"Let's go. I'm sure Ibuki is waiting for us."

Sure enough, she was already gesturing to them to get on stage with her.

Hiyoko gave Mahiru one final hug before she ran up to Naruto and grabbed him by the arm. Once again, the blond was dragged toward the stage. He didn't fight it, though. Hiyoko and Ibuki were both really looking forward to this. He wasn't going to deny them the experience.

"I swear, they're always so excited about something." Mahiru sounded exasperated as she watched them go, but the smile on her face said otherwise. She was always happy to see them this way.

Sato saw this too. "So that was the Uzumaki Naruto you spoke of."

"Ah." Mahiru blushed a little before nodding. "Y-Yeah. He's the one who brought us together. He's kind of an idiot. No, scratch that. He's a total idiot. But still. He's not a bad guy." Mahiru started to smile again, and it held a warmth that made Sato freeze up. "He's a good leader, and I'm sure he'll be someone important in the future."

Sato felt her eyes widen. But it was only natural. This was the first time she was seeing Mahiru give such a big compliment to a boy. She was always hard on them, mostly because of her father. But for her to say something like that, and to sound so happy…..

'Mahiru, do you….?'

"I believe we should get a better position," Nagito said, snapping Sato out of her thoughts. "The show is about to start."

Mahiru nodded. "Right. I need to take pictures anyway. I need to make up for lost time."

This was an important night, after all. A night that they all needed to remember.


Peko looked up from the kakigori that she was enjoying when she heard Sonia's voice through the speakers again. It was her finishing statement for the night.

'I see. So the adoption process must be over.'

Peko had wanted to be there at first, until she realized that her presence might cause the animals to feel nervous. It was unfortunate, but most animals weren't like Kurama or Gundham's hamsters. Most were hesitant to be around her. That's when her young master had told her to go out and enjoy the festival and that he would follow her shortly after everything was wrapped up.

This left her with a bit of a conundrum, however. She had never actually enjoyed a festival before. Sure, she had attended several in the past with her young master, but that had been as his bodyguard. Now, she was here tonight as just a simple girl. She didn't even have her sword on her. It was strange for sure, especially not being armed. It made Peko feel a bit naked, if you will. But Peko felt like she was slowly getting used to it.

'I should probably go and see the concert.'

She didn't particularly like Ibuki's music, but Peko knew just how much it would mean to the lively girl to just show up. That, and Peko was definitely amused by the concept of Naruto playing the drums. She just couldn't picture her blond friend as a musician. Not one bit. It was sure to be funny for her in one way or another.

Peko was about to head in that direction until she noticed a familiar face among the crowd.

"Mitarai."

The animator was carrying a bunch of different foods. Almost a small pile's worth. He was probably on an eating spree. It was definitely impressive, the amount that he ate. He could probably give Akane a run for her money.

Maybe.

Ryota turned to her, his cheeks stuffed. "Pekoyama-san."

That's what he wanted to say, but it came out as gibberish from all the food stuffed in his mouth.

Thankfully, Peko still managed to understand him. She couldn't help but smile.

"Enjoying yourself I see."

Ryota swallowed quickly. It was sort of amazing really, that he was able to swallow that much food all at once. Definitely like Akane.

"Yeah, you could say that. I got here late, but I'm touring all the food stalls before heading to Hanamura-san's. That will be my biggest challenge tonight."

Biggest challenge? He took his food serious alright.

"I see. Were you not going to see Naruto-san and the others perform?"

Ryota started to sweat nervously. "I don't think I could survive that. You've heard Mioda-san play, right?"

True, it wasn't something to take lightly.

"Besides, we're all meeting up for the fireworks later, right?" Ryota shrugged. "I'll be around for that. I just want to walk around for a bit, take in the sights. That's all."

More specifically, to be alone for a bit.

"Hmm, I see." Peko suspected that there was something else going on here, but she didn't push it. Ryota's business was his alone until he decided to share it. "If you change your mind, you know where to find us."

"Yeah. Thank you."

Peko gave him a quick nod before walking off. As she made her way to the center of the park, she had to wonder if Naruto would have pressured Ryota more, to try and see what the true problem was. To help him in some way.

She quickly pushed that thought away. She wasn't Naruto. She would leave those types of things to him. She would support him in other ways, as she would with the rest of her friends.


It was a strange feeling, to be in front of a huge crowd while performing on a such an odd instrument. Naruto had gotten more acquainted with the drums over the past several days, but he was no expert. Far from it. Ibuki said it was easy, but it really wasn't. Then again, he wasn't exactly a fast learner.

It was definitely embarrassing. Naruto knew he was doing a poor job. And yet, he couldn't help but smile as he tried his best to keep up with Ibuki's fast pace and Hiyoko's elaborate dancing. The two girls were doing their own thing. From the very beginning, neither had tried to change their style. Naruto was a total amateur when it came to this stuff, but even he was able to see that this mix was not blending well.

But it still worked? Naruto didn't know how to describe it. It was a total mess, but he still enjoyed it. Just seeing both Ibuki and Hiyoko smiling as they did their thing was enough for him.

Naruto didn't know how the audience was taking it. More people did arrive, and he could see several his other friends mixed in the crowd. Heck, even Nekomaru had shown up. He was carrying Akane on his back again. The gymnast was struggling, probably because she wanted to eat more before coming here.

Typical Akane.

He spotted the group of kids from earlier too. Looks like they stayed. And Ruruka and Izayoi and the other girl. Ruruka now had a dog with her. A puppy from the looks of it. It was a dachshund. So she had managed to adopt one after all.

Naruto was happy for her.

It was just as Ibuki had said earlier. Their melody was a total mess, but it still worked. At the very least, the crowd was loving it.

He was no drummer, but Naruto still felt like he rocked out that night.


"You looked like you were going to die out there. It was hilarious!"

"H'mph, your musical skills are very lacking indeed. You definitely are not an entertainer. Be glad that I even bothered to listen to your melody at all, you foolish mortal."

"Yeah, Uzumaki and music don't mix very well, huh?"

"You guys." Naruto was twitching as he was met with will all these great comments from his so-called friends.

"Aww, don't beat yourself up over it." Kazuichi was loving every second of this as he patted the blond on the back. "I'm sure some girls totally dig the sucky drummer type."

Yeah, he was enjoying this a little bit too much. But he couldn't help it! It was a nice change of pace for the mechanic to see Naruto not be so cool for once.

But he still enjoyed the performance regardless.

"It wasn't as bad as I expected." Fuyuhiko was just relieved that Ibuki hadn't killed them all. He had still winced at several parts, though.

"It was a total jam session!" Ibuki was still on a high after the performance. Everyone could see that, from the way she was bouncing and everything. "Ibuki will never forget this day! It's worth more than all the money in the world!"

"H-H'mph, I guess it wasn't so bad." Hiyoko's cheeks were red as she held her head high. "You didn't hold me back, so that was good."

"I caught a bunch of nice pictures." Mahiru was all smiles as she held her camera out. "You three looked great out there."

Sonia clapped with much enthusiasm. "Indeed, it was a performance of the ages!"

Now that was just an exaggeration right there. Naruto was still happy to get the praise.

Mikan tugged on his sleeve, her face gentle. "It was a good performance, Naruto-san. You really looked cool up there."

Naruto started to chuckle sheepishly, like a kid who had just been congratulated by his mother.

"You think so?"

"Cut it out, you're gonna give him a big head." Fuyuhiko smirked. "The idiot doesn't need anymore of that."

Way to kill the mood, baby gangster.

"Heh, well it was definitely something." Nekomaru crossed his arms as he grinned. "I've never been one for music, but you three were fantastic. It definitely raised my spirit! I feel like I can take anyone on right now!"

Now that was definitely a compliment of the ages.

Peko was in agreement. "Indeed. It is not something that can be so easily replicated."

Chiaki gave them a thumbs up. "Good job."

As simple as always.

Nagito kept his thoughts to himself, but he looked like he was in heaven right about now.

'Ah, I'm so lucky to be here.'

He had just witnessed something truly special.

"But the big stuff is over now, right?" Kazuichi looked a bit bummed out about that. He had a good time, showing the animals to other people with Sonia and Gundham. They had all been adopted, which just made it all the more satisfying. But now it was over, and that left him feeling a bit sad. "What do we do now?"

"Huh, what kind of question is that?" Naruto slung his arm around the mechanic. "We enjoy ourselves of course."

This festival was their creation. It was time for them to fully enjoy it.

"Food!" Akane perked up. "Hanamura has more food! We need to go to him!"

She started salivating at the thought of eating more of his dishes. She had been there all night, but she still needed more!

Fuyuhiko shook his head. "You seriously have a one track mind."

No one rejected the proposal, though. Because of his stall, Teruteru hadn't been able to see the performance just now and had missed the adoption as well. So seeing him wasn't a bad idea at all.

Naruto still had one concern, though. "Has anyone seen Ryota? Or has he texted any of you?"

He was the only one missing to Naruto's knowledge.

"I saw him earlier," Peko replied, remembering their encounter. "He said he wanted to be alone for a bit, but that he would join us for the fireworks."

"Oh my." Sonia looked worried. "Did something bad happen?"

"He did not say."

"That guy has always been a bit standoffish if you ask me," Kazuichi said. "More so than Kuzuryu at times."

Said yakuza didn't respond to this, mostly because he knew that Kazuichi wasn't entirely wrong.

"We should still get him." Mahiru wasn't too keen on leaving him behind. This night was all about them being together, after all.

It was a sentiment that Naruto shared. He quickly handed Kurama to Mikan, who accepted him into her arms.

"I'll go find him. You guys can go on ahead. I'll catch up soon."

Some wanted to argue, but they decided to trust Naruto and leave it to him. He was definitely the best one suited for this.

Mahiru turned to Sato with a smile. "We should get going."

Sato, who had been hanging back and just watching everything unfold, simply nodded. She was a bit overwhelmed with all these Ultimates around, but she would do her best to keep up. Besides, her curiosity had been piqued. This Uzumaki Naruto person…..just who was he?

'He's so close to Mahiru and everyone else…..'

A feeling of jealousy started to burn in Sato's heart.

"Hmm, looks like they're going." Ruruka and the others were still present as well. "And why did whiskers-kun run off? I was going to introduce him to my new puppy!"

"There's still the fireworks later, right?" Seiko suggested, her voice soft behind her mask. "Maybe we can meet them then?"

"That's not a bad idea at all." Ruruka thought about it some more before cheering. "Anyway, let's just go have some fun! This is a festival, after all!"

Izayoi made no comment, but he was on board with the idea. Soon, the trio started to head out as well.

This beautiful festival wasn't over yet.


So yeah, I had to split this up again.

…..I'm ashamed. But it's so easy to write these interactions that they just keep coming and coming! It is what it is at this point.

Jabberwock Island, though. Apparently a lot of you want to see the group go there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Fat Byakuya say that the island had been closed for many years in the beginning of the game? That's why the Future Foundation was able to use it as a base, because the Tragedy didn't hit it since it was closed. I don't mind changing this part of canon at all, but I'm not sure what way I should go about doing it. Like, make up new attractions or just go by the design that we got in the game? I'm open to suggestions.

Anyway, that's all from me. More fluff incoming next chapter.

Till next time.