Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.
Chapter 38:
A New Term
Hinata Hajime did not understand what he was looking at when he got to school that morning. Two months had gone by since he had joined the Reserve Course of Hope's Peak Academy. During that time, he had come to expect a certain procedure for his daily school life, for a lack of a better word.
And that procedure was filled with monotonous, normal days that were so forgetful you couldn't tell them apart even if you wanted to. The only reason he even knew that two months had gone by was because of his calendar. The days were just that long, painful, and boring.
There was no excitement here.
That's how it had been for Hajime for these past two months. The only excitement he had felt was when he had first set foot on campus and gazed at the main school building. Of course, he couldn't actually go inside. Not unless he wanted to be dragged out by security and make a fool of himself in front of the whole school.
Or worse, expelled.
He was just a Reserve Course student, after all. He was a dime a dozen. No one would care if someone like him got expelled. He was sure some other student would gladly take his spot if he was gone.
It was a bitter thought, but it was still the reality of things.
That's why, that excitement he had first felt when looking at the main school building was now gone and replaced with just emptiness and regret.
Setting foot here at Hope's Peak Academy for the first time had been something of a godsend for Hajime. Sure, it was just as a Reserve Course student. But in the back of his mind, he was sure he had been lying to himself, trying to act as if he was stepping closer to the thing he admired most. Like if he worked hard he could one day reach that goal and finally become someone he could be proud of.
It was possible, right? He was a student of Hope's Peak Academy, after all. A normal person like him would finally matter! He would be able to make a difference in society!
But then reality quickly set in, and Hajime realized that that was nothing more than wishful thinking. No matter how much he wished for it, no matter how much struggled, no matter how much he admired, he would never set foot on that other side. The side that he longed for the most. He would only ever be able to glance at it through the gates that kept him and everyone else separated from the actual elite.
From the Ultimates.
The Reserve Course wasn't just a stepping stone for something greater. It was the destination itself.
It was all Hajime was ever going to be able to amount to.
No, even that was going to be taken away from him soon. He didn't have talent, after all. Nothing he could call his own. Just his parents' money.
Unless…..
No, wait. What was he was thinking? This wasn't the time to be dwelling on such things.
Because there was something very strange happening right now.
Hajime had said so before, right? That the days at the Reserve Course were monotonous and not at all worth mentioning?
Well….that wasn't exactly the case anymore.
"Hear thee, hear thee! For we have a great announcement to make! You all have ears, don't you? So listen well! For the greatest event is soon going to take place!"
That…..what the heck was that even all about?
Hajime could only watch with a bewildered expression as something of a parade marched right through the hall in front of him. Except there was only one float, and it wasn't even a float. It was something like a cardboard sheet with some weird-looking blond standing on top of it with a megaphone in hand. The board was being lifted up by four other male students who all looked like they didn't want to be here.
And…..did the blond have a fox on his shoulders?
"…."
Hajime had to rub his eyes to make sure they weren't playing some kind of trick on him. And they weren't. There was actually a fox on the boy's shoulders.
Again. What the heck was happening?
There was also a redheaded girl walking next to them and snapping pictures with a wide smile on her face. And next to that redhead was another girl holding a sign with the words "Student Council Announcement" scribbled on it. And was that some kind of red swirl at the bottom?
But wait. The girl holding the sign…..Hajime recognized her!
His eyes widened when he realized this.
It was Sato!?
What the heck was she doing!?
Sato wanted to die from the embarrassment.
If she had a mirror, she was sure that she would see her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Heck, she could just feel her cheeks burning up!
It's why she tried to hide her face behind the sign that she was holding. Just about everyone in the Reverse Course was lined up on either side of the hall, trying to see what the commotion was all about. She was hoping no one would recognize her, but that was only wishful thinking on her part. Everyone else was wearing the Main Course uniform while she alone wore the Reserve Course one.
There was no doubt that her fellow Reserve Course students were going to pick out that little detail.
"Is everyone listening? Good, good! We can't let this most festive time go unanswered!"
Sato wanted to glare at the man responsible for this, but she was too embarrassed to do so. She had to admit, the way Naruto was able to be the center of attention without a shred of fear or hesitation made her jealous.
The fact that Mahiru was happily taking pictures of him only made her even more jealous.
'How did this happen?'
That's all she could think, but really she already knew the answer to her own question.
It all began this past Saturday.
Sato almost freaked out when she sat down at one of the tables of the café that Saturday afternoon. She sure hoped her almost freakout was understood, though.
She was sitting opposite to Naruto and Mahiru, after all. The two teens looked like they were in the middle of a date. But that was complete nonsense….wasn't it?
Wasn't it!?
Unless…..oh, no! Did Mahiru already confess to the gullible blond? Had her best friend mustered the courage to take that leap!?
That couldn't be it, right? It just couldn't!
Still, begrudgingly, Sato had to admit that the two looked good together. Naruto was wearing an orange hoodie with blue jeans, while Mahiru wore gray jeans and a sleeveless green blouse. The blond's bright colors meshed well with Mahiru's more relaxed color scheme.
Heck, that had been part of the reason why Sato had almost freaked out, as from a distance the two had looked like a picture perfect couple.
How annoyingly cute. It didn't help that Mahiru looked relaxed, like she had been enjoying herself.
It made Sato curious….just what had the two been up to before she had joined them?
Her mind started to race through all the possibilities, which just made her almost freak out all over again.
'I need to calm down.'
Sato knew this. She had just been caught off guard. When Mahiru had texted her about meeting up today, Sato hadn't realized that Naruto would also be here with them. If she had, she would have already been mentally prepared.
Now she had to be extra careful about how she acted here. She didn't want either Naruto or Mahiru to know about her discomfort.
"Sorry for dragging you out here," Mahiru began as she finished with her slice of cake. It looked pretty good. "But this idiot here started bugging me about it and wouldn't shut up."
Naruto didn't look sorry. "Hey, it's a great idea. We've been over this."
"No, we haven't. You just went on and on and didn't let me say anything."
"Sorry, sorry. But you got to admit. It's a good plan."
"You haven't even talked to the student council about it yet. You're counting your chickens before they hatch, Naruto."
"What? You're sounding like Teruteru now."
"You're only saying that because I mentioned chickens, aren't you?"
"…..maybe."
"God, you're an idiot."
"That's still hurtful."
"But if the shoe fits."
"That's what you always say!"
"Don't pout. I'm just trying to help here."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Ah, that tone again! You really need to work on your manners."
Sato had to stop herself from banging her head against the table. Watching these two argue…..it was like she was watching an old married couple bicker with one another!
It was ridiculous….and embarrassing.
"U-Um." Finding her voice, Sato was able to break through Naruto and Mahiru's little "argument" in order to figure all this out. "What exactly are you two talking about…..?"
Naruto's eyes lit up as he focused on her, which made Sato all the more apprehensive. She didn't know why. Her body just tensed up.
"I recently came up with a plan with the student council."
"No, you didn't." Mahiru deadpanned. "You came up with the plan. Just you. By yourself. Like an hour ago. Why are you trying to lie to her? I won't let you."
"The minor details don't matter, alright! I just need your help, Sato!"
Hold up, what?
Had Sato heard that correctly? Was Naruto asking her for help? Her, an ordinary girl with no talent? And he, an Ultimate who was destined for greatness in this world?
He was asking her for help…..?
What kind of joke was this?
And Mahiru was going along with it!?
Mahiru almost facepalmed. "As always, you skip all the way to the end. How is she know what you need help with unless you explain it?"
This guy was just hopeless, wasn't he? It made Mahiru all the more embarrassed that she actually had feelings for him.
Naruto grumbled. "I was getting to that part. But if she doesn't want to help, then I don't want to waste her time. I'd ask someone else…..maybe."
"Do you even know any other Reserve Course student?"
"Nah. But I'm sure making friends with one of them wouldn't be too hard."
True. Mahiru had no doubt about that.
"U-Um!" Raising her hand, Sato tried to regain their attention again. "I'm sorry, but what are you two talking about…..?"
Sato felt like she had already asked that question, but she still had no idea what was happening here!
"Oh, right." Looking sheepish, Naruto scratched the back of his head. Sato had to stop herself from staring as she noticed that the boy's arm was covered in bandages. It reminded her of Mikan if she was being honest.
Was he trying to copy her?
"The thing is, the student council and I are looking to create some excitement in the school," Naruto started to explain. It made Sato focus solely on him. "We don't want to leave anyone out, so we decided to have the Main Course and Reserve Course come together and host a school festival together!"
A school festival?
Naruto looked proud of himself. "Sonia told me how schools all have festivals year-round, but apparently Hope's Peak doesn't do them. So we're going to break that stupid curse and host our very own event!"
Of all the things he could have said, Sato didn't think this was going to be it. Not that she could ever guess where Naruto's thought process was, mind you.
But a school festival?
"I think that sounds a little…..problematic." Sato tried to pick her words carefully. She was talking to an Ultimate, after all. She might not like him all that much, but he still deserved respect. "The Reserve Course isn't really allowed in the main school building, so how would we host an event together?"
Naruto looked annoyed now, and for a second Sato feared she had said something she shouldn't have.
"Yeah, that's a stupid rule. I don't think the headmaster will be able to change it. But still, that doesn't mean we can give up that easily. If we can't host it in the main building, we'll just have to go around it!"
Around it?
"Hope's Peak has a lot of land, right?" A smiling Mahiru said. "And both Reserve Course and Main Course students are allowed to use it. So we'll just have the festival there."
It was already filled with pretty fountains and gardens. It was perfect!
Sato looked at Mahiru with surprise written all over her face. "You're okay with this?"
Mahiru looked confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Her friend's response made Sato feel like an idiot. Of course she would be on board with the idea. Whether he knew it or not, Naruto had the biggest influence over his class. He could probably get them to do anything for him.
It was a bit scary for Sato. She never realized just how much of an impact someone could have on her best friend.
But now wasn't the time for that. Sato still had other questions.
"Why are you telling me this?"
More importantly, just what did they need her help with?
"Well, I want to make the announcement this Monday if possible." Naruto rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "And I think it would be better if someone from the Reserve Course was with us. For everyone to know that this truly is a school-wide event."
Naruto had no idea if there was any tension between the Reserve Course and Main Course, and he didn't want to put Sato on the spot by asking her such a question. That said, he really wanted to send a message with this announcement.
He was not going to take the same route as the administration. The division was just stupid, plain and simple.
Sato looked unsure.
"Are you really sure about this? You might be causing some unwanted problems….."
Not that she really cared what happened to the boy. But Sato didn't want Mahiru to get caught up in anything dangerous and end up kicked out of the school.
Naruto snorted. "Is it illegal to host a festival? We're even following their stupid rules. There's nothing wrong with this."
Sato felt like he was being far too dismissive, but at the same time she couldn't help but find the idea very appealing. Of course, she would never openly admit to such a thing. But that was mostly because of her unjust resentment toward the boy.
"So what do you say?" Naruto's voice was full of excitement again. "Wanna help us?"
Smiling, Mahiru grabbed Sato's hand with her own. "It would mean a lot."
This wasn't fair. How could she ever hope to say no when Mahiru was looking at her like that?
She just couldn't.
So of course Sato had to agree and lend a hand.
That's now it had gone down, and sure enough Naruto had decided to go through with it that Monday morning. He even got four members of the student council to help them. Although they all looked like they wanted to die too.
"I can't believe this," she heard one of the boys mutter. She remembered his name. It was Someya Ryota. He was pretty short and didn't look at all like they physical type. Sato was surprised he hadn't already passed out.
"How could the president have agreed to something like this?"
"Just let it go." One of the other boys, Yoko Shoji, looked just as annoyed. "The faster we get through this the better."
The tallest and most muscular of the four let out a grunt. Sato remembered his name too, Goryoku Tomohiko.
"I don't like this at all. Not after how he behaved in the student council room last time."
"Ahahaha, it's fine, you guys." A soft spoken voice tried to be the reasonable one. It belonged to Kurosaki Taro. He looked the most feminine out of the four if Sato was being honest. It was mostly because of his eyes. "The president trusts him, and this looks like it could be fun. So what's the harm?"
None of the others answered him, mostly because they weren't looking to get into a silly squabble while they were in the middle of carrying the still shouting blond.
Sato was still in amazement about the whole thing. She had no idea how Naruto was in contact with the student council, or even why he was doing all of this. Sure, he had said he wanted to liven things up, but Sato still felt like there was something more to this.
Unfortunately for her, she couldn't think straight right now. Not with how embarrassed she was.
'I still never did find out what the two of them were doing out together…..'
Sato had been too embarrassed and anxious to question Mahiru about it, and her friend hadn't told her anything.
Was it painful? In a way, but right now Sato was more concerned with getting through this with her sanity intact, just like with the four boys.
That Monday morning had been a very long one for her.
Yusuke didn't bother to hold in his yawn as he reached the physics lab that morning. The door was closed, but that wasn't a surprise. Jun liked to keep it that way. It prevented people from just wandering in, not that it ever stopped him from going in whenever he needed something.
It was going to be a pretty slow day for Yusuke, as the experiments he was working on needed some time before they were finished. So he was just looking to kill some time. Checking in to see if Jun had finished with that air purifier of his sounded interesting enough, so Yusuke was looking to spend some time in the lab before reading more of his manga on the rooftop of the science building.
Nothing else to do anyway.
Yusuke was sure not even Jun would be at the lab this early, but something else caught his eye when he stopped by the expensive looking door.
'…..what the hell?'
The boy couldn't help but stand frozen for a couple of seconds as he tried to understand what he was looking at.
Several papers had been stacked against the door. Probably nailed? But on a closer inspection, Yusuke realized that they weren't just papers.
They were posters.
Grabbing one of them, Yusuke had to once again question whether what he was seeing was true or if his eyes were messing with him.
'There's going to be a summer festival?'
Here? At the school?
In middle school, Yusuke had been a part of many of the events that were common in everyday school life. It was just the norm.
Hope's Peak Academy was different. There was no such thing as a school festival. Heck, there weren't even classes really. It was truly an independent setting.
This suited Yusuke just fine. It allowed him more time to work on his experiments. To further hone in his craft.
But this…...what the heck was this about?
And why was that red swirl at the bottom of the poster making him so angry?
It was annoying, but his gut was telling him that there could only be one goofy-looking blond behind this.
What was that idiot thinking of doing now?
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
Yusuke had to take his attention away from the poster when a shout came ringing from inside the physics lab. Already recognizing the voice, Yusuke calmly walked inside and sure enough he found Jun in the middle of the room.
Realizing that Jun slept inside the physics lab the previous night, Yusuke was about to make his presence known until he saw that the Ultimate Physicist was holding a similar poster in his hands.
"How the hell did that bastard get in here!? I even locked the door!"
It seemed as if Jun had come to the same conclusion as Yusuke.
But wait. The door had been locked before, huh.
And Naruto still found a way inside…..
"…"
It was then that Yusuke realized that maybe Naruto really was the Ultimate Ninja.
And from the looks of it, things were probably going to get a lot more annoying around here.
Naruto had a blast that morning. He was finally able to take the first step in what he felt what his new mission. His ultimate motive hadn't changed, of course, but before he hadn't had a concrete way of going about it. Now, he did have something in mind.
A purpose.
Hope's Peak Academy was going to be that purpose. Naruto had no way of knowing if things were going to go well, but that was part of the fun. There was no meaning in it otherwise.
Predicting your destination was just a waste of time.
That's why he was here now. He was in the middle of advertising the first event that would mark a change for the school, hopefully for the better. He was taking some inspiration from what he and the others had done before, only now he meant to expand it to the whole school.
So exciting!
But really, time sure passed fast. It was now two months since the entrance ceremony. Two months since he had come to this new world. Two months since his life had changed drastically.
It really was something out of a novel.
Nothing major had really happened in the last two weeks. He had been spending time with his friends and going to class while also waiting for his arm to heal.
Nothing really worth mentioning if he was being honest.
Ah, except the old man had finally returned. So there was that. He still wouldn't say where why he had been for the past month, annoyingly enough. And Naruto really couldn't pressure him about it.
What Tengan did with his life was his business, and his business alone.
At the very least Naruto had been able to buy him a new computer. That was one debt paid.
He still had many more.
Naruto had a bank account now too. He was totally moving up in the world now!
As to how much money he had saved up…...well, it was plenty enough that he probably wouldn't need to work for several years.
He was still going to work at the ramen shop, though. He loved ramen far too much to just quit. Plus, he got discounts. That was too big a perk to pass up.
Also, his cast was now gone. Good riddance to that. He now only had his bandages wrapped around his arm. It was the only way he had been able to convince Mikan to get rid of the cast. She was still apprehensive about his injury, even though his arm was now pretty much healed. But there was no way he could refuse her when she looked at him all teary-eyed.
He was too nice sometimes.
Naruto really didn't mind the bandages all that much. It just felt like he was copying Gundham, something that the Ultimate Breeder had been all too happy to point out.
They almost got into a fight about it, but Mahiru had been there to make sure it didn't get to that point.
Speaking of the redhead, something weird had happened over the weekend. Well, not weird. More like…..odd.
Was there a difference? Who knows!
Anyway, Naruto didn't know what brought it on, but she had invited him out on a walk to the park with her. Something about wanting to get some nice pictures since summer was almost upon them.
Since Naruto wasn't working that day, he had been happy to accompany her.
Thinking on it made him smile.
The park was beautiful and peaceful. It wasn't the same one they had used to host their festival. This one was a lot smaller in comparison, but Naruto found himself liking this one more.
Maybe it was because of the small lake in the middle of the park?
Naruto didn't know, but he felt at ease here.
Kurama was sharing that sentiment, as the fox happily posed for another one of Mahiru's pictures.
"I can't believe it," Mahiru almost cooed. "It's never this easy to get Tanaka's hamsters to cooperate when I'm trying to get a picture of them."
Naruto puffed out his chest. "Of course. Don't compare his tiny hamsters to the greatness of a fox. Kurama is a hundred, no a thousand times better than his hamsters!"
Mahiru almost giggled. Leave it to Naruto to have such a rivalry with the Ultimate Breeder. And knowing Gundham, he probably felt the same about his hamsters.
The two really were idiots. They had more in common than they would like to admit.
But really, it was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, and there was even a soft breeze blowing. It didn't really feel like summer was almost here.
This atmosphere was great, and it only got better when the two teens got some ice cream together.
Naruto had to grin when he saw Mahiru taking another picture of Kurama when the little fox nibbled on the vanilla ice cream.
"You really like taking pictures, don't you?"
"W-What?" His question seemed to have caught her off guard as she stuttered. "I mean, of course I do! Isn't that obvious?"
Naruto shrugged a little. "I never really noticed. It's never been just the two of us before."
"O-Oh." The way he said that, it made Mahiru all the more embarrassed. Sure, she had asked him out today, but hearing him pick up on it made her heart beat a little faster. "Is that weird? You could have said no if you didn't want to come…."
She trailed off as she looked away, not wanting to see his reaction.
Naruto just looked confused. "Why wouldn't I want to come? I mean, I guess I was surprised." He tilted his head a little. "Hiyoko told me that you like to take walks on your own, so I didn't think you would want me to tag along. But it's been fun hanging out with you, so I'm glad you did."
This guy…..he just said whatever he wanted, didn't he?
Mahiru knew it was just the way he was, but it still got to her.
"W-Well, as long as you're having fun….."
She left it at that, not wanting her voice to crack any further.
Naruto was still left feeling confused, but he too left it at that.
The two continued on their walk through the park. There was a main path they could follow that circled the entire small lake, which was what they had been using. They made many stops along the way, as Mahiru took many different photos.
To him, it was just a simple act like eating or taking a shower. But not for Mahiru. Seeing the way her eyes lit up whenever she was taking a picture made Naruto want to see how it was through her eyes. It was probably unbelievable.
But he kept that thought to himself.
It wasn't until they were near the end of the path that Mahiru made a surprising request.
"You wouldn't want to take a picture with me, would you….?"
A picture with her?
Now that Naruto thought about it, he and Mahiru had never taken a picture together, had they? She was the one who was almost always behind the camera, taking pictures of everyone else.
Naruto grinned. "Yeah, sure."
The way her face brightened definitely told him that he had answered correctly.
It had still been quite an experience for Mahiru. She had mustered the courage to ask something she wanted, and at first she thought that was going to be the difficult part.
She had been wrong.
The difficult part was having Naruto's face so close to hers as they posed for the picture. Of course, Kurama was on the blond's head, so it wasn't like it was just the two of them. But it still made her heart beat faster than ever before.
There was that warming aura she had felt before, which was no doubt coming from her blond friend. Was it his chakra that she was feeling again? Mahiru wasn't sure, not that it made much of a difference.
It felt very calming and peaceful, as always. It fitted the boy well.
Mahiru tried not to focus on that she tried to position her camera well for a selfie. She disliked these types of pictures the most as they never came out well in her opinion, but she was willing to make an exception for this occasion.
She was sure she was making a weird face, and it would probably come out terrible. But she still took the picture.
And she was right. She had been making a weird face. Naruto had looked like his usual happy self, while Kurama had just been lazily resting on the boy's head.
But still…..Mahiru was probably going to treasure the photo for a long time.
And it was only then that she would begin to question whether this was a date or not, only for her to realize that she didn't really care either way.
It had been fun, and she wouldn't mind doing it again.
What a fun day it had been indeed. Seeing someone so passionate about what they did was always a treat. Naruto felt like he understood Nekomaru's point better now, after hanging out with Mahiru.
The cake they had eaten later at the café had just been icing on the….uh, well you get the point.
There was a rather sour point that Naruto did feel like he had to bring up, though. It was a sourness that had been washed away by all the excitement he was now feeling, but it had still happened regardless.
He had met with the creepy scientist man again earlier today.
Naruto openly yawned as the door to the room was opened. Kurama was also yawning from within his school bag.
They couldn't help it. It was six in the morning, after all. And as they say, pets usually took after their owners. And from the looks of it, Kurama was growing accustomed to Naruto's laziness and was emulating it.
Good Kurama.
"My, my. Someone looks tired."
The man's voice sounded friendly, but Naruto wasn't buying it. He didn't buy it a month ago when he had been ignorant, and he wasn't going to buy it now that he had more of an idea about what was going on.
"It's nothing I'm not used to. A friend of mine wanted to show me something today, so I was going to get up early anyway."
This was true. Gundham wanted to show him his new animal shelter that the school had built. Apparently some of the groups that were funding him had heard about the festival and had been so impressed that they were giving Gundham additional funding.
Gundham had been so excited about it, that he had erupted into another one of his weird rants about destiny and the power of darkness or something.
Naruto had honestly just tuned him out. He was still happy for him, though.
"Busy then." The man took his seat in front of the blond as he placed a file between them. He eyed Naruto's bandages. "I've heard you had quite the adventure since our last meeting. You even brought a powerful backer to the school because of it. I can't thank you enough for that."
Oh yeah?
Naruto really didn't care for the man's praise.
"So why did you want to talk to me this time?"
"Hm? I told you we would be in contact, didn't I? I think we haven't talked enough, if I'm being honest."
"You didn't really answer my questions last time, so I thought our business was finished."
"Not quite." The man smiled, which almost made Naruto frown. "I like to think that our business is only starting. Don't you?"
"Depends on the business."
Naruto wasn't going to give anything away if he could help it.
"Of course, I understand if you might have your…..apprehensions. But I assure you, this is for hope. Not just for this country, but the entire world. I did tell you that, didn't I?"
Had he? Naruto couldn't remember.
"I can understand that sentiment."
"I'm certain you do. It's why you're here. It's why we're all here, Uzumaki-san. For in talent lies the potential of mankind."
That stuff again, huh.
The man could sense Naruto's aggravation.
"Ah yes. I remember. You didn't seem to agree with me last time. I see that hasn't changed."
Naruto stayed silent.
He didn't seem to mind. "Tell me something, Uzumaki-san." He opened the file and started to flip through it. "That mission you went on. You managed to complete it, right? You helped solve a major murder mystery and brought the criminal to justice. You also helped to uncover proof about a couple of assassins. Not bad. I'm sure your actions will lead to a brighter future for all those involved."
This man…..was he intentionally trying to push Naruto's button? Because he was succeeding.
Subconsciously, Naruto touched his bandages.
"I guess you could say it was a success."
He wasn't going to let the man know his true feelings about the mission.
"Oh, it certainly was. But I do want to throw a question your way, if you don't mind."
Naruto did.
"I just want you to answer me this: if you weren't there, what do you think would have happened?"
What?
Seeing Naruto's confusion, the man smiled. "I think it's a simple question. If you had not been there, do you think the case would have been solved?"
How was he to-
"For that matter, if Kirigiri-san had not been the one investigating, do you think you would have gotten to the truth? She's also rather talented, you see. Rumor has it she's going to be scouted for next year's class."
Naruto already knew that. But that was beside the point.
"There are many other detectives out there, but I'm sure you saw that there was something special with her. Perhaps the case still would have been solved if someone else had been handling it. Maybe not. But I do know that without you there those assassins might have succeeded in killing Kirigiri-san."
Naruto had to stop himself from gritting his teeth.
"What's your point?"
"You can't see it yet?" The man started to lean in closer, his glasses once again obscuring his eyes from view. "I'm saying that it was your presence, your talent, that made justice reign supreme that day. Just like it was Kirigiri-san's talent that helped to put the pieces together. It's talent that makes the world spin, Uzumaki-san. You don't want to accept it, but I want you to understand that today. And talent is the reason why we're here. All of us. Even this school. Talent is hope, and hope is the salvation for mankind. And so, we need talent in order to reach that salvation. Do you understand me?"
The man got forceful all of a sudden.
"It does not matter where talent comes from. The rich, the poor. Whatever. The fact is that it exists, and it's the driving force behind everything. Words like 'effort' are nothing more than excuses that the 99% like to tell themselves. To try and hide their failure. It's only natural of course. Human beings are bitter and petty. We don't like to accept our own limitations. It's both a blessing and a curse. And that is why I stand before you, in order to understand you and your talent more. Because it's what will save humanity one day."
At least he was being more direct this time. Not that he wasn't also lying.
Naruto didn't flinch, though. He just listened as the man ranted.
"You're not interested in me," he began. "You're just curious about what I can do. The same goes for the rest of my friends. You don't care about how they got to where they are. About their journeys. Just the destination. And that's never the answer."
It was the man's turn to go silent.
"Talent isn't everything." Naruto repeated those words, and he would repeat them a thousand times more if he had to. "None of them were suddenly perfect at what they do. They've put time and effort in order to hone their skills. I'm sure it was the same for Kyoko. Just how many cases do you think she's had to solve in order to develop her instincts? Sure, she and everyone else may already had certain skills that helped them along the way. But they don't just rely on that. You just can't see that."
Naruto started to learn in closer. "They're more than just their talents. They don't have to feel trapped by them. That goes the same for those who don't have talent either. Everyone is able to choose what they can be in this world. Talent isn't the destination, and it won't give a person what they're looking for either. I can guarantee you that."
There was no doubt in Naruto's words.
The man still had to chuckle softly. "Interesting perspective. But I believe you're only able to say that because of where you are. To someone who's not in your position, who's only able to look from below you…..do you believe they would feel the same way?"
There was a reason Hope's Peak Academy was coveted. Why the Reserve Course was filled to the brim with students eager to buy their way into the school. Those who wanted to use money to make up what they lacked in talent.
"Again, you're only looking at the end result. More often than not people decide to turn a blind eye to all the effort it took to get to that high position." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You know nothing about me. You have no idea what I've been through. The same goes for my friends."
Things were getting heated. Sensing this, the man backed off as he got up from his seat.
"I see. It appears as if we still can't reach an understanding." The man closed the file and picked it up. "But that's okay. I fully believe you'll come to our side soon enough. Good day to you, Uzumaki-san. I hope that arm of yours heals nicely."
It was with those words that the man in the lab coat left the room, leaving an aggravated Naruto to his thoughts.
What an annoying reminder that was. There were many more things Naruto would have said to the man, but he had done his best to keep his cool. He didn't want them knowing that the headmaster had been feeding him information.
Not yet at least. He had to be a little smart about this.
Not that Naruto had a concrete plan about any of that mind you. Not yet. He just knew that he wanted to lift the spirits of the other students first. He could then move on from there.
It was a good plan, right?
Probably. Naruto still didn't know, but his gut was telling him that this was the right step to take.
After all, to him, it wasn't the teachers or the administrators that made up Hope's Peak Academy. It was the students.
As long as he had the students on his side, then everything else would fall into place.
That was Naruto's hope.
Nagito wore his usual smile as Naruto, Mahiru, and Sato came walking out of the Reserve Course building together. In the distance, the four disgruntled figures of the student council members could be seen as they headed straight back to the main school building.
This morning had not been kind to them.
"Welcome back, Uzumaki-kun. Koizumi-san. I see you're already finished."
"Yo." Naruto greeted the luckster right back. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just wanted to be the first to see how things went." Nagito looked down, still smiling. "Of course, I know better than to try and interfere with your plans, Uzumaki-kun. That's why I decided to wait here and greet you when you returned. I hope everything well?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"Idiot." Mahiru poked Naruto on the cheek. "The student council will make an official announcement later. You just couldn't wait, could you?"
Naruto was not sorry. "I think my way is more direct and gets the message across. This is going to be a festival for everyone to enjoy! Screw what the rules say."
"Such passion." Nagito looked pleased. "I would expect nothing less from you, Uzumaki-kun. It's only natural that the others would follow your lead."
"Hm? It is?" Naruto shrugged. "I just asked for their help. Thanks again, Sato! It felt nice having you there. The more support the better!"
"O-Of course." Sato stood close to Mahiru as she avoided looking at Nagito. "It was my pleasure."
It really wasn't.
Naruto laughed. "Ahahaha! I hope we can work together in the future again. There's a lot of planning that needs to be put into action!"
Mahiru almost groaned. "Not that you asked the student council what they had in mind."
"Sōshun can handle it."
Probably.
"It does sound like a splendid plan," Nagito said. "Trying to spread hope to everyone in the school. With all the Ultimates working at your side, I'm sure it will all work out."
"It's not just the Ultimates, Nagito," Naruto replied as he scratched Kurama's head. "The Reserve Course students will be pitching in too."
That's what he was hoping for anyway. He was sure Sōshun agreed with him.
"But of course." Nagito clapped a couple of times as his eyes went to Sato who, despite her best efforts, still looked back at him. "Those of the Reserve Course exist for that sole purpose. They're the stepladders. They can be put to good use for the symbols of hope. It's the least they could do."
His words caused Sato's skin to shiver, but not in pleasure.
Just fear.
"Look here you." Naruto got in between the two, blocking Sato from Nagito's view. "Are you trying to scare Sato? Are you pranking her?"
"Ahaha, that's not my intent. I promise. I am merely trying to lend her a hand."
"Then stop saying that weird crap. You're only creeping her out. Besides, I'm going to need your help too."
"Are you sure it's okay to rely on me?"
Sato wasn't able to hear Naruto's answer as the two boys started to walk off with Naruto leading Nagito away, but she wasn't too interested in their conversation either. Just watching Nagito's back as he and Naruto walked away was enough to make he skin crawl again.
"How can you stand being around that guy?"
"Huh? Komaeda?" Mahiru looked unsure of how to answer that question for a second or two. "Well, he can say some weird stuff." Obviously. "But he's not all bad. After a while, you get used to him if you learn to tune him out."
There it was again. That acceptance. Mahiru was able to accept stuff so easily, stuff that Sato couldn't.
Mahiru was an Ultimate, after all. It only made sense that that separation existed between them.
That didn't stop Sato from feeling disgusted every time she was around Nagito. Even if he was an Ultimate, his comments just left her feeling hopeless.
It was like their first conversation during the festival all over again.
"I have to go. We can talk later, okay?" Mahiru gave her a smile that made Sato forget all about her worries, if only for the moment. "You can come have lunch with us today if you want. We're having another picnic."
Gundham suggested it for some reason. Probably so that they could meet the new animals he had while they ate.
"No, that's okay." Sato took a few steps back. "I wouldn't want to be a bother."
"You know that isn't the case."
Maybe, but she was still too rattled by her sudden encounter with Nagito to be around him again. At least for today.
"Just think about it, okay?" Mahiru waved at her as she started to follow after Naruto and Nagito. "I'll be waiting!"
Sato could only wave back with a resigned smile.
Her friend really was nice.
Jin greeted this morning as something of a new beginning. He was almost a bit excited, if he was being honest. Finally, one of his problems would be solved! It was a minor problem in the grand scheme of things, but it was still a problem nonetheless.
"You're insulting me in your head again, aren't you?"
Jin didn't bother to to answer that, even though Koichi's guess was pretty much spot on.
The main scout for the school didn't seem too bothered either way as he relaxed in the sofa chair.
"Ah, I finally get to take it easy. Is this my reward for working so hard?"
His friend really knew how to push his buttons, huh.
But Jin kept his cool, especially when there was a knock on the door.
'So she's finally here.'
Jin folded his arms on his desk as he looked at the door.
"Come in."
The door swung open a second later, and Jin instantly saw the bright orange hair come into his line of vision. It was kind of a familiar sight to him but at the same it wasn't.
It was hard to describe.
He was still happy to see her.
"Good morning, Yukizome-kun. I'm glad you made it on time."
The bright orange hair belonged to none other than Yukizome Chisa, a graduate of class 74th. Indeed, she had been a student of Hope's Peak Academy before graduating just last year, hence the familiarity.
The bright young woman looked the same but there were still some differences to her from when she was in school. Right away, Jin noticed a more mature air around her. She also didn't wear her school uniform anymore, instead now donning a light blue skirt suit with a white dress shirt underneath. Her vibrant green eyes were as bright as ever, and she kept her hair in its usual ponytail.
"Good morning to you as well, headmaster Kirigiri!" Her voice matched her perfectly. It too was bright and full of enthusiasm. "It's a pleasure to be here!"
"Hey now." Koichi tried to look like he was pouting. "I'm still here too, you know."
"Of course, Kizakura-sensei! Good morning to you!"
Koichi almost smiled. 'Oh yeah, she's still the same as ever alright.'
Good to see that the young woman hadn't changed since the last time he saw her.
"I know it's sudden, but we don't really have much time to waste," Jin said, catching Chisa's attention again. "I'm sure you're already aware of what position you're going to be undertaking here at the school."
Chisa did, and she couldn't wait!
Jin still explained it anyway.
"I'm assigning you to be the new assistant homeroom teacher for class 77-B."
"I understand!" Chisa beamed. "You can count on me."
Jin withheld a sigh at this next part. "Well, I say 'assistant' teacher, but you'll probably be taking over as the main teacher."
Koichi smiled at this. "Yeah~ Feel free to treat the class like it's your own."
He wouldn't mind popping in every now and then, though. Those brats had managed to warm up to him a little.
This time, Jin did have to sigh. "You just graduated and it may be a little difficult for you, but I'm counting on you."
He needed someone responsible to keep an eye on this class, after all.
"Of course!" Chisa continued to beam as she raised her arm in excitement. "Just leave it to me-!"
But that air of excitement died a little as she smacked her chest a little bit too strongly, which made her to go into a coughing fit.
Jin's eyebrow twitched a little at the sight.
…..had he made the right choice? Or was he making another mistake here?
But Chisa was already dashing out the door, still wheezing but also still excited.
"I'm sorry about that! But if you excuse me-!"
Then she took off, leaving only the two men inside the office.
Koichi had to laugh. "She's definitely the same alright. Good old Chisa-chan."
Yeah, she was. And while that was a good thing, it also made Jin worry a little.
Either way, he had a feeling things were going to get loud around here again.
Naruto felt like he had gotten another pretty good nap in that morning.
Alright, so after his little parade at the Reserve Course building earlier, he might not have gone straight back to the classroom like Nagito and Mahiru.
But it wasn't his fault! He still had like fifteen minutes before classes started, and he had been up since almost 5. Besides, he was sure that Koichi was going to be late. The man was always late on Mondays. Since he didn't drink as often during the weekdays anymore, he drank that much harder during the weekends.
So where had he gone off to then, you might ask?
Why, the nurse's office of course! Mikan was always nice enough to let him nap in here whenever he wanted. He might be abusing her good nature a little bit, but it wasn't anything a nice bowl of ramen couldn't fix.
Right? Right!
So there Naruto was, just barely conscious as he started to wake up from his well-deserved nap. As usual, Kurama had taken one of the other beds for himself, that crafty fox.
But that only made him start to be confused when he felt like something soft was pressing against his face.
No, wait. This sensation…..it was starting to become familiar to him.
But it wasn't possible. It couldn't be!
…...could it?
Naruto willed himself awake, and when he did his suspicions became reality.
Mikan was sleeping right on top of him! It wasn't even like before where she was just cuddling with him. She had her whole chest pressed up against his face as she slept almost right on top of him.
What the hell!
Worse still, she started to moan in her sleep, which was probably what had stir him from his nap in the first place.
Wait, no. That wasn't the important part. How hadn't he noticed her getting in bed with him!? Again!? Was he just that used to her presence that his senses didn't trigger when she got near him? Or was she secretly a ninja too?
So many questions, but none of them seemed to matter as she hugged him closer to her body. Damn, why did she have to feel so soft? It made a part of him want to stay in place, even though the rest of him knew this was wrong.
"Mhmm…..so nice."
There it was, that sultry voice. It just didn't belong to Mikan, he was sure of it! His ears were just playing a trick on him.
"Ngghh…..n-no, d-don't move around so m-much….."
But he wasn't moving! Not yet at least. He was still trying to find a way to get out of this mess without waking her up. Easy enough, right?
Well, whatever gods were out there didn't seem to want him to get out of this mess so easily as the door to the nurse's office was opened.
Right away, Naruto knew he was doomed as Kazuichi and Teruteru strolled into the room.
Yeah, some mornings were such a drag.
Hajime stared blankly at the main school building in the distance through the window next to him. He had to wonder….what were the elites doing right now? How fun was it on that side compared to the dullness that was the Reserve Course?
He felt like he only got a taste of that excitement earlier today with that whole spectacle in the hall. He was still trying to understand what that was all about. Apparently there was some kind of school event coming up?
But what in the world could that be? As far as he was aware, there were no school events at Hope's Peak Academy.
Hajime's mind remained on these questions even as the school bell rang and everyone else took their seats.
He didn't even notice his teacher assuming his spot in front of the classroom until he started to speak.
"Good morning, class. Before we begin, I would like to introduce the new student transferring in."
Hajime wasn't all that interested in such things until this new transfer student started speaking.
"Hello there. I am Kuzuryu Natsumi."
When Hajime finally looked up, he was greeted with a sneer from a blonde he had never seen before.
"I don't know why I've been put together with trash like you, but whatever. It's nice to meet you, I guess."
Such an introduction...she wasn't afraid of anything, was she?
Oh yeah, things were definitely picking up now.
Mikan cuddling sessions: 2.
Normal sleep: 0.
Kazuichi cries: a lot.
I'm excited for this new arc…or whatever you want to call it. Now that our boy Hajime has finally arrived on the scene, what will happen?
Till next time.
