Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.


Chapter 43:
What a Weekend Part III

"Can I be honest here for a sec?"

"Mhmm."

"I feel like I just stepped into another dimension. Like, there's a different world within a different world…..wait, does that even make sense?"

"Aren't you just being dramatic, Uzumaki-kun?"

"No, Chiaki. I'm not."

Naruto didn't bother to hide his amazement as he looked around the so-called arcade that he found himself in. It was the first time he was seeing something like this, and it was leaving quite the impression on him. The only thing from his home that could compare to this place was a casino, but even then it wasn't exactly the same.

Just…..look at this place!

There were all sorts of machines and devices. His eyes were being bombarded with so many different lights, it was kind of hard to focus. It was like he was seeing an alien world! How could something like this ever be considered normal?

The arcade was jam-packed with people. It was Saturday night, so it was bound to be the busiest time of the week. That was something that hadn't changed from his world to this one. People enjoyed partying on the weekend.

If only this party wasn't so foreign to him.

"You should really close that mouth of yours," Chiaki said next to him. There was a half-smile on her face, no doubt finding his reaction humorous. "You'll make people worry if you stay like that."

Naruto tried his best to get his amazement under control, but it was hard.

"So this is an arcade, huh."

When Chiaki had invited him out tonight, he didn't know what to expect. Despite that, his expectations had still been blown out of the water.

"This is my personal castle." The Ultimate Gamer started heading deeper inside, and Naruto followed her. "I come here a lot. It's my all-time favorite spot, even if it does get a little crowded from time to time."

A little? More like a lot. Some places were hard to walk through, and several games had massive crowds gathered around them. It wasn't hard to guess which games were the popular ones.

The blond took a moment to study Chiaki as the two walked through the arcade. She was wearing the same hoodie he had seen her in when they'd first met over two months ago. That cat-themed backpack of hers was here for the ride too. It might still be summer, but her fashion sense didn't change.

"I think you and I live in completely different worlds, Chiaki."

He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to constantly be playing video games all the time. From what little he had experienced so far, it really was like stepping into a different world every time you played one.

It was fascinating, even if he wasn't all that interested in them.

Chiaki giggled. "Of course we do. You're a ninja from a different world, remember?"

She was teasing him now? Was everyone going to do that today?

"You know what I mean!" He grumbled a bit. "I don't mind hanging out with you tonight, but I was still surprised by your invitation."

It was kind of sudden, and after what had happened with Ibuki last night he was kind of wary. He wasn't going to be caught off guard like that again. That was a promise.

"Hmm, I figured it was about time we did this." She stopped and turned to look at him. "I've gamed with everyone else one-on-one. Everyone but you, Uzumaki-kun."

You say what now?

Naruto's eyebrow went up at her response. "You've come here with everyone else already?"

"I didn't say that. I just said that I've played with them individually. You're the only one I invited here so far."

That did make his heart flutter a little. That kind of special treatment was nice.

"I have to test you, Uzumaki-kun." She pointed at him, her face oddly serious. "I've been watching your play style. In all games, your level is just too low. You have been training hard with Nidai-kun and Pekoyama-san, but before that you should be training your gaming skills. You need to raise your level and fast."

Naruto sweatdropped at this.

"Hate to break this to you, Chiaki, but I didn't even know what a cell phone was until I came here. Don't get me started on video games."

"That's why you have to train! You need to be better, understand?"

Woah, she actually sound serious. How rare. And predictable.

"You have much potential." Ugh, she was getting too close to his face now, so much so that he had to take a couple steps back. And why did she look like she could kill anyone she wanted to right now? "You don't get hung up on your defeats. Even when I beat you every time we play in school, you don't focus on it. That shows you have what it takes to be a great gamer."

Naruto didn't understand that logic.

"I don't get frustrated because I don't really care."

Chiaki pouted as she stepped back. She looked like a hurt little kitten right now. "That's a terrible thing to say. Video games are more sacred than life."

"You're probably the only one who thinks that way, Chiaki."

He certainly didn't.

Sighing, Naruto ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Well, I don't mind entertaining you tonight. Especially since you've been doing this with everyone else."

At least it wouldn't be as confusing as with Ibuki. That was a relief.

He still had one question.

"You played alone with Teruteru?"

To be able to do that…the girl had guts.

Chiaki looked past him for a second, as if she was remembering something before looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look.

"That…..was a challenge."

She didn't have to say anything else. Naruto could fill in the blanks for himself.

She had his condolences.

"Believe it or not, he wasn't the most annoying. Soda-kun was."

Kazuichi? Seriously?

"He wouldn't stop complaining no matter how times I beat him. Even though he told me I shouldn't go easy on him, he still complained and complained." Chiaki sighed, a tired expression coming over her. "He was a real sore loser. It made me want to take a break from games for a couple of hours. That's never happened to me before."

How blunt!

But that sounded like Kazuichi alright.

"I also had some difficulty with Tsumiki-san. She wouldn't stop crying after every game, thanking me for spending time with her and trying to teach her how to game better." Chiaki sighed again, only this sigh was more of a wistful one. "She was really jumpy and panicked easily, but I managed to teach her some stuff in the end. It was pretty fun."

Naruto could picture that in his head perfectly.

"That's Mikan for you."

"It made me appreciate my games all the more," Chiaki said, her face now adorned with a smile. "Games have been my life for as long as I can remember. I've always been good with them, and I always told myself that even if I sucked at them I would still love them. Spending time with everyone made me realize that I was right."

Oh yeah?

"In this case, I think it's more about spending time with other people than it is about games." Chiaki had never said it outright, but Naruto had the feeling that she didn't get to play with other people all that often. She was always happy to share her games with them, eager even. She always wanted to play with them whenever she could. That sort of reaction from her gave him a pretty good image of her past.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right." Humming, Chiaki placed a hand under her lips. "I never thought I could have so much fun playing my games with other people. Every time I did, the other person only became resentful because they lost. It sort of made me afraid to play with anyone. I didn't want to drive anyone away."

Even Kazuichi, with his unfair complaints, had stuck around and played with her until the end. Many people couldn't even do that much.

"Well, we don't have to talk about that anymore." Stretching his arms, Naruto grinned. "Let's have several revenge matches. I still need to pay you back for all the times you've beaten me before."

Naruto didn't care much for video games, true. That didn't mean he wasn't competitive.

Chiaki smiled. She greeted the challenge with open arms.

"You're welcomed to try."

A beautiful night of gaming was waiting for them.


It was a total slaughter.

Naruto could confidently say that he had no skills when it came to gaming. Like, at all. The only type of game he had some success in was the fighting ones, and that was because he could just smash all the buttons at once and hope for the best.

But as he stared at the "YOU LOSE" message scrawled in front of his screen, he knew that meant very little.

"Goddammit." He was slumped over his controls, his face defeated. He felt more tired than when he was training with Nekomaru or Peko, and that said something. "How are you this good, Chiaki?"

It was like she was a god when they were playing. She moved her hands like a trained fighter. There were no wasted movements. It was kind of scary.

"Lots of practice."

Funny.

"Seriously, is there any game you're not good at?" Naruto asked her as he raised his head from his controls. They had even played some rhythm games, where he was sure his superior speed and reaction time would give him an edge. As it turned out, as long as it was a game, Chiaki could move at light speed too. Even more so since she could read the commands and move her body in sync a lot more accurately than he could.

"I like all games, even the ones that are crappy." Pfft, seriously? Why would you enjoy a crappy game? "But I guess there's one genre of games that I'm not all that confident in."

Wait, seriously? Had Naruto finally found a weakness in Chiaki?

The blond tried to look disinterested as he asked, "Oh yeah? What game is it?"

In his head, he was already rubbing his hands together in typical villain fashion. If that game happened to be in the arcade, then he wouldn't hesitate to make Chiaki play it with him. Then maybe finally he could have his revenge on her. It was perfect!

Chiaki gave him a piercing stare in return. It was like she was reading his mind.

"That's kinda mean, Uzumaki-kun. Do you want victory that badly?"

At this point…..YES!

"Sucks to be you. They don't have those types of games here in the arcade."

Seriously!? Just his luck!

Naruto mentally cursed. 'I should have brought Nagito with me.'

Maybe some of the dude's luck would have rubbed off on him.

Oh well. Nothing he could do about it.

He was still curious.

"What kind of game would give you trouble, Chiaki?"

Whatever it was, Naruto was sure it would be hard. To make even the Ultimate Gamer hesitant to play it….how ominous.

For once, Chiaki looked hesitant as she avoided looking at him.

Oho, what an interesting reaction!

"If I tell you that, I also have to tell you the other reason that I brought you here today."

There was another reason? How mysterious.

"What, you plan on kidnapping me and burying me somewhere or something?"

Chiaki puffed out her cheeks as she faced him. "Don't ruin the moment. I'm trying to be brave here."

Oh.

Naruto smiled weakly as he raised his arms in surrender.

"Sorry about that. Please continue."

"I was trying to overcome my weakness, you see. To overcome the genre I'm bad at."

Just what kind of game would be giving her so much trouble? And what did it have to do with him?

"I'm not really sure how I can help you with that, Chiaki." It wasn't like Naruto didn't want to help her. On the contrary, he would have no problems lending a hand with whatever troubles Chiaki might be having. But there were some things even he couldn't do.

Gaming was one of them.

"Well, just now. Hanging out like this. It's a date, isn't it?"

Naruto stared blankly at the girl for a few moments before his eyes widened.

"Uh, what?"

This was a date!?

Chiaki tilted her head. "It's not? I thought Mioda-san and Sonia-san asked out yesterday. That's why I decided to do it too."

Mikan had too, but this wasn't the time for that!

"Hold your kunai for a second here, Chiaki."

"I don't have any kunai on me, Uzumaki-kun."

It was an expression he just came up with, woman!

"You see, I realized something when Mioda-san asked you out yesterday. When I invited you here, I wasn't thinking about it, but I began to see the opportunity it presented. I don't really understand how love works. I know how babies are made, but not how to fall in love."

Why would she go there of all places!?

"That's probably why I'm no good at dating games. I don't have the...why is your face red, Uzumaki-kun? Did something happen?"

This girl….just how clueless was she?

"Nothing happened." Trying to get his thoughts in order, Naruto cleared his throat. "I'm just surprised that something like dating can be made into a game. It sounds weird to me."

What a great excuse he came up with.

"Right? But that's the beauty of games! Anything is possible inside of a game! That's why games are better than life."

Again, Naruto couldn't really agree with that. Games couldn't make him experience nature the same way real life did. Even technology had its limits.

At least he now understood what Chiaki was getting at here.

He sighed. "That's no good, Chiaki. Falling in love isn't something that you can learn. Especially not in a single night."

"Hmm?" She tilted her head somewhat. "Really? I thought my plan was flawless. You can't teach me, Uzumaki-kun?"

"To do that, I would have to understand it myself."

He was stumbling in the dark too. He was no different than Chiaki when it came to falling in love.

"I see. This is hard."

She had no idea.

"I don't think you should stress it," Naruto reassured her. "Feelings aren't something you can force. It has to come to you naturally."

He understood that much at least.

Chiaki puffed out her cheeks again. "You say you don't know, but you still lecture me. How frustrating."

Dang, she looked cute right now.

Laughing, Naruto patted her on the head. "That just means you can ignore my words if you want."

Blushing a little, Chiaki shook her head. "No. I trust you. And regardless, I'm still having fun. That has to mean something, right?"

Naruto was having fun too, even if he was getting his butt kicked. But when did some adversity ever stop him from having fun?

The night was still young, and the two teens planned to enjoy themselves to the fullest.


You ever get that nagging feeling that someone was following you? That you were being watched?

As the night continued and he and Chiaki continued to try out the many different games in the arcade, Naruto noticed the presence of another watching them from afar. The arcade was crowded with many people walking about, so it had taken the whiskered blond a while before he realized that they were being tailed. That, and the intentions of their mysterious shadow didn't appear to be malicious.

Just…..curious?

It was hard to pinpoint the exact emotion, but that was the feeling Naruto got. From the times he caught glimpses of the person, they were male. He was around their age, and from the get-go Naruto could tell that he was an amateur. If there weren't so many people around and he wasn't enjoying himself with Chiaki, Naruto would have noticed him a lot sooner.

This did present him with a small dilemma. What to do here? Should he tell Chiaki? Or should he deal with this on his own? How to go about doing that? Approach the mysterious teen? Or maybe just let this play out on its own? Again, the intentions of the guy didn't appear to be malicious. It made Naruto want to ignore him honestly. Maybe he was just another one of those awestruck teens that wanted to meet a couple of Ultimates? Naruto had already seen several of those types whenever he and the others were hanging out at the ramen shop.

Hope's Peak Academy was really famous in this country, after all. That extended to the students that attended. Although Nagito would say that that didn't apply to him. Still a weird guy, that one.

It was possible this stranger had recognized him and Chiaki as students from Hope's Peak and was curious to see what they were up to. It was a bit weird to follow them around for so long, but Naruto wouldn't begrudge them for it. Not unless they did something really extreme.

What to do here?

At one point, Chiaki excused herself because she wanted to use the bathroom. This gave Naruto the opportunity he needed to confront their little shadow if he wanted to, but he still wasn't too sure if that was the right course of action. The last thing he wanted to do was spook the guy.

However, a moment later he saw that the choice was no longer in his hands and he acted.


Hajime didn't know what he was doing. He didn't have a plan. Even coming to the arcade was spontaneous of him. Sure, he had a gaming side. He'd even played a couple of old games that he enjoyed very much. Unfortunately, it wasn't like he had a talent in gaming. He was just a bit above average, and that was him being generous.

Why was he here again?

He didn't have any plans tonight. No friends to hang out with. Natsumi had been spot on with her observation about him before. He didn't really talk to anyone at school. He was isolated, but most of that came from himself. He was the one with the problem. It didn't help that his mind was bogged down with the momentous decision that was now looming over his shoulder. He was about to buckle from the pressure if he didn't come to a decision soon.

He just needed to be out tonight. To get some fresh air. Maybe that would give him some new perspective. Having a clear mind led to better decision making, or so they say.

This is why Hajime had been wandering aimlessly through the city tonight. Just trying to relax by his lonesome. Of course, it didn't help all that much. His mind always wondered back to Hope's Peak Academy. To what could have been. Sometimes he thought about the upcoming school festival too, which made him somewhat excited. It could be a chance to get closer to the Ultimates, right? But those elites…..how would they act towards him if he tried to approach them? Probably make fun of him, just like everyone at his old school. No, it would be worse. Unlike them, the Ultimates had talent. That made their words have more weight than anyone from his old school.

See, thinking just made him gloomy again. No matter what, his thoughts always drifted back to his lack of talent and the despair he felt from that truth.

Just what the hell was he supposed to do?

That's how he had been for the past hour and was on the verge of just saying screw it and going back to his dorm room. At least then he could try to get some sleep to escape his thoughts.

That's when Hajime saw him. There was no missing that mop of spiky blond hair. It was too unique. Hajime had only seen it once, but there was no way he was going to forget it that easily. The face stood out too, especially with those weird birthmarks on his cheeks.

It was the blond Ultimate from before, the one that had been with the student council parading through the halls of the Reserve Course.

What were the odds of seeing him in a place like this?

Before he realized it, Hajime found himself sweating a little bit, and it wasn't because of the heat. It was actually a bit chilly tonight, at least for a summer night. He was only wearing a green t-shirt too, so he wasn't overdressed for the weather.

No, the sweat was from anxiety.

Taking another look, Hajime realized that the blond wasn't alone. He was with a girl he didn't recognize. Probably another Ultimate. Ultimates would only hang out with other Ultimates. Hajime was sure of that. The only exceptions were probably siblings, like Natsumi with her brother.

Hajime didn't know what prompted him to follow the two Ultimates after that. Was he really just another fanboy? In the back of his head, he knew the answer was pretty obvious. He still refused to acknowledge it, though. At least for now.

He saw them entering an arcade. Hajime had heard of it before and had come on occasion during his middle school days. Man, that seemed like forever ago. Those had been simpler times.

Hajime went in after them. He saw the two talking and laughing as they played a lot of different games. It was almost like they were going to try out each game in the arcade at least once. He also noticed how the blond lost every game he played against the girl, who Hajime now noticed was pretty cute. He saw the blond frustrated several times, but by the end he was still laughing with her. They looked like they were having a great time together. When he saw that, Hajime had to come to a stop as a thought entered his mind.

Was this a date? And he was intruding on something like that?

'What am I doing?'

How creepy was this? Following them around like this. He was no different from a stalker. It made Hajime feel sick to his stomach. He admired Hope's Peak Academy and wanted nothing more than to join the Ultimates. He wished for that from the bottom of his heart. But doing something like this was just….wrong.

And stupid.

'I should go.'

He wasn't about to ruin their good time together. He wasn't going to be that person.

And so, Hajime turned to leave the arcade and head back home for the night, where he could at least try to sleep and forget about everything for several hours. It was the only time where he could say he had some peace of mind.

If only he had seen the guy walking behind him, he wouldn't have bumped into him.

Or spilled the guy's drink on him.

Everything went downhill for Hajime after that.


"You little shit."

Hajime felt the punch to his very core. It stung, and it was strong enough to knock him to the floor. Or maybe he was just that weak.

There was no time for him to try and apologize. The guy only took one look at his spilled drink all over his shirt before going for the punch. It didn't help that he had two friends with him. With those odds, Hajime knew there was no point in trying to fight back. He wasn't going to win this.

"Get up. I'm not done with you."

The front of Hajime's shirt was grabbed as he was pulled up from the floor. Immediately, Hajime closed his eyes as he braced himself for a second hit. Only this one didn't come.

Opening his eyes just slightly, Hajime saw that the guy's wrist had been stopped by an iron-like grip. And the one that had stopped it had been none other than the same blond Hajime had been tailing tonight.

How embarrassing was this?

"Now, there's no reason to get so violent here." Hajime saw the blond push the guy back, which made him lose his grip on Hajime's shirt. Immediately the two others took their buddy's side, ready to back him up. "It was just an accident. Can't you let it go?"

Let it go? The way these guys were coming across, Hajime guessed that they were looking for any trouble they could find. They were dressed just like thugs. It wasn't uncommon to find guys like these hanging out at places like this. Especially since it was a Saturday night.

"Are you kidding me?" The guy gestured to his shirt. "That friend of yours just ruined my new getup. I won't be satisfied till I get a few good hits on that face of his."

T'ch, what bad luck, Hajime thought. If only he was the Ultimate Lucky Student or something. Surely then this never would have happened.

"Now, now." Unlike him, the blond didn't seem troubled at all. He walked calmly over the guy and patted him on the shoulder a couple of times. It made Hajime's eyes widened. Just how could the blond be so calm? And why hadn't the guy punched him already? He seemed to have a very short fuse. "There's no need for that kind of violence here. We're all looking to have a fun time tonight. So could you please forget about this and just be on your way?"

Hajime couldn't see the blond's face, but he could see the three that were facing him. And oh boy were their faces pale. It was like they had just seen a monster or something. And despite it all, Hajime could sense a shift in the air too. He couldn't explain where it was coming from, though. Just that it was there. It was almost like it was getting hard to breathe.

This of course drew the attention of several onlookers, who all turned to see what the commotion was all about. It made Hajime feel more self-conscious, not that he wasn't already.

He didn't need this sort of attention.

"T'ch." The guy spat on the floor before walking off with his two friends in tow. "Whatever. Let's get out of here."

"Thank you for being so understanding."

Was the blond trying to mock them too? Hajime would say he had a death wish, but that wasn't it. The blond was just confident.

Even in that moment, Hajime envied him so. Why couldn't he be that confident too?

Those thoughts left him when the blond turned to face him now, a wide smile plastered on his face. And with those weird birthmarks on his cheeks, it made him look like some sort of fox or something.

Or was Hajime just imagining that?

"Hey there. You doing alright?"

Those were his words of greeting to Hajime. It was very casual, like he was addressing an old time friend. Really, there was nothing unusual about it

It still had quite an effect on Hajime.


Naruto was studying the boy very closely as he greeted him, but he didn't let that show. He didn't want the guy to know that he had known about him all this time.

"Hey there. You doing alright?"

The boy looked out of it, and it showed. Was he still reeling from the punch? It had knocked him down.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so. Um, thanks for the help. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't intervened."

By this point, all the previous onlookers were returning to their business as the commotion had died down. It was almost as if nothing had happened in the first place.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. You see idiots like that from time to time. You just have to be a little forceful with them, and they'll leave you alone."

The ahoge on the brunette's head seemed to twitch a little. It was kind of funny.

"You say that as if it was an easy thing to do."

Naruto shrugged. "It kind of is. Just make yourself look big."

The brunette sweatdropped. "They're not bears."

"Is that how you deal with bears too? Huh, interesting."

The brunette continued to sweatdrop.

"Uzumaki-kun, what are you doing over here? I thought you were going to wait for me?"

The two boys found their conversation cut short as Chiaki arrived on the scene. She was looking a little miffed as she walked up to Naruto, poking him on the chest a couple of times.

Naruto chuckled sheepishly at this. "Sorry about that, Chiaki. I just had to solve a little squabble."

"Squabble?" Chiaki then noticed that Naruto wasn't alone. She noticed the brunette boy who looked like he didn't want to be here right now. "Who is this?"

"Good question." Smiling, Naruto turned to the boy. "What's your name? I'm Uzumaki Naruto. This girl is Chiaki."

"Nanami Chiaki. Pleased to meet you."

The brunette seemed to be caught off guard by something, but what that was Naruto didn't know.

"Oh. Um. My name is Hinata Hajime. It's nice to meet the both of you."

Naruto's eyes widened a little when he heard this. "Hinata? That's your name?"

"My last name, yes. Is…..is that a problem?"

"Ah. No." Naruto did his best to look normal as he shook his head. "It's nothing serious. I just knew a Hinata once. She was a good friend."

"Oh." The now named Hajime didn't know what to say to that.

Chiaki shook her head as well, but for a different reason. "Leave it to you to make a new friend on your first time here. Your social skills continue to impress me, Uzumaki-kun."

In all her time coming here, Chiaki had never once been able to make an acquaintance, least of all a friend. As always, she was a bit envious with how easily her blond friend was able to make connections with others.

"I-It's nothing like that," Hajime quickly said. "We've only just met, and he was only helping me out with a sticky situation. We're not friends or anything."

"That's mean, Hajime." The brunette found Naruto walking up to him and slugging his arm around his shoulders. "After everything we've been through together! We even saw that one thing during that one time."

Hajime sweatdropped yet again. "We never did anything like that."

Like, what was the blond even referring to in the first place?

Naruto faked cry. "See, Chiaki. This is why you don't become attached too quickly. Or else they might just hurt you. Like Hajime here!"

Seriously, what the hell!

Chiaki couldn't help but laugh softly. "I think you're making Hinata-kun uncomfortable, Uzumaki-kun."

Not that it wasn't also funny.

Laughing as well, Naruto stepped back to give poor Hajime some room. "Sorry about that. I just wanted to tease you a little."

That made Hajime feel a bit better. "Ah, I see. I'm not used to do that."

Naruto shrugged. "You should. It's fun to make others uncomfortable sometimes."

Chiaki had to sigh at this. "Sometimes I forget that you can be really devious when you want to."

"I'm still a nice guy."

"Sometimes."

"That cuts me deep, Chiaki."

"I suppose I did good then."

"Mean."

Hajime was left feeling out of place as Naruto and Chiaki did their little back-and-forth. That didn't last, though, as Naruto turned to him again.

"So what are you doing here, Hajime? Got any plans?"

Oh damn, what a troublesome question that was.

"I just came here to hang out. No real plans."

Admitting you had no plans on a Saturday night….kind of embarrassing, but it was a lot better than the alternative.

"Wanna come hang out with us then?"

Naruto's suggestion threw Hajime for a loop.

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

Hajime glanced to Chiaki who was looking around the arcade. Was she even paying attention to their conversation?

"W-Well. I mean, I don't want to intrude….."

Wasn't this supposed to be a date? That's what Hajime had been thinking.

Naruto just laughed it off. "It's no problem. The more the merrier. I'm sure Chiaki agrees."

"Hmm? Yeah, I don't mind." Chiaki switched her attention back to them. "Playing video games is always more fun when you have more people around."

Now that seriously stumped Hajime. For a number of reasons. But really, with both Naruto and Chiaki inviting him, he had no reason to refuse. Not that he wanted to, but he also didn't want to make things awkward.

All that said, Hajime gracefully accepted the invitation. And for the first time in a long while, he began to feel excited.


As his unforeseen time in the arcade continued, Hajime began to realize something about the two Ultimates he was now associating with. Okay, several things.

He now knew what their talents were. Naruto was the Ultimate Ninja, a title Hajime would never guessed in a million years. It kind of explained a couple of things, though. Like the blond's encounter with the guy whose drink Hajime spilled. The blond had to be really skilled in combat. Chiaki meanwhile was the Ultimate Gamer. It explained why she had been dominating Naruto all night in the arcade. Her skills were something else. Hajime was able to put up a better challenge for the girl than Naruto had, but in the end he too was crushed by her skills.

Only he didn't mind. He was having way too much fun right now.

That led to his second revelation of the night. Ultimates did not act like he thought they did. All this time, Hajime had been expecting them to be these unreachable elites, people he could never hope to approach. Naruto and Chiaki were proving to be the exact opposite of that. That wasn't even mentioning their little quirks, some of which did make Hajime sweatdrop or embarrassed. But at the same time, he didn't mind feeling that way. Like when he told Chiaki that he had played Gala Omega before, even going as far as playing through it five times in a row once. Of course, Chiaki had played through it ten times in a row and in more than one occasion, but that hadn't stopped her from getting excited about his accomplishment and bringing her face a little too close to his for comfort.

Hey, he wasn't used to girls doing that. No one could blame him for blushing in that situation.

It had still been embarrassing, especially with Naruto there to laugh at his reaction.

But most of all, Hajime was able to see that neither treated him differently after he told them that he too attended Hope's Peak Academy, although unlike them he was just a Reserve Course student. It was quite the opposite in fact.

Naruto got a little too excited.

"Man, this is awesome!" The Uzumaki was shaking Hajime's hand with much vigor. "I was hoping to make more friends with people in the Reserve Course!"

An Ultimate who wanted to be friends with the Reserve Course students? What kind of black magic was this?

"I already know Sato, but I can't just leave everything to her. That would be kind of unfair."

Hajime was interested about that tidbit. "You know Sato?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I met her through Mahiru. She agreed to help us with the school festival. I got really lucky, but I wanted to bring in more people from the Reserve Course. To balance things out."

Woah, Hajime had no idea. He didn't now Sato had friends in the Main Course. But then again, it wasn't as if he was particularly close to the girl. They were in the same class, but that was about it.

"So the school festival. That was your idea?"

"Sort of." Naruto crossed his arms as he closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought. That didn't stop him from explaining things to Hajime. "The student council president came up with the details, but I was the one who proposed the idea to him. We wanted to find a way to close the gap between the Main Course and Reserve Course as quickly as possible. The school festival was our answer. Everyone can have fun too. It's a win-win situation. I can't tell you much about this point system of his, though. That was all him. Bastard is holding out on me. But I suppose it's only fair. I'm going to be participating too."

"No, we are participating," Chiaki corrected him. "You're not doing this alone."

"I know, I know. I'm just saying."

Chiaki just shook her head at him.

"But anyway, this is a good thing for us!" Grinning again, Naruto looked at Hajime. "You wanna join our little group? It would be great to have another student from the Reserve Course helping us. I was thinking of asking Natsumi too, but she might just cuss me out. Real charmer, that one."

Wait, Naruto knew Natsumi too? The blond was well-connected, wasn't he?

But his invitation…..it made Hajime a little nervous.

"You really think I can help you? I don't have a talent like you guys."

"Huh?" Naruto looked confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

His confusion made Hajime confused too. "W-What?" he stuttered. Shouldn't his lack of talent explain everything? "I'm just saying, I'm not as talented as you guys. So I probably can't help you the same way an Ultimate can."

Naruto rolled his eyes at this. "Just because the school didn't give you a title doesn't mean you're worthless. Everyone has something to offer. No matter how small of an impact it can make, it's still an impact nonetheless. It's only when you doubt your abilities that you fail for sure. You can't give up without even trying at least."

It was like those words were cutting right through Hajime's insecurities. They stung deeply, but beyond that it lit something in Hajime that he didn't know had existed.

Was this hope in his heart? Could he actually prove himself? Hajime had been trying to prove himself for the longest time, but after his failure of getting into Hope's Peak Academy, he was already on the verge of giving up. No, perhaps he already had.

"As usual, you don't mince your words," Chiaki said, her soft voice cutting through their conversation.

"It's just stupid." Naruto almost growled. "I don't get why people are getting so hung up over it. Titles are nothing compared to actions. And actions are affected by your will. If you have no will, you can't get anything done. That's the same as having no power. It's one of the few things you can control, so why not do it?"

"It's not that simple." Bitterness spread across Hajime's face. Of course Naruto could say things like that. He was an Ultimate. But it was a different story for Hajime. "Even if you try, no matter how strong your will, it doesn't mean you will succeed."

"But you can still try." That's what Naruto was trying to get Nagito to understand. "Yeah, you might fail and that will suck. But you can still take comfort in the fact that you actually tried. Instead of sitting around doing nothing, you tried something. I don't think enough people appreciate that."

Then again, it was something Naruto had learned only recently. The destination might be the goal, but the journey was perhaps even more important than that.

"In life, you don't get many freedoms." This time, it was Chiaki who was talking. Her voice was a lot softer, though. In that moment, it made Hajime focus entirely on her. "A lot of things get decided for you from the time you were born. Being born with a talent is something of a cage too. Of course, it doesn't have to be. You can decide what to make of that situation too. It's something Uzumaki-kun taught me. I may be the Ultimate Gamer, but it's not all I have to be or do. You don't have that. You can start from anywhere, Hinata-kun. If you look at things from that angle, wouldn't you say that you have more freedom than I do?"

In other words, what mattered was how you decided to look at things. Were you going to beat yourself up over something you couldn't control, or move forward? The future was more uncertain when you didn't know where you were starting from, but it also meant that you could possibly go anywhere. As long as you had the conviction to do so.

It made Hajime go silent, because he really had no rebuttal for something like that.

"Ha, I knew you had it in you." Chiaki pouted a little as Naruto patted her on the head. "I'm glad you understood what I told you before."

"I'm not a little kid, Uzumaki-kun."

"Pfft, I know."

She still enjoyed the head pats.

Hajime looked at the two Ultimates, realizing that his understanding of them had been completely wrong. He had understood nothing. Worse still, they were showing him that his earlier fears had been for nothing. That maybe he shouldn't be stressing over his lack of talent.

But was that really true? Honestly, Hajime didn't know. He couldn't answer that right now. What he did know was that he was tired of feeling indecisive. He was still stumbling in the dark, but he wanted to take one step forward at least.

There was only one way to do that right now.

With a firm smile, he had one thing to say.

"I'll be happy to help you in any way I can."


Saturday night came and went, and Naruto's time at the arcade came to a close. It had been fun. A lot of fun. Even if he didn't win a single game that night, he had still enjoyed himself. Hanging out Chiaki would do that to a person.

Hajime had helped too. He was a really cool dude in Naruto's mind, if not a bit gloomy. He was glad he had met the boy, although he could tell that the brunette had some reservations about hanging out with them at first. There was also the fact that he had been following them.

Could he be interested in Ultimates too? Naruto didn't know for sure, but his dejected talk about not having a talent was still fresh in Naruto's mind. Was it possible that all Reserve Course students felt the same way? He knew there was a division between the Reserve Course and the Main Course, but to what extent exactly? Could they be coveting the title of Ultimate? Was that the only reason they joined Hope's Peak Academy? According to Fuyuhiko, you needed to pay a lot of money to get into the school as a Reserve Course student. There was no way someone would do that unless they wanted to get close to Hope's Peak Academy. Naruto already understood that just the name itself carried power and authority in this world.

Naruto needed to explore more of that in detail later. Good thing he and Hajime had traded numbers. Now he could talk to the boy whenever he wanted, and Naruto was going to make sure he did. It was different from Sato, who was more like Mahiru's friend rather than his. He didn't want to push himself on the girl and make her uncomfortable.

Hopefully Hajime was cool with it.

Now wasn't the time to be dwelling on that, however. For Sunday had arrived, and with it came the last event for this busy weekend.

He was going to be hanging out with Mikan today.

The invitation from the nurse had surprised him the most. She had asked him if he wanted to hang out with her today. She had waited until after school was over on Friday to approach him. He still remembered how red her face had been and how much her knees had been shaking. He had tried to be supportive, but really he was just happy more than anything. It was the first time Mikan was going out of her way to ask for something, other than when she asked him to hug her that one time. In Naruto's eyes, that was progress. There was no way the Mikan he had first met would have ever done something like that.

She was starting to come out of her shell. Slowly, but still.

Besides, Naruto wasn't going to turn down the offer. He liked Mikan, so spending time with her was always fun if not a bit stressful.

Still, the blond was wary. While Chiaki hadn't caught him off guard nearly as much as Ibuki had, she had still surprised him with the whole date thing. With both of those developments, he had to now wonder if Mikan was thinking that this was a date too.

He and Sonia might not be an official couple, but he didn't want to be some kind of player and go on dates with multiple girls at the same time. That was a bad thing to do, wasn't it?

"What are you talking about, my boy?" And of course, the perverted voice of Jiraiya just had to pop up in his head at this exact moment. "You're still young! Don't be so serious and have some fun for once. It's not like you're committing a crime. Just enjoy these steamy developments. I know I would. Hehehehe."

Goddammit. He could just picture the old pervert telling him something like that. It made him smile at the thought.

Well, whatever. There was no use trying to wonder what Mikan was thinking right now. For both of their sake, he was just going to enjoy whatever it is that she wanted to do with him. Because yes, like with Sonia, it was Mikan who had planned this out for them today.

Another big surprise but still welcomed.

Naruto quickly checked his phone. It was almost time. He was meeting Mikan outside of Hope's Peak Academy, since she was staying in the dorms. For today, he wore another pair of blue jeans and a buttoned up white shirt.

Yes, again, he had picked out more than just sweatpants and t-shirts when he had gone clothes shopping. Tengan had made sure of that.

Grumpy old man.

He didn't know they would come in handy like this, but really at the time how was he to know that he would be getting asked to go out this often?

"N-Naruto-san."

The soft voice came from behind him. He already knew who it was, so he turned to face the nurse and greet her with one of his usual grins. But that grin never came as his eyes fell upon the shy girl.

Mikan stood by the gates, with her arms folded behind her. Her hair was in its usual choppy, uneven state. But now, the girl was wearing a summer dress that was both fitting and loose with not a single bandage in sight. The dress was red, like a ruby, with the sleeves being a soft pink. It hugged her chest pretty well, while loosely flowing along the rest of her body. That's what he meant by both fitting and loose.

Naruto was sure the dress was some sort of psychological weapon because it made him freeze up.

Mikan didn't miss the way Naruto went tongue-tied upon seeing her, and a part of her wanted to die right then and there from the embarrassment. But she held firm. This was her time to go on the attack.

'I'll make sure to get this!'

It's what she and Yūto had discussed yesterday, after all.


"What? You asked him out on a date?"

This was probably the first time Mikan had heard Yūto sound surprised, and it made her somewhat proud. The short boy was always catching her off guard. Time for him to get a good taste of his own medicine.

"I-Is it that surprising?" she asked into her phone. She had no idea when or how Yūto had put his number into her phone, but it was coming real handy right now. She needed some sort of advice, and as embarrassing as it was Yūto was the only person she had.

"It is. This wasn't supposed to happen until later! Looks like the fire is burning too hot in your loins, huh."

This guy. Why was he always saying such embarrassing things?

"I-It wasn't my fault, r-really." Mikan tried to explain herself. "It's just that I don't want to fall behind….."

Not when Ibuki and Chiaki had asked him out. Sonia was probably going to do it too.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I-It's nothing."

She wasn't going to let Yūto know that, though.

"Oh well. This is wonderful news! It means I can speed up my plans too. Oh man, I can't wait until I get back. Do you think your princess friend will want to have sex with me?"

No, but Mikan didn't want to talk about that.

"I have no idea what to do!" Mikan wanted to cry. "I was barely able to say anything, a-and I've never done anything like this before!"

It was an embarrassing thing to say, but it was the truth.

"Pfft, calm down. For you have the great me on your side. I can lead you down this path just fine. I made you become more bold, didn't I?"

Had he? Well, she certainly had done bolder things since talking to him, this much was true. But still.

"You must wear the sexiest clothes you have! Send me pictures of your wardrobe. Of course, this includes your panties. We can't have you wearing some boring stuff, now can we."

Mikan felt her cheeks redden. She was not going to do that!

Yūto wasn't wrong, however. If she wanted to knock this out of the park, she had to go all out. She would be too embarrassed to do anything, but if her looks could do the talking for her…..

"But…..I'm not beautiful at all."

"I don't know why you're saying that. I would totally have sex with you."

That…..did not cheer her up at all.

"Just trust me. And besides, guys love girls who take the initiative. Especially guys like this one. He's a total herbivore, like I said."

"D-Don't call him that!"

Mikan still wasn't all too fond of Yūto labeling Naruto like that. She didn't want to hear anyone badmouthing him.

"Jeez, don't take it so seriously. Besides, it also means he's got a more domineering side too. It's just a matter of pulling it out of him. I've seen plenty of those types before."

Mikan had no idea just what kind of experiences Yūto was having, and she wasn't going to ask.

But now, she was sure to have a game plan. And Mikan would use it.


That's what led to the moment in the present, with the two standing by the gates of Hope's Peak.

Mikan clasped her hands together in front of her, almost like she was praying.

"D-Do I look weird?"

She was stuttering again, but that couldn't be helped. She was extremely nervous and embarrassed right now. But just as Yūto had recommended, she picked out the best dress she owned. She had never worn it before, as she never had had the opportunity before today. She only hoped it looked good on her.

Naruto came out of his stupor at her question. He could only nod as he once again looked her over.

"Yeah. You look beautiful, Mikan. I didn't think you had clothes like that. You surprised me."

But in a good way.

Mikan perked up at his words as she allowed herself to laugh. It was like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She honestly wanted to cry right now, but she would keep the tears in. She didn't want to ruin this moment.

"Ehehe, I'm glad. I'm really glad you like it, Naruto-san….."

If it weren't for her words, Naruto might have thought he'd said something wrong. He could tell she was on the verge of tears. There was but one thing he could do at this moment.

Raising his hand, he reached for Mikan's head as he gave her several pats. He didn't understand why, but he knew how much she liked the gesture.

"There's no need for that right now. Let's just have fun today, okay?"

Naruto had already been planning on it, but now he made a personal promise to make Mikan smile all day today.


"Where are we going first?"

"W-Well." Still blushing, Mikan twiddled with her fingers. "I have often read about this sort of stuff. Couples usually go to a park or a zoo or a place like that."

Couples?

Despite himself, Naruto found a wave of embarrassment hitting him.

So this was a date, after all. But of course it was! He should have realized that the moment he saw her. With the way she was dressed, there was no other explanation. Why the heck did Mikan want to go on a date with him, though? Was it like Chiaki, where she was just curious about romance? Asking her would solve this little mystery, but even he knew that was inappropriate to ask.

Better just roll with it.

Naruto coughed as he fought down his embarrassment. "So do you want to go a park?"

"No, not right now. There's actually another place I want to visit first, one I've never been to before. Do you want to join me?"

Ha, how could he refuse?

"Lead the way."

And lead the way she did. As it turned out, the place she was referring to was the aquarium. Come to think of it, had Naruto ever been to one before?

He hadn't. And like with the arcade the previous night, this was something of an experience for him too.

"Woah, look at this place."

His eyes were wide as he and Mikan made their way inside after paying for their tickets. Naruto had paid for the two of them, even though Mikan had tried to pay for herself. It had taken a few minutes to convince her that she didn't have to do that, and so here they were.

Naruto couldn't believe it. It was like he was stepping into another world yet again, but at least this one was far more familiar to him than the arcade.

All of it was so…..blue.

Mikan was in a similar state of awe as him.

"It's really beautiful."

Without thinking about it, she grabbed Naruto's hand with her own. It made her feel all the more safe.

Naruto didn't mind it, especially not with how great this place was turning out to be. There were so many types of fishes here. He wondered for a moment if Gundham would know anything about fishes like he did about so many other animals. Maybe he could ask him about it later.

So that's how the first part of their date went, the two holding hands as they marveled at everything the aquarium had to offer.

Naruto did wonder about one thing.

"Why did you want to come here? Is it just because you've never been to an aquarium before?"

Mikan looked down. "There was a school trip once, in middle school. It was to an aquarium. Everyone in my class was able to go but me. I just want to try and experience what they did, even though I know it's stupid."

Ah. That still left Naruto with a few questions, but he didn't dwell on that. It would just bring the mood down.

"Forget about that for today. It's better to live in the present, ya know. So let's just have fun."

Mikan was really grateful for that. Especially since she did have fun. The two talked and joked as they continued through their tour of the aquarium.

However, this was only the first stop on their date.

They did go to a park afterwards, where they bought themselves some crepes. It was a food Naruto hadn't tried before, but man it looked delicious. Mikan had to giggle when he ended up smearing some of it on his cheeks. Talk about embarrassing.

It was when they were trekking through the park that Mikan stepped up her action plan as she linked arms with him. They were now walking arm-in-arm. It wasn't a big deal really…..except for the fact that Naruto found his arm buried between her chest yet again.

'I still can't get used to this.'

It was a good sensation, but it was still embarrassing for him. This was the first time he was doing something like this. And from the way Mikan's face was burning up, he knew she was just as embarrassed as he was.

But what else was to be expected from a couple of teens with little to no experience in this area?

That aside, the two then found themselves enjoying a couple of drinks at a café. Here, they continued to relax as Mikan told him all about medicines, about which one was best for what kind of ailment and just what kind of bandages she liked best.

So romantic, right?

Naruto didn't mind it one bit. Of course, he couldn't understand half the stuff Mikan was talking about, but he made sure to pay attention and act like he did. She was happy, and that's all Naruto wanted to see.

Afterwards, the two found themselves walking through the big mall in the city, still locked arm-in-arm. By this point, Naruto was more used to the feeling of having her breasts rubbing up against his arm, but it was still embarrassing.

"Do you want to get anything?" Naruto asked her, trying to get his mind to stop thinking about Mikan's breasts.

Mikan looked unsure. "I don't really go shopping at malls. I order everything I need online."

That was a thing? Damn.

"Then why did you want to come here?"

Blushing again, Mikan answered, "I read that it's a common place for people to go to. Just to hang out. And…...if you wanted me to try anything on for you, I wouldn't mind doing that too."

Wait, what?

Naruto almost gulped when he noticed the way Mikan was staring at him when she said that. There was something in her eyes, an emotion he couldn't quite place. And it was making him a little nervous.

"I can't say I do." A thought occurred to him. "Unless you want to try on a few dresses?"

Mikan's eyes lit up as she smiled. "If you wouldn't mind."

Oh yeah, the old Mikan would never have agreed this easily before.

Naruto couldn't help but smile back.


Maybe he was being a little mean, using this as an excuse to have Mikan find a dress for the pageant in case he managed to convince her to participate. After their date, of course.

On the other hand, he got to see the Ultimate Nurse try on all sorts of dresses for him in one of the many shops in the mall. It was an embarrassing thing to notice, but there was no denying the fact that Mikan was very attractive. She had a body a lot of girls would be jealous of. Why she couldn't see that about herself Naruto didn't know, but he was going to make sure she understood that by the end of today.

It was also pretty great to see her face lit up every time he complimented her after she put on a new dress. Good thing he didn't need to lie. It did make him somewhat disgruntled, though, to know that this sort of stuff was new to the girl. She should have been cherished like this from the start.

Hopefully he was able to make up some of that pain for her today.

It was after all that the two finally found themselves back at the gates of Hope's Peak, where their date had begun and was now set to conclude.

Mikan was humming a low tone, looking pretty happy as they came to a stop. A part of her was disappointed that the date had to end, but today had been so great that the happiness she felt outweighed the disappointment. Especially since there could be more to come in the future.

"I hope you had a nice time today," Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head. "We just went to different places and stuff, but I hope it was worth it."

More than he could imagine. But Mikan didn't say it. She didn't trust her voice right now, so she just looked down as she was sure her face was beet red.

"H-Hopefully we can do this again sometime."

Maybe she was getting ahead of herself here. Maybe she was the only one who had been having fun. Maybe…..

Those negative thoughts disappeared as she felt Naruto's hand on the top of her head again. With that sensation came the warm feeling that was always present when she was close to him. Now she understood that this was Naruto's chakra that she was feeling. In a way, she knew it was like she was sensing his very soul.

It was just as bright and comforting as one would expect, and Mikan couldn't get enough of it. It was almost like she was becoming addicted to this feeling, and she had no intention of letting go of it.

That addiction, the desire of wanting to be closer to this warm feeling, combined with the happiness she was feeling right now, pushed Mikan to do something she never would have done under normal circumstances.

She looked up, and before Naruto had a chance to react she tip-toed to be able to plant a kiss on the boy's lips. They were almost the same height, but the blond had a couple of inches on her.

Naruto couldn't believe it. It was happening again, and he wasn't talking about his kiss with Ibuki. He had never kissed her back, after all.

But right now, before he had a chance to think on it, he was kissing Mikan back, just as he had done when Sonia had kissed him. There was a similar emotion present, one that caught him off guard all over again.

He had no idea what this meant, but he understood one thing.

Things were about to get more complicated for him.


I'm sure many have noticed, but out of the whole class Mikan and Nagito are the ones who have changed "the least." I use that in quotation marks because Mikan has changed a lot. She doesn't do her usual "I tripped" shtick since she doesn't have to, but her insecurities are still there. That's because these two have the most issues out of the whole cast, maybe even the entire franchise. That said, I wanted to highlight the ways in which Mikan has changed, such as being more brave and somewhat more assertive. A part of me feels like it's a little rushed. But on the other hand, given how by the end of the her free time events in Island Mode she was expecting marriage from Hajime, the other part of me thinks I've done her development well enough. Welp, like most things it's up to you guys to decide. Did you like it? Hate it? Somewhere in the middle?

I have no idea if the Reserve Course has dorms for its students, but in the Talent Development Mode in V3 we see Hajime hanging out with the others at night, so I can only assume that they do. And this story is basically like that mode, since I'm including the V3 cast.

This brings this little side arc to an end, but with some consequences. Now, onto the main show: the school festival.

What's going to happen then? Stick around to find out, because I'm really excited about the upcoming chapters.

Reviews are appreciated.

Till next time.