4/18
Wednesday

Early Morning
Station Square - Shibuya

OST: Beneath Despair - Danganronpa x Persona Mashup.

Hajime yawned, he had to wake up a little earlier than usual to clean the house before heading to classes today. He feels as if his empathy has increased.

"So what are your plans for today? We still have time to spare" Monomi said from under his bag.

"I have something in mind…" Hajime pulled out his phone to check if he had any new messages, for the time being, no new updates in the chat group, nor from Jin. "Another Free Day it seems"

Hajime searched through his contacts until finding the one he was looking for: Kyoko Kirigiri.

Hajime Hinata

Hey. doing anything after school?

Kyoko Kirigiri

Not at all.

Do you wish to meet up?

Hajime Hinata.

Yeah, if it's alright with you

Kyoko Kirigiri

Meet me at the school gate when classes are done.

That settles it, for today he'll be spending some time with Kyoko.

Morning
Reserve Department - Class 2-D

OST: Butterfly Kiss - Persona 5.

"Good morning to everyone!" The professor greeted the moment he entered the classroom.

Oddly he left the door open, and someone appeared to be waiting outside.

"Class, today we have with us a very special guest, so please stand up and receive with the proper respect she deserves… Doctor Tae Takemi!" The Professor announced.

All students did as told, standing up to receive a stunning goth-looking doctor with short dark blue hair, a blue shirt underneath her white coat, and dark leggings.

Hajime had to blink a few times to believe what he was seeing. Were doctors allowed to dress like that? The Doctor earned quite a few looks: Natsumi had her eyes like plates, while Sato had to blink over and over again to verify what she was seeing was real. And it went without saying, but the vast majority of male students were already drooling for her.

"Morning'" The Doctor said casually. "Your professor already introduced me to all of you so we can skip that and get to the reason I am here: I'll be running a drug test on everyone in here"

And that caught off guard everyone, some believed this was stupid, and other well, were now sweating, mainly the one behind Hajime.

"Drug test…?"

"Are they for real?"

"Wait, someone is doing drugs here!?"

"Hey, do you think it's Yuki? He has been acting weird"

Were some of the stuff whispered in between them.

"Settle down everyone! This is an important matter, and it should be taken as such. Please cooperate with the Doctor and do as she says" The professor said dead serious, shutting up everyone.

"What is this drug test for?" Hajime said out loud with an eyebrow up. Everyone, including Takemi and his professor, turned to see him. "I- uh, sorry I just-"

"It's fine. I'd have the same reaction as you, but a word of advice: Try to keep it to yourself, so you can prevent getting unwanted attention", Takemi advised, having a smirk on her face while doing so.

"I…uh, sorry" Hajime scratched his head, turning away from the doctor's gaze.

"Now I know it sounds like a pain and you wonderful kids would never do such an awful thing yada yada, you are mommy little angels, but the school asked for this and I have to do my job, how about we get it done and begin? Everyone come forward and pick one of these" Takemi showed small plastic bottles in a case she had with her.

"We will be collecting urine of each one for the test" Sha explained casually, this made the students grow more worried and uncomfortable. "Take one, go to the bathroom, fill it, come back and wait outside until I call you all, then we'll go to the next step and take some blood out of you for a blood test, got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Two other teachers will be outside waiting for you to make sure all of you fill it, one to accompany the girls while the other the boys, so stand up and go" The professor added, and once again every student nodded.

"Straight forward I see…" Hajime sighed.

Welp, better get this over with…

Hajime felt weird holding the bottle with a teacher in there staring at him while doing his business. He understood why it's needed but it didn't make it less awkward.

On his way back he could see students from other classes outside doing the same, and some of them were looking worried as hell, and of course the rumors began to fly immediately.

"Can you believe it? What if someone in Hope's Peak actually is doing drugs?"

"We are not even real Hope's Peak student man, we are just the back up"

"Still it could harm their reputation"

"Guys you worry to much, is because this school is so high in standards they have to do this, just to prove they don't joke around"

"No, man if they do this it means they suspect some students are doing things they shouldn't! Shit man this is nuts!"

"Yeah yeah! Just look how they are handling it! Blood and urine tests? This is dead serious bro!"

Hajime sighed, everyone really got worried about it…

"Do you think students here actually do drugs?" Monomi asked, hidden as always in Hajime's bag.

"Who knows… I never really gave it a thought. If they do, expect to see people expelled"

"Yikes"

"Just the way it is, drugs are a serious problem among students… One wrong move and it's your record, permanently and a scar for life to yourself and your family"

"Sounds very serious… But at least I am glad I don't have to worry about you taking drugs, just about your eating habits"

"Beat bunny, I am not going to stop eating burgers," Hajime teased, lighting up the serious atmosphere that was evolving Monomi.

"Oh we'll see about that!"

Hajime chuckled and continued walking back to his classroom, forming in line waiting for Takemi to call them.

One enters, a few minutes pass, and then the next one. A simple process.

Hajime noticed a few male students eager to be attended by the doctor. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, despite the current circumstances they seem to have energy to be excited about this. Sure she is beautiful but also way older… Then again some people are into that.

At least it was not all of them, the majority of students continued to talk about the consequences this might bring and a few theories.

"Why would you think they did it today? Without even warning us about it!" Some of the students complained.

"Because it's the way to take them by surprise before you could prepare and hide it you imbecile" Natsumi muttered. The blonde girl standing in front of Hajime.

Natsumi kept ignoring him, and despite being literally behind him she decided to ignore his entire existence as well. Should he say something…? What is there to say anyway…

"Uh, yeah that is-"

"Next."

Natsumi entered the exam room, not even bothering to listen to what Hajime tried to say.

"Next time then…" If Hajime even bothers trying the next time.

"Trying to recover your girlfriend? You can do so much better than her Hajime" Sato said behind him, her arms crossed and a neutral expression on her face. At least she didn't sound as pointlessly hostile towards Natsumi.

"I appreciate your concern Sato, but I am not trying to recover anything. Natsumi and I were never dating to begin with" Hajime gave his answer but not even turning around to see her.

"If you're free I know a friend who might be interested, she's single y'know" Sato suggested. Why did she care so much about his love life?

"I'll pass."

Sato shrugged and the conversation ended there. What was up with her recently? If he didn't know her any better, he could've sworn it looked like she was trying to get closer to him.

"Next".

Now it was his turn.

Inside the classroom, Takemi used the teacher's desk to install her equipment, nothing too complicated, just a few syringes, her laptop, documents, gloves, and some other stuff to disinfect.

"Hajime Hinata, is that correct?"

He nodded, placing the bottle on the desk.

"Alright take a seat, I'll take a sample of your blood now" Takemi offered a seat in front of her, and Hajime obliged.

Blood and Urine? Hajime didn't know a lot about medical procedures, but he didn't see the point in taking two different types of DNA samples when just urine would be more than enough.

"Why both?" Hajime asked, now sitting in front of Takemi.

"Hm?"

"Why both? I mean, one should be more than enough, correct…?"

"..." she didn't answer at first, only staring straight into his eyes. "It is not really a big deal performing two different kinds of tests, you'd be surprised how many times two different tests throw different results" Takemi scratched her head a little.

"But why is it needed to do that? Why the need to compare both results with blood and urine? Because it sounds like you'd be expecting to get those two different results"

"As expected… teenagers aren't so stupid to ignore the obvious," Takemi said, looking somewhat concerned.

"So it isn't normal. I'm gonna take a guess and assume you can't answer or say anything?"

"I'm so glad you know how to take a hint" Takemi smiled pleased. "How about you make my job easier and we get this done with?"

Hajime didn't object, settling for a nod. He'd have to remember to ask Jin when he got the chance.

"Good boy, I like boys who do as they are told… You know what? I'll give you a cookie for good behavior" With that unusual comment made, Takemi began the process.

Extracting the blood was not a problem, just a small pinch but recently Hajime has experienced worse kinds of pain to complain about this.

At least it was a quick process, once that was done Takemi began taking notes on her clipboard, then proceeded to write some notes in her notebook.

"Usually results for blood are done in 30 days, but thanks to the current advances I'd say results will be done in a week or so along with your urine results" Takemi said while looking at the notes in her clipboard. "Hmm… Interesting, you are quite a healthy boy… You could be a nice little guinea pig, interested in a part-time job?"

Hajime raised an eyebrow and then proceeded to awkwardly smile. "I- What? No!" No way, he's not a lab rat!

"Hmm, too bad" Well at least she didn't seem bothered by it. "You can leave now. Also, have your cookie" Takemi then offered him a plastic bag with a large chocolate cookie inside. Oh, she was serious…

"Uh… Thanks" Hajime took it, and proceeded to leave the classroom.

Well, that was a thing that happened… What a strange doctor. If Hope's Peak himself asked her to perform a drug test then it had to be important. And having the results so quickly? That was impressive.

But now the reason why was still a mystery. Hajime felt like he had the answer to that but he couldn't be too sure, not without a point of comparison.

Once was done with everyone, the class was in their classroom again, with Hajime being the only one to receive a cookie.

"Huh? Am I the only one who received one?... Neat. No wait, does that mean she was buying my silence with a cookie?"

Izanagi didn't respond, but if he had his physical form right now, Hajime knew he'd be shrugging.

"As I've said to everyone individually, the results will be ready in one week. So we'll be seeing each other again pretty soon."

"Thank you for your time , I hope they didn't give you too much trouble," The teacher said, both hands together smiling a little.

"Not at all, they were quite cooperative… Now if you excuse me, I need to move on and go to the next class"

"Oh absolutely! I hope none of our students cause you any inconvenience. Please allow me to open the door for you" And the teacher went ahead to open the door for her, babbling nonsense about school behavior with her. Takemi didn't seem to mind but she was not caring that much either.

Hajime stopped paying attention to them.

"Weird right?" Sato spoke from her seat, but without looking at Hajime's direction, she just pretended to be taking notes of something in her notebook.

"...You noticed too?" Hajime did the same, pretending to be reading one of their class books.

"Of course I did, I bet half of the class did. Even Natsumi. The only difference is you were the only one who opened his mouth about it."

"Were you listening to my conversation with her?"

"Hard not to with that voice of yours, and besides It was my turn so I was close to the door. These rooms aren't exactly soundproof"

"I'll give you that, for now"

"That is not the point though. "Hey I'm here to do a drug test, 'kay bye, see ya in a week" Usually this type of thing takes more time, and they even give you a pep talk about drugs and their consequences…"

"There can be multiple explanations as to why they are performing it this way…"

"But…?"

"But it's very strange, they never did this before, not even in the first year…"

Sato smiled.

"Why are you telling me this anyway?" Hajime couldn't help but feel a little uneasy with Sato's recent behavior, was she onto something?

"You look like someone who knows how to use their brains… And I like people like that." Sato this time turned around to Hajime, showing her smile to him but more than a smile it felt like a smirk. "And if you're really stopping hanging out with Natsumi, maybe we could hang out more?" His eyes met hers.

Why did her words feel so uncomfortable? Maybe because it was just classic Sato's behavior to mess with Natsumi, and this could be just her trying to get under her skin. But, somehow it didn't feel like the case. The Natsumi is out of the picture now" just felt like an excuse.

"I'll think about it…" Hajime responded, directing her eyes from Sato's to his book again.

The rest of class had a weird, heavy atmosphere.

After School
School Entrance - Hope's Peak Academy

OST: Beneath The Mask - instrumental

When classes were over, Hajime met up with Kyoko at their agreed meeting place. Said detective girl was already waiting for him there, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and her arms crossed.

"Hey," Hajime said now in front of her.

"Hello," Kyoko opened her eyes and smiled, "Right on time"

"Right, eh… Would you like some coffee?" Hajime awkwardly offered, keeping her smile Kyoko nodded, a positive response.

"Let's get going then."

Both decided to go to a different cafe this time, Kyoko recommended it. It had an open area for people to enjoy their drink outside and today was not raining like last time, it made sense, Kyoko probably wanted to enjoy the fresh air today offered.

With their cups ready and cheesecake to share, the two shared a conversation, enjoying their time together.

"So… How was being far from the city?" Hajime asked, poking her piece of cheesecake with his fork a little.

"Scary," Kyoko admitted. "I didn't know anyone, so as a child it was only natural for me to wish to go back home."

"I can imagine…"

"But it wasn't all bad. My grandfather taught me how to be a detective and I am grateful for that…" Despite not showing it, Hajime could tell something was stuck with Kyoko.

"And a great one too, you're been amazing in the team thanks to that. Think you could teach me a thing or two?"

Kyoko smiled a little. "I can, but it's not as easy as it looks. Detectives need constant focus and high concentration, can you do that?"

"I don't know. You can be the judge, am I detective material?" Hajime smiled back at her.

"You have potential, you can be a lovely assistant if you try hard enough," Kyoko said with a small smirk.

"Hey! I'm the leader, not an assistant"

"The battlefield is way different to the detective field, stay close to me and you'll see what I mean."

"By all means, please teach me the difference Kyoko-sensei!"

They both laughed at that. Kyoko's laughter was quite beautiful to witness, covering her mouth with her hand curdling into a fist..

"Your first lesson will be a riddle. Riddles might not seem like a big deal but they're a good brain exercise and helps to think outside the box. In the detective field that's something, we do often. Using your imagination is key, and you're a natural at that, so we'll stimulate that aspect of you" Kyoko explained, and Hajime nodded to this.

"Okay then, hit me with it"

"Two coins equal thirty cents, and one of them isn't a nickel. What are they?"

And Hajime had no clue, especially because japan does not use nickels.

"Is this an American riddle?" Hajime asked bluntly but Kyoko didn't respond, she just kept smiling.

"I'll wait for your answer the next time we go out," That's all she limited herself to respond.

To be expected, guess Hajime will have a lot to think of tonight to answer that riddle. At least it'll keep his mind busy.

But all in all, today wasn't bad. Hanging out with Kyoko like this felt refreshing…

The Empress - Rank 3!

"It's getting late already… You have your homework so let's call it a day for today" Kyoko suggested, and Hajime didn't mind.

Hajime walked her to the train station, and from there he headed home for today.

Kaede Akamatsu

Hey there!
Doing anything tonight?

Hajime Hinata

Right now, no

Kaede Akamatsu

If you have time, would you like to meet up in the jazz club?

Hajime Hinata

Yeah, I have time, I'll see you there.

Kaede Akamatsu

Great! See you there!

Evening

Towa City - Jazzclub

OST: Beneath the Mask - Piano version

Being in Towa City again felt strange considering how Hajime got there the first time. If he ignored how he almost met his maker and all of the events that followed, Towa City was a nice, futuristic-looking place.

Was this the level of power the Towa family had? That was scary. Even more so if he took into account that Junko had them under her thumb.

Better not think about that right now. He was here to spend time with a friend, not worry about his enemies.

Entering the club he could see a waitress attending customers, some others in the bar having a drink but most importantly he'd get to witness Kaede getting ready for her play of the night.

"Oh hey! You're here!" Kaede, cheerful as always, smiled at his arrival.

"Are you going to perform tonight as well?" Hajime asked.

"Yup! After I'm done, wanna have a drink with me?" Kaede offered, pointing at one of the tables in the back.

"Yeah, sounds fun," Hajime smiled, putting his hands in his pockets trying to look as casual as possible.

"Then see you soon, enjoy the show!" Kaede finger-gunned him and made her way to the stage.

Hajime took a seat, and decided to enjoy the show, Kaede is an amazing performer after all. One thing Hajime found odd is… Where was Nagito?

Nagito Komaeda, he admitted to be a regular in this place, but there were no signs of him. Hajime half expected to meet him here.

"Well he might be busy or something, no point in thinking about it."

Kaede began her performance, and she didn't disappoint. Her talent was truly amazing.

The blonde spent half an hour entertaining the audience with her piano playing. The sounds of classical music filled the jazz club and the audience was completely enthralled. It might be orthodox, but honestly, it was worth listening to. After her final song, she took a bow and made room for the next band.

She received large thunderous applause from the audience, including Hajime.

"Wow, I'm beat…." Kaede sighed, arriving at the table Hajime was at.

"I can tell, you put your entire soul in each song. It's quite admirable to say at least"

"Well, thank you! It's satisfying to get recognition for your effort" Kaede took a seat in front of him. She raised her hand with one finger up to call the waitress.

With their orders taken and received, the two could enjoy a pleasant evening chatting for a bit.

"So… You enjoy playing classical songs the most? I mean, not that it's bad, it's just what I noticed" Hajime commented while picking one of the fries.

"Oh, you know about classical songs?" Kaede's eyes lighten up at this.

"Huh, n-no no! Ahaha… "Hajime nervously laughed, causing Kaede to pout disappointed. "I just recognized them because back in middle school our teacher gave us a small talk about onstage performances. I never got into it, so I never learned the names of those songs"

"Well, I'll gladly tell you about them! My personal favorite that I play at least once a week is Clair de Lune~" Kaede smiled, keeping a hand on her chest with pride.

"Huh?"

"The last song."

"Oh!"

Kaede chuckled. "Clair de Lune was composed in 1869 by Claude Debussy, it has quite the story. If I can get people to enjoy my performances and appreciate classical piano music… Then I say it's a win you know? There are a lot of deep emotions in songs like Clair de Lune… And being able to transmit that to people… It's a nice thing to do I guess, haha!"

Kaede suddenly got nervous. It wasn't exactly something Hajime expected but he couldn't blame her. Opening up like that could be nerve-racking.

"I understand… Helping people appreciate the classics with wonderful performances like the ones you do is admirable, and you're actually making me want to know more about them."

Kaede smiled pleasantly, and all nervousness suddenly vanished.

"Then I'm pretty good at it! I can teach you more, and perhaps even piano lessons?"

"Oh no, let's not go too ahead of ourselves. there is no way I can play the piano, I'd be lucky if I could play the triangle." Hajime raised his hands, shaking his head as well.

"Aww c'mon, don't sell yourself short! With enough practice, anyone can perform! I taught Saihara before so I'm a good teacher!" Kaede puffed up her chest in pride, one could say even sparkles appeared all over her.

"Still no, thanks, but I say yes to learning about piano music."

"You'll come around, I know it" Kaede shrugged her confidence not vanishing at all. All Hajime could do was smile.

It was a pleasant night, had some good music, good drinks, and a good snack but overall a fun time along Kaede.

The Lovers - Rank 2

"I'll get ready for my next performance, want to stay for a bit longer?"

"Sure, I can"

And the night continued, Hajime enjoyed Kaede's performance and got to learn new things about music as well, he just made sure to return before the last train left.

4/19
Thursday

After School.
Station Square - Shibuya.

OST: Beneath the Mask - Instrumental

Classes today went normally, as usual. The only difference was with Sato's attitude, since she seemed more talkative. Hajime went into the city today, to buy a box of Mochi for his mother. On his walk back to the park he encountered none other than Mukuro, sitting on a bench in the park.

The soldier girl didn't notice him, she was busy texting someone with a small but noticeable smile on her lips, or at least an attempt at a smile. She was looking a bit troubled.

Hajime could tell who she was texting…

"Hello there Ikusaba," Hajime decided to at least salute her.

"Uh? Ah! Hinata-Dono!" Mukuro quickly hid her phone in her jacket pocket, crossed her legs, and did the most unnatural attempt to look natural. "...What brings you here?"

Hajime pities her. "It's… Well, you know it's a public park and I have to walk through here to get to the train…?"

"Ah…Yes, that's true… " Mukuro placed a hand on the back of her head. "Do you come here often…?"

"Okay stop it, please. Casual small talk really doesn't work for you," Hajime begged.

"It seems that my lack of interactions with people of my age are now causing problems to effectively communicate with others…"

"W-where did that come from? That's not it at all, we can communicate perfectly! We've been hanging out for a week now haven't we?" Hajime waved it off casually.

"That's different, it was an operation. Right now, there's no operation."

"Pffft, so what? We can just talk normally"

"Okay, then let's talk"

"Sure"

"Great"

"Yep!"

"We talking."

"Totally!"

"You have no clue what to say do you?"

"Exactly!"

And Mukuro sighed, rolling her eyes. "Point proved."

"Okay, look it's hard to know what to say to you because I don't know what we might have in common, but it's not that bad! Because I can learn stuff from you, and you can have some new experiences. We just have to know where to start, like meeting in the middle."

Hajime decided to get a little closer and take the seat next to her, even if he wasn't invited Mukuro didn't mind, she had enough respect for him to be used to having him around and close without worry.

"A middle point… I see…" Mukuro was giving his words more thought than she should, and that worried Hajime.

"Is this about Makoto?"

"Ah- How did-?" If we don't count Junko's reveal on the day of her awakening it'd be the first time Hajime has seen her surprised like this.

"Just a guess," Hajime shrugged a little. "You didn't seem to have problems speaking with him so far."

"That's because he starts most of the conversations… Right now we were chatting through text messages and most of my responses were just cat stickers…" Mukuro using cat stickers is not something Hajime ever expected to witness. "And honestly he does play a big part, but it's not all about him… It's about you and the others too… I don't want to be seen as some type of emotionless machine by any of you… I'd like to… speak up more without turning everything into an awkward moment…" Mukuro confessed, putting her hands together and playing with her thumbs for a bit.

Hajime understood. It must've been hard for her, from what she's told them. Being a soldier has been her entire life, aside from Junko she lacked proper normal interactions with others, he could only imagine how hard adjusting would be.

Well, he was the team leader. So, it was on him to be able to help and guide them, right? Especially since they're his friends first.

"How about this? Just do what feels normal" Hajime suggested. Mukuro only blinked slowly. "What I mean is, you don't have to overthink "What I have to say" rather, just say what you feel like saying? I know it's terrible advice because sometimes you have to think before speaking but it's a good starting point, we can hang out more, and that way you'll be learning at your own peace"

"You'll… Help me by hanging out with me more?" her voice lightened a bit.

To that question, Hajime responded with a nod.

"If there's a way for me to pay back-"

"No need! We're friends now! You don't have to pay me back anything!" Hajime scratched the back of his head nervously.

"But-"

"No buts, just friends hanging out"

"Right… Then what do we do from here?"

"We find the middle point for both of us. Maybe I don't know anything about the military or guns, or you about anything "common" for our age, but we can have something we can share that can help develop our friendship."

"And that is…?"

"Uh…" Hajime had to think, trying to figure out something that could help both, then he remembered he did want to ask her something. "Actually I have an idea. You think you could help me train?"

"Ah?" Mukuro tilted her head in confusion.

"Work out, I mean you have an amazing physical condition, and the better in shape we are the better we'll perform in the Mirror World, right? So we-"

"I'll do it" Mukuro's response was quick, no hesitation, no doubts.

"Oh-"

"Yes. I'll do it. I commit to the task in hand" Mukuro's seriousness increased 120% in one go, standing up. "Hinata-dono… As gratitude for accepting helping me out with my issue… I, Mukuro Ikusaba… Shall train you to become the toughest man to ever live on earth" Clenching her fist Mukuro stared Hajime in the eyes with the fire of determination.

Hajime immediately regretted his words.

"N-no need to take it that far… Just some extra stamina would do…" Hajime smiled, nervously. And fairing for his health.

"Nonsense, I shall give it my all. Now, let us begin Hinata-dono, our first task shall run 30 miles, Central Street is big enough, we can do it by the end of the day" Mukuro stood up, arms crossed and a stare that could freak out anyone close by.

"I-I-!"

"30 could be too much for a beginner… Alright, 15 will do, let's go Hinata-dono, your training is just about to begin!"

"I'm not even wearing proper clothes for training!"

"The battlefield never cares for what you're wearing! Let us move now!"

With how pushy she was being, Hajime couldn't say no. With a groan of defeat, Hajime stood up and began this nightmare full of training… Well, he asked for it.

He's having doubts if this could actually work now, but a promise is a promise and if she's this excited to train him only means how invested she is in improving her social skills to interact better with other people her age.

Hajime is not taking that from her… So for the time being, let's just endure it, he needs the training anyway.

The Faith - Rank 2

Hajime spent the rest of the day running alongside Mukuro…dreading how much it would hurt in the morning.

Evening
Hospital - Shibuya

OST: Beneath the Mask (Rain) - Instrumental

Hajime decided to visit his mom again later that evening. Without Jin being there, he would be able to spend time with her.

His mother did her best to eat the hospital food they offered her, and despite not liking it for obvious reasons, she did her best to eat it.

"You know, you can just say it sucks and leave it there," Hajime said, leaving an apple next to her.

"I can't do that, dear. The chefs took their time to make it and even if the taste is a bit… Questionable… It's for good reasons. They have to limit things like sugar and salt, " His mother answered, forcing herself to eat it.

Hajime just sighed with a small smile. She was trying too hard to set a "good example" but realistically speaking she'd prefer to eat anything else instead of that.

"Tell you what, when you're out, I'm inviting you to Big Bang Burger" Hajime offered, which lightened up his mom's eyes, taking the form of a pair of stars for the excitement. Hajime smiled and picked up another apple to begin cutting it.

"Hm…?"

Hajime felt something poking his side, he turned around to see it was Monomi's little plush paw trying to get his attention from inside his backpack. Once she got it, she pushed his phone outside for him to take.

Hajime noticed a few new messages from the chat group.

Makoto Naegi

Hey guys! Sorry if I am disturbing but considering we still have days off wouldn't it be beneficial for us to train in the Mirror Labyrinth? We can meet up and go tomorrow after school.

Kyoko Kirigiri

Sounds like a good idea, we need to stay in shape before our next assignment

Rantaro Amami

Alright I'm down

Mukuro Ikusaba

What's your say on this suggestion Hinata-dono? Leader's opinions matter the most"

Hajime Hinata

I'm on board, let's pay this labyrinth a visit and explore some new floors.

Makoto Naegi

Great! See you guys tomorrow then!

"Mom, I might not come tomorrow, I got uh… A meet-up with a few friends" Hajime said.

Hitomi smiled softly at her son. "Alright. Stay safe, okay?"

His mother really had no clue what he was doing the next day. Ignorance is bliss, they say.

"I will… I promise."

To be Continued.

Confidants

Monomi (The Councillor) Rank 2
Kyoko Kirigiri (The Empress) Rank 3
Rantaro Amami (The Chariot) Rank 2
Mukuro Ikusaba (The Faith) Rank 2
Makoto Naegi (The Hope) Rank 1
Kaede Akamatsu (The Lovers) Rank 2
Nagito Komaeda (The Fortune) Rank 1
Jin Kirigiri (The Hierophant) Rank 2

Notes

AAAAAND, Remember, you can leave suggestion for conversations like the ones in mementos.