Valhalla's Angel

by TheSneezingSOAB

Struggling to survive his whole life, Hajime at age 14, was forced to take on a job when his father got into a car accident. He accidentally stumbled inside a bar who gladly accepted him once they heard out his situation. It also helped that he already had experience in bartending. Then, his life took another turn when he received an invitation to Hope's Peak. Bartender!Hinata

10. Law of Empathy

[-x-]

"HAJIME!" A person yelled, cold water jolting him awake. He cracked his eyes open to see a topless mechanic with an empty glass of water.

"Why'd you wake me up like that?!" Wiping his face with Kaz's blanket.

"Dude, why the blanket! Ya didn't have to do that!" The boy placed the glass on his bedside table.

"You splashed water on me, you dick!" He yelled. "You wet more than the damn blankets with that."

"I had to! You weren't waking up from other methods! I tried shaking you and everything. Nothing worked!" He explained.

"That's…" Even Hajime was surprised by the discovery, was he really that tired last night? "How did I not wake up from that?"

"I don't know! We don't have time to think about that!"

"Why? Isn't it Saturday?" Clueless as to what day it was.

"No! It's Friday and we're gonna be late!" Jerking his thumb towards the direction of the clock. There were five minutes left before the bell rang and class began. They were going to be in deep shit if he didn't pull himself together.

"Oh shit!" Pulling off the blanket and hopping off the bed. He rushed towards the bathroom and washed his face and hair.

"Quick! Takes about three minutes to climb there running!" Kaz appeared by the door, putting on another pair of his jumpsuit and his usual hat. How many of those did he even have? And how are they all stained so heavily? Hajime shook those thoughts and focused on preparing himself.

Drying himself up with a clean towel from the cabinet, he tossed it in the laundry basket once done. "Less if we really make a run for it!"

"I know!" Handing Hajime a piece of paper. "It's gum, we don't got time to brush our teeth. Let's go!"

"Guess I can't get my coffee this morning… this is gonna suck…"

They both blasted through the door and slammed it shut. Thank god for self locking mechanisms.

"How come you didn't wake me up earlier?" He asked as they got past the cafeteria.

"Cuz I thought I could wake you up easily! I tried for ten minutes before I resorted to water." Telling the brunet his perspective. "Didn't think I'd have to splash water on you! You're such a deep sleeper!"

"You shoulda done that earlier!" He pushed the door open to the main wing. "Why didn't you wake me up when you did?! You know I rely on coffee to survive the day!"

"You would've killed me if I woke you up at that time!" Dashing through the hallways.

"What time was it?" He glanced at the boy behind him.

"5:30."

"Okay, yeah I would've." He simply nodded.

"See?!" He screeched.

"Ignoring that… how do you even wake up at that time?" He asked another question. "That's way too damn early for anyone. Sometimes I just got to bed."

"Ion know, body just felt like waking up." He said from behind Hajime. "Usually wake up around ten minutes before class starts."

"Do you not do anything else in the morning? Did your alarm clock break again?" Remembering his lie from a while ago, they were climbing the first set of stairs now.

"I brush my teeth and put on clothes dude, I don't really need a lot of time for that. For the alarm clock… I tinkered with the thing… and I actually… broke it…." He panted. "Can we… pause for a sec?"

The pink haired boy halted his sprint. Hajime stopped himself as well. They have just arrived on the second floor. He looked back and saw the boy sweating himself through his jumpsuit.

"That's all you could run? C'mon now man, we're gonna be late…" Urging the boy to push forward.

"Shut! I'm not athletic, I know, I don't wanna be anyways." Placing his hands on his knees to get some respite. "I hate running and sweating."

"But you're fine with grease and oil?" Raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly…! I like the smell of those, pretty soothing if you ask me. I dunno how y'all think it smells bad." The mechanic placed his hand on his hip.

"Honestly I would rather run a mile from my own sweat than to get grease filled with chemicals on me to be honest. But hey, that's just me I guess." Hajime started heading forward instead of staying still. "We should at least walk."

"I'm literally shivering thinking what Yukizome-sensei's gonna do to us if we're late." The other boy followed suit, still breathing heavily.

"That's why we should be doing everything to not be late. It's been a while since someone arrived late. Tanaka definitely learned his lesson in that one instance." Reminiscing on the frightening side of their teacher. "Not even Owari dared to think of being late after that."

"I don't even know he survived…" When Kaz felt bad for his rival, you knew it was bad. "Yukizome-sensei's really has a sadistic side to her."

"Well, it's safe to say we're not gonna survive since she mentioned ramping it up next time someone wasn't punctual. We're gonna get sent to the nurse's office if we don't get moving soon." Snapping his hands.

"We'll have more than enough, I just need a break from that sprint. It's been way too long the last time I did somethin' like that." The mechanic explained. "I skipped my gym classes for a reason."

"I literally run to my old school everyday. It's literally synonymous with being late."

"So you were constantly sprinting… no wonder you're so damn thin!"

'That's excluding my dogshit diet.' He failed to mention. "I'm trying not to keep those bad habits from coming back. Hopefully this doesn't become a normal thing again. I hate running to class, I look dumb everytime I open the class door and the class…"

"Look down on ya?" He finished his friend's sentence. "I got that too. For different reasons though."

"Seems like we have more in common than I thought."

"Can I mention something?" The mechanic continued without waiting for his response. "I dunno who designed this building but I fuckin' hate them. That architect wanted to punish everyone that had classrooms upstairs."

"Yeah, for real, why would you not build the stairs on top of each other like any other building would?"

"Some fuckin' nutjob for sure. Honestly though, how much of a damn hassle would it be to make an elevator? Ultimate Architect my ass…" He sneered. "At least the aesthetic is there."

"That, I can agree on. This is one of the best looking places I've ever been to. If only they made structure make sense."

His friend chuckled. "At least we'll have the new building in Year 2. No more staircases!"

"Just hope that the elevators don't break down." Hajime really didn't want to get stuck inside one for twenty minutes until help arrived.

"I'll be sure to get called up when they build it for inspection." Kaz reassured him.

"Pretty excited about it all things considered." From his spot in class, he can actually see the current progress they have on its construction. "It's gonna be so much bigger than the current one."

"At the very least, it's gonna be twenty floors. Why do we even need so much?" The mechanic estimated.

"I dunno, they prolly want everything in one spot unlike now." He cupped his chin. "Like all the Research Labs and dorm rooms all together."

"Maybe they're planning on inviting more than two classes per year. But still, what the hell are they gonna do to the current building?"

"That… I don't know actually…" He hummed. Why on earth would they even make a new building when the current one is perfectly fine? He should make use of that bastard he's been ignoring for the better part of a month.

'This school I swear to god, something is wrong with it. They have the weirdest decisions…' He thought but ultimately shook his head, he opened his Handbook and saw the time: one minute left.

"Kaz! Let's go! One minute!" He darted, leaving a trail in the dust for the mechanic to eat and catch up to.

"HAJIME WAIT!" He hollered, sprinting off on his own to catch up.

An old man standing by that they didn't notice chuckled. "Those boys sure are full of interesting questions…"

[-x-]

They've only arrived to class a second before it was too late. Slamming the door open, everyone looked at them crazy. Fifteen sets of eyes were boring on them.

"Wowww, that's a first." Koizumi was wide-eyed. "Never thought I'd see the day Hinata was late. "First thing for everything I guess."

"Zip it. It was out of my control." Dragging his thumb and index through his lips.

"Whatever you say." She dismissed and looked forward to their teacher. "You still came late."

"Almost. Late." He clarified. They both got in and the mechanic closed the door.

Yukizome-sensei was happy to see them come on time. She greeted them. "Glad you boys finally came! Right on the dot as well! I would've had to punish you if you forced me to hunt you boys down."

"We figured…" Yawning heavily as he walked towards his desk in the back.

"We were so close to dying…" Kaz hung his head low in fear for the what-if scenario.

The two sat down and the teacher slammed her hand on the desk. "Alright listen up! Welcome to homeroom everyone! I'm going to take attendance now."

"Tanaka-kun!"

"My presence is within this mortal plane." He answered in his usual boisterous manner.

Hajime ignored the rest of it since he always gets called out last. He shot a glance towards the gamer beside him. Chiaki wasn't paying much attention as expected, clicking away at her device of choice. This time a different console which surprised the boy.

"How come you aren't on your GameGirl today?" He asked, leaned in so she could hear his whispers.

"It finally ran out of battery and I forgot to charge it." She briefly responded as she refocused on her game.

'Really? The Ultimate Gamer forgetting to charge her console?' That seemed out of the question but yet here it was.

"Actually?" The bartender looked shocked.

"Yep! First time in ages too! So, I just brought my Swap to class instead since it was the only charged device I had besides my E-Handbook." She explained. "Wanna play Crash Ultimate? I'll give you the other BlissCon."

"Sure, I don't think Yukizome-sensei's gonna say something important till later." He accepted the handed out controller. "Is this customized like your GameGirl?"

"Nope, but my friend is gonna meet up with me next weekend to do that." She unloaded the first cartridge and placed it in her console case. She grabbed another one and inserted it.

"Good timing then. I wonder what kinda wild stuff she's gonna ask this time." He asked as the game booted up on the screen.

"Not sure, but I'm just hoping to get more battery life." She turned the screen at an angle where the boy could see it. "And maybe get better controllers that can never have drift. It seriously sucks that I have to buy new ones to fix the problem."

"What's drift?"

"It's when your controller does an input in a direction that you didn't even do. Constantly." She huffed. "It's one of the few things that can get me mad when I'm playing something, unintended inputs."

"Seems real annoying, yeah, I remember my old DSP breaking on me like that." He nodded as the game finally loaded in. "Does this one have it?"

"Nope, I only bought it recently." She menu'd towards the character selection screen. The girl picked random and Hajime chose a massive blue penguin with a coat and hammer.

"I'm ready to get four stocked…" He inhaled as she picked the map Crashville.

The game loaded for a bit until it revealed Chiaki's character, a metal faced ball with a sword. He was going to have a bad time. With the gamer's skill level, the chances of him getting juggled to death was really high.

"Oh boy, here we go…" The screen counted down. 3. 2. 1. Go!

Chiaki immediately went for a drill rush, hitting and stunlocking his character. As she landed, she grabbed him and threw him in the air for a combo, jumping and slashing each time. Not even letting him move or air dash.

After the combo, he finally lands and hurls a spike ball, which she dodged with ease. The lag on his move was enough to be thrown into another true combo from her. This time off the ledge and into the void where he lost his first stock.

'As predicted, ha, I legit can't move.' He used his invincible frames to try and get a hit on her, rushing and trying his best. Using aerials and less punishable moves.

But once again, she gets the jump on him when and doesn't let up till he loses another stock.

Hajime sighed and leaned forward on his chair to get extra focus. He has to at least be able to hit her right?

Nope.

Not even close.

The third stock went about the same as the first two. Looking quite promising at the start till she inevitably hits him and he gets bodied into an unending string of combos until his character dies offscreen.

He had one last chance. He had to make it count. One hit. It's not impossible but it is very very HARD.

His character landed on the platform and he launched upwards with his recovery move. Chiaki most likely read this move and was prepared to spot dodge it with precise timing.

"Nanami-chan?" That callout took her focus out just in time for Hajime to hit her. She looked up to see that their teacher was looking at her.

"Present!" She raised her arm, controller still in hand.

'YES! I HIT HER! Even if it was kinda cheesy.'

"Ah, darn." She snapped her fingers. "You got me."

Both their characters just stayed still in the game.

"But I really cheesed it. I don't think it really counts."

"It does in my eyes since I'm the one who didn't pay attention." She said, moving hers around the map and landing on the platform. "I guess no JV for me."

"JV?"

"It means not getting hit whatsoever, I typically get it in casual games. Didn't happen this time."

"Out of sheer luck, I swear Komaeda blessed me with his bs somehow."

"You still hit me though, we're counting that."

"We should probably wrap this up…'

"Hinata-kun?"

"Right here!" He waved at her before continuing. "Yep, since homeroom is starting. Though, I have a request." He had an idea on how to bond with his friend.

"What is it?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"Do you wanna train me? The game seems really fun, I've only played it on my friend's consoles since I couldn't afford one." Hajime asked her.

"Sure! Just tell me when you're free and I'd be glad to train you!" She agreed without hesitation. I mean, who would be able to teach you the most out of a game rather than the Ultimate Gamer.

"I'll message you whenever I'm free, I might pop in your streams if you're playing it then.

"Keep in mind though, I've never trained anyone for Crash so I might not be the best teacher even if I am above average at the game. I think."

He reached out and bonked her head. She recoiled adorably at the light hit. "Nope, from what I can see, you're not just above average. You're definitely one of the best players in the world." Handing back her controller.

"I guess…" She accepted and docked them back on the side of the screen.

"I'm gonna flick your forehead if you downplay yourself again." Readying his finger. He noticed her backing down and nodded. "None of that, alright? Gotta recognize your abilities here. I told you this yesterday and I'll tell you again if need be."

"Thank you. Again…" A light smile graced her features as she looked forward to their teacher addressing things.

"First things first." She walked towards the direction of the newly installed machine that's keeping them alive from the heat. "Your three Class Reps successfully set up our new A/C system with no hassles at all!"

He saw the mechanic visibly shudder at those words. Hajime decided to spend his lunch with his friend to distract him from the still fresh wounds.

Completely forgetting the fact that they trashed the cafeteria.

He conversed with the guy just fine earlier, probably too distracted to think when Hajime was there rambling on about waking up so late. Maybe there was another way on how to approach the wounded boy…

The rest of the class clapped, not knowing better of what transpired. For better or for worse, he'd rather not have them know at all. At least until the class felt like a full family. Acceptance wasn't going to come easy but with Yukizome-sensei, it will eventually happen.

"You guys better thank them!" The teacher pointed their way. "As do I, I thank you three for your efforts!"

"Good job guys!" The musician cheered, looking back at the two members behind her. "Ibuki owes ya one! Ibuki plans on making a song to commemorate this occasion! It's titled: Say No To Heatwaves!"

"I much prefer this atmosphere rather than the one yesterday. I extend my gratitude." The princess got up and bowed in their directions.

It seemed like Kaz got cheered up even a little bit by Sonia-san's acknowledgment. Better.

"THANK YOU THREE! YOU'RE PROVING WHY WE CHOSE YOU ALL TO BE THE LEADERS OF THIS CLASS." Nidai roared in his usual eardrum crushing volume.

"Fwuaha! It seems you mortal ones have some utility for the Overlord of Ice after all! Proceed with that pace and the great one might not consider sending your souls to the eternal inferno!" His braggadocio contrasted heavily with the cute hamsters sitting atop his shoulders.

"Your hope will swell together into something beautiful!" The luckster placed his hand on his chest, his tear ducts activating. "I have a feeling that it will turn into something more beautiful than the sum of its parts."

"T-T-Thank y-you all! I-I don't have to w-worry about a-anyone dehydrating n-now!" The nurse cried her eyes out.

'Why are you all exaggerating this…? It's not a big deal…' Hajime thought to himself.

"Thank you everyone." The bartender said as he stood up, being the usual spokesperson of the trio. "While we appreciate your kind words, we literally just installed an A/C, not really a big deal."

"That's where you're wrong, Hinata-kun!" The teacher slammed the machine. "Not only did you three think of something to get us out of this heatwave, you guys thought ahead and provided us with an indestructible system that will be usable even in winter!"

"We did?" He looked to his side and Chiaki looked confused as well.

"Yes, how could you not know?" The teacher looked slightly baffled.

"Well, those are all Kaz then. So you guys should be giving him the most props." Directing the attention towards the boy, he was wide-eyed by the mention.

"Hey! No need to bring me in! I just did what anyone in my position would." Dismissing himself of the effort he put in, he looked like he wanted to say something more but couldn't.

"But you did all the work though…" Chiaki stood up as well and interjected her own thoughts on the matter. "We just planned it and helped you a little bit. You pretty much did 85% of the work."

"Not to mention, you had all the knowledge, we just followed your lead on this one. This one's on you man." Hajime shoved all the props to his friend.

"But, but-" Hajime chucked a piece of paper at the mechanic, landing squarely on his head. "Oi! What was that for?"

"You not accepting your commendation." Hajime answered. Grabbing another piece from his notebook, He prepared to launch another paper ball.

"You guys are saying that like I wasn't supposed to do this shi-" He sank down before having something hit his lips.

"Ah, ah, ah. You cannot downplay yourself like that. Just accept the well deserved props and get on with it." The teacher slapped a paper fan on the boy's mouth. "No swearing as well."

The boy finally stopped debating his own part of the project. "Alright fine… I accept it." Proceeding to sulk on his desk, he laid down and started whispering to himself. Two people noticed, himself and the musician that raised her eyebrows at the things she was hearing coming from the boy's mouth, the girl kept it in mind.

"In any case! The project was a success! So, we thank you for your efforts! Now, for the meat of things. We have an outing planned next month!" Their attention was square on their teacher again.

"Sensei, where would that be?" A great question from Koizumi.

"A beach!" She beamed at them, looking very enthusiastic.

"Yahoooooooooo!" Mioda jumped out of her seat and climbed her desk, excitement was practically oozing out of her. "This is going to be a Heart-Throbbing school trip!"

Even Hajime was excited, he's never been able to go on field trips since he never had time for them nor did he have the money to pay for the fees. Which made him feel like shit whenever his old acquaintances came back and were talking about the cool stuff they did on the trip.

It was in the past and he can now take advantage of his situation. Finally getting to see the experiences he missed in all of grade school and middle school, plus the first year of High School.

"I haven't been to the beach in ages, we're definitely going to have so much fun." The photographer was pleasantly surprised by the announcement.

"Eww, Mahiru-nee, you like going to the beach? It's so hot and the water is really salty." Saionji commented, looking directly at her pseudo sister.

"Yep! I typically go there with my family on the rare vacations we have. I don't really mind the heat since it's going to be hot all summer long." The photographer clasped her hands in anticipation.

"I guess, I'm still not going in that filthy water." She pouted as the dancer scratched her cheek.

"M-Make s-sure you all a-apply s-sunscreen everyone!" Tsumiki cried out, giving out her usual medical warnings.

"Shut up, pig barf! You don't have to tell us the obvious!" The blonde shot at her frequent target.

"EEEP!" The nurse sank into her depression once more.

"Can I not go? Seems like a waste of time." Kuzuryu sneered at the thought, shaking his head. "I got other shit I gotta do this summer."

"Kuzuryu-kun~" An aura behind him made him jump and freak out.

'When did she get there? How fast was she?!' Were both their thoughts.

"It's a mandatory field trip so no one's able to skip it." She booped his nose. "Not. Even. You."

"A-Alright… I'll go…!" He tightened his tie and whispered to himself. "Can't do shit with this hag running around…"

"Hah? What did you just say, Kuzuryu-kun…?" Unsheathing her knife, and touching its tip.

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!" He aggressively waved his arms in denial.

"Are you sure?" The purple aura was practically spewing out of her being. Any wrong move will send the yakuza heir straight inside a coffin.

"Y-Yes!" His hands shaking, he glanced over to the swordswoman behind him and made a signal.

"Good." She strutted back to the front of the class as she sheathen her knife back in. "Does anyone have any complaints about this mandatory outing?" That emphasized word scared Hajime to death, they had no choice, no way of escaping the outing. No one even dared to oppose her.

Not like most his classmates wanted to, who wouldn't want to have a free vacation to a beach resort? Avoiding all your current responsibilities and hanging out with everyone? You would be pretty dumb to not take that opportunity.

"Sensei, how long is it gonna last?" Hajime asked.

"We are going to stay there for three days and four nights." She pulled her hands up. "I'm giving you the date as soon as we're finally able to book the hotel rooms. So make sure to empty those summer days! Don't plan anything else!"

'Shit. True… That's bad…' That tarnished his usual plans for the summer, working himself to the bone to earn more money.

Having to take a break means that he can't work and that means he'll have to work some overtime to gain some of that time back. He pinched the bridge of his nose just thinking about it. At least he'll have something to look forward to while he slaves himself away.

"Sensei, how come you're saying this early?" The plump boy in front of Chiaki asked. "Don't schools usually plan this way before telling students?"

"Mitarai-kun, that's because I haven't asked the Headmaster yet."

The whole class was completely silent from those words until…

"EHHHHHHHHHH?!" They all said simultaneously.

"Sensei!" Hajime raised his hand. "You mean to tell us that you didn't even get the approval for it yet?"

"So it's not even for sure yet?" The gamer disappointedly asked. She was looking forward to this ethereal place called a 'beach'.

"Yes! I'm almost certain I'm getting the permission!" The corners of her mouth were still up. "Almost."

"But, sensei…" The photographer scratched her cheek. "I think it's irresponsible to raise our expectations like this. What if something goes wrong and we never actually get the beach you promised?"

"You simply have to believe, Koizumi-san! I will make this happen whether the school wants it or not."

"How would you pay for the expenses?" A curious princess asked.

"I was going to reach for my own funds if by some chance the school doesn't approve of me bringing you guys to the Pacific." Tapping her fingers on the podium.

"I would be more than willing to pay for it, sensei. Just say the word." The blonde reassured her.

"Thank you, Sonia-san but I don't think we'll need your trust funds on this. There is practically zero chance the school refuses. At least I hope." She placed both hands on her hips.

"Tch, sensei, if ya really need some backup into convincin' the school, I'll come with ya." The yakuza proposed. "I can guarantee it if you bring me."

'Didn't you say you didn't wanna come like minutes ago?' Addressing the tiny boy's hypocrisy in his head because he really didn't want to risk his head again.

"As much as I would like to accept that, I think I'll manage on my own." Yukizome-sensei declined. "That's the main bulk of what I'm going to announce today. Though, I'm going to need our trio to discuss something by the end of today so meet me at the teachers office please."

Hajime's face lit up, was it the thing Sakakura mentioned yesterday? It had to be. He looked forward to meeting the people that probably hated his class with a passion. Those antics were going to attract the attention of people, and it wasn't the type that people typically wanted.

"Now! Let's get back to the interesting book we started yesterday, I'm going to need you guys to open the book on page…" The woman pulled out her poetry book from her bag, to which everyone groaned.

[-x-]

It was lunchtime. But he couldn't get off early because the kitchen was still in repair. The school told him that they would have it fixed by Monday. He was debating whether he should go outside campus and buy lunch or starve in class.

Mostly everyone already left class and only a few of them actually stuck around. That being his group and Koizumi's bunch.

He felt his pockets were very empty aside from the massive tablet that somehow fits. 'Wait, I don't even have my wallet on me. Fuck, I gotta starve then.'

He slumped down his desk and closed his eyes. Prepared to sleep instead of just letting the gurgling of his stomach get through to him. It was cut short when his desk was knocked on by someone. He saw a redhead staring back at him with a grin on her face.

"Hinata, you look miserable as usual." Koizumi said.

"Wow, thanks for noticing." He deadpanned, sneaking a peak from a hole between his arms.

"No problem, I noticed that since our class, y'know, destroyed the cafeteria kitchen, everyone's been going outside to eat recently." She said tapping her cheek.

"Yes, I did. I'm pretty sure every other class hates our guts right now." Finally showing his face but letting his chin rest on his arms. "I've seen those stares people gave me in the hallways, they weren't pleasant."

"Let's not get into that, I just wanted to know if your group wanted to come with us to the mall?" She asked. "You, Nanami-chan and even Soda. I'm pretty sure my group wouldn't mind eating with you guys."

"That's nice of you… that idea seems a lot better than starving in class until it ends. Though, there's one problem." He lifted a finger up.

"Hm?"

"I forgot my wallet at home and can't buy anything right now."

"That seems like a simple fix, someone could just let you borrow money."

"I don't like owing people money, it just makes me feel terrible." Remembering all the debt that his dad had to climb them out of.

"It's only a couple hundred yen, I'll lend you some." Pulling out a cute strawberry wallet from her skirt pocket and showing it to him. "C'mon, this is the one and only time I'm inviting you and you're going to refuse?"

"Who's going to be there?" He offhandedly asked, evading the question. The boy already knew who was coming anyway.

"Well, me and HIyoko-chan for sure. Tsumiki-chan and Mioda-chan wanted to come. And then there's Sato-chan that's going to meet us by the fountain."

"So, it's gonna be a big group. Are you sure you guys are okay with this?"

"Yeah, no one's really going to object. At least one that I can't convince with my glare." She winked, further reassuring the bartender.

"Okay fine… I'll ask my own group." He didn't want the other two to starve so he accepted the offer.

He headed over to Chiaki first. Looking over her shoulders, she was practicing another character. A pot with a piranha plant. She seemed to be having a brief combo so he let her be till he won the stock.

"Chiaki." He called her.

"Hm? What is it, Hajime-kun?" She said, focus all on her game.

"Koizumi and her gang want us to come with them to eat outside instead of staying in class for like an hour and a half." Pointing at the girl behind him.

"That seems nice, yeah, I'd like to come." Nodding, eyes still on the screen.

"Okay nice, just get set up once you're done with your match."

"Alright." She continued to mash.

Hajime walked towards his other friend. The mechanic was trying to take a nap on his desk. Eyes closed and one cheek on his arms. Hajime looked behind to see the girls interacting with a very still Chiaki. She didn't once look in their direction, not that they minded because they already knew how she was.

The bartender began to poke the boy's face to rouse him awake. "Kaz… wake up…"

"Nghh…" The pink haired boy swatted his hands away.

"C'mon, wake up. Don't make me splash water on you." Still continuing to poke the boy's face.

"Five more minutes…" He was beginning to awake from his slumber.

"Wake up, man." Now moving on to shaking his shoulders. "Don't force me to do what you did to me earlier."

"Why'd you have to shake me man?" Kaz finally jerked awake, stretching his arms and legs while yawning. "I wanted to catch some sleep."

"Because I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Oh shit. Everyone's gone." Observing the empty classroom. "I guess class ended a while ago."

"About five minutes ago, we still have a lot of time left before our next class." He clapped his hands to attract his friend's attention. "So, the girls want us to come and eat lunch with them."

"Huh? Why?" His forehead creased. "Did Koizumi finally have a change of heart?"

"Oi! I heard that!" The girl yelled across the room.

"She might've" Pocketing his hand. The girl yelled again but they both continued to ignore her. "But at least that's better than letting my stomach gurgle. You got your wallet on you?"

"Nah, I never carry cash because I don't got money to spend." Pulling out both his pockets and revealing nothing but lint. "I'm broke as hell."

"Ah shit, you're gonna have to borrow money from someone else then." He clicked his tongue.

"Hell no! I ain't doin' that!" He leaned against his chair and looked up.

"Unless you wanna see everyone eat food while you starve, you better do that." He shrugged, looking down at the boy's face. "I would've paid for your food but I left my money at home and I slept over at your dorms."

"Who's paying for yours? Chiaki?" Kaz asked.

"Nah, Koizumi is." He predicted his friend would've teased him but it never arrived.

"Cool…" Getting up from his seat and patting the boy's shoulder. "C'mon, let's go. I'll ask someone to lend me money when we get there." He walked towards the door.

'Shit, should I have not invited him?" Hajime asked himself. 'Is this really a good idea?'

Thinking about it now, yes. He didn't want his closest friend to be left out on something he could've let him in on. But sometimes people need their space to think for themselves. And now he was doubting his own judgment of the situation.

Shaking his head, the boy thought he should stop playing armchair therapist and get on with what he decided. He's a bartender, not a counselor.

"Nice, alright everyone! Let's go get Amami." He led the way for everyone else.

The girls followed their trail. Kaz opened the door and went down the staircases without waiting for anyone. Okay, that definitely wasn't a good sign.

Hajime backed up towards Chiaki and leaned into her ear. "Yo, wanna go talk to Kaz?"

"H-Huh? How come?" The girl jumped at his voice. They both moved forward from the rest of the group so as to not let them hear.

"Guy's still feeling what happened yesterday. And I have a hunch that you can get through him easier than I could if yesterday was anything to go by.

"I probably just got lucky…" Chiaki looked down.

What was it about his friends and doubting themselves? To be fair, he wasn't that much better than them, he can just hide it better.

"Nah nah, you did a great job." He reassured her. "That's why you should be the one to do it. You're more patient and kindhearted."

"Are you sure?" She met his eyes.

"Dead serious, I don't think he wants a lecture from me yet. He'd just walk off." He stole a glance at the guy. He had his back turned but he can tell that he had a contemplative look.

"I'll try my best." She pumped her hands.

"Thanks, tell me how it goes later."

The gamer hurried to the front to accompany her friend. The bartender decided to sit back and simply watch from afar. He saw her initiate conversation and the mechanic seemed a little bit receptive to her presence. Looks like he made the right choice.

"You three have gotten awfully close…" Koizumi said from behind him.

"Is there a problem with that?" Raising an eyebrow to her comment.

"Not at all, I just didn't expect that you three would've formed a group together." She justified her feelings.

"Weird right? Who would've thought that we'd be a group but here we are. But hey, you won't catch me complaining about it."

"Yeah, the deadpan bartender, the passive gamer and the brash mechanic. Never in a million years a group like that could've been formed."

"I could say the same for your group." He said. "You guys have been talking since orientation, I saw it form right there and then."

"We're a weird bunch too yeah, but I really like the group dynamic."

"I feel like every conversation would somehow lead into a fight."

"Nope, I can usually reign them in pretty easily."

"Okay, mother hen…" He remarked, making her purse her lips.

"Whatever…" Rolling her eyes. "We have fun and that's all that matters."

He looked back towards the three girls, they were somehow maintaining a cohesive conversation without having an all out war. Well they have their usual deviations like Saionji's insults, Mioda's one track mind and Tsumiki's unhealthy obsession with crying.

"How come you aren't talking to those two?" The girl was curious.

"I just want those two to get as close as I am to them." Covering up his tracks. Though, he did want them to bond more. They were both closer to him than themselves so he sought to mend that.

"Not a bad idea really." She nodded. "You need to be all close to each other in order to be a cohesive group. That also eliminates favoritism."

"You have this down too doncha?"

"Kinda, I'm still trying to make peace between Hiyoko-chan and Mikan-chan."

"Is that even really possible, I'm pretty sure Saionji hates Tsumiki so much that she hasn't even considered becoming friends at all."

"There's always a chance to mend things as long as one side is motivated enough."

'I still wouldn't waste any resources on it since it seems like an insurmountable task.'

"Fair enough I suppose." He's going to have to think long and hard about this. But currently, he has other problems to solve within his own group.

[-x-]

The commute towards the mall was pretty uneventful. They did some small talking in between groups but it was generally pretty quiet since it was too loud and cramped. They took the subway and arrived at a station connected to a decently big commercial space.

It was loud as usual but that's what you had to put up with for cheap and fast transport. Plus, they weren't going to walk all the way there. Not only would their feet hurt but there was no chance that they would make it back for the next class.

Hajime's only been there a couple of times. And it was to buy some groceries for the bar when they ran out of stuff mid-week. The nearby stores near Valhalla didn't have the particular brand they wanted and his Boss was very picky about her choices.

The group entered from a small tunnel and were greeted with a large open space. Four floors in total, the basement they were currently on, chock full of restaurants ranging from ethnic foods from around the world to the usual fast food schlock. They planned on only staying downstairs and leaving as soon as they digested.

Sonohara Mall had more to offer them. The second and third floor includes clothing, merchandise, snacks, grocery, electronics, music stores and much more. Lots and lots of brand names and third party sellers. Plenty of games and toy stores to splurge on hobbies.

He should visit this place sometimes, to have something else in his wardrobe instead of just button ups and jeans. Not that he can afford to do that anyways. Maybe if he ever gets that raise that he's been promised months before…

And the final floor being dedicated to an arcade and gaming lounge. Chiaki would have a field day upstairs. He's going to keep a close eye on her or they would find her holed up in there, destroying every single arcade goer in any of the multiplayer machines and smashing records until she gets kicked out for 'cheating.'

For now, they should decide on what they should eat.

"What are you guys going for?" He asked.

"Prolly some Big Bang honestly… just wanna get somethin' cheap and munch on it." Kaz said, hands on the back of his head.

"You should get something with a little more substance than that." Koizumi, the ever motherly person she was, suggested otherwise. "Big Bang doesn't give you much in terms of nutrients and is just a caloric dump."

"To be fair to Soda, I got some coupons for it I won from a competition." Amami pulled them out of her bag. "If you really wanna save some money, you can go ahead."

"But he'll feel like garbage, Sato-chan!" The redhead was still berating the boy.

"It's his choice." She shrugged. "Once in a while couldn't hurt him."

"Ibuki agrees with Soda-chan! Ibuki much prefer the tastiness of a burger than those yucky salads!" The musician grimaced at the thought.

'You completely missed her point.' Hajime shook his head internally.

"You cretins have the worst taste!" Saionji tossed in her opinion. "Get something more cultured than that!"

"A-A s-salad is v-very good f-for y-you t-though!" Tsumiki yelped until she got glared at by the short blonde. "I-I'm s-sorry!"

"Shut up, pig barf! No one wants your input!" The traditional dancer shut her down.

"Hiyoko-chan, I thought I warned you not to do that? It was just yesterday too." The photographer had her hand on her hip.

The blonde simply averted her eyes to the dismay of the redhead. The bartender didn't think asking a simple question would cause this much trouble.

"I'mma just get myself some curry from that store, wanna come, Koizumi?"

"Ohoho, Hinata-chan~. Ibuki didn't think you had it in ya!" She ribbed him.

"I forgot my wallet and she offered to pay for mine." He answered while peeling her off.

"The romance! The trope has been overwritten!" She jumped in the air.

They both ignored the looks the others were giving them. Some had playful looks like Amami and Mioda. Chiaki and Kaz had neutral looks, one not noticing and the other far too into his own thoughts. Tsumiki looked like she was going to cry… so the usual.

What stood out was Saionji, the look she gave him was one of pure and absolute displeasure. "No! You're not going with him, Mahiru-nee! You have to help me buy my food first!"

"But he asked first though." She looked confused as to where her resentment came from. "We can get it right after."

"But I want mine now!" She pouted and crossed her arms.

Koizumi sighed at the display, probably tired of her 'little sister's' antics. She backed down and let the girl get her way. "Fine, where do you want to get your food?"

"To the best udon place!" The blonde's frown practically melted and she latched onto the photographer.

"I'm coming back in a bit, Hinata, just wait." She said before letting the girl drag her towards the stall.

"There they go…" Amami said right next to the boy. "You're just gonna let that happen to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jeez, someone's clueless." Using the redhead's words against him.

"Huh?" The boy continued to be puzzled at her question.

"Nevermind, you want some coupons? I have plenty to share." She handed the sheet and browsed what it had to offer. Lots of combos burgers, from the Big Bangs to the Supernovas. There was even a Venus Salad one, he didn't even know they sold salads.

He remembered the days that he and his father had to buy take out at all times instead of buying groceries. Neither of them knew how to cook. The amount of times they bought fast food was insane. He still wondered how he didn't gain any weight from that. Ignoring the fact that he starved himself most days because he had to catch his sleep at lunchtime.

"Nah, I'm going for some curry today, been craving some recently." Giving it back to her.

"Suit yourself. Oi, Soda, you want some of this?" Snapping in front of his face to dispel him from his introspection.

"O-Oh, uhh, sure. You got an Earth Burger combo?"

"No, the special for that ended a month ago." She said, "Look around anyways since you wanna get some burgers."

"Can I see it too, Kazuichi-kun?" Chiaki inched closer and invaded his space. The boy gave space without paying much attention to their distance, or lack thereof.

"Can Ibuki get some coupons?!" The girl barreled through him and got into between both of them. "Ibuki misses their fries so much!" None of the two minded apparently.

"I-I'll just g-go to a s-salad b-bar over t-there…" Tsumiki said, walking off to the store.

"Yo, Amami." He called the only free person. "Let's go find some vacant chairs before we lose them, we're gonna need a really big spot."

"Alright." She followed him as he looked around to see if there were any tables.

There wasn't. At least there wasn't one big enough to fit the group. "Ah shit. This is a problem."

"Just take a free table and wait there." The green haired girl suggested.

"True, been wanting to sit down for a minute. Kaz! We're gonna go sit over there!" He pointed in the direction. The boy simply nodded and looked back at the coupons.

"You're not getting anything?" He asked.

"Not really, I made my own lunch today. I just brought the coupons because Mahiru-chan mentioned eating at the mall." Taking out her lunchbox from her bag.

"Nice, what is it?" Wrapping around the four seat table and plopping down on a chair.

"Just some rice, eggs and hotdog since I didn't have much time this morning." Sitting down and setting her bag on the chair beside her.

"Better than what those three are getting so I guess it's fine." He shrugged.

"True."

A silence fell on both of them. Their surroundings still had the bustling mall so it wasn't really much. It was full of people conversing between themselves, the annoying background pop music the speakers were playing and the sounds of sizzling from the cooking stalls.

He's never had a conversation alone with the girl in front of him. The only time he's ever spoken to her was the meetup he had in the Reserve Course building. He wasn't exactly fond of the first time he's been there. He could still imagine those stares and the pressure he felt from invading their territory.

Definitely not coming back there.

They were from totally different backgrounds and social status. From what he's heard from Koizumi, she came from a pretty rich family. Pretty easy to discern since she's attending the single most expensive private High School in the country. But he knew there was more to it.

"So, how's it going in your course?" He asked bluntly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Her eyebrow rose. "What does that mean? You wanna know about the Reserve Course?"

"Yeah, I didn't wanna pussyfoot around it." He responded.

"To be completely honest, it's okay." She made eye contact, purple irises completely aloof. "It definitely isn't worth the price they demand."

"So, it's basically a scam?"

"Yeah, there's no going around that. They charge more than some universities. Even if it had the best High School education, which it doesn't by the way. I don't think you can even justify the price. But it isn't even that good, I was already getting this type of education from my old school." She elaborated, crossing his legs.

"Damn, then why would you even get in?"

"Cuz… my p-parents wanted to. Since we have more than enough money to enroll me ten times over, they wanted to get some Hope's Peak prestige." She definitely wasn't telling the full picture but he let it slide.

"I guess, but it only takes one more second for Unis to see that you paid for the Reserve Course."

"Yeah, I know, didn't really have a choice." Fidgeting with her nails. "What's done is done, they already paid for the entire three years, might as well just do with what I have."

"That's fair." Laying his arms on the table. "You think being in there actually gives you a better chance of getting in the Main Course?"

"Yeah, if not only by a little." She settled her back on the chair.

"How come?" Tapping his chin with his finger. "It seems like obvious bait to me."

"If you can show that you're different from the rest of the usual depressing students there, I think they might take a closer look at your potential."

"What talent would they even give you? Ultimate Reserve Course Student?"

"Depends, if you're somehow a hidden genius constantly getting A's, Ultimate Genius. There's also gym classes where you can show off your skills, we switch sports every month so they're definitely testing who can make it."

'That's interesting…' He actually didn't think they'd be doing that at all. So Hope's Peak was putting some effort, even if it was very little.

"Most of us practically gave up on that dream and are treating this like a normal High School. I would wanna try my chances but I don't really have anything that stands out about me." Violet still meeting green.

"I feel like someone always has something going on for them that they could improve on. It might not be enough to become an Ultimate but you have that certain knack that you can use for yourself."

"But what's the point if you can't even get in? Isn't it worse if you almost made it instead of not even participating at all?" She asked him, curious as to what he had to say.

"True, but it shouldn't really be about that. It's always what you think of yourself, not really what some school does. If you feel that you've accomplished what you set out for, then you feel completed rather than feeling like you've wasted your life away doing nothing but the bare minimum."

"Are you saying I'm not putting any effort in?"

"Not at all, just saying that you shouldn't give up just because everyone else has. Anyone and everyone always has an aptitude for something. Do you have any idea what that is?" Placing his chin on his palm.

"No, not really, I can't think of anything right now." She answered, caressing her arm.

"That's fine. Just promise me something."

"Depends what it is." She tilted her head.

"Tell me what you're good at the next time we meet." He looked her in the eyes. "Could be anything really, just make sure you have something by then."

"What if it's tomorrow?"

"Well, better start thinking then, yeah?" He laughed before retreating back to the rails of his chair.

"Heh, yeah." She snickered. The two of them didn't say anything afterwards.

"Guys! We're back!" The three who went to Big Bang came back. Brown bags filled with greasy but tasty food.

Kaz took the seat right next to him and Chiaki took the last remaining one. "Aww man… Ibuki doesn't have any chairs to sit on."

"Just go grab one right there." The mechanic pointed towards the non-occupied chairs on an occupied table. "Ask them first though."

"Roger that, Soda-sama!" She saluted before running off.

"Here's your coupons back uhhh…" Chiaki extended her arms, coupons in hand.

"Sato Amami. I'm Mahiru-chan's best friend." She took the coupons and shook the girl's hand. "Nice to meet you, Nanami."

"How do you know my name?" The gamer broke the handshake off and took a fry out of the bag.

"Mahiru-chan talks about you guys a lot, it's almost always her subject when we talk." She explained. "As for how I recognized you. You guys all look unique which makes it easier to distinguish, none of you can blend in a crowd. Well… besides him at least."

"Hey!" The bartender took offense but couldn't really refute the point.

"Just look at you guys, Soda's hair is literally hot pink, Mahiru-chan is naturally redheaded and Mioda, I don't even need to justify that."

"That makes sense." The pinkette nodded. She took her burger from the bag and opened its box.

"You got Supernova?" Hajime asked.

"Yep yep, since we have gym today, I figured I would need to eat a bit more." She took a bite out of it.

Mioda came back and placed the chair near Kaz. "So, how are your guys' love lives?"

Hajime nearly choked on his own spit. "W-Where did that come from?"

"Ibuki's really interested in what you guys have going on! That's all!" She slammed the table and inspected everyone.

"No one here really has one." Chiaki responded. "I think."

"Are you sure though? Ibuki's seen some spice happening around me." Her eyes glinted.

"What does that even mean?" Amami raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying something's been bubbling in the background?"

"Indeed, Amami-chan!" She stood up and grinned. "We have seen quite a bit of development in our class dynamics."

"The hell does that even mean…?" The pink-haired boy took the attention away from his food towards the rowdy musician.

"It means that most people already have a target on who they want to date! So,we hang out with the people we like the most." She pumped her arms in the air.

"That's nonsense." Hajime shook his head in disbelief. "There's literally no romance going on in class." 'Maybe aside whatever Tanaka and Sonia have.'

"Says the one who's trying to get a harem!" She accused him.

"WHAT?!" His face turned bright red. "That's bullshit!"

"Don't be in denial, Hinata-chan!" She winked at him. "You know it's true~."

"So Hajime-kun is going for the harem route." The gamer placed her fingers on her chin. "I wonder which girls he's going for…"

"Don't buy into it Chiaki, I am not!" He fully denied, the girl was spouting a bunch of drivel.

"There's a lot of proof to support it though." Kaz had a slight smile on him, this was a good enough distraction for him. "I won't mention the people involved but there's already three in line."

"Kaz, fuck off. I'm not even trying to date anyone! Let alone be a playboy!" He pointed at his friend.

"Tsk tsk tsk, that's where you're wrong, Hinata-chan. I've seen it firsthand, you can't deny it anymore." Amami wagged her finger.

"This is like the second time I've talked to you!" He mentioned.

"They might be onto something. Full denial isn't healthy you know…" His friend's smile was increasing. Maybe he should keep doing this to cheer the boy up.

"Shut, show me proof before you accuse me of anything." Crossing his arms together.

"I'mma take a picture of it when it happens again." He suggested. "I'll catch ya in the act, dude."

"I guess you'll never have it. Because guess what, it ain't true." Hajime pursed his lips before forming his grin. "Enough about me though. How about you guys?"

"What do you mean?" The Reserve Course student asked.

"Remember, Mioda asked everyone. Not just me." Attempting to sway the conversation elsewhere. "Some of you probably have more going on than what you think I have in your heads."

"Ibuki isn't really aiming for anyone right now, Ibuki feels like that'll change soon enough." She winked. Hajime hardly knew the musician so he couldn't really decipher much.

"You, Amami?" He aimed his sights on the green haired girl for payback.

"Nothing really." She brushed her hair. "The guys in my class are nothing but bricks that are running on hormones."

'This girl is good at guarding herself, damn.' He thought to himself, rethinking his prey.

"Kaz, I know everyone already knows the answer to this but who do you have in mind?" Shifting his head towards the mechanic.

"Right now, I don't really feel like doing anything like that." The pink haired boy said firmly as he lowered his head, remembering what happened the day before. "I have way too much going on."

'Fuck. Messed up terribly there…' Completely forgetting about his friend's condition in the heat of conversation. He didn't even remind himself to tread lightly at all.

Everyone besides the Reps trio were surprised by the revelation. They didn't think the boy would have such an unyielding answer.

"I thought you were all over that blonde princess." Amami reacted to the statement.

"He was, but I suppose he's moved on from his crush." Hajime scurried to cover up for his friend.

"Huh, good on him for maturing." She accepted his answer.

"Okay, last one, Chiaki, you got someone?" He hurriedly changed topics.

"Hmmm." She tapped her blown up cheek. "Now that I think about it… I have one person in mind."

Hajime's eyes blew open, There was someone that the girl felt feelings for? Certainly news for him, she's never mentioned this before.

"YO?!" The musician jumped on her chair. "What is this?! Someone has finally broken through the indifferent gamer's barriers?! Ibuki has to meet this person now!"

"You can't meet them though." She blushed at the thought.

"How come?" Even the mechanic was interested.

"T-They're inside my game." That explained everything.

"Oh." Mioda sat back down, that was pretty much everyone's reaction. They should've all expected this considering that the girl barely let go of her games.

"Guys! We're back." Mahiru greeted as she carried a tray full of food. A plastic cup of udon, fries and a can of cream soda. "What did we miss?" Both girls were walking together with the nurse tailing behind them. The choppy haired girl was holding a bowl of caesar chicken salad.

"We-" Hajime rushed to close Mioda's mouth.

"Nothing much really." He took the reins before the musician could spout something controversial. "Just school stuff."

"Ah alright." Accepting the boy's response. "You want to go get your food now?"

"Sure, my stomach's been wanting some fuel since this morning." He chuckled.

"Dork." Saionji insulted him, but he just ignored her.

"Then you should've woken up earlier." She headed towards the direction of the curry stall.

"I forgot to set it up." He followed her, feeling two terrifying auras behind him. It made him shiver but he chose to keep his back turned in fear of seeing demons.

Once they were far enough distance, the photographer noticed his expression and got worried, "You alright?"

"Yeah, just got a lil cold." Rubbing his arms as an excuse.

"It gets a bit cold in malls." She agreed. "It's certainly way better than staying outside."

"We'd melt in five minutes." They even had to rush from school to the station before they got a tan.

"I'd prefer to be cold than hot, at least I'm not sweating." She said.

"I like heat better, my feet and fingers don't freeze up."

"Low cold tolerance, winter's really annoying for me as well. I almost always have my hands out to take seasonal pictures. Cold also means that I can't strap my camera on me and I need a lens heater for it to not condensate."

"Didn't know those things existed." They fell in line for the stall behind three other people. "So, there's also technical stuff involved huh?"

"A lot goes into the cameras depending on the environment. The application is annoying but the real annoying part is buying all the proper accessories for them."

"How much are we talking here?"

"About 70 thousand yen." She twisted her hand continuously. "The main problem is not the price either."

"What is?" He still couldn't fathom that she's spent so much.

"Unless you're buying the top 20 popular camera models, it's not really easy to get them. They either have to be custom made which bumps up the price by a lot or you get lucky and some affiliated company makes them. It was a nightmare getting a hold of someone to make my accessories." She described her experience.

"At least now it's easier that you have a classmate that can do that for you."

"You mean, Soda?"

"Exactly him, he can definitely make those for you, free of charge too because Hope's Peak is willing to pay for the parts."

"That's not a bad idea, I've been meaning to get an upgrade for a while but couldn't because I didn't want to deal with this."

"Then that solves your problem." He clapped his hand and smiled at her.

"Yes it does and now I have to solve yours." His stomach rumbled at the perfect time and she laughed softly, he joined in on her mirth.

"Thanks for this by the way, I was legit planning on starving myself until school ended." He expressed his gratitude.

"Don't worry, I don't mind doing this as long as you learn your lesson afterwards."

"Well, I'll try to keep my wallet on me at all times."

"Good, go ahead and order." She pointed towards the waiting cashier.

"Aye." They walked in front of the cash register. "Uhh, can I get uhh, katsu kare with uhh bottle of orange juice, the one without pulp please."

"Sure, is there anything else sir?" The cashier asked.

"Nope, that's it. She's the one paying for me." Jerking a hand towards her direction.

The worker had a devious smile on them, he didn't know where that came from. "It's going to be 857 yen."

"By debit please." She tapped her card on the machine and it jingled.

"Thank you for ordering, your food will be prepared momentarily."

They both stepped aside and granted space for the incoming new customers. "Can't wait to eat it, haven't had these in a while."

"How long?"

"Close to three years now, my dad doesn't cook it much because of how long it takes and I don't really like spending more money by buying outside and not eating what my dad cooked."

"Jeez, you know you can just ask Hanamura to cook it right? Pretty sure he'd be happy to have some suggestions on what people want to eat."

"Yeah I can, but I don't really wanna interact with him."

"That's… understandable." She couldn't help but agree.

"Everytime I do, he always finds a way to harass me somehow. It sucks but we both have to work together to prepare everyone's lunches. Well, when the cafeteria was in one piece."

"When I went to class today, I saw a lot of people looking at me with the angriest faces you can imagine."

"I mean, I expected nothing less from our class. We both knew from the start that this class was going to be infamous."

"That's true, I still remember the Orientation Day we had."

"I'm surprised how well you got adjusted though."

"I just went on autopilot and tried to get everyone in control."

"Yeah. Use your inner mother hen." He teased her.

"Hey, don't say that, I'm not too nagging am I?"

He simply chose not to answer that which earned him a smack on the arm.

[-x-]

They arrived back at their table, which was completely empty aside from Koizumi's plate of food. The plate itself was starting to get cold.

"Huh? Where'd they all go?" She asked him, wondering where they could even go.

"I… have no idea… The real question is, why would they just leave us? I'm surprised neither Chiaki or Saionji stayed to warn us where they all went."

Hajime kicked himself mentally, he promised to stay with his friend but he disappeared. Fuck. This was really bad, but since everyone was gone, he should at least be with Chiaki which somewhat relieved him.

"That's true, Hiyoko-chan wouldn't leave without me being beside her."

"What do we do with the food, eat first or go now?"

"I think we should go look for th-" Her stomach growled which made her redden as he heard the boy's chuckle. "I better not hear about this later, I didn't eat too because I was doing something this morning."

"Alright alright, let's eat quick." They both sat down in front of each other. She split the chopsticks while Hajime unraveled the wrapper of the spoon. "Still, what would motivate them to actually leave? We were only gone for like 10 minutes."

"Eight. But like I said I don't know…" She began stirring the broth.

"I'll try calling Kaz and Chiaki to see if they answer. Use your contacts." He placed his spoon on the table.

In the first try, both their phones continued ringing until they were sent to voicemail. "Nothing on Kaz's end, you?"

"I called our group chat but no one answered it so I'm going to call them one by one." She tapped on her phone and placed it on her ear, all the while slurping on her noodles.

While she was busy with that, he clicked on Chiaki's icon and hit the call button. "Pick up, c'mon, c'mon." But to no avail. He let Koizumi finish her calls, so he did some damage on his plate.

"No one's picking up at all." She sighed and took a bite on her noodles. "Gotta say, cold udon is terrible.

"Who knew?" He sarcastically said. "At least it isn't too soggy."

"Thankfully not, I hate soggy noodles. It'll just break when I pick them up." She took another bite. "Let's break this down."

"Oh so you like play on words." He said.

"Yeah, so what about it? They definitely didn't go back to school, there's still some time left." She continued.

"God forbid they went outside to get cooked either so there's only one answer."

"They stayed in the mall. We both knew that already, the main problem now being to find them. This mall is huge."

"We can definitely deduce where some of them went." Hajime tapped his finger on the table.

"And from there, we ask them if they know where the others went, if not, we at least have some more people in the scavenger hunt." The girl snapped her fingers.

"If they all stayed in a group, it makes it easier but I doubt that."

"Nanami first since she's the easiest." She suggested.

"Arcade, no other place she could've gone to. Her Swap probably died." He said with assurance.

"Ok so we found her, what then? Is there a hardware store nearby?" Thinking about the mechanic.

"Two blocks from here but we've already ruled that out. Kaz isn't going to be easy to find."

"How about a pharmacy?" Now the nurse.

"I don't think Tsumiki has the courage to actually split off from someone unless it's Saionji. We should at least check the only one on the third floor just in case."

"Music store?" For the musician.

"Yep, that's where Mioda went for sure. I hope she doesn't get stronger speakers, I can sometimes hear her playing from her research lab two floors down." He shivered at the thought.

"She would break the windows at that decibel level, I think she's knowledgeable enough to know her limits. Then again…"

"It's Mioda… Amami, you got an idea?"

"Any clothing store really. She likes to shop for new clothes."

"Oh yeah, I forgot she was rich…"

"Yeah, I'll show you some pictures of her 'almost mansion' that she lives in with a literal maid." She recalled her time and sleepovers at her place. It was one of the most fun she's had with her friend. "There were like nearly twenty rooms in that place."

"And she lives alone?"

"Well, right now she lives in the dorms which she really doesn't like. She says she didn't have enough space to put in everything she 'needed'." She quoted that last word. "Sato-chan wanted to bring some ridiculous furniture in there."

"Like what?"

"Her ten foot dresser for one… her own literal bed from her room, just fancy typical rich people furniture. She describes how miserable she is without her space but she'd rather have that than taking transport for an hour every day."

"Couldn't she just hire her own driver?"

"True but we're getting sidetracked, let's focus on the mission." She requested, and he granted it.

They planned out the details of their plan of action, fully knowing the time limit that they currently have, 30 minutes should be enough time to find them all right?

[-x-x-]

In Kazuichi's opinion, he wasn't really doing too hot. Mentally, not physically. Which was a given but he's never felt more pathetic ever since moving to Hope's Peak. Ever since moving away from his old man.

His past still continues to haunt him, his pathetic actions and decisions that earned him respect in the short term but damaged it in the long run when the people he tried to please realized that everything was a front.

Dying his hair to the single most striking color he can find and styling it as edgy as possible. He hoped to get a few girls doing so. He did, but not the ones he wanted. All he got were the bimbos that dressed way too slutty and were barely allowed in the school's premises.

His front was the tough guy that you shouldn't mess with. Really bad idea since he couldn't really put up any fight without his 'friends'. He had to rely on them on the scruffles they've had with the other kids in school and even from other schools.

Why couldn't he just be himself?

He knew the answer to that. Of course he did, he simply denied it. He was a loser, a pitiful fucking loser. Through and through. His true self didn't want to be an outcast. So he tried to copy those that got the girls, that got the reputation, that got the street cred. Big mistake.

Kazuichi was in the middle of an ongoing war against kids that were so fed up with his group's bullshit. The amount of times that he wore makeup just to hide the bruises and marks he's gotten was way more than he can count on both hands. Ignoring the ones that he got from his home as well.

But who would accept him? No one would've. He knows that Hajime and Chiaki are gonna one day just leave him for another group once they realize how useless he really is. So what he can do some engineering? That's just the talent, not the person.

He's seen what the class has done to Hanamura, he's definitely next in class to be outcast and looked down upon. Sonia-san never gave him anything aside from the look of pity. Their teacher studies him like a lost animal. She'll give up on him like everyone else has.

Why did his old High School have to be so close to Hope's Peak, only being four stations away. He just had to be slapped with reality. It had been a long time coming, he was living in pure bliss on campus. Ignoring anything outside of it, he was doing perfectly fine. That nightmare last night certainly didn't help. He was reliving the scene from yesterday.

Looking in the present time, he saw Koizumi's friends squabbling about some bullshit he didn't care for, Kazuichi wasn't feeling like talking to these guys.

He got up and started walking off to the escalators.

"Where are you going?" The Reserve Course chick asked.

"Upstairs, I'm bored here." He voiced, not even looking back.

"Oi, you can't just up and leave." Saionji pointed out.

"I can and I will." Not stopping in his tracks.

"You're just gonna leave Nanami here? Isn't she your buddy?" The green-haried girl asked.

"You guys can entertain her for me, I'm gonna look around the mall, I left my handbook in class and forgot to charge my phone last night."

"Fine, then we're gonna join you." She declared.

"What? You're not gonna let Saionji finish her food?" Pointing out the barely touched udon bowl.

"Eh, it wasn't like she can anyways." She shrugged off. "Okay guys c'mon let's go, chop chop!"

"H-Huh?! W-Why? S-Shouldn't we w-wait for H-Hinata-kun and K-Koizumi-san to c-come back?"

"Pig barf makes a good point here, I'm not leaving until Nee-san comes back!" She blew a raspberry towards the greenette.

"Well, what if I buy you some of that expensive candy from the store?"

"H-Huh?" The dancer looked surprised by her offer. "I'm not going to be swayed by your bribe, bitch!"

"Last chance. Yes or no? You only get one more chance at this, plus it's not like we're going that far away, it's just upstairs and we can message them."

The blonde looked very torn until… "...Fine, this is a one time thing okay? I just want my candies, my family doesn't give me enough allowance to buy it every week like I used to." She pursed her lips.

"As long as you come, doesn't matter what your reason is."

"What's yours then?" He asked, curious as to why she wanted to bug him so bad.

"There's a sale in a store upstairs that ends today at 5 and my classes finish at 5. I don't wanna miss it since they close so early." She admitted, knocking on her head. "Their clothes are really cute, lemme tell ya."

'That's an awful fucking excuse, you're gonna ditch your friend for that? Then again, I'm not that much better.'

"I guess…" That was all he could muster as a response.

"Anyone else don't wanna come?" No one had any objections. "Let us advance! Mahiru-chan won't mind me doing this since she knows I've been wanting to get some clothes for a while."

They exited the food court and stepped on the escalator towards the higher floors. Didn't matter if they came or not, he was planning on ditching them and getting some alone time.

[-x-]

The boy finally got the chance to split off from the main pack, which already got split as soon as the main culprit of the 'ditch the lovebirds' gang sprung off into the store she wanted to. Tsumiki was the only one to stay with her since she was the only one that wanted to help her carry the shopping bags.

He looked away for a moment and Chiaki vanished in the crowd. There goes the only one he can really talk to, not that he wanted to even talk in the first place. The girl looked really down today, probably because she couldn't play any games. Swap batteries only really last you a couple hours and she's been playing since this morning non-stop. Everytime he looked at her, she just glanced at the ground until he looked elsewhere, she was definitely starting to distance herself.

Saionji went back to the food court as soon as she got what she wanted. Though, did she even know how to get back there? The dancer was a High School student but she acts and has the mentality of a twelve year old. There was no chance she knew how to get back down, especially with a big mall like Sonohara.

The only one that stayed with him was surprisingly enough, Mioda. The musician didn't say anything at all, she just gazed forward, thinking about something. He's never seen her this serious, ever really. She had a really forlorn look to her, not unlike her normal upbeat normal expression.

"Ne, Soda-chan, why do you look so sad today?" She immediately broke the ice and annihilated it.

'Talk about subtlety…' He sweatdropped from her honesty, even if he respected her for being so direct.

"Didn't really sleep well last night." His usual excuse for tiredness, works pretty well. Most of the time.

"Is that really it? Ibuki's pretty sure the coffee you took this morning would've done the job."

"You were up too?" He bit his tongue that she caught his lie.

"Ibuki likes to run in the morning to stretch herself up." She explained herself, placing both indexes on her temples.

"Really? I would've thought you'd just be playing in your lab."

"Nope, Ibuki's not fully awake just yet. Giving it Ibuki's all in music is what it's about!" She took an aggressive stance and pointed at him. "So, running twenty kilometers is what Ibuki does to wake up!"

"TWENTY?!" Even he was taken aback by the information. "How?! You don't even look remotely close to athletic!"

"Appearances are nothing but an illusion, my friend!" Her nose grew in size like Pinnochio would. "Ibuki can match Owari-chan in track and field."

"Holy shit." This ridiculous revelation somewhat lifted his spirits, if not for a small amount of time. "I'm surprised you weren't scouted for that."

"Ibuki's simply better in the sector of melody." She boasted.

'If only you didn't make any depressing earrapes, people would actually listen to them.' He noted in his head.

"I guess…"

"Why don't you join Ibuki?"

"Nah, nah, I don't really like cardio like that." He waved his hands in denial. "If I ever exercise, I'd rather do some musculation so I can actually not be a twig."

"Awn, c'mon, I wouldn't mind having a running partner!"

"I'm not kidding when I say this, I only last like twenty seconds." He said until he realized. "Wait, not like that, in running yeah?"

It seemed like the girl didn't even notice the innuendo. "Well, that's a start, you can never start at the highest level you can. You gotta learn the basics before you master your craft."

"That's true, I guess, but I don't really think I'll have the motivation to run like you do." He admitted, looking around to see the stores around them. They were coming around a corner where there was a music store.

"Well, have you done any sports before?"

"I can snowboard." Thinking of the things on top of his head. "I can ride motorcycles too, if only in private properties since I don't have the license."

"THAT'S SO RAD!" Her eyes were shining stars. "HOW COME YA DIDN'T TELL ANYONE BEFORE?!"

"Cuz no one asked me, why would they anyway?" Waving her enthusiasm off and letting some of his dejection leak. "Everyone thinks I'm only good at using a wrench and nothin' else."

"Well, you can ignore those clowns!" She reassured him. "People always think all Ibuki can do is music so Ibuki always jumps at the chance to show off her other skills!"

"That's nice." He kinda admired her optimism, even somewhat blinding his pessimism. "You wanna go inside the store? Maybe you have some stuff you wanna check out."

"Bet!" She practically dragged him inside even though he was the one who suggested the idea.

"Ooh, they sell records too, I've been meaning to get some myself." He saw an entire section littered with nothing but vinyls.

"Hoh, Souda-chan has a turntable?" She seemed very animated at that fact.

"Yeah, built it with scraps myself looking at some blueprints online." He flicked his nose in boast. It was his time to actually show off.

"Impressive, young Soda." She nodded her head like a proud master would. "Would you perhaps let your sensei Ibuki use it?"

'Since when did we have this dynamic? Whatever, I'll roll with it…'

"Sure, just give me a few days to find it in my lab, it's somewhere in the pile I've built this year." He gave her permission. "What kind of records do you have?"

"Uhh, none actually." She knocked her head. "Ibuki is going to buy them right now."

'Bruh, if you have nothing to play, then why ask for a turntable.' The mechanic shook his head in confusion. "What kind are you going to buy?"

"Whichever cover looks the best!" She zoomed towards the vinyl section of the store.

"Wait up!" He caught up and saw her holding two albums in her hands. One had a naked baby chasing money underneath water, the genitals were rightfully censored. The other had a guy smoking a cigar on top of a table with a blue hue surrounding it.

"Which one should Ibuki choose?" Not even giving him much time to think about the question. He just went with his initial reaction.

"I would prefer the one without the baby in it." He said without even knowing which one was better.

"Okey dokes!" She replaced the baby record and walked a bit forward and picked another two. "How about these two?"

One had an old photo of a family at a dinner with their eyes blacked off besides the toddler, with shorts on, in the middle. The next one had a man and woman dressed in pretty old clothes. The man had his left foot on a step tool while the woman laid her leg on top of it.

"Again, the one without a child in it. Their poses look really cool." He chose.

"Awesome, one more then!" The girl placed them in a basket she acquired out of nowhere. He simply accepted the fact that she spawned it with magic. Walking around the sector and choosing three this time around.

The first one involved a guy with spiky hair heavily smothered with blue and green. It looked glitched in a way, the dude's face looked very abstract, his eyes seemed like they were melting. The second involved another guy staring straight at you. A circular arrows with horns, within it, the other side of the man, now wearing sunglasses and being less saturated than the outside. The final one included was more simple, only having the title of the band at the top and a little skeleton marching at the bottom.

"Well, all of them look pretty damn good to me." Expressing his opinion.

"Ibuki wouldn't mind getting all of them!"

"How do you even have the money to splurge this much, this is thousands of yen gone in an instant."

"It's because Ibuki has royalties on her popular songs." She pulled up a peace symbol.

"Oh yeah, kinda forgot you're a pop star." The boy scratched his head.

"Ibuki's trying her best not to get stuck in that lane, so, Ibuki's breaking the mold and branching out into other genres."

"That's good and all but… maybe you aren't doing it right." He admitted to her face, not really feeling like being subtle.

"How come?" She asked, curious for his response.

"Well, from the samples I've heard from your class performances, they don't really have a structure to them. Look, I know you're trying to reinvent the formula but you still need some cohesion to make something work. You can't just make a bike with wheels only, you gotta get the frame, handle and everything in there before you can even call it a bike.

"So… Ibuki's songs right now, suck."

"Yes." He needed to state it or they would be going around in circles. "I've heard some good heavy metal songs, the last few you made weren't hitting it for me. You have to pivot a little bit and add a bit more."

"Hmm, I see." That was the first time he's heard her refer to herself in first person.

"Your riffs at the moment are pretty bland as well, they aren't anything special but since you're an Ultimate, pretty sure you can manage in due time."

"No one has told Ibuki that her songs sucks before." Her mouth started bubbling up. "This is a first for Ibuki."

'Either they were miraculously enjoying themselves or you knocked them out of it to even express themselves.' He chuckled in his head before shrugging outside of it. "First time for everything."

"Can Ibuki request something?" A lightbulb lit up.

"If it's reasonable, I'on see why not."

"Can you please critique my music?" Her hands were laced together, urging him to accept. Begging him.

"Huh? Why?" Confused as to why an Ultimate would request such a thing to a guy that doesn't know much about the field.

"Because Ibuki's never really done this genre before, Ibuki's only heard of one metal song."

'ONE?! No wonder you suck!'

"Bro what?! Then why would you even change genres?!"

"Because Ibuki got tired of the same old formulas pop relies on. Ibuki accidentally played the wrong radio on the way home and heard a taste of what metal was. Ibuki instantly fell in love!"

"Why didn't you listen to more songs then?" That would've been the first step in anyone's mind.

"It's because Ibuki thought Ibuki had everything in her hands. After that point, Ibuki got cocky. No one told Ibuki off till you did."

"Wait wait wait. I just want you to clarify, the reason you left your band is because you accidentally heard a metal song on the radio?"

"Correct." She had the gall to be cocky about that.

Such a Mioda thing to do, he shook his head. "Alright fine, I'll help ya."

"THANK YOU, SODA-CHAN!" She jumped on top of him and hung on. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TH-" He clamped her mouth shut.

"Get off! People are looking at us." He tried to pull her off but she was stronger than anticipated. Letting her stay there till she got bored was the only thing he could do. "Let's just go to the counter and get outta here. I've already embarrassed myself enough."

That's what he felt like on the outside. But internally, he felt grateful that he wasn't left alone with his depressing thoughts. He didn't feel like everything was crumbling all around him, even if they were.

Distractions were nice and all but he can't just ignore it completely. But how would he even do so without breaking down? That's what he had to figure out all on his own. He couldn't rely on anyone because he didn't want to seem more useless than he already was.

If he couldn't manage all on his own, he wasn't worthy of anyone's time.

"Soda-chan, Soda-chan!" The girl proceeded to yell into his ear, breaking his growing thoughts. "Ibuki's craving for some ice cream, can you please carry Ibuki there?"

"Hell fucking no!" 'You're kinda heavy!' He didn't have the heart to say that. Though, he knew he was just too weak and flimsy for a teenage boy.

"Pwease~?" She gave him baby eyes which almost worked.

"No, I'm not doing that." Not only was it very physically straining, he was going to incinerate whatever dignity he had left.

"Killjoy." She pouted and finally jumped off him.

[-x-]

Everything was going well, the two of them went back to the food court. The girl got the treat she wanted as they sat down. But a gush of wind blew past as a shadow of a demon appeared in front of them.

"AHA, THERE'S THE FIRST BATCH OF ROTTEN ORANGES!" That voice made him shrill. He completely forgot they had class!

"S-Sensei! Fancy m-meeting you here." He played it off cool, or at least he tried to.

"Sensei! You want some ice cream?" Offering up her own cone instead of opting to buy a new one.

"That's nice of you to offer but I would have to say no this time." The older woman held up a hand. "You rotten oranges are fifteen minutes late now. I had to cancel class early because half of you didn't show up!"

"Oh, Ibuki's sorry! Ibuki didn't mean to skip class! Honest!" She licked her ice cream.

"My Handbook has no battery so I didn't even realize what time it was, I didn't mean to skip at all."

"No excuses!" Giving out an X symbol with her fingers. "I don't want to hear it, I needed all of you back to class but you completely forgot about it, that's unacceptable!"

"Is there going to be a punishment…?" He sweatdropped, fully knowing it was a rhetorical question.

"Of course there is!" She said with the biggest smile and the most sadistic eyes he's ever seen. "I wouldn't be such a good teacher otherwise."

"We're so dead…" He whispered to him and Mioda.

"Indeed." She nodded in acceptance.

"Although, if you two help me find the others, I'm willing to be more merciful on your penalty. I'm still deciding on which punishment you guys are going to receive."

"Sure, we wouldn't mind that. Wouldn't we, Mioda?" He smiled ear to ear.

He was sure that anyone else would've done the same thing he was. It may be a form of snitching but you gotta protect your own skin if push comes to shove. Though, he should keep his mouth shut since he was the one that wanted to split off and cause everyone to become late in the first place.

"Not at all." She grinned.

[-x-]

Long chapter.

Weewa weewa, sniffin that good copium right now. This was a fucking nightmare to write, even if I didn't take long for me to update(relatively). Definitely the hardest chapter I've ever done and probably will. Writing this fic has only gotten harder over time lol.

Also referenced some of my favorite albums, even if they are very very popular, they're still really fucking good.