HEY GUYS! Pupla here!
Yeah, I took my time… again. I know, you don't want to hear that another time.
I think I owe you an apology this time. I had a formation to find a job for one month and half, and so, I had to put my writing activity to the side for a while. I hope you all understand.
But hey, now I'm back, right on time for Christmas! …hopefully.
Usual shootout to the guys that had been helping me. ;)
Okay, before we start… I need to address everyone a matter of change. Remember Aiko Umezawa, the Pika-girl from the Student Council?
Yeah, I decided to change her talent because I realized that maybe her initial talent I gave her didn't fit her so well in the end. So if you want to know what it is, go check back the chapters 'Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy' and 'Hello Again, Seniors!'. I thought I had to get this clear before we start.
…yup. Another dumb mistake I can add to my agenda… *nervous laugh*
Okay, so now that it's out of the way, I would like to make a shootout for some stories I found interesting.
Two of them are made by Ark19, and the two fics names are 'Ultimate Secrets Friends', which is finished, and the second one, 'You are not alone! You have me!', which is currently ongoing. Cool stories about Makoto with unusual pairings for the first, and an original way for Makoto to build his harem in the second. Make sure to check out her job (because I think she is a girl), that's worth the shot!
Oh, and speaking of harem, I have also discovered another ongoing fic named 'Quaeritur' written by TuskActIV, who also made other fics that I believe are worth the shot. Only this time, it not only concerns Makoto, but Hajime and Shuichi, dealing with the girls of their own casts near Christmas. Seriously, go check him/her out too.
Last but not least, I have heard of a very good novel fic named 'Yakuza Arc' made by Humble-Chad. I recommend to read it and to take a look at the art. Because yes, the fic has some art dedicated to it on Deviantart, and God! It looks really like an official DR thing! The name of the drawer is ProjectCubixDuc, so go check it out too!
Honestly, there is so much good content on this website, I think it's pretty much impossible to count them all! So if anyone has suggestions, raise your voices in the review!
So, with all of those honorable mentions behind, I think you all know what's going to happen the chapter. The third day is here, boys!
…hope I won't forget any character segment this time around. Oops…
Meh. I'll live with it.
More eventful characters on the way, as you would expect. You know who I'm talking about now.
With all of that out of the way, enjoy!
CONQUERING HOPE CHAPTER 9:
WEEK OF ADAPTATION, DAY 3
"So who do you think is going to take you today, Onii-san?"
"H-how can you tell that someone would come today?"
"Come on now, it's been the third day. A group of your friends came the other two days. At this point, I know that others would come."
That was the assumption that Komaru was talking about in the morning.
Another day which to Makoto was preparing himself for. He had no idea how things would go today, but he hoped for the best, as always.
Still, while finishing his breakfast along with his family, he couldn't help but wonder, what would be today's odds? Considering what happened Monday and Tuesday, he could think that things would happen.
And today's supposed visitors was a subject brought out loud by Komaru.
The question did cross his mind, but he didn't think too much of it. After all, nothing said that it would happen again.
"Now that Komaru says it, it's true… and I think most of them looked pretty happy to visit you, my little boy…"
"Does that means that the entire school will come?" Because honestly, I would really pay a lot to see the Headmaster himself visit us."
"I-I don't think that it would happen, Otoo-san…"
But apparently, he was the only one thinking this way.
His parents were in agreement with Komaru, who looked at him curiously…
But he could feel some… tense aura coming from her.
As if the idea of people coming to their house for him… bothered her.
He would have to ask her, he thought.
Which wasn't the case for the adults, who seemed quite amused as the subject was brought on the family table.
Mariko was musing about the situation her son was in, looking quite happy at the fact that most of his friends and classmates wanted to pass time with him.
As for Kotoya, he also looked amused as that, and he also brought up the fact that Jin may pass their door one day.
It looked unrealistic for Makoto, but not to the family.
After all, a teacher came here just for him two days ago.
And as for the Warriors of Hope…
Well, they had different criterions.
"I simply hope that we will not see that Togami person."
"Yeah! That guy was a total jerk!"
"A-and a mean one too…"
"I'm just glad that Mioda-san managed to get him off our hair!"
"Monaca has to admit… she was glad when he left too."
They were also speculating about who would appear today at their door, but they seemed a little… cautious as to who exactly was going to be here today.
Not like Makoto could really blame them. After all, Byakuya was… well, Byakuya. And it meant, not someone that others would appreciate his company.
And knowing him? The feeling would be mutual.
"Well, whoever comes here, I just hope you will have a good day altogether, everyone!" Komaru declared happily with a smile, before addressing her brother. "Onii-san, you know what you have to do."
He knew exactly where she was going with this.
He was simply glad that, apparently, she decided to leave him off the hook… for now, at least.
He would still have to check on her, though. Maybe after checking his own agenda…
"I sure do, Komaru." He answered with a smile. "Not that I think anyone would come toda-"
DING!
"Ah! I think this is our door's bell right now!" Mariko said, looking pleased. "Looks like Komaru wins the bet today!"
"U-uh?! W-what bet?!" Makoto shouted, clearly not expecting this.
"Yeah! I won!" Komaru chirped happily, before smirking at her brother. "I'll tell you what I want after school, so don't you forget it!"
"B-but we didn't even-"
"Now now, Makoto. There's no need to act like this." Kotoya smiled teasingly. "You've got to accept your defeat with dignity, like a man."
Makoto only looked at them with wide eyes.
Have he been played by his own family right now?!
And they seemed to enjoy it on top of that!
Well, at least, the look on the kids' faces told him that they felt pity for their brother.
…still, to say that he was bitter after this was an understatement. "…you know what? I'll just get the door and leave. Come on kids, we're going to be late! Jataro, Kotoko, take Oogami-san's present, please."
"O-okay, Onii-san/ Makoto-nii!"
"Oh come on, Onii-san!" Komaru teased him further. "Don't be such a bad loser!"
"We'll talk about this later, Komaru." Was the only thing Makoto said before opening the door.
"Yo, monkey eye."
"Don't call him that, Yokou-senpai! I-it's rude!"
"K-Kashiki-san is right, you know. T-this is not a proper way to talk to others…"
"Seriously, no need to be all worked up. This is just a surname, girls…"
And three persons that he knew pretty well were in front of the door.
One of the persons being chastised by the two other girls, who didn't appreciate the surname the boy used on Makoto.
Then again, it was to be expected, coming from Shouji.
He was the kind of person that would give… very personal surnames to his friends.
So of course, it wouldn't please everyone.
People like Suzuko or Kiriko, for instance.
People who were considered as polite and friendly with the people around her, and who would help them however they could. At least, in Makoto's opinion… who couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
He figured that it was how he behaved in general. So he couldn't help but think of how his class and how the Student Council can put up with him.
Not that it bothered him too much, but sometimes… he had to admit, his blunt personality could hurt a little. Not as much as others, but still…
And he didn't even go to see the 77-Ath class that often, so…
It did a good job at lightening his mood up after the little trick his family played on him, though. And that was a plus he couldn't deny.
Not that he could be mad at them forever for something as trivial, of course… but a distraction from that was more than welcome to him.
"N-nice to see you too, guys…" Makoto chuckled awkwardly at the scene. "So, you guys just arrived?"
"Uh? Oh, yeah, we just did!" Suzuko turned her attention towards the Luckster with a smile of her own. "We thought that it would be nice to check on you today, so…"
"T-that's right…" Kiriko joined her friend. "A-and considering some of the others decided to do so the two other days, we thought it would be nice to… y-you know, follow the lead."
The boy seemed touched by the generosity and smiled at them. "Thanks, guys. But you know, you really didn't need to do that for me."
"Honestly, I felt like you would need it, buddy." Shouji said with a sigh. "I mean, with those girls around, I figured that you might need assistance. That's mainly why I'm around."
"Uh?" The explanation seemed to make the Luckster tilt his head in confusion. "W-what do you mean by-"
"Will you stop talking about that already?! It's so embarrassing! What if Naegi hears us?!"
"HA! You're just fuckin' jealous because mine are bigger, that's all!"
"Seriously, what's so important about size anyway? I say you just try to make yourself look good."
"That's because I fucking am! I'm Iruma Miu, the greatest genius of all times! What do you think you meatheads are good at?!"
"The hell you said?! You want me to teach you to shut your mouth?!"
"Eeeck?! W-what's wrong with you?! I-I was just saying…"
"Well think before actually speaking! Why do you have to be so vulgar?! There are kids around!"
The three voices were those who answered him instead of the trio, and everyone looked at the quarrel the three persons were making.
And while Makoto had no idea why, but he had a feeling that the main subject between the three girls was… erm… sensible. And feminine, too.
Then again, it was to be expected.
After all, most of the time so far, anything that came out of Miu's mouth would transform itself into an obscenity… much to his displeasure, to be honest.
Granted, she did slightly less than before, but it was still a bother for the majority of people.
And apparently, the two other girls were in that last category.
Akane was one thing, considering her short temper. She did not like one bit the fact that someone would talk her down, no matter what the initial subject was.
Aoi, on the other hand, was a more surprising pick.
…then, when Makoto saw her frustrated and flustered face, he quickly figured out why, given the circumstances.
For he had an idea about what the girls were talking about, judging by the specific place on her body she was looking at.
And just guessing it was enough to make him nervous.
Still, he has to keep composure in front of everyone. So he slowly approached them and spoke loudly enough for them to hear, "H-hey girls."
The girls instantly looked at Makoto, with different results. Akane simply grunted in annoyance because of the situation, but still greeted him. "Yo, Naegi."
Aoi had a way more embarrassed look on her face, but still greeted him as well very quickly, before looking at the side. "O-oh, hey Naegi! S-so… h-how do you feel today?"
Clearly, she was trying to avoid bringing up the subject of conversation she had with the girls earlier.
Which confirmed his theory further.
But he was not going to let her down by not answering her question. "W-well-"
"Ah! T-there you are! Good!"
"Uh?"
But what was the most shocking thing that Makoto saw, was concerning Miu.
Or rather, what he felt, considering she went pretty fast and barely had the time to see her make her move.
And what was her move, you may ask?
If your answer was hiding right behind his back, then you would be right.
"T-those two girls have been yelling at me for no reason. T-they listen to you, so please tell them off!"
Even if you were to know the girl and her mood swings, the fact that she was actually pretty fast at acting was still surprising for everyone.
But what really disturbed Makoto was the fact that she was a little closer to his back, making him have direct contact with her… advantageous assets.
And once the Luckster realized that, it was enough to make him even more nervous. "I-Iruma-san?!"
But other people were even more scandalized by her actions. Aoi and Akane, respectively. If looks could kill, they were pretty sure Miu would have been dead a least a good hundreds of time already.
"HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" Aoi yelled at her both angrily and scandalized by her actions.
"Oi, you think you can just hide behind Naegi just like that?!" Akane growled in angered annoyance. "That's playing dirty!"
"Like I care! You guys didn't have to yell at me like that!" Miu flipped a bird towards them. "For fuck's sake, you need to calm your tits!"
Makoto didn't like her language too much. "I-Iruma-san, I don't want you to talk bad in front of the kids…"
"Right! You heard him! You can't do this kind of thing in front of Naegi's siblings!" The Swimmer protested. "So don't go and say stuff like that!"
"Yeah, and what's wrong with you?! You're the one who spoke dirty on us!" Akane grunted, and almost yelled in anger. "Now let go of my little buddy, you little-"
"Hold it, what do you mean 'your little buddy'?" Aoi looked at her indignant. "You speak of him as if he belonged to you!"
"What do you mean by that? He's my little buddy, so of course I would address him like this!" The Gymnast answered, clearly annoyed. "Besides, I wanted to walk with him today! I didn't need anyone else to come with me!"
"That's not fair! I wanted to do that, too! I'm his classmate!" Aoi then approached Makoto just to take his left arm in her own, unknowingly pressing her own asset against him. "Come on, Naegi! We've known each other longer than anyone else here! Plus, it's Sakura-chan's birthday today! I wanted to say hi with you!"
Such action did not help Makoto's situation or blush at all. "A-Asahina-san?!"
And it certainly didn't help Akane's temper either. "OI! What the hell do you think you're doing right now?!"
"I-I'm just trying to take Naegi-kun to the school today!" Aoi answered, tightening her grip on his arm and thus pressing her chest against it further. "I-I was hoping we could maybe go do something together after visiting Sakura-chan! Swimming, eating donuts, anything!"
"Like you're the only one who wanted to have some time with him!" Akane shouted before taking his other arm and doing the exact same thing as her junior. "And plus, you're his classmate, so you've got more time than I do, so beat it!"
Now Makoto's blush was present on his entire face, as he began to stutter even more. "O-Owari-senpai, p-please don't-"
"H-hey! I-I'm not going to let you take him!" Miu then also pressed herself more onto him, not making the situation any better. "I-I needed to talk to him today! Why the fuck do you think I came all the way here?!"
"Well, like I said, beat it! I'm not losing to any of you!"
"And I'm not backing down either!"
"K-keep on dreaming, you virgins!"
And so, the three girls started to pull the poor Luckster towards them, struggling to because they were doing so altogether, which meant that the three of them were most pushing themselves into him than anything else. As expected, the poor boy seriously began to get dizzy for all of the contacts with their… 'front treasures', to put politely. "G-girls…"
And all of that happened just in front of the three other students who had a very mixed reaction to this.
"I-I can't believe they are fighting over him…" Kiriko was the one who talked first, or rather, whispered to her other friends. "N-not that he's a bad person, of course, but… they could at least be a little civil about this…"
"Tell me about it. I mean, look at the mess they are making right now. We're lucky no one is here yet." Suzuko said, sighing a little. "It still pretty early, so I thought that going now would be a good idea, but… those two has beaten us to the punch…"
"Yup. That's why I wanted to come to. I mean, I would have done something, but considering how quick they are…" Shouji spoke, before he smirked lightly. "But hey, at least it gives us a good distraction."
Which didn't please Suzuko too much. "H-how can you say it's a distraction?! This is not funny, you know!"
"It is for me. While I didn't want this to happen, actually seeing this in front of me almost makes my day."
"T-then why did you come along if you knew this was going to happen, yet did nothing to prevent it?!" Kiriko raised her voice with the same indignation in her voice. "W… what kind of logic is that?!"
"It's called, 'adapt yourself to the current situation', you know." The Male Model smirked them. "But ya know, girls… ya don't need to hide anything from me."
That made the Sprinter look at him a little surprised. "U-uh? What are you-"
"Come on, you know what I'm talking about. I would go in further details, but there are children here, so…"
"I-I thought you forgot about us… that's a relief."
"EEK?!" Kiriko was the one who jolted up in surprise at the sudden voice behind her, only to realize that it belonged to Jataro. "O-oh, that's only you… e-excuse us, we've been completely distracted by… what happened earlier…"
"I can relate." Nagisa agreed, casting an annoyed look at the girls who were still trying to snatch his brother from each other. "Talk about kid behavior. They could have handled this like adults."
"I guess that it could be worse. I mean, look at Nii-san right now." Masaru smirked too. "At least he's got a lot of girls around- OUCH!"
He would have been able to finish his sentence, if not for Kotoko pinching his cheek in annoyance. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, you idiot! They just like to spend time with Makoto-nii, nothing more!"
"I-it's true… I-I can understand why they would want him from themselves…" Suzuko muttered, before defending herself. "N-not that I would act like that! I-I know how to behave!"
"W-we never said that you didn't, Kashiki-san…" Kiriko tried to reassure her with a smile, before noticing Monaca smiling. "Uh? What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing important, really!" Monaca answered with a giggle. "Monaca is simply thinking about some planning to do! It looks like there's a lot of work ahead!"
The girls and the other boys looked at her with a confused expression…
Well, all except Shouji whose smirk went even wider.
"Oh, you've got no idea… and I think there's more to come."
It was the third day of the Week of Adaptation. That, Makoto and everyone else in the entire academy knew that all too well.
The Luckster knew that some changes were going to happen during that time. That much was obvious.
…what was a little surprising to him, was the fact that some things didn't change.
At least, when it concerned him.
"Oi, don't start goofing off when I'm talkin' to ya, Shinabigi! It's fuckin' rude to do so!"
"U-uh… sorry, Iruma-san… but you're kind off rude right now…"
"What the fuck do you expect me to do when you're not listening?! Pay attention, damn it!"
"Y-yeah… sorry…"
"So what do ya think? Pretty cool stuff right here, uh?"
The perfect example of this he could have right now was being in the company of a classmate or a friend who needed him. In this case, it was Miu who needed his assistance for a project of hers, as she told him earlier.
Project that was in one of the newest installment of the school, the Research Labs, which were tailored for the purpose of hone and develop the Ultimates' own talent further. And since it was made for the students alone, only those persons along the school's staff could get access to it. That's why visits for the public were not possible for these rooms, even for today, as it was something that had been just made up… for now, at least.
Of course, considering that they had to take a lot of students with various and numerous talents (and also because they couldn't afford to spend too much money because of the students' antics, partly), they couldn't give everyone their own labs.
So they needed to reduce the numbers and to make some of the students had to share them. For instance, if we were to take the Inventor's case, she would have to share the room with other students, like the Ultimate Mechanist, which was logical in this case because they had some similarities when it came to their own talents.
Didn't mean that they got along well, though…
Miu herself was really pissed at the idea of sharing some room with the boy, much to the senior's annoyance. It was 'violating the privacy she deserved', as she said, and he could see what she was planning to do. As such, she asked someone who didn't see it yet, and she picked the Luckster to be the 'official' first one to see what she had in mind.
The fact that she was the one who managed to have his attention in the end didn't please the two other girls. Even he saw that.
But apparently, the Inventor's request was an urgent one. This project must have been something important to her… and apparently, she trusted him to see it first.
…which was a little odd, considering that there was a Mechanist which would have been a better pick, he thought.
Oh well. He didn't mind helping his friends and juniors. It was his assignment, after all.
Even if he could tell that the two girls didn't like it when he explained to them his job, he would make sure to pay them a visit later.
Of course, he would make sure to at least message Sakura. Or at worst, send someone to pass the message. It was her birthday, after all.
And he knew he could trust Maki with the Warriors of Hope. She was the Ultimate Caregiver, after all. And it wasn't the first time she had them under her wings. Even if some of their quirks could annoy her, he knew he could count on her. So he was very lucky to find her just when they arrived at Hope's Peak Academy, and even luckier that she accepted to help him with the kids… even if he could clearly see that it annoyed her.
Guess he will have to apology for that when he'll have the chance.
Separating himself from the kids was something else too. He promised he would come visit them later, which made them smile at the promise, but he could see that it saddened them a little too.
Probably because he couldn't be here for them Monday as he promised…
He was also lucky that a teacher was with them on that day…
But he would make sure not to break his promise to them. That, he would make sure of that.
First off, he needed to focus on Miu's project. She seemed to be very prideful of what she did, and he was glad she felt this way. After all, she needed to feel blooming while working. What would be the point otherwise?
…though now that he saw what was her project about, he couldn't help but feel a little… distraught at the true nature of what she prepared.
Not that it wasn't good, far from it, but… it wasn't what he was thinking.
Still, he believed that some praise was in order. "So, uh… this seems pretty cool, Iruma-san."
"I know, right?! I mean, someone had to think of this shit! You never heard anything like this before, right?!"
"N-none that I can think of…"
"Knew it, AH! Iruma Miu fuckin' strikes again! People are going to remember my name for sure with this!"
"Well, I don't know anyone else that would… you know, try to register all the TV chains and radio emissions while it's off… and while you sleep…"
"Oi, that's a fuckin' important deal, ya know! How many times people missed their show because of their shitty schedules?! God, that shit is the worst!"
"I-if you say so…"
Yes, that kind of thing was definitely not what he expected when she talked about a great invention.
…then again, considering it was Miu he was talking about, it was to be expected.
Almost all of her inventions included sleeping. Eating, reading, you name it. There was no way for her not to include sleep in her work.
Besides, this could have some uses, yes. She was right about people missing what they liked, and this could be very helpful.
…still, he was pretty sure that she might have trouble with the law. He was pretty sure that she might end up doing something illegal. After all, this was close, if not the same, as downloading, and as far as he knew, it was something dealt with seriously.
…and there was something else that was on the back on his mind. "Say, Iruma-san…"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you asked my opinion first, but… you know, I thought that you would talk to Souda-senpai or Kiibo-kun about this before me. I mean, the first is the Ultimate Mechanist, and the second is your classmate, so…"
"Are you fuckin' serious right now?!
Makoto clearly did not expect her to bark at him like this. "U-uh?!"
"Come on, Shinabigi! I can understand the Kiibo part, but that virgin greasmonkey?! Really?!" Miu continued her rant, looking at him as if he said a profanity. "What would that stupid understand about my genius, uh?!"
"W-well, he could have helped you on some parts, you know…"
"Yeah?! So?! Have you not ever heard him whine about every fuckin' thing he does?! He may have some brain in his head, but damn, I would be surprised if he had some balls down there! And even then, I'm sure there would be blue from not taking any action! And to think he worked with me in the same room! My God, I just wanted to take a hammer and bash his head in with it!"
The Luckster could only stay silent at this statement the Inventor made.
Even if he didn't like it when she was badmouthing his friend (which happened a lot of the time), he couldn't help but see where she was coming.
Kazuichi was a bit of a coward, he had to admit. Not that it was something he would reproach him for, considering that some of his tasks looked dangerous enough to be tense, but… sometimes, it was for no apparent reasons.
Like his own classmate Yasuhiro, for instance. Minus the intense screams, of course.
So it was pretty much obvious for Makoto that he and Miu were not going to get along too much. Even if they had similar aspects… at times.
"O-okay about that…" The Luckster sweatdropped at her reaction. "But what about Kiibo? Was he… busy today?"
"You've got no fuckin' idea." The girl frowned. "From what I've heard, some boring people went over him and harassed him like a bunch of virgin fangirls at a lame boy's band concert. So he had to take care of them, and he still does today."
"O-oh… I see…" Makoto nodded in an understanding manner. "It must be the first time for them to see something so complex… even if he doesn't like to be considered as just a machine…"
Yes, he knew this all too well.
And he was pretty sure that the junior would reprimand him to say something like this, he was sure off.
The Luckster was no 'robophobic' by any means, but it was the way he thought of it first.
"Yeah? Well, they could have talked to him while I was there!" Miu barked again, her temper seemingly rising. "For fuck's sake, I was the one who made all of his upgrades! You would think that he would apparently mention my name, but NOPE! Next thing I knew, I was completely fuckin' ignored! Me, the gorgeous genius with a golden brain, Iruma Miu! Can ya fuckin' believe that?!"
"I-I'm sure he didn't have time to mention your name, Iruma-san…"
"So what?! They should know how great I am! They should praise me for the fuckin' genius with the most amazing body ever!" She continued. "But instead, they just go all looney when they see something on T.V. a million time, and they completely forget about me! I swear, all of them are nothing more but useless moro-"
"AHEM!"
"Eeek?!" Miu backed away in fear at the Luckster's sudden shouting, which was higher than she would have thought.
God, she was not used to hearing him raise his voice like that. It made her shiver each time he did that, even if didn't happen that often.
And neither was Makoto, but he didn't like it when Miu decided to talk trash about people in general.
Especially not if it were people he tried to help. And even more if some of his closest friends were in this group.
He knew that she had reasons to be frustrated, but this was no excuse for her to lash out at complete strangers in general. Even if she was slowly improving.
He guessed that it was a good thing he was there, after all. Because she indeed seemed to need help the most of all three.
And that's what he was going to do.
"U-uuh… w-what's wrong? W-why did you shout like that?" Miu startled, clearly looking nervous. "D-don't tell me… I-I did something wrong again?"
"Unfortunately, you did, Iruma-san." Makoto quickly explained. "I'm sorry if I scared you, and I don't like to do this. But I don't think you should let your temper get the best of you. Insulting others won't make you feel better."
Somehow, Miu started to gain more confidence and narrowed her eyes at this. "W… what the fuck are you saying?! How the hell can you know that, uh?! What, you're my long lost little bro or some shit like that?"
"How do you feel right now?"
But it slowly faded away again as she heard the question, which made her look at him surprised. "U-uh? The fuck you mean?"
"How are you feeling? You know, your body, your emotions, that kind of stuff."
That question was now clear to Miu, but it still made her quite perplex. "Uuuh… what the hell does that have to do with anything?"
"Just answer the question, please. I promise it will make sense when you do."
She raised an eyebrow, but complied. "Well… you want me to be honest with ya?"
"Yes, please."
"I'm tired as fuck. And that's not a good thing."
"I don't think being tired can be considered a good thing in general."
"Well, it's even worse here!" She decided to vent out. "Seriously, I feel so fuckin' numb right now! It's just as if somebody took a straw and sucked out every bit of my energy! Damn it, I know I said having a dick is tempting and all, but this sucks! Literally!"
Makoto gulped a little at Miu's comment. "Really? So you felt tired? You looked pretty energetic the other, before it all began."
"Well, it just went out! Completely gone, for no reason!"
"Are you sure?"
That startled Miu again. "Uh? The fuck you mean, 'are you sure'? Of course I am!"
"I think there's a reason why you're like this." The Luckster told her calmly. "I mean, you told me it took some days for this to be made, and that you also wanted to make other checkups. That means that you didn't show it to the other people yet, correct?"
"Well, duh-doy! Of course I didn't!" The Inventor stared at him, looking annoyed. "No fuckin' way I'm gonna let this shit public when it's not finished! That's why I called you in the first place, dumbass!"
"R-right… you got me there…" Makoto sweatdropped at his own stupid question. "But what about the others?"
"Wut?"
"The other inventions you made. You know, the things that allow you to type, read, eat when you sleep, even the Eye Drop Contact Lenses. What about them? What did the Reserve Course think of it?"
At this, the frown on the girl's face went even more evident.
And it was enough of an answer for Makoto. "Oh… I suppose it didn't go well?"
"You bet it fuckin' didn't! They just gave me the dumb donkey look, trying to tell me 'what the fuck is this shit?!' look in my face! Can ya fuckin' believe those ingrates?!" Miu's anger resonated in the Research Lab. "And to think I was willing to put some effort in this shit…"
"Ah. I think I got it."
"Uh?" The girl turned toward him with a raised eyebrow. "Ya do, Shinabigi?"
"I think I understand why you are so mad today, Iruma-san." He answered calmly, explaining his theory. "You're basically saying that you're frustrated by the reaction of the others."
That statement was not appreciated by the girl. "Of course I fucking am, you dumba-"
"And I think it discouraged you a little."
"You didn't have the satisfaction of having what you desired most, and as such, the energy you had is now gone because of your frustration." Makoto said. "You really looked so pumped up back then. That must mean that you were looking for this to happen too, right?"
The Inventor's temper raised a little at this. "O… of course I was! That was the perfect opportunity to shine and rise and-"
"And it didn't happen the way you wanted, I got it. But… you really wanted people to admire your work. I don't think you would be in this state of mind otherwise."
Miu snorted at this, calming down a bit. "Not my fault if people are sheep who don't see a genius when they're right in front of their shitty faces."
"I don't like the fact that you insult those people, but I understand what you're saying." The Luckster tried to comfort her as best as he could. "And it's a shame too. Because I think you do deserve some praise."
This sentence surprised the girl a little. "…wait… you're not kidding there?"
"Why would I? I mean what I say." Makoto smiled at her. "Sure, I also thought that they looked a little weird, but they do have their uses. I've never seen something like this before, so surely it must mean something."
The girl looked at him a little stunned, before a little smirk appeared on her face. "Eh… go on."
"You're the one who's been chosen to be the Ultimate Inventor, so it means your creations were recognized as useful. Heck, I even got a chance to use it when you showed it to me the first time, and… yeah, it was a little weird to test it, I admit, but I know it definitely worked." He continued. "So it proves that you have something you can be proud of. And that's what matters the most."
Miu's grin went bigger as she looked at him with glee on her face. "…you do get it, you fuck of a guy."
"Wha-"
Before he could comprehend what she just said, the Inventor passed one of her arm over his head and put it near her shoulder. "I fuckin' knew you would get it! Going through all this shit from this morning was worth it after all! Theses bitches' lost!"
The move of affection was welcomed by Makoto, but not the fact that she just insulted his friends again. "I-Iruma-san, don't insult them like that, please…"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Miu laughed a little, before looking at him with the same smirk. "But you ain't half-bad, I'll give you that. That's why I decided to pick you up!"
That statement made the Luckster look at her surprised. "Uh? What do you mean?"
And this remark made her roll her eyes. "Jeez, you're fuckin' slow, ya know that?! Don't you know how to make your brain function when it's needed, Shinabigi?!" She reprimanded him before looking straight at him. "Ya looked like a good person to talk to. I mean, you're the poor dumbass who's been assigned with us when that drunk excuse of a teach' and that lucky freak fuckin' goofed off! And ya did listen to those morons from my class, so I thought 'meh, why the fuck would he not listen to me too? Ya managed to put off with the others, so it shouldn't be any problems with a perfect genius like me, right? And ya fuckin' didn't disappoint!"
The Luckster couldn't help but smile a little. Despite her vulgar language addressed to her own classmates, she did praise him a little. So he guessed that it was some kind of… improvement?
"Plus, I needed someone who looked like Kiibo. And ya came out immediately when I thought of him, so here you are now, lucky bastard!"
…oh. Or it could be because of the resemblance with the classmate she was closest too, yes. Even if it wasn't too much the case, but hey, better that than nothing, he guessed.
"O-oh… I see." Makoto said with an awkward laugh. "I-I'm just glad I could help you feel better, Iruma-san."
"Kyashyshyashyashya! It's like I told ya, every genius need some praise from good people!" Miu laughed like she usually did. "You may not be a fuckin' genius like me or even a famous motherfucker, but you ain't half-bad either!"
"T-thanks…"
"So, now that this shit is done, let's get down with the show!"
"U-uh?" Makoto looked a little startled at this. "W-what do you mean?"
"Oh, come on, Shinabigi! Try to follow the movement a little, damn it!" Miu reprimanded him again. "What, you really thought I wasn't going to jump on the occasion?! I've got some test to run on this new baby, and you're the perfect test subject for that! Ain't that a fuckin' honor?!"
Makoto sweatdropped at this. "I-I think so, but I don't really like being treated as a test subject…"
"Come on, Shinabigi! We've got some work to do! I'm counting on ya, so don't you dare goof off on me, 'kay?!"
The Luckster only sighed at the girl who completely ignored him and already went to work on the invention she was so proud of.
It wasn't a tired or annoyed sigh, though. Well, there was some tiredness in it, yes… but it was mainly a happy sigh.
He was simply glad that he was able to help his friend. Even if she did talk trash about people again, she as making baby steps. He knew it.
So he decided to join his junior, in the hopes of not letting her down, not only as her senior, but as a friend. Because he did consider her as such, despite her obvious flaws.
…still, he always wondered why her inventions were centered on activities while sleeping.
He never asked her the question before because he thought this was rude to pry on other people's life, but he couldn't help but feel curious. As if… he knew that there was a reason behind this.
Besides, his experience with his other friends at Hope's Peak Academy made him more confident about his abilities in helping others. Perhaps it was pride, but he didn't feel it was bad. At least, he knew not to do too much.
So maybe he could one day have the occasion… of discovering the secret behind her logic.
In the meantime… he had work to do.
"It is quite an honor to work with you today, Murasame-senpai!"
"The pleasure is returned, Ishimaru-kun… I see that you are quite determined today as well."
"But of course! This day is as important as the rest of the Week of Adaptation! Every day counts in this event!"
"You're right. It is our duty to make sure everything goes well for everyone in the meantime… that's why I thank you for being present with us today."
"My pleasure, sir!"
"P-please don't call me sir…"
Kiyotaka's laugh resonated in the Student Council's room, which has been taken for the morning by different persons for the current meeting concerning what would happen today.
And considering it was concerning the Week of Adaptation, it would be more than logical for Soushun Murasame, the one who was leading the Student Council, to be here.
The later cleared his throat and spoke again. "Anyway, I am glad that you all took time
And he truly appreciated Kiyotaka's enthusiastic and helpful personality. Someone who dedicated himself to help others… someone who was worthy of his title.
Truly, another suitable asset for the Student Council.
…then again, he could try to help the way he does too much.
"But I still have to respect my elders! What kind of man would I be if I were not to address you the proper way it needs to be?!"
"There's no need for that. I-I'm just another classmate, like you, so…"
This kind of speech, along with his tendency of forcing people to respect of rules, were examples of that… extreme side of his.
"Please, do as he says, Ishimaru-kun. There is no need to talk with such formalities. We are all supposed to be on the same level, am I not wrong?"
"W-well, of course, but-"
"Then shouldn't we all be addressing as dear classmates? It would be too bad to create some gap between us all. Not just between us right now, but between the Ultimate Course and Reserve Course. And that is not the purpose of this event."
"Sonia-senpai is right, Ishimaru-senpai. Although I am a mere maid, I have been asked to assist this meeting as a student. And I believe Sonia-senpai wished to be considered as a student as well, I will ask you to respect her wishes."
"O-of course! I-I haven't forgotten this! P-please forgive me, Sonia-senpai! And you too, Toujo-san!"
"No harm has been done, Ishimaru-kun. Do not worry about this. But please, Toujo-san, the same goes for you."
"My apologies, but as a maid, I am supposed to be of some assistance, however I can."
Thankfully, some people knew how to put him back on track without hurting his feelings or putting him into tears.
As expected from people like Sonia, of course.
Even if she didn't want to be considered as a princess, Soushun had to admit her abilities linked to her talent of leadership and high position at birth were real and astonishing.
Same thing could be said about Kirumi's abilities. Even, she went beyond every of high expectations as a maid. She also had similar aptitudes to Sonia when it came to instructing people, on top of her talent.
…it was to wonder if at one time, she took the reins by herself. He didn't hear too much, but it wouldn't be too surprising, he figured.
Which was probably the reason why they seemed to enjoy each other's company so much. The Princess not only seemed to really appreciate her attitude and work, and the Maid seemed very interested in her culture and seemed to be amused by some of her antics.
And he wouldn't be wrong to think this way.
But now was not the time. He had planned a meeting, and he was not going to waste it on friendly talk, as good as it was…
Duty over friendship, he thought. This was an important matter.
"Ahem!" He coughed to get everyone's attention. "As I was saying, I wanted to all thank you for accepting to give some of your free time for this meeting. As you probably all know, this reunion has been made in order to see all the progress made so far, and how things are going to settle today and in the next days. Does anyone want to take the lead and begin to tell us their thoughts?"
"Well, I believe everything has been great so far!" Kiyotaka declared proudly with a smile. "I cannot speak for each of you, but from what I have seen, people have been enjoying there time! I still remember our swordplay session from yesterday, and people seemed to be very interested!"
"I can say the same thing about my side!" Sonia joined him with the same tone. "I was very glad to help Fukawa-san and Kamii-san with the subject of their conversation! People seemed to be so glad to meet them in person and praise them for their work! Something that they both deserve! Oh, and Shinguji-kun also had various subjects of conversation that were very interesting!"
"And I could also see that Hoshi-kun was more relaxed during his matches." Kirumi added calmly, but with a little smile. "It was good to see him smile the way he did, even if he did do this many matches. I could still feel his happiness, even if simply a little." The smile disappeared soon, though. "Still… some people seemed afraid of him, surely because they knew about his past and couldn't get past."
"Oh. I see. Well, it is a shame…" Soushun sighed, before asking, "So… anything you noticed in particular, aside from that?"
Sonia then looked a little curious. "Well, speaking of what happened yesterday… there was a girl I have never seen before, a poet, if I recall well. She seemed to… dislike Fukawa-san to some… extent." The fact that she hesitated could be seen by everyone, but it didn't stop her in her speech. "Fukawa-san seemed a little tense when I spoke about her… and it didn't go too well when she showed up, unfortunately…"
"Oh?" The Politician asked, getting a little worried. "And… did something happened between the two?"
"…let's simply said that it could have gotten a little better. The two had an argument, and I believe the poet questioned her hygiene… she left the room. I tried to talk to her, but she didn't let me all morning."
"That is… unfortunate."
"Coming from classmate Fukawa, I… figured it was something that might happen." Kiyotaka sighed. "Please, do not get me wrong, I do not encourage people talking badly about people in general, by simple principle of respect… but it is true that she is not the cleanest of us… even if she tries to correct herself more."
Kirumi then cast him a knowing look. "That, and her personality doesn't help, I imagine?"
"Unfortunately… I am glad that she manages to get more sociable, but apparently, she still has a long way to go…" The Moral Compass then bowed towards the Princess. "My humblest apologies for what happened with my classmate, Sonia-senpai."
"It is quite okay. Please, do not worry about this incident." Sonia reassured him. "I am simply glad that Fukawa-san is in a better mood today. I only did what I thought was right."
"T-thank you…"
"But did any of the Reserve Course students showed similar behavior?"
Everyone turned towards the Maid who looked serious. "Uh? What do you mean by this, Toujo-san?"
"I was thinking about this while Ishimaru-senpai was speaking of Fukawa-senpai's outburst. It showed that despite her progress, she could still be hostile towards others." Kirumi elaborated. "And while I do not enjoy having such thoughts… people from the Reserve Course could also display a similar attitude. Has any of you encountered such cases?"
Kiyotaka began to nervously look at the side. "W-well… I believe there has been someone like this did appear, yes."
Such a declaration made the others really worried, especially Soshun. "Uh? You mean…"
"One of the students in my lesson, didn't seem too… trustful about me. S-so he just left… without hearing me out… a-and I think he insulted everyone else while parting…" Kiyotaka looked ashamed of admitting it. "A-and I just stayed here… until Pekoyama-san arrived…"
"Please, do not feel bad about any of this, Ishimaru-kun!" Sonia told him, trying to pump up his spirit again. "No one as the right to say anything like that to anyone!"
"Sonia-senpai is right, Ishimaru-kun. You cannot simply put the blame on something that was not your responsibility." Kirumi joined her. "From what you have told us, you did not do anything to upset them. They have chosen to leave by their own choice, so do not feel bad about it, please."
The efforts of the girls for trying the cheer him up made Kiyotaka smile at them heartwarmingly. "T-thank you again, both of you. You both are excellent friends and assets for the school… but I suppose I've already said that in the past, have I not?"
The giggling from the Princess and the soft smile from the Maid who closed her eyes was enough of an answer for him.
He felt embarrassed about repeating himself… but both girls highly deserved praise.
They were both persons who wanted to help people as best as they could… just like him.
Well, they had their own techniques, of course. And their talent helped that a lot, he figured.
But he didn't want to bring that up, considering that Sonia didn't want to be considered as a princess, but as a student like him.
And while he didn't hear the same thing coming from Kirumi, he figured that applying the same rule would be adequate her, despite her telling him that she didn't mind.
It would be too respectful to break someone's request, after all.
Besides, the three of them managed to have a good relationship between each other. The dynamic between them was great, and not just when it concerned work in general. Their personalities were very much appreciated as well.
Another reason for him to respect them, he thought.
The Politician then cough again to have the attention back. "Alright, so this aside… there was someone who was… not in the right mood, correct?"
The Moral Compass looked less saddened, but it was still present on his face as the memory came back in his mind. "Y-yes… He seemed pretty angry even before, and he didn't seem all that interested in the lesson, which is a shame…"
"Indeed. But I believe this is a sign to be aware of."
Everyone turned toward Kirumi once again with a curious and worried look, with Sonia asking the question for the rest. "W-what do you mean by that, Toujo-san?"
"Ishimaru-senpai said that one of the Reserve Course students had a hostile behavior." Kirumi explained calmly, but firmly. "But it could get worse, or spread to the other students. I do not like saying it like this, but we must ensure that it doesn't go this way. Who knows what could happen otherwise?"
Sonia sighed sadly at this. "Unfortunately, you are right. I can understand that people may not like this, but his moo can ruin the moment for so many others."
"That would be totally unacceptable and disrespectful for the other students!" Kiyotaka managed to get some of his usual fire back, the thought of him disturbing everyone did more than bother him. "We have to make sure that it doesn't happen! I propose that we find this person and make him explain his actions! I still remember his face, so we won't have any trouble finding him and interrogate him!"
"W-we don't need to go that far, Ishimaru-kun…" Soushun laughed awkwardly. "How about I go with you and look out for him later today? Maybe he simply wasn't in a good mood yesterday and needed to get it all out, that's all."
The Moral compass hesitated for a moment, before calming himself a little, nodding in approval, but with a slight frown on his face. "…alright. I suppose it can work. My apologies for getting all… worked up."
"No problem at all." Soushun replied with a smile… which was slightly tainted with worry.
The Politician was also starting to get worried about what he's heard today. So, a student from the Reserve Course was causing problems with his attitude? That was not what he hoped for.
And that was certainly not what Makoto hoped for either.
Granted, he knew that some people would not share the same good thoughts as the others, but he couldn't simply let him get away with this.
Not only because this kind of behavior was unhealthy for those around him, that much he could agree with Kiyotaka, because they had similar thoughts.
But the school's reputation was also at stake here.
This kind of thinking was very contagious. If people were to listen to him, then maybe something bad would come out of it.
And as the Student Council President, there was no way he could let this happen.
Soushun sighed tiredly. Hopefully, he would manage to get a word with him in the day, but until then…
"Well then… now that this is out of the way… I think we have other things to discuss, if you don't mind."
"And that is it. Victory is mine."
"W-wow… y-you really lead the match all the way."
"I'll say. We didn't even stand a chance against you."
"I mean, coming from someone like the Ultimate Gambler…"
"Why, thank you all. It is something that I appreciate."
Yes, praising was something that Celestia appreciated deeply.
Especially after she won a gambling match.
Then again, it was not this surprising that the outcome would be her winning, considering her opponents were people who just knew the basics of poker.
Well, she supposed she could let it slide. It wasn't as fun as she intended it to be, but it was a good experience overall. She secretly enjoyed teaching them the basics further before testing them in the end with a simple sparring match in the recreation room with no bet involved.
And while she didn't enjoy it too much, at least the students seemed to have taken some interest into it despite her… supposedly intimidating figure.
…oh well. If she managed to make people enjoy gambling despite all of that, then surely it must mean that she was a very good teacher.
"T-that as pretty intense." One of the boys who was her opponent said nervously. "B-but that was pretty fun too… I guess."
"Y-yeah…" The girl who competed as well said with the same tone. "I-it's certainly not easy to read your opponent's actions. Y-you really do deserve your Ultimate title."
"Why, thank you." Celestia answered with a smile "It is indeed quite a mental and psychological trial, and I am not exaggerating. If you've heard about me then surely you must know what I had to face in order to be here with you today."
"T-that seems… pretty bad…" The other boy said fearfully. "T-the gambling world seems really… dangerous."
"It is if you do not take cautions. Trust me, I cannot even remember the number of opponents who wanted to bring me down."
"O-oh? A-and what happened?"
"Well-"
"Oh, Ludenberg Celestia-dono simply showed them the extent of her abilities! You would be surprised to see how many people tried to claim her title to humiliate her, but she was more than capable of showing them who was the one in charge!"
…ah, but then again, there had to be a black spot on this day.
"Oh! Really?"
"…that is indeed true. However…"
"Y-yes, Ludenberg Celestia-dono?"
And to think she had to stand this very familiar person right from the beginning… was another kind of trial, which this time wasn't her cup of tea. No pun intended.
"You could have waited for me to answer. That is quite rude to interrupt a lay while she is speaking… I hope that the tea you made will make up for this misstep, Yamada-kun."
"O-oh, m-my humblest apologies! I-I simply wished to tell them-"
"Yes, I know. But simply focus on your current task and everything will be good. Understood?"
"Y-yes! Understood, my lady!"
And the nuisance she had to endure was none other than the person of Hifumi Yamada, who had been tasked to serve tea to everyone while they were playing.
…but honestly, she could have used someone else. The only reason why she asked him and not anyone else was because Makoto and Kirumi were not here, and he was the only one available… much to her annoyance.
She had not forgotten what happened during the last week, and she had to make sure that he was not going to break his promise.
Fortunately, the boy seemed so frightened that he didn't dare try to open his mouth… or he did, but only to praise her. But even then, she didn't seem too satisfied.
Which made the poor boy wonder, why was his black angel so angry towards him?
When he first saw her, he thought she was coming from a manga/anime! And not just any manga/anime!
She looked exactly like the rival of his favorite fictional character of all times, Princess Piggles!
Something related to his favorite anime, Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess, had to be something good in his eyes!
And to top it all, she was so elegant, so smart, and also so… devilish…
That was too good to be true! And yet it was here, right in front of him! What a joy it was for him!
…well, in the beginning, at first.
Because even if he managed to be aroused by some of her quirks, most of the time, he was just terrified when she gave him that death stare. Which only went more intense recently.
Was it because of what happened last week? Was she not… trusting him with her secret?
…well, he did try to rush things out with this, yes, but… he simply freaked out at first!
He didn't expect to find her name on her Electronic Student Handbook that she accidentally left on the classroom!
Why was it on his desk when he came back when he realized he forgot one of his doujinshi prototype that he was working out?!
He had no idea, but… something crossed his mind after a while.
Maybe she was ashamed of her true name, and that she needed help. And if she needed help, perhaps he could be the one who would save her.
That's when he had the idea of putting a character with her name ad some imaginary backstory.
But as good as it seemed on paper, he still needed the authorization of the concerned person… and he still remembered how it ended for him.
He was pretty sure the pain wasn't gone yet.
But apparently, Makoto managed to gain the information before him, and he didn't share it with anyone else so far, as far as he knew.
And if Makoto managed to gain her trust, surely he could too, right?
And he would make sure to earn it rightfully. That, was now his new mission! If he needed to endure this, then so be it!
…didn't make it less scary, but it was a necessary effort.
"SOMEONE SAVE ME, PLEASE!"
And perhaps this was a moment to prove his worth to his lady.
…if only it wasn't so… out of nowhere.
Everyone else seemed to be surprised by the cry for help. "Uh? What's that voice?"
"Is… someone in trouble?" the girl said. "D-do you think we should-"
"Don't bother. He is not worth it."
"Uh?"
Everyone turned towards the Gambler, who seemed to be very annoyed and frustrated of all sudden. Her voice seemed also darker and menacing, which indicated to the others that they were near a time bomb now.
And they wouldn't be wrong to think that way. In fact, 'annoyed' and 'frustrated' would put it too lightly.
For she recognized very well the owner's voice as soon as she heard it…
And she didn't like it. One. BIT.
"AH! You guys! You've gotta do something! Save me from her, please!"
Still, it didn't prevent the demon who ruined her day to come directly to her.
And it didn't surprise her, oh no.
Because even if there were a lot of cowards in the school, Yasuhiro Hagakure was probably the worst.
As if his stupidity and his habit of throwing money through the window wasn't enough, he was so superstitious that it was ridiculous. Ghost, alien, anything was an excuse to make him scared…
And Celes became one of those things in the first year because of his quirks. She thought that after all this time, he would at least try to learn that it was not a good idea for him to come near her. But nooooo, he just HAS to come back again and again with any excuse he could find.
Honestly, the only reason why she has not hired some people to kill him was that of Makoto's request.
She had to hand it to him, she was very envious of him when it came to her classmate's imbecility. If it was not for him to calm her down, she would have killed him with her own hands already.
…though apparently, he was even more scared of what he confronted than her. That meant he must have freaked out really bad.
That, or his stupidity finally flowed his brain too much, and as such drowned it.
Either way, it did not help her mood at all. Even worse, all this time trying to get used to it was getting her even angrier.
Thankfully, since the student's attention was on the Clairvoyant, they didn't notice the intense red in her eyes.
Their hearts would have probably stopped by spotting it.
"U-uh, what's going on there?" One of the boys asked worriedly. "Y-you're the one who screamed, right?"
"T-that was me, yes! You guys got to help me!" The Clairvoyant yelled in panic.
"W-well, what happened? Did something-"
"Do not bother, I can take care of this." Celes cut him off, before giving him an extremely annoyed look. "Hagakure, what is so important that you need to interrupt us during our sparring match…"
"W-we just finished, so…"
"I-I didn't do anything this time, I promise!" Hiro pleaded. "I was just minding my own business, and then-"
"And what exactly do you mean by 'minding your own business'? For all I know, you probably tried to scram someone else's money… again."
Judging by the tone she was using and the face she as giving him, it was more than obvious that she didn't trust him in the slightest. For good reasons.
And the students were starting to believe her. "Wait a minute, what? He scams other people for money?!"
"I-I didn't do that this time, I swear!"
"You just admitted that it was something you do in general!" The girl bolted up from her seat in scandal. "That's just… that's just wrong! Wrong and immoral!"
"I-I don't do it as often as before, pinkie promise!" The Clairvoyant swore nervously before looking at Celes and Hifumi. "D-don't leave me out the loop, please! She's going to curse me if I stay with her!"
This statement made Hifumi yell in shock. "C-Curse?!"
And the others also seemed quite disturbed by the fact. "W-what?! What do you mean by that?!"
But it only made Celes growl even more. "…again with this? Really?"
"I-I'm not joking! I swear I'm not!" Hiro clapped his hands together in mercy. "I was just in the corridors for some stuff, and then this girl appeared out of nowhere and tried to curse me, as if she was invocating ghosts! Please, don't leave my soul to be eaten!"
This was getting on her nerves very quickly. She didn't need his stupid superstitions to ruin an alright day, and there was no way she was going to get involved into his mess. "Well, I-"
"Hihihihi… looks like I found you."
"YIKES! She's here!"
But apparently, her luck had run dry now. Because things were going to look out to ruin her day anyway.
Hiro backing up behind her was another proof of that. And even the other students in the room were starting to get nervous as soon as they heard the creepy voice approach.
And when they all saw its owner… it pretty much fitted the image they had in mind.
The person who was at the door and beginning to enter the room was a girl with the same height as girls like Sayaka, Mahiru or Tenko. She had dark red eyes, grey hair, with some black stances at some places. She also had two loose ponytails, many silver hair clips on her hair and two white ribbons reeled around some of her front stances. She was wearing a midnight blue shirt above a white shirt. She also had a red scarf at the level of her chest, and a dark blue collar with a red line across it and a white symbol at the center. Finally, she had a black skirt and tan colored boots.
But what made the others slowly freak out was not just her voice.
She was also smiling at them. Or rather, at Yasuhiro.
And it wasn't the smile that was saying: 'I'm happy to see you! Let's have some fun together!'.
But rather, the smile that was saying: 'I'm happy to see you… let's have some fun together.'
It was all a question of tone here.
That, she confirmed it when she spoke again. "So you decided to look out for someone that could protect you? So predictable. Alas… it's useless. Completely useless against me. Your life will still be mine in the end."
This sentence only made Yasuhiro panic even more. "S-see?! I told you she was crazy!"
And one of the students made the mistake of asking, "W… what do you mean by that?"
"Isn't it obvious? No living person can escape the grasp of the dead, you know."
That made the others panic. "W-what?!"
"T-the grasp of the dead?!" Hifumi yelped before joining Hiro behind Celes. "W… what kind of power is this?!"
"Oh? You seem to be afraid after hearing this, uh?" The girl seemed amused by the fear on their faces. "Then again, I get this reaction a lot. I suppose that it's a thing for people from the living to be stunned by my connection with the spirit world…"
"S-SPIRIT WORLD?!" Both the Clairvoyant and Fanfic Creator cried and hugged themselves in fear, as the three other students also began to look at her as if she was a demon.
However, the Gambler did not share the same look. "…alright, no. What the fuck?"
Everyone looked at her, surprised at hearing her speaking so rudely. The girl from the Reserve Course was the one who asked. "U-uh?"
"I didn't want to deal with this kind of stupid crap today." Celes growled before turning angrily towards Hiro. "You mean to tell me you pissed on yourself and disturbed me because some fraud told you she could see ghosts when it's obviously fake? When will you start thinking for once?!"
"B-but-"
"HEY! What did you just say?!" The girl barked angrily. "I'll have you know, my spiritual powers are real! Rituals, curses, hexes… I can perform them all since I was born! So don't you dare call me a fraud ever again, you bitch!"
"Oh, so you're getting all worked up, uh?" Celes looked at her with the intention of killing her, before scoffing. "Go ahead then. Bark all you want. Nothing will change."
The students could only take a step back from the two girls with Hiro, and Hifumi tried to speak his opinion. "Uh, Ludenberg-Celestia-dono, I-I do not think-"
"Oh, so this is how you're going to play, uh? I have to prove to you that I'm telling you the truth?" The girl looked at her menacingly… before smiling. "…alright. But you asked for it."
Now the tension was reaching its peak, with Hiro gulping. "W-what?!"
"First off, he is not my friend, just my classmate." Celes growled. "Secondly, what are you going to do, uh? Hex me? I'd like to see that."
"HEY!"
"Hihihi… oh, you'll see alright." The girl laughed darkly, before closing her eyes, inhaling some air… and beginning to chant.
'Inde est super mi spirituum, quaeso ore exibit gladius acutus vocatio…'
'Culus Ludenberg Celestia tollere in horam secundam!'
As she chanted, everyone else looked at very nervously. Was she… was she performing a curse for real?!
What was going to happen?!
Soon enough, they would find out.
"…there."
Hifumi then looked at both girls, a little troubled. "…uh? W… what happened?" He then looked nervously at her. "W-what did you do, exactly?"
"Hihihi… you'll see." The girl laughed again, before looking at Celestia. "So… tell me, I did spell your name correctly, didn't I?"
The Gambler was not amused, but answered anyway. "Yes. You did."
"Good. It seems like I remembered it correctly. So, Ludenberg Celestia… do you feel anything different?"
"…no, I do not." She scoffed again, then turned over the others. "See, everyone? It was just-"
But the moment she turned around… it happened.
"AH!"
She felt something strong at the level of her stomach. Something strong… and very unpleasant. So much that she felt on her knees, making the others gasp in shock.
And it didn't take further for Hiro to panic. "HOLY CRAP! It's freaking happening!"
Hifumi immediately ran towards his lady's help. "L-Ludenberg Celestia-dono! Are you alright?!"
"D-do I look okay for you?!" The Gambler barked, but with an inch of fear in her voice, before turning her gaze towards the girl. "W… what did you do to me?!"
"Kihihihi… don't worry, it'll be back to normal in an hour!" She declared, seemingly proud of herself. "Until then, I hope you have fun holding in your shit without having an asshole to let it out of! Kyahahaha!"
That laugh made everyone realize it. One of the boys said, "W-wait… so it's legit?! Y-you really can-"
"Of course I can! Do you really think I would lie about something like this?!"
"B-but don't you think that's a little too cruel?!" The girl tried, and filed, to keep her composure. "I-I mean, she did doubt your powers, but don't you think it would be a common mistake?!"
"That may be, but then he opened her big mouth!" She answered with a hiss. "She should have known better than to insult me in my face!"
"T-that's not wrong…"
"And to top it off all… you interrupted me in my research!"
"Uh?"
Everyone turned towards her with surprised, as she was glancing angrily at Hiro who yelped in shock. "YIKES! W-what did I do?!"
"You know very well what you did, you fucking idiot!" the girl barked at him. "You broke the connection I had with the spirits, and I hate when people do that! Especially when I'm trying to look out for him!"
That got everyone's attention. "H… him?"
"The spirits… they were guiding me towards him. I couldn't find him alone, that's why I asked for their help!" She explained angrily. "But you… you completely broke the connection by bumping into me! Can't you look where you're going?!"
"S-sorry, okay?! I was thinking about some important stuff!" Hiro apologized meekly. "B-but you didn't need to chase me the way you did!"
"You want me to ripe your soul out of your body?!"
"N-NO, OF COURSE NOT!"
"Then shut your mouth already! You're extremely lucky that I don't have the time to take care of you, otherwise you wouldn't be speaking right now!" The girl yelled, before breathing out and looking around, which made her sigh of annoyance. "Tch… of course he isn't here. That would have been really helpful otherwise…"
Hifumi gulped an asked her, "U-uh… w-who may be the person you are looking for?"
"What does it has to do with you, uh?" The girl stared at him angrily, but more calmly than before. "Your friends are the one who made me lose track of him, so I don't have to tell you anything! And I won't! So hut up, or else you'll join them! Got it?!"
"YIKES!" The fat boy recoiled back in fear. "Y-yes ma'am!"
"Good." She then eyes everyone else. "And if any of you try to doubt my powers again…"
"W-we won't! We promise we won't!"
"Perfect. That's all I needed to hear." She then left the room. "Now, off I go. I've lost too much time already."
This left every the other students in the room to watch her leave, completely speechless at what happened in front of their eyes. The encounter, the curse thing, all of it… it sounded too real. Too freaky.
"Guh… what are you idiots doing?! Help me already!"
A reality which slapped them right in the face when they heard Celestia's voice. And she sure as heck didn't seem happy.
Hifumi picked her up and looked at her worriedly. "W-what do you need from me, my lady?!"
"B-bring me to the infirmary…" The Gambler said with pain in her voice, holding her stomach. "W-why the hell does it pains so much…"
"Y-you want us to help?" One of the boys asked nervously. "T-this does look serious…"
"It sure does." The other boy muttered. "Damn it, I-I can't believe this just happened…"
"M-me neither…" The girl added. "I-I don't think anyone will believe us…"
"F-follow me, then!" Hifumi said with a panicked voice. "W-we must rescue Ludenberg Celestia-dono from… whatever misfortune has been landed upon her!"
"R-right!"
And so, everyone ran towards the infirmary, out of the recreation room, with a health mission in their minds.
Well… almost one of them.
Yasuhiro wouldn't have minded trying to help his classmate, even if she could be scary at times. In this case, the curst took the cake over her.
…well, that is until she gave him a death glare. It was more than enough to tell him that she didn't want him near her at the moment.
…and that she may deal with him later.
'Damn it… why does everyone keep blaming me for stuff that happens?!'
"Okiaaaa! This is just the best! Ibuki totally feels it!"
"Hell yeah! Let's fuckin' rock the world to death!"
If you were to pass by the music room, you could guess that the party inside was rocking right. And you would be right to think so.
After all, you could tell right away from people's look for persons like Ibuki Mioda and Kitahachi Monzaemon that when they played… they played hard.
It certainly didn't help that apparently, and despite their differences in personality, they hooked up for each other pretty quickly.
Both personally and in play-style.
…though it was not a surprise for those who actually came to see them.
But among the group, one of them seemed to be… ecstatic as the song continued.
Much to someone else's displeasure.
"YAYYY! You got this, Mioda-onee! You too, weirdo guitar dude! This is so good right now!"
"D-don't kill us with it, please!"
The one who liked it was none other than Hiyoko Saionji, ho apparently loved Ibuki's performances in general.
And she was one of the few to be like this.
Aiko Umezawa was clearly not among this group, as she was covering her ears with her hands, while the ears of her head were retracted in fear, as if it was also sensible to sound.
…how did this work, no one knew.
Even the loud music wouldn't stop them to shoot at each other.
…which was weird in a sense. Hioyko may be accustomed to Ibuki's loud personality…
But it was a surprise to see that Aiko was also very resistant when it came to sound.
Perhaps it was because of the hoodie ears?
"I-I really didn't expect this to happen…"
"Me neither… but at least, Saionji-senpai is enjoying herself."
"Probably because she's Mioda-senpai's classmate. Never would have thought she was into that kind of genre, though…"
"Right. I've heard that the other classmates collapsed the first time she played."
"I-is that so…"
Thank God, they were specialized into sound. Otherwise, their ears would have been destroyed.
Sayaka Maizono could easily stand for it, probably because she had to deal with the very loud cheers of fans that could sometimes overcome her group's voices while singing.
Love could make people accomplish all kind of things, she thought.
And as for Sousuke Ichino, he was used to hearing any kind of music considering his talent and background story.
…it didn't mean he had to enjoy it, but he could certainly handle it fine.
However, the one who still had some problems was Kaede Akamatsu.
Not only because she didn't know her classmates' antics as much as the others, which gave her a disadvantage by nature.
But also because her earing senses were very sensible. At least as much as Sousuke and Ibuki, and perhaps even more than Sayaka.
That's why her inexperience gave her a bit of trouble with her ears, which were rigging because of the sound.
Still, it was good to know that despite the sound, the three managed to talk to each other.
"I-I didn't think we would meet someone as wild as Mioda-senpai…" Kaede muttered awkwardly.
"Y-yeah… it's really surprising." Sayaka agreed. "Guess the Reserve Course does have its number of special cases."
"You're damn right about this." Sousuke grunted. "Thank God, I think they're close to the end…"
And indeed, they were near the end of their… improved song.
And by 'improved song', translate by 'a total mess of sound clashing like thunder in an echoed confined place'.
Well, to the normal ear at least. They did manage to ear the meaning of their fabricated song, but still… it was wild like they never heard.
All thanks to the new addition they met.
Finally, the song came to an end… much to everyone's relief who let out a sigh.
"Aaaand scene!" Ibuki cheered before turning towards Kitahashi with a grin. "Wowoooo! That was so cool, Kitahashi-chan! Your soul was totally in it! Ibuki could totally feel it!"
"I know, right?!" The boy barked in a happy manner. "When Monokid feels it comin', nothin' in the damn world will fuckin' stop him! Nobody's got the damn right to make me stop!"
"Well said! And you were totally staying true to yourself while playing! That's so awesome!"
"Oi, right back at ya!"
"Thanks!"
Really, the two seemed to hook on pretty quickly, despite the boy's harsh appearance and language.
Looks like when you were with someone else that followed the same philosophy, things would go smoothly.
"Yay! That was really amazing, Mioda-onee! You really surpassed yourself on this one!" Hiyoko congratulated Ibuki before turning herself towards Kitahashi, with the same smile. "You too, big weirdo! You may look like shit, but you actually know what you're doing! Your dumb look isn't for show!"
"Right?!"
Surprisingly, the concerned boy totally ignore the insult she made towards him. Quite the opposite, he seemed to take it positively.
Well, good for him, the others supposed.
"You've got some weird tastes when it comes to music, you know that? I mean, it's not bad, but… you've got to feel it to like it."
Unfortunately, some other people were not going to shut up about it.
And that person was none other than Aiko, who was looking at Hiyoko an odd look.
But before the guitarist could answer to that properly, the Traditional Dancer turned her look towards the Costume Designer, which turned into a glare, and began to insult her. "Screw you! It's better than having no tastes at all like you!"
"Excuse me?!"
"You heard me, Pikashit!"
"Oh, you're so on, blondie bimbo!"
"We're both blonde, you idiot!"
"Doesn't change anything!"
Which turned into another argument between two of the childish students in the school, which was not something healthy for your ears either.
If the two musicians easily managed to get along despite some differences in their personalities, that was not the cases for those two girls.
They were similar in personality, yes. But it only made the relationship between the two… rocky, at best.
Between the Traditional Dancer's harsh tongue and prideful personality, and the Costume Designer's lazy attitude and her big mouth, one could tell right away that only bad sparks would come out of the two.
Which made the Rocker sigh in frustration. "Oh, here we go again…"
"W-well, I guess it was to be expected…" The Pop Sensation smiled nervously. "I guess that some things don't change with time."
"Y-yeah… unfortunately." The Pianist agreed. "And I thought that with time, they would learn how to behave around each other…"
"Hehehe… I like it, personally." Kitahashi laughed lightly. "Reminds me of how things go at home. A little fight or two can't hurt."
Kaede seemed really outraged by this. "A-a little fight or two?!"
"Kitahashi-chan's comment aside, it's alright if they argue!" Ibuki talked, trying to reassure everyone. "It's just how they get along, that's all!"
Sayaka was not convinced at all. "Uh… I'm not sure if-"
"NO, IT'S NOT! DON'T COMPARE ME TO THAT LAZYASS/JERK!"
The simultaneous shout from both girls was enough of an answer for Sousuke. "I don't think you get it, Mioda-senpai. If you really think that arguing can make people get along, then-"
"Oh, but it's totally fine though! Ibuki can make a new song if-"
"No! Absolutely not!"
The voice which spoke next was strong, and full of opposition to the idea… which was honestly a silent relief for the group, considering that they had enough metal music for the day, aside from Hiyoko.
But what they did not expect was that it didn't belong to anyone in the group.
And as soon as everyone looked around at the entrance of the room, they all found out who was the person speaking.
The person was a brunette girl who was as tall as Peko, and who had long hair which formed a long and thin ponytail at the half of it. She had orange eyes, and she was wearing a white kimono with long sleeves, and a red dragon could be seen across her right shoulder and chest. She also had a red hakama with white socks and brown thongs.
And by the look on her face, she was not pleased in the slightest.
"Do you have any idea of what you are doing?!" The girl shouted angrily. "Everyone can hear you from the other side of the school!"
"Really?" Ibuki said surprisingly… before exclaiming in a happy manner. "That's awesome! That means everyone heard our performance!"
"Hell yeah!" Kitahashi barked happily. "The world's gotta know who the fuck we are!"
"What?! No! No, it isn't 'awesome'!" The girl looked even more scandalized after hearing this. "Do you not realize that you are disturbing the other students and those who came to visit the school?!"
"That's what we've told them, you know." Aiko told her bluntly. "But they just didn't want to listen…"
"Well, perhaps you could have been more convincing!"
"Y-yeah, sorry about what happened." Sayaka was the one who spoke first. "T-they wanted to have some fun together, but we didn't think that they would go so… extreme."
"Extreme's the only fuckin' way I can have it!"
"M-Monzaemon-kun's remark aside," Kaede followed, "we didn't want to disturb you… but I've got to admit I'm a little surprised. How did you manage to hear all of this? The walls of the school are supposed to be soundproofed, so…"
"What?! Then why was the door open?!"
"Uh?"
"You are telling me that the walls here are supposed to restrain sounds." The girl explained with a frown. "But as good as it seems, it will be all for naught if the door was not even closed!"
"Uh, I think I'm at fault here…" Sousuke sweatdropped nervously. "I-I came here last, and I forgot to close the door because I had to take care of stuff, so…"
"So that's it? You mean to tell me that all of this could have been avoided if you had not forgotten about closing the door?!" The girl concluded with the same scolding voice as before. "Do you not realized how irresponsible you were?! Think about everyone outside! Their day has probably been ruined because of your careless mistake!"
"B-but-"
"Oh, won't you tune it down already?! You're really beginning to annoy me!"
But if most people would have taken the message seriously and apologize, that was not the case for Hiyoko, who indeed, was not looking too thrilled about being lectured.
Which the stranger didn't appreciate either. "…I beg your pardon? I am the one who is annoying you?"
"Yeah, you are!" The Traditional Dancer glared at her. "We were just having some fun between us, and you just came out of nowhere and told us what to do! Who are you, our mom?!"
"S-Saionji-san, don't-"
"T-this is not-"
But the Pop Sensation and the Pianist's pleas went to deaf ears as the girl talked back. "Are you telling me that you do not care about the public's mood?!"
"Come on, it's not like we disturbed them that much!"
"You know nothing about that! And you certainly did not hear their complaints!"
"Well, if they didn't like it, then it's their loss! Besides, I enjoyed it, so that's what's important!" Hiyoko glared at her as if she was a disgusting alien. "Seriously, who the hell do you think you are, telling us what to do?!"
Sousuke tried to save the mood. "Hey, come on, girls-"
"So this is it, uh? You only care about yourself?"
But unfortunately, his attempt has been for naught.
"I really was shocked when I heard this communion," the girl explained with a calmer, but darker tone. "I thought that it was an activity of a sort, and I could have maybe let it slide given the circumstances. But now that I see what it is… I couldn't be more disappointed."
"D… disappointed?"
"I have heard that Hope's Peak Academy was one of the most prestigious school of Japan, and even in the world. So I had high expectations when it came to its students' behavior." She frowned further and her tone rose again. "But from what I've seen now, I see that they simply lack any kind of respect, on top of not having any proper conduct!"
"Hey, come on! We didn't do anything wrong!" The Costume Designer shouted in defense. "Don't put us in the same bag as the girl bimbo here!"
"What did you just say?!"
"You asked for it!"
"You didn't do anything to stop them from disturbing the school's peace. So you are all just as guilty as the rest!" She exclaimed, before taking a look around… and sighed. "At least… he is not here."
That got everyone's attention. "Uh?"
"I am relieved that he is not among your group." She smiled very lightly. "It is quite reassuring that he did not affiliate himself with troublemakers as yourselves."
"T-troublemakers?!" Ibuki reacted, but this time, she wasn't too fond about the comment made o her name. "B-but… Ibuki thought we were having fun all together…"
"Maybe, but you cannot simply disrupt everyone's peace by completely ignoring their well-being! And that attitude of your friends is making it worse!" The girl scolded her, before turning herself towards the others. "You can be sure that if the occasion will present itself, I will report this as a testimony! You will hear of me for sure!" And after that, she turned around and took her leave, muttering "I cannot believe I left my duties for this…"
Once she left, everyone in the group looked at the person who left, pretty stunned about what happened. Then…
"Is… is this Ibuki's fault?"
Everyone else turned with surprised gazes at Ibuki, who was playing with her fingers… with an ashamed expression on her face.
The Pop Sensation was the first one to react. "W-what? What are you even-"
"Ibuki simply wanted to have fun with Kitahachi-chan today because he looked like he could be a funny guy." The Musician spoke with a tone that matched her face. "B-but… she never thought that it would disturb others like that…"
"Hey, come now, don't worry too much about it, Mioda-senpai." The Pianist tried to reassure her. "You couldn't have known that the door was not closed…"
"What's done is done. Ya can't change it." Kitahashi tried to cheer her up… with his own words. "So stop moppin' around already! It's fuckin' useless!"
Ibuki seemed moved by the gesture. "T-thank you, guys…"
"'sides, it ain't your fault if you think about it. It's the flame-for-brain's fault for not closin' the fuckin' door."
"HEY!" The Rock Star did not appreciate the comment made by Monokid. "That was totally uncalled for!"
"Ya said that ya were the last person to enter the room!" The rocker shouted. "So ya could have just closed it, and that bitch wouldn't have bothered anyone!"
"I was thinking about something important!"
"Lamasses excuses are lamasses excuses!"
And thus, an argument between the two boys began, right in front of the girls who sighed in defeat.
"Well… this just happened…" Sayaka sweatdropped, laughing awkwardly. "But… I honestly thought they would argue much sooner."
"Y-yeah, me too…" Kaede admitted with the same tone. "But I'm pretty sure we're going to be in trouble for what happened…"
"Tch! Come on, don't tell me you're going to listen to this party pooper from earlier!" Hiyoko clicked her tongue with a smug expression. "She don' know what she missed."
"Uh, she said everyone outside the room heard what happened." Aiko corrected her. "Were you even listening? Or did the song made you deaf?"
"Well, at least I'm not some doormat who slacks every damn time!"
"HEY! You were just like me a few years ago!"
"That doesn't change anything, Pikashit!"
"Again with the nickname?!"
And another argument also occurred between the two girls, which made the remaining girls sigh.
"Well… this was expected." Kaede tried to contain her frustration.
"You said it. They… really are a handful." Sayaka joined her. "And Saionji-senpai… even though she became nicer, I can't help but feel… really hurt when she speaks like this…"
"Ibuki got used to it, you know. And besides, it isn't so bad! Ibuki thinks it's a little funny when she do so!" Ibuki told them. "And Kitahashi-chan seems like to be the same type of guy."
"You're even rudder than my sister told me the other day! Can't you watch your tongue a little?!"
"I'll start being polite when you'll grow a fuckin' brain inside of that hothead of yours!"
"Again with this?! Is it because of the hair?!"
"Ya wanted this style, so now deal with it!"
Hearing the two boys argue seemed to be enough for Ibuki. "See? It's just a manner of speech like another!"
"D-doesn't change the fact that it's rather rude, you know…" Sayaka told her."
"Y-yeah…" Kaede agreed, before asking the Musician, "Say, how are you doing with that new song of yours?"
Sayaka flinched at this, and then her expression grew a bit darker. "Oh… yes… that song…"
Kaede did notice the change of tone in her voice, but decided to ignore it for the moment. "I think it's named 'Cupid's Arrow is Made From the Woods of an Honest Sapling', right? I've heard that you decided to focus on this project from the beginning of this year, if I'm not mistaken. How does it go?"
Ibuki then looked at her pretty happily. "Oh! It took some time, but Ibuki has finished with the lyrics, and she already has the melody in mind!" She then sighed in a tired, but happy way. "It was pretty hard to come up with everything, though. This one took everything Ibuki had! That, and she had to focus on classes because of the exams… how boring."
"I-is that so…"
"But the purpose of this song is definitely worth it! Ibuki is so sure that Makoto-chan will love it! She wants him to listen to it first!"
"Is that so?"
This time, Kaede reacted to Sayaka's voice and looked at her, flinching a little. "M-Maizono-senpai?"
"You want him to be the first one to hear your new song? That's quite the honor you are giving him." The Pop Sensation aid in a calm, yet scary tone. "He must have done something special to deserve it."
"Of course!" The Musician didn't seem bothered with any of what she is implying. "Makoto-chan is Ibuki's best friend, after all! And he helped her so much when she needed it the most!"
"That's funny, he also helped me a lot when I was doubting myself, you know…"
"He really is amazing! That's why Ibuki gave everything she had in this song! She had found a great muse!"
"It probably is as good as mine, because I've never written so quickly or performed so well."
And if Ibuki's tone was an amused one, Kaede could totally feel that Sayaka's was very good at hiding her frustration behind her sweet voice, which made her shiver a little.
Only one thought crossed her mind at the moment.
'H-holy crap… I can't begin to imagine if people begin to meddle in the competition… or rather, I can, but… I don't want to. I think this would be too ugly to see.'
"So, is everything okay, Seiko-chan? Do you need any help over here?"
"N-no, thank you Ruruka-san. I-I think I have it all covered here…"
"Don't overstress yourself, okay? It's not good for your health."
"I-I know, Izayoi-kun…"
The infirmary of the school had some persons in it, who were currently working on a project that one of them was working on.
It was expected from people like Seiko Kimura to be the one in charge of the project, considering the fact that she was the former Ultimate Pharmacist.
…even if because of her shy personality, it was weird and complicated for her to give orders, or rather instructions to people.
Especially if those persons were her childhood friends.
But at the same time, she was glad it was the case.
Otherwise, she couldn't imagine what kind of thing a person like Ruruka Andou would do if she were to give her orders if she was a stranger.
And she did not want to imagine what kind of punishment her boyfriend Sonosuke Izayoi would do to her. Or rather, she could, and she knew, but the image was… not pleasant.
…granted, she knew they were not like this, but still… anyone who didn't know them personally could be intimidated easily.
"Okay, so how does it go so far, Seiko-chan?" Ruruka asked her nicely. "Can you please remind me what the cure you're trying to find is?"
"T-to be honest… I'm not sure if I could explain correctly." Seiko answered nervously. "If I recall correctly, it's about a rare virus that has been discovered very recently…"
"A virus?" Sonosuke asked her. "What kind of virus?"
"N-not much is known about it, unfortunately… B-but from what I know, it directly attacks the red cells of the host and retrieves everything from it. After that, the host is forced to spit the blood out, and… as you can expect, it can quickly become deadly if left unchecked."
"You mean… like a parasite?" The Confectioner asked, frowning sadly as she heard this. "Sounds like a real pain in the gut."
"It is… and the thing is, it's spreading across the body is… random."
"Random?" The Blacksmith raised an eyebrow. "You mean that there's no notable pattern?"
"N-no… not only it can spread from any part of the body, but it can begin anytime without being noticed… a-and the worst part is, there's no current treatment…"
"So this is why you decided to be the one to work on it." Sonosuke smiled lightly at this. "Well, with someone like you in charge of the project, it can only end successfully."
"Yoi-chan is right! There's no one better than you when it comes to medicine, Seiko-chan!" Ruruka smiled brightly, before looking at her with determination. "You're going to beat the crap of that virus! And we're going to help you bring it down!"
"R-Ruruka-san… Izayoi-kun…"
Seiko could only stare at her friends with glee on her face, little tears of happiness beginning to appear at the corner of her eyes.
And her friends didn't need her to put the mask away to see that she was smiling, which was adding to the good mood within the room.
Not only because it was bringing them even closer than before…
But also because this kind of thing would never have happened some time ago.
It needed to be said that their current, strong relationship from now… was anything but, at the time.
Ruruka's trust issues were in the way most of the times. It resulted in her being distressful at best and… just plain mean at worst.
The fact that Seiko also had a disease which prevented her from eating her sweets certainly didn't help things either.
Even Sonosuke, who was her boyfriend at the time, and who was extremely loyal to her, had to notice that when it became too much.
…a good thing that in the end, the three managed to patch up and start all over again.
And they had to thank a certain Luckster for that.
The Pharmacist began to shred her tears away. "T-thank you… I-I'll make sure not to let anyone down."
"Just don't overdo yourself, Kimura-san." The Blacksmith advised her. "We don't want you to ruin your own health, even for the sake of others."
"That's right! That's why we're here!" The Confectioner followed quickly. "I told you we were going to help you until the end, and I mean it!"
"G-guys…"
"…even though I'm not this useful compared to you guys…"
The last part that escaped Ruruka's mouth was supposed to be a whisper, but she spoke too loudly.
That, she realized too little, too late when she noticed that Sonosuke and Seiko were looking at her with an odd look, with the latter speaking. "R-Ruruka-san? W-what are you talking about?"
The girl began to get nervous at this. "U-um-"
"Ruruka, please don't tell me you're thinking about this again." Sonosuke tried to reassure her. "We've talked about this."
"I know, I know…" Ruruka sighed, knowing that there was no way out of this one. "But I just… can't help it, you know? I mean, compared to you guys who've got awesome talents, I just… know how to make sweets…"
"Ruruka-san, please stop."
And stop she did, when she felt two hands on her own shoulders and looked up to Seiko who was giving her a reassuring look.
"Don't say those things, okay?" She spoke, trying to sound gentle. "It's not about our talent, and you know that. Even if you're not like us, so what? You're till helping us, and that's what matters the most."
Ruruka seemed a little shocked at this, but remained a little unsure. "Y-you say that, but… I-I could have helped further too before…"
"Don't you remember what Naegi-said?"
This time, Ruruka turned towards Sonosuke, and Seiko also looked a little surprised at the mention of the Luckster's name. "N-Naegi-kun? He said something too?"
"He told you not to dwell on the past. Because what matters is the progress you're making." He explained and smiled at her. "And I completely agree with him. I see that you're not like you were before."
"Y-Yoi-chan…"
"Yeah. You should listen to him." Seiko followed with the same gesture. "If even he tells you not to feel this way, shouldn't you listen to what he said? He's the one who helped us after all."
"S-Seiko-chan…" Ruruka thought about it for some second, before a relaxed expression appeared on her face. "Y-yeah… you're right. I-I shouldn't feel like that. I should just… focus on the future." She then eyed Seiko and Sonosuke with an apologizing face. "Sorry, everyone. I guess I ruined the mood a little, didn't I?"
"No, you didn't ruin anything." Seiko laughed lightly. "You were worried about yourself, that's all. It's completely normal. I talk with experience, you know?"
"Come on, you're not that bad…"
"You know you don't have to be nice all the time."
The two girls shared a laugh together, with the fact that they were trying to send flowers to each other, which amused them a lot.
It was another sharing moment between two childhood friends.
That was the sight Sonosuke had in front of him, and it made him smile.
…though he couldn't help but feel… guilty about their shared past.
He was more than glad to see his two friends happier than they were before of course, but… there was something else bugging him inside.
However, he would not show it to them.
Ruining the good mood between them because of some insecurities as out of the question for him. He was stronger and wiser than this.
Besides, Ruruka needed them most support out of the three. Seiko was close behind her. Compared to them, it was nothing, really.
As long as his two friends were happy… that's all that mattered.
"W-we're back! S-sorry for the wait!"
"D-do you guys need help, by any chances?"
The moment went interrupted by the two female voices that entered the infirmary. And the trio was expecting them.
After all, they were both important persons regarding Seiko's project. Not to mention, she considered them as friends.
After all, Mikan did help her during her own exam with Makoto. And the fact that she had the same kind personality helps a lot.
Same thing could be said for Kiriko, even if they communicated less. She was among Seiko's group while Ruruka had Makoto by her side when Universal Children's Day was near in November.
Truly, she knew how to make friends with similarities.
"N-no, we're fine, thank you…" Seiko smiled at them reassuringly. "I was just explaining to my friends about the new virus I'm trying to find a cure for."
"Oh yeah, you're talking about that…" The Nutritionist muttered nervously at the mention of the matter. "It's… really a serious matter to take care of. I just hope we'll manage to find something soon."
"Y-yeah…" The Nurse followed her with the same tone. "I-I wouldn't want anyone to fall sick from this…"
"That's why we've got to work together to find something." Seiko said with a tone of determination that was rare coming from her, before it faded away and smiled at her assistants. "Let's get back to work, everyone."
"Right!" Everyone then settled to their respective seats.
"KYAA?!"
Or at least, one of them tried to, but tripped. And everyone else who turned knew who this person was.
Well, not everyone. Sonosuke knew how to react to this situation.
By no looking at all.
And he would be right to do so, considering the embarrassing posture the Nurse got herself into… again.
"T-Tsumiki-senpai!" The Nutritionist was the first to react. "A-are you alright?!"
"Okay, I'm sorry to say this, but does it has to happen every time?!" Ruruka said, a little annoyed at what just happened. "You really need to pay attention!"
"I'm so sorryyyy! Please don't look at me!"
"Ruruka-san, now's not the time!" The Pharmacist scolded her lightly, before going to Mikan's help. "Let's take care of her first, it shouldn't take too long."
And with the help of Kiriko and Ruruka, Seiko decided to check on Mikan to see if she had any injuries when she fell.
All of this, under the Blacksmith's gaze, who turned around the moment Mikan got checked up.
He may had a hard face… but he couldn't help but smile very lightly.
A little distraction could be of some use to thaw the atmosphere.
"Uuum… I suppose it is some good progress for now. Still… I have yet a lot to recover."
Those were the words that came out of Sakura's mouth, as she was contemplating at her current body after some training session she decided to have at the dojo.
She looked quite serious as she looked at every in of her body, as if she was trying to see what she could do to improve herself.
And it was totally the case.
After all, she did lose a good amount of strength last year. Her inactivity had left quite the damage on her.
And she didn't like it.
But… it wasn't like she wanted to do this kind of thing. In fact, the principal reason why she decided to join Hope's Peak Academy was to get stronger. Slacking off wouldn't even have crossed her mind.
Alas… some things unfortunately happen.
Nobody can predict when a person will die. Especially when they are sick.
And when said person is someone who you loved dearly… saying that it would sadden you would be a complete understatement. Devastated was the word that described perfectly when she heard the news.
Her gruff appearance was a sign of her talent, and a dedication to her boyfriend. A promise that one day, they would be able to fight again… so she could maybe take his title of 'strongest person alive', just as he wanted her to be.
Unfortunately, this will never be possible now. And as such… the will of training was not present anymore.
Not even her hatred towards her now feminine appearance would remove her from the shadow she had let herself swallowed into.
…thankfully, she was not alone. And she was glad to have been reminded of that.
She was glad to have a good mentor like Great Gozu. Someone who had a contagious determination and will, and who decided to dedicate himself to get her back on track.
She was glad to have a wonderful friend like Aoi. Someone who would look out for those she cared about and who would do anything to bear the burden of the loss of the one you cared about and to move on.
The first was the one responsible for her getting back on training.
And the second was the one responsible for managing to live on.
…but as much as they helped her, she couldn't help but feel that both of them were due to another factor. Another one that was probably the most important out of the three.
And that factor would be none other than the person named Makoto Naegi.
He may not be a fighter, that was for sure. He did not have any physical feat to claim such title.
…and yet, she could feel it.
The warmth of his soul.
His dedication to honor a person from who he only knew the name.
And all of this… for her sake.
It was because he had the idea of a fighting tournament that occurred near after this tragedy in order to reignite the flame within her, to give her a new purpose of fighting.
It was because he tried so hard to reach for her, with the help of so many other people within the school, staff and student alike, just to get her back on her feet.
And he gave his all. Even if it was not much from a professional's eye.
She felt like, if it was not for him, Aoi and Gozu's efforts would have been for naught.
Somehow… she saw a little of Kenishiro's own soul within him. Because of what he did for her.
And that was why she was so grateful toward him to this day.
A smile appeared on her face as the memory of his own smiling face towards her flowed her mind…
And she was glad that for now, the dojo was still empty, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Otherwise, everyone else would have seen the shade of red on her face.
"Naegi-kun… I still cannot express how much I thank you for this…" The Martial Artist sighed happily, in a girly manner.
After all, he wanted her to find a new purpose in training… and she did.
It was just that… she didn't feel like it was the right moment yet.
She may have regained some of her muscle mass, even if her pretty looks were still here, but she was not strong enough. She wasn't fully prepared yet.
Not just physically, but mentally as well.
She once wanted to be the strongest person alive.
Today, that goal did not disappear, but let's say that it… adapted itself for another desire.
She wanted to be the strongest person alive… so she could protect him with her hands, however she could.
And the day she felt like she earned this title… she would tell him how she truly feels.
…of course, it wouldn't be an easy task for her, considering the fierce competition that was between her and other girls in the academy.
It was fine by her. It was another kind of battle, after all. And she would win fair and square.
…truly a shame that some of her opponents were not as honorable as her.
Besides… she felt like… she didn't want to change too soon.
If she were to return from her intense training session from before, she would surely go back to her heavy state. And the past her wouldn't have any problem with it in the slightest.
However, the Sakura from today… was a little hesitant.
Sure, he did tell her that whatever was her appearance, he would still see her as Sakura Oogami, someone important for him…
But considering that some of her rivals were well equipped regarding that aspect… a glimpse of insecurity could be felt within her.
And she knew that she would have to use all of her cards.
…
Yes, it was really surprising coming from someone who used to hate this light appearance. But a troubled mind shall be given some rest.
That's why she was looking for another way to train. A way to achieve her main goal… while not losing in sight the person she owed so much. She wanted to find the perfect balance between the two… for now, at the very least.
She learned how to be patient thanks to him, after all.
"U-uh… Oogami-san? A-are you here?"
"Come on, don't be so nervous! You know she's not going to eat us!"
Two voices got her out of her thoughts. Two tiny and young voices, which told her that the two persons were kids.
And when she turned around toward the entrance, she saw that she was correct… and a smile crossed her face once again.
After all, she knew very well the two kids that were coming towards her.
Anyone from Makoto's family was welcome to her.
Even if they were not related by blood, Jataro Kerumi and Kotoko Utsugi were sweet children in their own rights.
Makoto had a lot of courage to save them from their tormenting past, and even more to take responsibility towards them.
…yet another reason why she admired him in a sense.
She decided to greet them with a smile. "Hello, young siblings of Naegi-kun. What can I do for you?"
"W-we came her because… Naegi-onii told us to." Jataro explained nervously. "H-he told us he couldn't come today because he had to help… uh…" He thought about it for a moment, before turning himself towards Kotoko. "I'm sorry, what was her name again?"
"Iruma-san." She answered with a frown. "You know, the girl with who we have to cover her ears."
"O-oh right, Iruma-san! Thanks!" Jataro said with a smile before continuing. "H-he had been asked by Iruma-san to help her on some project of her… so he asked us to come here."
"Oh. I see…" Sakura said, a little bitter than Makoto's time has been taken by someone else, and a girl no less, but she was glad he managed to find a way to contact her. "And what did he wish to tell me?"
"Oh! He wanted to give you something!" Kotoko said happily. "It's your birthday today, right? So he went on and decided to pick up something for you, and he asked us to deliver it to you!"
Ah… that was right. Today was her birthday. She was so busy training that she forgot, until Aoi went on her way and celebrated it for her. And when she did, she hoped the boy would think of it as well, which he apparently did, considering the little box the girl was
…still, something was bothering her with this fact.
"I… truly appreciate it, young ones." She said with the same smile. "However, he shouldn't spend his money to give us gifts. He should keep it in case he needs something."
"That's what Komaru-nee and his parents told him the other day too!" Kotoko joined her. "First Saihara-kun, and now you. I don't want to sound rude…"
"And you are not. Be reassured of that."
"Thank you, but he shouldn't do what he's doing! That's way too nice, even for him!"
"Y-yeah…" Jataro said nervously. "I-I understand that he wants to please others, but he really should focus on his money more."
"That is something we can agree on." The Martial Artist sighed, but not in an angered way. "Still, I shall accept it. But can I trust you to tell him what we discussed about?"
"Sure! Count on us!" Kotoko said before handing over the gift to her. "There! I wonder what he decided to go for this time!"
"I am curious as well, little one." She said, opening easily the gift.
And the choice surprised her a little… not in a bad way, however.
It was a charm devised by the protective deity of martial arts, the Great and Gracious Kashima Shin-Ryu.
It surprised her a lot because has never seen that within the school. "It… it is really a pleasant surprise. Where did he-"
"H-he said he found it while shopping yesterday." The Lil' Ultimate Art answered. "I-I think it was after he visited a friend… he decided to take the time to look after something."
"Well, I'm sure he had chosen right!" The Lil' Ultimate Drama chirped happily. "You look like you were looking for that for a long time, you know!"
A soft smile appeared on her face. "You wouldn't be wrong, my child. I do not know where he got this, but… I will have to thank him personally."
Which made the little girl smirk. "Teehee… I can't wait to see that happen."
"D-don't be like that, Kotoko." Jataro tried to reason with her. "Y-you can't assume that-"
"Leave her alone already, you degenerate!"
"Who the fuck do you think you are, telling me what to do?!"
"Oi, calm down, you two. Nothing bad happened, you know…"
"W-WOW!" The sudden shoots coming from outside interrupted Jataro, making him gasp in shock. "W-what's going on?!"
"Sound like some ruckus is about to happen outside." Kotoko said, pouting at the door. "They even said the f-word. They could at least try to argue in a room."
"Do not move, I will see the matter myself." Sakura told them seriously and went towards the entrance.
But when she was about to cross it, she saw a familiar face arriving.
And she would recognize that annoyed gaze at any place.
After all, even if Maki was not intimidating physically, her gaze could kill men if she wanted to.
That's why she found it odd that her talent was the Ultimate Caregiver. She did not think she was one in the first place.
…then again, Gundham didn't look like a Breeder himself, so… she could give her the benefit of the doubt.
"U-uh… sorry about coming here unannounced… but there's a little problem outside…"
But her gaze was seriously intimidating.
No wonder why people like Suzuko would feel uneasy following her.
The girl wasn't a violent person, after all. Heck, she was a pacifier among athletics, which was rare in this domain.
Even Aoi could be fearsome, under the wrong conditions.
"Don't try to bother. It's just two of our physical meatheads that encountered another one." Maki told her immediately. "I'm just here to make sure the kids are not involved."
"A-and I came here to help." Suzuko spoke next. "I was just going to go to tell the others from the Student Council soe things, and… well, I wanted to ask you to help us in here."
"I see." Sakura muttered calmly, before asking her. "I suppose they told you where they were going?"
"They wanted to go for you, yes. But I didn't want them to go alone." The Caregiver explained, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice. "They managed to go while I wasn't looking. You can thank Ouma for this."
Oh… that explained a lot.
Sakura frowned at the mention of the younger boy's name. The President, or as he preferred, the Supreme Leader already built himself a bad reputation with his quirks.
This was the kind of individual she didn't like.
"I… see…" she repeated, before looking at her in the eyes. "Well, I will try to calm things down there. Can I count on you to protect them?"
"…why do you think I came here in the first place? Have you forgotten what my talent was already?" Was her simple answer.
"Do not try to encourage him, Owari-senpai! I shall take care of that menace myself!"
"Who the fuck are you calling menace, ya crazy bitch?!
"Seriously, calm the hell down, you two! You're drawing attention on you guys. And I asked him first!"
The Sprinter sounded a little alarmed at hearing this. "I-I think this is getting worse! Oogami-san, I'm sorry to ask you this, but please stop them before they do something reckless!"
Maki simply looked at the nervous kids and walked towards them before Sakura could give her a proper answer. "Just make it quick. I don't want to deal with any other idiots today. I've got other things to do today."
The Martial Artist decided to step outside to take care of the problem while leaving the Caregiver do her job.
Even if she was rather cold, perhaps even more than Byakuya, at least her talent about taking care of children was undeniable.
…besides, her frustration could be related to some extent, given some of her classmates' attitude.
And she was certainly calmer than the individuals that she was seeing right now, as she asked, "What is happening here? Can you not see that you are disturbing everyone here? I could hear you from my dojo."
One of the three persons was Akane, who was surprisingly the calmest of the three… at least until she saw her, when a grin of excitement went on her face. "Oh, it's you, Ogre! Right on time!"
At the mention of her idol's name, the other girl who was there turned her face towards her. "O-Oogami-senpai? W-what are you doing here?! Did this menace disturb you in your training?!"
"OI!"
"I did hear you shout, yes. However, I was finished at the time." Sakura told the girl in a calm, yet serious tone. "I came to see what was going on outside. What exactly happened, Chabashira-san?"
Tenko's troubled gaze turned into a determined and disdainful one as she turned at the third person in the group. "Do not worry about anything, Oogami-senpai! Tenko can take care of this menace here! She will certainly not let anyone ruin our day!"
"What the fuck are you literally talkin' about?! You're the one who attacked me for no reason!"
And by his response, Sakura could easily tell that the boy in question did not like being accused apparently wrongly.
The boy in question was as tall as Kiyotaka, and he had an odd, messy haircut: he had brown hair, except for the front which had a yellow, almost gold color, with the eyes being of the same color. He simply wore a brown jacket, leaving his torso completely exposed, with some sort of red bindings around the waist and foots. He also had brown karate pants with a white logo on the right side.
But Tenko was not going to get intimidated this easily in front of a boy.
And not in front of her idol no less!
"Don't try to good me! Tenko was here when everything happened!" She shouted angrily. "You're just another menace that would wait for the good moment to strike!"
"And who the fuck do you think you are to judge me like that?!" The boy yelled angrily at her. "You don't know anything about me!"
"Tenko knows more than enough how you work!"
"What the fuck is your goddamn problem?!"
"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!"
The two turned towards an angry Sakura, who did seem to like to see an argument erupting between the two.
"I do not appreciate the tone both of you are using. Not only you are disturbing other people who are passing by, but you are mostly making a fool of each other." She growled as a warning of not engaging her wrath. "If you keep things as they are, I will ask you to at least settle this in an appropriate place, or else I will deal with both of you myself."
The boy seemed to not like the tone she used on him, but as he looked around, he could see that she was speaking the truth. The stares of the people looking at them… it made him uneasy. Granted, they didn't want to do anything with them, as their looks applied, but till… he thought that maybe he could simply go and forget about all of this.
But the Aikido Master did not seem to share the same thought. "B-but it's not Tenko's fault, she promises! It's this degenerate's fault for trying to get the best of Owari-senpai!"
"…I beg your pardon?"
"What?! No! No, that ain't true at all!" The boy defended himself. "I was just minding my own business, and then her friend just asked to brawl with me for no fuckin' reason!" He explained all the while pointing a finger at Akane who simply shrugged it off, before returning his attention towards Tenko with a frown. "And then this bitch just came out and tried to attack me while I was simply trying to shrug her off! What the fuck, seriously?!"
"How dare you try to insult Tenko, uh?!"
"And what gives you the right to assault me, uh?!"
Sakura looked at both parties, who clearly did not seem to be on good terms as for now. Then, she decided to shift her attention to Akane. "Owari-senpai… what is your version of the story?"
The Gymnast closed an eye and put her finger into her ear. "Well, I was a little bored, doing nothing at all. I need some moves to feel something, you see what I mean? And I couldn't eat anything more since lunchtime already passed so…"
The Martial Artist gave her a deadpan look. "…so you were looking for a sparring partner."
"Exactly! But I couldn't find you anywhere, Ogre! And I guess I was so frustrated that I felt like anyone could be a good sparring partner!" She explained with a grin. "So when I saw this guy, I felt like it was a good chance! He looked like a fighter on top of that!"
That made a lot more sense, and it would at least explain why the boy looked bitter at the Gymnast. But still…
"And then she said I could touch her boobs if I won!"
…what?
"THERE! He admitted it!"
"I ain't admitting anything! I'm just speaking the goddamn truth!" The boy said in irritation. "I didn't want to get involved into this mess of her, but then she said I could touch… there!" He became clearly embarrassed at the mention of what she said, as he began to sweat and tried to dismiss the red on his cheeks. "Can't you think before fuckin' speaking?!"
"Hey, you didn't sound into it! I just thought you would like to have something in return!" was her simple, blunt answer.
"Well, maybe because I had others things to do than to deal with people like you in the first fuckin' place!" He barked back at her before speaking to Tenko again. "I didn't think some random bitches would try to assault me like that!"
"And you insult Tenko and her friends on top of that!" The Aikido Master was becoming red of anger. "You don't know your real limit, you menace! Well, Tenko won't let you take your anger on anyone! Have a real fight with me!"
Sakura was not going to have any of this however. "No, you will not-"
"You know what? Fine by me."
But it didn't seem like it bothered the boy too much, as he smirked angrily.
"So you think you can attack people you don't like just out of the blue, uh?" The boy told Tenko. "Well, think again. I was trying to be nice today, considering it's a long time I haven't seen him…"
"Uh?" Akane asked. "So you were looking for someone?"
"You betcha. But you just decided to go all the way with your bullshit with me, and it pissed me off. I feel like if I see him now, I'm gonna burst a vein without wanting to… so it's a good thing you're challenging me, girly." He grew serious at her. "I'm just warning ya, it ain't your average man you're dealin' with."
"Really? Well, none of this will matter!" Tenko declared seriously. "As a girl and a friend of Owari-san, I will fight for her honor! The dojo is right next to us now, so we can settle this honorably. And Tenko will let you know your place right here, right now!"
"We'll just see about that!"
And with that, the two people ran inside of the dojo, sparkles of an upcoming challenge between their gazes.
"Oooooh, they are so gonna get it!" Akane grinned in excitement. "Can't wait to see what's gonna happen next!"
Sakura, on the other hand, could only sigh in defeat.
She should have known that Tenko's quirks were going to pose a problem this the boys that would visit the school today.
She knew she meant well, but she seriously needed to fix the issue she had.
Granted, the boy seemed also like the agitated boy, but this story was a big misunderstanding created unfortunately by two of her classmates.
"Oi, Ogre…"
…and speaking of said girl, Akane was looking fiercely at Sakura, who understood immediately understood what was going to happen.
Akane was always looking for a good challenge, a good fight, when she as not eating.
And people like Sakura, Nekomaru or even Gonta were always the people she was looking for, even if the latter was not looking for this kind of activity.
And considering Nekomaru's current condition… she was the only one left.
She knew there was no escape from this.
So she simply sighed in defeat. "…we will take another part of the dojo."
"Great!" The Gymnast said in excitement. "You'll see how much progress I've made, Ogre! I ain't gonna disappoint you!"
"…we will see about that."
And with that, the two other girls joined the dojo to do their own things… under the sight of Maki and the two kids who left by the time.
"A-are they going to be alright?" Jataro asked nervously. "T-they really looked angry somehow…"
"I'd rather say they looked competitive." Kotoko clarified, looking a little annoyed. "I just hope they get done with it quickly. Oogami-san aside, they look like hotheads."
"That's the kind of person I don't want you to become." Maki bluntly said, before eyeing them seriously. "Now let's go back to your department. You did what you wanted, now fun's over."
The two only nodded nervously, as they knew that she wouldn't take any kind of slip up kindly.
And when they looked behind, they saw Suzuko greeting them with her hand with a worried look on her face, probably to wish them good luck.
She may be good with kids, but… they would have liked it so much more if it was their brother instead.
"So… what do you think, Aniki?"
"It's great, Nagisa. It really is."
"Y-you really think so?"
"Of course I do. The things you're capable of doing at such an age. I'm really impressed, you should know that."
"T-thank you…"
Those were the words coming out of the now embarrassed Nagisa who was showing to Makoto the project he was working on his class.
The thing was, it wasn't on his class program at all. He did all of it after finishing it, which was no hard task for him, considering he was the best student in his class, sharing his title with Monaca.
Makoto guessed that the Lil' Ultimate Social Studies wanted to make him proud by trying to comprehend the school's statistics and its future partnership with other schools.
And it had its desired effect. He wouldn't have figured out such complex calculations by himself, or at least not in such a delay of time, even with Byakuya's teaching.
Because yes, the Heir actually taught him something valuable, despite his harsh tongue and behavior.
He supposed that he was worthy of his time. Which was a good sign for him… he thought.
Anyway, back on topic, he was impressed by the intellectual display his adoptive brother was showing, and he believed he earned some praise by patting the top of his head, which the kid seemed to really appreciate by the look of his blushing face despite him trying to hide it.
The little boy was indeed in heaven.
What? It is exaggerated? Not for him.
Receiving praise form the one who saved his life and for who he have nothing but respect for was giving him a feeling that sent him flying. His efforts to try to impress his brother had been fruitful.
It was maybe a childish fantasy, but considering he was serious most of the time… he considered that he could maybe rest on that for a little while.
"He. I've gotta hand to ya, kiddo, it does seem pretty good… for a shrimp, I mean!"
…aaaand here was the person that broke that little fantasy for him.
That person was not even supposed to be here. For some reason, she followed Makoto all the way into the corridor they were in.
But even with a glare addressed towards her, she simply grinned at him.
Even if she was not known to be the bravest person in the academy, Miu wouldn't back down towards a kid.
Makoto didn't seem to like her breaking the mood, though. "Iruma-san…"
"What? I'm just giving my opinion there. It ain't bad, but I sure ain't my level either!" The Inventor told him. "He should feel honored that I praise him!"
"It wasn't even for you anyway…"
"The hell was that, brat?!"
"Guys! Enough!"
The shout from Makoto made them stop before an argument could really begin between the two, and they both looked at him a little surprised.
The Luckster began by looking at Nagisa, with a calm yet serious tone. "Nagisa, I know what she did was a little rude, but you didn't need to comment yourself. It was unnecessary."
The little boy lowered slightly his head. "…o-okay, Aniki."
"Good." He then turned towards Miu. "And as for you, Iruma-san, you also need to calm down. You didn't need to answer him back either. And I think I asked you not to curse in front of my sibling."
"Hey, you see that he started!" Miu answered back a little annoyed. "I know it's your kid, but still, you need to make him calm his pe-"
"And what did I just say?"
"O-okay, fine, jeez…" Miu answered, a little distraught by his sudden change of tone, before saying in an annoyed tone, "And I who wanted to do something else because I was bored… had I know this was what awaited me, I would have stayed alone."
This was Nagisa's chance. He didn't like this individual too much. Rude and prideful… the kind of person he didn't like at all.
He didn't care at the moment if he was going to disappoint his Aniki. She was invading his private place and she needed to go.
"Then maybe you wish for me to guide you back to your Research Lab. I could perhaps be a better company than what you have right now."
But before he could say anything, an elderly and charming voice spoke.
At this, the Lukster saw that Nagisa looked even more disdainful, and he also saw that Miu's face was now one of disgust.
…and he would be lying if he were to say that he didn't feel the same way.
Even before he turned around to see the person approaching them, he could recognize the voice of Hojo Kurotsuchi, another member of the Steering Committee.
But his position was not the thing that disturbed them greatly. What did the job was his… controversial personality.
Especially with girls.
This and his appearance, round sunglasses and tied up, long, grey hair, was enough to raise red flags for most of the people.
"Uh, the hell you said?" Miu said annoyed. "Why the hell would I want to go back with you?"
"Well, I heard what you were talking about, young lady. And I notice that you seem to be bothered by those two boys here." The old man tried to sound as pleasant as possible, but with a wicked smile on his face. "I promise, I shall give you a good time."
But instead of sounding attractive, the old man sounded creepy. That, Miu made him understand quickly when she freaked out away from him. "N-not a chance! I just remembered I had other things to do with Shinabigi!" She went behind Makoto's back, unknowingly pressing herself onto him. "C-come on, Shinabigi! I-I told you all about it, so let's go already!"
Which made the Luckster blush again. "I-Iruma-san?!"
And which certainly didn't please to the old man, who appeared very irritated all of sudden "Oh? Is that so? Then what are you even doing here, standing there?! Instead of work, here you are, goofing around uselessly! Especially you, young boy!"
"W-we're sorry, sir! We were just discussing!" Makoto excused himself politely. "W-well' be going right now! Follow me, guys!"
And with that, the three of them left the old man alone, with Nagisa muttering, "That old man is making me sick…"
And he was glad that he did not hear that, because he seemed to be even angrier than before.
"Tch! I can't believe I thought approaching her was a good idea! Despite her good looks, she's nothing more but a pretentious slut!" He growled angrily. "And to think this little bastard went with her instead… some people have all the goddamn luck! As fitting of his so-called 'talent, I suppose…"
After his rant was over, he checked on the briefcase he had with him.
"Well… might as well focus on those documents now. I suppose this will make me forget about all of that…"
"Wow… this is nicely done."
"I agree. You really did a wonderful job drawing all of this…"
"Nyahahaha, thank you, thank you! But this isn't Angie's doing, you know!"
"Wait… it isn't?"
"Of course not! Angie's body is simply a vessel for Atua's power! He is the one who manifested his power!"
"…wait a minute, what?"
"Apologies to all. But my classmate Yonaga-san over here is a firm believer of the god Atua from her country. This is why she speaks about it."
"O-oh… I see…"
"Nyahaha!"
The look on the four Reserve Course didn't seem to bother Angie this much. After all, she was kind of oblivious when it comes to that.
The lord Atua never wronged her in any way in the past, so why would it start now?
Those were her thoughts. As long as she was happy and that she could make people happy with it, it was all that mattered.
And it seemed like her classmate Korekiyo ended up finding as a theory for her behavior.
He thought she was interesting in a way. She was a religious girl, who while a strong believer of her own beliefs, was a nice person who would smile at any situation.
It was a really good thing for him. Despite the flaws this could lead to, he believed that it could serve its purpose, like comforting people with their doubts, thanks to her God.
This was a good thing in his book. A nice characterization that could lead to a lot of good things.
Drawing more potential friends, for instance.
"Isn't that wonderful?" Angie chirped happily. "Atua's power is limitless! It's thanks to Him that Angie is standing with you today!"
The students were a little unnerved despite her smile. "I-is that so…"
"Uh-uh! In fact, Atua is also the one who created everything you know about! Back at Angie's home island, we payed tribute by many rituals, you know?"
"R-really?" One of the Reserve Course student girls asked in a confused way. "D-does that include, you know… blood sacrifices?"
"Well, of course!" The Artist answered with the same expression. "We have to thank Atua for bringing life into our world and to bring harmony in it, yes? In order to do that, we simply give a little drop of our blood, as a sign of gratitude! It is non-lethal, so everyone can do it!"
"…wait. Just a little drop of our blood? Noting more?" One of the boys asked, before sighing in relief. "Phew… for a moment, I thought you were talking about animal sacrifice…"
"Oh! We do that too! Not as often, but it still happens!"
"…I shouldn't have asked." He said, gulping in nervousness. "I-I'm against violence towards animals, and just seeing blood gives me the creeps, so…"
"I can perfectly imagine." The Anthropologist resumed in his usual tone. "People can have a high sensibility when it comes to blood. It is a fear quite common, I believe."
"T-tell me about it…"
"Y-you didn't prepare anything too drastic, right?" The other boy asked nervously. "Because I don't think the school would have allowed it…"
"Oh, don't worry! We won't do any of that today!" Angie tried to reassure them. "Atua figured that it wouldn't be a pleasant experience for everyone, so He told Angie another wonderful idea!"
"A… an idea?"
"By using his favorite vessel, which is Angie, by the way," the Artist said and pointed fingers at herself happily, "He created a fresco to tell you how he decided to keep the harmony in the world for us, and help us to create the perfect way to live your life! Isn't that great?"
"It… sure look interesting…" the other girl said with a sweatdrop on her face. "But… it sure looks big when you say it, you know…"
"Oh, it is! Atua made sure to use Angie's body surely! She really felt pant up after this! But it was worth it! Angie and Atua sure hope everyone likes it!" The Artist said happily, before looking at one of the covered walls with some kind of gigantic, white curtain. She went towards and took one side of the blanket and turned towards the Anthropologist. "Korekiyo, can you please help me?"
"With pleasure." He simply said before going to the other side and taking a part of the curtain. "Whenever you are ready, Yonaga-san."
"Well, right now then! One, two… three!"
At the signal, they both pulled the curtain for the people to see.
And they seemed to be… really impressed by what they saw, to say the least.
"Wow… his is even more amazing!" The first girl said in astonishment. "And you said you did this by yourself!"
"No no no! Angie told you, it is the work of Atua, nothing more!" Angie tried to correct them with the same smile. "Her corpse is only a vessel to his powers!"
"Well regardless, that's amazing!" The second boy said with amazement. "Just look at the art! You really weren't kidding about the work thing! And as such a side on top of that!"
"Nyahahaha! Why, thank you! Lord Atua appreciate your compliments!" Angie looked truly happy about all of the praise she received… before she lifted her eyes up. "Hm? Ooooh?"
"Uh?" The first boy seemed to notice it along with everyone else. "W-what is she-"
"Do not worry, it is some habit of her. I have seen here doing this before." Korekiyo explained to them calmly. "Apparently, she has the divine ability to hear Atua's voice, as she declares to be His oracle. And yes, I will give it to you in advance that is quite the rare and uncommon privilege."
"Wait a minute, what?!" The second girl said in disbelief. "She really can do that?!"
"Apparently so. And if you do not believe me, simply go ask my other classmates. They will tell you that I am not lying."
"W-we didn't assume you were lying…" The first boy said, calming on a bit. "It' just that… it's unbelievable."
"Yeah… you don't see that every day." The second girl agreed. "I mean, I'm not into religion, so-"
"Great idea, Atua-sama! I will not disappoint you!" The Artist chirped happily, before facing the others. "Atua-sama just spoke to me right now. And he wanted to tell me that he as interested in teaching you the basics of my talent if you were interested!"
"W-what? Really?!" The second boy looked a little stunned by the offer, but in a good way. "Are you… are you serious? Is your God giving us a chance for real? W-we never did anything like that before… me, at least…"
"Don't worry, everyone has to start somewhere!" Angie encouraged them. "Atua is a patient one. That is how Angie managed to be chosen!"
"Well… I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." The first girl said with a little smile. "I-I always wanted to give it a shot, so…"
"Nyahahaha! That's perfect! Then it's settled! For today, you will be Atua's students! Let's give our best everyone!" The Artist said happily, before turning herself towards the Anthropologist. "Do you want to join us, Korekiyo? You're more than welcome to do so! So says Atua!"
"I thank you and Atua, but I would rather help them in case they need help." Korekiyo answered with his usual tone. "And I would like to see where this will lead us to. Perhaps something interesting might happen… kukukuku…"
"Okie-Dokie then! Just don't disturb them and everything will be fine!" She said, then began her lesson. "Now then, Atua say that…"
While she didn't seem to mind Korekiyo at all, she couldn't help but feel he could be a little strange sometimes.
Always talking about humanity's behavior, as if it was some kind of hobby for him… it was really too complicated for her.
All she wanted was to live to the fullest and enjoy what life could give you!
…or so Atua told her. And there was no way he would lie to her oracle.
It was probably because of that mindset that she wasn't affected in a scared way by some of her classmate's antics… compared to most people like the students who couldn't help but feel uneasy by it.
Not that Korekiyo seemed to care in the slightest anyway.
After all, he was here to see what kind of results he would obtain by watching everyone's progress.
…one thing was sure in his mind, though.
Angie only showed good qualities today, which only made her an even more suitable candidate to be his true friend.
"Welp… that was a good day overall."
"Yeah, especially for you. You did almost nothing. You counted on us to do everything… again."
"Hey, come now, young fella. That's no way to talk to a teach', even if you're a Student Council member, you know…"
"Then maybe you should start to do your job correctly instead of drinking? Just an idea which crossed my mind right now."
"Oh, my. You've got quite the tongue. I wonder what I did to deserve this kind of treatment from my on students."
"…I better not answer that."
Those were the words coming from Shouji, as he was having a conversation with a teacher in their respective room.
The Male Model could only sigh in annoyance, as he knew this conversation was not going to end with results, good or bad.
He knew the teacher too well.
Koichi was not someone who would take his job seriously and would instead go somewhere else do his own things, which include drinking or even gambling, while leaving the student to themselves, without any kind of guidance… in worst cases scenarios that thankfully didn't happen as often, but still.
…which was one of the reasons why he didn't like him too much.
Shouji was someone who would take a job seriously and would do it until the end, even if he didn't like it.
So to think that someone as lazy as Koichi was a teacher at Hope's Peak Academy… it was one of the many things that annoyed him the most.
He swore, the only reason why he as there was because he was a friend of the Headmaster.
…how could he put up with him, he had to wonder.
"Oh, come on, it's not all that bad." The adult reasoned with him. "At least, the way I do it, those kids learn to do things themselves. They don't become dependent on me or anything like that."
"Yeah, and they become lost by themselves." Shouji argued with a frown. "Seriously, you need to think about your method, old man. May I remind you what kind of incident could have happened with your absence?"
"Very well spoken, young man. It is good to see that some people have some common sense in their head in this school."
When the voice had been heard, both Koichi and Shouji frowned further.
They didn't need to turn around to see the man who butted in their conversation.
They would immediately recognize the voice of Hojo Kurotsuchi, the oh so-called politician of the Steering Committee.
He sure had a way with words, that was for sure.
But boy, his poor attempts at being charming in order to hide his rude and explosive temper were simply ineffective.
Didn't top him to try, though…
…if only that was the worst part of it.
"As from what I've heard, you have been slacking off again, doing your usual routine instead of playing your part." Hojo spat angrily at the teacher. "Do you have at least an idea of what image you are giving to our school?"
"Well, first of all, sir, if you allow me to explain," the teacher looked at him without turning his head, and spoke calmly, but not thinking less, "you haven't given me any part to do. So I think it's natural that I 'do my own thing', as you say it."
"Oh, please. We all know that you're too irresponsible to do anything right." The old man snarled viciously. "Drinking and gambling while you're supposed to work… how come we haven't fired you yet?"
"Well, maybe because I did somehow a good job despite all of those things you mentioned." He answered still calmly. "I wouldn't be here talking with you about it otherwise, right?"
"Do you really think that change anything at all?!" The old man was not satisfied at all. "Your behavior could be taken seriously, and people could take your bad example!"
'You talk from experience, don't you? You sure talk a lot, but when it comes to acting…' was the thing that Koichi thought, but kept from himself. He was smarter than telling that out loud to someone how could fire him at any occasion, for any petty reason.
"Kurotsuchi-san? Are you in here?"
But before he could say anything else, another voice popped out in the room. And the old seemed quite pleased to hear it.
After all, who would resist the voice of a beautiful girl like Junko?
And she did seem to talk with this charming to him… at least to his point of view.
And fortunately, it was only his point of view.
"Yes? I am right here." The politician seemed charmed at the sweet voice of the girl as he smiled at her and came towards her. "What can I do for you, young lady?"
"Well, I was passing by near the Steering Committee's reunion room, and I've heard from the other members that they would need your assistance." Junko delivered the message to him with the same smile. "Could you please go see what they want? I think it's important."
"…oh. I see." The enthusiasm in his face disappeared a little, but it reappeared as soon as he reached out for her cheek. "Well, of course. Thank you for delivering the message for me, my dear. I shall see you around soon, if chances are on our side."
And with that, the old politician left the room to meet his subordinates, leaving the three others to do their own things…
For instance, the Fashionista could clean her cheek in clear disgust.
"Eeew! That kind of guy is just the worst!" Junko said with an irritated tone. "I can't believe that I didn't puke out the moment his hand reached for my face! It was all smelly!"
"Well, I guess it comes with age." Koichi laughed lightly. "Some old people just won't let go of their past glory… if he even had one in this case."
"That's something we can all agree on." Shouji snarled in annoyance. "I bet we can find some ruined plotted plants on his way. The dude is just disgusting."
"You're damn right he is. Lucky you, you ain't a girl, so you don't have to deal with him." The Fashionista told him. "The fact that you've gotta charm this kind of trash… it's just… bleh."
"I can imagine." The Male Model agreed with still a slight frown on his face. "But for some reason, he likes to be this way with you the most."
"Well, don't ask me." She explained while rolling her eyes. "Maybe it's because I'm a model or some shit like that."
"…right."
The girl could see that the idea didn't convince him fully. And he would be right. There had to be a reason behind this. In fact, she may have an idea about that behavior.
But while she agreed with him, she didn't think saying her theory with him was a good idea.
She didn't know why, but she always thought this guy was… warry of her. As if he was suspecting her of doing something nasty.
…well, he was not entirely wrong, of course. She did have some… pretty messed up plans in the past. And if even her from now could admit it, then it was true.
But now? While she may be a little of a troublemaker at times, it was just innocent pranks!
Besides, that Kokichi guy from the new class apparently decided to take the spotlight now, which was more than welcome by her.
So why the act with her specifically?
She guessed she would have to investigate sometime in the future.
"Well, good thing you passed by here, Enoshima." Koichi thanked her and saluted her with his hat. "I don't think I would have lasted much longer if he began to talk about how to charm ladies."
"He, no problem, sensei!" Junko smirked at him. "But ya know, you don't need to feel jealous about him! Between the two of you, you're the one anyone would pick at first glance! Not that I would anyway, but…"
"I wasn't even interested into that kind of stuff anyway, so rest assured of that." The school's scout shrugged with a little smile. "Unlike that old cockroach, you won't see me hanging out with kids like that."
"Good to know! Just think to maybe clean yourself or else you won't find anyone at all! Drinking is one thing, but you've gotta be careful with this kind of stuff, ya know!" She still smirked, before winking at them. "Well then, I suppose this is where we part ways, guys. Tata!"
She then took her leave towards her unknown location. Which was seemingly more than welcome for the Male Model.
"Man, she really needs to calm down with that kind of teasing." Shouji grunted. "Who knows? One day, you might cross the line with her. Or anyone else for that matter."
"Oh, trust me, little guy, this man over here has been in worse shape before, and he didn't do any of those things you fear." Koichi answered him calmly. "Besides… I think she already has someone in sight."
"…we're talking about him, ain't we?"
"Who do you think I was talking about?"
The Male Model smirked at this. "Eh. I doubt he's into that kind of degree when it comes to relationship. Besides, it would take him realizing it in the first guy. And considering how dense he is…"
"True words have never been spoken…"
"But hey, at least he's nice and does his job. Unlike you."
"Again with that?"
"Remember what happened at the beginning of this year?"
The school's scout lifted up his eyes towards the student in curiosity. "Hmm? Care to elaborate?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about, old man. You do realize you put him into a very risky situation out of the blue with class 79-B, don't ya?"
The scout than widened his eyes lightly. "Oh! You're talking about that!" He then sighed in a relaxed way. "I thought it was more important than that."
"…so you really are confident that you did the good choice, aren't you?" The boy scoffed, but with a light smile. "You're incredibly lucky things went your way despite the odds. Otherwise, you would have been in deep shit. You know damn well that Yukizome-sensei ain't the type of teach' that would have simply let it slide."
"You're right about the last part." Koichi chuckled lightly. "That woman sure is something else. I still remember when she heard about that. The look on her face… she kept it towards me for the remaining week."
"And you still don't hang out with your class that much."
"Because I don't worry about anything. You've got to relax and let things roll sometimes!" The teacher reasoned. "Besides, luck is his official talent, remember?"
"You forget that it's bad luck most of the times. Even he outright admitted it."
"Maybe so, but still…" Koichi looked at the boy with confidence on his face.
"What kind of teacher would I be if I can't be able to trust my students?"
"Alright, kiddos. Nice to meet'cha all."
A simple and short introduction. Effective in general to introduce people you meet for the first time at an instruction.
In this case, class 79-B was the one which received that simple greeting.
And while it may be an effective greeting method… the look on some of their faces was enough to understand that they were a little weirded out because of it.
Others looked bored, or simply annoyed.
That, Koichi noticed directly. But at the same time, he was… relaxed.
"Come on, everyone, what's with the odd look?" He asked them with a lazy smile. "You're going to be classmates for three years now, so you're won't be able to stay in this kind of sour mood, y know."
Most of the students looked a little nervous at him.
Keyword here, most.
"YEAH! What's with the long faces, you guys?!"
Well, at least someone was enthusiastic.
Then again, Kaito Momota, did have the face of a hothead. Despite him actually being smarter than he looked.
…well, cheating on a test isn't something he would usually call smart or wise, but he still managed to be noticed, so… he would let it slide for now.
"Come on, you can't tell me you ain't happy to be here!" Kaito pumped his first in the air. "We're all gonna be classmates here! So you can't be all sad or depressed on such a day!"
"I-it's not really that, you know…"
Sadly, some people didn't seem to be too much into it.
An example of that was Ki-Bo Idabashi, who appeared to be one of the most reserved persons over here.
If before, somebody told him that he was going to see a real-life robot
"What? What do you mean by that?" Kaito asked him, with a rather forceful tone. "You telling me that being excited ain't a good thing?!"
"N-no, of course not!" Ki-Bo answered hurriedly. "I am simply saying that some people as there ways of handling this kind of thing! This is a new situation for everyone here, after all!"
"You mean to tell me you've never been polarized before?!" The Astronaut didn't buy it one bit. "That's bullshit, and you know it!"
"That's not what he meant, you idiot. He meant was that it's our first day here and that he was dealing with it hi on way. And you being pumped up is not helping."
The Astronaut looked at the origin of the voice, but didn't seem to be frightened in the slightest. More like impressed, actually.
And yet, Maki Harukawa didn't seem like the kind of person who would give you a kind hug.
Quite the opposite, actually.
He knew right away that she would kill him if he were to do something stupid with her.
…well, given the information he had… it wasn't too far from the truth.
"Well, that's what I'm trying to do!" Kaito refuted. "Everyone just seems too hesitant, ya know! But there's no reason to be! Where's your spirit?!"
"We just want to take it slowly, as I said before," the Robot explained again. "Can you really blame us for taking our time?"
"Ya know, kid, when I spoke earlier," Koichi joined the conversation once it has cooled down, "I didn't mean to yell right away. You can be relaxed, of course. I just said what I said because if the room went even quieter, it would have been too disturbing." He then chuckled a little. "Good thing you decided to talk, though. I thought I was going to talk to myself… again."
Some students looked oddly at him, before Kaito shrugged it off. "Well, yeah… someone had to start, ya know."
"Yup. And you're the one who did the job. Thanks." The teacher smiled a little, before asking, "Now then… does anyone has a question?"
"I do." The Caregiver said with the same tone. "And I think I'm going to speak for everyone here."
"Yup. Go on."
"What is he doing here? Shouldn't he be in his own class?"
Ah… that was right. With all of that, Koichi almost forgot…
He did bring someone with him this time.
Someone he knew he could trust with his task.
"Um, I'm your senior. I'm here to help you for this week. And I've also been instructed to help you during the next three year… at least, that's what the Headmaster told me."
Though the kid did sound nervous at the situation.
But he guessed he couldn't blame him for feeling this way.
After all, Makoto Naegi could be a little shy when it comes to introducing himself to others.
Though he did gain some confidence with the year he passed with his classmates…
A good thing he came prepared.
"So… you're from a class above us? And you've been assigned to help us?"
The question came from Kaede Akamatsu, as everyone could see.
She seemed to be a little surprised at the fact that a student from another class was going to help assist them for three year.
Which was a nice move, but… what was the reasoning of this?
Didn't he also have to do some things of his own?
These were the thoughts that the teacher assumed that were crossing Kaede's mind.
Despite her being a little tense, she seemed to be one who would pay attention to her surroundings
"Yeah… that's what I told you." The boy explained. "The Headmaster decided to try… another approach for this year."
"Another… approach?"
"Allow me to explain." Koichi took the helm. "A lot of changes happened during the last two years here."
"By any chances, do you mean the expansion of the school?"
Everyone turned towards the voice to see the girl who spoke.
And as he expected, Kirumi Toujo was a sharp one. He could tell just by her look.
But with a resume as good as her, it was to be expected.
"Right on the flesh, lady." He smirked, before continuing. "I'm not going to talk about what happened specifically or else, we'll be here by the end of the week. So I'm just going to say that we thought it would be easier for the new classes, which means you guys, to have some assistance from the other classes."
"Do you mean for the schedules and activities?" The Maid asked with the same tone.
"That… and other stuff."
The simple answer from the teacher seemed to startle some students, as they felt like there was something more than he didn't want to share.
Something… bad.
And they would be right to think that.
It was only a matter of time before their innocence will completely shatter.
But the Pianist did seem to worry about Makoto. "B-but… don't you have things to do with your own class?"
"She is right. This decision seems to be a little… off." Ki-Bo joined her. "Another student has come to help us… alone? Doesn't it seem a little… ineffective?"
But the boy only smiled at the attention directed at him. "Oh! Don't worry about that! I can understand why you're worried, but it's how it will be in the beginning. Other people will join me as the year pass by, so more people will come for you, if that's what worries you!"
"Oh… I see…" The Pianist smiled a little. "I'm glad…"
"But why have you been chosen specifically? I mean, no offense, but… you're not what I expected, to be honest. You look kind of… average."
It seemed that most people seemed to think that too. This time, the voice was more curious, though empty of any malice or rudeness.
Koichi also supposed that it was how Tsumugi Shirogane. She also had the appearance which struck with her personality.
In this case, the one of an airhead.
…mental note: not saying anything like this in front of them. Ever.
To this, the boy seemed a little amused as he scratched his cheek. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Well, honestly, I don't really know myself… I guess it's because I'm the representative of my own class, so…"
"Oh! I see!" The Cosplayer smiled at hearing this. "So they decided to send someone who has some experience with dealing with a class, is that right? Then I think it shouldn't be too bad!"
"Hell yeah! That's more like it!" Kaito spoke again with a grin directed at the shorter boy. "You're doin' a good job so far! Look at those guy's faces! You just made everything better just by being here! I don't know you yet, but I like you already!"
And true, the mood did seem a little less tense because he has spoken. Most of the students seemed appeased by what happened.
But clearly, it didn't do the same thing for Makoto as he began to blush in embarrassment. "O-oh, thanks, b-but you know, we haven't done anything yet…"
"Told ya it would go smoothly, kiddo." Koichi laughed lightly. "I keep telling ya, it's because of your luck. And you say your talent isn't much…"
This however, surprised many people in the classroom.
"Uh? You mean that… you're a Lucky student too?"
The question that was heard and resumed everyone's thoughts came from someone who was directly concerned. By that, it meant another Lucky Student.
Shuichi Saihara, if Koichi remembered correctly.
If the pieces of information given to him were true, then his family was also related to investigation. His uncle, most specifically.
He probably wanted to end up like him. And if that was the case, then it meant one thing.
It meant that Kyouko had gained an admirer today.
The thought made him smile even more.
Makoto seemed a little surprised at the question, but answered anyway. "Well, yes, that's true. I'm the one who has been chosen by the lottery last year, and… well, here I am."
"A Lucky Student who's his class representative and who has been chosen to assists other classes?" Maki looked at him suspiciously. "Wasn't there anyone more qualified for this? I don't know, some sort of Moral Compass or anything like that?"
"U-uh…" the boy seemed a little hurt at the blunt comment. "W-well… there is one in my class, yes, but he's been assigned for other tasks, so…"
"I am also a little surprised at the choice made." Kirumi said with a neutral face. "However, I do not see any reason why we should refuse your help. You do seem competent despite the appearances."
"T-thanks…"
"Besides, talent isn't everything. I'm sure that you've been chosen to represent your class for a reason."
The Maid was going to say that, but someone else managed to beat her to the punch.
And that person was Rantarou Amami, who was smiling at the Luckster with friendliness.
Luckster who smiled in return. "Thanks for the compliment."
"No problem."
The Adventurer seemed wiser than he looked, much to his own surprise.
Perhaps it was due to his many travels, he thought.
Not that he didn't think that the others Ultimates were not wise, but… some just didn't seem to make the cut.
He wished that every year, he didn't have to deal with nutjobs every year.
…and speaking of which…
"Well, I trust you're going to do fine, kiddo." Koichi said before sighing. "I just hope class 79-A will have more luck. Considering what happened with the other lucky student from above…"
"Uh?" Shuichi spoke again. "Another one?"
"Yeah… I still can't believe Komaeda-senpai's luck had put him in this kind of situation…"
"Situation?" Kaede said a little nervously. "W-what are you talking about?"
Instead of answering, Koichi simply put a hand on the Luckster's shoulder. "Okay, kiddo. This is your time to shine. Have fun with the newbies."
"Uh?"
Even Makoto seemed a little distraught at what the teacher just did next.
Which meant sitting on the chair in front of his desk, putting his feet on it, put his hat on his face…
RRRRR…
And felt asleep. Right in front of everyone else, who watched silently as the laidback personality of the teacher revealed itself.
Well, at least until someone else spoke.
"Well, this is surely… unexpected. Is this his way of teaching to his students?"
The voice belonged to Korekiyo Shinguji, whose expression was unreadable for most people because he had a mask on his face.
Which didn't send good news for Makoto, but he decided not to show it. "W-well… Kizakura-sensei is rather the… relaxed type of person. You can say that he teaches us to… you know, gain our independence by… letting us on our own."
"I see. That is indeed quite the method." The Anthropologist said before laughing. "Kukukukuku… this is going to be very interesting."
And the laugh didn't help the creepy vibes he was giving to everyone.
"And you would think this is a good thing?! Coming from a degenerate, that doesn't surprise Tenko in the slightest!"
And one certain Aikido Master didn't seem to like this one bit.
Although Tenko Chabashira seemed to have a… personal agenda of her own to think this way.
"D…degenerate?" Makoto asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"Do not try to play dumb with Tenko!" Said girl glared at him. "This degenerate just protected the reasoning of a member of his kind! And Tenko bets that you think the same!"
"W-what?!" Clearly, Makoto didn't see that coming. "No! Of course not! I don't approve of any of his attitude at all! That caused problems before, I saw I myself! And even though I tried to reason with him, he just wouldn't listen!"
"But even still-"
"Nyeh… would you all stop with the shootings? I can't sleep… and I can't restore my Mana…"
The tiny voice interrupted Tenko, who seemed to apologize right now. "O-oh! Sorry! Tenko didn't mean to wake you up!"
The look on Makoto's face must have been one of surprise.
Himiko Yumeno seems to be the kind of girl that would rather take a nap than listening to classes.
…he could feel some Chiaki vibes with her.
But Makoto couldn't let it slide. "Uh, I'm sorry to say this, but you shouldn't take a nap on classes. This is your first day, you know…"
"Nyeh… I know…" The Magician said sleepily. "But listening is too tiresome… and I stopped listening when the teacher fell asleep. And if he can, I can too, right?"
"Exactly!" Tenko glared at the Luckster."So apologies for being rude right now, you degenerate!"
"W-what?!"
"Oi, are you done shooting yet? You're annoying."
The Aikido Master didn't like the tone the person was using on her.
Especially since the one who spoke was a boy of all things.
Then again, this one seemed to be dangerous… and didn't seem to mind on top of that.
She has heard of Ryouma Hoshi, a.k.a. Tennis Killer. A dangerous person who has been in prison because he killed people before being here…
How can someone like him attend this place was beyond her understanding.
"You're disturbing everyone here with your shouts. At least the other idiot isn't loud when he snores." The Tennis Player said with a frown on his face directed at her. "And on top of that, you're only claiming stupid sexist things. Not a good move. And really ticking off."
"What?! How dare you?!" Tenko was not going to let herself be stomped by another menace! "You mean a degenerate like of you is going to order Tenko around?! Guess again! She will not be manipulated by the likes of-"
"Alright, now that's enough, everyone!"
Everyone seemed so surprised at the sudden shouting that came from Makoto's mouth.
They saw that he didn't like doing this.
But alas, he had a job to do.
"We're not here to argue like that." Makoto reasoned. "As Kizakura-sensei said before, you're going to be together for three years. So you can't argue all the time. You need to get past your differences, because it will be necessary for your future. You can trust me, I talk from experience."
The speech seemed to calm down people a bit, even Tenko, who still has a frown on her face.
"Nyahahaha! That's exactly what Atua-sama told Angie right now!"
A happy voice could be heard, and everyone turned around to see the face of the girl who spoke.
And it was Angie Yonaga who raised her opinion.
Opinion that startled Makoto a bit. "A… Atua? Is that… is that a God?"
"I believe so." Korekiyo spoke again. "I have heard of some tales concerning this deity, but it appears what you know much more about it."
"Oh? Don't you know?" The Artist looked at him curiously. "Atua-sama was the one who protected Angie's home island! And he allowed Angie to be here! He is very kind, you know!"
That seemed… interesting. So this girl was a religious one, uh?
He could certainly work with that.
He simply hoped that it wouldn't go too far.
People could believe in it too much.
"Really? He seems nice! Gonta hopes he can teach him to be gentleman!"
The one who spoke next seemed to be a part of those people.
Despite his huge appearance, Gonta Gokuhara seemed like a real gullible person.
Didn't seem like a bad one, though… quite the opposite.
"Oh, He can if you want!" The Artist said happily. "Atua' powers are limitless!"
"Nyeh… limitless?" Himiko said, the mention of powers perked up her interest.
"AH! Don't tell me you fuckin' maggots believe in this bullshit!"
Everyone turned towards the owner of the voice, who seemed as rude as they imagined.
No student should put their foot on their desks… unlike Koichi.
Then again, Miu Irruma didn't seem to care about any of that.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Angie looked at her with the same smile. "You know, Atua-sama doesn't like it when people are rude."
"Atua-this, Atua-that… seriously, are you fuckin' brain-dead?" The Inventor barked at her rudely. "It's just some random idea ya just made up to take attention on yourself, nothin' more! And it's fuckin' pathetic!"
"Angie doesn't know what you're talking about."
"Don't try to pull it off with me!"
"Come on, guys, don't fight again…" Makoto tried to appease the argument between the two girls as he approached them.
"Don't tell me what to do, you fuckin' midget!" The Inventor flipped him the bird. Who the fuck you think you are, telling a genius like me how to behave, uh?! What are ya, a fuckin'-"
"I said it was enough!"
"Eeeek?!" Miu backed away in fear, changing her behavior completely. "W… what's wrong with you, shouting like that?! W-what did I do?!"
Once again, he had to raise his voice against a newcomer.
But he never expected this kind of reaction from that person again.
One moment she was rude, and then she was a scared cat.
This one was going to be a tough one, he thought.
"Wow! You impress me, you know! You don't have the look of someone that would do something like that!"
And he didn't know why, but he thought the same about the person who talked next, who hadn't done so until now.
The smirk on Kokichi Ouma's face confirmed it further.
But before he could respond, the President spoke further. "Now then, if you would like… mind to tell us what happened with the other Lucky Student? Because I'm still waiting."
"T-that's right…" Shuichi concurred nervously. "You still haven't told us what happened. So… could you please tell us? I'm also a little curious."
Then, Makoto laughed nervously. "Well… it's incredible. I doubt you would believe me."
"Come on, senpai." Kaede laughed lightly. "It can't be that bad, right?"
The look on his face told her everything.
"…right?"
"…I wish it wasn't. But…" The Luckster sighed. "…even I can't believe this kind of thing happens to him on a daily basis."
"Uh?" Ki-Bo sounded a little astonished at this. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well…" Makoto began to explain. "My senpai, Komaeda Nagito, that's his name, has a very… changing routine when it concerns his luck. You see, when something good happens, a moment later, something bad follows. But the thing is… it's not your average good or bad things, mind you."
"You mean… like a curse of some sort?" Himiko asked curiously. "Can you give us an example?"
"…you can say that." Makoto laughed nervously. "And as for giving an example, well, for instance, what happened to him recently… was him being lost in the desert."
…
Silence. Great silence. Along with incredulous stares. Just as he expected.
Before someone spoke gain.
"Are… are you serious?" Tsumugi looked at him incredulously. "That's… that's so… bizarre!"
"I know, right? Even now, I still think it's unbelievable!" Makoto laughed nervously. "Some days ago, the school has been called by the airplane agency which took care of him to say that the plane he was in crashed somewhere in the desert in Africa."
"T-that's… that's horrible!" Gonta said, panicked at hearing the story. "Can't you guys do something to save poor senpai?!"
"Unfortunately, not really." The short boy scratched the back of his head. "We tried to contact him, but he didn't answer any time we tried. It seems like he lost his phone at the time… again. So there's no way of contacting him right now."
"Well, that's… unexpected, to say the least." Rantarou laughed awkwardly. "But… how did he end in a plane in the first place?"
Makoto became a little nervous at this. "Well… that's just it."
"Uh?"
"It turns out that… he won a trip. At a contest he didn't remember participating, from what I've been told."
…
Again, silence. And the same look on their faces too.
And this time, it was Kirumi who spoke. "That is… indeed very suspicious. And you say he didn't recall participating in it?"
"That's what I've heard, yeah." Makoto said. "And it's not the first time that kind of thing happens to him."
"Wow… that's fuckin' scary!" Kaito began to sweat. "If you're serious, then hanging out with this guy sure must be… I-I can't even…"
"Yeah, tell me 'bout it. The shitbag sure has a life which suits him." Miu looked a little surprised at this. "Can't believe you're telling us that."
"I'm not making up any of it, I promise." The Luckster sweatdropped as well. "You can ask the Headmaster if you don't believe me."
"Even if it was a lie, I'll hand it to you, that would be a very imaginative one." Kokichi smirked. "It would put anyone to shame. Trust me, I'm an expert."
"I… I see…"
"But here's my question, though. What if you're cursed just like him?"
That question made everyone look at him as if a second head grew right next to the original one. Including Makoto. "W-what?"
"There's a possibility that your luck is as bad as him, of course. Don't tell me you've never thought of it." The President smirked to himself. "Potentially putting your juniors in danger like that… it's pretty careless, you know."
The poor Luckster could only feel other people look at him oddly before he answered. "Well… mine isn't as bad. But… to be honest, I consider it to be… a little bad most of the times."
"Wait, most of the times?!" The Astronaut began to freak out. "Oi, don't tell me-"
"Oh, my. A Lucky Student who is more unlucky?" Korekiyo wondered. "That is indeed quite the contradictory fact."
"And they send someone as dangerous as you to help us?!" Tenko seemed scandalized by what she heard. That's just unacceptable!"
The poor Luckster began to get a little nervous at the change of mood. So much for trying to calm the tensions.
"Everyone, calm down!"
But this time, he was not the only one who raised his voice.
No, this time, it was Kaede, as surprising as it seemed.
She didn't seem really happy about how it turned out either. She even raised herself from her seat.
"You can't just accuse him like that! Just because his talent concerns luck doesn't mean anything!" The Pianist seemed said in a reprimanding tone. "Nothing wrong happened since he came here, so isn't that enough of a proof?!"
The Luckster seemed surprised at the sudden action she took. And most of the classmates seemed to share his sentiment.
And Tsumugi who was along them joined her. "She's right, you know! You can't just let some superstitions misguide you! That would be rude of all of us!"
"Besides," Rantarou joined the conversation, "if he is bad luck, then I guess that the one with the cap is too. That would be rude to do that to our own classmates, wouldn't it?"
Shuichi became a little tense at the mention of him, but he calmed down a bit. "I-I… I guess it would. We should give him a chance, at least."
"Believing in luck is way too stupid." Ryouma said while looking away. "Seriously, who's dumb enough to believe in something like that today? You're here because of a lottery, nothing more, nothing less."
"My thoughts exactly. And as long as you do your part, we'll be good." Maki scoffed, before looking at Kaito. "Are you done making a fool of yourself now?"
The Astronaut looked at her a little surprised, before snapping out of it. "Y-yeah… I-I think that- no… I know that I am!" He grinned in assurance before looking at Makoto. "Sorry about that, man. It's just that… curses and all that supernatural stuff ain't my thing."
"Y-yes! Gonta sorry too, senpai!" The Entomologist looked remorseful. "He-he thought for a second that bad things would happen too! And for that, he sorry!"
"D-don't worry, I get it." Makoto laughed awkwardly. "You were just scared. But don't worry, there's nothing to fear in here."
"That's right! Atua-sama is going to protect us from harm!" Angie said happily. "That's what he told to Angie!"
"I-I suppose it's appreciated…" the Luckster said while laughing awkwardly.
In all of this, Kokichi chuckled his own way. "Nishishi… poor guy, you don't know what you just put yourself into."
Kaede was the one who heard it, and couldn't help but shiver.
Whatever he was planning, this wasn't good, she thought.
Especially if he as aiming at the poor boy.
Perhaps she should warn him about him after classes.
"Ahem!"
Everyone turned towards the boy who began to speak to the class. "Alright, so we're going to begin with the introductions. Since I'm the one who spoke first, I think I should start."
He then bowed to them respectfully.
"My name is Naegi Makoto. As I've told you before, I am the Ultimate Lucky Student from class 78-B."
And when they got up…
Well… another of his trademark smile was in order.
"I hope we will be able to all get along."
"And I think they did… told ya your magic would work, kiddo."
Indeed, as far as he saw it, they did manage to get along just fine… most of the times.
They weren't as wild as class 77-B, but just a little more than class 78-B. They were in the middle. The perfect balance.
They did want to do their own things, though Then again, it was like that with most of the classes.
But he was not worried in the slightest.
If the kid managed to reach the others classes, why wouldn't he manage with this one?
And sure enough, he did.
Shuichi found someone he could relate to, because of the similar talents they had.
Sometimes, he could even hear them talking about detectives cases…
Guess he was also helping him with his insecurities as well as his future. Good.
Kaito was probably the boy the boy he had more easiness with. He figured it was fun to listen to his stories and to train with him as his sidekick.
…he needed to be careful about not pushing himself above his limits, though. Just like Nekomaru.
He simply hoped that unlike the older student, he was going to go better.
Rantarou's many stories and experiences were also fun to listen to.
Not to mention, their similarities with family situation seemed to bring them closer.
Ki-Bo also seemed to have found a liking to the Luckster. Perhaps because of the fact that he treated him as a living, human being instead of a machine.
That, or the similarities in look. There was no way in his mind that it was a coincidence.
Gonta also looked happy with him. He found a good teacher to achieve his dreams of being a gentleman.
The kid was a safe bet to him.
Even Ryouma seemed to open up a little more thanks to him. Guess after what happened to him, he needed a little some sweetness.
Even if he was constantly denying it. This was too precious.
Korekiyo… he was a little off.
Yes, he had interesting interactions with the Luckster, of course, but… something was off with this guy when he saw him for the first time.
And it wasn't just the looks. His behavior, his concepts… it was almost alarming.
His intuitions never wronged him before, that was why.
He would have to investigate on his own, he thought.
And Kokichi… oh boy…
The prankster of this year was a tough one to handle, even for the Luckster.
For some reason, he decided to test the poor little guy with all kind of tricks…
It must be tiresome, even for him
But he had faith in him. He would succeed no problem.
…besides, he had it covered with the girls if things went bad.
Kaede seemed to appreciate it when he listened to her songs and to what she said. On top of that, she seemed to be really grateful for helping her with some of her insecurities.
Guess she was his number one fan in the class.
Tsumugi was close behind, then. Because she really seemed to also admire the Luckster, for some reason.
Maybe because he was nice and caring… and also because he looked like an anime protagonist.
Kirumi seemed to appreciate his constant help with a smile even if she kept saying that it was her job and duty as a maid.
Knowing him, he knew he would help her with that.
Angie also took a real liking towards him… even if she as a little freaky sometimes with her religious quirks.
He swears, one day she would sculpt his face and think it would be her dear Atua.
Himiko seemed to rely on him a lot, probably because he was a good assistant.
Also, she seemed to like it when she slept near him… a lot.
Which was not appreciated by the following girl.
Tenko, while she didn't hate him as much as before, still had some defiance towards him.
…though now, she seemed to be a little nicer to him specifically. Oh well.
Miu seemed to appreciate him. Or at least, appreciate his help. Guess she needed a good assistant, which she found in the boy.
To think she said earlier that she wouldn't associate herself with 'some retarded losers'… that would come bite her later.
Maki… she seemed to… tolerate him at best.
She was not too cold towards him, but she wasn't friendly either.
…well, considering the nature of her true talent, that was an understatement.
He simply hoped that she wouldn't strangle him because of an accident.
"Oi, you still in the clouds?"
The teacher slightly widened his eyes before turning towards the Male Model. "Oh, you're still here?"
"I was talking to you, so of course I'll be there." Shouji answered with a frown. "Were you thinking about what you did?"
Koichi shrugged it off. "Maybe? Even someone like me ca feel a little nostalgic, can't he? That was a good example of communication this day."
Shouji sighed in annoyance.
Of course he would fake falling asleep just to ear the class.
A good thing his hat was in front of his face, or else they would have immediately seen him smiling.
"Yeah, well, you should maybe think of your methods again just to be sure." He advised him. "Seriously, even the new teacher seems to know how to handle her class better, than you.
"Alright, alright… guess it won't hurt to try, but I can't make promises…" Koichi chuckled before looking at the teen. "By the way… you have any idea where our mascot left?"
To this, the Male Model smirked lightly. "So you do worry for him sometimes, uh?"
"Safety first, kid."
"Well, I dunno. Didn't see him today except for this morning." He answered, before looking at him with the same smile. "What, you think he's with a girl? Is that it?"
"Not necessarily, but it's definitely a possibility." Koichi kept smiling before looking away. "But if that's what's going on, then…"
Shouji finished his thoughts. "So you're thinking what I'm thinking, uh? Funny, I really think this is going to end like this, ya know."
To this, the smirk on the scout's face went wider.
"Eh… a man can always dream of a happy ending, right?"
There you go, guys. Another chapter delivered to you.
Personally, I think I rushed the flashback part a little. But… I had to deliver something on time, right? I also feel like I could have written a little more as for the DR3 trio. But… I think you will like what I plan for them.
…I don't think you didn't guess who were the guests here, did you? Good. I've got less to explain then.
Man, this way a little tough for me this time. Respect the delays while preparing myself for the end of the year was tough, but I managed. YAYYYYY!
Oh yeah, and I decided to give Amino a try! Is that a good thing? Please tell me! And don't hesitate to say hi if you want! It always makes me smile.
So, I think you all know what's going to happen next chapter. Who is going to have the spotlight with our dear Luckster.
I don't think it takes a genius, does it?
So until next time, I'll be smashing some opponents for the time being!
See you again, and-
Oh yeah, I almost forgot it was that time of the year!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! HAVE A GOOD TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND BE HAPPY, THAT'S WHAT MATTERS! OHOHOHOHO!
Pupla out.
