Beta-Reader: Zephyrius29 (Ideas)

Chapter 7: Mahiru's Manners, Fuyuhiko's Favoritism

Hope's Peak Academy

General School Grounds

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Noon Time

Mahiru steeled herself for the self-appointed task ahead of her. It wasn't really necessary for her to be doing this, but for the sake of her own reasons and concerns, she felt obligated to do this.

Class 77-B, for some reason, had been receiving another boost of positive energy, which was astonishing in and of itself considering that as a class, they already were absolutely abuzz with life. The fact that there was more to add to the mix was a good thing. If that were all there was to it, then the Ultimate Photographer wouldn't have anything to worry about and this little detour in her day wouldn't be necessary.

It was through her conversations with her classmates that she began to worry for lack of a more appropriate term. First, Ibuki was practically giddy all day without a so much as a slump. When Mahiru asked what had gotten her energy up so high, the Ultimate Musician said that it was because of her new bandmate, and when the name Hajime Hinata was thrown out, that got her attention.

The photographer recognized the name as it had come up when she spoke with Chiaki, so naturally, she went to ask the class representative about it, but she didn't need to as it slipped into the conversation naturally. The gamer girl had commented about Hajime being a fun guy to play video games with.

Then there was Mikan, who had come into class the past few days with a genuine smile that wasn't seen often. The nurse had simply stated to the entire class that she had made a new friend. There was no evidence or confirmation of any kind, but this Reserve Course boy surely had to be behind it.

Also, when Ibuki had thrown out the name Hajime Hinata loudly, Peko and Fuyuhiko also seemed to be drawn to that name. It was brief, but Mahiru could have sworn she saw them both look like they were listening to the conversation and being as discreet as possible. Did they know this boy too?

Nagito had thrown a dismissive comment about how worthless parasites were getting in the way of the Ultimates reaching for Hope, which was really atypical for the Ultimate Lucky Student. He rarely was a in a bad mood and his negative reactions were few and far in between, but that name seemed to give him the worst mood anyone in the class had ever seen.

Gundham approached the name very casually, as if it was nothing to worry about, but the fact that he had commented on it at all made it weird regardless.

This couldn't be a mistake or an accident or chance. Almost half of her classmates had reacted in some way to the name Hajime Hinata. Mahiru might not be friends with every single one of them, but they were all getting closer, and like it or not, she was becoming used to everyone's quirks and characteristics. Her mind had even suggested that they were becoming a sort of family, a truly bizarre revelation for her, though not an uncomfortable one.

That's why she needed to do this, howbeit, there was a problem: she had no idea where to begin searching. The only thing she knew was that this boy was a Reserve Course student, like Sato was. That's why she was heading for the Reserve Course building, looking for a needle in a haystack. There were over 2000 students there, and with very little to go off of, she had to ask around. Naturally, asking Sato would come first.

Then a question came to mind: what would Sato think if she asked about some random kind from the Reserve Course? Would that make problems right now or anytime down the road? It was something to seriously consider, and the only thing that the redhead could think to do was be truthful about what she was doing.

That's why she was pacing back and forth in the garden, trying to formulate all the possible ways to answer the inevitable questions that would come her way, and it wasn't working for her.

"You look lost." A voice said to her. "Do you need help with something?"

Mahiru was jumped by this and whirled around to face the boy who had addressed her. He stood about half a head taller than herself. He was dressed in the Reserve Course uniform. His face watched her casually, with not a trace of anything out of the usual.

"You really shouldn't scare people like that." Mahiru scolded him. "Jump scares aren't appreciated."

"Sorry." He held his hands up in defense. "It's just… I've seen you before. You're friends with Sato, right?"

"Yes, that's right." The photographer nodded her head. "I'm Mahiru Koizumi."

"Mahiru Koizumi." He repeated the name as it to memorize it. "I'm Hajime Hinata."

That got her attention right off the bat. "Hajime Hinata. I've heard a few things about you."

"Nothing bad, I hope?" He seemed apprehensive. "I mean, I'm nothing special."

Chiaki had said that he was harmless, and judging by what she saw, it seemed an accurate statement.

"Really?" Mahiru looked him up and down. "My classmates say otherwise."

"Would those classmates happen to be…" Hajime paused for a moment before listing off names. "... Chiaki, Mikan, Nagito, Ibuki, Peko, and Gundham?"

"They've all had good things to say for the most part." Mahiru eyed him. "Naturally, I was curious, so here I am. I was going to ask Sato if she knew about you."

"Well, it's not like I'm that interesting." Hajime laughed nervously. "Really, the first time I met all of them, it was all sort of by accident. From there, we just talked. There's really not much more to it."

"Nothing more to it?" She raised a skeptical eye at him. "Chiaki speaks highly of you, as does Ibuki."

"Really, I just play games with Chiaki." He explained the situation with a bit of anxiety. "And Ibuki found me, wanted me to play music with her. Miss Yukizome, even got me permission to go onto the Main Course grounds due to the latter."

"Miss Yukizome? You know her?"

"More than just know her. I don't know why, but… she's kind of made it a habit to talk to me often. I'm not sure why, but I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I don't know about her as a teacher, but she's… a great person to talk to."

The photographer could sense the familiarity of speaking of Miss Yukizome, but like with the people he'd met in Class 77-B, he spoke of the former Ultimate Housekeeper as if he wasn't sure he should be talking about her like an equal. He sounded unsure of himself, but unlike Nagito, who seemed to be self-deprecating to an unnatural degree, Hajime gave off the vibe of a young boy who sounded merely uncertain. It seemed a natural response; the Reserve Course students didn't have talents that the school recognized, so they must feel naturally inferior to their Main Course counterparts.

"So… what's your talent?" Hajime asked her next.

"Oh, my talent?" Mahiru paused before formulating a response. "I'm the Ultimate Photographer. I just take pictures of the world around me."

"So, it's like a visual journal?" Hajime tried to analogize her talent. "Something to that effect?"

"That's a pretty good way of describing it." Mahiru found that comparison to be adequate. "As a photographer, it's my job to capture the world and all of its moments, good or bad."

"That's quite a job to have." He sounded more than a little awed. "I mean, if Hope's Peak Academy is anything to go by, there are a LOT of moments to capture in the world."

She wasn't sure if he meant it that way, but she felt that his words were a compliment. By framing her talent in a way that made it sound more important than it did at face value, her work could be seen as having greater value.

"Well, I'm not sure that I'll be able to get EVERY moment, but I'll try my hardest to do so." Mahiru smiled a bit at her own ambitions. "The world is a big place, but I want to see what it has to offer. Still, I appreciate the vote of confidence."

"Well, I think you've got a right to be confident." Hajime said sheepishly. "You're an Ultimate, which is a far cry from being average."

From the way he sounded, he wasn't saying empty words, and taking a look at his face, he appeared genuinely impressed by her, yet at the same time, it was almost like he was kind of afraid of her.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. She had her camera on her, so she took a photo of him, too late for him to stop her.

"Did you just take a photo of me?" Hajime questioned her.

"I sure did." Mahiru then looked at the photo and laughed. "Yep, that's a dumb-looking face."

"Hey!" Hajime protested. "I wasn't ready for that one!"

"It's too late now." She grinned at him. "The moment's been recorded."

He groaned in annoyance, but she only giggled a bit. Perhaps she had underestimated this boy.

Hope - - - Despair

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Afternoon

From what Peko had said about this Hajime kid, he was not average. Yes, his appearance was unremarkable, but as the yakuza boy knew from experience, judging by the cover could often be a dangerous thing. This kid was more than he seemed, and Peko wasn't one to be sarcastic nor was she one to exaggerate. She spoke of how things were and rarely anything more. That meant he had to approach this one differently than normal.

Natsumi, on the other hand, treated Hajime like any other kid. She claimed that there wasn't much to say about in regards to him being unique or special, but therein was the contradiction. Natsumi hated normal people, and even if she called Hajime a normal person, he couldn't possibly be one. His little sister was arguably more hardcore than he was, which meant she had very high standards for the people she associated with, friends and family even more so. Although she hadn't stated that she and Hajime were, Natsumi already had a sort of liking to him, which might as well be friendship or something greater.

At the end of the day, Fuyuhiko had to be sure of one thing. Yes, Natsumi might call him out for doing this, but he was the older brother. Anyone whom his sister talked to frequently warranted a closer inspection, regardless of who they were. They could be God or Satan and he would still check them out.

So here he was, leaning against one side of the gate of the Reserve Course building as the Reserve Course students poured out and made their way home. Almost immediately, they recognized him and steered clear of them. This was a sort of reaction he was used to and it didn't bother him. He was dangerous, plain and simple, and danger presented unknowns, and nothing was more frightening to any person than unknowns and all of that shit. Nobody even dared to look his way for even a complete second.

Fuyuhiko eyes trained on the wave of students as they came through. There were a lot of them, and they far outnumbered the Main Course. Finding two students in a student body of 2K plus people was going to be a tough. There was a silver lining though: although it might take the school a long time to empty, it came in manageable streams. He wasn't straining himself too much while watching.

Looking at his student handbook, the Super High School Level Yakuza noted that he had spent the better part of ten minutes in this spot. He sighed and pocketed his student hand book again. His patience wasn't the best and as committed as he was to what he was doing, he would give up if it too way too long.

Then as if he possessed Nagito's good luck, he spotted Natsumi, and by her side was Hajime. They seemed to be in a conversation of sorts. Their faces didn't look neither happy nor sad. It was like watching two people having a normal conversation. That put his nerves to rest a little bit.

"Natsumi." Fuyuhiko spoke loudly.

His sister heard her name being called out just as she and Hajime crossed the gate. She rushed to his side.

"Hey, bro, what's up?" Natsumi sounded mellow.

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk." Fuyuhiko said.

The brown-haired boy looked ready to leave, but the Ultimate Yakuza called out to him before he could do so.

"Hey, you!" Fuyuhiko addressed the kid with a bit of a harsh tone. "I want to talk to you!"

With an expression that could be described as anxious, his target carefully walked up to him.

"H-hi." He stammered slightly. "I'm-"

"Hajime Hinata." Fuyuhiko cut him off. "I know who you are."

The two boys faced each other, one with a hard look, the other with a guarded look. Seconds ticked by as a staredown ensued. It would have gone on for longer before Natsumi forced herself into the fray.

"Hey!" She hit them both in the shoulder. "I'm right here, guys!"

"Natsumi, I need a minute with this guy." Fuyuhiko addressed her. "You mind?"

"Why?" Natsumi demanded with narrowed eyes.

"Just a heart-to-heart between guys." Fuyuhiko stated vaguely. "It's nothing that you'd be interested to hear."

The brother could tell that she was unconvinced, but her respect and love for him was what led her to give a nod and a warning look before she backed off, turning to go the dorms.

"I'll see you guys later." She left, still eyeing them both until she was out of sight.

"Now then." Fuyuhiko turned. "I wanna talk to you."

"Um… okay." Hajime said.

"First question: do you know my family?"

"Um, yes."

"Then let me make this perfectly clear, kid. Natsumi is my only siblings. She means a lot to me. I don't know how you do it, but somehow, you've become someone she likes, and that means she trusts you a lot. You'd better not betray her trust or hurt her in any other, otherwise you'll answer to me and my family. Are we clear on that?"

"... crystal."

"Good." Another thought came to Fuyuhiko's mind. "Also, no funny business with Natsumi either. Remember that you're both in high school."

The implication was instantly recognized by the Reserve Course student, who reeled back a bit.

"W-what?!" Hajime sounded more outraged than intimidated. "No! I have standards, you know!"

"What, and we don't?" Fuyuhiko couldn't help but be a bit defensive. "Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm not saying that either." Hajime's tone cemented into a more sturdy disposition. "Natsumi's too proud to let anything like that happen to her, and getting past that, we're just friends. We talk a lot, and I'd rather not do anything that might disrupt that relationship. She's the only person I can talk to in the Reserve Course."

The reversal in how the brown-haired boy carried himself was quite interesting to see. The fact was that he didn't run away or shy away from the Ultimate Yakuza was already something to take note of, but now the kid was actually showing some balls of steel by speaking to the Kuzuryu heir without so much as a hint of fear. His words were a declaration of the way things were. They were truthful words, but his last words were friendly and spoken fondly.

So he does like Natsumi as a friend. Fuyuhiko felt his approval going up. I think I see what you're seeing, little sister.

"Then we shouldn't have a problem." The blonde-haired boy calmed down. "...and thanks by the way."

"Huh? What for?" His counterpart switched from being determined to being unsure.

"You know, for being a friend to Natsumi." Fuyuhiko looked in the direction where his sister had gone. "That girl's been so obsessed with getting into the Main Course that she's been acting erratic, even more so than usual. With you in her life, she's become less obsessed, more grounded."

"Yeah, I guess so, but I also understand why she wants to get into the Main Course." Hajime looked longingly at the Main Course campus. "More than anything, she wants to prove that she's worth something. I know that feeling well, but… I also know that obsessing over talent is dangerous. It gives you tunnel vision, makes you forget about important things in life."

"You seem to know that better than she does." Fuyuhiko shoved his hands into his pockets. "And that fact that you can understand her obsession has me just a little bit worried."

"I'd be lying if I said I still don't want to get into the Main Course." Hajime's head gazed at the ground. "It's always been a life goal to be here."

"... you seem to be getting along just fine without a talent."

"Maybe. It's not as bad as it was in the beginning. Meeting so many kids from the Main Course has kind of changed my perspective on things."

"You mean my classmates. I've heard your name floating around in homeroom a lot. That's kind of a big accomplishment in and of itself."

"I have no complaints. It's made life much more pleasant."

"But you don't have to be a big-shot to be okay in this world. Talent or no talent, we're all people."

"So people keep telling me."

They were talking about nothing extremely personal, but all the same, it was a seamless conversation. Fuyuhiko could see the chinks in the armor with Hajime, but who didn't have a few bangs and dings to them? His objective to scope out his sister's new friend had been successful, so he was content.

That being said, there was the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time the two of them crossed paths. This one had much more going for him.

"I've got to head out." Hajime informed. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"We'll see." Fuyuhiko decided not to commit to anything. "And the name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. I didn't introduce myself."

"I'll remember that." Hajime nodded before taking his leave.

With his job done, Fuyuhiko decided to head to his own dorm. He'd talk with Natsumi later.

Despair - - - Hope

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Late Afternoon/Early Evening

Chisa still had the conversation with Kyousuke in mind. It was hard not to remember the conversation, especially when it pertained to the boy that she had her eyes on. It was necessary to bring the boy into the conversation because somehow, he was related. That wasn't a concrete fact, more like a gut instinct. Unfortunately, that also meant bringing Hajime into a situation that may or may not be dangerous to himself. Regardless of whether or not he was her student, he was just a kid, and anything that might stifle his life would be cruel, especially if it was something that she could prevent.

But she couldn't just simply go up and tell the Reserve Course boy what she was really here for. If he did know something, then he'd likely never tell her. If he was involved with the Headmaster Kirigiri, then there was no doubt that if he did know critical information, he had been sworn to secrecy, but that begged the question: what could he possibly know and would it have any relevance to her mission?That question rolled around in her head many times, but she couldn't think of anything that satisfied her curiosity.

Hope's Peak Academy was undergoing some intense changes, things that she hadn't ever seen during her time as a student here.

Whenever she was in a bad spot, she turned to her friends or anyone she trusted. As it so happened, Juzo was the only other person that fit, so she asked to meet him after school hours. Now here they were, taking away. Juzo leaned against the wall, listening to what she had to say about her investigation.

While it wasn't his job to become part of the investigation directly, he could act as a sort of backup. Since he was in charge of security on the main campus, he saw pretty much everyone go in and out daily, which afforded him a unique chance to obtain information provided he watched and listened carefully.

Chisa was not one to rely on luck, but she had prayed for Lady Luck to favor her this day; if Juzo had something for her, then she would be eternally grateful. She also tried to nail down the nitty-gritty details so as to keep his focus clear. Juzo wasn't unintelligent by any means, but he was impatient and didn't care much for long-winded conversations.

"So basically, your only lead is this Reserve Course kid." Juzo summed up what she had explained. "Frankly, I don't see the fuss."

"Neither do I, but the fact of the matter is that he was granted permission to enter the Main Course campus grounds." Chisa paced back and forth as she continued the conversation. "I don't know what the Headmaster is thinking, but I won't stop investigating."

"Hmph." Juzo frowned in thought. "Well, if you're looking for new leads, sad to say it, but I've got nothing. The staff's been real tight-lipped lately. It's almost like they suspect a snoop. If this kid is relevant to the dark side of Hope's Peak, then your being buddy-buddy with the kid isn't helping matters."

"Well, it's not like I can just stop." Chisa argued back with fervor. "I'm already too in too deep to back out now."

"I hear ya loud and clear, but you should know the situation you're in." Juzo regarded her with a critical look. "The fact of the matter is that we're both new hirees. Your actions might come across as harmless, but if that kid's important to the higher-ups, then you're only making your own job harder."

"Don't you think I know that?" Chisa huffed in mild frustration. "This whole thing is really testing me. It's already been a month and I have maybe one or two facts and more rumors and gut feelings."

"Then I'm sure one more rumor won't be too much?" Juzo queried.

No, she really didn't want to hear yet another rumor, but with limited resources and with even more limited contact with trusted people, what other choice did she have? She and the Ultimate Boxer only had themselves to rely on.

"Go on." Chisa waved him on. "What do you have?"

"The Board of Trustees." Juzo began with grim look. "They've been unusually quiet as of late. Rumor goes that there's nothing in terms of a public announcement, but it has to do with the Reserve Course funding."

"Reserve Course funding?" The homeroom teacher perked up.

"Keep in mind that I only heard this from the teachers." The boxer looked around, as if to check for eavesdropper. "Funding for the Reserve Course is going into something quiet, real hush-hush. I'm pretty sure I heard something related to Hope's Peak's founder."

"The founder of Hope's Peak?" She stopped pacing at this mention. "Izuru Kamukura? If that's the case, then this isn't something we can just sweep under the rug."

"I hear that." He acknowledged. "But remember, it's just something I heard. For now, I'm pegging it as a rumor."

"Be that as it may, I'll look into it." She played a bit with her apron. "I can't just ignore something like this, especially something like this."

Chisa collected herself and began to head to her office before turning around. "Oh yeah, Kyousuke sends greetings and wishes you well."

"Thanks." Juzo seemed to appreciate this. "But I'll be talking with him soon anyway, so-"

"Come on, be a little more enthusiastic than that." She puffed out her cheeks. "It's Kyousuke!"

"Okay, okay, chill out." He stood up straight and chuckled a bit. "I'm excited. See? This is my excited face."

"That's a terrible excited face." She grumbled. "When we talk again, it'd better be more exciting."

With that, she rushed back into the Main Course building to pick up a few things before calling it a day. Plus, she was now pumped to do some more investigation. She might not be close to the truth, but it could simply be a matter of looking at things from an entirely different angle. Focusing on the Reserve Course had left her on a linear path when she should have been thinking outside the box.

Chisa made short work of the trek. Coming to her desk, she glanced at the calendar. It had been four months since the semester started, and almost a full month since she had taken the reigns of Class 77-B. The experience, while brief, had given her a lot of joy. A lot of memories were made here, ones that she wouldn't forget easily. The class photo next to her always did manage to bring a smile to her face.

"Okay, focus, Chisa." She redirected her attention. "I need to pay attention more to the main campus."

A thought occurred to her that hadn't come to mind before. She began to pull up Hajime's school profile. The information was general, nothing noteworthy. The only thing that would differentiate him from other Reserve Course students was the note under that indicated something very intriguing.

In his profile description, one of the notes had explicit language detailing his ability to access the main course building like a normal Ultimate student could. That wasn't on his profile when she had first seen it.

The second note pointed to something even more suspicious. Student may show signs of having an innate talent. Recommend surveillance of student in order to properly ascertain candidacy into the main course.

Hajime was being considered to join the main campus? That was big news, and not something that could be done lightly. The headmaster had to be behind this. He was one of the few people who could influence this change, although in the end, the Board of Trustees had to know about this as well. While there were no rules that said that Reserve Course students couldn't become an Ultimate, there was an unspoken expectation that none of them had the capacity to join the ranks of the elite.

"But why show favoritism towards Hajime?" Chisa couldn't put that one together. "What does he have that everyone else lacks?"

That was the million-dollar question. There was nothing extraordinary about Hajime as his own file and transcripts said. He was not particularly passionate about any subjects, hobbies, or activities. He possessed no natural-born talents.

Did that mean that there was something else that made him appeal to the academy? If so, what was it?

Hajime admires Hope's Peak Academy because it produces remarkable people, but he's also very lonely. Chisa thought back to her conversations with him. He's more easily able to associate with the Ultimates than he is fellow Reserve Course students. He could be appealing to a subconscious desire to become someone important by befriending Ultimates. He's also lacking confidence in himself. If he had a bit of that, then he'd become a better person altogether. It wouldn't matter where he went as long as he believed in himself.

She needed to ask him more questions, but like Kyousuke had said, she couldn't go too far lest he realize what she was doing. Hajime was many things, but definitely not stupid.

Hope - - - Despair

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Nighttime

Hajime put down his pencil after a long study session. He had managed to get done all of his studying and homework just in time for a break before his planned sleeping time. The workload was becoming more plentiful and oftentimes, he found himself with enough time to shower and brush his own teeth before he turned in.

Standing up and stretching his limbs, he began to wonder what he should do. Although he did have a television in his dorm, he wasn't one to watch TV, movies or anime. He could recognize the mainstream ones just fine, but he wouldn't be able to say much about the niche or obscure titles.

Thankfully, he did have something to entertain him. Ever since his introduction to the Super High School Level Musician, the green-eyed boy had began a journey into the world of music. Like he had told Ibuki during their first several "band meets," he wasn't into music. Aside from mainstream titles, he wouldn't be able to say much about artists, their styles, the genres they played, or much of any element essential to music.

Ibuki seemed very pleased with his lack of musical knowledge, so she had begun to recommend him music. She had given him one of her CD players as well as a mountain of CD's to listen to, which were now stacked neatly on the small desk next to his bed. There were a lot to get through, and he had no idea where to even start. She just told them to listen to them and give his own thoughts.

"Then again, maybe that's the point." Hajime considered as he looked at the stack. "Ibuki doesn't seem like the kind of girl who's into schedules or plans or rigid things in general."

Which also might explain why the girl had a liking for pop or mainstream music. She must associate popular music with being a sellout or a person who follows a system rather than their own heart. If that were the case, he couldn't say that he agreed with her on that point completely, but it was understanding.

Without any real knowledge of music, he did have the advantage of going in with no expectations and if the music was good, he would be happy to listen to more, and if it was bad he would simply move on to something more enjoyable.

Choosing a random CD from the pile, he carefully pulled the case and looked at the cover. He didn't recognize the band, but judging from the cover, he could tell just what sort of music he was listening to.

SEX MACHINEGUN - Sex Machineguns

He knew enough from his english classes to read the artist name as well as the album.

"Well, no time like the present." Hajime decided, taking the CD out of the case. "Let's give it a whirl."

Retrieving his borrowed CD player, inserting the disk, and then playing, he situated his headphones on his head and began to listen.

"Wow." Hajime said immediately upon listening to the first song. "This is intense."

He couldn't say that he shared Ibuki's taste in music, but he still tried to listen nonetheless.

The relationship between Mahiru and Hajime in the second game is a sort of relationship that you'd be more likely to find in real life. Even discounting Mahiru's feelings for Hajime, the two of them have a lot in common, personality-wise as well as an insecurity or two. It's interesting for me to write them together simply for how they play off of each other.

Also, it's Fuyuhiko and his bromance with Hajime. What's not to like about that? Granted, since this is not the same thing as being in the Neo World Program, there's going to be stark differences, and it'll be arguably more difficult seeing as Fuyuhiko is going to be standoffish as his need to be tough compels him to do so. Friendship? A possibility, but not without a long road.

And finally, the plot moves forward. Well, I should say that another part of the plot moves forward. Hajime befriending and deepening the bond between himself and Class 77-B is one main plotline, but there's also the fact that he needs to make a choice for himself in the future. Does he stay with the Reserve Course? Does he leave Hope's Peak? Does he get into the Main Course, and if so, how does he do it?

As always, I greatly appreciate feedback in order to get a feel for what my readers are thinking about. I know that if you've gotten this far into the story, than you must have at least enough interest to have an opinion, and I want to hear it.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter.

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning."

Bill Gates

Peace!