Chapter 16: Sonia's Sensibility, Kazuichi's Knowhow

Hope's Peak Academy

Hajime Hinata's Room

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Afternoon

Sonia's duties as a princess were not neglected despite her being enrolled at Hope's Peak Academy. Whatever time she did not spend with her classmates was often spent making regular reports back home to her family while also receiving news regarding current events going on in her native country of Novoselic. As the future ruler of her nation, she always had to be kept abreast of events occuring domestically and overseas.

All of this was to be done for the sake of her becoming the ruler that her home needed. Long ago, she had accepted that her position would mold her into a queen that would serve the people first before herself. It was merely the nature of her birthright and the position that was to pass on to her.

The Ultimate Princess knew that her time was fast approaching so she wanted to do whatever she could to enjoy her last few years as a carefree student, or as close to that feeling as possible. God knew that one day, she might never stop working for years on end.

Pushing her blonde hair behind her ears, the girl pushed away from her desk and decided that a break was in order. She had managed to spend the past hour uninterrupted in her studies of current or recent events. Some of the things were relatively tame, others much more grim, and still a few rays of hope. All in all, it was an imperfect world, but hopefully things would get better.

A J-drama might just be what she needed right now to unwind and relax for the time being. An episode or two might do her some good.

Before she could turn on her television to switch to the proper channel, she heard her phone ringing. Curious, she moved to see who would be calling her at this time. Usually, the only calls she would get were from her classmates at this time of day, but even with 77-B, calling at this time of day felt highly unusual. Unless they were all going on a planned outing, which wasn't happening today, they usually did most of their talking in person.

Sonia checked the caller I.D. and found herself quite surprised to see Hajime's name on the screen. She did remember giving him her phone number and reminding him to call her should he find an interest in J-dramas. That had to be the reason why he was calling right now. He had finally discovered his hidden love of J-Dramas and now he was reaching out so that they might embrace the joy of this hobby together.

Thinking about all of this made the Ultimate Princess giddy and she was quick to answer the call.

"Hello, Hajime!" Sonia began with a vibrant tone. "Have you called to let me know which J-Drama we can watch together?"

"Um… no." Hajime sounded really confused by her words. "I wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh." Sonia felt disappointed and stupid at the same time, but she did well to hide her mixed emotions. "Then I will do my best to answer your question. Ask away."

"It's about your talent." Hajime got right to the point. "You're the Ultimate Princess, right?"

In the pit of her stomach, the teenage girl felt a heavy feeling. Her reason for not mentioning her talent was on account of her being able to see people in their most normal state. Her greatest fear was that if too many people were to see her only as the Crown Princess of Novoselic, her peers might treat her differently. Thankfully, Class 77-B had been nothing but receptive towards her and their attitudes were the same more or less, but the same couldn't be said for everyone.

"I suppose there's no point in keeping it a secret any longer." Sonia sighed lightly, then composed herself. "Yes, what you say is true. Hope's Peak Academy granted me the title of the Super High School Level Princess and I am the crown princess of my home."

"Wow, that sounds like a mouthful." Hajime sounded impressed. "But wow, to think that I'd be friends with a princess. Now that's not something you get to experience everyday."

"If I may ask a question, how did you come to know of my title?" Sonia asked her own question. "I don't recall every speaking about it when we first met."

"You didn't." Hajime responded plainly. "I was talking to Miss Yukizome yesterday and she offhandedly mentioned it. I was amazed at first, but then she showed me some pictures of your home nation of Novoselic. Is that how you pronounce it?"

"Yes." Sonia confirmed. "Novoselic is a small country in Europe, but we have a long and proud history and I hope to maintain the pillars that have kept our society strong for so long while also adapting to the ever-evolving world."

Traditions were important to maintain and the princess intended to uphold that which her people valued most. There was, however, one tradition that she wanted very much to do away with: the eating of the Skong in order to enter into adulthood. This practice was well on its way to endangering the species in question and within the next generation or two, they could very well die out altogether and officially become an extinct species, thus rendering the entire tradition no longer viable.

In order to maintain this process which was integral to the culture, she thought the best course of action would be to keep the Skongs alive as status symbols rather than merely eating them. It was the best way to combine functionality with tradition. This, among many other internal issues, she wished to change.

"Well, from what I understand, it looks like you're on the right track. Hajime spoke his mind. Your people like you a lot, your classmates have nothing but good things to say about you, so whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

Sonia had to take a moment to ponder his words. He had spoken a simple, honest compliment about his opinion regarding how she appeared to him. It was far from the reaction that she was expecting and anticipating, but that was not a bad thing. In fact, she actually felt much relief and a bit of joy.

But there was one small thing nagging at her. She had no doubt that what he had just said was the truth from his perspective, but too often was it also true that a single person had a tendency to see the world from a very biased point of view, ergo his words.

But aside from their first meeting, calling them close would be false. They were acquaintances, good ones to be sure, but that was all they could realistically expect to call each other. Still, the blonde-haired girl wanted to believe that he would become a good friend. He certainly had the right disposition not to mention he was already familiar with all of her classmates, many of whom had taken a liking to him, so it wasn't as if his character was questionable in any meaningful way.

But she wouldn't voice these opinions. It wasn't the time nor the place to do so. He believed in her, so she just had to accept his compliment.

"Thank you, Hajime." Sonia made sure that her appreciation was known. "But getting back on track, what was your original question?"

"Well, Miss Yukizome was talking about how despite you being a student here, you're still doing your duties as princess." Hajime explained. "I was just wondering… what motivates you so much? I know that you're doing all this for the sake of your nation and for your people, but there has to be something more to it."

If there was more to it, then she would no doubt have a harder time accepting her eventual future, but there was no greater reason to sacrifice her own freedom other than for the reasons that he had just listed off. It really was that simple to her and while she couldn't say that it was a perfect life, it would be a fulfilling life, one of duty, honor, and purpose. Over time, she would embrace it all and be able to smile when she became elderly. This she believed in her heart.

"My reasons are exactly the ones that you have just said." Sonia's reply was candid. "What greater reason is there to sacrifice my personal freedom in exchange for the lives of millions? Is that not the most noble way to live?"

"I'm not doubting the nobility behind what you're doing, but I can't say that I understand your thought process." Hajime's voice was laced with something unfamiliar. "I've always believed that at the end of the day, no matter how selfless a person tries to be, there's always some selfishness mixed in our every action. I just wanted to know what sort of selfishness you have."

Now that was an interesting argument to make and from a high school student no less. This wasn't the sort of wisdom that ought to be spoken by a young man the same age as she was, but then again, the skills she possessed were rather novel when compared to girls all around the world.

Interesting.

Hope - - - Despair

Main Course Grounds

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Afternoon

Kazuichi was at his best when he was working on engines. Vehicles in general were his favorite things to work on. Disassembling, figuring out how they worked, and reassembling them was perhaps the most rewarding thing he could do. Hell, his greatest aspiration was to create a rocket ship into space. He was just nuts about things with engines.

But he could also say that these days, it wasn't just about honing his talent. It was also about the many friends that he had been making this semester. Well, he wasn't sure he was ready to call them friends directly to their faces, but most of Class 77-B was okay in his book. Many of them had some really quirk personalities to be sure, but he was sure that they had their reasons and their circumstances. He had his after all, so they had to have theirs as well. In that vein, all of them were similar.

Granted, he didn't say that he cared much for all of them. Teruteru was just downright creepy with the way he acted around girls. Sure, all guys had their thing that they liked, nothing wrong with that, but the Ultimate Cook wasn't the least bit concerned about saving face. Unlike most guys who simply hid their preferences, Terterun made his perversion known and it wasn't just on account of the girls. His preferences were varied to say the least.

Then there was Gundham. That guy was just plain weird continuously spouting nonsense in whatever language that he spoke of. Delusional kids seemed to be grown in popularity these days and maybe that appealed to a niche audience, but frankly speaking, the Ultimate Mechanic didn't see the appeal. Whatever, to each his own, he supposed.

Kazuichi wiped some sweat off his brow. Whenever he was absorbed in his work, he tended to forget about basic needs like food, water, and sleep. He had been more neglectful of these necessities in his early days working. As he grew, he found ways to remind himself that he needed breaks every so often. Sometimes, he had alarms by his side and other times, his thoughts shifting from one thing to the other reminded him that he was alive.

He noticed the bottle of water near his feet and grabbed it. Once he uncapped it, he was quick to down half the contents, feeling the cool liquid rushing down his throat. The feeling was cold and relieving, especially given the heat of summer.

Taking a look at his work space, he then realized just how much of a mess that he had made. While he was capable of finding what he needed, to anyone else, the clutter was not insignificant.

"You having trouble with your stuff?" A boy's voice said.

"Oh, Hajime. Hey!" Kazuichi nodded to his fellow student. "No, I can find everything fine. It's just my system."

"Then you must have a really good memory." Hajime noted. "Because I wouldn't know even know where to begin."

"It's not so much that this is organized by any means." Kazuichi described what he meant. "I just know where I put stuff. Of course it doesn't make sense to you."

"Well, when you put it that way, it makes more sense." Hajime seemed to regarding each part and tool. "So what are you working on now?"

"Right now? Just a small engine." Kazuichi found one of his spanner wrenches. "I'm trying to do some maintenance on it, get it in better running shape."

"This is small?" Hajime didn't appear to grasp just how big an engine could be. "I can't even keep track of how much stuff is here."

"This is a V6 engine." Kazuichi spoke like it was no big deal. "Compared to the big boys, this guy's a little sucker. It's not pumping out that much horsepower."

He knew exactly what the Reserve Course student was getting at. Too often when the average person looked under the hood of a car, the sight was a somewhat flat and unassuming appearance, but when taking the engine out a car, the literal heart was far bigger and more complex than what it seemed when only looking from above.

But with each engine, there was a story behind how it was made, the models that came before, the potential that it could achieve, the modifications that could be applied, the possibilities were endless.

"Right." Hajime didn't look like he understood. "So… I don't really know what all that means."

"Basically, it's a mediocre engine." Kazuichi succinctly explained. "Not weak, but not strong either."

"Oh. Okay." Hajime comprehended now. "So, where is this engine going once you're done with it?"
"This isn't being used by a car." Kazuichi shook his head. "I'm just using it to refresh some basic knowledge."

"Right. Honing your talent." Hajime rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, don't let me get in your way. I was just curious about what you were doing."

The brown-haired boy turned to leave and that's when the ultimate got an idea in his head.

"Actually, you think you could stay for a bit?" Kazuichi called out. "I think I could use your help."

"But I don't know the first thing about being a mechanic." Hajime reasoned with a dismayed face. "What could I help you with?"

"You don't have to be." Kazuichi assured with a slight grin. "I just need your help with moving the process along."

Sometimes, the best way to teach was to do really simple and mundane tasks before tackling more challenging aspects of mechanical work. It all started with learning about each and every tool, knowing their purpose, and how to use them properly and efficiently. It was either good luck or just intuition that the boy with pink hair had managed to get by all these years without any severe injuries to show for it.

"Why are you even asking me to do this?" Hajime furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm sure there's someone in the Main Course that's more suited to help you."

Actually, not really." Kazuichi shrugged his shoulders. "Amazingly, I'm the only guy at the school that does anything related to mechanical work. Plus, no offense to anyone here, but I work at my best when I'm alone."

"Again, why have me?" Hajime repeated his question. "If you work best alone, why get help now?"

"I don't know, man." Kazuichi closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Something tells me that having you with me will mean good things. I can't put my finger on what that feeling is, but I know it's there."

The Ultimate Mechanic didn't make it a habit to talk to people. Most of the time, his talent was more than enough for him. Even though he always found some enjoyment spending time in the homeroom, he still had a tendency to favor his time alone. It was what was most comfortable to him.

But Hajime evoked a sort of feeling of safety and ease. Maybe it was because the Reserve Course student was unassuming or perhaps it had to do with how he asked lots of questions, looking unsure about some topics. Whatever the case, it was as easy as breathing to get along with him so far.

That being said, Kazuichi had no way to properly break down the exact reasoning as to why he chose to do this. He couldn't even properly tell himself how he had come to this decision. As he had said, it was a feeling, nothing more and nothing less. A weak line of thinking, but the only one with any lick of sense.

Also, the fact that he was being strangely persistent about the matter made this all them more out of character for him, but he didn't want to back out now, not when he had already put up a bit of fuss.

"All you've got to do is hand me tools and watch me." Kazuichi tried to appeal to a sense of simplicity. "A kid could do it, so why not you?"

A few more seconds passed by as his opposite mulled over his choices. Eventually, he sucked in a breath of air.

"Alright. Sure." Hajime situated himself. "I still don't get what you're thinking, but I don't see the harm in helping."

"Cool stuff!" Kazuichi flashed a thumbs up. "Now, quick question: do you know about all the common tools?"

"Kind of." Hajime said. "I know a few, but I couldn't name them all. I just know what they do."

"Good enough." Kazuichi replied while thinking about what he was going to do. "So, I need a torque wrench…"

Despair - - - Hope

General School Grounds

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Noon Time

Hajime asked himself one question at this moment: how had he ended up in this situation?

It was a simple question, but the reason he was finding it so hard to answer was because of the absurd nature of what he was currently doing. He recalled minding his own business one moment and then the next moment, things happened and here he was right now, doing something that he would never consider doing of his own volition: getting more confeito for one particular Ultimate that he had mixed feelings about.

Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer.

Miss Yukizome had not yet gotten around to talking about this girl in all of their conversations and he didn't believe that it was out of any malicious intent or otherwise negative feeling. They had not touched on the subject, simple as that, yet when regarding the girl's behavior, it made him wonder what the homeroom teacher of 77-B thought about this girl and how she presented herself.

Hajime figured that the only reason anyone could put up with her less than stellar attitude was on account of her being an Ultimate because simply put, this girl had absolutely no redeeming qualities in terms of personality. She was abrasive, arrogant, and haughty, like she felt that she had a duty to make herself and her talent known to the "lesser" people of the world. It was like a warped version of Noblesse Oblige.

But the Reserve Course student did say that he had mixed feelings about Hiyoko. Yes, she needed major adjustments, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder just what sort of circumstances in her life had led her to become who she was now. Call it misplaced optimism, but he didn't believe that she was mean necessarily because it was in her nature. He got the feeling that it was manufactured.

Of course, he chose not to pry into her personal matters. He wouldn't be so arrogant as to proclaim that he would help fix any problems that might exist. He was merely curious about her life and what it entailed, which could be said for all of the students of Class 77-B; right now though, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer was his present subject of attention.

"You really do love Japanese sweets, don't you?" Hajime watched as she ate the candy he had gotten her. "I've never seen someone so enthusiastic about eating candy."

"Well, of course I am!" Hiyoko spoke with a piece in her mouth. "They're so delicately made that they're almost art pieces!"

"Yeah." Hajime agreed. "Huh, I never thought of it like that."

"Pretty things are wonderful!" Hiyoko swallowed and began to work on the next one. "It's so fun to admire them one moment, then destroy them the next!"

Hajime did a double take. "What?"

Hiyoko was disturbingly into this topic. "You should try it! Go to a flower garden and stomp on the flowers and reduce them to nothing!"

"I think I'll pass." Hajime didn't miss a beat. "Like, forever."

"Slaves have no right to disobey!" Hiyoko pointed a finger at him accusingly while chewing. "Remember that!"

"I don't remember signing myself into indentured servitude of any kind." Hajime countered her. "At least not from you."

This was the kind of thing that really grinded his gears. Her cute face and outwardly cute exterior and her more murky and dark innards made for a hard reconciliation. How two starkly different faces were able to exist in a single person, he had no idea. While the idea of someone adopting several faces depending on wasn't uncommon, these two sides in particular didn't seem to work well together, but considering he had no personal experience, his opinion might be equivalent to a grain of sand.

Although now that they were talking about flowers, he did believe that minus her penchant for destroying those flowers, her being next to them would be a beautiful sight, worthy enough to become a painting.

"I am from the elite!" Hiyoko lectured him while eating her candy. "And everyone who isn't part of the elite exists to serve us!"

"You would be a little more convincing if you weren't eating while you said that." Hajime reminded her. "Also, you might want to actually look more grown up."

"Hmph!" That seemed to make Hiyoko unable to properly retaliate. "I should punish you for your disobedience."

"But you won't." Hajime crossed his arms. "Some master you are."

She gave him a glare, a spectacle was just plain cute more than intimidating. The Reserve Course student didn't even think that the Ultimate would ever be able to display an aura that would scare anyone except who was exceptionally paranoid. Her childish appearance certainly didn't help her in that regard, but he didn't think that such fearsome looks suited her. Such would be wasted with her looks.

There seemed to be many opposing forces at work when it came to describing the girl with the massive ponytail. He could only wonder exactly how many more he would be able to find.

"What's with that look on your face?" Hiyoko looked into her bag of confeito, then back to him. "It's weird and creepy."

"Nothing that you need to know about." Hajime unfolded his arms and looked up at the sky. "So forget about it."

They had done little more than talk and already he was feeling exhausted. The amount of nonsense and contradictions confused him to no end. Half of this conversation was spent wondering if perhaps his own sense of curiosity was just stupid or foolish. At the beginning of the year, he wouldn't have bothered to put up with anyone talking as she did, not to the degree that he was now.

Yet he was still present and still willing to exchange words for whatever worth they possessed.

Hajime took a look at Hiyoko, dressed immaculately in her kimono. She was traditional to the core as her talent suggested, but at the same time, she made fun of the things that were normally considered to be traditional. Did she like those traditions or not? If she did, why throw unnecessary insults into the mix? If she didn't, why not just insult them and be done with her?

"You were thinking about something perverted, weren't you?" Hiyoko chastised him. "This is why I warned you about not going to Teruteru!"

"Okay, first of all, you're not my type." Hajime shut down that line of logic. "Second, you couldn't pay me to be like Teruteru, not now, not ever."

"Don't lie!" Hiyoko denounced his words. "I know a liar when I see one!"

"Of, for the love of god, what do you want from me?" Hajime's frustration was on the rise. "I just told you the truth."

"Did you?' Hiyoko warily questioned him. "How can I be sure?"

"Because if I wanted to lie to you, then I would have done it a long time ago." Hajime was at the end of his rope. "Besides, it's not like I've got much to lie about."

"Yeah, you're too boring to lie." Hiyoko's abrupt shift was offbeat. "Only exciting people lie."

"I don't know what to say to that." Hajime shook his head in resignation. "I really don't."

"Then just shut up and don't say anything!" Hiyoko grilled. "For once, do I say. I am your master!"

"No, you are not." Hajime disregarded her comment.

At this point, their conversation had taken so many twists and turns that the flow was disrupted They weren't even sure what there was left to talk about, at least he wasn't sure, but he could take a guess and say she'd start off with something nice, then mix in something nasty to throw it all off.

With some reluctance, Hajime kept his mouth shut. Hiyoko didn't seem any more interested than he was at conversing, so she resumed eating the candy he had brought her. From that point onward, there was silence between them, although not the kind that was awkward or strained.

They had too many thoughts going on so a window for a cooldown seemed only appropriate. They would probably just leave whenever they felt like it without even so much as a goodbye from either of them.

The breeze gently carried around them, fluttering in their hair. The boy closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his mind already returning to its more calm state. Whatever annoyances he did have faded into the past. With the swiftness of how it disappeared, it would be accurate to say that he was feeling couldn't be more than a fleeting feeling of indignation, something that came and went.

His eyes opened to the world once more and the colors around him felt more vibrant than they were moments ago. He hadn't noticed just how lovely this area of Hope's Peak Academy could be, even with his numerous visits to this location.

Hajime heard the sound of a bag being ruffled and his pupils shifted downward.

Hiyoko was still eating.

Hope - - - Despair

Headmaster's Office

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

Night Time

The Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy had just reviewed all the necessary details pertaining to the modified parameters of the Hope Cultivation Project. There were a lot of changes that needed to be made that followed his requirements and realistically, it would have been more financially feasible to find a replacement student to be made the test subject of his project, but his reasons for retaining Hajime Hinata was simple.

Ever since arriving at this school, Jin Kirigiri had always had a fascination with talent. Over the course of his entire tenure at this academy, he had seen all sorts of young men and women come and go, leaving a part of themselves within these walls. Every time he witnessed a new talent, it was like watching a miracle at work. The amount of potential in this place could very well change the world itself, not just Japan, provided that the right motivation and circumstances presented themselves.

Naturally, when he became involved in the project that had been the true reason, he could only grow more enthusiastic about witnessing the creation of the penultimate talent. While the methods used were extremely immoral, it would be a sacrifice well worth it. The benefits outweighed the dangers by a massive margin and if an deity existed, he would answer for his sins when he died.

As for why Hajime Hinata was still the most important piece to all of this, it was perhaps his true potential was beginning to shine. No, he didn't have a talent and he would never be able to outshine any of the Ultimates in Class 77-B, not by his own merit, but that wasn't what struck the headmaster as profound.

Jin wasn't sure he could properly explain the feeling in his gut, but the best logic that he could concoct was that the subject was hope incarnate. Call him crazy or nonsensical, but it was the only logical way to rationalize how the boy was able to befriend so many Ultimates and do it without a single one disliking him.

Of course, if all of this turned out to be false, then they had the original project to fall back on. He had assured the Steering Committee of that much. It was the only way that they would let him retain Hajime as the prime candidate for the project, but by the end of this year, a decision would need to be made and set in stone and the man who supervised this academy didn't feel like losing to the higher-ups. To those four, talent was a means to an end for their own selfish goals. They didn't understand nor did they care to understand what talent really could accomplish in the grand scheme.

Jin closed the folder and stood up. He had been sitting and pondering the Izuru Kamukura Project all of this afternoon. It was all he could do to keep himself from thinking about things that he didn't want to think about. If he didn't find ways to productively occupy his time, his thoughts might drift.

But that was a rather moot argument when his eyes fell upon a single picture framed on his desk.

Her time here would be soon.

When you read about the lore of Danganronpa, it's hard to pinpoint who's the most villainous person in the whole series. It's easy to point to Junko Enishima, but she's hardly the only person at fault. There are so many parties that have played a part in making this series as infamous as it is. Remember, the blame game is not nearly as simple as pointing the finger to a single scapegoat.

That applies not just to the fictional world, but also to our world as well.

So we're chugging along and I've still got lots of character interactions to do while slowly advancing the overarching plot. Trust me when I say this, I think some of you will be pleasantly surprised by what I have in store, yet at the same time, there will be elements all of you are familiar with in the original timeline.

So what did you guys think? Feedback and reviews are appreciate.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadow falls behind you."

Unknown