A/N: Sorry for the wait, here's the Prologue!
The Soldier Of Fortune: Reloaded
Act 0, Chapter 2
"Prologue"
Makoto Naegi had experienced what he would describe as one of the worst days of his life the day before.
Emphasis on the words "one of", as there were likely many more days like this one to come in his life, and the boy was seemingly aware of that.
Although, he likely was only aware of that because of his self-perceived "terrible luck", as he would describe it.
The day's events would only cement this idea in his head, as today truly was filled with encounters one could only reasonably describe as bad luck.
If you lost a 10-person game of rock paper scissors (one-sidedly), accidentally stopped a robbery and were held hostage, then mistakenly arrested by local police for defending yourself from said attempted hostage-taker, all in the same day…
You'd probably think the same thing.
Today wasn't that day, however. It was the day after, a new, potentially brighter day!
"I just hope today wasn't as bad as yesterday…" Makoto blankly thought to himself with an almost sardonic smile, silently sliding out of bed and dressing himself in his average attire, freezing as he looked at the current status of his room, visibly cringing afterward.
His room was…well, messy considering the events of yesterday, which had included stressful combat training with his father before the climax of his misfortune of the day, so you can imagine why he forgot to clean his room.
"Mom and Dad aren't going to like my room looking like this…at all!"
Suppressing his inner panic, he quickly tidied his room and then exited it, making his way into the living room across from the hallway he had emerged from, then into the kitchen.
It wasn't long before any of the houses' fellow residents, took notice of the young man's sudden appearance.
"...Aah! Onii-chan! Just how long were you going to sleep?!" The almost juvenile voice of a young woman stabbed at him from the side, where the kitchen table was located.
This was his younger sister, Komaru Naegi, standing at a little over 163cm (5'4) with short brownish-green hair and bright green eyes, she is similar in personality (and appearance according to some) to Makoto, save for the extra brattiness she often displays.
"Ara, there you are, I was starting to get worried after you slept that long, Makoto-kun." Another, more mature, and oddly charming, female voice responded to his presence, this time it was located near the kitchen's stove.
This was his mother, Akari Naegi (formerly Akari Nokori), standing at approximately 167cm (5'6) with long brown hair and washed out hazel eyes, she is similar in personality to both of her children (including their tendencies to be push-overs), but carries an odd charm that is seemingly unique to herself that often draws others in, not that it couldn't emerge from her children yet! (she has hopes that it does!)
"Ahaha, about that…sorry for just going to sleep without saying anything…I probably worried you all." Makoto nervously laughed, responding to the shared concern of both his mother and younger sister respectively.
"...Not at all. Going through that much misfortune in one day at your age can be…demoralizing, but knowing you, you'll adapt to it soon enough, son." A sharp, calculating, and masculine tone responded to his needless worrying.
"How did you…?" Makoto asked, evidently shocked. He had yet to say a word about the events of the day before to anyone, after all.
"I spoke with the police captain over the phone following your short detainment. He retold the story you had given them to me." He responded concisely.
This was his father, Yuto Naegi, standing at a little over 180cm (5'11) with bushy greenish-black hair and emerald green eyes, his personality was an almost complete polar opposite to the family he had built. He was often cold and calculating but had a kind and caring side he rarely showed, a silent man of morals who had seen many battlefields in his previous career as a warfighter, and had those morals tested many a time, ultimately deciding to leave the battlefields he often reigned over so they didn't do the same.
As they say, you peer into the abyss long enough…and it peers back into you.
"Like heck, you didn't! You had mom worried sick! She was talking about bringing you into work today in case-mmng!" Komaru began, before quickly being silenced by the fork that had been gently forced into her mouth.
"You got here just in time, Makoto-kun. Breakfast is served!" The mother of two cut in, removing the previously full fork she had forced into Komaru's mouth, and placing it near the girl's empty plate. Immediately moving to fill the four empty plates on top of the table with her delicious home-cooking.
"W-Well, I don't exactly blame them for worrying, I probably came in looking like a zombie from some kind of horror movie and just went to bed without saying a word…" Makoto thought to himself as he sat at the dinner table.
"Itadakimasu!" The collective family said aloud, clapping their hands together respectfully before beginning to eat.
As the family had just finished breakfast, the doorbell had rung.
"I got it!" Makoto volunteered by reflex, approaching the front door and gently opening it inwards.
And as he opened the door, he was met by a familiar face. A face he had met yesterday.
"Mister Mailman…?" The boy asked aloud, his confusion evident.
Yes, it was his local mailman. The very same mailman he had inconvenienced yesterday!
"Would…you happen to be Makoto Naegi?" The man asked aloud, also somewhat confused.
"Y-Yes, sir." Makoto affirmed, the stutter in his voice betrayed his evident nervousness at seeing one of the people he had inadvertently inconvenienced yesterday, even if the man was completely unaware of his indirect involvement in the burning of several (potentially) important letters the man was to deliver yesterday.
In other words, like usual, Makoto was worrying too much.
"This would be for you young man. Have a nice day." The mailman lightly smiled as he produced a familiar-looking letter from his satchel before walking away.
As Makoto closed the front door to his home and returned to the dining table with the oddly familiar-looking letter, his eyes began to widen. He finally recognized the insignia on the envelope of the letter!
It was the insignia of Hope's Peak Academy!
Makoto may have been the first to realize it, but he certainly wasn't the only one that did.
"Onii-chan is that…?!" Komaru jumped with excitement, pointing directly at the letter her brother was examining with an odd sparkle in her eyes.
Noticing their commotion, the adults in the room, who were off flirting near the sink where Akira was washing dishes, came to see what ruckus Komaru had begun to perpetuate today.
Yet, this time it wasn't the occasional teasing that Komaru often leveled at her elder brother. Instead, it was genuine excitement leveled at the small envelope he was holding.
"Ara, What's this about?" Their mother asked, seeming confused as to why the two were so excited about a letter.
"...Hmmn." The man beside her hummed, seemingly coming to a conclusion, but not feeling the need to share his observations.
"Ara, leaving me out of this?" The mother of two childishly pouted, her feelings were evidently hurt a little.
"...It's a letter from Hope's Peak Academy, dear." Yuto responded, subtlety attempting to salvage his wife's actively worsening mood.
"Open it! Open it!" Komaru insisted, practically throttling Makoto's shoulders.
"O-O-Okay! Just stop shaking me!" Makoto squeezed out, clamping his hands down on Komaru's shoulders to stop her from shaking him, quickly opening the letter so as to not incur further battery.
The contents of the letter contained the following:
Dear Makoto Naegi:
For presenting many talents consistent with that of a warfighter on the 'Super Highschool Level', which includes but is not limited to:
-Extreme martial prowess. (knowledge and proficiency of 8 or more different martial arts)
-Weapon handling skills, and knowledge equivalent to, if not exceeding that of a certified 'tactical weapons expert'*.
[*as defined by the JSDF]
-Athletic abilities capable of effectively using said 'extreme martial prowess', and weapon handling skills.
I, Jin Kirigiri, The Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, hereby present Makoto Naegi the title of "Super Highschool Level Soldier"*, for participation in the upcoming 78th class of Hope's Peak Academy, or "Class of 2010".
*[or "The Ultimate Soldier" for short.]
Furthermore, following the draw for the "Super Highschool Level Luckster"*, I, Jin Kirigiri, The Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, award Makoto Naegi the title of "The Ultimate Luckster", for participation in the upcoming 78th class of Hope's Peak Academy, or "Class of 2010".
*[hereby referred to as "The Ultimate Luckster".]
Following the discovery of you receiving two separate titles, I have decided instead of compromising on giving you one title, once more; I, Jin Kirigiri, The Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, hereby present Makoto Naegi the title of "Super Highschool Level Lucky Soldier"*, for participation in the upcoming 78th class of Hope's Peak Academy, or "Class of 2010".
*[or "The Ultimate Lucky Soldier" for short.]
Thus, given the scope of your talents, I also grant you the privilege of bringing whatever small arms you deem necessary to sharpen your talents. Excluding explosive devices, aside from their chalk-dispersing training alternatives.
If you do not personally own any weapons to bring to campus, I have made arrangements for many to be provided to you, including their respective munitions. The weapons provided include but are not limited to:
-M4A1 Carbine (Includes EOTech brand "Holographic" sight, forward grip, and suppressor, American make.)
-M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (With bipod and carrying handle, American make.)
-M9A1 Handgun (Standard issue, American make.)
-Mk 23 SOCOM Handgun (Includes suppressor and laser sight, American make.)
-Mk 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (Includes scope and suppressor, American make.)
-SCAR-H Battle Rifle (Includes forward grip, and Trijicon brand "ACOG" scope, American make.)
-MP7A1 Personal Defense Weapon (Includes suppressor, JSFG make.)
-HK417 Battle Rifle (Includes scope, and suppressor, JSFG make.)
-Type 89 Assault rifle (Includes forward grip, suppressor, and removed bipod, Japanese make.)
-Minebea P-9 Handgun (Standard issue, Japanese make.)
-Minebea PM-9 Submachinegun (Standard issue, Japanese make.)
-M32A1 Multiple Grenade Launcher (Includes chalk training rounds, and 40mm buckshot rounds, American/JSFG make.)
If you have any further requests for armaments such as armors, specific munitions, or other small arms, please report to my office and I'll see what I can work out.
Sincerely,
J. Kirigiri
Jin Kirigiri,
Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy.
P.S. It would be a pleasure to have you aboard if what I hear of your kindness toward others is true!
It was like something out of a dream! Makoto never would have imagined that he'd become a student of any luxurious school! Much less Hope's Peak!
"Congratulations, Makoto-kun!" Akira nearly shouted with excitement whilst hugging Makoto, finally releasing the importance of the letter, as her son read aloud his findings.
"...She's always been a bit…dense, and it's certainly something she's passed onto our children." The grizzled war veteran thought. The small smile that found its way onto his normally severe expression was contaminated with an odd paternal pride.
"Indeed. Good work, Makoto." The Naegi patriarch's face was far less pensive than usual and was bearing a small, almost invisible smile, something the boy didn't fail to notice given the strenuous training he had received from him.
"Dad's…smiling? And he rarely ever calls me by name!" Makoto thought, being caught completely off guard.
The man hardly ever smiled. In fact, he only ever did when he was genuinely proud of you, or when he was in a particularly good mood, which was exceedingly rare.
"exceedingly rare" meaning almost never. Makoto could actually count the number of times he had seen his father smiling like this on two hands.
"Y-Yeah! Congrats Onii-chan! And–...Holy crap, you got dad to smile!" Komaru panicked, being the last one to speak, even before their normally quiet father.
"Ara, Ara. You're right sweetie." Their mother responded, smiling brightly at the now embarrassed father of two.
"W-Wha-...Ahem, should I not be?" The retired warfighter cut back, a light pink dusting his hardened facial features as he caught himself in his stutter, regaining his normally unbreakable composure and looking away.
"Of course you should, dear!" His wife moved to meet the slight glare he gave off, returning it with a lovely smile, encouraging him to share his true feelings.
"...I know I don't say it often enough…but I'm proud of you, Makoto. Especially now." The man of the house said as he almost completely turned around, hiding his embarrassment from all in the room.
"That…means…a lot to me, dad." Makoto had trouble speaking properly. Not only had he been accepted into Hope's Peak Academy, but his father, the same father the boy almost idolized, was proud of him!
Before he had known it, he found himself hugging the large back of the old warfighter, the man heavily flinching at first, but embarrassedly accepting the gesture, still hiding his face all the while.
"Hm, hm, hm…" The two heard a low, sweet giggle before attempting to break away, only to find themselves trapped in the mutual embrace of a certain woman. Akira Naegi, specifically.
"Ara, you two are just so cute when you get along!" She teased the two, bear-hugging them together.
"You're right mom, they do look pretty cute like this!~" Komaru commented in a sing-song tone of voice, closing in on the undefended left flank of the two men, completing her mother's attempted encirclement.
"This…was a tactical miscalculation!" The two men thought frantically as they were trapped in a group hug.
Aside from the terribly embarrassing happenings of the day, this likely would be of the best days of his life!
…Or the worst depending on what's to come.
It was the day! The day of the opening ceremony to welcome the 78th class!
Checking his person, Makoto was all but ready.
The boy was wearing what he usually found himself wearing, a white T-shirt covered by his favorite green hoodie with a gasmask symbol on the back, a black pair of jeans, a comfortable pair of red sneakers, and high-concealment, soft body armor under his T-shirt.
Bet you didn't expect the body armor, did you? Well, "The Ultimate Soldier" needs to be prepared for combat at any time! Or at least that's not only his, but his father's reasoning as well.
Besides, it's light, fits well, and as previously mentioned, is high-concealment. No one's going to notice it unless they've been trained to notice those kinds of things specifically, or he's not wearing his hoodie.
Which he never goes without. School being an exemption to that norm, school uniforms and all.
"...I look pretty normal like this right? Would the guards even let me in if I showed them the letter looking like this?" Makoto pondered to himself, looking through his closet to try and find something to make him stand out at least a little!
A black blazer-like jacket is what he chose.
"Hmmm…almost there. Just a little more and I think ill be okay." he determined silently, looking for something important looking to pin on the lapel of his jacket.
He found a pin that looked like a four-pointed star overlaying a crescent moon.
"I don't even remember where I got this, but it looks kinda cool!" The young man thought as he pinned the strange emblem to his jacket.
"Ready!" Makoto said to himself aloud, unaware of the man who just appeared in the doorway.
"Are you now?" The scathing voice of a mature male stabbed at him from behind.
"D-Dad!?" The boy panicked, clearly caught off guard by his father's unintentional sneaking.
"The academy may be providing all of your armaments, but I think you should bring one of your own." The man ignored his panic, and reached his hands out to his son, handing him something in each hand.
"But isn't this yours?" Makoto responded, looking at the small shoulder holster housing a short-barreled revolver that was in his left hand.
"...It was, and now it's yours. Do not lose it, it's an heirloom." He insisted as Makoto took the holster, glaring slightly at the boy, the bone-chilling sensation accompanied by said glare showing him just how much the article meant to him.
...Shaking off the terrifying glare, he recognized the handgun in the holster. Or perhaps it would be more fitting to call it a Handcanon? It was a .357 Magnum after all. Well, a snubnosed Python revolver to be specific but…
That doesn't matter! He had just handed him a loaded gun! That's all you need to know!
"She's loaded. Hide it under your jacket, and hide this one in a shoe or your back pocket." The older man insisted once more, forcing the contents of his opposite hand into his son's free hand.
The other weapon he handed Makoto wasn't some kind of knife like you would expect, but something seen even less often, especially in Japan of all places.
It was a .22 caliber, double-barreled Derringer pistol. Made strictly for self-defense, to a fault.
"...I know that look. Just because it's a pea shooter doesn't mean it can't save your life in a pinch, boy. I'd know." He responded to Makoto's inadvertent look of apprehension at the pitifully low-caliber weapon he had just handed him, reprimand was in his tone.
Following the advice of his father, Makoto placed the holster housing the revolver over his shoulder and under his jacket for ease of access, then hid the small .22 caliber pistol behind the back of his foot and between the shoe, ensuring maximum concealment, and ease of access once again.
It didn't feel very comfortable, but neither did the glare he would be subjected to if he ignored the retired warfighter in front of him.
He was likely right about it saving him in a pinch though, and Makoto was well aware of that. This was his father's…odd way of looking out for him.
"Now then, I'll drive you there." The man quickly stated, quickly leaving the young man behind as he walked into the hallway with long, silent, march-like strides.
"A-ah! Just a second!" Makoto anxiously hurried after his father.
It really was time now. His father had seen him off to the gates of the academy and drove away, his clothes and other amenities had already been sent to the school to be placed in his dorm room, so he was only carrying the clothes he was wearing and his cellphone. Oh, and the two firearms he had illegally concealed on him.
Yeah, Japanese gun laws are a bit…oppressive to say the least.
Of course, he didn't leave before fitting in a "Break a leg, son. Preferably not either of yours." before driving off.
"Preferably not either of yours.", was likely in reference to the worry it would cause his mother, who was a nurse. At least that's what Makoto took away from the comment.
Thus, Makoto strode toward the front doors of the tall glass building in front of him.
…And the moment his fingertips touched the doorknob–
"What the-?!" Makoto shouted in panic as the very fabric of reality seemingly tore and spun in sickening spirals in front of him.
"Wh-What…?" The boy audibly fumbled, looking at the complete change of scenery in front of him.
It wasn't the lobby to the inside of the building, but…a classroom...?
ACT 0, END.
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed the prologue. On another note, for whatever reason, when I try to imagine what this Makoto's father sounds like, I can only imagine a younger-sounding mixture between Akio Otsuka (think the Japanese dub version of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid) and Kenji Nomura. (think Yujiro Hanma from Baki The Grappler) I know, I know, it's weird, but it's just what I think. That, and Makoto's mom would have the stereotypical anime mom's close-lidded eyes. (think Tsuki Uzaki's eyes from Uzaki-chan Wants To Hang Out!)