"So… How should I feel about this…?"

Hajime muttered to his twin as they had pulled open the door to Class 77-B, expecting an upset Chisa and a welcoming array of classmates. Instead, every single Ultimate of that class was writhing around on the ground as horny messes. Kazuichi was being held back by Fuyuhiko. Mikan was 'caressing' Peko's sword. Mahiru was taking selfies, worryingly unbuttoning the top of her blouse. Akane and Nekomaru were… were definitely something…

The brunet teetered his head, "I'm feeling… disturbed."

"That… sounds about right, yes…" Izuru then eyed the large pot sitting on a group of tables before making his way towards it.

Hiyoko set her plate of curry to the side as she stood from her seat, "Heh-heh, your faces are hilarious!" Her smile and giggle was like that of a Cheshire-Cat.

Hajime raised a brow, slipping beside her, "Guess you're unaffected, huh?"

Her face darkened, "No, duh~."

Izuru swiped his finger along the inside of the pot, tasting it for a moment before spitting it out. "Curry with an aphrodisiac in it."

The brunet tilted his head, peering at the dancer's face, "Judging by how satisfied you look. Were you, by chance, responsible?"

She knocked on her knuckles on her head whilst sticking out her tongue, "Oopsie~."

The gamer tried to push herself onto her feet before stumbling forward, "Chiaki?" Izuru quickly came to her side; he caught her before gently checking her forehead.

Hajime jogged over to the doubled over animator, "Ryota isn't looking too hot either."

"How much of the drug did you give them?" questioned the ravenet.

Hiyoko blinked, "Uh, the whole can."

Chisa scolded, "Saionji!"

Izuru shook his head, "No wonder. That much might cause problems with certain bodies."

"And?" asked the twin.

"We need to quell it. An anaphrodisiac."

"Sadly, I left that in my other pants."

An incredulous look was shot towards the brother, "Head to the Nurse's Office." He laid Chiaki on the ground, turning his blazer into a makeshift pillow, "As the only ones with unaffected reasoning, Saionji and I will prevent an orgy."

Hajime straightened, making his way towards the door, "Alright, where do I go from here?"

"Zig-zag from here. Take a left then a right, left, right."

The brunet nodded, pulling open the door, "B, A, Select, Start. Got it."

Izuru blinked when the gamer smiled in her dazed state, "You seem rather happy with that joke…" He turned to Hiyoko, "Come on, let's get the boys and girls separated."

She scowled, "Why do I-"

His face darkened; like hers had dozens of times, "Get the girls to the other side of the room."

Believe it or not, it was an intimidating sight, "O-Okay…"

-\ XXX /-

Seiko Kimura wasn't the most outgoing person—her mask may make that feeling evident. Making friends was tempting but putting one's self out there was equally nerve-racking. Thus, there was an impasse between two unshakable forces. So, no matter the feeling or want, peace and quiet would have to do.

Peace and quiet in the form of an empty Nurse's Office. The only notable light in the room belonged to the lamp she used at her workstation. Any other were simply too weak to affect the primarily dark room.

Her gloved hands moved cleanly and with precision. The plants she had rung dry were neatly discarded to her left. The mixing of chemicals took up the space before her. Every tilt of the test tube was methodical and cautious, pouring the perfect amount without a nervous shake to interrupt. There was a moment of examination before slipping the tube into a centrifuge. The machine was closed before it was activated with the single push of a button.

She listened to the device whirl to life, waiting for it to complete its beats, "I probably don't have anything else to do today… I suppose I could head home after I'm done."

A knock on the door caused her to jump in her seat. She turned to see the door pull open and a brunet poke his head into the room, "Excuse me?" His eyes panned over the room before landing on her. "Ah, hello," he said with a smile. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Seiko blinked for a moment before shaking her head, "N-No, you're not."

He slipped into the room, tucking his hands behind his back, "Just here to look for something. Then I'll be out of your way."

She slowly nodded, "Okay, what're you looking for?"

"Ah, well…" He scratched the back of his head, "Heh, it's kind of awkward…" He twirled his finger, "I need an anaphrodisiac."

"Oh…" She turned and pointed, "Corner, upper cabinet; they're labeled in alphabetic order."

"Ah, thank you very much," he said with a slight bow. The brunet walked deeper into the office, pulling open the cabinet's door.

Seiko peeked at him in the corner of her eyes. "He's tall… His physique is… above average… Definitely healthy… A good test subject…"

He pulled out a bottle from the shelf, "Ah, here it is." He shook it, but heard nothing, "Shit…" He popped open the bottle only to find it empty. He shook his head before turning with a smile, "Hey, sorry. You wouldn't happen to have any more of this stuff, would you?"

She frowned, "Not that I know of."

"Shit…" said he as he bite his lip.

"What do you need it for?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Eh, well, my friends are being affected by a strong aphrodisiac. We were hoping to quell it with the opposite."

Seiko blinked for a moment, "Wait, a strong aphrodisiac?" She stood, "How was the drug administered?"

"Curry of the Ultimate variety. Someone got ahold of a can of the stuff before dumping the whole thing in." He shook his head, "They barely finished their plates before it got to them. A few of our classmates seemed pretty faint in response. Some of their bodies may not be able to handle the increased heart rate. I know one of them is going through abdominal pain."

"Could it be… Teruteru…?" She quickly sat down, "Give me a moment!"

"Huh, wait, can you just make some?"

"Yes, I'm the Ultimate Pharmacist. How many need it?"

He straightened, tucking his hands into his pockets, "Sixteen; on the strong side; oral delivery is preferred." She moved with upmost speed, yet her precision wasn't lost in the shift. He tilted his head, leaning on the counter, "Your talent's pretty useful, huh?"

Seiko didn't look up from her hands, "I can't be distracted, right now."

"Oh, sorry."

Her hands moved in blurs as her mind raced, "The whole can…! It was built to be taken in small doses… Barely a drop from a baster, but sixteen people had mouthfuls—some may have even finished their plates…!" She bit her lip underneath her mask, "I should've put more warnings on the container… No… I should've said no to Teruteru… Making an aphrodisiac in of itself is a dangerous thing… I should have refused…"

The brunet smacked his fist into his palm, "Ah… You made it. Where else would he had gotten it?" He turned, meeting her eyes, "No wonder you look so frustrated."

Her hand squeezed the baster a bit too hard in response; another droplet slipped from the tip and into the tube. A puff of smoke erupted, coloring both of their faces and sending them into fits of coughing. She pulled down her mask to scowl at him, "Y-You distracted me! Do you have a death wish or something!?"

He coughed, waving his hand in front of his face, "S-Sorry."

Seiko gestured, "Take a step back!"

He straightened, taking the step back, "Right, you got it." She then pulled her mask back up before her hands began to move once more. The room plunged into silence apart from the clink and dink of her tools.

Her heart plunged and her shoulders locked up, "What's the point of the mask if he can read my face anyway…!?" In a Shoujo manga, this would be confused with a spark—a meet, cute moment. However, reality is quite different from the printed pages. This feeling in her chest was pure discomfort. The idea that someone could read her made her feel vulnerable again. Though, she couldn't focus on that at the time. The drug, undoing her mistake, took priority.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry for overstepping…" He crossed his arms, looking off to the side. "I'll keep quiet."

Seiko thought to herself, "He's weird… And too good at reading people… Or maybe he's just good at reading me…" Another tweak with a swish of the liquid, "I can't tell which is worse…" She filled a test tube before slipping it into the centrifuge. Silence fell between the two apart from the whirl of the machine. An awkward tension filled the air as she tensed at whatever he could say while his mind raced.

After a minute, he finally spoke, "H-Hey… Can I get your name?"

"Why?" she asked as her eyes narrowed.

He held his hands up, "I just want to know who I'm talking to." He blinked before straightening, "Ah, I should probably introduce myself first." He bowed, "Sorry, Hinata Hajime, Reserve Course, representing Class 77-B."

"77-B… I was right," she murmured. Until her eyes widened, "Wait, Reserve? How did you get in here?"

"I got a little brother here. Gotta look out for him." He blinked before chuckling, "Heh… Who am I kidding?" His voice grew soft alongside his smile, "He's looking out for me, I think…" He laughed, "Making sure I stay sane."

"From what?"

Hajime sighed, "It's the Reserve Course. I can't say it's the nicest place… I mean look at this one. Everything's clean—neatly put together. Either done by an Ultimate or the staff—that I've never seen." He leaned against the counter, "The Reserve Course is kinda dirty, haphazardly thrown together. Mostly because the students are in charge of cleaning the place, but none of them care to."

The brunet shook his head, "No one wants to be there; not even the teachers. Either they want the status of going to Hope's Peak or they're hoping they'll get put in the Main Course." He crossed his arms with a shrug, "In the end, most of my classmates are just envious—in despair over not having 'talent'. Jealous of all of you." He began to continue, "I…" before trailing off. "I just can't stand them," he finished instead.

Seiko nodded, "That does sound… suffocating."

He smiled, laughing slightly, "Right?" He blinked, "Ah, I still never got your name."

"Ah, Kimura Seiko, Ultimate Pharmacist." She scratched her cheek, "So, your brother… sneaks you in?"

His head teetered, "I kinda openly walk in. His homeroom teacher invites me over whenever he's being, um, 'difficult'; I guess is the word." He shrugged, "To be honest, I think he might be doing it on purpose."

"To get out of the Reserve Course?"

Hajime nodded, "I think so, yeah."

"He sounds considerate."

"He can be for certain people," he noted with a shrug. "Not a people person—not very emotive either. Had to learn how to read micro-expressions to get an idea on what was going in his head."

"So that's how—" Her own thoughts were interrupted by the ding of the centrifuge. "Ah…" She opened the device. The pair fell into silence once more for her work. This silence was far different from the previous. Tension didn't stain the air. She wasn't as guarded anymore, and he didn't feel the need to talk anymore. Perfectly balanced—as all things should be.

With a final droplet, she poured the mixture into a bottle before corking it shut, "Okay, this is a liquid dosage. Everyone should have two tablespoons worth. Only taking more if their weight class is on the high end. Don't let them have another dose unless an hour has passed, and the effects are still strong. If they're lessening, give the medicine time—it'll take care of the rest."

Hajime nodded, "Yes, ma'am. I'll be sure to inform them on their savior."

She blinked, blushing under mask, as she shook her head, "There's… no need for something like that."

He smiled, "If you say so." He waved as he made his exit, "See you around, Kimura!"

Despite the fact that he was long gone, Seiko gave a small wave in return, "Bye, Hinata."

XXX

AN: Howdy, everyone. Now, despite the 'stay at home', monthly chapters are going to be maintained. Mostly because I got no idea what tomorrow will bring, so I don't want to add undue stress to my current life. Believe it or not, being stuck with my parents doesn't make that situation any better at all.

I am slowly losing my sanity and my work is never finished. :D

"And I, honestly, do not have the time to unpack this bullshit." - Brain David Gilbert

(P.S. While this is completely genuine, this is also a joke)

Now, in my spare time, I decided to do something a little fun. On Spotify, under the name: PolarKarmaNo.777, I have created playlists for my current projects. (Apart from Shadows Upon a Desert.) The Brothers of Hope playlist are filled with songs that represent Hajime and Izuru as individuals and songs that represent their relationship. It also includes the songs featured in the story.

I'm completely open to any and all conversation about the music choices. However, I will refrain from possible spoilers. These playlists may also be edited.

Now, onto the chapter, we have Hajime meeting Seiko being the primary aspect. I did my best to research her character; mostly by rewatching her scenes as well as reading up on her on the Wikia. I feel pretty confident that I manage to capture her character before the explosion incident. Shy, purposefully distant, able to lash out, and has a kind heart.

But, of course, criticize away and thank you for reading.