Chapter 14: Even

I went back to my room, thankfully with no one there waiting for me. It was late at night, so I went to sleep and woke up with the knowledge that I still haven't used my repaired laptop. I plugged it in, and to my surprise, it worked. All the data was intact, as well. I guess Souda is a miracle worker. The first thing I obviously did was boot up Alter Ego. She was hyperventalating when the program booted up, which made sense because of the way I had last seen her. Why I programmed a computer program to breath, I somehow have an answer to. To emulate realism. "I'm alive? Master, what just happened?" she asked. How was I supposed to explain that the laptop she essentially treated as a home had been destroyed because I just wanted some fucking ice cream, and was repaired for free because I agreed to help a pervert make some bombs that I later convinced him not to make? Why is my life such a fucking mess? So I explained all that to her, and she was just about as horrified as any other person would be when hearing news like this. I also told her that I impregnated Asahina. "I'm not the best for advice, but you should try spending more time with her." the AI said to me. "That's actually a really good idea, thank you." I replied. "But I'm going to tell Maizono about this first, I'm sure she'd understand."

I was just about to go out and tell her, I opened the door and there was actually someone waiting for me. Someone I had spoken to a few times but hadn't in several months at this point. The pouty face of Chiaki Nanami. She was not happy, and I didn't know why. "His chest was red." she said. Obviously I knew what she was referring to, but why would I, the innocent girl I am, have any clue what she was referring to? And why was Nanami talking to reverse course students in the first place? "Who's chest? Did I do something wrong?" I asked her. "Don't play dumb with me, I know what you and your friends did to Hajime!" she yelled. What reason would the reserve course student have to snitch, considering the loud and clear threat from Ikusaba that he'd fucking die if word got out to anyone. But thankfully, I had an ace up my sleeve, an ace I always made sure to use in a situation like this. I fell on my knees and started crying. "Why would you accuse me of something like this? Something I clearly couldn't have done! Why me?" I yelled. I could tell through my fake tears that she felt bad, but only for a second. She walked into my room and closed the door as I continued to cry.

"You can't just do something to someone like that, even if they are lesser to you! Most of you other ultimates have oppressed the reserve course! And you know who is also oppressed?" she asked. If she said what I thought she was going to say, I didn't know if I could keep up the act here. "I am oppressed because I am a gamer!" she yelled. She actually said it. Tears continued to come out, sure, but now they were tears of joy as I could no longer take anything she was saying seriously. But I was still going to keep up the act. "I would never, hehe, never ever oppress anyone like that! I just, hehehe, want everyone to get along!" I said. I barely got past that without laughing my ass off. She just looked at me like I was crazy. "Why are you laughing? This is what they all do." she said. I couldn't answer that either, because I was still fucking laughing. She began to get progressively more angry. Unbeknownst to me, she began to look through her jacket, and grabbed a god damn original Game Boy and threw it at me. It hit me in the forehead and I instantly fell over and stopped laughing. A Game Boy.

"What was that for?" I said, still doing the girl act even if she probably had caught on at that point. "Why would you do something like this to Hajime?" she asked, putting her foot on my chest. "It wasn't my idea! I was just witness!" I yelled, struggling to get out of her foot's pressing grip. "But he said you used him as a punching bag as well. To paraphrase him, you went completely 'nuts' on him." she said with a smile, kicking me right in the balls after saying that. It was impossible to not grab them in pain, even if I wanted to continue the act. Ironically, we didn't actually do anything to the student's genitals. "Just as I suspected. The flat chest, the kissing of someone that's clearly into dudes, the computer addiction. I knew you were a boy." she said. Is it really that obvious or is she just good at making weird assumptions because of some video games? "A-Aren't you a girl gamer though? If 'computer addiction' can be a point you can make for me, then can I say you're a boy because of your gaming addiction?" I asked. She couldn't think of a proper retort, so she just made another pouty face.

"What you did to and your friends did to my friend is indescribably evil, and you must pay the consequences that come with thi- yo, is that a gaming computer?" she said. She somehow got distracted in her monologue by one of my computers. Now is a good time to talk about my situation when it comes to PCs. I have four: a desktop for standard activity, a desktop for programming, a laptop and a gaming desktop, all with multiple designated monitors. But now Nanami was enthralled with the one. "This is an even better model than I have!" she yelled, completely fascinated in it. I had gotten that specific PC a year ago for half off, and it had been a worthwhile purchase. "Listen, trap. If you let me take your computer, I'll forgive you for doing what you did. If you don't, you will feel the wrath of the gamer rising up." she said. She expected me to take this seriously, as well. "I wasn't even the one most involved in this! Why can't you do this to Saionji or someone else?" I asked. She laughed at me. "Of course I'm going to go to Saionji's, and Tsumiki's, and Ikusaba's. But I chose you first because I knew you'd crack under the pressure!" she said. A strategic and smart move.

"You are not getting my computer and you are not kicking my fucking dick more! Get the hell out of here!" I said, pushing her out of my room and locking the door. But she continued to knock on the door, to my absolute annoyance. "That was a bit harsh and I just want to say I'm sorry. Maybe we could forget about this and just play some Smash Bros or Call of Duty or anything you're up for. Alright?" she said. I would have accepted her offer if she hadn't kicked me in the dick. I was having trouble walking and felt like I was going to throw up from it. It was probably triple the kick Saionji had given several weeks ago. "I'm not dealing with this right now." I said. I just wanted to recover and see Maizono and Asahina in peace. "Please?" she pleaded. "No!" I yelled back. "Please please pleeeeeease?" she begged.

I opened the door, she was giving the cutest face she could but I didn't care. "Alright, I have an idea. You go bother any of the other people that were present, and maybe, just maybe, I'll smash you later. Play a game of Smash with you later, sorry. Is that a deal?" I asked. She pondered the deal for a few seconds. "I accept, but we have to Smash now. I'll get my console." she said. She walked away, which was the perfect opportunity to run the opposite way when she was out of my sight. I ran out of the school and into my car where I planned to spend the next however long. The only thing I had brought with me was my phone, so I decided to pass the time by catching up with Dad. "The last few weeks have been hell. You don't get it. I nearly got someone killed by cutting their shoulder open, I accidentally impregnated the swimmer girl, I was forced to program a death game, I took part in BDSM torture and I might become someone's sex slave in a matter of days. It's not pretty." I told him. He gave me that trademark nervous laugh of his. "Well doesn't that sound like a ride! Haha! I never got into weird business in high school because, just like now, I had zero self confidence unless I was talking to your mother." he said. I sighed. It was times like this that I wished I could just live a normal school life. I don't have an issue with my current situation, per say, but with the mess that is my life right now, it was probably better I just lived a normal life. But god dammit, do I love how good I've gotten at my girl act.

"You have no clue what it's like to be me right now, dad. For all I know, this could be the last time I ever talk to you." I said. "Don't let it be, my son! I will always believe in my wonderful child, through all the hardships you may go through! Go out and do your best, my wonderful son!" he said. It actually did make me feel better. I said my goodbyes and decided to go back to my room, where hopefully Nanami had left by now. Although she had left, she was now behind my car. "I knew you'd be here. Now let's smash. Play Smash, my apologies." she said. How did she know? Anyway, we played Smash Bros Melee at her place for a solid half hour and she kicked my ass the whole time. She did all those odd techniques you see in the tournaments and because of this I was completely fucked. Can't say I didn't have a good time though, even if she had kicked me in the balls earlier. "Maybe again some time?" she asked. "I mean, I guess. Sure. I don't know." I said before leaving. Another time doing this actually wouldn't be too bad at all. But now it was finally time to see my beloved Maizono again for the first time since the disaster of the ice cream meeting. My plan was simple: apologize for making it seem like there was another girl, tell her about the Asahina situation, and probably fuck afterwards. But once I opened the door, I knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Because to my shock and awe, in that room, she was in bed. In bed with Mondo Owada.

"F-Fujisaki-chan! It's not what it looks like!" she yelled immediately. Owada facepalmed and said "Just admit it, its exactly what it looks like. I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say." I couldn't tell what to feel. Anger? Sadness? What mattered is that she wasn't as loyal as she made out to be. "Listen, I thought you were with another girl and maybe I be with another guy, and Owada had been treating me with a lot of respect because of you! And we got a little drunk, and... I guess we got carried away." she said. I could tell that she was genuinely distraught by her own decision. "There wasn't another girl, but between then and now, there actually is. Maybe even two different ones. I am so sorry. We probably shouldn't be together." I said. Maizono closed her eyes, she was sobbing to herself. "But can we at least be friends still? It is, after all, just a misunderstanding." she said. Some genuine tears actually came from me, something that almost never happened. "Sure, I guess." I was barely able to let out. I left the room in a state of despair, a state that made me realize more about myself.

The only person I had to blame was myself. She had reason to cheat on me. She thought there was another girl and decided to take action with another guy. To an extent, she was correct. But what matters is that Hope's Peak is hell, and what it does to other people is hell. With the ensuing chaos going on, I knew I had to do something, and I knew exactly what. I have to get out of here. I need to escape this school and maybe even the country. I have to live a normal high school life free from this drama. I couldn't do it just yet, I still wanted to see Asahina. But after that, I have to run from it all. It might not be the right choice, but it's the choice I have to make for the better of me and maybe the better of everyone else here.