[-x-]
Hajime was walking down the hallway towards class. It was early morning as usual, he took his two shots of espresso and was ready to take on the day. But knowing his class, it might be better for him to be knocked out instead of living amongst the chaos.
It's been a week since the very eventful 'Conditioner questline' situation, happily dubbed by Chiaki, happened. Nothing big has occurred since then but he knew it wasn't going to last very long.
It would've been a waste not to take advantage of the current peace he had, so he happily looked up some meditation guides online. He hasn't found his inner peace just yet but he felt like it was helping him.
Luckily enough, his teacher didn't do anything to awaken him like she usually does. Perhaps, she was too distracted by something else. Was it because of the meeting she had last week? Hajime shook his head. He didn't need to occupy his thoughts with something that doesn't concern him.
Just simply appreciate the peace-
"HINATA!" Oh great, the bells of his demise were ringing.
"What's up, Nidai?" He turned around to see the manager barreling in his direction.
"I SEE THAT YOU'RE MORE ENERGETIC THAN USUAL." Nidai commented as he inspected his classmate.
"Yeah, I finally got the chance to dri-" Not even letting him finish.
"DID YOU FINALLY RELIEVE YOURSELF?!"
"Huh?! What the fuck?!" Does he mean that?! Why the hell would you ask that?!
"HAVE YOU FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO 'IT'?!" Even more cryptic bullshit!
"Hell no! I'm not even sure what you're talking about!"
"HMPH, IT LOOKS LIKE I'M STILL THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN PERFORM 'IT'… FOR NOW." The giant marched towards the class and left Hajime in a state of disbelief. He definitely didn't believe Hajime.
'What the fuck does he mean?!' The boy watched as his classmate disappeared into the stairs. 'Okay, okay. It's way too early for this. Let's just pretend that nothing happened here.'
'Breath… inhale… exhale… Don't think about it'
He soon found himself inside the classroom. Half of the class had already sat down and were interacting with each other. Chiaki was striking up a conversation with Koizumi and Saionji was harassing her usual two targets in the form a weeping nurse and a downtrodden mechanic. Only Mioda was missing in the mix.
"Hey guys." He greeted them as he sat down at his table.
"Good morning, Hajime-kun." Chiaki lazily waved at him before turning her head back to Koizumi.
"Yo! Hajime!" Kaz hollered, his face just brightening ever so slightly before his attention was dragged back by the small blonde.
"Oi! I'm still talking to you!" The traditional dancer pinched his ear and dragged him back while the boy protested.
Since he doesn't have anyone to talk to, he figured some pre-class meditation would help. Blocking out the noise, Hajime looked out the window. The rising morning sun blanketed the room with a warm orange tint. It wasn't something he normally sees with good sleep(relatively) and caffeine so he exhaled happily.
As stressing as managing the class was, the highlights (almost) made it worth pulling his hair out. The bullshit he had to comb throug-. 'Shh, don't think about the negatives, it'll only bring you down. Breathe~. And focus on the good stuff.'
The laughs he's been getting from them are steadily increasing. He didn't know how to describe it, the vibe was just simply getting better. They're all getting progressively more personal. Hell, even Saionji and Kuzuryu were participating at times, though distantly on both accounts.
There was always something that could make him relieve the stress of working constantly and going to school so early in the morning. Theoretically speaking, he shouldn't even be able to get out of bed but somehow, he manages. Even if it was a struggle to adapt in the beginning.
It was a nice feeling to belong somewhere after being constantly outed in his old high school. To be fair, he either looked like an alcohol stinking zombie or he skipped, there wasn't anything in between. At least his grades were pretty good, which baffled pretty much everyone including himself.
He never really thought how lucky he really was when he got into Hope's Peak. Being caught up in work and classroom bullshit will do that but he ignored that detail. He was just somehow serving the one guy that scouts the students. The heavens really granted him a one in a million opportunity.
Kizakura just happened to appear one day and from then on became his most regular regular. It really didn't help the man's alcoholism but at least his and his boss' pockets were filled whenever he sat down at Valhalla.
How does he even thank the man? Infinite drinks at the bar he'll work at in the future? No, that would make his efforts be in vain. He couldn't think of anything right no-
A paper ball hit him square on the forehead. "Oi, I was talking to you, Hinata." A slightly annoyed Koizumi was staring him down. I guess his meditation time was up.
"Oh, ma bad. I was just thinking about… things." Hajime didn't really feel like spilling his thoughts so early in the morning.
"Whatever, just answer my question." She leaned in, a bit too close that he couldn't ignore the strawberry perfume that hit his nostrils. "Do you know what happened to those two?"
She pointed at two people in particular, the newly arrived Mioda and the marginally more upbeat Kaz. They were chatting up a storm and ignoring the pesky dancer's refusal to give their attention. The nurse slowly backed up and hid behind the teacher's podium.
"Not really." He told her ear, getting more of the scent from earlier. "They've been like that since last week and I haven't really pried Kaz about it. Didn't feel like intruding."
"Isn't your job intruding on other people's business? How is this different?" She leaned away and Hajime was slightly disappointed.
"Well for one, they usually spill the information without me asking them."
"Don't give me that. I've seen the interviews you do with Komaeda. You're not one to stay out of people's business." She grilled him further.
"That's was a different case, unless I know the other person isn't personally getting offended and or hurt, I'm not going to push further." This was getting a little serious.
"Fine, but aren't you curious?"
"Yeah but I'm just putting my distance right now and seeing where that goes. If anything, you should ask Chiaki to do that instead of me."
The mentioned girl raised her head from her Swap but returned her attention when she realized that no one was looking at her directly.
"Why her? You're the specialist here."
"Because she knows more of the subject and has a more personal approach. What got you so curious about this anyways? Normally you'd stay away as far as you can from Kaz."
"That's taking it a bit far. But I can't really deny that. He's obnoxious and downright creepy at times." She leaned against the wall and snuck a glance once again. "Mioda's a good friend of mine now and I don't really think I can trust him."
She wasn't in the wrong. Kaz has acted very weird and sometimes out of pocket. He knew about her bias against the other sex, but Kaz was his friend, she can't exactly go around and snoop when she really shouldn't.
Though, he really didn't want to start an argument with her so early in the morning. So, he let it go for now.
"If she's your friend, why not go ahead and ask her yourself?"
"She'd get suspicious and not tell me anything." She twirled her hair between her fingers.
"Pretty sure there's a good chance she'd just up and tell you, it's Mioda after all." Placing his chin on his palm.
"Not this time, she hasn't mentioned this once whenever we hang out." She bit her cheeks. "It's been worrying me."
"There must be a good reason why. Typically she's open about pretty much anything."
"Yeah, I just find it weird that they're getting so close all of sudden."
"That too but let's just let it be. They look like they're having good time anyways, I mean just look at them."
Kaz was actually smiling like his old self with the cackling musician. That was more than enough for him. He preferred not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Mahiru-nee! Help MFFHHH!" A call for help caught their attention, which turned into a shriek that can probably break someone's glasses.
Turning their heads to the origin, they saw a very explicit image. Tsumiki, (again), managed to get herself on top of the traditional dancer in the position of the funny number. The worst part, the nurse's behind was now on top of her face and in full display for everyone to witness.
"I-I-I'M SORRYYYYYY!" The nurse added in the screaming.
On top of the fact that they were both wrapped together by the bandages. He sighed… this was the FOURTH TIME this week. Baffled by the frequency, he tuned out the high pitched squeal coming from Saionji.
"Koizumi, it's your turn." He eyed her, face palming.
"I know, I know…" She marched forward and crouched to tell the dancer to stop the ear piercing sounds that can match even Nidai's.
"I-I'M SO SORRYYYYYYY, I DIDN'T MEAN IT!"
"CAN YOU FUCKERS SHUT YOUR TRAPS?! ITS TOO FUCKING EARLY!" The yakuza's nerves finally bursted.
"Boss baby's right! You guys shouldn't break my ears so early! Wait till after lunch!" She picked her ear.
"THE HELL DID YOU SAY, TITS FOR BRAINS?!" He was ready to brawl.
"Oh my, is this perhaps… hope? Hope can be found in the midst of chaos! HAhahA, I'm being drowned by hope!" The resident luckster began to hug himself and drool.
"SILENCE!" A deep voice came from the right. An irritated breeder came into view. "I am not willing to endure the wailings of the childish imp or any of you inferior beings!." That only worsened the shrills, to the dismay of everyone with their mouths shut.
Tanaka helped the Koizumi in untying the two girls from their predicament. It took them a little while but they managed to get the two up on their feet.
"The Supreme Overlord of Ice shall curse you with the spell of Mutism!" As grand and imposing as that sounds, he only wrapped some of his own bandages around the blonde's mouth to her muffled but quiet protest. "Is your being swell, fellow damned?" He asked the nurse.
"Y-Yes, Tanaka-san. T-Thank you for h-helping me…!" The nurse was now weeping in happiness.
Now, this he didn't expect. Tanaka and Tsumiki again? This was getting wackier by the minute. The class was slowly spiraling into pandemonium. The yakuza and gymnast were now stuck in a screaming competition. Komaeda's rants and Nidai's booming laugh certainly didn't help much. Their resident animator stepped out of the room to find quiet, something he did more often than talk.
Tanaka clapped his hands, creating a loud reverberation to attract anyone's attention who wasn't screaming. "Your soul is now binded to repay your debt, lest you suffer through another curse from The Overlord himself."
'What's his game here…'
"H-Huh? I s-suppose? W-What do y-you propose? W-Would you like to s-see me n-naked?" She said, already unbuttoning her uniform.
"Tsumiki, don't!" The bartender yelled from the back of the room.
"Hold on a second, Tsumiki-chan!" The photographer gripped the nurse's arms before she did anything drastic. "Tanaka! How selfish are you to ask for a favor after helping someone?"
"Hmph! Withdraw from this argument, collector of time fragments! This is not a battle you will be the victor of." He closed his eyes and didn't even meet her eye.
"Oh, I might surprise you…"
"Tch, you DARE oppose he who controls who holds the power of birthing blizzards?!" He did a few jutsus movements with his hands.
"Oh, get off your high horse already!" She crossed her arms.
"Hey, hey." The soft spoken voice of their class rep echoed through the room but it wasn't quite enough.
"ALRIGHT!" Hajime wanted to squash this already, so with all his will, chanelled his inner Nekomaru fucking Nidai. "WILL YOU GUYS SHUT YOUR MOUTHS FOR A SINGLE GODDAMN SECOND?!"
Dead silence. Huh, that worked. His throat ached and he desperately needed a glass of water now though. "*ahem*."
"Thank you, Hajime-kun." She held his hand for a second before letting go.
The entire class awaited her. "You guys shouldn't raise your voices against each other. It doesn't accomplish much when you do so. How could you when the only goal is to one up someone's volume?" Looking directly at the athlete and mob boss.
"Alright, fine, whatever." He leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes.
"You're the boss, Nanami!"
"It's really hard to be open minded when you always think you're in the right. So, why not ask the other person before throwing any accusations, no matter how suspicious it might be. Or, that's what I think the best thing to do is."
"But, Nanami-chan. He's up to no good!" The redhead defended her stance. "It's just too fishy that he asks right after helping her."
"I don't think so, Tanaka-kun might be cryptic but he isn't that type of person. Are you not?"
He figured to just let Nanami do her thing at this point. She was doing wonders in putting out the uncontrollable fire.
"I swear with my whole spiritual being that I am here with honest intentions. I am only asking for my favor to be returned."
"What is that favor then, Tanaka-kun?"
"I wish for the Mistress of Restoration to pamper the Devas." Hiding his face underneath his scarf, clearly covering a now deepening blush.
…
"H-Huh?" Tsumiki reacted first, confused.
"R-Really?" Hajime was flabbergasted.
"That's it?" Koizumi stomped the ground. "Then, why'd you make it sound like you wanted something more?!"
"I did no such thing." He averted his gaze, staring into the beautiful rising sun.
"See, Koizumi-san? Tanaka-kun can be deceiving with his words but he means well. As does anyone in our class."
"Y-You're right." Clutching her camera and fiddling with it.
"Now, the one dubbed the 'Ultimate Nurse'. Soothe these beasts desires." The hamsters popped out of his scarf.
"A-Ah… M-Moh…" She fiddled with her skirt, preferring to avert her eyes. "D-Do I-I really h-have to…"
"You've signed the pact." All his devas lined up on his right arm. "You shall honor it, lest you endanger your soul."
"B-But…! T-They'll bite meeee!" She squealed, slowly backing away from the breeder.
"There is no use for dread. I assure you with my demonic soul that the Devas are not going to devour you." He slowly walked forward.
Her back hit the wall and she had no other choice. He lifted his arm to let the hamsters get close to the girl.
"Yo, Koizumi, the hell is this?"
"I… I honestly don't know. This looks like it was stolen out of a shoujo manga."
"Where the main character is a chuuni and the girl is a klutz."
"Exactly."
"Our classmates are sorta eccentric aren't they?"
"You can say that again. Don't forget to add crazy though."
"Course."
"Now, do as they request." The biggest of them all was first, if he remembered correctly, it was Cham-P. The girl whimpered as she slowly extended her hand and quickly retracted it. "Do not be fearful, I have tamed these beasts to the best of my abilities."
"O-Okay…" Her eyes slowly watering as she lowered her hand on the animal's head. It took her a while but she began petting more. "H-Heh… H-Hehe. He's so soft~…"
The girl was now giggling to herself as she continued to stroke it. It was a very abnormal sight for the nurse. Hajime was shocked that she wasn't stumbling out of nowhere. She even used her other hand to pet the sleeping Jum-P. She was in such a state of bliss that he swore he saw flowers floating around her.
She did the same thing for the remaining devas, to the delight of the breeder.
"Jeez, it was that easy?"
"Yes, it was. You don't really have to be so protective of the girls, y'know?"
"Who are you to tell me what to do?"
"The only rational person you can relate to. Just cut back on the mother hen status sometimes. You might even keep some of your red hair."
"I'll think about it."
The door slid open as soon as the bell rang. Their teacher arrived and everyone got back to their usual spots.
"Good morning, class!" The bubbly teacher greeted. "I'm going to take attendance real quick and we can proceed on with our usual plans. Which, if I'm looking at it right, we're going to be swimming!"
The entire class cheered!
[-x-]
It was slightly earlier than lunchtime, and since the cafeteria kitchen was now fully renovated and fixed, he had to return to his duties as the server and make a punch for everyone to drink. This is his talent cultivation "period" after all.
He opened the door and was greeted with an unpleasant sight.
"Look what the cat dragged in the room." A very familiar face tipped his hat.
"The hell does that mean?" Hajime ignored the man and walked past him. He opened the fridge that was very stocked up on pretty much anything a chef and especially a bartender would want. He grabbed the lemon oleo-saccharum he made the other day and a handful of his favorite fruit.
"Dunno, I just wanted to say it." The fedora wearing man chuckled. "Long time no see class rep. How's class treatin' ya?"
'I can't wait for this normal conversation to piss me off when he pulls his usual bullshit.'
He plopped all the fruits into the sink and went back to grab two cans of ginger ale and a whole jug of cranberry. Opening the cabinet, he pulled out a big bowl and set it right next to the sink.
"It's been more positive than negative lately. Yukizome-sensei has a way of pulling us all together." He gave the man his two cents as he recited the poem in his head. 'One of sour, two of sweet, none of strong and four of weak.'
"That's good, that's good. I'm glad she replaced me then."
He twisted the cap over from his jar of oleo-saccharum and poured one three ounces. "Yeah, you were god awful. Half the time you were hungover." The bartender then scooped about 6 tablespoons of demerara sugar and mixed it with the liquid.
"You barely even attended class." Kizakura-san almost tripped himself.
"Doesn't really take a genius to figure that out." Looking at the man for a brief second, before coming back to his duties.
"Damn, you really don't hold back, do ya? But yeah, I'll admit I wasn't really the best educator."
"I'm surprised Kirigiri-kōchō even gave you a job teaching students." Cutting the oranges in half, he placed them inside a juicer and observed the fruits get squished.
"Trust me, I told him not to give me the spot but we really needed teachers. We still do."
"It shouldn't really be hard to hire people, shouldn't it? There should be plenty of qualified people." He placed the jug on top of a scale and zeroed it. It measured 4 kilos so he poured some out until he reached 1kg.
"Yes but finding the best ones for the academy can prove difficult. Rarely do Ultimates come back to teach here so we have to hire lower grade teachers."
"That's a bit harsh don't you think?"
"It's just the reality, most teachers here last a year, maybe two before fully quitting because of the insane standard that the school imposes on them."
"Don't most students skip anyways?" The orange was now fully processed so he poured all of it, while straining it of course.
"Yes, but the ones that stay are quite a handful. Ultimates tend to be regardless of their background. Your class just happens to have the rowdiest bunch we've ever had."
He cracked the cans open and poured them. "I've witnessed it first hand. It can get really bad at times. I'm glad Yukizome's our teacher, I don't think anyone else is qualified to be honest." The last ingredient he added was the cranberry juice inside the bowl.
"You might be right about that, she's already reigned you guys in good." His words betrayed the grimace he had on his face.
"What's the face for?" He dropped about a dozen ice cubes before he mixed it with the ladle.
"Well, she could certainly do a better job at leashing your class. She usually pours more fuel because it promotes being youthful."
"How would you even go about that? I don't think it's possible to fully manage 77-B."
"*Sigh* You'll see what I mean when you mean the Council, They aren't really pleased with how you guys run."
"And now you're starting to scare me." Pointing the tool at him.
"I think you guys will do fine. There's no way Jin would just kick you guys out but there's also no way that you'll get out of this unscathed."
"That's even more ominous than before!"
"Hey hey, don't shoot the messenger. I just wanted to catch up with my favorite student." He approached and wrapped his arms around the boy.
"Let me go!" Pulling himself away from the man.
"Alright, alright. Jeez kid. You have no chill sometimes."
"Only gets worse if you're in the perimeter."
"Ouch. Listen, I'm being completely honest here. I missed ya."
"No tricks? No bullshit? This is bait isn't it?"
"C'mon, do you have so little trust in me?"
"..."
"Damn." He lowered his hat in melancholy.
"I'm fuckin with ya don't worry. I missed you too, I just still haven't forgiven you for that prank." Tapping the man's shoulder.
"You had me worried there for a sec."
"No, I didn't."
"You kinda did but moving on. You have your sights on any girls?"
"Huh?!" Hajime blushed.
"Girls? Any you're interested in?"
"Hell no I don't! I don't have time for a relationship. You know this."
"True but you never really know. A lot of graduates often marry the one they dated in school. Just another guarantee for ya in Hope's Peak." He winked at the bartender who simply gave him the stink eye.
"As pleasant as that sounds, I'd prefer not getting one at all. I barely even have time for myself, what makes you think I'd sacrifice that?" He crossed his arms.
"That's what you're saying right now. You never know though. Welp! That's all I had to say. See ya in another three months, Hinata." He saluted before heading off into the cafeteria.
"What was that about?" He walked back and picked up his bowl to carry to the front.
"Did I hear someone say… relationship~" The chef popped out of his hole.
"No you didn't. In fact, erase everything you just heard from your memory or I'll karate chop you again."
"Whatever you say, Hinata-kun~." That made him shiver to his deepest bones.
[-x-]
All three of them were all standing in front of the door. It was slightly bigger than usual and had a big metal nameplate with the engraved kanji of the Student Council and its members just underneath. He counted forteen names.
"Well, that's really fancy." Hajime commented.
"It's Hope's Peak, they go pretty over the top with the small stuff." Kaz replied, sliding his hands over the masterful engravings.
"You're not wrong. Though, I feel like this makes the room more intimidating rather than inviting."
"It really looks like the quest room before the final boss.." Chiaki tapping her fingers together.
"Yeah, it's pretty daunting…" Loosening up his necktie just a little bit.
"C'mon guys, why are we so scared of a door?" The mechanic placed his hands on their shoulders.
"I'm not scared, I'm just slightly nervous." The bartender looked at his friend. "We're about to meet the Student Council in the best High School in Japan, I feel like they're bound to be angry with the way our class treats the school."
"Well, if you put it that way…" Kaz grimaced.
"Guys, we won't get anywhere if we just stay here and let our nerves get to us." The gamer expressed, turning around to face them both. "This should be nothing compared to our class."
"Righty-O, Chiaki!" The pink haired boy clapped.
"Alright, let's head in then." Hajime pushed the door to the side and was greeted by an air of authority.
"So, you guys finally arrived." A collected voice of a guy announced itself as Hajime entered the room. "The representatives of the infamous 77-B."
"Come on in you guys!" Another voice, this time, a girl's.
The three of them stepped foot. And all of them were surprised with what they saw. The room looked like their school's library but much more amplified. The first floor had its walls filled to the brim with books and records, all with a rustic construction. Tables littered across the room with accompanying armchairs.
Instead of the usual fluorescent bulb the halls and classrooms had, the room was lit from a hanging chandelier and scattered pseudo torches. Very, very victorian. Clearly the one who designed it had a vision in mind.
They climbed the stairs of the mezzanine made from rough cut oak that housed the equally rustic round table of the Council. There were fourteen chairs equally distributed around the table. Only four of the chairs were occupied.
"You can sit wherever you feel comfortable as most other members aren't available at the moment." The first voice from earlier said. It came from a pretty average looking guy, brown eyes, brown hair. Not really much standing out appearance wise aside from the white cuff around his right sleeve.
His demeanor and aura was what grabbed his attention. He wasn't particularly intimidating or having a suffocating presence, he carried himself with a high sense of righteousness. Not the kind that you want to slap someone with for imposing on you, the kind that makes you want to follow the person.
"Since this is the first time we're meeting. Introductions are in place. My name is Soshun Murasame, 76-B, Ultimate Student Council President." Murasame-sama… -san, introduced himself.
"You probably already know us but, Hajime Hinata, 77-B, Ultimate Bartender." He bowed unconsciously.
"I'm Kazuichi Soda, 77-B, Ultimate Mechanic, sir!" His friend bowed even lower.
"My name is Chiaki Nanami, I'm from 77-B and I'm the Ultimate Gamer." Even the pink haired girl felt compelled to bow.
"Jeez, here goes the 'Soshun effect' again…" Another equally pink haired girl palmed her face.
"Hey, I can't really control this y'know?" The council president pointed at the girl and shook his head in disapproval. "That's not the point, you guys don't really have to do all that. We're all equals in this room."
"Given that there's a round table, I guess it fits the theme." Hajime complied without much persuasion. All three sat down on the left side facing everyone else. All the members had their Hope's Peak uniform worn so he felt slightly out of place with his usual white button up.
"My turn for the introduction! I'm Kiriko Nishizawa, 76-B, Ultimate Dressmaker and Soshun's future girlfriend!" The newly introduced Nishizawa cheered as she failed to pounce on her leader. The girl was practically bursting with energy. She had her hair styled into buns with a red headband to support it.
"No we aren't Kiriko-san!" Maneuvering around the table to avoid future embarrassment.
"Y-You should really stop teasing Murasame-san like that, Nishizawa-san…" A girl in a yellow bunny hoodie. She also had a permanent blush akin to Saionji. What stood out the most was her mismatched heterochromia eyes. "A-Anyways, my name is Aiko Umesawa and I am the Ultimate Social Media Manager and Music Producer, I-I'm from class 76-A."
"Two talents?" Kaz voiced our thoughts. "Didn't know it was even possible to be scouted twice."
"Yes, Indeed. We're lucky to be graced by someone as talented as her." Murasame-san complimented his fellow member.
"I-It really isn't that impressive. My t-talents just happen to be synced with my field." She tapped her fingers together, eyes starting to moisten.
"Haha! Don't downplay yourself like that, Umesawa-san!" He patted her arm which made her shoulders droop in embarrassment.
"That's seriously impressive." Hajime didn't really realize multiple talents were a thing. "How come I've never heard of this before."
"It's because Aiko-chan uses an alias for her production. She prefers to stay anonymous." The last person finally spoke. "My name is Karen Kisaragi and I'm the Ultimate Accountant. I come from the same class as Aiko-chan."
"If you don't mind me asking…" Chiaki looked at the accountant. "What is her stage name?"
"M-M-Mamba-chan…" The girl herself answered as she sunk in her hoodie like a turtle.
"OHHHHH!" Him and Kaz instantly knew who it was. "You produced for PNGMAFIA and Tatsuki, The Destroyer?!"
"...Y-Yes…!" She sounded like she was about to cry. They all got up and surrounded her chair.
"Thank you for giving us the best album of the decade!" Kaz prostrated on the ground.
Hajime grabbed her hands and shook it like an overeager fangirl. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. You don't know how much I love your beats!"
"She's also produced some of the best video game OSTs. I owe you a lot, Umesawa-san." Chiaki patted the girl's head inside the hoodie.
"Wow, these guys really like her music." Nishizawa was caught off guard.
"Let them appreciate her. Umesawa-san has earned this praise." The president was more than welcoming of it.
"P-P-Please don't e-exaggerate!" She was now fully out of view, deflating even further. "I-I'm not that impressive..! I-I only really made the beats…"
Normally the ever stoic Hajime Hinata wouldn't show his inner giddiness like this, but he made an exception to the artist he's listened to the most. In part thanks to his boss who had some of her instrumentals on loop constantly. Meeting your favorite artist will always have anyone go gaga.
'Oh she's going to be so jealous once I tell her…' He grinned ear to ear.
"Alright break it up, we have an important matter to discuss." Kisaragi clapped and led them all back to the other side of the table. Then, she pulled the beat red producer out of her shell. Very authoritative for a quiet type.
"Onto business." Murasame-san pulled out a folder from his carry bag. "The three representatives of class batch 77, section B, meeting commence." His tone much more assertive.
That sounded more serious than he predicted this would be. Why does it feel like he's in court defending some atrocious crime he committed? He eyed Kaz and all his friend gave was his pursed lips. They were in for something.
"You are hereby summoned by the Student Council for an introductory meeting." Phew, nothing too serious then. "And the, for the sake of brevity, disturbance your class has caused the past few months.
'Shit, nevermind. We are so fucked.' He elbowed his friend, Kaz was now slowly sinking into the chair. He snuck a glance at Chiaki and for some ungodly reason, the girl was perfectly calm. 'How do you do it, Chiaki… Couldn't be me…'
"Now, now, no need to panic… too much." 'Oh yeah, that's definitely how you calm people down.' It was Nishizawa talking now. "Your class is a special case. One of your better qualities is the fact that there's three of you instead of one. I don't think one of you guys would've been enough to put a leash on that chaos."
"So, who's the class president, vice president and officer? Normally there's only the president shouldering all the burden. Your teacher hasn't specified that in the documents so we might as well do that now." Murasame-san had a form in hand.
"...Oh! Uhhh." Hajime snapped out of his panic and glanced at his friends. "We really haven't decided that."
"Yeah, we don't really think about these things." Kaz chuckled nervously.
"Someone just inevitably takes care of the situation. The titles didn't really come into our minds." Chiaki explained.
"Alright then, but for the documentation, I'm going to have to ask you to pick right now." Kisaragi crossed her legs. "Better now than never."
"O-Okay then…" He backed his chair up so he can chat with his friends without turning his head too much. That caused a high pitched squeak that he no one could ignore. "My bad… Um, since Chiaki was the one that won the votes, she's president."
"Sounds good to me, I didn't really want the title to begin with." His other male friend shrugged.
'Nor did you want any responsibilities.' Hajime snarkily responded in his head. 'To be fair, I didn't want it either.'
"Are you sure you guys? I don't really think I'm fit for this title." She blew up her cheeks. "I only really won because of luck. Aren't you deciding this too quickly?"
'You think we're fit?' "I don't think so, you're built to be the president of the class. I don't think me and Kaz can ever survive without you. Hell, you're the only one who everyone listens to."
"Yeah, Hajime's right. Our limits are much lower compared to yours, plus you've been plannin' more and more activities with Yukizome-sensei."
"O-Okay then. If that's what you guys decide, I'll be the Class President." She held her hand over her heart.
"Nice and easy. I have a question though." Kaz directed his question towards the council conversing amongst themselves. "What's a class officer?"
"The one who commands the class into conformity. Basically, the person who reigns the class and makes people listen to the president."
"That sounds a whole lot like Hajime." The mechanic grinned.
"Oi, the hell do you mean?" He squinted his eyes towards his friend.
"Kazuichi-kun is right. You're the one keeps the class in check alongside Koizumi-san." Chiaki tapped her finger on her cheek.
"Who's that? Koizumi?" Nishizawa turned her head towards the accountant's direction, she seemed to be the only one listening actively.
"Ultimate Photographer, the only other person that hasn't cost us anything since their term started."
"Huh, surprised she didn't get voted." The dressmaker wondered.
"We treat her like our honorary member." Hajime answered. 'Cuz good god, I will go bald otherwise.'
"Moving on, that only leaves one spot."
"So, I'mma be the vice president? What do I even do?"
"The gist of it is, you do the same thing as Nanami-chan here but you have to follow whatever she says."
"Alright! I'm vice, Hajime is the officer and Chiaki is our president." He offered his fist towards the two and they gladly returned.
Hajime dragged his chair back, to the dismay of everyone and the meeting carried on.
"Onto more… important matters." The president placed his laced hands on the table. "You guys didn't have any rep or reps for months now since only a handful of you actually attended. And now that Yukizome-sensei is making your attendance mandatory, you all have spiked up in attendance percentage."
"W-Which isn't normally bad but…" Umesawa slid a paper towards their side. "Your destruction percentage magnified too."
"Your class…" Kisaragi pointed at three of them. "Has caused the school to spend more on repairs than in the past 5 years."
Hajime clenched his hand so hard that they turned white.
"Combined." Murasame-san finished.
"...Shit." Was all he could manage. His friends were equally speechless.
"Haha! Indeed, Hinata-kun! It's really surprising. Once Kisaragi-san ran the numbers, your class now ranks #6 in all of Hope's Peak destruction spendings."
"Scary part is… you haven't even completed your first year." Nishizawa sweatdropped.
"I-If you keep this up, you might be able to reach #1 by the end of your second year. And that's saying something…" Umesawa looked down, "Since #1 destroyed the entire school."
The reality of the situation came crashing down on him. Was there even a solution for this besides trying to pull back on their chaos? If that's even possible, mind you. There was no way in hell. Just simply, no fucking way…
'Was Kizakura wrong?' Why did he think they would get away with a slap on the wrist?
He was so distracted by the hurricane of thoughts in his mind that suddenly snapped out of his stupor when his sleeve was being tugged by Chiaki. "Huh? W-What is it?"
"Let's hear out what they have to say before we jump to conclusions."
She was right. Panicking was not going to help any of them, he… just wasn't used to dealing with things that can cripple his future. Especially one that basically secures it.
"Excellent. It isn't really the end of the world. Since the school now has extra funding from the exorbitant tuition fee of the Reserve Course. Your class is walking away unscathed." The president folded his sleeve.
"I hear a but coming from a mile away." Kaz was tapping his foot rapidly underneath the table.
"Good catch Soda-kun. But, with the way that this graph is teetering more towards the direction above, I have a feeling that your safe status may be in jeopardy. Three or maybe even four disasters a month is a reasonable request." Murasame-san stared at them in the eye, his brown eyes locked with his own. It felt like staring down a giant.
"Of what magnitude?" Hajime sweatdropped. This might make or break the deal.
"The cafeteria incident kind."
"Sooo, if we limit our disaster counts to once per week." The mechanic rubbed his hands together.
"Then, your class will continue on its track towards graduation!" Nishizawa spoke over her president.
"And what punishment would we receive if that isn't met." He just had to ask.
"Something you don't want to know until you get there." The president simply smiled. "But I trust you three that it won't ever get to that."
"A-All you guys have to do is not increase the trouble y-your class is already causing." The dual talent girl declared. "I-I believe in you guys!"
"As do I. You are fellow Hope's Peak students and I will hold you to that standard." Murasame-san nodded in agreement.
"And we're going to make sure not to cause too much ruckus at the beach!" All three of them were shocked to see their teacher bust in through the door. "Soshun-kun! Long time no see!"
"Chisa-san!" The president waved at the approaching woman. "How have you been?"
"You know… so and so… The usual. How's Kyosuke-kun's position treating you?"
"Really working me to the bone, I always admired him for always keeping up with ease. What inspired your visit here?"
"Oh, I just need your treasurer here to sign my documents for approval."
"Is this about the beach you're talking about?"
"Yes, Kisaragi-chan. Would you please sign it for your onee-san~?" She puckered up her lips as she placed the papers on the table.
"Sensei, you know them?" Kaz asked her bluntly.
"Yep! They were my juniors when I was in my graduating year. My little cuddly potatoes." She said, squeezing the cheek of the heterochromia girl. To their surprise, Umesawa did not protest, in fact she welcomed it.
"O-Onee-san…?! I-I told you to never bring that up ever again!" The stoic girl broke her air of indifference and yelled at their teacher.
"Heh, I-I'm sorry! It was just so cute, Karen-chan!" The orange haired woman came closer and pinched the girl's cheeks.
"Hands off of me, heathen! Don't ever call me a cuddly potato!" Slapping the housekeeper's hands.
All of them simply watched in baffled silence as the two women grappled each other. Hajime broke the silence, "This used to happen often?"
"Yeah, Kisaragi-san really did not appreciate being coddled up." Murasame-san, wait was he saying san the entire time? Murasame scratched his head.
They watched as the housekeeper tackled the accountant into the ground and began to tickle her. Man, even he felt bad for the embarrassment that the girl is receiving.
"I will kill you, Yukizome-senpahahaHAHA! HAHAHAHA!" The girl rolled around. "I'll make sure none of the witnesses survive either! None of you will survive!"
"Is the meeting over?" Chiaki asked the president.
"O-Oh yes. It's over." Even Murasame was taken aback by the view. "The introductory meeting is over. We'll probably summon you guys another time so make sure to be on standby then. Otherwise, we'll see you guys next time!"
"B-Bye bye!" Umesawa waved goodbye.
"Catch you guys laters!" Nishizawa gave them a peace sign.
"BYE!" The trio gave their farewells together. The three of them fast walked to the door as the cackling of the accountant slowly lessened.
"So, for our sake, let's pretend that we never saw that when we see Kisaragi again, okay?" He looked at the two once he closed the door.
"Got it." Kaz unconditionally gave his approval.
"Agreed." Chiaki nodded.
[-x-]
A buffer chapter before the main event of the summer season! I just wanted to show the regular day for the 77-B but then I realized that it was kinda dumb that the 77-B's destruction wasn't really pointed out by the Student Council at all. I feel like they would at least give them a warning so I decided that a meeting was in order. So, I added that.
You know, I haven't really read VA in full from start to finish. Well, technically I did since I wrote it but y'know what I mean. I should really get to that so everything is fresh in my mind instead of having to constantly fact check for plot holes(if you notice some, feel free to tell me pls).
What I also noticed, out of all the things I write for the fic, the thing I excel the most in is 1v1 convos between Hajime and another person. I dunno why it just flows so well in my head.
I have decided to commission(moreso beg) my artist friend to make an official cover for the fic! I can't wait to show it whenever it's done! They said they should be able to start it once their semester ends, appx 2 months from now. So, I should have a chapter ready by then (says the most inconsistent writer).
Next chapter, we're starting the three chapter long beach season! Hope you're enjoying this so far :).