Hajime once again found himself in a painfully mundane class lecture, lazily staring out the window. He gazed longingly at the tower of the true Hope's Peak Academy. Throughout the day he daydreamed about how his life could have been different, if only he had been born with a talent. He imagined what his school life could be like, the friends he could surround himself with, and the memories he could make. The more he thought about it, the more he was ensnared by feelings of inadequacy and despair.
Once the teacher grew bored of his own droning lecture, the class entered an independent study period. Everyone else was writing notes and reading their textbooks. Hajime remained fixated on the tower outside. His thought patterns were finally broken by a familiar shrill voice.
"Why do you always do that? Every day you stare out that window like you're in a fucking prison or something," Hajime looked up and saw the blonde girl standing over him, with crossed arms.
"It's none of your business," Hajime flatly stated.
"Oh, come on. It's pretty obvious. You wanna get out of this dump. You're totally absorbed in your delusional dreams. It's pretty friggin' sad, to be honest" She sneered down at him.
"Oh, so you're a mind reader now, huh?" Hajime grumbled, sarcastically.
"Hey, for what it's worth, I get it. Me and you aren't so different, ya know? We both aren't satisfied with being average, like all these other plebs. And we both wanna get into the Hope's Peak Main Course."
"Don't project yourself onto me. We aren't anything alike," Hajime said, bluntly. Looking up at Natsumi. He had no anger in his eyes, just apathy. His statement actually kind of stung Natsumi, though she didn't show it.
"Of course we're different. Unlike you, I haven't given up yet. I'm actually gonna win in the end. Like I said, I'm getting into the Main Course. Period," she affirmed, confidently.
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"
Natsumi grinned in response to this. It was a sly, devious grin, which gave Hajime a twinge of apprehension. Whatever Natsumi was planning, it couldn't be good.
"Oh, I've got a plan. Don't you worry. It's pretty simple. We're the Reserve Course, remember? Meaning, if one of the students at Hope's Peak drops out, one of us steps in to replace them. So, that's how I'm gonna get in."
Hajime's blood chilled. What was she implying? How far was she willing to go? "I guess that sorta makes sense, but how do you know that any students will drop out?" He asked, slightly nervously.
" Well, they might need a little convincing. I can be very… persuasive. I even have a certain freckle faced bitch in mind, who would be the perfect candidate," Just as Natsumi said this, a tall girl with messy dark hair stomped over to her and with smoldering, furious eyes.
"Natsumi! I should have known you would still be the same conniving bitch you were in middle school! What exactly are you planning to pull?!" she growled angrily, baring her teeth. The room was dead silent as Natsumi smugly grinned at her.
"Ah, Sato! I thought I smelled something rank when I first got here. So, you're still butt buddies with that little ginger twat, are you? How adorable," she cooed, with venom in her voice. Hajime awkwardly looked back and forth between the two girls who were both standing beside his desk. He was right in the middle of "no man's land" right now.
"Uh, wait. Do you two know each other or something?"
Natsumi glibly shrugged "She is just some salty bitch I knew in middle school. The fact that she is here too is just horrible luck on my part."
Sato ignored Hajime's question and remained fixated on Natsumi. "If you are scheming anything that will hurt Mahiru, I swear I will make you pay. Stay away from her, or you'll regret it!" She threatened, with menace in her voice.
"Oh? What's that? Are you threatening me, you gangly haired carpet muncher?" Natsumi sneered through her teeth, as her smug smile began to crack, giving glimpses of the anger that boiled beneath it.
Sato clenched her fist. "It's not a threat, it's a promise, you skank! If you-" she snarled before she was interrupted by another, softer voice. A redheaded girl with short hair approached them nervously.
"Sato? What's going on?" Mahiru asked with a look of concern. Then her eyes met Natsumi's and she felt a twinge of fear slither its way up her spine. A surprised, yet sinister grin spread across Natsumi's face and she locked eyes with the timid ginger.
"Ah, Mahiru. Long time no see. We used to have so much fun together. Maybe we should catch up on old times," she sneered, taking a step towards the redhead. Mahiru's pupils dilated. The memories that flooded back to her were anything but "fun". Natsumi routinely made fun of her, messed with her things, and generally bullied her around, all while laughably calling her a "friend". It wasn't until Sato came along and took Mahiru under her wing that things got better for her.
Sato rushed between Mahiru and Natsumi, protectively. She glared at Natsumi with bottomless rage and contempt. Sparks were practically flying from her eyes.
"You even think about it, you bitch! You aren't going to drag her down to your level. That's not going to happen," she spat menacingly, as Mahiru held onto Sato's arm, gently.
Natsumi chuckled arrogantly and cocked her head to the side, looking directly at Mahiru. She met Mahiru's eyes with her piercing gaze.
"Still hiding behind your little Onee-san? Can't stand up for yourself or fight your own battles? Tch... and you are supposed to be some kind of Ultimate. You're still the same scared little brat I knew in middle school. How pathetic," she said, with a mocking forced laugh.
Mahiru furrowed her brow with anger and let go of Sato's arm. "And you are still the same insecure, jealous, hateful person you were back then too. You haven't changed one bit, Natsumi," she responded, firmly.
Natsumi scoffed and brushed the words off, like water running off a raincoat. "I don't care what a simpering, ginger headed little puss-bag like you thinks about me," Natsumi whispered, as her tone darkened. "But you still better watch your mouth if you know what's good for you, got it?" She threatened.
Sato stepped in closer to Natsumi "No! Mahiru is 100% right. The only pathetic one here is you. You need to face the reality that you'll never get into the Main Course. They chose her, not you, because there is nothing special about you. You have no talent. You're just a nasty, loud mouthed loser!"
Natsumi's visage totally changed as Sato's words dug into her gut. Her expression changed from a confident smirk to a perturbed wince. However, that quickly morphed to pure, unmitigated anger. Her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were watery.
"W-what the fuck did you just say?!" she yelled as she raised her fist to punch Sato, but before she could, Mahiru jumped in between them. Natsumi was surprised by this and didn't throw her punch.
"J-just stop it, guys! please!" She cried out.
Hajime also stood up. He couldn't just stand by and watch as a bystander, at this point. Things were getting out of hand. He stood up and clasped Natsumi's right arm, the one she was preparing to punch with.
"That's enough, Natsumi. Just let it go," he advised her, desperately. Natsumi looked at him, quivering with anger, and her eyes misty. She didn't say anything. She just tugged her arm away from him and brought it down to her side.
At the same time, Mahiru took Sato's hand and tugged her out of the room, before any more fighting could take place. The class was speechless and Natsumi just stood there, seething in anger and clenching her fists so hard, her knuckles were white.
"Why did you stop me? I thought you were supposed to be on my side..." She muttered through her teeth.
"I have no idea why you would think that," Hajime responded with an exasperated sigh, closing his eyes. This girl was even more of a handful than he first imagined. "You really shouldn't go around starting fights, Natsumi."
"Fuck off! I'll do whatever the hell I want!" she grumbled, reaching up to rub her eyes. She hastily grabbed her things, and stomped out of the classroom. It was still the middle of the day, but she ended up not coming back for the last two classes. She needed to blow off some steam. Hajime prayed this would be the last he would hear of this conflict, but he didn't expect that prayer to be answered any time soon.
The next few days passed slowly. Natsumi barely talked to Hajime. She seemed frustrated, and disgruntled. Hajime noticed slight bags under her eyes, possibly indicating a lack of proper sleep. She still ate lunch with him, as it had somehow become a routine for both of them. Neither of them had anyone else to eat with, after all. During these encounters, she scarcely said a word. She didn't even ask him to get her food for him. At this point, Hajime had no idea how to characterize their relationship. It certainly wasn't romantic and they weren't friends. They could be considered acquaintances or maybe "People who go to school with other people they hate". That sounded about right. Hajime was really just keeping an eye on her, just in case she did something stupid or dangerous. Somehow she had become his responsibility.
Three days after the initial incident, Hajime held out hope that the drama had passed. It was his turn to clean the classroom that afternoon, so he had to stay a little late. After finishing up, he made his way towards the exit, but along the way he saw two girls having a conversation in the hall, by the stairs.
"Oh, crap. Not this again..." Hajime groaned to himself. Sato and Natsumi were already in the midst of a heated argument. Sparks were flying, and both girls looked like they were on the verge of throwing fists.
"I told you to stay away from Mahiru! When are you going to get it through your head that scumbags like you have no place in Hope's Peak!" Sato yelled, with her face a mere foot away from Natsumi's.
Natsumi had her arms crossed and she leered mockingly at Sato. "I'll do as I please, and if you know what is good for you and your little girlfriend, you'll stay out of my way. It would be a shame if things got messy," she threatened.
"You don't seem to get it Natsumi! You're not going to get your way. Not this time. You just can't handle the truth. Mahiru is better than you! You're nothing!" she snarled at the blonde girl, who was beginning to lose her composure.
"Oh please. You've been up Mahiru's ass since middle school. You're just a love-stricken, sycophant bitch. I almost want to crush your precious Mahiru just to see the look on your face… Here's a thought. It would be a shame if something were to happen to those hands of hers," Natsumi mocked, smashing her fist on her palm to show a crushing motion.
"If you even think about touching Mahiru, I swear, I will personally end you, Natsumi!" Sato spoke with severe conviction. Natsumi was taken aback by this threat, but she tried to play it off with a wry smile.
"Oh yeah, I'm shaking in my boots. Real intimidating, seaweed hair. Now run along and pick Mahiru's pubes out of your teeth, you nasty dy-" *smack*
Natsumi was interrupted as a sound echoed through the halls. Natsumi had a red mark on her cheek and her eyes were wide with shock. Sato had just open-hand smacked her in the face. Natsumi reached up to place her hand on her cheek and her expression changed from shocked to menacing.
"You just made the worst mistake of your life. You just signed your fucking death warrant," s he seethed, glaring up at Sato.
Hajime cursed himself that he wasn't quick enough to grab Sato's arm. A few dozen straggler students had witnessed the encounter and the slap. They were already mumbling to each other. Hajime grabbed Natsumi's arm and tugged her away. He brought her to the balcony on the next floor above them. Once they reached it, Natsumi jerked her wrist away from him.
"Holy shit! You can let go of my arm now! Who the hell do you think you are?" She lashed out at him, with an angsty tone.
"Listen to me Natsumi! You need to stop this! This is going too far. You can't just threaten other people like this," Hajime chided, in a serious, concerned tone.
"Shut up! You aren't the boss of me! I'll do whatever I want," she snapped, petulantly.
"No one from Hope's Peak is going to scout you. If they find out about what you've been doing, you're going to get expelled!" he scolded, almost yelling.
"Shut up about it already! You think I don't know that?! I know that! I know that, alright?!" she yelled, as tears began welling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She quickly reached up to wipe them away, out of embarrassment. She turned away from him and leaned on the railing, looking out at the afternoon sun, as it dipped lower and lower. Hajime stood there for a few moments, as Natsumi tried to collect herself and hold back her tears. She rested her head on her arms, sulking.
"Why do you even want to get into the Main Course? Why are you so obsessed with it? I don't get it. Why is this so important to you?" Hajime asked, as the girl stared off, pouting. Natsumi took a while to answer. She inhaled through her nose, sniffling a bit.
"My big brother is… amazing. He carries the family name on his shoulders. Everyone has put all their hopes into him. He's everything I want to be... That's why I need to be better. I want to be by his side. I want him to be proud of me," she said, in an earnest tone of voice that Hajime had not heard from her before. He had never heard her talk about another person with such admiration.
"Ok. I understand that… But it's not like you need a talent in order to be a good sister," Hajime suggested, to Natsumi's disbelief. She looked at him like he just told her that he discovered a pudding mine on the surface of mars.
"Are you stupid? An awesome brother deserves an equally awesome sister! Nothing less. If I can't live up to that, then I don't deserve to be his sister in the first place," she insisted angrily, tears once again showing in her eyes.
Hajime started to feel like he was arguing with a brick wall. He clenched his fists and raised his voice. "That's wrong! You know, maybe there's more to life than having talent! Did you ever think about that!? Have you even asked your brother what he thinks? Do you really think his love for you hinges on whether or not you can impress him with some... stupid talent? Is that the only reason why you love him? If not, then why would it be the other way around?"
Natsumi looked at him wide-eyed. She had never seen him so passionate about something. Hajime himself couldn't remember the last time he invested this amount of emotion into something. Perhaps it was because he wasn't just arguing with Natsumi in particular. He was arguing with someone else. He didn't even realize that, in his blind fervor, he had placed his hands on her shoulders as he yelled at her.
"W-what are you trying to do to me..." She mumbled, staring down at the floor.
Hajime realized that he was holding her shoulders, in a rather domineering manner, so he let go. He calmed himself down and straightened his coat awkwardly. Natsumi wasn't really bothered by the physical contact. His words had rattled her far more. She clutched her left arm nervously.
"You're telling me just give up? Or… are you just saying that to try to drag me down to your level… just because you've already thrown in the towel? " she asked, in a much softer tone of voice than Hajime was accustomed to.
Hajime scratched his head and pondered, grasping for the right words. "No, that's not it… Look, someone I trust once told me that there's more to life than talent. And that got me thinking... maybe they're right. What if we're going about this all wrong. Maybe we should rethink some things," Natsumi was speechless. She stood there, unable to make eye contact with Hajime. They just stood there for what seemed like hours, until Natsumi sighed.
"I… don't know… I don't even fucking know anymore… What should I do?" She asked.
"Well, for starters, you need to stop this fighting with Sato and Mahiru. I think you should try to bury the hatchet with them, even if they still don't like you afterwards."
Natsumi was taken aback. "What?! Are you seriously asking me to apologize to them? Fuck that! That ain't happening. No way… But… I won't fight with them anymore. Sato can scissor that ginger skank silly, for all I care. I don't give a shit anymore. That whole plan was never gonna work anyway."
Hajime sighed with relief. That was a start. That was something, at least. Hajime felt like he had shed a great burden during their conversation. It wasn't just because of the Sato drama coming to a close. It was something else.