A/N: Welcome everyone to another early morning post, brought to you by The Celestial Sky Dragon, and our grand sponsor, Exotic Butter, because when you need a buttery spread for your toast, you want it to be exotic.
So, last chapter was full of feels, and judging by my spike in views over the last twenty four hours, I'm sure you all liked it. Well, this chapter isn't going to be so full of feels, but they will be there, it will be a two part chapter which will deal with The Melancholy and Disappearance of Nagito Komaeda, of course with my own twist to the plot. I hope you all like this chapter as it will serve as a set up for the real meat and potatoes of the Christmas chapter.
I must say, I wasn't expecting my little project here to garner such attention over the last few weeks, already nearing the Six Thousand viewer mark, when School Life of Mutual Killing part 1 is still in the four thousand six hundred range, truly unbelievable, and I am glad that the content I put out is being enjoyed by so many people. So let's keep it up, I want to hit the ten thousand view mark by the time this story has twenty chapters, so please keep reading so I can keep writing new material, and if you have suggestions, feel free to drop me a review or a PM. I will be covering the period of time when Chisa is gone, so special story only events will happen, including Daisuke Fuji's first and only suspension, so look forward too it. Also, thanks to one of my readers, I will be including a special event for when Class 79 finally shows up to the academy, a good old fashioned Freshman Hunt. But with good reason, It will be a Nerf Dart war, the Upperclassmen versus the freshies, but only class 77B and Class 78B will be involved. So look forward to that as well, though how this story is going, it won't be happening for a good long time.
Finally, I would like to thank you the readers, for sticking with this story since day one. I will continue to bring quality despair inducing content that will make even Junko Enoshima proud. So sit tight and enjoy the ride, the end is near, but it is still long from happening. Cookies to those who get the reference I make in this chapter. Have a good one, and remember, you can save 100% on car insurance by putting it on reverse and driving the fuck outta there.
The End of Hope's Peak Academy
Zetzubou-Hen
Chapter 14
Christmas I
It was cold, the wind was blowing hard and made everyone feel that much more miserable. But even still, Daisuke had made an effort to come to the cemetery, to give his older brother his final goodbyes. True to his word, Fuyuhiko had brought some men to keep them guarded, but that didn't stop Ryusuke and Cameron from glaring daggers at all of them, killing them millions of times over with their hardened gazes. Everyone was dressed in black, and the mood was low. While most stayed silent, a few personal friends decided to say a few words for their deceased friend. Just before they stared burying the casket, Daisuke and all of his friends threw in bundles of white roses, wishing him safe travels into the next world. After everything was said and done, everyone started to leave, except for Daisuke, who just stared at the headstone, a saddened expression on his face.
"You did this to him you know." Ryusuke said, from his spot next to one of the Yakuza. Daisuke looked up at him, an emotionless look on his face. He took his final rose and placed it on top of the fresh dirt. With that, he turned to leave, followed by all of his friends.
"Someday, you are going to reap what you sow, just keep that gun handy, I'm sure after everything that'll happen to you, you'll want to blow your brains out." Chisa said, a warm smile on her face. The man looked perturbed by said smile, and shook in place, still remembering all of the insults the beautiful young woman had sent his direction the day of Ryuji's passing.
"It'll all be okay Daisuke." Sonia said, hugging his arm tightly. He nodded, giving her a smile.
"I know, I just...gotta move on." he replied, forcing a smile onto his features. Even though he was trying to be strong, she knew that inside, he was doing his best not to break into tears again.
A couple weeks had passed, and it was now a few days before Christmas break, the first day of midterms in fact, they would start in the afternoon. While everyone had started coming around after what had happened, some people were still feeling down about it. Daisuke had come around after a few days of not talking to anyone, but even he was still sad at times. He was trying, and it could be seen, but the one who was still taking it hard was Takane, the Ultimate Astronomer had still been hung up over her horoscope reading, and kept blaming herself, even though she knew it wasn't her fault. It was really putting a damper on her brilliant hope.
At least, that's what one Nagito Komaeda thought. Over the last few days, he had seen the morale of his friends slowly start dissipating. Ryuji's death, plus the threat of midterms swiftly approaching was putting a blanket of despair over all of them, and he wanted to remove said blanket. After all, he was a firm believer of making everyone elses hope shine brighter than his own. So with that in mind, he got out of his seat, and started for the door.
"Yo Nagito, where are you off too?" Akane asked curiously, as he made his way toward the doors.
"Nowhere important. You shouldn't concern yourself with trash like me, just focus on your studies." he said, giving her a smile, disappearing through the doors.
"Man, there is so much not right about that kid." Fuyuhiko muttered dryly.
"Let him do what he wants, we don't have classes anyway. So any plans for Christmas break?" the Ultimate Gymnast asked, directing the question to everyone in the room.
"Well, I want to spend Christmas here with everyone before heading back to Novoselic for New Years. My parents asked me to attend this time, and I really can't say no." Sonia admitted, a saddened look on her face.
"I'm not doing much on break either. I'll most likely stay in my dorm, working on my anime." Ryouta replied, not looking up from his electronic sketch pad.
"Pokemon comes out on Christmas Eve, so I'm going to the midnight release of it, I plan to beat it by Christmas morning." Chiaki said, not looking away from her game.
"Are you serious? Do you now how long a Pokemon game takes to fully beat?" Hiyoko asked.
"On average, around nine hours, if I just speed through the story. Since there are no more Pokemon Gyms and badges to collect, I theorize it will take me around six or so hours, if I sit down and don't move from my spot. I am a fast reader, so the story won't take much to memorize." she said.
"Jeez, talk about planning ahead. I can't even get past the Ice Cave in Pokemon Silver." Kazuichi admitted. Due to all of the talk about said RPG, he had decided to try his own luck at it, and picked up an old copy of Pokemon Silver, and he had instantly gotten hooked.
"It isn't that hard Kazu, just push the rocks into the right spaces and you'll be good." Daisuke added.
"What rocks? I'm stuck in the second room. I keep running into Delibird's and Jynx's all the time." he said.
"Don't forget about that occasional Swinub." the Story Teller said, earning a nod from the mechanic.
"I can't be bothered to know what I'll do for the break, not if I fail these midterms." Fuyuhiko added, bringing the mood down a bit.
"Nice job, you didn't really have to bring the mood down asshat." Hiyoko snapped.
"Let's not think about it guys, let's just focus on our studies. We aren't going to let some test beat us right? We all passed them last year, and we'll pass them again." Daisuke reassured.
"He's right, we've got this in the bag fellas." Kazuichi said, a grin on his face.
"Hell yeah!" Nekumaru shouted, his voice shaking the entire room.
"Hey Takane, any idea what your exam is going to be like?" Daisuke asked curiously. The white haired girl looked up from her Astronomy book, shaking her head.
"I haven't the foggiest. Headmaster Kirigiri said I was going to get a free pass on the midterms to have enough time to study for it. Since I am the first Astronomer to be enrolled in this school in twenty five years, they didn't prepare an exam."
"Seriously? That seems uncharacteristically foolish of them. If they knew an astronomer was going to be attending the academy, wouldn't it have been a good idea to prepare for that? I mean, we don't even have an observatory or anything of the sort on campus." Mahiru said, looking through the pictures she had taken on her camera.
"I heard they were building one on the top floor of the New School Building. You have to wonder where they pull that money from, no way the government approved something like that being built. Heard the Old School Building was going to close down and be turned into a museum." Kazuichi said.
"Most peculiar indeed. I heard rumors about a fully functioning AI system being implemented in the new dojo, with animatronic training dummies for those who practice martial arts. Their being designed by two students. Akira Tetsujima of Class 76B and Chihiro Fujisaki of Class 78B." Peko said.
"Hey Kazu, didn't they ask you to work on the mechanism for the animatronics?" Ibuki asked, looking up from her music book. She had been working on several new songs for the exam, and was taking a bit of a break in order to edit them and work on the melodies.
"Yeah, but they didn't like my designs for them. Apparently, fully functioning robot maids equipped with swords and daggers isn't what they were looking for. Akira was asked to design and build everything instead of me, heh, it's their loss. I even have a fully functioning model." he admitted.
"Heheh, maybe you can strap it to that rocket you are dying to build. After all you'll need a passenger for when it blows up." Hiyoko said, hiding her giggles behind her sleeve.
"I am not strapping Kagumi onto a rocket. It took me months to get her program to work, and it took Chihiro even longer to program the AI. She is not going to be strapped onto anything!" he snapped.
"You...named the robot?" Mikan asked curiously, earning a nod from the pink haired teen.
"Of course, I wasn't just going to leave her nameless. She maybe a robot, but she has feelings you know."
"I doubt a mechanical being with an artificial intelligence has the cognitive thought process to feel and understand human emotion. No matter what it says, it is a robot, nothing more nothing less." Takane said, her eyes falling back to her book.
"That's a little harsh don't ya think Taka?" Akane asked, looking at the white haired girl.
"My apologies. I just do not comprehend electronics to the same degree as some other talented individuals in this academy. My work is solely on the stars, I'm...not that good at human interactions. I spent most of my time gazing at the sky growing up, so I tended to avoid those around me." she admitted, looking out the window. Daisuke frowned a bit.
"I used to feel the same way you know, like no one understood me. It's alright though, you are among friends." he said, giving her a smile.
"Well, how about I start getting lunch ready? Some warm food might do us some good." Teruteru said, standing up from his seat.
"Yes, it will do us all good, how about some flame broiled steak with mint sauce?" Akane asked.
"Steak for lunch? Who eats something like that at this hour?" Takane asked, earning a chuckle from her friends.
"Clearly you haven't met me well enough. I have something different every day, yesterday it was pork chops, today is flame broiled steak, as long as Teru doesn't mind, I'll always give him a challenge." she replied.
"It isn't a bother to me, it keeps me on my A game and teaches me how to handle multiple meals at once. After all, not once have I brought cold food to the table, unless you count that Gazpacho I made once." he said.
"I will love you forever if you make me some Gumbo, extra spicy." Daisuke said, giving him a wink. Teruteru flicked out his comb, brushing his pompadour with it.
"I'll take you up on that offer Dais." he said, voice becoming sensual. He left the room before Akane could hit him, though his scream echoed through the hall when she caught up to him.
"Hey Daisuzu, how are you holding up? After everything that's happened I mean?" Ibuki asked, standing next to the story teller, who was leaning against the wall. He smiled sadly, looking at the floor.
"I'm doing fine. I try not to think about what happened but...it's still so fresh you know? Megan...she sent me a picture of his suicide note." he said. He pulled out his phone, looking through his gallery until he found it. He handed the phone to the punk rocker, and she read it to herself.
"Oh man...I feel so bad. He should have just...talked to someone about it. I mean, someone else. I know you didn't mean to cancel that call and all." she said, handing him his phone back.
"I know. If it wasn't for him, I would have known about that previous accident. I digress...it's all in the past and I've got to move on. I've been working hard on my novel, and I'll be proud to say that it's entered the final stage before editing. 42 chapters of pure Murder Mystery, and I'll be happy to let you know, once the final manuscript is complete, you all have the honor of reading it before I send it in to get published." he said.
"Congratulations Daisuke, this is amazing news! I cannot wait to read your novel. Perhaps you should talk to Touko Fukawa of Class 78B, she is the Ultimate Writing Prodigy after all, she might know what publishers would be better suited for it." Sonia said.
"You know, that isn't a bad idea. I'll talk to her later...but, I do happen to have on story for all of you..well it's more of an urban legend really." he said.
"An urban legend? Please please please tell it to us." the princess said, her eyes lighting up. Tanaka chuckled lowly, his dark devas appearing from within his muffler.
"Will you be telling us the heroic tale of the man that took down the guard of Hell's gate? The hell-hound of the mighty Hades? Or will it be the tale of the man that braved the river Styx and managed to get through the gates of hell in one piece?" he asked.
"Um...no. This is the legend of the Midnight Channel." he said firmly, getting everyone's attention.
"The M-Midnight Channel?" Mikan asked, clearly frightened.
"Indeed, you see...there is this legend, about a young man who was seeking love in all the wrong places. He tried to find his sweetheart but kept failing repeatedly. Sad and depressed, he finally called it quits, vowing to himself never to fall in love. As he sat down in his darkened room, he happened to be looking at the television across from him. He managed to see the image of a woman, a beautiful woman that he had never seen in his life. He found himself being entranced by her, as she continued to dance across the street. She was on, this all happened during the twelve tolls of midnight.
The following day, the young man was walking to work as usual, when he heard screams coming from the neighboring street. Curious, he ran toward the screams, and there, hanging upside down from a phone pole, was the very woman that he had seen the previous night. He was confused, scared, and most of all curious. Some morbid thoughts entered his mind, as he walked up closer to look at the body. The woman's face, while beautiful, was contorted into a face of fear, pain, anguish, death. It was clear to him that what had happened to her was nothing short of a tragedy, and that he may have been a witness to her potential murder. Not wanting to call attention to himself, he continued his walk to work, ignoring what he had seen.
That night, he decided to look at his television again, so he waited until precisely midnight. The first bell tolled, and the image appeared, this time of a young man, a young man that looked like himself. Scared and confused, he tried to touch the screen, only to be pulled into the television himself, never to be seen again. They say that he still wonders around, trying to escape the realm on the other side of the screen, but he is only able to make contact with people at exactly Twelve o'clock midnight, on rainy nights. Several people have died in the past, all in mysteriously painful ways, all of them hanging upside down from high places, all of them...people who saw each others deaths on television." he said, ending his story.
"What? That is total bullshit." Nekumaru cried out, pulling everyone back to the real world.
"Are you sure about that old man? How about you try it out tonight and tell me how it goes?" Daisuke asked, a smirk on his face.
"Uh...well...I don't have a television set in my dorm." he said.
"I do have to agree with Nekumaru, a guy seeing some girl die on television only for him to be sucked into it? Isn't that a bit far-fetched?" Fuyuhiko asked.
"Not really, it is an urban legend after all. Weren't you listening shorty?" Hiyoko snapped, glaring at the gangster. He cracked his knuckles, about to hit the girl when the intercom came on.
"Attention all Students and Faculty. We will now begin the first round of testing. Students of class 76, 77 and 78 with talents involving Literature please report to the gymnasium at this time. Thank you!"
Daisuke sighed, grabbing his messenger bag off the top of his desk, slinging it around his shoulder.
"Well guys, wish me luck." he said.
"Good luck Daisuke, knock them dead." Kazuichi said, clapping his shoulder.
"You better not fail asshole, I won't forgive you if you don't come back next semester." Hiyoko said, crossing her arms. He chuckled, shaking his head. Before he left, he pulled out a bag of gummies, tossing it to the blonde.
"Don't eat them all before lunch, it will spoil the meal. Later." he said, leaving the room. Hiyoko blushed, looking at the candy in her hands. She noticed that it didn't have a single yellow gummy.
"Wow, he got me candy without yellow gummies, the same kind that isn't even found in this town. Where did he even get this?" she asked.
"Don't question it, just have faith that he'll come back. Something tells me he wanted you to share that with him." Sonia said, patting her shoulder.
Nagito sighed, looking at the speaker box in the hallway. He had wasted most of his morning setting a few things up in order to cancel the exams. It seemed like he was too late for the first round of testing, but perhaps he could still talk his teacher into getting them canceled. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, walking into the faculty office.
"Miss Yukizome, I hope I'm not bothering you." he said, making the auburn haired woman look up from her worksheets.
"Not at all Nagito. Is there something wrong?" she asked, concerned laced in her voice.
"Well, I would like to put in a simple request. Do you think you could cancel the exams for our class? With everything that's happened, I don't think their in their right minds. They aren't in top shape, and their hope wont shine brilliantly if they take their tests this week." he said.
"You...want me to cancel the exams? It's a little to late for that don't you think? Daisuke should already be headed to the gym for his exam. On top of that, we need to have them done before the break." she replied.
"I understand but...listen to me for just a second. Don't you think it's unfair to have your students, my fellow classmates take such a taxing exam at this precise moment? They are already stressed out as it is, this exam will serve only to worry them as they leave for their Christmas breaks. You wouldn't want them to worry about a mindless test right?"
"I...suppose you are correct. But it's too late now, there is media coverage from all over Japan, and canceling the 77th class's exams would gum up the works. The school will loose a lot of money." she said.
"Ah...I understand then."
"You...do?" she asked curiously, earning a nod from him.
"If there is nothing you can do, then it's quite alright. At least I tried, and I am more than content knowing I did. Thank you for your time Miss Yukizome." he said, giving her a polite bow. He quietly made his way out of the office, leaving a perplexed Chisa to look at her worksheets, processing what just happened.
"Well, that didn't work out the way I wanted too, but..you know what they say, sometimes it's better to move on...to Plan B." he said, a smile making it's way onto his face.
Daisuke wondered around the halls of the academy, making his way toward the gym. He didn't necessarily need to make it there on time, but he was still very nervous about what was going to happen. This going to be broadcast on live television, and while being broadcast live on YouTube was one thing, being broadcast live on television was another. That story he had told his friends was a warm up of sorts. The real one was going to be told during the exam. He sighed as he turned the corner, walking toward the outdoor hall that connected the gym to the main building. Several teachers were standing there, holding what looked to be a large sheet of paper in their hands.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, gaining their attention.
"Some kid put a sign on the door, telling us to postpone the exams. It said bad things will happen if we don't." one of the teachers said, chuckling a bit. The gym teacher walked up, looking him over.
"Daisuke Fuji correct? You are third in line, so hurry up and get in there, before they mark you absent." she said.
"Thank you ma'am." he said, hurrying through the doors.
The Gym was chock full of people, several of them being teachers from other institutions while others were businessmen and women who had bought tickets for the Hope's Peak Academy exam period. They wanted to see talent in action, and this was the place to get it. The Gym floor had been covered with a blue mat, most likely for all of the dancing and sports related talents. There were several cooking stations set up as well, the back stage had also been set up, and it seemed as if it was ready for the literature talents. He walked up the small stairwell, brushing past a few other students, taking his seat between a student of class 76 and one from class 78, the very girl he wanted to talk to.
She was shuddering a bit, and muttering things to herself. She had long violet hair, tied into long neat braids which fell down her back. She was wearing a purple sailor uniform, with long sleeves and an equally long skirt, that reached down to her ankles. She had a pair of round glasses on her face, which shined a bit in the light. She was biting her thumb nail, holding a book in her hand.
This young woman was Touko Fukawa, of Class 78B, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. He had the honor of having read every single romance novel she had ever written. She had the ability to weave the most intricate yet sophisticated love stories of their current generation. She had published her first book at the age of eleven, and now at the age of sixteen, had over twenty award winning novels still selling in the market. She looked up at him, yelping in surprise.
"W-what do y-you want? Y-you must think I'm u-ugly right?" she asked.
"Uh...no..it's just an honor to meet you Miss Fukawa, I am a fan of your work." he said.
"S-sure you are. All y-you men are the same. I also h-happen to know about y-you Mister S-Story Teller." she snapped.
"I wouldn't doubt it, I am very popular online. This is my first television appearance though. Actually, I have a question for you, I was planning on publishing a novel I'm close to finishing, and wanted to know who the best publishers are? I want everyone to enjoy it to their hearts content, and I need to find the right people to do it." he said.
"Y-you w-want my advice?" she asked curiously.
"Well yeah, you are a writer and a published author, I just want a second opinion of sorts." he said.
"R-right of course. T-there are various publishers t-that are good, but my c-current publisher happens to be the best. I-I'll give you my a-agents number so you can contact her later." she said.
"Thank you, when my manuscript is finalized, I'll allow you to have one of the first prints, it will be an honor to have a dignified young author like you look at my work." he said, giving her a smile. She looked away, giggling to herself.
"Dignified? Me? If only Master saw it that way." she said, blushing fiercely. Daisuke turned away, whoever this "Master" was, he felt sorry for him.
"Alright, that was Fujika Marikawa of Class 76B, we will now move on to our next student, Daisuke Fuji of Class 77B, who holds the title of Ultimate Story Teller, Daisuke, the stage is yours." one of the judges said. Daisuke nodded and stood up, making his way toward the microphone. He swallowed hard, looking at the crowd.
"Jeez, there sure are a lot of people here. All of them are looking at me...their gazes are on me...their judging me..literally in this case." he thought to himself. He let out the breath he was holding forcing a smile onto his face.
"Good afternoon everyone. You already know my name, but I'll introduce myself, just to make it a little less awkward. My name is Daisuke Fuji, I'm seventeen years old and I'm part of Class 77. I've been writing and reading stories to people for years, and for this special occasion, I've chosen a special one for all of you. So please, I hope you all enjoy it." he said, pulling his red tome from his bag. He opened it to the book marked page, the fresh ink having since dried from when he had written it.
"This story is called, the Russian Sleep Experiment, originally written by Unknown." he said, a smirk on his face. He gauged everyone's expressions as he started the tale that he had written down in his book. This was one of his favorite creepypastas. And it wasn't against the rules to borrow something from the internet, so long as the author of it was credited of course.
During the course of the story, he brought everything to live, virtually scaring the piss out of everyone who had been listening. The judges were shaking in their seats, sweating profusely while holding each other. The camera man had remained focused on him during the entirety of the exam, and he was sure everyone at home was also in varying degrees of fear. His smooth relaxing tone had lulled them into a false sense of security, which had been his aim from the very beginning. He turned to the final page, his eyes not moving away from the crowd.
"What...what are you? I must know!" the man said, gun still trained on the creature in front of him. A small...laugh passed through it's lips, the sneer on its face never changing.
"Have you forgotten so easily?" it wheezed, causing the man to tighten his grip on his gun.
"We are you, we are the madness that lurks within you all, begging to be freed at any moment in your deepest animal mind. We are what you hide from in your beds every night. We are what you sedate into silence and paralysis when you go into that nocturnal heaven where we cannot tread."
The researcher paused, then aimed at the subject's heart and fired. The EEG flat lined, as the subject choked out.
"Sooo...nearly...freee."
With that he closed his book, ending the story. He took a bow, looking at the crowd as he walked back to his seat, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair, a content look on his face. The head judge nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Daisuke Fuji ladies and gentlemen...his talent...truly a work of art. Um..l-let us move onto Miss Touko Fukawa of Class 78B." he said, gesturing for the young author to take her turn, though she was shaking in her shoes.
"Perhaps we should take a few minutes to gather our bearings. Miss Fukawa, please have a seat while we take a short break. Those of you who have already taken their exams are free to leave the gymnasium." one of the judges said. Daisuke smirked and stood up, stretching his arms.
"Well, knock them dead Touko, I know you can do it. And sorry for the whole scary story thing." he said.
"I-It's alright. I-I'm u-used to r-reading that stuff." she admitted. Daisuke jumped off the stage, flashing a peace sign at the camera as he and the other students made their way out of the gym, all of them giving the Story Teller praise over the story he had chosen. Of course he just told them that it was nothing, that he was just reading it and that they would be thanking whoever wrote it for coming up with such a realistic and scary experience.
As soon as he walked through the doors, he passed by several other students who had been called in for their exams. He recognized two of them, the Ultimate Blacksmith, Sunosuke Izayoi, and the Ultimate Confectioner, Ruruka Andou. Both of them were part of Class 76A, and were people of high interest. Of course he hadn't met them personally, but Hiyoko talked a lot about Ruruka and her candy, so he figured it was out of this world. He shared a look with Sunosuke, who glared right into his soul. He cringed and kept walking.
"Jeez, I better not mess with that kid, ever. If Fuyuhiko is right, those weapons of his would turn me into confetti." he muttered to himself. He walked into the other hall, taking a deep breath and looking back to where he had come from, he grinned pumping his fist.
"Hell Yeah, I totally passed this test. You all can kiss my ass! Whoo!"
"Glad to see that you are happy Daisuke. Your radiating smile really brightens up everyone's hope."
"Nagito? The hell are you doing down here?" the story teller asked, meeting the gaze of his friend and classmate. He chuckled, gripping his bag tightly.
"No reason, I'm just waiting for my exam to start. All of the Lucky Students get called into a special test to try our their luck, so I'm waiting around." he said. A quiet barking filled their ears, and Daisuke looked behind himself, seeing the tip of a dog's tail.
"Uh, is that the dog Tanaka has been searching for for the last week?" He asked, gesturing to it.
"It would seem so, I'll see if I can catch it. Why don't you go back with everyone else?" he said. Daisuke nodded, watching as he walked past them, heading toward the last spot the dog had been at. He shrugged, and walked up the hallway, heading toward the stairwell that would lead to the second floor.
He passed by a few other students who had tuned into his story. He gave them all autographs and took a few pictures. He found it a bit weird that people had suddenly started taking an interest in him, but he didn't mind sharing something like that with a few of his fellow students. Finally, he returned to his classroom, his friends, applauding him as he came in.
"Dude, that story was killer, you totally had us pissing our pants." Kazuichi said, clapping his shoulder.
"I don't know about you, but I wasn't pissing my pants." Nekumaru said.
"Course not, you were shitting them instead old man, that's why you took off ten minutes in." Akane joked, earning herself a slap on the back from the Team Manager.
"You did outstanding Daisuke, if all of us do as well as you did, we got this exam in the bag." Sonia said, flexing her arm, a confident smile on her face.
"Indeed, it should be no surprise if all of us pass our particular fields with high marks, even if we are all stressed out, we need to give it our all." Peko said firmly.
"Except for Takane who doesn't have to take a test, lucky bitch!" Hiyoko snapped.
"I'm sorry. How many more times must I apologize?" the white haired girl cried out, clearly distressed.
"Eh, don't pay attention to her Taka, she's just trying to rile ya up. By the way, Tanaka, that dog that you were looking for, I saw it near the gym. Nagito is going to catch it for you."
"The fool, that vile beast is the offspring of Cerberus himself. He hasn't the skill nor the stomach to best it's foul attitude. He requires a Hell-hound Earring if he wishes to tame such a beast." the young man said, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on his face.
"I'm sure he can handle himself just fine." Daisuke said, setting his bag down on his seat. Nekumaru excused himself, saying he had to go to the bathroom real quick, though everyone seemed to ignore him.
"So, how did it feel being on live television? Was it nerve wracking?" Ryouta asked, for once not looking at his sketch pad. He had a large piece of meat in his hand, a huge bite taken out of it.
"You know, I forgot I was being filmed live. I just got so much into my story that it totally escaped my mind." he said with a chuckle. Teruteru handed him his requested bowl of Gumbo.
"Eat up, after that performance, you need you regain your strength."
"Thanks Teru, I..."
Daisuke was cut off as a loud explosion rung throughout the entire academy. The building rattled, every single window cracking or shattering entirely. A few of his friends were knocked to the ground as a result, himself included. He groaned, gasping his head tightly, glancing at his now ruined lunch with a frown.
"Everyone okay?" Kazuichi asked, looking around.
"I'm fine."
"Same here."
"Man, Nekumaru must have pushed out a Titanic sized shit." Akane joked, taking another bit of her steak. She had been one of the people that hadn't been phased at all by the explosion.
"What the hell was that though? It felt like someone strapped C4 to one of the buildings." Fuyuhiko said.
"Hehe, of course you would know the power of C4, bet you use it all the time to blow people away." Hiyoko said, standing up from her spot next to the windows.
"That's not funny Hiyoko. Fuyuhiko, you may be right about that...it sounded like it came from the west side of the school. Anyone wanna take a look?" he asked.
"Attention students and staff. Remain in your classrooms, the Academy is now under lockdown. Would the homeroom teachers and faculty of classes 76-78 please report to the gymnasium at this time, thank you!"
"Well, Headmaster Kirigiri sounded upset." Mahiru stated.
"How much you wanna bet some fool made a bomb for their exam? Isn't there an Ultimate Bomb Specialist in the academy?" Hiyoko asked.
"No, that's next year. But man, whoever did that has Ibuki's interest. I could use pyrotechnics of that magnitude. It would drive the crowd wild." the Ultimate Musician said, strumming an air guitar while standing on her desk.
"It would more than likely drive bomb parts into their bodies and then into the hospital, we don't need that to happen do we?" Ryouta asked, earning a frown from the punk rocker.
"I..I need to go there. People might be hurt." Mikan said.
"But we were told to stay put. You can't just run off Mikan, you would get in trouble." Daisuke said.
"I don't care, if people are hurt they will need my help. I'm sorry everyone." she said, grabbing her medical bag, she left the room, heading toward the Gymnasium.
"Man, when did Tsumiki grow a pair of balls?" Hiyoko asked curiously, staring at the doors for a few seconds.
"If you had been paying attention, she's changed a lot over the course of the year, you've just been bullying her every chance you got!" Daisuke said.
"Don't make me hit you asshole. You know, it takes 25 pounds of pressure at a 45 degree angle for a man's balls to explode." she said.
"So you wanna touch my balls then, well I'm not stopping you, but would you really like to do that in front of our friends?" he asked.
"I wouldn't mind seeing it, please continue." Teruteru cried out, only to be punched into the wall by Akane.
"Alright you two, settle down." Sonia said.
"Stay out of this princess, this is between me and him."
"I said settle the fuck down or so help me I will hit you both!" the girl snapped, causing the two to stop bickering. They rapidly shook hands.
"I'm sorry." the cried in unison.
"Better...now let us wait for information about what happened. In the mean time, we should clean up all of this broken glass off the floor." She said.
It didn't take them long to clean up the room, though it had gotten very cold, due to all of the broken windows. An hour into their clean up, an announcement had been made, regarding the cancellation of the exams until further notice, and that everyone as allowed back into their dorms. They had also been told to avoid the gymnasium, as it had been destroyed in the explosion, and no casualties had been found, as far as they knew, everyone had survived. Daisuke was sort of glad he hadn't stuck around, or else he would have been caught in that as well.
"Man, am I glad I read that Scary story. If I hadn't, they wouldn't have taken a break, and I would have still been in there. Guess Lady Luck was on...my...side...oh Jesus Christ." Daisuke said.
"What..what's wrong?" Sonia asked curiously.
"Nagito...he was down there looking for that dog...you don't think...his luck somehow made this happen right?"
"How dumb are you? Do you actually think that idiot is that lucky?" Fuyuhiko asked.
"He found a gold coin that was hundreds of years old and sold it for millions of yen, yes I do believe he is that lucky." he reiterated.
"But...Nagito wouldn't consciously do something like that, right?" Chiaki asked curiously. The doors opened, and Mikan entered the room, a firm look on her face. She closed the door behind herself, looking at her friends.
"No one was hurt, but four students were found to be guilty. Three of them were from class 76 and got expelled on the spot...the fourth was the supposed mastermind, Nagito. They were talking about suspension from the academy." She said.
"Are you serious? Tsumiki you better not be lying or I'll kick your ass." Hiyoko snapped, making the girl cringe.
"I'm telling you the truth. Why would I lie about something so serious?" she cried out.
"Hiyoko, don't shoot the messenger. Mikan isn't at fault for this." Daisuke said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She blushed a bit, feeling his touch. While normally she would slap his hand away, she found it a bit relaxing to know that he was nearby. She looked at Mikan, a slight blush on her face.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have threatened you." she said.
"I'm used to it...it's alright Hiyoko." the nurse replied.
"Shit, what the hell is that idiot thinking?" Mahiru snapped, unable to comprehend why their classmate would do something like that.
"He wasn't thinking, that's what." Nekumaru replied, arms crossed distastefully. He had returned just in time to help everyone out, but was angry when he heard what Nagito had done.
"How about we just all wait for Chisa to return, she's our homeroom teacher, surely she'll tell us what's what." Daisuke said, earning a nod from everyone else. Teruteru decided to start bringing everything back to the cafeteria, and Akane once again volunteered to help. Daisuke leaned back against the wall, the cold breeze blowing through the broken windows made him shiver a bit. Luckily he had been wearing his Hope's Peak Academy jacket. It was white in color, with bright crimson sleeves, and black pockets. The crest of the academy had been embroidered on the left side, right above the breast, and it had also been sown into the back as well. Even with his jacket, he found himself shivering a bit.
"Are you cold?" Hiyoko asked curiously.
"Not that much, just when the breeze picks up. Won't be long until it starts snowing. The trees are already bare, no more cute little squirrels scurrying around for food." he said.
"Jeez, do you say anything that doesn't sound childish?" she asked.
"What's wrong with liking squirrels?" he asked.
"Never mind, it seems I got my answer." she said. She shivered a bit, rubbing her arms.
"Jeez, Nagito you dumb ass. Why the hell did you do this shit? Now I gotta sit in this room in this thin ass kimono freezing my ass off." She muttered under her breath. She heard the sound of something being unzipped, followed by the sudden warmth of a jacket being placed around her. She looked up, seeing a blushing Daisuke, looking at the far wall.
"I hate seeing little girls shivering in the cold, hurry up and put it on right." he said. She smiled, slipping her arms through the sleeves, with a bit if difficulty due to her kimono.
"T-thank you." she said, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, sure...just don't make a habit of it." he said. He looked up, seeing the looks his friends had been giving him. He ignored most of them, while Kazuichi kept making kissy faces at him. He just glared at daggers at him, and if he had laser eyes, the young man would have disintegrated on the spot.
The door quietly slid open, and their homeroom teacher slowly walked in, holding a clipboard in her arms. She looked at her students, a frown on her face. All of them straightened up, keeping quiet as they wanted to know what had happened. She swallowed hard, looking at the ground.
"Students, I have some...sad news for you all." she said.
"Did Nagito really get suspended Miss Yukizome?" Sonia asked curiously.
"Yes, he's been suspended indefinitely. They were talking about expulsion, but Headmaster Kirigiri was able to make them settle with suspension. He wasn't the only one suspended however...as a punishment, his homeroom teacher, Koichi Kizakura is on probation, and requires he take over his duties in class. As for me, I've been assigned to teach at the Reserve Course." she said.
"What? They just chucked you into the loser class? That isn't fair." Fuyuhiko snapped.
"Their not losers! I'm sorry...trust me, this hurts me just as much as it hurts you. I didn't want any of this to happen either." she said.
"What the hell would drive him to bomb the damn gym? Is he retarded?" Hiyoko snapped.
"While I do not like that particular word you've used Hiyoko, I will say that Nagito did this for all of you." she said.
"For us? Why?" Mahiru asked curiously.
"He was concerned about everyone. You were all stressed out, over everything that's been happening lately. Natsumi's accident, the Thanksgiving party, and more recently, Ryuji's funeral. He wanted to get the exams canceled so all of you were in your right mind when you took them. He got what he wanted, the tests won't be held until the gymnasium is rebuilt." she said.
"That idiot." Daisuke sighed, clenching his fist over his heart. Chisa smiled.
"It'll all be alright. I've done my job of gathering you up, now it is up to you to stay together. In my absence, I will entrust their care onto you Class Representative." She said, smiling at Chiaki who gave her a nod.
"But...I don't want you to go." Sonia said, bursting into tears as she hugged the woman.
"Sweetie, it'll be alright. It's only four months, I'll be back just in time.."
"Just in time for school vacation. May is the month we get off from school, the hell is the point of you coming back then?" Fuyuhiko said.
"I know, I don't like it either, but it is what it is. I'll at least be back for the next school year, and I can't wait too see you all, and hear all of the amazing stories you'll have for me. Take care of each other, please." she said. Sonia tightened her grip on her.
"Please, don't go Miss Yukizome."
"I'm sorry. I have to go meet up with the Reserve Course headmaster...I'll see you all later." she said, hastily leaving the room. It was obvious that the woman was crying.
"This isn't fair...I just met her." Takane said sadly, clearly missing her teacher already.
"Nice one Nagito. Instead of making us happy, you just made us even more depressed." Kazuichi said, crossing his arms angrily.
"Come on guys. Don't lose hope yet, sure our situation has changed slightly, but he wanted us to have hope and not worry about exams. So let's make the most of it. After all, we don't have to worry about anything until literally next year." Daisuke said, a grin on his face.
"How the hell can you smile at a time like this? Honestly, I don't even know where you can find all of that hope."
"Well Fuyuhiko, I smile to hide the fact that I'm sad. I want to kick and scream at the headmaster, I want to wring out Nagito's neck and shout at him for being a dumbass, but none of that will change anything. Besides, it's almost Christmas, the day of perpetual hope. If we lose hope now that we're this close, then it won't be a holiday worth remembering."
"Whatever, I'm heading out. See ya all later, maybe." the blond gangster said, leaving the room. Everyone started filing out of the room once after another, not bothering to say their goodbyes. Daisuke shivered as a sudden gust entered the room.
"Well Chiaki, looks like we have our work cut out for us." he said, looking at the gamer who had remained in the room with him.
"Seems so. Miss Yukizome left them under my care, but I don't have any ideas on what I can do." she said.
"Hmm...how about you leave this all to me? I have a couple ideas." he said, giving her a wink. He grabbed his bag, heading toward the exit. The Ultimate Gamer shrugged, returning her gaze to her game. A bright red You Win appeared a few seconds later. She looked out the window, frowning.
"Hinata, are you going to show up today? Or should I not bother showing up?" she whispered to herself.
Said young man was making his way toward the main course. He had seen the explosion that rocked the gym, and when he heard one of the students of class 77 was involved, he needed to know if his friends were alright. He knew he couldn't get in, and he most likely wasn't gonna get in, especially after the Sato incident, but he needed to know. Finally arriving at the front gates, he sped through them, heading toward the main door, only to come to a full stop.
"What the hell do you think your doing runt?" Juzo snapped. He had grabbed Hinata just in time to stop him, the lad hanging by his collar.
"Please, I need to see if Chiaki and Daisuke are alright, their my friends." he said. Juzo tossed him onto the ground.
"You may have gotten lucky last time, but this time I am not stepping away. You don't belong here, you will never set foot in this academy again." he said.
"What the hell man, I just want to check on my friends. I won't be long, please." he said, trying to get past. The ex-Ultimate Boxer barreled his knee into Hinata's chest, knocking the wind out of him. He groaned in pain, catching his breath for a few seconds before throwing a punch at him. Juzo socked him across the face, sending him to the ground, dazed and in pain. He felt the man's foot on his back, holding him in place.
"You damn Reserve Course kids are always trailing behind the Main Course like a log of crap behind a goldfish. Can't you normies take the hint and fuck off?"
"Screw...you...I..want to see..my friends." Hinata said, spitting at the ground.
"News flash kid, they don't want to see you. What sane person would want to hang out with a loser from the Reserve Course, take a hint, look at what happened last time, that psychotic bitch almost iced two of the main course kids, granted one of them had just been promoted...whatever the case, take my advice and leave."
"Juzo! What is the meaning of this?"
The man stiffened when he heard Chisa's voice. The young auburn haired woman raced to his side, just as the man let go of Hinata. She knelt before him, checking him over for injuries, seeing the trickle of blood coming from his busted lip.
"What is wrong with you? Do you always need to solve everything with violence?" she asked.
"This little shit was trying to get into the Main Course, you know I can't let him do that." he said.
"I just wanted to see if Chiaki and Daisuke were fine!" Hinata snapped. Hearing their names, Chisa turned to him, giving him a nod.
"I'm their teacher remember? I can assure you, those two are fit as a fiddle." she said with a smile. The teen scoffed, glaring at Juzo. He felt something on his face, looking down to see a white handkerchief which was being pressed onto his lip.
"Are you alright Hinata?" she asked.
"I'm fine, thanks for telling me about them. I'll get out of your precious academy now." he said, brushing her hand away. He turned around and walked off, a slight limp in his step. Chisa turned around, glaring at Juzo.
"Nice going, he just wanted to see his friends. Reserve Course students may not be allowed on campus, but with permission from the Head Security guard they can get themselves a daily pass. You should be following the rules." she said.
"And you should be doing what Munakata told you to do. We can't waste time babysitting these kids. They aren't our friends, to us they are just people we won't give a damn about in five years." he said.
"Oh hush up. I love each and everyone of my students dearly and I would never do something like that to them. Besides, thanks to Nagito, I got transferred into the Reserve Course, I'll be able to do reconnaissance from within. You don't have to worry about a thing." she said, giving him a wink. He sighed.
"Jeez, when Munakata gives you a mission you really do take it seriously. Whatever...I'll keep my eye out on those kids of yours, but only just, I got better fish to fry." he said, walking off. She frowned, looking at the retreating form of Hinata. She shook her head, looking up at the sky.
"Everyone should have a chance at this academy, splitting them up into two classes? What were they thinking?" she asked herself.
Daisuke frowned to himself, as he paced back and forth outside his dorm. He had been thinking of ways to bring his class together for the holiday. Sure, he was still sad over everything that had happened, and loosing Nagito was just another nail in the proverbial coffin, but he wanted to instill hope in his friends, and what better way to do that than by celebrating the holiday that radiates hope? At least, that's what his plans were. Since exams had been canceled, he had three days until Christmas Eve. He had three days to instill as much hope into his friends before all of them split up for the break. Christmas day was the last time he was going to see them all this year, and he didn't want the year to end on a sour note, hence why he was currently outside. It was late evening now, and normally he would be in his dorm, watching Pokemon with Sonia or learning about freemasonry, or watching slasher flicks that she somehow always had handy, but today she had decided to go to the library to clear her mind, so he was alone. He decided to use this time to plan his next three days, but he would need an assistant, and while common sense told him to go for Chiaki, he had chosen someone...much less...friendly toward his classmates.
Finally steeling his nerves, he rose his finger up, ringing the doorbell. He stood back, clutching his bag strap tightly as he heard shuffling inside the room. The door opened, revealing a pissed off looking Hiyoko. She looked at him, glaring into his eyes.
"Let me guess, you want your jacket back? Whatever, you could have waited until tomorrow. I was asleep jerk off." she snapped.
"This isn't about the jacket, could I come in?" he asked. She groaned audibly, but stepped aside allowing him into the room. He was happy to see that her side of the room had remained clean, though her bed was a different story all together. Shaking it off, he sat at the corner of her bed, looking up at the girl, who surprisingly enough wasn't in her kimono.
In fact, she was wearing a really big tee shirt, which hung over her small frame, and showed most of her shoulder. The shirt hung just past her waist, not doing a good job of covering her panties. Her long blonde hair hung loosely past her waist, the tips of it pointing in all directions.
"Are you gonna talk or stare at me pervert? I charge by the minute." she said.
"Sorry I just...expected you to be in a kimono."
"I don't sleep in my kimonos. That would wrinkle them beyond recognition. You can't iron silk dumbass. Hurry up and say what you want, I wanna return to my nap." she snapped.
"Well, I was planning out what to do for the next three days. Everyone is so down about Nagito and Chisa being kicked out of the academy, that I just wanted to cheer them up. I need your help, I want to bring Christmas cheer to our friends." he said.
"You know, sometimes I question how the fuck you can be so happy all the time. It's all levels of annoying." she replied, crossing her arms.
"That isn't the matter, what is the matter is bringing our friends so much needed happiness. Do you really want them all to have Christmas break and not have fun because of all the stuff that's happened? Trust me, I'm suffering too, I lost Ryuji earlier this month, and now one of my friends got suspended and my teacher got canned to the Reserve Course. I could do the same thing everyone else is doing, eat a huge as tub of ice cream and watch reruns of Full House all day, but I'm not, I'm going to spread holiday cheer. I wanna deck the halls and goddamn it I chose you out of everyone to help me...because right now you are the only one I can count on." he said.
"I'm...the only one?" she asked curiously.
"Well, Chiaki is there too but she's busy with her own plans for the holiday, I want to take off some of her workload, know what I mean?" he said, earning a nod from her.
"I just...wasn't expecting you to come to me of all people...not a lot of people say they can rely on me. I'm mean spirited, and spiteful and love seeing people in pain, the fact that you would come to me? It's shocking."
"Well, get over it sweetheart. You aren't just a person I can rely on...you out of everyone here, are my closest friend, I can trust you with anything. You and I have shared so many moments together, I would hate to not share this one with you either...so please, don't do this for me, do it for them, for our friends who are in need of some Christmas hope." he said. She sighed, looking at her feet, her hair hanging over her eyes. She was trying to hide the fact that she was a blushing mess at the moment.
"He came to me for help? And says he can rely on me? That is unbelievably sweet...I can totally kiss him right now...ew gross...kissing is bad, I don't want to kiss him...but...I do admit it would be nice..stop it...bad Hiyoko, bad. Focus on the task at hand." she thought to herself, looking up at the story teller. He had been looking at her expectantly, waiting for a reply. She hadn't noticed how cute his face was, or how soft his hair looked, or the fact that she would swim hours in his eyes.
"Oh my god, I wanna see him naked."
"Huh? What was that you just said Hiyoko?" Daisuke asked, tilting his head. Had he heard her correctly?
"What? I didn't say anything, get the shit out of your ears. Christ, fine...I'll help you." she said, looking away from him.
"Awesome...it means so much to me." he said, pulling her into a hug.
"Yeah yeah, get off me. What do you have planned exactly?" she asked.
"Well, the first thing I had on my mind was getting decorations for the classroom, maybe a tree?" he asked.
"For the classroom? None of us are going to be there for the actual holiday. How about we just host it at your place?" she asked.
"That would save a lot of time, and mom said something about getting a big tree this year. I can ask all of them to make a special ornament for it. But wait...what about you? Aren't you going to spend Christmas with your family?" he asked.
"And be put through days of Christmas dancing, hell know. Besides my grandmother still thinks you and I are fuck buddies and I really don't want to have that conversation with her. I'm bunking with you until classes start back up." she said simply.
"I suppose that's fine. But you have to face your grandmother at some point, if you want we can go together. I don't mind accompanying you." he said.
"No thanks. Like I said, I wouldn't want my grandmother giving me that conversation, bringing you along would only spell disaster. Back to the topic, you want to decorate the room?" she asked.
"Yeah, more than it already is. We don't need a real tree, but maybe we can get one of those fake trees and set it up in the corner of the room, make it look festive. I'm sure Headmaster Kirigiri wouldn't mind if we took the school's extra decorations. Once the room is ready, we can start the next phase, Secret Santa." he said, pulling out a small notebook from his bag.
"Secret Santa? That is so cliché." she said.
"It'll work...what better way to bring us all together than by being forced to buy someone a gift not knowing if they'll like it or not, all in a three day period?" he asked.
"We are trying to instill hope not despair, you dumb shit!" she snapped.
"Whatever, it will work. I already picked out several Christmas movies, including but not limited to, The Santa Clause, Home Alone one and two, The Polar Express, all of the Rudolph movies and those old claymation Christmas movies, and for Sonia, Silent Night Deadly Night one through three. And if we run out of that, I also bought the game, Until Dawn, which takes place in the winter time right around this season, so it should keep us entertained. We can ask Teruteru to help us with some Christmas food and make hot chocolate for everyone." he said.
"Alright, that's one day, what about day two?" she asked.
"Day two will be the day where we all break off to buy each other our gifts. I have a lot of other things to do then, so when everyone is ready, you'll need to bring them back into the academy with their gifts. We'll have a mini party and watch whatever movies we didn't get to the day before. Day three will be the Christmas party being held at my house. We'll need cookies, cake you name it." he said.
"Okay, I suppose I can help your mother out with that."
"No need, she already made enough of that stuff. We aren't inviting people this time, just all of you guys and some close friends. We can all just hang out, have a chill time at my house before the night is over." he said.
"It will also give me the chance I need to put my secret plan into action."
"Wait...don't you need to pick up your game at that time too?" She asked.
"I can get it later. I heard that Gamespot is going to start releasing their games at around ten to beat the prices at the competitors. They will close for everyone who's there for pre-orders, but for anyone wanting to pick up last minute games, the doors will be open. I'll be there and back before everyone leaves." he said firmly.
"Seems like you've thought this out thoroughly. I commend you...you've put a lot of planning into this, and it makes me happy that you care about all of us like this." she said.
"Of course, you all are my family. Now that everything has been discussed, it's time to put our plan into action. If we start the decorating now, the room will be ready by morning. Headmaster Kirigiri already had people replace the broken windows, so that shouldn't be an issue." he said.
"Fine, let me grab my kimono so I can put it on. Don't look, or I will punch your dick." she said, walking toward her dresser. He stood up from her bed, standing in the middle of the room.
"Hey wait, why are you changing out here, why not in the bathroom?" he asked.
"Oh that's because..." Hiyoko was cut off as the bathroom door opened, a cloud of steam coming out of it. Mikan had walked out, wrapped up in nothing but a towel. Her leg and arm had been covered in bandages, but her body was still wet in some places. Her eyes opened, and she saw Daisuke standing in the middle of the room. She stiffened when she saw him, unknowingly letting go of her towel. It fell to the ground, leaving her completely exposed. Daisuke's eyes widened as he stared at her.
"Kyaa...don't look at me!" Mikan cried loudly. Blood burst out of the young man's nose as he fell back to the ground, completely out of it. Hiyoko burst out laughing, rolling around on her bed, pointing at the nurse who was still fully naked.
"Ha, he saw all of it. Look at how much blood came out of his nose, oh man, he's gonna be rock hard when he comes to, you better put on you clothes unless you want him to ravish you." she said, giving the nurse a wink. She grabbed her towel, and the clothes she had set out onto the bed, racing back into the bathroom.
"I'm sorry!" she cried, the door slamming loudly. Hiyoko's laugh only rung in the room. Perhaps Daisuke's plan wouldn't be so bad, the more she thought about it, the more fun it was starting to sound. And he did say he relied on her, maybe she could give him a special Christmas present, after all, he was more than deserving.