A/N Sorry, I don't know much about Japanese high schools, so sorry if anything I write is inaccurate. Thank you everyone who has been reading so far!

II. Hinata—Small World

"Hope High School," I mumbled to myself. "Hope High School, huh."

A magnet school, Hope High School was pretty well-known for its academics, sports, music program, and reputation as the "Home for Hope's Peak Rejects." Before the Reserve Course was established, Hope High School's honor program was saturated with applicants wanting a better shot at being recruited to Hope's Peak Academy. Yet, funnily enough, not one student from Hope's Peak Academy was a former student of Hope High School.

I let out a deep sigh. I had applied to the honor program months ago, but I only recently received my admission letter in the mail. But, at that time, I was not particularly annoyed by the delay; after all, I was invited to Hope's Peak Academy under "special circumstances," months before I was actually admitted. If only I knew what was in store for me, I wouldn't have accepted the invitation.

Whatever… there was no point in dwelling on mistakes. The scary part was that I was almost coerced into partaking in the experiment. The Steering Committee constantly reminded me of what I could accomplish, as if whatever I was going to become was still me. They played on my insecurities, my desire for talent and a bright future, and my mistaken belief that the opportunity available to me was the result of my hard work. They had me bear witness to the aggravating normalcy of the Reserve Course and then, the extraordinary talent possessed by the Main Course students. I wanted in.

Using Talent and the Main Course as a lure, like a carrot on a stick, they almost convinced me to become victim of the unthinkable, to acquiesce to human experimentation. I almost would have, if it wasn't for Nanami and her teacher…

"I better text Nanami," I thought to myself. I had been putting it off for as long as possible; it was so embarrassing to recall our last exchange. I looked at my hand; the cute illustrations were already fading… It was so nice… her thighs were so soft.

I buried my head into my pillow for the twentieth time. I couldn't possibly text her without feeling embarrassed. "Tomorrow morning for sure, "I told myself, though I was not entirely convinced. For now, I had to fill out the paperwork to transfer to Hope High School.

"Out one school and in another one the very next day," I said to myself wearily. I was seriously a workaholic, or at least I tried to act that way. I didn't particularly enjoy working or learning but it was simply how I lived throughout my life up to this point.

"School, studying, exams, job hunting, going for walks, going to school, riding the train, lectures — the cycle never ends, huh."

I dragged behind me my only suitcase, containing all the personal belongings I had brought to Hope's Peak Academy. "12 hours to move out… isn't that a bit unfair?" I understood the rush, though. Despite the outrageous costs required to attend Hope's Peak as a Reserve Course students, it was competitive. Thousands of students were willing to drop everything at any moment to transfer.

At 5:00 A.M., I was rudely woken up by the roar of a vacuum cleaner and the screeching sound of intense scrubbing. "Hinata-kun," I heard through the cacophony, "I took the liberty of packing your belongings. I also brushed your teeth, washed your face, and dressed you… Sorry for intruding!"

Even in my groggy state, I recognized her—Yukizome-sensei, a teacher for the Main Course. Although… even if she was the Super High School Level Housekeeper, she could have been more considerate of my privacy. It was hard to get angry at her though; after all, she was one of the few bright spots in my experience at Hope's Peak.

No other words came to mind, so I simply uttered, "Thank you." Thank you for not looking down at me, thank you for treating me like a human being despite your incredible talent, and thank you for believing in me. I wanted to convey my gratitude—I should have—but it was too cheesy even for me. Besides, she probably didn't think she was doing anything special… I didn't have anything else to say so I quickly exited the room.

Standing outside the gates, I gave one last glance at the school that I dreamt of going to all my life. Goodbye Hope's Peak — you won't be missed much...

Same goes with me.

After a short 20 minute train ride, I was there: Hope High School, my best path going forth as a normal student. Having seen the impressive skyscrapers at Hope's Peak Academy, the homely two-story buildings at Hope HS were strangely comforting.

Following the instructions on my acceptance letter, I walked past the school gate, took an immediate left, and found myself in front of the school office. I sighed and turned the handle…

Locked. It was only 6:00 A.M., so that was to be expected. I turned around to find somewhere to sit but instead found myself making eye contact with a young-looking bald person in a suit.

"Here, I can take these off your hands," he said motioning at the sealed envelope containing the transfer paperwork. "I'm the school chairman, Koichi Karasuma."

He showed me around the campus, ranting endlessly and proudly boasting about the history behind the school. Most infuriatingly of all, he asked question after question about my experience at Hope's Peak Academy. Honestly, I was too tired to give him a serious response, but he didn't seem to mind that I was conspicuously not listening to his ramblings. How the chairman of a nationally top-ranked private school managed to be this energetic was beyond me.

"And hereeeee we are," the chairman announced, "your home for the next three years! I hope." I finally looked him in the eyes and instantly regretted it. His quadruple eyelids were seriously creepy. "Here is where you will be staying for the rest of your high school experience, assuming you don't drop out again…"

Does this guy have no tact? I sighed audibly.

"Yo, are you listening?" he asked, obnoxiously waving his hands in the confines of my personal space.

"Anyway, here's where we talk about payment," he said, shifting his hands nervously. "It's going to be 150,000 yen a month, hehe. But don't worry, our school offers financial aid and student loans." As if every other school in Japan did not.

"Um… normally at this point in the tour, I'd be talking to your parents, especially about these matters… where are they? Are they hiding?" He looked around me, like I had somehow been concealing my parents behind my back the old time.

"They are off on a business trip…"

I hadn't told my parents yet that I was quitting Hope's Peak and giving up the scholarship I was offered for the procedure, so I casually lied to Karasuma. I had some money saved up from various jobs I had in the past.

"Wait, you're Hinata, right?" Karasuma looked serious for once. "Never mind, forget it! Some higher-up at Hope's Peak Academy already generously paid off your tuition and room and board for your remaining time here. I wonder what you did to deserve that." And like that, he broke into unnatural laughter.

I was relieved but slightly off-put by the news.

Hush money… that was it, I was sure of it. They didn't want me to reveal the Izuru Kamukura project to anyone. I wouldn't have anyway, as they surely had less humane means of keeping me silent.

"Oh, look at the time." Karasuma looked at his bare right wrist. "I better get going then. I have another appointment. Enjoy your time here!" Karasuma handed me keys to my dorm before bolting off.

Did he give this orientation to every student, or was I special somehow? Either way, I was too worn out to care. It was 7:00; I had more than an hour to myself before school started, and because of Karasuma, I wanted nothing more than to sleep.

My dorm was a standard two-roomed complex, consisting of a bathroom and a living room/kitchen/bedroom. Pushed to the side of the main room was a single bed, which despite its small size, seemed to be a gift from heaven. I collapsed on my bed and before I knew it, everything went black.

I woke up at exactly 8:00 A.M.. if only there was room at Hope's Peak for the Super High School Level Alarm Clock…

Hope High School had a nice campus. Of course, it paled in comparison to Hope's Peak Academy, but it was nonetheless, nice. Map in hand, I found my way to the main quad. It did not take my breath away.

I was standing on a worn, paved road that broke off into two paths leading around an out-of-place fountain. Especially when compared to the rest of the school, the fountain was particularly impressive. Jets of water spurted one-by-one from nozzles that lined the perimeter, and the center piece portrayed an angel pouring water from a kettle into the bowl of a man in ragged clothing. Despite the grandeur of the structure, the benches surrounding it were completely unoccupied.

Behind me, I heard an eruption of happiness and joy and the volume of voices only seemed to grow. The students and my now classmates were beginning to pack into the quad.

Out of nowhere, someone knocked me to the ground without bothering to apologize. After getting back up, strangers from all directions bumped shoulder with me before I could find my way out of the crowd.

Endless chatter and laughter, a fountain surrounded by benches, and my peers actively ignoring me, how reminiscent. It was almost like I was back at the Reserve Course. But these people were even further below my level and it made the loneliness less bearable.

From the corner of my eye, I could see someone staring at me rather intensely. That was new. Curious, I found myself turning my head to see.

Rosy cheeks, a tight-fitting blazer, and no friends— it was most definitely Kuzuryu. She was postured rather provocatively and recklessly for someone in a skirt, with one foot on the bench she was sitting on and the other on the ground. Pink, I noted.

I was not in the mood to deal with Kuzuryu demanding personality, and I was self-conscious about our previous encounter, namely how I initiated contact with her without her consent. I could still avoid her before it's too late.

Too late, we made eye contact. I begrudgingly made my way to where she was sitting.

"Hi-na-ta," Kuzuryu said, emphatically pronouncing every syllable. "I just knew you were going to end up at this shit-hole. After all, there's no way you can return to Kodaka High School and face your peers." She smiled at me smugly. Apparently, she was proud that she knew me so well… although I didn't recall telling her about where I went before Hope's Peak Academy.

"Same goes for you."

"Yeah, that's true." Kuzuryu caved in quickly and turned away from me. Expulsion. I could almost taste her disappointment in herself. I felt bad, but it wasn't my fault.

She suddenly grimaced and went pale as if she remembered something horrific.

"Also," Kuzuryu said quietly and somehow menacingly, "if you ever touch me so casually again…"

She didn't need to finish the threat; I got the message.

Downcast one second to glaring at me the next, Kuzuryu was a bothersome bundle of emotions. An awkward silence passed, but I was in no rush to continue the conversation.

Instead, I pulled out my phone and pretended to check my email. Well, I did actually check my email, but there wasn't anything to see there.

My plan failed horrifically. Instead of pulling out her phone like I expected, Kuzuryu just stared at me, only adding to the awkwardness. We weren't friends, why were we even pretending to be so? As strangers, it would be normal for us to say bye and leave, and sigh in relief that we no longer had to interact with each other.

No, I was being selfish. Kuzuryu probably wanted to be my friend. Most likely, I was more annoyed with her than usual because she reminded me of Hope's Peak Academy when I wanted to start a clean slate at Hope High School.

Though I came to this conclusion, I still had no motivation to start talking again. Maybe, I ought to get back to Nanami while our conversation was at a standstill.

"Good morning, Nanami," I typed. My lack of friends and therefore, my lack of text exchanges did no good for the dexterity of my fingers, at least in typing.

"Are you trying to make a point or something?"

I glanced at Kuzuryu without saying anything. I was definitely still annoyed at her, even though I knew she wasn't the sole reason for my irritation.

"Hope you are doing well," I typed.

"Eww, you're so formal."

She was getting on my nerves…

"Anyway, Nanami, what did you mean when you said you'll see me today?" I hesitated for a second before hitting send.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Kuzuryu was all-out looking over my shoulder as I wrote as if it was no big deal.

"Jesus! Do you not recognize personal boundaries," I snapped, my cheeks tinged red from anger and embarrassment.

Silence. She just stared at me, probably fuming internally.

"says the one who grabbed my shoulders unwarrantedly," she shot back.

I looked at her, my expression softening up somewhat.

Yeah, that was completely my fault. I think I gave her the wrong impression… was she clinging to me because I showed her some attention?

"Sorry about that, Kuzuryu. I was frustrated with how things turned out at Hope's Peak and I took it out on you."

Another pause.

"What. You're totally acting out of character. Disgusting…" Despite what she was said, she looked more cheerful. "Anyway, I need to get to class."

She strolled past me, heading to the unimpressive school building behind the fountain. Too self-conscious to walk next to her, I trailed behind her.

Class 1-A, she was in the honors program as well…

Just my luck… I was stuck in the same class as her for 3 more years.