A/N Thank you everyone who left a review!

Note about last chapter: The series did not reveal much about Peko and Natsumi's relationship. However, during the scene where Natsumi is talking to Hinata about wanting to be able to stand with her brother, she pictures Peko standing next to him. I took it that she was jealous of Peko and probably didn't like her much.

Hinata—Co-Op

Ding! The muffled sound came from my bag. Seeing the notification on my phone, my shoulders relaxed and my heartbeat slowed to a more reasonable pace. I had been unwittingly tensed up throughout the morning.

I didn't hear back from Nanami until my lunch break. So it was a little suspenseful to see what she wrote to me.

"Hinata… you took so long to message me!" I could almost envision Nanami pouting as she wrote that… wait, wasn't the pot calling the kettle black over here?

"Sorry for being ambiguous. I wanted it to be a surprise. I don't know what you school you transferred to, but if it's not too much trouble, want to meet at our usual meeting place? If you can't make it, I understand… I guess it can't be helped, the surprise will just have to wait until Saturday."

The usual meeting place, huh… I don't really want to return to Hope's Peak Academy. I had nothing but bad memories and regrets over there, but if it was to meet Nanami, I could live with it. Also, wasn't she a bit pretentious to think I had nothing to do on Saturday?

"Today is fine… I can probably be there at 4:00." Before I could put my phone down, I got a reply.

"Yay!" Following her exclamatory was a red heart. My face burned.

I was definitely reading too deep into this. Nanami probably innocently sent me it to showcase her happiness, which was heartwarming and embarrassing in and of itself.

The rest of school day passed at a snail's pace… what was the surprise Nanami was talking about? Knowing her, it was probably something mundane… regardless, I was excited to see her again.

It was hard to concentrate in class, between thinking about Nanami's "surprise" and the not-so-sneaky glances Kuzuryu directed at me. Nonetheless, the bell eventually rang. I rushed out the classroom and headed toward my dormitory.

I dropped off my bag, took a quick shower, and put on more casual clothes. For some reason, though I had habitually met with her afterschool for a month, it felt like I hadn't seen her for a long time. After making sure I had my wallet, phone, and keys, I left for the train station.

It took 20 minutes but felt like an eternity. I spent the trip nervously tapping my fingers against my thigh. I didn't know if I could actually act as casually as I had before. Now that I was no longer a student at Hope's Peak Academy, my inferiority was only accentuated.

Hearing the familiar screech of the train decelerating, I headed toward the automatic doors and checked the time. 3:40 P.M. It was only a five minute walk from the train platform. Yet, after taking a few steps, I felt myself breaking into a run.

Hope's Peak Academy was as breathtaking and anxiety-inducing as usual. The towering buildings loomed past the underwhelming gate, which walled off the talented from everyone else. I took a deep breath before taking my first step onto campus, a procedure I had reenacted every day.

Suddenly, I felt a tug on the collar of my shirt that forced my body onto the pavement. Not even a moment passed before I felt my assailer's shoe slam onto my back. Disoriented, I could only groan in protest.

"Who are you?" Without looking, I could feel the speaker's eyes boring into the back of my skull.

"Hajime… Hinata," I managed to get out, gritting my teeth.

"What business do you have at Hope's Peak? I'll have you know, I am the head of security here, and I don't take kindly to trespassers. "

"I'm visiting a friend," I was irritated. Even if he was the head of security, he didn't have to slam me onto the ground, just because I was no longer a student.

How did he even know? I had been walking back and forth through the gates every day for more than a month without receiving any second glances. But the moment I step on campus as an outsider, I get pummeled, by the head of security no less.

"Now, now." It was a familiar feminine voice that I couldn't quite place in my condition. "Juzo, don't go around starting fights with people you don't know… and get your foot off my student."

I felt his foot be reluctantly relieved from my back; however, hardly a second passed before a wad of spit was propelled onto the ground beside my face.

I wanted to destroy him.

Not wanting to remain in this submissive position, I quickly got to my feet in spite of the pain. The bastard was nearly a head taller than me, but personally, I didn't give a crap. I wanted to the wipe the smug look off his face and preferably wipe the floor with him as well.

Before I could take a shot at him, Yukizome-sensei stepped between us. "Juzo, please leave. I'll handle this," she said. "Now, it's somehow my fault," he grumbled before leaving.

I was somewhat relieved. Even in my incensed state, I could tell I was no match for him. Even so, I wanted to sock him at least once, despite the guaranteed bodily consequences.

"Hinata, you're here to see Nanami right? I think she needs someone to talk to…" Yukizome said cryptically. I nodded in response.

She stared at me, as if contemplating something. Finally, she spoke. "Hinata, please let me know if something is wrong; even if you are no longer a student at Hope's Peak, you're still my student." I was taken aback… only Yukizome could say something as unnecessarily sentimental as this. Plus, I was never her student, just someone she gave advice to.

"Anyway, I wanted to give you this," Yukizome said, procuring a badge-like item with the school insigma on it. "It's a visitor pass," she explained as she handed it to me. "It will allow you to wander on campus without alerting the security guards." I carefully placed it my pocket.

"When can I get it back to you?" I asked. She shook her head, dismissing my question. And that was suspicious. To a certain point, I could believe she was a genuinely nice person, but her actions didn't line up. She approached me alone out of the entire Reserve Course class to comfort me and to ask me how I was doing. Though I was grateful, I couldn't help but doubt her intentions. Was it just because she saw me interacting with Nanami? Did that make me different from my peers whom she actively ignored?

I felt guilty for burdening her, but I had a right to be skeptical, right? "Thank you and sorry about earlier," I said, bowing my head.

"No problem, Hinata. Just remember, I'm on your side!" She flashed me one last smile before leaving through the gate. "Take care of Nanami!"

Take care of Nanami, she says… Nanami was the one taking care of me. As much as I wanted to return the favor, she was a Main Course student; in every single regard, I was outclassed. With my head full of thoughts like this, I absent-minded found my way to the fountain. There, I was met with an unusual sight.

Nanami was asleep on the bench, gently clutching her Game Girl Advance in her right hand. I approached, very aware of her gentle breathing and cute murmurs. She was not wearing her usual cream colored hoodie and her uniform was somewhat disheveled, making her seem that much more vulnerable. It was rare to see her asleep while playing a game; usually, she was thoroughly transfixed on her game and oblivious to outside stimuli.

Should I wake her? She looked so peaceful… No, I definitely should wake her. Dusk was approaching. At this rate, she was going to catch a cold. I had to mentally steel myself before tapping her on the shoulder.

Her eyes shot open.

"Hinata! You're late." Nanami sat up straight and adjusted her uniform. "… I wanted to reveal the surprise, but it's kind of late."

"Sorry… I was held up." Somehow I was able to hate that bastard, Juzu or whatever, even more.

"Hinata, do you want to come with me to my dormitory? It's getting cold." Her invitation was straightforward and unabashed but I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. Again, I was reminded of how unusual and pure Nanami was.

"Sure."

She beamed at me. "Yay, you don't know how happy this makes me. I always wanted to show someone my room! Thank you."

I didn't know how to respond to the undeserved gratitude. "… It's no big deal," I finally managed to say, even though entering a girl's room was a big deal for me. It just wasn't something I should be given credit for.

Nanami put on her backpack before taking off, running. Not wanting to be left behind, I chased after her. We ran, flying past innumerable trees and buildings of various sizes, ranging from big to very big. All the while, my heart beat rapidly. I was very much aware of the fact that I didn't belong. Though I still wore the badge Yukizome gave me, I was, nonetheless, hopelessly terrified of being stopped when we arrived at the Main Course dorms.

Luckily, my fears didn't bear fruit, and I eventually calmed down when I entered Nanami's room… until I realized that I was alone with a girl in her room. A few video game posters were hung on the wall, evenly spaced apart. Below them were shelves neatly packed with video games and merchandise. Looking closer, I realized she even color-coded the games based on genre and arranged them based on console.

Everything contrasted the middle of the room, where consoles, controllers, cartridges, disks, and other items were carelessly scattered.

Panting, Nanami said, "Excuse me, Hinata, I forgot to clean up, yesterday. Can you wait outside, please?" Wasn't she talking earlier about how much she wanted to show her room off?

I nodded before stepping out into the hallway. "Maybe I should offer to help," I thought to myself, awkwardly leaning against the corridor wall. She looked completely exhausted after running that short stretch. "Plus, I probably look really suspicious standing inside the girls' dormitory." But I dismissed the thought. She would have asked for help if she wanted it. She definitely didn't want me to enter the room until she was ready.

Finally, after receiving several strange looks and chatting with a security guard, I saw Nanami open the door to let me in. She was in her sleepwear—pink joggers and a cute blue top that revealed her pale arms and shoulders.

Basically, the wait was well worth it.

"Sorry about that," Nanami told me, apologetically, "I invited you over… on the spur of the moment."

All the clutter in the room was gone. She put away all her consoles, except for two Game Girl Advances. I was about to sit down next to the blue handheld when she put her hand on my shoulder.

"Patience, young Padawan." So she was a fan of American media as well. "You must not be a dedicated gamer, because everyone knows you don't game on an empty stomach." She pointed at the kitchen table, which held two beef bowls and two pairs of chopsticks.

So that's what took her so long… was the surprise she had for me the fact that she was able to cook? Because that was rather unexpected; I thought Nanami dedicated all her free time to gaming and wouldn't waste time preparing a meal.

Looking at my somewhat impressed face, she said, "Actually, I bought everything from the convenience store. The meat and the other ingredients were all precooked."

Oh. That raises the same question—what took her so long?

We ate. She looked as though she wanted to ask me something, but kept on hesitating and then saying it was nothing. I didn't know exactly what she was curious about, but I guessed it probably had to do with my new school.

"So Nanami… I started attending Hope High School… yeah," I said, awkwardly trying to start a conversation. She nodded enthusiastically. Spot on.

"It is pretty normal. I think I like it more the Reserve Course."

"Are you having fun? Did you make friends?" Chiaki asked me, way too enthusiastically, her face suddenly a lot closer to mine than before.

"Yeah. I feel a lot less lonely," I said, lying through my teeth.

She breathed out in relief, and I felt ashamed and embarrassed that she was worried about me. "Thank God…"

"Actually, one of my former classmates from Hope's Peak goes there with me… Natsumi Kuzuryu if you know her."

She went pale all of the sudden.

"Nanami, what's wrong?"

"No it's nothing," she said quickly… after seeing my persisting worried expression, she opened up a little. "I don't want to trouble you, that's all." she said in quiet voice.

"Did something happen between you guys?" I asked. Kuzuryu was an abrasive person; it didn't really surprise me much that she would antagonize Main Course students such as Nanami.

"Indirectly," she replied mysteriously. I wasn't going to push it, but I was still pretty curious.

"Anyway," she said, while looking at my empty bowl, "let's play!"

Nanami bought a new game… that was the anticlimactic surprise, but it was definitely fun. It was a Co-op game which was a nice change in pace from constantly getting destroyed in fighting games. The story revolved around a couple who worked together to survive the post-apocalyptic world, which was not entirely an original concept. But between the cheesy romantic lines and imagining Nanami and me as a couple, I couldn't stop blushing.

"If it's with you, I can do anything," Nanami said, reading the closing lines of the campaign out loud. Apparently, she was immune to embarrassment, having played through the game without ever cringing at the dialogue. We completed the story after five hours of nonstop gaming with me being responsible for every death and retry.

"That was fun!" Nanami said happily pressing her hands together. She reached for another game before stopping herself. "Oh… it's already midnight," she said dejectedly, looking at her Gala Omega-inspired digital clock.

"Yeah…" We both had school tomorrow, but it wasn't like this was the last we'll see each other right?

"Hey Nanami," I said while getting up from the ground. "Can we see each other again?"

Her smile in response was so bright that I thought I was looking at the sun. "Sure! Can you come again tomorrow?" she asked, excitedly.

Meeting every day was just a bit excessive, but how could I say no to her with that smile?

"Sure." Her smile only grew. If that was enough to keep her happy, I was willing to… the thought was too embarrassing for me to finish. I walked out of the room, somewhat reluctantly.

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" she said to me as she closed the door.

"See you tomorrow…"