"Hope!" Normal Speech

'Despair!' People's thoughts

"Truth!" Flashbacks

Disclaimer: I have as much ownership of the Danganronpa series as you do dear reader.

Update 26/11/2017: Proper thanks to RWBYJNPR for fixing this chapter.

Chapter 1

Should Mornings Be This Hectic?

A small grunt left his lips as he moved his body in obviously practiced movements, right while a bit of sweat moved down his forehead as a result.

Bending his upper body so that his fingers were close to touching the end of his shoes, the brown-haired Ultimate repeated the action for just a few seconds before straightening up and moving back so that his face was looking up this time while he stretched his arms above him.

His hazel eyes were quick to focus on the clear morning sky right as a soft smile formed itself on his lips. His brown hair ended up moving slightly in the wind, although the distinctive spike resting on top of his hair kept its form no matter what.

With a sigh leaving his lips the teenager stood straight for just a second before tapping the ground with the end of his shoes lightly. His normal shoes had been replaced by a pair that would suit him better for the task to come, although his footwear wasn't the only piece of clothing that he had changed from his normal clothes.

Instead of his trusty hoodie right now he was wearing nothing but a dark blue tracksuit that fit his body perfectly. It was a gift from one of his friends and fellow Ultimate, one that he used whenever the situation called for it.

Just like right now, for example.

Giving the building behind him, his house to be more precise, a last look over the Ultimate Lucky Student of class 78 was quick to start his morning routine, which was also the reason he had been doing warm-ups until a few seconds ago.

And with nothing more stopping him one Naegi Makoto started his morning jog, something that he normally did on days like this in which he was free during the early hours of the morning.

Normally at this time of day he would be simply walking towards his school, but just like he did every weekend a morning jog was his choice of action when it came to starting the day, something that he honestly found himself enjoying by now, especially since it helped his body.

Of course, everything he knew about actually keeping his body healthy and in shape came from those at Hope's Peak whose talent made them extremely knowledgeable of such things. A perfect example of this would be one of his classmates, Sakura, although just thinking of just how extreme some of the things she did was enough to make his whole body ache in pain.

Another perfect example, and also the person that had actually advised him about how to better his own physical condition, was one of his senpais from class 77th. Then again if he had followed every instruction that said individual had indicated to him the first time then he would have probably died by now, but luckily for him, they had been able to reach a compromise.

Running through the streets that surrounded Hope's Peak was just the start of said compromise, but he really wasn't kidding about actually liking the exercise.

He was now really better at it too. Sure, he was still rather scrawny on his opinion but hey, at least he wasn't giving up after 15 minutes of running.

He still had more ground to cover though, although he didn't dare move towards Hope's Peak just yet. He was going to go later anyway, so right now simply moving through the streets of the surrounding buildings and houses was more than enough.

That and he simply had this gut feeling that if he did go closer something would happen that would force him to stop. He didn't know what, but by now trusting his gut became a necessity.

But even then something was still able of stopping him from continuing his jog. To be more precise it was a small sound, one that barely reached his ears with how faint it was, but that it made him stop as soon as he heard it.

Stopping at an intersection, Makoto was quick to look around him in interest, obviously trying to find the source of the sound, however looking to his left and right only revealed the empty streets that obviously weren't the source of the sound.

It was once that said sound became louder by the second that the Luckster finally realized it was coming from behind him. Turning his body to look at his back he wasn't able to stop his eyes from widening in surprise at the sight that greeted him.

And it was only then that he finally understood just what the sound was.

"NAEGI!" He didn't know how a person was able to create a cloud of dust just by running on concrete, but the sight of the massive curtain of dust was certainly very real for the brown-haired teen. The fact that he was able to hear such a scream from inside of it just made him blink owlishly just at the dust kept coming closer.

Knowing that there was only one thing he could do Makoto was quick to simply give a few steps back in order to give the human missile enough space to safely stop. He could still remember the first time he hadn't reacted in time after all, mostly out of the shock that such a sight had caused him.

Climbing down a light pole had certainly been a new experience for him.

It didn't take long for the curtain of dust to finally reach him, however not even a fraction of it even entered his lungs, for as soon as it reached him it also ended up being blown away by a booming voice which of course belonged to the responsible of lifting the dust in the first place.

"I knew I would find you here, Naegi Makoto!" The powerful laughter that the Luckster heard was followed by the distinct feeling of someone patting his back, and while he would like to say that he was able to handle it easily it would be nothing but a lie. He honestly had to focus just to not lose his balance.

"It's good to see you so energetic this early, Nidai-senpai." He voiced out with a smile, while a part of him wondering if there was a time of the day in which Nidai Nekomaru, Ultimate Team Manager, wasn't being as active as he could be.

Not that it bothered him or anything, especially since he knew just how much of that exuberant attitude was aimed at helping and caring for those that his senpai considered on his team.

And apparently, he had been graced with such a position if the older man's attitude towards him was any indication.

"How could I not be on my best while you're already moving your body?!" The taller Ultimate spoke with conviction to the point that Makoto was sure he saw some sparks flying from his eyes. Surely just a trick of his mind, but the determination in those eyes could not be mistaken for anything else.

And in all honesty, such a sight just made Makoto more than happy that this time around those like Nekomaru, alongside every single member of class 77, would not have to be subjected to the same despair that Junko had shown them back in his time, at least if he had any say about it.

However his honest smile, which actually had Nekomaru a bit taken back by how much emotion he was able to detect behind it, was quickly swept away by a frown of confusion, a question quickly appearing on his mind.

"Wait, how did you know I would be here, Nidai-senpai?" He asked in honest curiosity while wondering how such a thing could be. Sure, it was the older Ultimate in front of him that had decided a small training regime for him, but something like the route he took was something he never discussed, only the distance that he actually had to run.

Then again it wasn't like Nekomaru was the only person that could apparently track him with ease. In fact, most of his friends could do it in such a way that a while ago he had honestly wondered if they were tracking him some way.

Of course, such a theory had been quickly thrown out of the window just by how silly it sounded. Sure, a lot of his friends and fellow Ultimates could be a little over the top when it came to their friendship, and they sometimes forgot about the definition of self-control yes, that much he couldn't deny, but to go to the extreme of stalking him? Complete nonsense to him.

Well, there was one exception to the rule but she was pretty much harmless!

…Most of the time.

But everyone else? Happy coincidences if he had to guess, although maybe even his own supposed luck played a part in it.

"I just so happened to see you during my own run!" The muscular Ultimate answered with another exaggerated chuckle, his quick answer earning a nod of acceptance from Makoto who simply didn't see any problem with Nekomaru's explanation.

Of course, the Ultimate Team Manager had just decided to omit the part in which he had run around every street close to Makoto's house and Hope's Peak, knowing that the younger Ultimate would be doing his morning exercises and hoping to come in contact with him so that he could supervise him personally.

Knowing the ins and outs when it came to Makoto's body and training, only he had such an advantage! And by his title was he going to use it!

"Let us continue our training then, Naegi!" Deciding that there was enough dillydallying, Nekomaru was quick to announce just as he cracked his knuckles for some reason that Makoto wasn't able to figure out.

"I don't think I'll be able to keep up with you, though" The Luckster gave his answer with a chuckle, not really wanting to turn down the offer but also knowing that when it came to stuff like this he was no way close to someone like Nekomaru.

"Nonsense!" The older Ultimate seemed to disagree though "Don't sell yourself so short, Naegi!" He continued with a resolute nod right before a grin appeared on his face "I'll even do it to you after we're done, how does that sound?!"

Almost as if it had been trained, his ahoge actually responded by twitching as soon as the word it escaped Nekomaru's lips. Not that the owner of said ahoge was faring any better with the way his whole body tensed just as his mouth almost watered at the thought.

Sure, he would probably be at death's door after doing the regular workout that he knew Nekomaru tended to follow, but considering the reward in hand, how could he even think of refusing the offer?

But before he was able to answer, however…

"I won't let you, coach!"

A sudden cry filled with nothing but spirit reached the Luckster's ears. Without even thinking about it he raised his head towards the source of the sound just as a shadow moved above him, his vision filled with a particular sight that he could have never predicted he would be seeing today.

Grey panties.

"So you managed to follow me here." Nekomaru for his part simply grunted right before blocking the kick that had been aimed right at his face by using his arms. With a quick swat, he pushed the attack away right before he himself jumped backward a bit to gain enough space.

For someone that had just been attacked, The Ultimate Team Manager looked as calm as he could be with his arms simply crossed over his chest as he looked sharply at the woman that had attacked him.

In fact, it was Makoto the one that was fairing the worst, for the brown-haired ahoge boy had his gaze now glued to the floor while his face looked quite close to what a tomato would look like, at least in color.

The most worrisome part though, at least in his opinion since it was something that made his already strong blush somehow even fiercer, was the fact that he was actually able to recognize the person that just appeared by nothing but her undergarments.

"I won't let you take over Makoto! I don't care how good those fingers of yours are!" And sure enough just like how he had guessed it was Owari Akane, the Ultimate Gymnast, the one that stood opposite of her fellow Ultimate from class 77 as she glared with all of her strength towards Nekomaru.

"You dare to interrupt our training session, Akane!" However, if the man was even a bit intimidated by the tan-skinned woman then he definitely didn't show it.

"As if!" The chestnut-haired girl shot back as her hands curled to her side "I know what you were about to do and I can't allow it, coach! It doesn't matter how good it might feel!"

Hearing her words anyone would have assumed that the girl would be exaggerating, after all with the way she talked about it, it made the thing sound as if it was something of catastrophic levels.

But to her, it might as well be, because she knew that if she let someone like Nekomaru have his way with poor Makoto then the younger boy would be nothing but absolute putty into the man's magic hands, again!.

She couldn't allow that. Getting some time with her favorite Luckster was already hard enough, so there was no way she would allow Makoto to become truly addicted to it. Heck, she could still remember the first time Nekomaru had done it with the ahoge boy.

She could remember it quite clearly because she had not been able to see Makoto for a whole week after that. There was no way she could allow something like that again!

"Hoh? I can see you won't back down from this without a fight, Akane." Nekomaru nodded understandingly. However a look of fierceness was quick to appear on his face just as he pointed at Akane with his finger "However if you dare to retaliate then I won't do it to you as a punishment for what's left of the year!"

"Guh…!" The Ultimate Gymnast actually flinched back at his words, honestly feeling as if the man himself had punched her right in her gut. However, her look of doubt only lasted for less than a second before nothing but sheer determination appeared once more in her dark gray eyes.

Even if the punishment sounded almost unbearable to her ears if the alternative was to lose her favorite ahoge boy to the man in front of her then…

"Bring it, coach!" A battle aura swirled around her as a feral grin formed on her lips.

"I'll beat some sense into you then, Akane!" While for his part there were definitely blue sparks flying around the man's sharp eyes.

Then, almost as if mirroring one another, both Ultimates turned their heads to the side with the obvious intent of quickly regarding their younger friend before the battle started.

"Naegi, I'll finish this off in mere seconds so that we can continue…"

"Makoto, just leave this to me, we can go and play…"

Their loud voices though, became increasingly lower by the second the more they looked at the spot in which certain Luckster was supposed to be standing.

Keyword being supposed.

For instead of him, the only thing that stood on that spot was a human-sized inflatable doll that moved lazily with the wind. The doll itself actually had a peculiar design, with the thing easily looking like none other than Naegi Makoto.

The most noticeable aspect of it though, was the stick of paper that was stuck in the doll's face, one that had words that were enough to make both Ultimates tremble.

The real one is mine, go play with this one.

The enraged roars that left both students of class 77 could be even heard all the way back to the Principal's office at their school.

"Is this really necessary?" The doubt in his voice was more than obvious to anyone to hear, although considering his current situation it was a surprise that he wasn't showing any signs of nervousness whatsoever.

He was really getting way too used to being kidnapped by others, although at least he knew who was responsible this time.

"I'm sorry, Naegi-san, but Leader insisted to bring you no matter what." The man that was currently carrying the Luckster on his shoulder replied in a kind tone while making sure that the Ultimate he was carrying was comfortable enough on his shoulders.

In response Makoto could do nothing but release a sigh, knowing that the man with the afro and white clothes that had taken him away right under Nekomaru and Akane's nose was only doing it because of the orders of a certain Ultimate.

He wasn't even concerned about the fact that he wasn't able to see the man's face because of the clown mask that said man was wearing. By now he was used to the clothes of this particular group after all, even if gaining said knowledge had not been a voluntary thing.

Luckily, although it depended on who you asked, it didn't take that long for the pair to reach their destination, with said location being a small park residing on a moderately-sized clearing.

The area itself was covered with sand, with a few things for kids to play with residing there like a slide and even a few bars for others to climb up. It wasn't a particularly big area, but considering how Makoto had yet to see anyone actually coming here to play he supposed it was just fine as it was.

His attention wasn't on any of that though. His hazel eyes had focused on one particular area, which was right at the base of a rather big tree that rested to the side of the clearing.

Why? Because the one he knew was responsible for calling him here, if he could even put it like that, was sitting right there under the shades of the tree's branches with a wooden table in front of him and a pair of chairs on each side of the table.

"Sorry for the delay." The man that had been carrying him so far said with respect once they got close enough to the sitting Ultimate. Without even waiting for a response, the afro man was quick to put Makoto into his own chair with almost professional ease, leaving the two Ultimates sitting in front of one another.

And with a wave of his hand and a smile from the Ultimate in front of Makoto the man that had kidnapped him left immediately, now truly leaving the two Ultimates by themselves under the tree's shadow.

And for his part, the Ultimate Lucky Student really wanted to say something, but he found the words dying on his throat as he tried, and failed of course, of finding the right words in regards of the younger boy in front of him.

Said boy ended up beating him to the punch though.

"Eh? You're getting better at keeping your composure, Naegi-chan." The childish voice that came from the purple-haired Ultimate truly fitted him in Makoto's opinion "I can still remember you almost crying the first time I took you like this."

"I wasn't crying!" The Luckster responded quickly while scratching the back of his head "You just got me by surprise that day, Oma-kun… And you dragged me out of my house while I was taking a shower!"

"Oh yeah, that was a good day." Oma Kokichi, the Ultimate Supreme Leader, said with a laugh as if he was remembering quite a good moment of his life. "You've gotten better at this though…" His purple eyes narrowed the next second as a smirk appeared on his lips. "Could it be that you have finally accepted my offer in your heart?"

Makoto, of course, knew immediately what offer his fellow Ultimate was referring to, making him chuckle awkwardly as he remembered just how insistent Kokichi could be about that topic.

"I'm sorry, Oma-kun, but…"

"Eh? You're still refusing, huh…" With a pout, the purple-haired boy interrupted, a heartbroken look appearing on his face as he looked down. "It hurts every time you reject me, you know?"

"Oma-kun…" Makoto whispered, honestly feeling bad if his words really ended up hurting the younger boy. He was more than ready to apologize once more, but Kokichi's dejected expression ended so fast that for just a second there he honestly thought it had been an illusion.

"Not like it matters anyway," Kokichi said as he smirked with confidence shinning on his gaze "I know sooner or later you will join us, Naegi-chan. I have no doubts about that."

With the way he spoke Makoto had to honestly admire the confidence that the Supreme Leader displayed, even if he doubted that something like that would ever actually happen. Sure, he felt touched that someone like Kokichi actually wanted for him to join his organization, but he just didn't see that one happening in the future.

He was already busy keeping an eye on Junko as it was, let alone all the other things related to Hope's Peak that he still had to handle.

"Don't worry though, I didn't drag you here just to get rejected" The Ultimate Supreme Leader continued quickly just before a glint that Makoto recognized all too well appeared on his eyes "We still have something to settle after all, and I'm sure you remember what that is"

"I think so…" Makoto was quick to answer with a nod while his eyes looked down at the table in front of it. Said table wasn't empty after all, and in fact held the items that told the Luckster just what he would be doing right now.

A pair of decks of cards rested on opposite sides of the tables, ones that the brown-haired teen was definitely familiar by now. He also knew what those being like this meant, and that a battle right now was unavoidable.

It was after all, just as Kokichi had kindly put it the first time they had done this, time to duel.

And while he would have liked to simply go back to his run he didn't see any reason to not simply play with the younger Ultimate for a bit. Kokichi had gone as far as to make one of his subordinates drag him here after all, so maybe just playing one game wouldn't be so bad.

"Let us make things a little bit more interesting this time" Before he was able to touch his deck it was Kokichi who regarded him with a smile and voice that honestly sent a small shiver down his spine.

That look on the Supreme Leader's face always spelled trouble.

And then he took out a silver object from his pants and held it for Makoto to see it clearly, earning a wide-eyed expression from the ahoge boy.

"If it is a Duel then, it has to be a Shadow Ga-geh" A small cry of surprise left Kokichi's mouth before he was able to finish his sentence, while his focus moved from the small knife in his hand to whatever had just hit his neck.

Moving his hand and grabbing the thing that was still stuck in his neck, both Kokichi's and Makoto's eyes were completely focused on the said object which now rested on Kokichi's hand.

It was a dart.

A look of worry immediately appeared on Makoto's face.

In response, Kokichi just chuckled slightly.

And then his head hit the table without a warning while foam gurgled out of his mouth with not even a bit of consciousness showing in his eyes.

"Oma-kun!" Feeling more than a bit alarmed, Makoto was quick to come to the boy's side, although his action only got more gurgling sounds from the passed out Ultimate.

First making sure that the boy still had at least a pulse, Makoto released a calming sigh once it looked like the younger boy had simply passed out, although he still felt more than a little bit worried about the foaming part.

He then quickly looked up at the rattling leaves of the tree above him while a look of suspicion and resignation were quick to appear in his eyes.

He could only blame himself for not seeing this one coming.

"Was that necessary, Ikusaba-san?" He called out with a voice full of reproach, almost like a parent regarding an unruly kid, and while for a moment it looked like he was talking to no one but the air, a sudden figure falling from the tree and landing perfectly a few feet away from him revealed that such was not the case.

"He shouldn't have pulled such a weapon in front of you, Naegi-kun." The freckled face of his classmate, Ikusaba Mukuro, regarded him calmly while her voice came out with a tone like she was explaining the most obvious thing in the world.

Makoto could only sigh and shake his head at her response, knowing that she truly meant good but also being aware of just how truly alarming some of her actions regarding him were.

She was overprotective of him after all, or at least that's how he liked to put it. She apparently had close to zero confidence when it came to the rest of the Ultimates of their school interacting with him, especially alone, to the point that she had taken matter regarding his safety into her own hands.

And by that, he meant apparently following him around for as long as she could just to make sure that no one did anything dangerous to him.

And while once again he truly felt touched by the sentiment, even he knew that what she was doing could pretty much be described as stalking him.

He had known of course, that besides Junko it would be her sister one of the toughest individuals he would have to handle. She had not been one of the Despair Sisters back at his time just for show after all.

He knew that it would be Mukuro the hardest one to take away from Junko's grasp, after all while he had to stop the rest of his friends from falling into Junko's Despair, Mukuro would already be in the center of such a web before he was even able to meet the girl.

But that had not stopped him from trying, because to him Mukuro was another person that he just had to help. It was the same when it came to Junko but at the same time, it was different because in his eyes Ikusaba Mukuro was just another victim of the Fashionista's whims.

They might have been called the Despair Sisters, but he would be an idiot to put Junko and Mukuro at the same level. Even if circumstances were completely different, to him Mukuro was no different from how his senpais had been back in his time: good people that were deceived and manipulated into joining Ultimate Despair.

He would never let that happen, even if it took his life.

And he would like to think that the fact that Mukuro was here instead of following Junko like a lost lamb meant that so far he had done a good enough work on that aspect.

But then again, he really should have expected that when it came to deal with a former Ultimate Despair, nothing would be that simple.

"Even so…" He started slowly, trying to find the best words regarding the subject. He knew how stubborn Mukuro could sometimes be after all, especially when it came to his safety "Oma-kun doesn't really mean any harm, he just likes to fool around like that"

He said although the Ultimate Soldier seemed to not be convinced by his words, something that he mostly blamed to Kokichi's reputation at Hope's Peak. Sure, a lot of his friends regarded him as a dangerous troublemaker, but in his opinion, Kokichi wasn't that bad.

He would definitely apologize to the younger Ultimate as soon as he woke up.

"You're too forgiving." That was Mukuro's simple answer, which just got a tilt of his head from Makoto as a response, for he didn't know if she was saying that as a compliment or not.

Mukuro knew that her words were just an understatement though, after all in her heart Makoto's forgiveness and kindness were both what she loved and disliked the most.

Loved because by now just the act of him giving her that soft smile that she treasured so much was enough to make her heart beat like crazy and her face blush to kingdom come.

And disliked because of how he put himself in unnecessary danger for those that, in her opinion, simply didn't deserve it.

But she also knew that she wouldn't be able to change that part of him, so to her the only other option she had was to protect him to the best of her abilities, even if it killed her.

He had become her light, and there was no one in this world that she would let harm her light.

Not even her sister.

"He's going to be ok…right?" She was taken out of her thoughts by the object of her affection carefully lifting the unconscious Supreme Leader from his chair.

"He should wake up in a few hours," She said, even though it was a lie. The sedative she used was meant for the likes of Sakura, Nekomaru or even that Ultimate Entomologist from class 79th, who had big enough bodies. For someone like Kokichi? Well…

With any luck, he wouldn't miss any of his classes.

"That's a relief," The Luckster said while releasing a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He took the smaller boy into his arms while being as careful as he could be. There was no way he could let Kokichi here alone like this after all, so taking him back to his own dorm room back at Hope's Peak was the least he could do.

But it seemed Mukuro was able to read his thoughts, for the next thing that the black-haired girl did was to take the unconscious Ultimate from his arms without even waiting for him to say anything and throwing him over her shoulder.

"I'll take him back myself, Naegi-kun. Please don't bother yourself with this" She said with a confident nod before turning away from the brown-haired teen, her destination being, of course, Hope's Peak. She knew her light was already busy as it was, so if there was something she didn't want to do it was to add even more annoyances to his bag.

"Ikusaba-san!" He called out to her before she was able to leave though, making the Soldier turn around and regard him with a raised eyebrow.

Her breath got caught in her throat as soon as her eyes met his, and she could already feel the blood going to her cheeks despite her best attempts at keeping her composure.

He was smiling at her after all.

"Make sure he gets back safely, alright?" He said as he gave his classmate a hopeful smile "Please?"

How was she supposed to say no to such a request from him when he smiled like that to her? He was, in her opinion, being more than a little bit unfair.

She ended up just nodding shyly, an action that would have most of those that knew her looking at her as if she had lost her mind, before leaving to complete her objective.

She supposed just leaving the boy at the door of the school was now out of the question.

While for his part Makoto simply kept his gaze on the girl's back right until she disappeared from his sight. Another tired sight ended up leaving his lips while hand moved to scratch the back of his head.

He really had to find a way to tone down Mukuro's actions towards the rest of their fellow Ultimates, the only problem with that being that so far all of his attempts had ended in failure on that aspect.

Well, maybe not a complete failure. At least she wasn't threatening some of them with a knife. That was at least something, right?

Deciding on a course of action for the day, Makoto started running once more, leaving the park rather quickly in the opposite direction Mukuro had left. While his original plan was to jog a bit more before calling it a day, maybe going back to his home now before going to Hope's Peak would be a better alternative.

Maizono Sayaka was currently a nervous girl.

She wasn't one to feel overly self-conscious to this point, after all, if she wasn't able to endure something like that then she would have never obtained the title of Ultimate Pop Sensation.

But even so, right now she honestly considered going up at the stage with her group far more easy than what she was about to do.

It sounded crazy, yes, but to her, that was the honest truth. What could make such a girl feel that way then? The answer to that question came from the house that she was currently standing in front off.

She was no stranger to this house mind you, in fact not only was she already pretty familiar with it since she had gotten inside more than once already, but she was also on pretty good terms with the one living here.

But even so, deciding to come here as early as she could to cook breakfast for her crush and even his family was still something that made her take deep breaths just to calm herself a bit.

She wasn't a stranger to cooking; she, in fact, liked it quite a lot. The fact that certain Luckster seemed to really like her food just made it even better in her opinion, but comparing that to this was like comparing a pebble to a mountain.

Getting on his family's good grace was something that the Idol truly felt like she needed it, and what better way than this? She had everything she needed in the bag in her hands, and right now the only thing she needed to do was to ring the doorbell.

This wouldn't be the first time she would interact with her Luckster's family of course, but even so, this was important to her. Surprisingly enough for some, it wasn't his parents' approval that had her most worried, but rather his little sister's.

The first time the two had met she had honestly believed that it would be easy to gain her approval, especially considering how the younger girl was apparently a big fan of her. However, she had not taken one simple thing into consideration.

Naegi Komaru was extremely overprotective of her older brother, something that she had learned the bad way.

But even that wouldn't make her falter right now, and so it was with nothing but determination that the blue-haired girl moved her hand to finally announce her presence to the Naegi household by ringing the doorbell.

"Maizono-san?"

And she would have done exactly just that if it wasn't for the very familiar voice that called out to her from behind.

The idol spun on her heels, her blue eyes rapidly focusing on the teen standing by the street right outside the house, with hazel eyes quickly matching blue ones as the two members of class 78 met face to face.

"Naegi-kun?" The girl spoke with obvious surprise in her voice, with her eyes focused on the slightly sweating form of the Ultimate Lucky Student of her class.

"I didn't know you were coming today!" Said Luckster was quick to walk towards the girl just as a refreshed smile plastered itself on his face "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you…" Sayaka answered softly while fidgeting a bit in her place.

"Eh? A surprise?" He was definitely surprised already, but that sounded like a weird reason to him.

"Yes, you dummy," She remarked once more with a pout this time while lifting the bag in her hands for Makoto to see, getting the teen's questioning glance to move from her eyes to the bag in question.

"I don't think I get it…" A chuckle left his lips while his fingers scratched his cheek "But we should go inside then! Mom will love to see you."

The brown-haired teen then tried to move past his classmate in order to open the door to his house, but a hand on his chest, which of course belonged to the blue-haired idol, stopped him right on his tracks.

"Maizono-san?" He questioned her not only because of her actions but also because of the angry pout and glare she was currently giving him. Such a sight made him increasingly nervous, his mind already going over their short conversation to figure out just in which part he had ended up screwing up to get her angry like this.

"You forgot, didn't you?" The beauty said in a low tone as her eyes narrowed at him "You shouldn't forget stuff like that, Makoto-kun."

And suddenly he understood just what she was referring to, but just the thought of doing what she wanted was enough to make his face go red, although the way that she called him also helped on that regard a bit.

He tried to stutter out an excuse, but that simply got an even stronger glare from the normally happy girl. Already resigning himself to his fate the ahoge boy ended up taking a few calming breaths, although more than a bit of nervousness could still be easily detected in his eyes.

"I didn't forget…" He then swallowed his saliva before giving the girl the most confident look he could give her under such circumstances "S-Sayaka…chan."

He then looked to the other side, not wanting the idol to see his expression full of embarrassment.

As soon as she heard that her pout quickly became a beaming smile as a giggle was quick to escape her lips, her hand finally moving from the Luckster's chest.

"You're really cute like that." She was kind enough to inform him between her giggles, her words simply making Makoto even more flustered than before.

At least he was finally given permission to enter his house!

"I'm home!"

The first thing that told Makoto that something was different in his house was the smell.

It wasn't bad or anything though, in fact, it was quite the opposite. The rich aroma that reached his nostrils was so good that it almost made his stomach grumble, especially considering how he only had a light snack before going out earlier.

It did not only smell good though but also awfully familiar to the time-traveler, to the point that a sudden suspicion appeared on his mind.

"Is your mom cooking breakfast already?" He wasn't the only that got caught by the smell though, since his fellow Ultimate besides him was quick to ask while the grip on her bag became increasingly tight, a fear of her plan failing already forming itself in her heart.

Maybe she could at least help in the kitchen then.

"Not really…" He whispered as he moved towards the kitchen of the house with Sayaka in tow.

Of course, it didn't take long for them to reach said place, confirming Makoto's hunch perfectly as soon as his eyes landed on the responsible for the smell.

"Welcome back, Makoto." The first one to regard him was his mother though, who was quick to put her cup of tea down on the table before smiling kindly at her son. She was quick to notice the girl behind him though, making her smile become even wider "And you even brought Sayaka-chan! She can join us for breakfast now!"

Makoto simply answered with an absentminded nod, with his eyes still focused on the girl moving in his kitchen with such an ease that you would think she even lived there.

While Sayaka was more vocal about her greeting her eyes ended up following Makoto's gaze, a sense of defeat suddenly washing over her as soon as she recognized just who was preparing breakfast in the Naegi household.

Apparently noticing their stares said person was quick to turn around to regard them with a smile that could only be described as elegant, although with the way her green eyes focused mostly on a certain Luckster it was obvious to see towards who exactly said smile was being aimed at.

"Welcome home, Naegi-senpai." And with such a greeting the silver-haired beauty did a formal bow, one that looked as elegant as it could get, but then again such action was nothing but child's play for someone with the title of Ultimate Maid, Tojo Kirumi.

"Tojo-san…" He whispered before giving his mother a side glance, however with the way his mother simply took a sip of her tea before smiling at him it was obvious that she was more than happy with leaving the silver-haired Ultimate with breakfast duty.

Then again, considering how good he knew Kirumi was at cooking it wasn't like he could really blame her.

"Naegi-kun." The next thing he heard was the voice of the idol behind him, who even went as far as to pull his sleeve slightly just to get his attention, which she gained quite easily.

However, not even Makoto was able to control the shiver that went down his spine as soon as his eyes met the cold expression now residing on Sayaka's face.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked him in a low, cold whisper, almost like a wife who just found out that her husband was cheating on her.

"Tojo-san sometimes likes to come here and help a bit." He whispered quickly in response "I tried to convince her that she didn't have to but… She really insisted."

Sayaka kept giving the brown-haired teen a cold glance for a few seconds before nodding slightly, apparently finding his words to be acceptable enough even if deep bottom she was practically seething in anger.

Of course, he decided to skip the part in which the reason Kirumi had for helping him like this was because she was now regarding him as her real Master. He just had a feeling on the back of his head that saying such a thing would make things go south.

The idol's frosty expression disappeared swiftly as it was replaced by a smile and a nod right before she moved closer to Makoto's mother, giving said teen enough space to release a relieved breath.

He would have regarded the silver-haired member of class 79 next, but considering just how focused she was on her task at hand he felt that distracting her would only make things worse. That and offering her help would only get him banned from the kitchen…again.

"Why don't you go and take a shower first? You're quite sweaty, honey." It was his mom the one that gave him something to do besides simply standing there like an idiot, although with the way the older Naegi was smiling at the idol that had taken a seat beside her, Makoto knew that she mostly just wanted to be alone with the two, probably to dig up some things he did at Hope's Peak.

His mom really liked to know more about that place, especially when it came to his female friends. He had lost count of how many times she had teased him about them.

So with a last nod Makoto moved upstairs, leaving his mother alongside the two Ultimates in the kitchen.

At least nothing else could happen until breakfast, so he would be able to relax a bit with a hot shower.

Suffice to say; he got that one wrong, for as soon as he entered his own room to grab a few things for his bath he came to figure out that, not counting himself, there were three Ultimates currently in the Naegi household.

"Ah…!"

He didn't know what kind of expression he was making right now, but he knew it must have been one that only a very specific set of combined factors could create.

What kind of factors would those be? Well, it wasn't every day that you found Iruma Miu, the Ultimate Inventor, sitting on her knees in your room with one of your shirts on her face and a look of nothing but sheer bliss on adorning her expression.

Said look of bliss vanished almost instantly the moment she heard the door opening, and it simply became an alarmed one the moment her grey eyes made contact with Makoto's hazel ones.

An awkward silence fell on the two, with Makoto simply standing on the doorway of his room while looking down at the younger Ultimate, who still kept his shirt into her hands, although at least she had stopped sniffing it by now.

She was the textbook definition of a deer caught in the headlights of a car, if you asked Makoto at least.

His mouth opened and closed and his mind tried to process just what to say in a situation like this, until one very important question finally formed in his head.

One that funnily enough had nothing to do with what she had been doing before he arrived.

"Iruma-san…" He started slowly, easily noticing how Miu was even shaking by now just as her face turned ghostly white "Did you break into my house again using one of your inventions?"

It sounded like a weird question, one that he never thought he would be asking anyone in his life, however considering their track record he honestly felt compelled to ask the blonde girl such a question.

It wouldn't be the first time she had done such a thing, after all.

"N-no!" She answered back almost immediately while finally lowering his shirt from her nose, although her strong blush was still more than visible "Your mom let me in and told me I could wait here!"

He knew the girl was terrible at telling lies, and this coming from someone that could barely even lie in the first place, so he ended up just sighing in relieve before nodding, his hand once again moving to scratch behind his head almost in instinct by now.

"Well…" He started, knowing that he still had to say something, especially with the looks the younger girl was giving him. He still couldn't figure out how someone as eccentric as Miu could act so shyly out of a sudden.

Miu, on the other hand, was what you could only describe as a nervous mess right now, after all even she knew that being found out sniffing at someone else's dirty clothes, especially by the owner of said clothes, could scare people away.

But what the hell was she supposed to do after his mom told her to wait in his room?! The temptation had been too high! How could someone blame her for this?!

The fear of getting kicked out of the house by the object of her affection no less was enough to make the girl break in a cold sweat just as she played with her hair without even realizing it while still giving the older Ultimate an almost scared look.

"Sorry for interrupting you." Even he blushed at his own words, but by now his own mid just wasn't able to think of anything else to say "I-I'm going to take a shower anyway, so feel free to wait here until breakfast is ready."

He ended up telling her that while deciding to quickly leave the room, already forgetting whatever it was that he had come to get in the first place.

However, the sudden light and smile that appeared on Miu's face was enough to make him even more nervous than before. He didn't know if it was a side-effect of spending too much time with Sayaka, but even he understood just what was crossing the Inventor's head just by looking at her.

And just that thought alone was enough to make even his ears go red.

"I can take a shower by myself, but thank you for the offer, Iruma-san!" He almost shouted, even though the girl in question had not, in fact, offered him anything.

Then again going by how defeated the blonde looked after his words he knew that he had hit the nail on that one.

He honestly felt more worried than relieved about that.

Finally leaving his room and closing the door, Naegi Makoto simply decided to act as if the past 5 minutes simply didn't happen. Was it a coping mechanism that he had developed over his two years in the past? Yes, yes it was. One that became increasingly useful as time went by, to be honest.

Not that he was going to judge Miu or anything. Who was he to do such a thing, anyway? He had no idea what crossed the blonde's head in the first place, and by now he had come to terms that sometimes the only thing he could do was to just accept his friends by who they were, even if calling them weird was sometimes an understatement.

He did make sure to lock the bathroom's door though, just in case.

You never knew, after all, especially considering how he couldn't even say this had been the craziest morning he had this month.

I know I put in the last chapter that it would be about Makoto's walk to Hope's Peak, but I decided to show a glimpse of his free time surrounded by Ultimates first. We are walking to Hope's Peak next chapter however, that is for certain.

I have to admit I never expected for this story to get so much support. I'm honestly amazed by it, and also truly glad that so many of you readers actually seemed to enjoy it.

As some of the reviews pointed out, when I put that 'everyone' there in the summary I truly meant it, and by that, I'm saying that it is not limited to just the members of class 77th, 78th and the V3 characters. Of course, other characters outside of those groups will have their time and shenanigans involving Makoto (our second ahoge boy for example).

First things first though, and that is to show just how messy and crazy Makoto's daily life can get while also a bit of the Ultimate's insight when it comes to the Luckster. Besides that, this does have a plot though, and more about that will be shown once I touch the subject about how Hope boy was able to stop some of the things that Junko would have used for her advantage.

I am also looking for a beta reader that can help me raise the quality of these chapters since I know I make more mistakes than I would like. If someone reading this is interested and you feel like you could help me then fill free about sending me a PM, and if anyone has any questions regarding the fic itself you can also PM me or leave it in a review.

Thank you all for reading this far and for your support, especially those that have fav/followed and reviewed the story. I hope you have enjoyed this one too.

Next Chapter: Is this a battlefield or a school?