"Hope!" Normal Speech

'Despair!' People's thoughts

"Truth!" Flashbacks

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

AN: Thanks to both RWBYJNPR and Zephyrius29 for beta-reading this chapter.

AN2: Other tags for this story (since the site only gives you 2): Mystery/Friendship/Drama

Chapter 4

Luck Guided Me Here

"Sensei… is this r-really necessary?"

"Of course it is! I'm just making sure there isn't any lasting damage."

"B-by touching my forehead with y-yours…?" He knew for a fact that his face was as red as it could get.

"Just making sure you haven't gotten a fever or anything like that. You never know, Makoto-kun." His gaze was filled with nothing but green as the smiling woman's face was the only thing he could see, with her unblinking happy gaze locked tightly onto his own hazel orbs.

It didn't help that their faces were so close that he was sure anyone looking at them would get the wrong idea.

Luckily for him, although he had to wonder if this was just his luck not working against him this time, the older woman separated himself from him before anyone could see them in such a position.

Then again, it wasn't like there was anyone else here to witness it in the first place, at least not as far as Makoto knew.

'I'm pretty sure that's not how it works…' The Luckster decided to not voice out his thoughts after hearing her excuse, instead preferring to simply release a small breath that he didn't even realize he was holding, feeling slightly calmer now that he face wasn't so close to his.

She still refused to abandon her hold on his arm though, which just made their sitting arrangement a tad bit awkward for the time-traveler.

The two chairs they were using might as well be only one with how close they were with one another, and once more Makoto could only be thankful that there was no one else inside to look at their current arrangement.

Surprisingly enough for such a school, the library was a place that was rarely used by most of the Ultimates attending Hope's Peak Academy.

Then again considering how said school focused a lot more on each student's individual growth in their talent rather than in general academics, maybe he shouldn't be that surprised about the library being empty besides the two, especially considering it was a free day for the students.

He wasn't going to complain either anyway, after all knowing how empty the place could be he sometimes used it to rest a bit if things ended up getting too chaotic even for him.

And while he was still glad no one could see his embarrassment, the fact that he was alone with someone like Yukizome Chisa only made said embarrassment even stronger.

She hadn't released her hold on his arm every since she had taken him from Mikan's lab, even after finally reaching their current location.

The fact that his arm had been glued to a certain part of her anatomy every since she had come to get him only made him feel a lot more conscious about the older Ultimate.

He couldn't really say anything to her though. It was kind of hard to when he could see the concern in her eyes, even if he believed she was just a bit touchy-feely in her attempt to find anything wrong with him.

That was just how Yukizome Chisa operated, he told himself, especially considering she had become the homeroom teacher of his class after they started their second year at Hope's Peak. He knew that she was a teacher that cared a lot for her students or even her friends for that matter, considering how much he remembered her doing for the sake of the members of Future Foundation.

But no matter how much he wanted to, it was hard to deny whenever someone said that he himself was the one she seemed to like to dote on the most. Ignoring the teasing he sometimes got for that, he was honestly just glad that he had stopped the woman, alongside everyone from her previous class, from becoming members of Ultimate Despairs.

And as far as he was concerned, those damn videos will never be made as long as he was around.

Good thing that he didn't have to worry that much about a certain Ultimate Animator by now.

Not like he would right now considering his mind was only thinking of ways to detach the smiling woman from him, not wanting to get called to the Headmaster's office for this particular type of conduct between a teacher and a student.

…Again.

"I mean it, sensei," Since the act itself of trying to pray away his arm from her grasp obviously didn't work, the Luckster knew he only had his words as a weapon right now. "It was just a small bump and I'm sure Kizakura-sensei didn't mean it either."

He wasn't even going to try and lie for the blonde man, already knowing that the woman to his side had probably gotten all the answers she needed from her fellow teacher.

A part of him was honestly concerned for the blonde man though, after all, while he knew that the orange-haired Ultimate could be as harmless as they could get he was also aware of how her patience sometimes ran thin when it came to the rather lax attitude of the school's scout.

You wouldn't think so, especially with how she was even pouting at him, but she could actually be scary when she wanted to.

At least it seemed his words, alongside the best convincing smile he was able to muster, was enough to get the woman to release his arm, although the sigh that left her lips soon after told him that there was more to it than just his head, which wasn't even wrapped with bandages by now.

"Kizakura-san had a point, though," Chisa spoke with concern showing in her eyes expression, with her words quickly catching the Luckster by surprise. "You are running yourself ragged lately, Makoto-kun."

The frown he gave Chisa was only met with a worried smile. That was the second time he was getting that by a teacher no less, but surely he wasn't acting up so much to the point it showed.

"I still have no idea what Headmaster Kirigiri was thinking when he assigned you to help the new students!" The orange-haired woman suddenly complained as she crossed her arms below her chest. "Helping the students adapt to the new environment should be a teacher's job. Asking a student to do it with a whole new class is too much!"

He could only chuckle in response to her grumble and the angry pout she was giving the big table in front of them, honestly touched by her concern but also knowing that he had no room to complain about his arrangement with the older Kirigiri when it came to class 79.

He had been the one to ask the Headmaster to be the one to assist said class after all, even to the point that he had actually gone with Kizakura Koichi to help in the recruitment process with the majority of them.

It might sound like a lot of things for just a student to do, and to be fair he had to agree with Chisa about it being a job more suited for a teacher of the school, but he simply had to know more about the Ultimates that would later become his underclassmen.

They were a wild card after all, a whole group of Ultimates that he knew nothing off. Considering how much he was depending on his knowledge of the future such a thing was more than enough to make him nervous, especially with Enoshima Junko walking through Hope's Peak hallways.

He had just wanted to make sure that there was no one from the group in danger of becoming one of Junko's playthings, and in the case that there was that he would be able to protect the Ultimate from the Fashionista's claws.

Luckily enough, although he used that term loosely when it came to anything related to Junko, the blonde seemed more than content with just having him as her playmate as she liked to put it sometimes. As far as he knew she didn't even know the names of her underclassmen, let alone plotting something that involved them.

But it was Enoshima Junko he was thinking about here, and when it came to her lowering his guard was as suicidal as it could get, he knew that for a fact.

"And then you have your mid-terms coming soon!" Chisa continued, and this time her words actually got the brown-haired teen to tense a bit. "Even ignoring your Talent Exam you still have the normal ones to attend."

That point he couldn't deny. After all, unlike the majority of his friends that he knew could make a living out of their talents, he knew that his so-called Luck was not going to get him ready for the future after he graduated, which was one of the reasons he was still doing his best with the academic part of Hope's Peak curriculum even if it was an optional thing for the Ultimates.

He knew that the reputation of the school would probably help, but he couldn't in good conscious just ignore classes.

His Talent Exam was a whole other thing that he didn't even want to think about right now. It would only serve to give him a headache after all. It was only in times like this that he honestly felt a bit jealous about how a certain senpai of his was always so relaxed when it came to those, especially considering they had the same talent.

"I'm just worried about you, Makoto-kun," And then she simply smiled sweetly at him, but it was one of those smiles filled with so much emotion that it left the ahoge-haired boy unable to look straight at the woman, forcing him to look sideways with a flush of embarrassment on his cheeks. "I don't want you spending your three years here without even enough time to actually enjoy them. You're already helping around enough as it is, and the last thing you want is looking back and just thinking that you wasted your youth."

The passion in her voice could not be mistaken for anything else, and Makoto knew for a fact that it was one of the qualities that made Chisa such a great teacher, if not the best that the school had to offer. Her concern for him simply felt too genuine for him to just dismiss it as her just exaggerating.

But even so, he still couldn't help but frown slightly while one of his hands moved through his hair, not because he was upset at anything she said, but rather because he knew what the alternative could have been if he had sat in the background while Junko ran free.

Being just a bit more tired than usual definitely beat seeing everyone he knew dying around him, that one was for sure.

"I understand your concerns, Yukizome-sensei…" Even so, he still knew that the orange-haired woman just wanted what was best for him, and for that, he could only be thankful towards her. "But doing this, helping as much as I can I mean, is honestly the only way I can think of to not have any regrets after I graduate."

He could only hope that she understood him, even if he couldn't tell her why he was like this. He did his best to look as reassuring as possible, even offering her a smile just as he put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze.

In return, she could only sigh, actually understanding what the Luckster meant. She was the Ultimate Housekeeper after all, and a teacher at Hope's Peak for three years already. If there was something that she understood, it was to find happiness in helping others.

She knew that arguing with him was futile too, for her student could be surprisingly stubborn sometimes. Nodding slightly to herself she reached the only logical conclusion that passed through her mind.

If you can't win against them, then join them!

"Eh?" A small yelp escaped Makoto's lips as soon as Chisa put both of her hands on top of his shoulders with a surprisingly tight grip, her green eyes looking with so much intensity at his own brown eyes that he could have sworn she was looking straight at his soul.

The fact that her face was once again mere inches from his only made the situation even weirder for him.

"I'll support you in the best way I can then, Makoto-kun!" She spoke with nothing but seriousness in her voice, with her face coming closer just as the grip on her shoulders stopped him from getting away from her. "I'll help you with everything you need!"

It was the perfect idea in her head. If she helped him more with all the things he was piling up then he would have more free time to enjoy himself. It was a simple and easy to remember plan that would help the two of them nicely!

She would get to spend more time with her favorite student, after all.

"Thank you for the offer, but…" He tried to reel back the conversation, but the doubt in his words simply got her to narrow her eyes and push her face even closer while keeping her smile, almost as if challenging him to actually refuse her help, something that it was hard to do when their noses where touching by now.

"…Glad to have your help, Yukizome-sensei…" He ended up just muttering, knowing what fights he could win and what he couldn't. He slightly blamed his own mother for this though, considering how he was simply unable to deny something to an older woman like Yukizome Chisa.

Then again he couldn't deny anything to girls his own age either, something that showed a lot whenever he was alone with one of them.

Wait, wasn't he just the same with younger girls too? He would like to think it was only with his sister, but that would only be a lie, he was certainly unable to just say no to requests from his underclassmen.

He ended up frowning in realization just as his sensei released him, with him so busy in his current train of thoughts that he didn't notice the small cheer nor the energetic smile now plastered all over Chisa's face.

At least he never did that when it came to Enoshima Junko, so he supposed he wasn't a lost cause just yet.

Not like Junko really counted in his eyes anyway.

At least his sensei now seemed happy, and that's what it mattered to him in the end. He would just have to make sure to keep her away from some of the most sensitive stuff he and the Headmaster sometimes discussed.

"…I think your bad luck is starting to get contagious."

In fact, the only thing that stopped the teacher and student pair from simply smiling at one another was the sudden dry voice that came from the opposite side of the table in front of the two. Had they been so focused on one another and on their own thoughts that they hadn't even noticed someone standing there? Apparently so.

"Matsuda-senpai?" He was the first one to voice out his surprise just as his eyes landed on the almost bored looking Ultimate Neurologist, Matsuda Yasuke, who in return simply stood there, with what looked like a small book in his hands.

"You actually left your Lab, Matsuda-kun?!" It was Chisa who then spoke in wonder, with a gasp almost leaving her. It was a known thing how much the Ultimate Neurologist liked to stay in his own Research Lab after all.

"Hey, don't talk as if I was some sort of recluse." Said young man simply grumbled with an annoyed face. "I was just doing a favor and it got me here."

"Favor…? About what?" With curiosity getting the best of him, Makoto asked the still standing older man, with Chisa's body language telling anyone that saw her that she too was more than a little curious.

Makoto knew the Ultimate Neurologist was in a similar position to him, as in he knew that the Headmaster sometimes likes to request sensitive things from the Ultimate Neurologist.

But even without that fact, Matsuda Yasuke was still someone that greatly interested the time-traveler, after all even ignoring his participation in the creation of the Neo World Program, there was still something that the older Ultimate had that had gotten Makoto's attention a long time ago.

Namely, his relationship with Enoshima Junko.

As far as he knew, Yasuke was the closest one to the Fashionista after taking Mukuro out of the equation, something that to this day mystified the Luckster to no end. After all, to think that Junko herself actually had something like a best friend was nothing short of strange for him.

This was the girl that had killed her sister in cold blood after all.

But considering the information he had obtained back in his time, Matsuda Yasuke had met his own cold death at the hands of Junko.

Even now he still didn't have the details of what had happened between the two, but if Junko truly saw this man as something akin to a friend then, didn't that mean that there was still something inside the girl that he could save?

Just that thought alone made him picture a certain glass-wearing blonde from his class telling him how stupidly naïve he was being, and maybe he was, but if he started doubting his own optimism then what would even be left of him?

The fact that Yasuke looked more than content with simply looking between the two with a sharp gaze, almost as if wondering if they were worth the trouble of sharing whatever assignment he had, only made Makoto think he wouldn't even answer at all.

That is until his fellow ahoge-sporting Ultimate released a sigh before pretty much plopping himself on the chair he had nearby, with his elbow resting on the table while he used his hand to support his face.

"Headmaster Kirigiri was passing by my Lab and asked me if I could find you, Yukizome-sensei." He spoke in an aloof tone, his focus being mostly on the novel in his hand. "He apparently wants to talk to you about… inappropriate conduct with the students."

The pointed look Makoto received at that point left no question as to what students Yasuke was referring to.

"But I haven't done anything yet!"

The sudden outburst from the Ultimate Housekeeper caught Makoto by surprise, who could only blink owlishly at her as the result of the words she used.

'Yet…?' While his mind tried to process properly the information he was getting, he wasn't given the time to say anything before Chisa suddenly stood up from the seat, followed by her softly patting on his head.

"I'll be right back, Makoto-kun, just wait here!" She said with another smile, to which Makoto could only nod in confusion, his eyes then following Chisa all the way until the woman left his sight, although she made sure to keep waving at him right until that.

A tense silence left the two remaining Ultimates at the table, with only the sound of the Ultimate Neurologist flipping pages from his novel coming from them from time to time. Makoto wasn't one to like silence like this one though, especially when there was something nagging him at the back of his head.

"Kirigiri-san didn't ask you to find Yukizome-sensei, did he?" The Luckster asked, although a part of him felt as if he already knew the answer.

"Nope." The older Ultimate answered swiftly, still just focused on reading his book. "I haven't even seen the old man today."

"Why the lie, then?" He asked once more with a frown, this time actually getting Yasuke to look at him for a second before seemingly going back to his reading.

"This is my favorite spot in the library since no one comes to bother here." Yasuke explained with just a bit of annoyance slipping through in his tone. "I would rather not have that ruined by you deciding to suck faces with a teacher of all people."

Makoto didn't know how, but he found himself choking on air as soon as those words hit him like an arrow to the chest, his mind now wondering just how much had the older Ultimate seen before they noticed his presence.

"We weren't doing anything like that!" He could feel his own ears going red, for even if he wanted it or not the words his fellow Ultimate had said ended up leaving him a mental image that he would rather not have now of all things.

"Really? Could have fooled me." Makoto could only groan after hearing that response, more than aware that Yasuke wasn't buying it in the slightest.

Another silence soon followed, which didn't surprise Makoto considering how much he knew of the Ultimate Neurologist. Then again, just the fact that Yasuke seemed content with just letting him sit there at least proved that they weren't on bad terms, or at least that's what Makoto liked to believe.

Even so, he opened his mouth once more to ask something, slightly wondering how Yasuke would react.

"Have you seen Enoshima-san today?"

Yasuke's fingers, which had been moving to pass the page, suddenly stopped as soon as his apathy-filled gaze fell on the serious looking Luckster, with light blue matching brown for just a second before the older ahoge-boy released a tired sigh from his lips.

"Why? Was sensei not enough so you're now trying to see if you can get lucky in the meantime?" Of course, Yasuke knew enough of the Luckster to be aware that he wasn't one to act like that, but that didn't mean he didn't find the interest the younger Ultimate always showed for Junko to be weird.

This wasn't the first time he had heard that question from Makoto after all, and considering how a lot of their conversation went there was only one way in which he could describe the relationship between Naegi Makoto and Junko.

It was one of mutual obsession.

Junko was seemingly obsessed with whatever she had seen on the Ultimate Lucky Student, that much he understood, even if he found it weird and annoying as hell. It was Makoto himself the one that had him confused, after all even after months of knowing him he still couldn't figure out why was he so interested in Junko of all people.

It definitely wasn't because he liked her personality, that much was a given.

If it was anyone else he would just mark it down as the boy wanting to bang a model or something, but he knew enough by now for that not to be the case. Besides, he doubted Junko would get so worked up on someone as shallow as that.

Whatever it was, it was something that his investigation on the Ultimate Lucky Student of class 78 had not revealed. There was always the possibility of him having a crush on Junko or something, but…

Considering the scared, almost terrified expression that had appeared on Makoto's face with his question, he doubted that was the case. He doubted someone like Mukuro would let Junko anywhere near someone that could take advantage of her anyway.

"That is not why I was asking, I can assure that much, Matsuda-senpai." Instead of embarrassment, it was with a frown that Makoto spoke. Just the thought of what Yasuke had implied was enough to make him feel as if he had betrayed everyone he knew. "I'm just curious, she's my classmate after all."

"Right…" Once again it was obvious that Yasuke didn't buy his excuse at all, but he wasn't going to bother to argue that one. "Why not ask Mukuro then? Aren't you banging her too or something?"

And that brought back the flush filling Makoto's face.

"I'm not doing t-that with anyone, Matsuda-senpai!" He had a point though since when it came to Junko's whereabouts it was normally Mukuro the one that provided him with that information. Not like he didn't have other ways of knowing that, mind you.

However, he had no idea where Mukuro was at the moment. Sure, he had told her to go and help the Ultimate Supreme Leader, but she should really be back by now.

He didn't even worry about Mukuro not being able to find him. She had a knack for finding him anywhere so that was hardly a concern.

"Really? Well now, that's just sad." The fact that the older Ultimate sounded genuinely saddened by that just made Makoto slam his forehead against the table in front of him. "But anyway, I have no idea where Junko is either, and if Mukuro doesn't know then you're screwed in that regard."

Nodding slightly just before releasing a sigh, Makoto could only wonder about Junko's whereabouts. It wasn't like he needed to know where she was at all times, it just made him feel better knowing, but then again by now, it was Junko herself the one that approached him as much as she could.

That fact had a lot of good and bad things if he had to be honest, but if just his presence was enough to distract someone like Junko then, who was he to complain?

He wasn't even given the chance to do so in the first place though, for the next thing he felt was Yasuke's eyes moving slowly to the top off his head, after which he kept his gaze there accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

He honestly thought for a moment there that the older Ultimate was focused on his ahoge for some reason, but that thought disappeared as soon as the sound of books hitting the floor filled his ears.

"Eh? Fukawa-san?" Said sound made the Luckster turn around in his spot rather quickly, his eyes then landing on the one responsible for the noise. He was quick to leave his seat and approach the girl, after all the reason for the sound in the first place had been the girl dropping a few books from the shelves by accident.

"T-Thank you…" The Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Fukawa Toko, spoke in a low tone, with her eyes that were hiding behind her glasses set firmly on her own shoes, almost as if the idea of just raising her head was too much for her right now.

"No problem." It was with a smile that he took the pile of books she had been holding from her hands while making sure that none of them fell on the floor again. "I didn't think I would see you here though."

Considering who the girl he was talking to was maybe he shouldn't be that surprised, but even someone like the Ultimate Writing Prodigy rarely came to the library. As far as he knew she usually preferred her own room or her Research Lab when it came to her literature.

"I-I was just….looking for s-some inspiration." The purple-haired writer still kept her gaze down just at the two moved closer to the table.

"If by that you mean just looking at the back of lady-killer over here while drooling like an idiot then yes, quite the inspiration you were getting." It seemed Toko's words had been said loud enough for the Ultimate Neurologist to hear, although whatever reasons the older Ultimate had for saying that in return was beyond Makoto's understanding.

At least it finally got Toko to tore her gaze from the floor, since she was now glaring heatedly at the stoic Yasuke, however if Yasuke cared even a little about that then he did a good job hiding it.

"Nobody asked you…You useless thug!" The glass-wearing girl was quick to throw back her own insult. The next thing she did was to give a small step back in nervousness at the pointed stare she received in response to her comment.

"Guys please…" It was Makoto the one that defused the situation before it escalated any further though. He knew that Yasuke and Toko weren't exactly what one would call a people's person, in fact, a lot of his friends weren't even that friendly to most of their fellow classmates, but even so he prided himself to be able to stop any fight from crossing the line.

And he did, in fact, stop them from throwing more insults at one another, just not in the way he had hoped to.

After all, the next thing he did was to put the stack of books on the table. You would think that in such a school they would at least take care of the books, but in retrospect, Makoto felt like he should have seen this one coming.

After all, what happened with such abandoned books was that they got covered with unholy amounts of dust.

And said dust just so happened to get lifted like a curtain as soon as the stack of books hit the table.

Now, such a thing normally didn't bother people that much, after all what was the worst that could happen? That they would sneeze a bit?

The thing was, that's exactly what sent Makoto into overdrive, after all the next thing he head was the sound of someone sneezing to his side.

"Well…" It was Yasuke the one that spoke, his eyes now actually more focused on his underclassmen rather than on the book of his hands. "I guess that is one way of shutting her trap."

"But still…" Yasuke continued with a raised eyebrow. "When I said it was sad I didn't mean for you to start doing that now."

"That is not what I'm doing here!" Even his own words sounded hard to believe, after all Makoto could only guess how he looked at that moment considering the position he currently found himself in.

His left arm was now surrounding Toko's waist, pushing the thin girl towards him with as much strength as he could while making sure he wasn't hurting her. With her body pressed to him in a way that he knew was begging for misunderstanding, his other hand was firmly set above the girl's mouth, almost as if to try and stop her from uttering even a single word.

If it was a normal situation Makoto would found himself red to his ears while Toko would have probably fainted by now, but this was far from a regular one for the duo.

And because of that, the only thing that showed in the Luckster's face was apprehension and nervousness, with his gaze set on a frown as it clashed with Toko's eyes.

It wasn't Toko the one looking at him though. No, for instead of Toko's light purple eyes, what was looking back at him was a pair of crimson eyes, ones that showed nothing but delight at her current predicament.

The fact that the next thing Makoto felt was the sensation of something slimy and wet pretty much lapping at the hand he had over her mouth only confirmed it even more, and he honestly had to control the urge of just tearing his hand from her face.

To say that Fukawa Toko was one of the most…difficult ones of his friends wouldn't be a total lie. After all, even back in his original time, they hadn't been what you could call friends. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to get on her good side mind you, but she had certainly preferred to keep him at arm's length.

So while he hadn't expected much of a friendship with her even now in the past, he still had tried his best. He felt like it was simply the least he could after everything Toko had done for his little sister.

In fact, even Komaru herself had made him promise to help Toko as much as he could once he got settled in the past, and how could say no to such a heartfelt request from his sister?

But maybe he had gone a little bit over the top with that request; after all, he had somehow managed to stop the Ultimate Writing Prodigy from pretty much obsessing over a certain blonde classmate of theirs.

Standing up to said blonde heir after he threatened to reveal Toko's secret to the world just to get her expelled had apparently left a bigger impact than what he thought capable of Toko.

That was a story for another time though, since it was hard to think of details when you had a tongue filling the palm of your hand with saliva while a pair of red eyes looked at you with nothing but insane satisfaction.

For it was that same secret that Byakuya had tried to reveal almost a year ago the one that had him like this, holding Toko's body like a lifeline just to stop her from doing anything crazy around that might get her into trouble.

He wasn't dealing with Fukawa Toko, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy right now after all, but instead he was dealing with one of the most insane individuals he ever had the pleasure of knowing, which was saying a lot considering he knew Junko.

Genocider Syo, also known as the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, although why she had a title was simply beyond him, was apparently more than content with simply staying in his hold for the moment, although he would certainly prefer it if she stopped licking the palm of his hand as if it was a popsicle.

The fact that he could hear her moan in delight didn't help either.

At least Yasuke was still unaware of the fact that he was just a few feet away from a serial killer, and if Makoto had any say about anything it would certainly stay like that. As far as he was aware only he and Byakuya knew about Toko's condition.

Then again, something told him that the Headmaster was aware of it too and just decided to do nothing about it. Not like Syo was the only Ultimate in the school with blood in her hands, and once again it was only the promise that he had made to his sister that made him able to deal with someone like Genocider Syo.

Twisting his body in the best way he could while not letting go of the girl's body so that Yasuke wouldn't be able to see her expression, Makoto gave the red-eyed fiend the best serious look he could muster under those circumstances.

"Syo-san, this is kind of a bad moment." He whispered as low as he could so that only the girl in his grasp could hear him. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened after all, and something told him it wouldn't be the last. "Please just change back with Fukawa-san!"

Unlike with Toko, which by now Makoto knew would immediately comply with his request, Syo could be a lot more problematic than that. The fact that the expression in her eyes told him that she was considering it almost made him release a relieved sigh.

The fact, however, that said look was quickly replaced by a wink just as Makoto saw the tip of Syo's tongue starting to escaped between his fingers threw his hopes of the serial killer helping him out of the window.

Plan B it was, then. It would be more than a little problematic for the Makoto of the future, but the him of right now was out of options.

"Syo-san, I promise to spend some time with you later," The way he said that made it more than clear to the serial killer that he was referring to her and not Toko, something that got her eyes wide and filled with nothing but delight. "But only if you change back right now!"

She needed no more incentive than that, for the next thing he felt was her tongue finally retracting back into her mouth followed by her releasing a sneeze right into his palm.

The feeling of gladness he had easily overtook whatever disgust he might have felt with the action, however, and in the end the Luckster simply wiped his hand as best as he could using his pants with a tired smile present on his lips.

"…If these are the hope of the future then we might as well just kill ourselves already, the world is doomed anyway." He even ignored the comments from the older Ultimate behind him. He was too busy just feeling glad after all, with his eyes focused on the confused girl still in his grasp.

Said purple-haired Ultimate simply blinked with a confused frown just for a couple of seconds, right before it dawned on her just exactly what had happened if the horror on her face was any indication.

The time-traveler was more than ready to do his best in calming her down, however before he even got the chance for that Toko's expression suddenly shifted once she realized the fact that she was in her classmate's arms.

Her frightened look was quick to turn into a shaky smile, with the corner of her lips raising slowly just as her face got red by the second. Next thing she did was to throw her gaze down, and Makoto could have sworn that she felt her tremble in his arms.

That, combined with the quite strange giggle that escaped her mouth, was enough to turn Makoto's smile into a frown.

Her words certainly didn't help him.

"In public, like this…" The girl muttered, sending a shiver down Makoto's spine. "But if it is with Makoto-sama then…!"

That was more than enough for Makoto to spring away from her almost as just touching her would light him on fire. He did not need to be sent to the counselor's office just because someone complained that he was harassing his female classmates, again.

…Strangely enough that only started happening at the beginning of the year.

At least it got him closer to Usami's creator, so that was always a plus.

He ended up just turning his head to the side, the embarrassment he felt being too much or him to look at Toko. It didn't help much considering his gaze ended up clashing with Yasuke's, who was giving him what he could only consider as a deadpanned expression, almost as if everything that had come from Makoto's mouth in the last five minutes had been nothing but crap.

"Not messing with anyone, huh?" His tone of voice felt like a stab for the Luckster, since apparently Yasuke had been able to hear what Toko had whispered. "Look, I couldn't care less with whom you're doing the horizontal tango…"

"I swear I'm not…!"

"But I'm sure there is a cozy, private room somewhere for you two to have your fun." The older Ultimate continued, completely ignoring Makoto's words. "What I'm trying to say is: leave."

"I must agree with Yasuke-kun's sentiment, even if it is rather crude, although I would prefer if you waited until graduation for something like that."

It was a new strong-sounding voice the one that regarded the group, quickly earning Makoto's attention, with Yasuke following his gaze to the side soon after, while for her part Toko seemed more than fine with just giggling randomly while hugging herself, muttering stuff from her imagination from time to time that Makoto decided to zone out for the sake of his sanity.

His gaze was instantly drawn to the newcomer's most prominent aspect, which was the object hiding his face from the world.

It wasn't every day that you saw someone wearing a cow's mask after all, although by now the mask did little to intimidate him like before.

"Gozu-san?" The time-traveler said with confusion. Yasuke and Toko he could understand coming here, but what could the Ultimate Wrestler need from a place like this?

The suit-wearing Ultimate kept moving from behind Toko, with the girl unaware of his presence until the man's shadow ended up covering her frame, which got the girl to leave her fantasy world and instead made her turn around.

She didn't take the man's sudden appearance with grace, for her next course of action was to release a strangled squeak before moving as fast as she could to put herself behind Makoto, getting an awkward chuckle from said Luckster.

"I apologize for startling you," Gozu's deep voice, even though it wasn't particularly loud, still echoed inside the library. "I saw Yukizome leaving this place and something told me it was here where I would find who I needed."

And with the way the mask's red eyes zoned on him; Makoto had an idea as to who it was that the older Ultimate needed.

"Did something happen?" He asked warily as he walked closer to the brown-haired man, although it was kind of hard with Toko grabbing him by the sleeve of his hoodie.

"I'll give you more details on the way, but it would be best if we took our leave now, unless…" Gozu's eyes then went from Makoto to the sitting Yasuke, who simply returned the challenging gaze with a raised eyebrow. "There will be any problems with that."

"Nope, none at all." The Ultimate Neurologist answered easily while waving his hand. "The faster you take him out of here the better if you ask me."

'Thank you, senpai…' The Luckster in question could only lower his head, even though he knew that the older Ultimate was not one to soften his words. Even his ahoge deflated in response.

"Very well." And with a nod of acceptance and gratitude from Gozu, the man was swift to get closer to Makoto, and while the Luckster expected many things being suddenly lifted by the Ultimate Wrestler and being thrown over his shoulder had not been one of them.

"G-Gozu-san?!"

"It will be faster this way. We have no time to lose!" Of course what the Ultimate Wrestler avoided to mention was the fact that he just wanted to leave as fast as he could before a certain Ultimate Housekeeper returned.

No need to awake the lioness after all.

And with no more words the man known as Great Gozu was quick to leave the library in a speed that definitely didn't suit such a big man, however for the black-haired ahoge-boy left in the library he could only release a relaxed sigh at the fact that he was finally alone.

Or so he wished, because even now he could still feel the glare of the Ultimate Writing Prodigy making a hole in his head.

"W-why didn't you stop him?" The purple-haired girl complained while gritting her teeth in frustration, more than a little angry that the object of her desires had been quite literally taken from her grasp.

"Yes, that is what I should have done: Pick a fight with the guy in the cow mask." Yasuke shot back with nothing but sarcasm dripping from his voice. "What about you, glasses? I bet if you just opened your mouth you might have scared him off."

Sure, he was supposed to bring the kid back with Fujisaki Chihiro and Gekkogahara Miaya, but right now he could only think of one thing when it came to that request.

Fuck that.

At least it seemed that the younger Ultimate had finally gotten tired of just glaring at him, since the next thing she did was to just scramble away in the chase of the Luckster if Yasuke had to guess.

He didn't care though, he was just glad to finally have some peace and quiet time for himself.

He opened his novel once more, and he would have started his reading again, if a sudden vibration from his pocket hadn't stopped him as soon as he had started.

"Someone better be dying…" He said under his breath as he quickly took his phone out of his pocket and brought it to his ear without even checking who it was that it was calling him.

"What?"

"…"

"No Junko, I am not dragging your damn boy toy to your room."

Why oh why couldn't he just escape Naegi Makoto's existence?

Funnily enough, the Ultimate Neurologist wasn't the only one dealing with one of the sisters from class 78, although considering the situation said sister was probably the one most annoyed by the situation at hand.

It should have been easy enough for her. To simply leave Oma Kokichi on his room and then go back to watch over her Luckster, it sounded as easy as it got, and she knew that in any other situation she would already be protecting him with the best of her abilities.

But instead of doing that she was now trapped in the Ultimate Supreme Leader's room, just as she had been for a while now, with the owner of said room still unconscious in his bed, surrounded by all the crap he seemed to hoard for reasons she wasn't aware of.

The fact that a lot of those things seemed related to certain Luckster only ticked her off even more, and also raised Oma Kokichi's level of danger towards her classmate in her head.

Not knowing about the safety of one Naegi Makoto was already more than enough to frustrate her, but the fact that she knew that he was probably already in school, at the mercy of their fellows Ultimates only made her frown ever harder in annoyance.

Makoto might be quick to forgive them all and to go along with whatever they wanted, but she would be damn if she let any of them harm him just because they couldn't keep themselves in check.

Yes, Ikusaba Mukuro, the Ultimate Soldier, was more than a little bit angry at the fact that she was unable to do what she considered by now her life mission.

The fact that she had the one responsible for that sitting on the other side of the room only made it so much worse.

After all, while looking at the Ultimate Lucky Student from her class was enough to make her feel things she didn't even know she could still feel, looking as this Ultimate Lucky Student only made her scowl in anger.

Komaeda Nagito was, after all, almost at the top of her list when it came to dangerous people around Makoto, only surpassed by her own sister of all people.

And yet there he was, sitting on the floor while smiling at her even though it was more than obvious to her that said smile didn't even reach his eyes. Comparing it to Makoto's honest ones, this one could only be described as disgustingly fake.

"You really shouldn't scowl that much, Ikusaba, or else you'll just get wrinkles."

The fact that he even talked to her as if they were friends didn't help his case either. It wasn't like she didn't know what he honestly thought of her, since he had made it quite clear by now.

Not that it mattered to her. She only cared about the opinion of two individuals in the whole world, and Komaeda Nagito was certainly not one of them.

"I guess I should apologize again though, since it was my fault that the door got locked like that."

She knew his luck could be unpredictable, but even so, something told her that he wanted for this to happen. She couldn't even just break the door to leave, after all the damn thing had been made exactly to resist stuff like that.

And there was only so much she could do with one knife.

Luckily enough, another fellow Ultimate, the Ultimate Maid, had arrived earlier and was now looking for someone that could unlock the door. Why was she taking so long it was beyond her, but she could only hope that she did so fast.

"But even so…" She heard the white-haired Luckster speak once more. It seemed he was content with speaking even if she was ignoring him. "I would really appreciate if you stopped doing things like this, Ikusaba."

Those words actually got her to tear her eyes away from the wall and to focus on the older Ultimate, with a raised eyebrow being the only sign that she heard his words.

"I mean, I would love to hog Makoto-kun all for myself." The way he spoke about her Luckster only made her frown even fiercer. "But don't you think you should give everyone a chance to be with him instead of doing, well, that?"

And almost as if he knew that the Luckster had mentioned him, Kokichi released a groan in his still unconscious state.

While for her part she simply went back to look at nothing, already not caring about whatever the older Ultimate could say. Not that it stopped him from continuing talking, however.

"Then again," Something in his voice changed however, to a tone that she was certainly more familiar with. "I guess I shouldn't expect much from someone like you."

She knew what he meant, and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her angry. Besides, if she reacted every time someone like Nagito tried to get a rise out of her then she would have killed him already.

Not that such an idea sounded bad in her mind, but knowing how that would affect Makoto was enough to stop any passing thoughts she might have on the subject.

"So you're just going to ignore me, huh?" Yes, she was. There was absolutely nothing that she wanted to say to him. "That's fine I guess. In fact, if you just kept your distance from Makoto-kun as much as possible then I wouldn't even have to bother you, Ikusaba."

She actually couldn't control the snort that left her because of his words. As if she would even abandon her Luckster simply because of his mad ramblings.

"Just the fact that you have the title of Ultimate is already sickening enough, but then you go around as if you deserved his attention." While his words did little to unsettle her, she was forced to look at him once more as soon as he started chuckling in a way she could only describe as disturbing.

The grip on her knife hidden behind her became tighter. You never knew what Komaeda Nagito was capable off after all, and it seemed whatever patience he had for acting normal around her was starting to run thin.

"And the worst part is that you do it with the excuse of wanting to protect him." His chuckles stopped abruptly, almost as if it had been an illusion, and she was greeted with nothing but coldness from his green eyes. "Please, Ikusaba. If you really wanted to protect him then you would simply kill that disgusting being you call sis-"

No more words left his lips, for it was hard to talk to when you had a hand wrapping tightly around your neck. He could only smile in an almost victorious fashion, almost as if he wasn't being lifted by the neck by someone that could easily snap said neck if she wanted it done.

And while she was already cursing herself mentally for reacting the way she did, there was still no way she would let Nagito run his mouth on one of the two living beings that she cared about. Even if her relationship with her sister changed a lot thanks to Makoto's involvement there was still no doubt in her heart that she loved her.

At least he never bad mouthed Makoto since the older Ultimate was clearly too obsessed to do that, or else the school would have found itself with one less student a long time ago.

"Go ahead." He somehow still found the energy to speak however, even if it came out as hoarse as it could get. "Maybe with this, Makoto-kun will finally realize what you actually are and get rid of you like he should…"

She kept her glare aimed at his painfully smiling visage for just a second more before releasing the hold in his neck, forcing the white-haired Ultimate to the ground just as he coughed roughly.

The fact that he looked more disappointed than relieved about being released only made her sour mood even worse. If it was anyone else she would have been able to keep herself level-headed, but her frustration with one Komaeda Nagito was enough to get her to react.

The fact that she let her emotions slip more as of late probably didn't help either.

"What's the problem here?"

Luckily it seemed that the matters between the two would have to wait, for the next thing that happened was the door finally being opened, with two Ultimates, one of them being the Ultimate Maid that had finally returned, entering the now open door.

She didn't even bother answering the gruff voice that asked the question, with said voice belonging to Sakakura Juzo, the Ultimate Boxer, and instead left the room as swiftly as she could. She didn't have the time to be interrogated, especially by someone like Sakakura Juzo who would only blow things out of proportions.

She heard him call out to her just as she escaped the room, but she simply ignored him. She was on a mission after all, and the dash she was doing through the halls could not be stopped.

At least, until she felt something vibrating in her pocket. That was certainly enough to stop her midrace, after all as far as she knew there were only three people that knew her number, and she doubted that someone like Yasuke would call her out off the blue.

That only left two options and once she checked on whom it was that had decided to give her a call she could only release a small sigh.

After all, when was the last time she had received a call from her sister?

First of all, proper thanks to both RWBYJNPR and Zephyrius29 for helping me with this chapter! It would be a mess without them.

Less crazy shenanigans this chapter, I know, and while I love writing those I ended up using this chapter to establish a few things, which I felt it was needed because some of the characters appearing in this one (With Chisa being the class' teacher, Yasuke's relationship with Junko and Toko's condition).

The last part is just to show that not everything is rainbows and laughs when it comes to some of the Ultimates, and who better for that than Komaeda.

This chapter was also supposed to have more Great Gozu, alongside Sakura and Aoi, but it would have made the chapter way too long. There's always the next one, however.

A lot of reviews said that the final boss is Komaru herself. Can't wait to add her to the story, but I won't confirm or deny anything, you'll get to see it soon enough anyway.

Another thing reviews caught on was that I mentioned there being two Ultimate Lucky Students besides Makoto. Obviously one is Komaeda himself, and yes I'm aware V3 doesn't have a Lucky Student, but no I didn't make a mistake. One of the V3 characters shall bite the bullet and take that role for his/her class, and before anyone gets upset by the talent change I am not forgetting about their original talent or anything nor am I changing his/her personality, it's just something I'm doing for both the plot, the character's development itself and to go with Hope's Peak rules of one Lucky Student per year.

Feel free to take a guess as to who it is though, but he/she shall interact with Makoto soon enough.

This chapter will probably get out a little bit past the time but even then, Happy Holidays and happy New Year. Thank you all for reading this far, the favorites and follows are definitely more than appreciated and thank you for the feedback you have all left in your reviews and PMs. Glad to know I'm not messing up the characters so bad (let's hope I can continue that)

Next Chapter: Does Luck Stack?