"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 16
The Obligatory Calm Before The Figurative Storm
Kuwata Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star, liked to give him advice from time to time.
For some reason beyond him, most of that advice was somehow related to the opposite sex.
He couldn't say, in good conscience at least, that he even understood half of the things the red-haired teen spouted from time to time. The only thing he knew for a fact though, at least based on everything the girls from his class kept telling him every time Leon tried to 'teach' him something, was that under no circumstance should he listen to the Baseball Star in question.
Sadly, considering that his mind was quite blank at the moment, he could have certainly used one of those very same guidelines right about now.
"Hmmm…"
The small, almost content humming to his side only reminded him more about the fact that he wasn't alone right now, although the pair of arms tightly circled around his waist also helped as a reminder of that little tidbit.
He wracked his brain about the things the Baseball Star had told him a long time ago about what to do when you had someone, namely a girl, in your bed with you.
Something in the back of his head told him that whatever he had said would only make things even more problematic though, so maybe it was fortunate that the only thing he could remember about that day was Leon being prohibited from even looking at any of the girls from their class.
Somehow that decree ended up extending itself to the whole school.
He had never seen Kuwata Leon so depressed in both his lives.
Wait…What was he doing again?
"Mmmm…Onii-chan…"
Ah, right, suddenly waking up only to find a certain girl he knew very well hugging him while she slept as if her life depended on it, got it.
He raised his upper body as slowly and carefully as he could, for as surprised as he was the last thing he wanted was to suddenly wake up the peacefully sleeping girl.
The fact that she had her head pretty much glued to his midsection made that a bit harder than he would have liked, however.
His brown eyes focused quickly on the girl's resting form, with the first thing that got caught in his gaze being her hair.
Even if he hadn't known already based on her sleeping mumbling, the girl's green hair certainly confirmed any suspicions that he had about his bed's intruder.
"Monaca-chan…" He whispered the girl's name, carefully enough to not wake up the slumbering Li'l Ultimate that had seemingly taken refuge in his bed last night without him noticing.
He certainly remembered leaving Monaca with Komaru last night, after all, even though the younger Ultimate had quite actively protested the fact that she wouldn't be able to sleep without being in the same room as himself.
Seemed her wish came true though, and he could only wonder how much Monaca had wanted this if she had bothered to come from one room to another in her wheelchair while making sure to not wake anyone up.
And even though he knew the green-eyed girl could use her legs, the fact that he could also see her wheelchair by the side of the bed told him enough. Monaca was truly protective over her secret after all.
A small sigh left his lips before a rather awkward smile appeared on them. He supposed, considering that this was the first day that one Towa Monaca had come to stay at his home, that just changing room at night was hardly the worse that could have happened.
He just hopped, just as he slowly stroked the girl's green-hair, that she hadn't seen anything that might have scared her, for the last thing he wanted was for someone like Monaca to see one of his…episodes.
He didn't remember having one last night, but then again, he hadn't even felt the Li'l Ultimate entering his room.
"Hmm…I thought Onii-chan liked older girls…but Onii-chan's range is actually quite wide, isn't it?"
…Maybe he should start locking that door at night too.
Rather than the morning breeze that was normally enough to make him shiver sometimes, it was the words suddenly filling his ears that sent a chill down his spine.
He slowly moved his head to the owner of the voice, just in time to look at his little sister poking her head out from behind the door, with a look on her face that told him that she was not the least impressed by what she was seeing.
His mind certainly got the meaning behind her words too, for even days after that; he knew that Komaru was still more than a bit peeved about what had happened.
The fact that their parents didn't seem to believe her every time she spoke about the 'Crazy blonde princess that wanted to steal her brother away from home' was obviously not helping her general mood if the current deadpan expression she held was anything to go by.
He opened his mouth in a vain attempt to make sure Komaru didn't get the wrong idea, but it was hard to do so with Monaca suddenly tightening her hold on his midsection to the point he ended up just spluttering out of surprise.
Suffice to say, such reaction did little to crack Komaru's stony mask.
"Mom's almost done with breakfast," Komaru spoke as her head slowly disappeared behind the door; her eyes making the Luckster feel as if he had somehow committed a crime that deserved nothing but the hardest of punishments. "Just thought you should know."
And then she closed the door with a lot more force than the time-traveler knew was common for her and healthy for the poor door. He couldn't' even avoid the small cringe that coursed through his body at such an action, knowing that it was his fault for trying to convince her that Sonia's…words had been nothing but a joke.
His sister had believed that just as much as he believed in Junko's words.
Another sigh left his lips, for the day had just started and he was already feeling like just staying on the bed for most of it. He had also made sure to keep the house guest-free today so it would be easy to pull off, although he had done it for Monaca's sake rather than his own.
He didn't want to overwhelm the girl with any of his friends suddenly popping up, after all. It was baby-steps with someone like Monaca; that much he knew even if he wasn't an expert.
Speaking of the Li'l Ultimate Homeroom though…
"Monaca-chan…" He spoke in an even tone while giving the girl on his bed a curious look that slowly turned just turned into an expression that mirrored that of the youngest Naegi a few seconds ago. "You're not asleep, are you?"
His only response was a couple seconds of silence right before the green-haired Ultimate snuggled even closer to him somehow. For such a small girl she sure had a strong grip too.
"Monaca-chan, you shouldn't have just left the room like that." The Luckster admonished the girl that continued to pretend to be asleep, with the smile on her face diminishing just a bit in response. "I'm sure Komaru got really worried when she woke up and couldn't find you there."
Another few seconds of silence followed, which got Makoto to wonder if maybe she was actually asleep. Such concern proved to be unnecessary though, for in a slow fashion Monaca's eyes fluttered open, allowing for the brown-haired boy to have a clear look at the peaceful green eyes of the Li'l Ultimate Homeroom.
"Good morning, Onii-chan!" Monaca spoke with a chirp in her tone, to the point Makoto was sure that had been the happiest he had heard anyone being on the morning. The smile that followed Monaca's words only proved that even more so, and it did actually manage to almost make him smile in response.
The girl's happiness was just that contagious, he supposed.
But still…
"Monaca-chan." He spoke once more, with the younger girl tilting her head to the side almost as if she hadn't heard him the first time. "Like I said, you shouldn't have-"
"I'm sorry." His words died on his throat once Monaca's happy visage turned into a crestfallen expression, one that had surprised him with how quickly it appeared. "But every time Monaca imagined living with Onii-chan Monaca was always sleeping in the same bed with Onii-chan…" The obvious sadness in her gaze disappeared for just a moment with the way her eyes narrowed, but before he was able to say anything Monaca had already hidden her face by pressing it on his white shirt. "It wasn't fair…why did Monaca have to sleep with her instead of Onii-chan?!"
With the tone in which she had referred to who he knew was Komaru anyone would think she was talking about her greatest enemy to date, but for the life of him, Makoto simply couldn't understand from where the animosity had come from.
Not that such animosity only extended herself to Komaru, mind you, but he would have thought that given Komaru's age it would have been easier for the two to become friends.
It had been the opposite, to say the least.
He ended up just scratching the back of his head while suddenly losing the will to admonish the Li'l Ultimate. He understood her reasoning, and in retrospective maybe he should have just let her sleep in his room with him.
He had just wanted to protect her from seeing anything…unsightly.
Once more he opened his mouth to try and sooth the girl, but once more he was beaten by the girl herself.
"A-and…" Monaca's voice came with a small hitch, one that had him instantly panicking on the inside. "I had a nightmare…"
Monaca said nothing more, and he didn't need to hear anything else. His hand instantly moved to her head, with his fingers moving slowly through her green locks just as she trembled a bit, apparently remembering whatever had plagued her last night.
"Sorry, Monaca-chan." He lamented with regret in his voice while doing his best to hold the girl giving their current position. "You can stay with me tonight then if it really helps."
He felt her nod in his shirt almost immediately, to which Makoto could only sigh quietly in response.
It wasn't his first rodeo when it came to such situation, although he was sure Komaru would hit him with a pillow if he brought any of such moments that the two had shared on the past.
Besides, when it came to nightmares he was not one to make light of them.
He could only hope for today's night to be dreamless one.
For both of their sake.
Naegi Komaru didn't know what to make of the green-haired girl sitting on the opposite side of the table.
At first glance, the girl looked harmless enough, with the only aspect that really stuck out being how cute the girl was.
There was, of course, the fact that she was in a wheelchair, but thinking of that only made the youngest Naegi more uncomfortable than what she would like to admit, especially since her brother hadn't told them any details about that.
It had to be quite the sore subject, she had decided, so she had decided to simply not bring it up. She could only wonder how something like that would feel…
But against what her appearance hinted at, Komaru wouldn't be able to describe Monaca as just a harmless girl by now.
She didn't know what it was, but somehow she just couldn't keep herself relaxed around the younger girl. It was almost as if her simple presence was enough to put her on edge, like her body just knew that the girl was dangerous somehow.
It wasn't the first time she had felt like such when it came to someone from that school mind you, and the fact that she could feel Monaca making holes at the back of her head from time to time didn't help at all in that regard.
But she had done her best to hide her discomfort, for the last thing she wanted was to worry her brother even more. He had obviously taken Monaca under his wing after all, and she didn't want to sound as if she was coming between that relationship.
That and, well, she did have to admit that she felt more than a bit bad for the girl. Her older brother might not have given her or their parents many details with the excuse that it was a private matter, but from what they had gathered from him, Monaca hadn't had the best of childhoods, even ignoring her condition.
It might have helped that her older brother had asked her as a favor to get along well with the younger girl too.
And she had tried. God knows she had tried.
And she was still trying!
"Onii-chan, ah…!"
But for crying out loud!
She was sure her right eye was twitching by now.
She truly didn't know what was upsetting her the most, if the side-look that the green-haired girl kept giving her every time she opened her mouth, or how ready her older brother had been to feed the girl himself!
The fact that even her mother only saw the exchange as adorable was not helping in the slightest.
She was just glad that her dad had to leave early, for she was sure his presence wouldn't have made things any better.
"I hope you like it, Monaca-chan. I wasn't sure what to make that would be to your liking…" Her mom spoke with a kind smile and a bit of concern in her voice, even though it was obvious to Komaru that the girl had no issues with the food, although if it was because of the taste or the fact that Makoto was feeding her was anyone's guess.
"It's… good." Monaca answered while Makoto took a break to actually eat his own share. The young girl's voice came out with a lot less enthusiasm that one might expect considering how she had been obviously delighted not even a second ago.
Such thing only made Komaru frown while giving her mother a side-glance, although if the woman was affected by the lacking response she certainly didn't show it. She had probably gotten used to it too, she assumed, considering how…unfriendly Monaca had been every since they met her yesterday.
She wasn't mean or rude or anything like that at least, just a little bit too…aloof for her taste, especially considering how she went from that to acting as if Christmas had come early whenever her brother was around.
"I'm glad you like it." Her mom said with an obviously happy tone and a smile on her face. "I'll be preparing Makoto's favorite for lunch today, so I hope you'll like it too."
And with the announcement, Komaru was sure she could feel the shift in the girl's head.
The way in which those green eyes suddenly focused on her mom with an intensity that left her almost squeaking in surprise was proof enough of that.
"Onii-chan's…favorite?" The girl whispered, barely high enough for everyone to hear in what she could only describe as half excitement and half wonder. To her side, she heard her older brother chuckle a bit, but that only earned him a dirty look from herself.
A nod from her mother was the response Monaca got, seemingly taking the girl into a faraway land if the way she looked down at her plate was any indication.
The suddenness of the silence was actually more worrying than anything else, and when it lasted almost a minute it even made her family worried if the look on both of their faces was anything to go by.
"Monaca-chan?" It was her brother the one that called out to the quiet girl first with obvious concern in his voice and a frown in his face. He even moved his hand to touch her shoulder once she didn't even react to his voice.
"C-can I…" But before he reached her, Monaca raised her head, although her green-eyed seemed to not be able to look at anyone at the face. "…watch how you do it…?"
Her request was surprising to the ahoge-haired girl, to say the least, and said surprise was mirrored by the two older Naegis at the table. Both siblings moved their focus to their mom, who could only blink in apparent surprise before smiling softly at the green-haired girl.
"Of course, dear." To that response, the youngest Naegi saw the Li'l Ultimate nod almost shyly before going stare down at her plate with a small frown on her face.
"Thank you…" And if she hadn't been paying attention, Komaru was sure she would have missed those words from her. That would have been regrettable considering how it was the closest thing to a positive interaction that didn't involve her brother that she had seen so far from the younger girl.
It actually made her smile a bit, something that was followed by her mother giggling a bit and her older brother chuckling once more before patting Monaca on the head softly. It was the latter what got the Li'l Ultimate to blush in apparent embarrassment, although she did no attempts at removing the hand that was touching her hair.
She couldn't say that she didn't understand though, for she had certainly been on Monaca's place before, and as embarrassing at it was, such memories still brought a fond smile to her lips.
The sound of the doorbell was enough to break the pacified atmosphere that had covered the table.
A small feeling of dread filled Komaru as soon as she heard that, for even though her older brother had told her no one would come to visit today, she still had a bad feeling about that.
"I'll… go and get it." Almost as if reading her thoughts, it was Makoto the one that stood up with a bit of confusion and nervousness in his tone. Before leaving though, he still sent a small smile in her direction, for he apparently understood her concerns.
Five minutes later, the new presence in their home proved that today wouldn't be a normal day at all.
"I will cut straight to the matter at hand." She spoke in a clear tone while making sure each of her classmates heard her perfectly, her voice even and her eyes set in a serious expression.
"We all know what will happen in two weeks if we don't prepare ourselves." She paced at the front of the classroom, with her words being accentuated by each step she took. She stopped for a moment to give her classmates a side glance, narrowed purple orbs looking at the group of teens with such a focus it felt like an eagle looking down at her prey. "And we can't afford to lose again this year."
They just couldn't, for she would not allow such a thing.
The look that she received in response though, told her that they understood the gravity of the situation, and that this time they would take no second places.
Normally it wouldn't be her the one taking charge of the class like this, after all her Luckster had certainly earned the spot of the unofficial leader of this particular class.
She also knew that the Ultimate Moral Compass would be able to do a decent job too, but right now she couldn't let anyone else take charge. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, but rather the consequences of failure were simply too big for her to let others take the reins.
And with such mentality she stood with her arms crossed below her chest, her purple eyes sweeping across the room while making sure to look at each one of her present classmates in the eyes, trying to see if she would find any speck of doubt that might ruin her plan.
She found none whatsoever.
"I can guarantee your cooperation, then?" Kirigiri Kyoko asked, mostly out of formality, to the united students of class 78.
"Losing is not an option as you say, Kirigiri-san!" It was Kiyotaka the first one that answered back with a mighty yell and with his body suddenly raising from his seat, nothing but fire in his gaze. "I promise to put my 100- no, 1000% into the upcoming event!"
"Damn straight!" And to his side, it was Mondo who followed suit with his palm hitting his desk and a grin on his face. "I don't care how tough it will be, we're beating the shit out of everyone this time!"
It was a testament to how important this was that the Ultimate Moral Compass didn't even bother to scold the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader for his language.
"They won't know what hit them!" Kuwata Leon spoke in a confident tone with a cheeky smile on his lips. "Last year was a fluke. This time I'm not going to play around!"
"Yosh!" Aoi pumped out her first to the air while her expression showed nothing but determination. "This is why we have trained so hard, Sakura-chan. Nothing will stop us now!"
"Indeed." In contrast to her best friend, Sakura responded in a calm tone. However, the sheer aura around her and the fierceness in her eyes told the world that she took this matter as seriously as she could. "To achieve victory… we will show the school the results of our work."
"How reassuring." Even though she hid her smile behind her hand, the dangerous glint in Celestia's crimson eyes showed a passion that only appeared on rare occasions. "This is not a game I will allow us to lose no matter what though; I hope that's clear enough."
"I h-hate this kind of thing…" Even though Toko had no issues with displaying her displeasure, there was still nothing but fire in her glare. "B-but I would hate to l-lose even more…"
"Worry not, my companions." With a confident huff Hifumi even went as far as to adjust his glasses in an obvious show of confidence. "With the skills I have honed not even someone from Seigaku would be able to challenge me!"
"L-last year I didn't do much…" Chihiro's meek voice was able to pierce through the noise, for even if his tone was lower there was no way anyone could deny the sudden steel that it gained. "But this year…I promise to do my best…!"
"Honestly guys, you're all worrying too much." In contrast, Yasuhiro's words came out in a rather relaxed tone filled with nothing but confidence. "I already saw it and we're winning this, I know it!"
"That's right…" And while her voice was normally filled with friendliness, this time Sayaka's words oozed nothing but coldness, with a look on her eyes that showed nothing but the sheer will to defeat anyone in her path. "We are winning, no matter what it takes. I won't accept anything else."
And almost at the same time, in a strange show of harmony for this class, they all looked straight at the Ultimate Detective of their class before nodding resolutely, receiving nothing but a firm nod in return.
There was still one missing though.
Kyoko's gaze moved to the side, more precisely to the seat at the corner, or rather at the blonde sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed over his chest.
And it was only after said blonde felt every single pair of eyes in the class focusing on him that he moved his blue eyes from the window to the front, quickly meeting Kyoko's own purple ones.
Then, and in nothing but slow movements, Togami Byakuya stood up from his seat and walked straight towards his Detective classmate until he was standing just a couple of feet away from her, with his cold eyes looking down at the equally stoic girl.
No words were spoken between the two and instead, they simply let their gazes do the talking for them. A small, almost unnoticeable narrowing of his eyes was met with nothing but a raised eyebrow from her, but even as the staring match almost reached the one minute mark it was the blonde of the duo the one that broke the silence first.
"I despise defeat, Kirigiri." He spoke, his tone carrying his distaste for such a thing to the whole classroom. "I despise it even more when it concerns a matter such as this." And for all the negative feelings the rest of their classmates might have towards the blonde, they couldn't deny the honesty in his tone.
"Don't lose then." Kyoko's response was short and simple though, for she wasn't going to let herself be intimidated by the Heir of all people. In her short life, she had faced worse after all.
"I don't plan to." And with that, nothing but the most rigid of nods was shared between the two, right before the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy returned to his seat, however just as he reached it he still gave the Detective one last look over his shoulder. "But don't think it means I'm taking orders from you, Kirigiri."
She had expected that in fact, and she also couldn't care less as long as he pulled his weight.
A small sigh left her lips, for even though she had gained the cooperation of arguably the most stubborn to convince out of their class, it didn't change the fact that they were still two people missing.
Well, technically three, but she wasn't going to count him when it came to this. This whole meeting kind of revolved around him in the first place anyway.
She was sure that one member of the missing duo would have been more than eager to appear though, for as much as the Ultimate Soldier hid her feelings behind a mask, her…devotion to a certain Luckster was nothing short of obvious.
So not seeing her alongside the rest was actually a surprise. A worrisome one, to say the least, considering that she and Sakura were the powerhouses of their class. Not having her cooperation would be…less than stellar.
And as for the other member of the pair…
"Heh?! You're all meeting without me? How mean!"
She apparently had decided to grace the classroom with her presence as soon as the lavender-haired Detective thought about her absence, almost as if she knew it was her cue to appear.
For there she was, standing proudly with both of her hands resting on her hips at the now open door, her blonde hair set in a pair of twin-tails while her blue eyes showed nothing but mirth and barely concealed malice that was accompanied by quite the grin on her lips.
The reaction of most of her classmate to her presence only made said grin somehow wider.
"Enoshima…" It was Kyoko the one that regarded the Ultimate Fashionista first with nothing but a narrowed gaze, for as much as she would have liked to have her whole class as a united front for what was to come, she certainly wouldn't mind if Enoshima Junko chose to not participate in the first place.
One of the reasons that they had lost last year had been, after all, because of the blonde model herself.
That, and based on the looks everyone else was throwing the blonde beauty, namely ones of distrust, suspicion, annoyance and even outright hate by some, she knew that getting everyone to work together with Junko would be a challenge all by itself.
And that was saying a lot considering they were willing to work with Togami Byakuya in the first place.
"I thought you weren't coming today." The Ultimate Detective spoke while doing her best to hide her own feelings towards her fellow Ultimate. Enoshima Junko meant plenty of things to her, after all, and most of them weren't exactly flattering.
The fact that the only one that could truly keep her in check wasn't here only added to the tense air that had now surrounded the classroom.
"And miss this? Not a chance, Kyoko-chan!" The upbeat friendliness that just oozed from Junko as she walked in the room did little to relax Kyoko, to say the least. In fact, it only made her gaze narrow even more. "I'm just wounded no one invited me to this! I was lucky to find the message on Mukuro-nee's phone, you know?"
"G-get a clue, you dolt…" Toko's sudden murmur somehow reached Junko's ears, making the glass-wearing girl the center of attention for just a fraction of a second before she went back to leer at the Detective standing in front of her.
"I thought Naegi-kun wanted for all of us to be friends!" Junko whined, with her eyes suddenly gaining a sparkling visage just as her voice came out in an obviously fake child-like tone. "I'm sure he would be so sad if he knew you are all bullying me!"
The scoff that she heard from behind her, obvious courtesy of the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy, perfectly summed up how Kyoko felt about those words. His continuous silence, however, told her that he had no intention of helping her when dealing with Junko of all people.
Not that he blamed him for that though, for even now she had to control the urge of massaging her forehead.
"I thought you were far more intelligent than this, Kirigiri Kyoko-san." And in less than a second Junko's previous demeanor was gone, and instead replaced by a rather mature tone that went along with the glasses that had suddenly appeared behind her blue eyes. "Our chances of attaining victory are already too slim for you to exclude a potential asset."
"Sorry if I am being a bit…skeptical." It was Celestia who drawled out next, with her gaze firmly planted on the blonde. "But last year you were more trouble than you were worth, Enoshima-san."
That was putting it lightly, Kyoko decided.
"I know…" And now the blonde was acting as if those words had actually made her depressed. "Even Mukuro-nee did more than me…how pathetic."
"But you should all feel grateful now!" Kyoko seriously had to know where Junko hid the crown that now rested on her head. "For I, Junko-sama, solemnly swear to lead this group of useless peasants towards victory!"
She even went as far as to proudly point straight at the Detective, who did nothing in response but look stoically at the smirking mad-woman that was supposed to be her classmate.
Such position lasted for a few seconds before a sigh escaped Kyoko's lips.
"Have you finished, Enoshima?" Kyoko asked with a raised eyebrow and with her arms crossed over her chest while nothing but slight annoyance sipped through her tone.
And after hearing such comment, Junko's previous expression completely disappeared, which then left a rather neutral face that was followed by a small scoff.
"Yeah sure, whatever." The Ultimate Fashionista spoke with a mild pout on her lips while also whispering under her breath about boring classmates. "And here I am, trying to actually help just to get the cold shoulder from everyone."
"Don't act as if it was uncalled for, Enoshima-san!" Kiyotaka's remark only made Junko's pout even stronger, and Kyoko's brow to furrow a bit. At the rate they were going on they would never be able to move along.
That and she had to admit that Junko's words had caught her attention.
"If this is another one of your tricks, I swear…" Mondo's angry growl did little to intimidate the Fashionista, who simply started checking her fingernails for any non-existent problem they might have.
Kyoko had to admit though, that he had a point, for Enoshima Junko certainly didn't act like how she had expected for her to behave when they had first met.
It was a weird thing, to be honest. At their first week of class back in their first year the Fashionista had actually been almost a walking cliché with how she acted. The fact that it hadn't been close to the things she had learned about the girl before their first year had only made it weirder.
That is, until that week had ended and Enoshima Junko had become a walking, talking disaster.
Almost as if she had gotten tired of acting like a normal girl.
The worst part was that no one could really do anything about it, for it had also meant dealing with a very dangerous Ultimate Soldier, at the beginning at least.
And even a year later she couldn't even say that Junko had mellowed down. No, instead she had just found a better victim to focus on.
The fact that her Luckster just took it in a stride always made hade wonder if he was a secret masochist or something.
"It isn't, ok?" Junko shot back with a bit of irritation seeping through her tone. "Seriously, what's with the trust issues everyone here has?"
And that was pretty much enough to make their classmate explode.
"Last year we lost because of you!" Aoi yelled with anger just as she threw an accusing finger at the blonde, with a blush of both rage and embarrassment filling her cheeks. "You put l-laxative in my food!"
"I was just trying to help you lose weight!"
"You called the police and told them I had attacked you!" Mondo's roar was somehow fiercer than before.
"I thought the experience would help you with your gang!"
"You locked me in the janitor's closet…" Sayaka muttered darkly while glaring at the girl. It wasn't that that actually angered her though, but rather…
"Not my fault you thought that letter was from him, you silly girl!"
"You broke my goddamn leg!" Leon's yell, however, seemed to cut above everyone else's. It was extremely rare to see the guy so angry at a girl, after all, but by now even the Ultimate Baseball Star had been forced to deal with the Fashionista.
"…Alright, you got me there." Junko said with a shrug after a few seconds of silence. "I was aiming at your arm though, but you moved…"
"That just makes it worse!"
"Enough!" It was actually Byakuya the one that commanded such, actually earning the silence and attention of the class, who moved their glares from one blonde to the other. "Get to the point, Enoshima."
"Fine fine." The model just waved her hand in front of her face. "I actually want to win this thing now, that's all." A coy smile appeared on her lips after that. "We all know what the prize is, after all…"
That' was true, Kyoko thought, for if it wasn't because of what was at stake, she was sure her class wouldn't care that much about an event like the Sorts Festival, with a few exceptions of course.
Junko's words though, once more left her with more than a few doubts.
"Why?" The Detective questioned with a tone that left no room for anything else, one that had the Fashionista matching her purple eyes with her own blue ones. "Last year you didn't care at all, so why now?"
And in response, Enoshima Junko simply stared at Kyoko for what felt like an eternity to the class.
And while Kyoko might have expected plenty of things from someone like the Ultimate Fashionista, the look of unfiltered rage that actually crossed her face had not been one of them.
Said expression only lasted less than a second though, for after that she was back with making her eyes far larger and somehow sparkly than what they really were.
"I just want to get Makoto-kun's praise!" She even trembled in apparent excitement at such an idea. "Maybe I can even get him to do this and that with me as a reward!"
And after that, they were back at square one with how much noise most of the class was making.
In response, Kyoko could only sigh tiredly.
This was going to be a long day for her, wasn't it?
"Everyone…" Her pale pink eyes moved throughout the classroom, meeting each one of her classmates, who all had their attention focused solely on her.
She was met with an array of different smiles, from small, shy and gentle ones to big, excited grins and confident smirks. She herself was smiling back in return to all of them, more than happy and proud for what they had accomplished so far from their first day as Hope's Peak students.
But she also knew that there was at least one more battle to have soon enough.
"Let's do our best…" She declared with a definitive nod and a smile, while one of her hands rested on her chest. "Together."
Her words might have been short, but they were from her heart.
The reaction she received told her that her feelings had not been missed by her classmates.
"That's right!" Nekomaru's powerful voice resounded through the classroom. "I won't let my team face defeat! This time, we're going for the second win in a row!"
"You said it, coach!" And almost as if her classmate's words had infected her, Akane showed nothing but a ferocious grin on her lips. "I can't wait for our match already…!"
"Hmm, while I had vowed to not use such power on mere mortals…" Gundham spoke in an eerie tone that seemed to call his hamsters into action based on how they each took position around him. "If it has come to this then, I will have no reservations on releasing my Four Devas of Destruction on the day of our fateful clash!"
"We cannot underestimate our opponents though." It was Sonia the one that acted as the voice of reason, but the challenging smile on her lips told the world she was no less fired up. "That's why I'm expecting no less but the best from everyone!"
"Even Sonia-san is fired up about this…!" Kazuichi spoke with an excited grin, his fist meeting his palm not even a second later. "And so am I, so I'll win this thing by myself if I have to!"
"Oh oh!" While for her part, Ibuki went as far as to raise her hand high into the air, almost as if asking for permission to share her opinion. "That means Ibuki-chan can go all out then!"
"All out? I like the sound of that." Fuyuhiko's chuckle was followed by a smirk of superiority appearing on his face. "You heard them, Peko, we show everyone that gets in our way their place."
"I understand, Young Master." Even Peko's fingers were twitching, almost as if she was barely able to contain herself at the moment. "It would be disrespectful to not do my best with such conditions."
"The duty of those above is to guide the rest." Why he was suddenly dressed as Togami Byakuya was anyone's guess, but Chiaki could only assume that old habits die hard. "That's why, if you follow me, I guarantee you that nothing but victory awaits!"
"Everyone is so enthusiastic…" Ryota whispered as he watched his class, easily understanding their reaction considering the prize. "E-even if I can't do much…I'll still do my best."
"I-I can treat everyone if they get h-hurt…" Even Mikan's murmur had gained a bit of steel behind it apparently. "S-so please, do your b-best, everyone…!"
"There is more than one way of winning this." Teruteru grinned darkly just as he adjusted the scarf secured tightly around his neck. "There is no way we can lose, not with such a prize on the line…!"
"Hmph, you all look like kids acting like that." Hiyoko's voice didn't have the same bite as it usually did, and her eyes showed nothing but fire. "But I won't allow for anyone to mess this up, so be glad you all have my help!"
"This is our last year here," Mahiru whispered with a smile filled with emotion on her lips. "Surely there's no problem with being a bit selfish and taking a second win, right?"
And ever so slowly, the students of class 77-B moved to surround their Class Representative, who received them with a smile of her own, after all by now they weren't just her classmates.
No, they were so much more for her than just that…
But there were still two members missing, even if one of them was an honorary one
And as for the other one, he was seemingly content with just smiling at the sight while sitting on the corner of the room.
Not that she would allow such a thing though.
"Komaeda-kun." The Ultimate Gamer called out to the lonely teen, who could only look at her in surprise at her sudden extended hand. "I don't think we can do this without you."
The Ultimate Lucky Student could do nothing but blink confusedly for what felt like an eternity, right before an honest smile made itself presence on his face. Ever so slowly he moved towards the group, and while the array of gazes he received weren't the warmest ones out there, just the fact that none of them rejected him was enough to actually make him feel giddy.
"I…" He started with doubt just before a glimpse of shame showed in his gaze. "I'll try to make sure my luck doesn't ruin our chances."
For it might have been a selfish desire, but was it bad that he wanted nothing but to win too?
But in response, Chiaki could only shake her head.
"Komaeda-kun's luck will be our secret weapon." And with the way she said it, the white-haired Ultimate actually found himself convinced by such words.
If he could help them in any way then, he certainly wasn't going to miss it.
For winning mean they could have him all for themselves.
"I'm... lost." It was Kiibo the one that voiced out his class' concern as they looked at the spectacle from the window of the classroom. "Why are they so…?"
"…Fired up?" While for his part, Shuichi tried to find the best words to describe what they were seeing. "I'm as lost as you are, Kiibo-kun…" He had to admit that he was curious about it though, for even though their senpais could be peculiar, wasn't this still a bit too much?
They looked like they were about to destroy the field…
"Who cares?" Kaito just shrugged it off with a smirk though, with his fist meeting his palm and a grin on his face. "As if someone needed a reason to train! As long as you're feeling like it, isn't that enough!"
"That's an idiot's mentality." Maki's sharp tongue didn't miss a chance. "Something is obviously off here…"
"And we have never seen them all acting like this before…" Tsumugi pointed out her thoughts with a finger resting on her chin. "So there has to be a reason behind it."
"It most surely has to do with the upcoming Sports Festival," Korekiyo explained easily while also looking on with interest at the group of hardworking older students. "For such tradition to bring the most competitive aspect of them would be most natural."
"But to all of them?" Ryoma scoffed lightly with nothing but doubt showing on his gaze. "Some of them look like they hadn't exercised once in their life."
"Maybe there's something more…" Angie wondered with one of her fingers touching her lip. She would have cared more but seeing as a certain Luckster was missing from the crowd she ended up just waving her hand in front of her.
"…Like a prize?" Himiko spoke the first thing that came to her mind with a drawl, while also wondering what kind of thing was so important that they were all pushing themselves so hard.
"Heh?! But no one told us about a prize if we won that thing!" Kokichi complained loudly just as he started to nibble at the piece of metal attached to his wrist. "This is cheating, Kirumi-chan!"
"Kizakura-sensei never told us about something like that when he mentioned the Festival," Kirumi muttered mostly to herself right before giving the Ultimate Supreme Leader a focused look. "And Naegi-senpai asked me to make sure you didn't try anything weird today while he's absent."
"…so, he thinks of me even when I'm not there, hehe…" For some reason, it seemed that the Maid's words were enough to stop the Supreme Leader from biting at the handcuff that connected the two.
"Was there something like that, Akamatsu-san?" It was Tenko the one that asked the blonde Class Representative, although for the Ultimate Aikido Master just the opportunity to face her idol was more than enough of a reward!
But as for the Ultimate Pianist, the girl could only keep silent while being deep in thought. She certainly didn't remember anyone telling her about any special prize for the winner of the Sports Festival. Neither Kizakura-sensei nor her senpais had told her anything about it, so maybe it was something else?
Her whole class had turned from the window to look at her expectantly though, putting her in a bit of a spotlight. The last thing she wanted was to say that she had no idea about it, but right now her mind was drawing blanks at the expectant looks she was receiving.
"You guys sure are rowdy in the morning."
She was saved by a rather lax voice from behind, and while she could already guess as to whom the owner of that voice was, she still confirmed it by quickly turning around.
"Kizakura-sensei!" And in response, the hat-wearing teacher simply gave the group a small nod, with said group finally moving away from the windows that gave a perfect look at one of the empty fields Hope's Peak used whenever they needed such an open area.
"Can't blame you for getting excited, I suppose." The older man said calmly just as he gave a smile to his current batch of students. "It is that time of the year, after all, so no wonder everyone else is so active."
"You know why they're like that then, Kizakura-sensei?" It was Rantaro the one that questioned the teacher first with a small tilt of his head, earning a couple of nods in response.
"It has to do with what the winner class of the Sports Festival gets as a reward." He spoke, with the smile on his face growing a bit with each word. "Not that I can blame them since I know a couple of faculty members that would gladly participate for that prize."
"So there is one!" Miu yelled accusingly at the blonde man while pointing at him with her finger. "And why didn't you tell us before?! Too drunk to even remember it or something?!"
The chuckle that escaped Hope's Peak recruiter told the class that he was not the least offended by the Inventor's hard words.
"I just thought you guys weren't ready to hear it just yet." He answered just as he took his hat off before putting it on his own desk.
"Is it dangerous?" Gonta asked out loud with a frown with clear concern in his voice, truly lost as to what the teacher meant. "Gonta can protect everyone then, but…"
"No no, nothing like that." Koichi waved his hand in front of him as if trying to get rid of such a notion. "It's just, how do I put this…" He then followed with scratching his chin slowly, right before giving a look filled with mirth to the Ultimate Pianist standing at the front of the group. "Do you really want to know? There's no coming back if I tell you."
For some reason, the teacher's tone made Kaede gulp in a sudden fit of nervousness, but even so, she still nodded resolutely, knowing that her class wouldn't accept just now knowing by now.
"Ho…" And she could have sworn the man's smile widened just a bit after that. "If you insist then, the prize for the class that wins the Sports Festival, one that has every class doing their best to achieve the first spot…" He then proceeded to bent forward, almost as if what was about to escape his lips was the greatest secret the school had to offer. "It can only be one thing…"
One minute later, a satisfied-looking Kizakura Koichi closed the door of class 79's classroom, not wanting to be inside when they finally reacted to his words.
And another minute later, the yell of utter shock that escaped said classroom was heard all the way to where the older classes had been training for the upcoming battle.
And now, they knew that the competition had just become even harder.
Matsuda Yasuke was, in his own honest opinion and contrary to popular belief, not a social recluse.
He just valued his own alone, free, quiet time a lot more than the rest. Surely, there was nothing wrong with such a thing, right?
In his mind, there wasn't, which was why he loved days like this so much.
After all, being Saturday meant that today he didn't have to bother with classes, which also meant that he wouldn't have to deal with his annoying classmates and their insistence on trying to convince him to join the stupid Student Council.
Just his luck that most of his classmates were members of that thing, and the one that wasn't was somehow even more annoying with her insistence of him coming to work at the damn Togami Empire after they graduated.
As if he would ever accept such a thing. Didn't they know that to work was to lose?
But even that paled in comparison to the wonderful news that he had received yesterday in fact, and it was honestly the first time he had actually been glad to read Naegi Makoto's name on his phone.
The damn Luckster wasn't coming to school today!
All in all, Saturday had looked like it would be the perfect day for relaxation, and with the other classes going insane over the Sports Festival he knew that he could hide on the library or even his own Research Lab without anyone coming to bother him.
It had sounded too good to be true.
But of course, then he had to receive a message from her.
Now, while Enoshima Junko was the only individual he would truly call a close friend, he still had to accept the fact that he was a …acquaintance with the twin of the Fashionista.
They weren't particularly close, and their relationship had only been born out of their mutual feelings towards Junko herself, but even so, Mukuro was not one he would dare call a stranger by now.
And it had been only those facts that got him, against even his own common sense, to agree with Mukuro's request of helping her with something on a park not that far from Hope's Peak itself.
In retrospect, that had been his first mistake.
But with how extremely rare it was for Mukuro to request anything from him, he had just believed that it had to be something serious.
And, to his credit, he had expected many things before arriving at where she had requested his presence.
A pile of Yakuza-looking men, all seemingly having been beaten into a bloody pulp, lying unconsciously at the middle of the park and right beside the Ultimate Soldier in question had not been one of those.
The fact that he had arrived just as she had lifted another guy by the neck before throwing him at the top of the pile with the greatest of ease left little to doubt as to who was responsible for such a deed.
His reaction had been almost instantaneous, and in his head, it had also been the only one any sane person should take in such a situation.
Namely, to turn-around, run as fast as he could, never look back and claim early insanity born out of stress if anyone asked him.
His perfect plan had met a sudden end right through half of his first step.
Or to be more specific, right when Mukuro had grabbed his shoulder in a firm grip, killing any hopes of bolting out of the place as soon as possible.
Not reacting faster had been mistake number two
"Glad you're here." He still tried to not face the Soldier, but a movement from the black-haired girl ended up forcing him to turn around to face her.
And the pile of broken men behind her.
A deep sigh left his mouth, one that seemed to be fueled by nothing but tiredness. His narrowed gaze moved from the unconscious men and then back to Mukuro for almost a solid minute before he settled with giving the younger girl a frown.
"I would ask what the hell happened here…" He drawled out while controlling the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. "But I think the less I know the better, just for when the cops come around."
"That's fine." Mukuro seemed to accept his reluctance to know the details with a nod, right before the signaled to her side with her free hand. "I just need you to watch over them while I'm gone."
Ah, he had been so focused on the Soldier's victim that he had ignored the two girls that were on Mukuro's side.
Quite the feat considering that one had quite the green hair, was bound to a wheelchair and was muttering stuff that was almost enough to make him want to step back a bit.
Now that was one sick puppy.
He didn't know if that was better than the other, albeit older girl, who looked like she was having quite the nervous breakdown.
He had to admit that the two looked awfully familiar for some reason…
His response came not even a second later after looking at the obviously not sane pair.
"You cannot leave me with those two just like this, Mukuro." He growled out, almost as if he was talking to a baby. "I won't even ask from where you got them because, once more, I don't want to get caught with…whatever this is."
The way in which the Soldier blinked owlishly at him before nodding almost made him believe she had understood his…reluctance.
Keyword being almost.
"Here, buy them some ice-cream." The money that she quite literally forced into his hand only worked to destroy whatever hope he had of her understanding the situation.
"Is this a joke? But if it is, it's not fu-and she's gone…"
In less than a second, he was left by himself, with the only proof that Ikusaba Mukuro had been there in the first place being the form of the running girl that kept getting smaller by each second that passed.
It was only a small groan that came from the pile of beaten men that finally got him out of his stupor, and the only reason he wasn't escaping this hell right about now was the honest fear of Mukuro beating the shit out of him if he just left.
It would be the first time, yes, but this was also the first time he saw like fifty guys all piled up like that.
He gave the money on his hand a look, wondering if a lawyer could use the fact that he had accepted it as a way to label him as an accomplice.
But hey, when life gives you lemons…
"Hey, you." First things first though. "The girl with the ahoge…yes you, what's your name?"
He would have asked the one in the wheelchair, but he wasn't getting close to that bundle of joy unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Eh…?" At least the ahoge one had finally stopped her panic attack, at least long enough to give him a confused look. "Komaru…Naegi Komaru…"
And just with that, he suddenly felt like screaming.
Of fucking course that was her name.
It took another whole minute before his body finally reacted, and when it did it was only to release a defeated breath.
He was never going to be free, was he?
…
Where the hell was the ice-cream guy anyway?
In retrospect, maybe deciding to go for a walk had not been the best of ideas.
It had sounded good at the time, with him wanting to show Monaca around and with the sudden visit of the Ultimate Soldier.
In his defense, he certainly could not have predicted for something like this to happen.
There had been a reason he had messaged his friends from Hope's Peak to make sure they knew he would be busy today.
But he had seemingly missed one…
Or maybe this person had taken the request as an invitation.
Both were equally likely.
Then again, maybe this was karma considering how he had been doing his best to ignore his little…situation when it came to this person in particular.
Not that he would be able to continue to do so considering how he was sitting on said person's limousine, with the owner in question sitting on the opposite side.
He didn't dare to raise his head though, honestly fearing a bit what she would do if he did.
"So…" The girl started, making him tense, something that he was sure she noticed. "How long are you going to play it cool, dear."
And the way in which she ended her sentence only brought a shiver down his spine.
He should have known she would appear sooner or later though. In fact, it was honestly a shock that she hadn't tried anything sooner.
His meeting with her brother should have warned him of something.
"Kuzur-"
"Natsumi."
"…Natsumi-sa-"
"Chan."
"…Natsumi-chan…"
With each word he slowly moved his gaze up until he was face to face with the blonde that had pretty much kidnapped him.
Kuzuryu Natsumi sat proudly and comfortably on the opposite side of him, taking advantage of the limousine rather spacious interior to match her smug visage with his own nervous ones.
"Now…" Natsumi's voice made it quite obvious that she knew who had the advantage here, although the smirk on her lips was an obvious indication of that too.
"Why don't we talk about business?"
A more laidback chapter to balance out the drama fest that was the previous one. I said 'sisterly invasion' on the previous chapter for a reason, and here you have it.
For those that have been waiting for Natsumi, rejoice. Yasuke as always is fun to write too and took the chance to throw him into a class, and I think Junko appearing again was long overdue.
Also, kudos if you catch the two references to two LN/manga/anime here. Once a sports one (and one of the first ones I ever watched) and the other one is a personal favorite of mine when it comes to slice of life, even thinking of writing something for it in the future.
I'm glad the Toko chapter was well received, and as some might have guessed the next flashback chapter will be about a V3 one, which I have already decided as to who character to use. He's a guy by the way, just as a heads up, but after that I will let you all vote to decide who gets the next flashback chapter, so don't worry. I'll also try to not take so long between them.
Next chapter I doubt it will come as quickly as this one, with college and my lack of a stable internet connection (and I might have started playing Magic Arena since I love card games…sorry) but at worst I will put a special chapter on November 7th, as a sort of anniversary chapter (damn it has been almost a year already.)
Thank you all for the continuous support through the past year (whether it is in views, favs, follows, reviews or PMs) and do know that I appreciate it a lot.
Next Chapter: Preparations of the Forceful Kind