Author's Note: Hey everyone, Fire Slash here and welcome to the next chapter of 'Soldier of Hope'. If you're reading this near the date this chapter is posted, you'll notice that I managed to actually meet my deadline (a chapter every one to two months), which is kinda a big deal for me. I hope to continue to do so :-). If anything, the next chapter should come out sooner since the only reason I took this long to update is because I decided to update my other fic 'Doki Doki Hope-seekers Club' first (that fic gets updated every 3-4 months compared to this fic's 1-2 month updates)

Now, I don't really have much else to say outside of the typical plugging of my IG over fire_slash_fanfiction. Follow if you want updates regarding my Fanfiction or just to shoot me a DM.

Anyways, now that I'm done shilling myself, let's get right to the story. Review and enjoy :-)

0000

Makoto Naegi: Age 5

Fight, flight, and freeze.

The three most basic categories someone can fall under regarding their responses to danger.

Makoto Naegi was a fighter, but it wasn't always this way with him.

Initially, he was a freezer, remaining still and unresponsive in the face of a threat.

"If you try to fight or run, you'll at least have a chance at living another day," he'd be told countless times in the future. "Right now, you're only good for a meat shield."

In due time, Naegi would become the fighter he was today, but right now, he was not the Ultimate Soldier. He was only a scared, helpless child.

One moment he was with his family, enjoying the sights of Britain. The next moment, he had awoken inside a small room with no sight of them anywhere.

For three days, he had been stuck in this filthy, disgusting place. Weird brown and dark red stains littered the walls while roaches and rats would scurry across the floors. The air was absolutely putrid due to the lack of windows and the large pile of feces mixed with urine that accumulated in the back of the room.

With no toilet around, his roommates and him came to a silent agreement that the top left corner was the designated bathroom.

Thirty other people occupied the room alongside him. Compared to himself, most of his roommates were older by roughly two to three years. Just like him, all of them were Japanese. He had originally been placed in another, equally disgusting place with children from England, but he was moved once they heard him speak his native language.

Not unlike himself, his fellow kidnapping victims were beyond terrified. Some constantly banged on the door for hours at a time, begging to be released. Others cowered behind, flinching at even the slightest of noises.

As for him, he sat in the left corner closest to the door, body ridged and eyes empty.

For the first day, Naegi could only silently sob, his body unable to produce any noises other than the occasional sniffles. He lost the ability to produce tears by the second day, so using the very little energy he had left, he tried asking the other kids about everything that was happening. None of them had any answers, so he spent the rest of the day sitting in his corner once more, staring at the wall, lost in thought.

'Where am I?'

'What's going on?'

'Where's mommy, daddy, and Komaru?'

'When can I leave?'

'How long until I get to go home?'

'I don't want to be here…'

As desperate as Naegi was in wanting to run away, his body refused to move. The feeling only grew stronger when one of his roommates tried fleeing once their captors opened the door to feed them. It took no effort for one of them to catch the hopeful escapee, and with a swift kick to the gut, the man tossed the child back into the room. The boy had to turn around once the kid started vomiting blood.

At this point, Naegi thought that this was the worst things were going to get for him.

What naive thinking…

It only took one day to prove him wrong. On day three of his imprisonment, two Japanese men came into the room and took two of his fellow prisoners away. They would bring them back soon later, only to take two others in their place. This cycle continued for hours.

Whatever happened during the time the kids were gone, it traumatized them even further.

The fighters no longer fought, instead choosing to sit around silently like him, eyes wide as if they'd discovered some sort of terrible truth. Those who cowered only had their instincts sharpened, refusing to get anywhere near the others and staying far away from the door, even if it meant having to sit next to the pile of human waste.

Naegi watched as each and every one of them would be taken and returned worse for wear. Most of them came back clutching their chests in pain. Some of them however clearly had gotten into some sort of squabble while gone. At least, he assumed as much judging by the black eyes, broken noses, and numerous bruises littered across their bodies.

Eventually, it was his turn to be whisked into the unknown.

"C'mon kid."

Grabbing his arm, one of the men dragged Naegi away from the room. Despite his body begging him to do something, anything, to try and escape, his mind had completely shut down. All he could do was let the man pull him, unable to resist.

After walking down some dark and damp corridors, the man brought him into a room. In it was a singular metal chair reminiscent of an electrical chair used in executions. Clamps could be found on the armrests, legs, and headrest. More ominously was the fact that the chair had several bloodstains on and around it.

He wouldn't have the chance to look around any further as the man suddenly took off the boy's shirt and had him sit down, tightening the clamps so that Naegi couldn't move even if he wanted to.

To the left, he could hear the man that escorted him talking to another man in a language he couldn't understand. The conversation was brief though, as not long after, the mystery man came into view.

Unlike the men who fed him and the ones that moved the children between rooms, this one had tan skin and was significantly older in age.

Naegi didn't pay much attention to that though, for he was far more worried about what the man was holding. In his left hand was a surgical knife. In his right one, a large pen-like machine with a large needle.

Placing the needle down, the older man took out an alcohol knife and began rubbing it on the left side of the boy's chest.

His body now shaking, Naegi's eyes followed the man's movements as he wiped, not knowing what was going to happen.

Eventually, the man finished, tossing the wipe to the side before once more picking up the needle.

"It'll all be over soon."

What he said, Naegi did not know as it wasn't said in Japanese.

Without warning, the man pressed the surgical knife against the boy's skin, puncturing it and drawing blood.

Naegi winced in pain.

The man then moved the knife across his body, cutting flesh.

The boy screamed in absolute agony throughout the procedure, his wails worsening once the man started using the needle. The searing, unbearable pain and the bloodcurdling screams would continue uninterrupted for five whole minutes…

0000

Naegi's path to consciousness started with the slight twitching of his hands. Though barely noticeable, the sensation was all that was needed to wake him up.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of his sleeves cushioning his head from the hard surface of a desk.

'Huh?'

Sitting upwards, he groggily began to check his surroundings. It didn't take him long to realize that he was in a classroom of some kind. How he got here, he did not know.

' What the hell is going on? '

Naegi rubbed his eyes. Confused, he decided to retrace his steps.

'…I woke up, exercised, ate breakfast, went to Hope's Peak, and when I stepped in, I… '

A spark of adrenaline shot through his body, which in turn caused him to nearly leap out of his seat.

'Why did I pass out? '

His eyes furrowed in frustration as he tried thinking of an answer.

'Was I hit? '

Such didn't seem likely. From what he remembered, the pain he experienced felt more as if he was suffering a massive migraine rather than having been struck by an object.

Still, he wasn't going to write off the possible explanation just yet.

Removing his gloves, he gently prodded his head, searching for any potential injuries.

'No bruises, no stitches, nothing… but… '

Naegi looked at his hands.

'I should make sure that nothing was done to me…'

Call it paranoia on his end, but the boy knew that one was most vulnerable while they were unconscious. Trapped in an unknown place after having been knocked out…his body could've been altered or injured in some way without him knowing.

Preparing to strip away his clothes, the sight of a camera from the corner of his eye stopped him in his tracks.

'…I'll do a more in-depth check later. I don't wanna risk that thing being on. '

Instead, he began running his hands over his body, thoroughly making sure that everything about it was exactly as he remembered.

'…Nothing out of the ordinary… '

With that confirmed, he slipped on his gloves and allowed his mind to wander back to the topic of his unconsciousness.

'Maybe some sort of chemical's to blame.'

Once more retracing his steps, Naegi tried to recall if he remembered smelling anything suspicious before he passed out, only for his mind to draw a blank.

'I don't remember smelling anything weird, but that doesn't mean nothing was in the air. '

While he was given the title of 'Ultimate Soldier,' he had little experience with chemical warfare. What he did know was that not every chemical could be detected via smell.

'So a possible method's been found. Now what? '

Contemplating on his next move, the boy put his hands into his pockets for comfort. However, this had the opposite effect as his eyes shot open with panic.

'My phone… my weapons?! Where are they?!'

The weapons in question were a small handgun and a switchblade. Though both were extremely old, they were the first weapons he had ever wielded. They had been there whenever he needed to defend himself, and as such, took on a role similar to that a baby blanket does for a child. Light and compact to the point he could hide them in his hoodie, he carried them everywhere. For them not to be on him… it only added to his feelings of paranoia.

Shaking his head, Naegi stared at the room once more and began to mentally go over his discoveries.

'Alright, I've been knocked out, most likely from some sort of odorless sleeping gas, moved to wherever this is, and robbed. '

His head turned to the camera in the room.

'Is whoever's responsible for this watching me? '

He wouldn't be surprised if there was someone, or some people, on the other side of the camera, observing him as he struggled to piece together the answers to this weird dilemma he was in.

'But who would do this? '

As the 'Ultimate Soldier,' Naegi had made many enemies throughout his life. However, he was confident that none of them would have been able to sneak into Hope's Peak, much less Japan itself, to set an ambush like this. Even if they could, he knew that if they were responsible for his current predicament, he wouldn't be alive.

'Whoever's behind that camera is someone I don't know. But what do they want with me? '

Have they somehow managed to find Naegi's identity? Or was this kidnapping unrelated to his past actions and he was just a random victim? How did his kidnappers manage to enter Hope's Peak despite the school's tight security? And if he was still at the school, how did they take over the place?

Right now, he had no answers for any of the questions stirring inside his head.

Taking another good look at his surroundings, Naegi aimed for finding anything that could provide him with some answers. Doing so, he noted three things of interest.

First off, the lights in the room were dim. A bland dark yellow color illuminated the entire classroom. It added an ambiance that Naegi could only describe as being ominous.

Secondly, there was a giant metal plate screwed on the wall.

'If I had to guess, it's covering a window .'

Walking towards it, the boy began to further analyze the mysterious object.

'But why would a window need to be covered like this? '

Noticing the comically enormous screws keeping the plate on the wall, he frowned.

'I can see the screw heads, so is this here to keep me in? If it's really covering up a window, does that mean that there's another one on the other side? '

He then pressed an ear against the metal before using a hand to knock on it with a solid amount of force.

'It's very thick. Reminds me of the metal used in the bunkers I've been to.'

He had a feeling that this plate was bulletproof, but without any guns, he couldn't test his hypothesis.

Instead of dwelling on it, he decided to use a finger to swab the edge of the plate for any dust. Much to his surprise, his finger got covered with quite a bit.

'How long have I been here? '

Naegi was someone who's well experienced with raiding places. As a result, he knew that large accumulations of undisturbed dust were potential signs of a place having little to no activity.

Deciding that further research needed to happen, the boy searched every chair and desk he could for more dust, paying close attention to the amount that he could find.

'It seems like besides the windows, all the dust just started to gather. I can't tell how long I've been in here for, but I can guess that the plate was installed before I was moved to this room.'

Once finished, Naegi continued his investigation. With nothing left to do regarding the mysterious metal plate, the boy began examining the final object of interest he located; a sheet of paper that had been resting on his desk.

Picking it up, the first thing he noticed was that there was a crude drawing of Hope's Peak on the top right corner, one that looked as if a child was the artist. He didn't pay it much attention though, instead deciding to read the message that was on the paper.

"Please gather at the Main Entrance by 8 o'clock. The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world. "

"What?"

The letter left him with more questions than answers. However, there was one that reigned supreme over the others in terms of his priorities.

'Entire world?'

Something about the way the school was described gave him a bad feeling, as if it was foreshadowing some kind of bad event that was about to occur. Had someone like the headmaster of Hope's Peak said this during some sort of opening statement, he'd ignore the strange wording. In a situation where he was knocked unconscious and stripped of his personal belongings? These words further put him on edge.

'What does that mean? '

A nagging feeling in his head caused the boy to do one final survey of the area to see if he missed anything. Such made him aware of the clock in the room.

'It's 7:50. The letter said to go to the front entrance, but do I want to do that? '

The letter could very well be luring him into some sort of trap, but following its instructions might provide him with some answers. As a result, he decided to follow the instructions given.

'I guess I'll go. But first I need something to defend myself with .'

Part of being the 'Ultimate Soldier' meant Naegi was a master of hand to hand combat. It also meant that knew keeping a weapon around could easily turn the tides in a fight, especially in the case of an ambush. Better to be safe than sorry.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the room he could use… that is, except for the chairs and desks.

Picking up a chair, the boy moved it around, testing its properties.

'Light enough that I can swing it and light enough that I can throw it if need be. '

A chair was far from the ideal weapon, but it still had its uses. Anyone hit by it would surely go down, he could use it to diffuse traps from a distance, and he could toss it as a decoy so he could get into a more favorable position in case a fight broke out. With his inhuman strength, he didn't have to worry about its weight being an issue. He's lugged around heavier improvised weapons before.

With the chair in hand, the boy turned the knob on the classroom's door.

Gently, he opened it, and stuck out his chair. If an ambush was waiting for him, he expected that the moment the door opened, people would begin firing.

'Nothing .'

With his decoy not taking any damage, he poked his head out. Doing so, he was greeted by the sight of a large empty hallway, one lit by a crude mixture of green, red, and purple lights.

'Coast is clear. Guess I can start moving now. '

With a sigh, the boy closed the door to the classroom and began walking towards his destination.

0000

Playing things extremely cautious, the boy slowly crept down the hallway, chair in hand.

As he progressed, he couldn't help but notice that there were several more metal plates attached to the walls of the school.

'Weird…'

He would've taken a closer look at them, but reaching the front entrance was a bigger priority to him at the moment.

Continuing his walk, he soon approached a door, one which looked to be for another classroom. He attempted to stealthily open it, curious to see if he could find something of note inside the room, but found that the door wouldn't budge.

'Locked. '

Several more doors were within his line of sight, and he tried opening each of them as he marched forward. Unfortunately, just like the first one, the other doors refused to move.

Eventually, he made his way to the end of the hall, where a set of double doors awaited him. Unlike the other doors, the set was already cracked open. If he had to guess, this was most likely the front entrance.

'Alright, I've made it .'

Naegi stared at the door, debating his next move. Does he poke the chair inside and see if someone tries attacking it? Or does he toss it in and hope the sight of a flying chair is enough to disorient his potential opponents long enough for him to close the distance?

He decided on the former as it was the safer option. However, before putting his plan into action, the Ultimate Soldier decided to do a little scouting first. Placing his head near the door, he started listening to see if he could hear anything. Much to his surprise, he was able to detect some activity inside.

'There's people on the other side. '

Listening further, his mind continued to analyze the situation at hand.

'A pretty big group too… '

While he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, he was able to hear their tones. For the most part, it was a wave of worry with some anger thrown into the mix.

'…I think they might be other hostages. '

Had they been people out to kill him, they would've made sure to remain silent until he opened the door. In addition, it made far more sense if the commotion he was hearing came from hostages/fellow kidnapping victims rather than people who were awaiting to perform an ambush.

'Maybe they know what's going on… '

The chances of that were low, but he still wished to speak to them. Even if they had no answers, maybe they saw or discovered something he missed.

'Here goes nothing… '

He began pulling the doorknob, treating it as if it were made of glass. Making sure not to make a single sound, he gently opened the door enough to the point where he could shove his chair through, planning on doing so just to be on the safe side.

Before he could, someone called out from within.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Naegi's eyes widened.

'Wait! I know that voice! '

It was one he's heard plenty of times once he came back to Japan. One that he'd listen to on the radio whenever one of her songs played and one he'd constantly listen to in his own time.

It belonged to one Sayaka Maizono, Japan's biggest idol. She was to be one of his classmates at Hope's Peak, so if she was here…

' Then is everyone else inside an Ultimate?'

Still cautious, he decided to swiftly peek inside the room, done with speeds so quick that a normal person wouldn't be able to react in time if they tried shooting at him. Doing so, he was able to confirm that the voice did come from Maizono and not an imposter. In addition, he was able to make out thirteen other figures of people his age, most of whom he recognized due to his research regarding his fellow Ultimates.

'These are my classmates…'

Some of the tension he felt within his body began to dissipate once he realized that the room wasn't a trap. Picking up his chair, he decided that he wanted to talk to his classmates and touch base with them to see if they've experienced anything similar to what he has.

Opening the door, he walked inside, which caused everyone's attention to land on him, something that made him feel self conscious. He was not one to take the spotlight to begin with, and having a group of Ultimates focusing on him made him feel so…small.

The people standing in front of him were extraordinarily gifted to the point Hope's Peak believed them to be the pioneers of a better future. They were beacons of hope whose light would shine through despair's darkness.

'I don't belong with them .'

He was someone who had robbed people of their futures, someone who's taken more lives than any other soldier to have ever existed. He was the closest thing to a real life boogeyman and his existence would go on to terrorize countries even long after he was dead. To stand here with these Ultimates, people so full of promise and life… it felt undeniably wrong to him.

"Whoa, hey! Another new kid?"

A voice brought Naegi back to reality. Who spoke, Naegi didn't know. Before he could even see whom the voice belonged to, something of far greater importance immediately caught his eye.

'Is that a vault door? And machine guns? '

Covering the exit was indeed a vault door with two machine guns pointed at it. More peculiar was the fact that he couldn't tell what types of machine guns they were despite his expertise with firearms. The two mounted on the wall appeared to be custom designed.

'This wasn't here before… '

Although he didn't get a good look at the front entrance before he passed out, he was confident that the door and guns were new additions.

'If they were installed while I was asleep, and if this is still Hope's Peak, how long did it take for them to install this? How long was I really out for?'

Before he could give his questions any more thought, a booming voice snagged his attention.

"Classmate! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware the meeting was to start at 8 a.m. sharp! To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!"

"Huh?"

Glancing at the clock inside the room, the boy saw that it was 8:10, meaning he took twenty whole minutes to traverse the hall.

'Did I really take that long? '

Slightly embarrassed, he decided to address the person who spoke to him, a tall male who was wearing a white uniform.

"Ah, sorry. I, uh, was unconscious…"

"Whoa, you too?" Another boy asked. Unlike the boy who scolded him, everything from his hair to his clothes were unkempt. What was even more noticeable however was that he appeared to be a bit older than the rest of the group.

To the boy's left, a girl in a gothic Lolita dress glanced at Naegi, a quizzical expression on her face. "Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser."

"So strange…" muttered a boy with a rather heavy build. "I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!"

Their reactions served as confirmation to Naegi that his experience wasn't an outlier.

'So they were knocked out as well… '

As Naegi was deep in thought, a girl with peach colored hair shot a glare at the boy in the white uniform.

"What's your problem? It's not like he *wanted* to be late. He didn't have any control over it."

Before said boy could muster a retort, a girl who was exactly Naegi's height intervened.

"Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?"

All she got in return was a flabbergasted look from a tall boy in a leather jacket. "The hell!? Now's no time for friggin' introductions!"

The girl in the Lolita dress stepped forward. "Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the bigger problems here. I mean, how are we even supposed to talk to each other if we do not know each other's names?"

"That's a good point…" A short girl, the shortest person in the room, replied.

Judging by everyone else's mannerisms, Naegi could tell everyone agreed with her.

A blue haired girl, a girl Naegi immediately recognized as Maizono, spoke up. "Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sounds good?"

Everyone began to mumble in agreement before awkwardly gathering together to exchange names.

Personally, while Naegi wanted to take some time to further think about the situation at hand, he knew that introducing himself to his classmates would make it far easier for him to communicate with them. As of right now, they were the closest things he had to having allies, and he preferred to keep it that way.

'So where should I start? '

0000

For reasons unknown even to him, Naegi decided to introduce himself to the boy in the white uniform first.

"Hi, I'm, uh, Makoto Naegi. Nice to meet you."

The former soldier suppressed a wince. Yeah, he always knew his social skills could use a bit of work, but to not be able to get through a simple introduction without stumbling over his words was outright embarrassing.

Thankfully, the boy in the uniform didn't seem to have noticed, giving him a polite bow in response.

"I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru, but you can call me Taka. I believe in bold simplicity! Let's work together on our educational crusade!"

Naegi mentally ran through the information he knew about the other boy. 'Ishimaru…He went to a famous private school and won top honors every year. He's basically a flawless honor student... He's also known for the work he's done with his community's Public Morals Committee and it's said that he respects rules above all else. It's all of these traits and accomplishments that's earned him the title of Ultimate Moral Compass.'

"You said your name was Makoto Naegi, right?" Ishimaru asked him.

Naegi rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, yeah."

"That's a good name, a strong name! You should thank your parents for giving you such an excellent name."

The compliment took the boy off guard. "Oh, thanks."

"Of course!" Suddenly the Ultimate Moral Compass pointed at him. "And to keep that name from losing its value, you must devote yourself every single day!"

'Too late for that… '

With the things he's done, whatever value his name had was long tainted by now. He wasn't about to let Ishimaru know this, so instead he settled for a polite nod, something which pleased the other boy.

"Life is worth putting every ounce of effort into it! Right? Right!"

'He reminds me of a drill sergeant or a general.'

With Ishimaru's rigid posture and his booming voice, Naegi couldn't help but make such a connection. However, much unlike his superiors back when he was a soldier, he could practically feel the aura of passion the Moral Compass was exuding. His sharp red eyes also seemed to be teeming with kindness as well, even if he wasn't the best at expressing himself.

Based on first impressions alone, Naegi had a feeling that Ishimaru was a good person, if not a bit too passionate and stiff for his own good.

Once more, Naegi gave him a nod of agreement. "Right."

0000

Wrapping things up with Ishimaru, the boy moved on to the next person who was closest to his vicinity. Such happened to be a girl with purple hair styled into twin braids. Upon giving her his name, the girl began her own introduction.

"N-not that you'll remember my n-name anyway, but I'm T-Toko... Toko Fukawa."

Even prior to having looked her up, Naegi knew of her name. 'Toko Fukawa…she wrote a novel when she was ten that got everyone talking and launched her literary career. Then two years ago she released 'So Lingers the Ocean,' a love story said to be her masterpiece. The book was such a hit with women that fishermen quickly shot to the top of every 'Hottest Men' poll. Despite her age, she's won countless literary prizes and all her books are instant best-sellers. Which is why she's come to be known as the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. I have to say though, she isn't what I expected… '

Much like him, the girl seemed to do her best to appear smaller, clearly disliking attention. He could sense that she was only doing this whole introduction thing because she felt she needed to rather than because of a desire to meet her classmates.

"It's nice to meet you."

The girl glanced at him in acknowledgement before looking back at the floor.

'Did I see that right? '

Most wouldn't have paid the gesture much thought, but in the brief millisecond that they made eye-contact, Naegi saw something that disturbed him. It was a look that he's seen countless times, one that many of his allies and enemies had. Hungry, sadistic, it was like a wild beast was chained up inside her, eager to be released.

It went as quickly as it came though, her eyes resuming their normal appearance of a bookworm who wanted to be left alone.

'I must be imagining things .'

It made no sense to him as to why a romance novelist would have such a look in her eyes. Maybe his PTSD was just playing tricks on him. He had no idea how long he spent being unconscious, so he could've missed one or several doses of his medication.

'Crap! I don't have my meds either! '

Though it wasn't a perfect cure, his medicine helped him deal with his symptoms. Going too long without them would cause him to crash and for them to return tenfold.

'If that happens… I need to be careful… '

"Wh-What? I-It's not polite to stare, you know…"

Fukawa's voice snapped Naegi away from his thoughts. The girl was visibly upset at him, causing him to become embarrassed once more.

"Sorry. I just remembered something important."

"F-fat chance!" The girl scoffed at him.

'She's such a pessimist… '

Once more, she had showcased how different she was from how one might imagine a romance novelist to act.

Naegi raised his hands, a gesture showcasing that he meant no harm. "It's true. I'm missing some stuff I had on me when I came to Hope's Peak."

The girl grumbled under her breath, reluctantly accepting his explanation. "S-same. Everything of mine were taken except for my-"

Eyes widening, Fukawa stopped speaking, once more trying to avoid his gaze.

Her actions piqued the boy's curiosity. "What were you saying?"

The author glared at him in irritation. "S-shut up! Go away and s-stop being so nosy!"

Her hostility was recognized.

"Sorry. I'll go now…"

Not wanting to anger her more than he already has, the soldier decided it was best to let her be and move on to the next person.

0000

Finding the next person to introduce himself to took him no time to accomplish, solely because she approached him first.

"Hi!"

The person speaking needed no introduction as Naegi already knew who she was. Still, he allowed her to introduce herself anyway.

"I'm Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you!"

As the Ultimate Idol, or Ultimate Pop Sensation as some people took to calling her, Maizono was a world famous superstar. Lead singer of a five girl idol group, she was highly in demand to appear in various forms of media.

Such a superstar also went to middle school with him, but that wasn't very important. It's not like the two ever spoke.

Taking a good look at the girl in front of him, Naegi couldn't help but take note of her appearance. He had no shame in admitting that she was beautiful, her flawless skin and big blue eyes making him feel as if she was a newly polished doll-

"I'm not a doll you know," Maizono informed him in a cheery voice. "I'm alive!"

"Crap! Did I say that out loud?"

How could he make such a stupid mistake? Perhaps he was more disoriented than he thought…

"Nope! I'm psychic!"

Alright, so he wasn't completely crazy. He was only extremely confused.

"…Huh?"

The idol smiled at him. "Just kidding! I just have really good intuition."

'She's a sharp one. Too sharp…'

Unnoticeable to the untrained observer, Naegi immediately steeled himself, removing any traces of his thoughts, intentions, and feelings from his appearance whilst also doubling down on making his presence less visible. For soldiers, this was a necessary skill to develop, and as the 'Ultimate Soldier,' it was one of the many skills that he's mastered.

'I need to be careful around her. '

He did not want anyone finding out about his talent. If that meant that he needed to be on guard 24/7, that was something that he was willing to do.

"Hey, by any chance…"

Suddenly, he found himself being stared down by Maizono. It was as if she was trying to take note of his entire essence.

Whatever she was looking for, she found it, as her eyes widened in surprise.

"…Yeah, it must be. I'm sure of it. Hey Naegi, did-"

Sadly for her, Ishimaru decided to insert himself into their conversation.

"Jeez, you guys! How long do you plan to waste our valuable time with this ridiculous back-and-forth!?"

Naegi tilted his head in confusion. No one seemed to be waiting for them to finish, so he didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

Maizono on the other hand got flustered by the scolding. "S-sorry. Just got carried away I suppose."

Ishimaru continued to lecture them. "Self-introductions are for introducing yourself, not bumbling through a bunch of idle chit-chat!"

The idol sighed in defeat. "Sorry Naegi, we can talk about this later."

Not wanting to be lectured by the Moral Compass once more, the boy nodded at her. "Yeah, no worries."

The two went their separate ways. As Naegi walked, a thought lingered in the back of his mind.

'There's absolutely no way she recognizes me from middle school, right? '

The boy did absolutely nothing to stand out, so he'd be surprised if this was the case.

'I guess I'll find out later. '

0000

"Yo! The name's Leon Kuwata. What's up?"

The next person he went up to was a boy with spiky red hair.

Just like Fukawa, Kuwata was someone he had heard of prior to his research.

'Leon Kuwata, Ultimate Baseball Star. Rumor has it that numerous baseball teams from around the world already have plans on recruiting him once he's of age. I gotta say, he looks a bit different than he does in the pictures I saw. '

"Weird question, but did you grow out your hair?" Naegi asked him.

"Huh?" Confused for a second, the baseball player shot him an embarrassed grin. "Wait, lemme guess, you found *that* picture of me playing baseball? Seriously!? I hate that picture!"

Kuwata groaned in disbelief. "This is not cool. This is SO not cool... Seriously, I'm like, mega embarrassed right now."

"Uh-" Naegi tried to speak up, but the redhead wasn't done ranting.

"I didn't have a choice, okay? Shaving your head like that is part of national championship regulations!"

"I-"

"But now I refuse to cut my hair. And I'm not gonna dye it back to normal either!"

Kuwata sighed before crossing his arms. "Actually, can I be totally honest with you?"

"Su-"

The baseball star didn't bother to wait for an answer as he started speaking once more.

"I don't like baseball. Like, at all. I've never gone to a single practice."

'What? '

The other boy's confession surprised Naegi. 'He's never gone to practice yet still managed to become the Ultimate Baseball Star… he must be one of those once in a lifetime prodigies. '

Kuwata huffed in determination. "And as soon as I got accepted here, I quit baseball for good! I have my own dream for the future!"

'I feel that .' Despite their circumstances being completely different, Naegi felt as if he could relate to the other boy's sentiments. He was also on the path of trying to secure a future that had nothing to do with his talent.

In response, Naegi gave him an encouraging smile. "Sounds tough, but if that's what you want to do, then I wish you the best of luck."

His words brought a grin to Kuwata's face. "Thanks man! I'm gonna be a singer, so all I need is a songwriter and someone on guitar, and we're set! This new version of me that's chasing after my dream is, like...super cool to the max!"

Whether Kuwata would succeed or not, Naegi did not know, but if music's where his passion lied, then the soldier would cheer for him from the sidelines.

0000

"I...am Hifumi Yamada. But if you want to call me by my nickname, 'The Alpha and the Omega!' I don't mind."

'Huh? '

The person closest to Kuwata happened to be the boy with a heavy build, which made him next in line for introductions. Once Naegi finished introducing himself, the other boy hit him with that interesting piece of dialogue.

Naegi had no idea what Yamada was talking about, so he was thankful that the other boy quickly moved on to a different topic.

"By the way, how much do you know about the world of 2-D art?"

The soldier let loose a nervous chuckle. "Truthfully… not that much."

Much to his relief, Yamada didn't seem upset by his answer. "Well, in that world, I am well known and supremely well regarded as the Ultimate Fanfic Creator."

'Ah, Now I remember who he is. '

From his research, he learned that the boy in front of him was both an artistic and literary genius. Unlike Fukawa whose literary talents were centered around novels, Yamada's talents lied in creating Doujinshi.

"I once sold 10,000 copies of one of my fan comics at a school festival," Yamada informed him, continuing his explanation. "The event has passed into legend…"

The fanfic writer crossed his arms, a frown appearing on his face. "Some of them didn't get it, of course, saying I'd 'tainted' the event. How stupid can you be!?"

'Tainted? Even when he sold 10,000 copies of his work and made the event more popular? '

Naegi had almost no knowledge about the culture of fanfic creation outside of the rants his sister would throw his way. As such, he didn't quite understand why someone would feel that Yamada's presence 'tainted' anything.

"The words of such idiots mean nothing to me!" Yamada declared, pride evident in his voice. "I am like Van Gogh-utterly underappreciated in my time. I am a soldier, serving night and day to destroy all mindless preconceptions about fan fiction. I'm sure if you were to observe my work, Mr. Naegi, you would comprehend its greatness immediately."

'I mean, he is the Ultimate Fanfic Writer, so I probably would… '

"For my work is filled with the deepest meaning…"

"Deepest meaning?"

Admittedly, Naegi was quite curious. For Yamada to declare that his works had such an intense meaning behind them, it must mean that whatever was serving as fuel for the boy's creative mind was extremely profound to him.

For some reason, Yamada began huffing in a sultry manner. "It's about embracing our basest urges…"

Naegi immediately felt his interest in the subject disintegrate.

'And that's my cue to move on. '

0000

Removing himself from his conversation with Yamada, Naegi once again presented himself to the closest person he could find. Such happened to be the tall boy with a leather jacket.

"Name's Mondo Owada. Nice to fuckin' meetcha."

'Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang leader. Head of the biker gang The Crazy Diamonds, he's said to have a fiery temper and the strength to fight multiple men at once. His influence is undeniable seeing as he's earned the respect of even the likes of the Yakuza.'

Naegi started to analyze the gang leader. Just like Fukawa, it was clear that he was only introducing himself out of necessity rather than an interest in getting to know his classmates. Though he was standing still, judging by the slight twitching of his muscles, the scowl on his face, and the fact that his eyes would occasionally dart to the vault door, the soldier could tell he was anxious about the bizarre situation surrounding them.

'I don't blame him .'

Respecting Owada's clear desire to get introductions over with, the boy decided to wrap things up.

"Uh, nice to meet you…"

"Hell yeah."

0000

Of all the introductions he's done thus far, this one was the hardest to get through.

Yeah, he had several awkward conversations with some of his classmates and there was that thing with Fukawa's eyes, but the girl in front of him was a whole different story.

Just like Maizono, the peach haired girl was the one to approach him.

"Hiii! I'm Junko Enoshima. Charmed, I'm sure!"

Enoshima was yet another classmate of his that he was vaguely familiar with even prior to doing his research. Her beauty and ability to set trends in the fashion industry earned her the title of Ultimate Fashionista. Her charisma and charm rivaled even the likes of Maizono.

So why was it that her presence triggered all sorts of warning bells in his head?

"Er, nice to meet you Enoshima."

Just like how he had done with Maizono, the soldier removed all traces of his true emotions from his face and posture.

'Something's wrong here… '

He knew that much, but he had no idea what that 'something' was.

He started analyzing her body, looking for any signs of danger.

' …She looks a bit different than I remember… '

It was true that her appearance was a bit different from the pictures he's seen of her, but that wasn't what was bothering him. It was her mannerisms.

' …It's like she's trying way too hard to put up a mask. '

Why she felt the need to put up a facade, he did not know. Was she nervous about their situation?

'No, that's not it. '

If she was nervous, then her facade wouldn't cause him to be on edge.

'Seriously, what about her is bothering me so much?'

"Hey, so like, I know I'm hot and all, but there's no need to stare."

Great, he was so caught up in his thoughts that he once more got caught randomly staring at a girl. It was very possible that this was where his near nonexistent social life ended.

"Ah, sorry." Embarrassed, the boy rubbed the back of his head. "I sorta drifted off. There's a lot on my mind today."

Enoshima gave him a smile. "No worries! I get it. All of this… it's just so weird."

He couldn't help but agree with her there. "Yeah…"

"Hey, after this, if you wanna, like, clear your head or talk or something, I don't mind lending an ear."

Naegi blinked. He wasn't expecting such an offer from someone he just met.

'Man, now I feel bad. '

Here he was, being overly cautious around the girl, and it seemed like she wasn't even a bad person to begin with. If anything, he felt an upbeat aura envelop her whenever she spoke to him.

Naegi knew he wasn't anywhere near being a social butterfly, but he liked to think that his time as a soldier made him good at reading people. Yet, now his eyes were playing tricks on him. First with Fukawa, and now with Enoshima? He had no idea what was going on with him.

'I really must have missed some doses of my meds.'

He'll have to find out later. For now, the introductions took priority.

Speaking of which, focusing his attention back on the model, he gave her a smile.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Hehe, of course!" Once more she grinned at the boy. "If you need anything, just holler!"

Naegi nodded. "I will. Same goes for you."

0000

"...My name is...Kyoko Kirigiri."

The next person he went up to was an interesting case. Unlike everyone else here, he did not recognize the lavender haired girl in front of him. There was no mention of her name or talent on the Hope's Peak Fan Forums.

"Nice to meet you," Naegi replied.

Kirigiri said nothing, instead giving him a simple nod of acknowledgment.

'It's like talking to a brick wall .'

The girl was very difficult to read. At best, he could tell that she was analyzing everything around her. From his appearance, to the machine guns on the walls, to the other students, it seemed like nothing escaped her eyes. However, what was going on inside her head, he did not know.

"Are you the Ultimate Lucky Student?" The boy asked her. He had yet to meet the winner of the raffle and seeing as he knew absolutely nothing about Kirigiri, it was possible that she was this year's Ultimate Lucky Student.

"…No."

Whelp, there went that theory, which meant there was only one possible explanation for the lack of information about her.

"Ah. I guess you're a part of the Anonymous Talent Program too. Don't worry, I won't pry."

For the first time since speaking to her, the girl's face shifted, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Anonymous Talent program?"

Suddenly he felt the girl's attention focus solely on him, her eyes narrowing as she stared him down.

"What do you mean by that?"

'I feel like I'm being interrogated .'

For what reason, he did not know. Still, he decided to answer her question.

"It's the program Hope's Peak has for students who want to keep their talents and identities a secret."

According to the letter he got from Hope's Peak, he wasn't the first person to be put under the program, so he was surprised that the girl in front of him didn't know of its existence.

"I've known about Hope's Peak for a while now," Kirigiri told him. "And I've been following the school extensively."

Her glare grew sharper to the point Naegi wondered if she was trying to dissect him with her mind.

"But I have never heard about an Anonymous Talent Program."

"It's true though," Naegi replied. "Why would I lie about this?"

Though her gaze remained the same, he could tell the girl was mauling over his words. For a second, he saw a small frown of what looked to be anger or disappointment appear on her face, but it vanished instantly.

'What was that about? '

"…You are correct," the girl admitted. "I see no reason as to why you would and your explanation does explain some aspects of the school I've been wondering about."

'Like what? ' Naegi was about to ask her this, only to find himself suffocating in her presence. Somehow Kirigiri found a way to stare him down with even more aggression.

"So with that in mind, why would *you* need to sign up for the program?"

The message Kirigiri was sending him was clear. She did not trust him. At all. He'd even go as far as saying that the girl worked out that he was dangerous.

However, that would be as far as she'd be able to learn about him. Naegi wasn't going to risk his life imploding, not after everything he's been through.

"It's a secret," Naegi told her. "I can't say anything about it. Sorry…"

The girl raised an eyebrow at his words. If she could sense his fighting spirit, she didn't let it show.

"Well then… I believe we're finished here."

'Thank god. '

He really didn't like how it felt to be interrogated.

Deciding that it was best if he moved on to the next person, he gave the girl a polite nod. "It's nice to meet you."

Kirigiri made no motion of acknowledging his words, letting the boy know he was free to go.

Walking away from her, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

'Wait a minute… I never got to learn what her talent was. '

Had she wished to share it, she would've told him. He wasn't about to go around demanding answers from people who didn't want to give them to him. That would just make him a hypocrite. As such, that mystery was going to be remain unanswered unless Kirigiri said otherwise.

0000

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Chihiro Fujisaki," greeted the next girl Naegi introduced himself to. Said girl happened to be the one he noted earlier as being the shortest of the group.

As was tradition at this point, Naegi had his mind pull up the information he had gathered about her.

'Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer, is known for all the cutting-edge programs she's created. With her massive technological skills and her gentle and timid nature, she's gathered quite the fan base. '

Fujisaki let loose a small, bashful laugh. "Sorry, I get kinda embarrassed whenever I introduce myself like this…"

"Don't worry about it," Naegi assured her. "I think we're all a bit nervous."

The programmer shot him a grateful smile. "Right. Thank you. Anyways I hope we can get along."

"Same here."

Compared to some of the other interactions he had today, he felt at ease talking to the girl.

Well, he was, until she started giving him a puzzled look.

"...Huh? Maybe it's just my imagination, but...have we met before?"

'Have we? '

Naegi couldn't recall her ever being in his life. He couldn't see why she would've been present in it either. They didn't go to the same school and she was most certainly not involved in the conflict that kept him away from his family.

"I don't think we have," Naegi told her. "You're probably confusing me with someone else."

Fujisaki hummed in agreement. "Oh, yeah, that's probably it. Sorry."

"No worries. With everything that's happened today, I'm a bit discombobulated too."

The girl nodded. "Yeah…this is going to be a dumb question, but do you have any ideas about all of this? Like who might be responsible?"

The soldier shook his head. "Not really."

He would've explained further, but he didn't want to shoot out theories without thinking about them first. He hardly had any time to process the day thus far.

He didn't want to leave things on a sour note with Fujisaki though.

"If I think of something, I'll find you, alright?"

His answer seemed to please the short girl. "Really? Thank you."

"Of course."

He didn't have to know much about programming to know that Fujisaki was a genius. The girl was a valuable asset to the group; her intelligence and skills could potentially help them escape if need be.

'I should take some time later to get to know her better.'

0000

"Heya! I'm Aoi Asahina! But my friends just call me Hina. 'Sup?"

Naegi ended up bumping into the girl who suggested doing introductions shortly after talking to Fujisaki.

She was yet another person he's heard about upon returning to Japan.

'Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro... She's been breaking records in every competition she's been in since elementary school. She's even been chosen as an upcoming Olympic cadet. Her abilities have been constantly talked about on the forums, though some people were interested in her for… other reasons... '

"So uh...what was your name again?" Asahina asked him. "Sorry, totally forgot!"

'How? ' He literally introduced himself five seconds ago.

"Makoto Naegi."

The girl slammed a fist into her palm. "Oh yeah, I knew it was something like that!"

The boy balked at her. "No, not 'something' like that. It *is* that…"

Asahina waved him off. "Sure, sure, got it! Here, I'll hammer it into my brain right now!"

The girl started repeating his name, tracing it on her palm. He recognized the action as one he's used before. By writing something down numerous times, it increased the chances of remembering said piece of information.

"Hey, by the way...how do you spell your last name?"

Naegi responded by spelling out his name to her.

"Sweet, thanks! Anyways, glad to meet ya!"

"Same here."

The two parted ways.

'She's got tons of energy, that's for sure, ' the boy mentally remarked to himself. ' Guess that's to be expected from a pro athlete. '

0000

There were four people left, two guys and two girls. Introductions were almost over. All he had to do was talk to them and he was done.

As per usual, he decided to start with the person closest to him, a girl that had over a foot on him in the height department.

'Damnit, why didn't my parents' height genes pass over to me? '

He knew that now wasn't the time to lament about things out of his control, so he shoved the thought to the back of his mind before greeting the tall girl.

"I am Sakura Ogami," she replied, arms crossed.

'So she's the Ultimate Martial Artist.'

If Owada's feats of strength seemed impressive, Ogami completely blew him out of the water in that department. This girl competed in a martial arts tournament in America and won, despite her gender. In addition, she's fought in over 400 matches, and it's been said that she's never lost a single one.

Due to her reputation, she was feared throughout Japan. He remembered reading a specific comment about her on the forums that warned of 'avoiding her if they valued their lives'.

The way she was described, Naegi was expecting someone aggressive.

'But she's nothing like that at all .'

Though an aura of raw power surrounded her, so did an aura of calmness. It was a peaceful feeling, as if he was gently floating down a river. While the river could easily turn into a stream of roaring rapids, it was not something he felt he had to worry about unless he somehow provoked her.

"Hey, you."

"Hm?"

Without warning, the girl went to prod at him. Time started to slow down as his pupils focused on her outstretched arm. He felt his muscles throbbing, bracing themselves for a fight, while his mind began racing, calculating several means of taking down the giant in front of him.

There were no signs of aggression on her face nor in the movements she exerted, but his body still responded as if such were the case. Arm shooting forwards, he grabbed her wrist and held on.

The two stood like that for what felt like hours, though it only lasted for a few milliseconds. Ogami stared at him, eyes widened with shock, while Naegi's face displayed no emotion.

Eventually, the boy's brain resumed control of his body, and upon noticing what he was doing, he released the girl's wrist, face filled with guilt.

"I'm so sorry," the soldier apologized, bowing. "I just really don't like being touched so when you reached out, I got startled."

Such was true. Naegi despised being touched without permission. It took him a while to be able to even let his family hug him. Just like how wearing his hoodie comforted him, so did having his personal space.

Thankfully, the martial artist didn't seem to be upset.

"No, I should be the one apologizing," Ogami replied, holding her wrist. "It was impolite of me to not ask for permission beforehand."

Staring briefly at her wrist, she then gave the boy a look that showcased a level of respect towards him.

"You have an extraordinary amount of grip strength. It far exceeds that of nearly everyone I've previously fought against."

She grinned.

"I believe you'll make for a great training partner."

The boy had to admit, the offer was tempting. He could always use the workout, and he was curious as to who'd win between the Ultimate Martial Artist and the Ultimate Soldier. In a setting where the rules of martial arts were enforced, he'd have to give it to Ogami, but in an all out brawl, one with no rules in place, he might be able to snag the victory. She was trained only to fight while he was trained to survive.

Looking up at the girl, he gave her a small smile. "I'll be sure to take you up on that offer."

Ogami nodded, pleased with his answer. "If you wish to challenge me, don't hesitate to seek me out."

0000

If Ogami had a calm aura around her, then the blonde headed boy he went to greet next had an air of arrogance engulfing him. When Naegi introduced himself, the boy merely rolled his eyes in boredom before giving the most half-assed introduction he's gotten from any of his classmates.

"Name's Byakuya Togami."

Togami's name was very familiar to him. The boy was the heir of the massive Togami financial conglomerate. Despite his age, he's already started managing business operations, and his own personal assets were, well, vast. Rich and skilled in numerous fields revolving around managing such a powerful conglomeration, he was the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

A moment of silence surrounded the two as Naegi had no idea what else to say. It's only been a minute and he was confident in declaring Togami as the most unapproachable person of his class. Sure, Owada, Kirigiri, and Fukawa showcased little interest in interacting, but the way Togami looked at him was like that of a god looking at an ant.

"We're done with introductions, right?" The heir asked before scoffing. "How much longer are you going to stand there? Go away. I'm sick of looking at you."

Naegi didn't need to be told twice.

0000

The unkempt boy was the next person Naegi introduced himself to, and he was unusually calm, so much so that the soldier had to wonder if he was even aware of the situation at hand.

"I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure-Hiro for short!" The unkempt boy greeted him. "Take it easy, yeah? I know I will!"

'Hagakure, aka: the Ultimate Clairvoyant… ' Naegi noted.

Known as 'Supernova' in the psychic community, it's said that his predictions had a thirty percent chance of coming true.

Now, Naegi wasn't one to believe in psychics and fortune tellers, but for someone to be right that many times when all he was doing was looking at a glass ball, he couldn't help but be impressed. Thirty percent didn't seem like such a high probability, but no one else can claim to have such odds at predicting the futures of random people they've never met before.

"Ah, okay, I give up," Hagakure said, a sigh of defeat escaping from his lips.

Naegi had no idea what he was referring to. "Huh? What happened?"

"I saw it. I looked right at it... Seriously, I totally saw it!"

The fortune teller's passionate speech only confused him further. "Saw what?"

"A guardian angel with a crazy perm chasing after Bigfoot running off with a skyfish in its mouth," Hagakure explained. "And that guardian angel...is YOUR guardian angel!

Naegi's never been more confused in his life. Yeah, he spent a good chunk of his day disoriented, but whatever Hagakure had just told him made him reach a level of bewilderment he didn't think was possible.

"Nah, I'm just kiddin'," the boy said with a laugh. "But hey, we should grab some brewskis sometime and get real deep into Lemuria and its civilization."

The soldier shot him a flabbergasted look, one so intense that one would think he just saw Hagakure grow a second head. "What? We're not allowed to drink! We're in high school."

He wasn't even going to begin questioning what that last part of his offer was about.

"Oh, I'm actually twenty one," the clairvoyant admitted. "I've been held back a few times, see, and...well, it's a long story."

'Ibet it is,' Naegi thought to himself. How does one get left back not once, not twice, but enough that they were still in high school despite being old enough to drink?

'Well, he did get into Hope's Peak, so I guess things worked out for him .'

0000

"I do not think we have been introduced. I am Celestia Ludenburg, but I would prefer it if you call me Celeste."

The girl in the Lolita dress was the final person Naegi needed to meet. Though she had an elegant smile on her face, he could feel her sharp red eyes boring into him, analyzing his entire being. It reminded him of a predator stalking their prey.

'As to be expected from the Queen of Liars, ' Naegi noted.

The girl in front of him was the Ultimate Gambler who's never lost a bet. According to his research, other than her obvious love of gothic lolita clothes, everything about her was wrapped in a veil of lies, including her true identity. It's said that she entered and won an underground gambling tournament, earning the title 'Queen of Liars.' She cleaned out the other players, taking their life savings and laughing as she did so.

The boy had half a mind to ask her about her real name, but he decided against doing so. Despite her lack of physical prowess, he could sense that she was a very dangerous individual.

Plus, she wasn't the only one who went by a moniker. The difference between them was that he abandoned his after escaping from a life he no longer wished to live while she seemed to want hers to replace her real identity.

For now, he'll humor her.

"Celestia Ludenberg… did I say that right?" Naegi asked her.

"I'm impressed," the gambler replied, a dangerous shine to her eyes gleaming as she spoke. "Almost nobody here could get it right on the first go.

"I see… "

"Do you happen to be multilingual?"

Once more, he could detect the true intentions of her question despite her polite tone. An opportunist such as herself was checking to see if associating with Naegi would prove beneficial to her.

Now, he knew he could try playing ignorant to get her off his back. Having her interested in him could bring him trouble, especially if she tries to rope him into whatever schemes she's got planned. However, it was obvious to him that such a tactic wouldn't work on her. A girl whose entire identity was built upon lies would clearly see right through his charade. He could keep her from detecting his emotions, but to lie back to her was impossible.

Instead, Naegi decided to let just a tiny piece of his past slip out. If lying wasn't going to work, then he'd instead lead her on a wild goose by giving her the vague truth. He'd only share what he was willing to, enough to keep her at bay.

"Yeah."

The soldier was bashful in the way he presented the fact, but he could tell that his answer managed to pique her curiosity.

"Most interesting. Pray tell, what languages are you fluent in?"

Naegi listed off the ones that he understood. "Arabic, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, English, Japanese, Mandarin, and some Korean."

How he managed to learn so many different languages was beyond him. He chalked it up to him adapting to his environment, each language constantly being used around him.

Now, it should be said that he was by no means a literary master in the languages he knew. In fact, he could barely read English, Arabic, and Japanese at an appropriate level for someone his age. Still, his knowledge was enough for him to hold a basic conversation in each of them if need be.

"That's quite the impressive portfolio you have there," Celeste replied. Her eyes continued to burrow holes into him as she suddenly switched to speaking in English. "How is it that one like you managed to learn all of that?"

"It was out of necessity," Naegi shot back in English.

'She's testing me .'

It was the reason why she switched languages mid-conversation. She wanted to know if his claims reigned true.

Celeste opened her mouth, having another question she wished to ask, but the soldier beat her to the punch.

"I'm sorry, but I feel like Ishimaru will yell at us soon if we keep talking," Naegi told her, a tone of disappointment in his voice. "I think it's time for me to go."

He knew what she wanted to ask and it was a question that he wasn't comfortable answering.

If Celeste knew what he did, which he was ninety percent sure that the girl did, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, a small frown formed on her face.

"I see… unfortunately you are correct. We will have to continue this discussion at a later date."

Naegi could only nod in acknowledgment. "It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise…"

0000

'Looks like that's everyone .'

Standing near a wall that wasn't near the machine guns, the boy allowed himself to lean against it for comfort.

He looked at the singular lightbulb that was keeping the room lit.

'That was… a lot .'

Talking to his fellow Ultimates drained his social battery quicker than anything he's experienced since coming back home.

'Home… '

For a moment, his thoughts wandered to his family. Were they alright? How long has he been separated from them?

'I need to get back to them .'

He did not spend seven years of absolute hell just to be taken away from his family a second time. There was no way he was going to allow himself to be a prisoner. Not again.

An itchy sensation tickled his left pectoral. Thankfully a quick scratch took care of the issue.

Needing a change of subject, his eyes landed on his classmates.

'There's a lot of characters here .'

Mentally running through his conversations with each of them, Naegi frowned as a thought popped into his head.

'Will I really be able to hide my talent? '

From Maizono's insane intuition, to Kirigiri's distrust of him, to Celeste's ability to sniff out lies, he certainly had his work cut out for him.

'I have to be careful around them .'

He'd have to be at the top of his game if he wanted to keep his secret. One wrong move and everyone would know what a monster he was.

'I wish I didn't need to hide anything from anyone .'

The boy was used to being isolated from others. Still, it has been an extremely lonely journey for him. He wanted to be free from his past and to be able to enjoy life without being weighed down by his mistakes.

'Like I deserve that .'

He shook his head, trying to remain optimistic.

'Hey, maybe I won't have to actively hide anything. Celeste will probably get bored of me, Kirigiri might see that I don't mean any harm, and Maizono's tuition shouldn't be an issue as long as I don't talk about anything related to my talent. '

A smile crept on his face.

'Everything will be alright .'

He turned his head to the vault door.

'Well, once we get out of here that is . Seriously, what's going on? '

The boy was about to give his question some thought, but the authoritative voice of Togami brought him back to reality.

"Okay, time to get down to business. This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull-eyed baboons."

Naegi could hear Owada growling at the insult, but thankfully it didn't seem like he was going to do anything rash.

To keep the conversation going, the soldier decided to throw his hat into the ring.

"He's right. Quick question, is it safe to say that everyone here passed out after walking inside the school?"

"Yeah," Maizono affirmed. "We all did."

"Does anyone know what knocked them out?"

Kuwata shook his head. "Nope. It just kinda happened, and when I woke up, I was somewhere in the school. So weird…"

Everyone gave signs of affirmation to confirm the truth behind the baseball player's words.

'My chemical theory's looking to be correct ,' Naegi thought to himself. ' If no one knows why they passed out, then this is the only possible explanation. '

The boy was going to bring his theory up, but someone else spoke before he could.

"Exactly!" Owada shouted in agreement, his face red from anger and stress. "That's why we're all freakin' out!"

Ishimaru placed a fist under his chin. "And that's not the only thing. You all saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways were, right? But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates! What's that about!?"

"Plus, all my stuff's missing," Enoshima added. "Even my cellphone..."

Fujisaki frowned. "I haven't seen my PDA anywhere, either…"

"And then there's the main hall here," Ishimaru said, taking the reins of the conversation once more. "The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch. But there wasn't anything like that when I first got here…!"

'Ok, so I was right about that, ' Naegi noted as the Ultimate Moral Compass continued speaking.

"What the heck!? What's that doing there!?"

"I think…" Naegi began. "The plates and vault door are here to keep us in."

The room suddenly became silent. Judging by everyone's reactions, the boy could tell that some of his classmates had come to the same conclusion as he did. He just so happened to be the one to say it out loud.

Owada turned towards the boy, rage still pumping through his body. "The fuck's that supposed to mean?!"

"It's exactly as he's said," Kirigiri stated. "Notice all of the screws on the windows? If they were meant to keep something out, we wouldn't be seeing them."

"But why would they do such a thing?" Asahina asked.

"…I don't know."

Enoshima shot the lavender haired girl a quizzical glance. "So, uh, you're saying we got caught up into some sort of crime?"

Naegi decided to answer her question. "I think so. But who would want to kidnap all of us? And how did they get into Hope's Peak?"

Once more, a moment of silence enveloped the room, only for it to be quickly broken by a certain clairvoyant.

"Come on, don't think like that. Cheer up! I bet this is all just part of the school's orientation procedure."

The soldier held his tongue, the other boy's words baffling him. 'I wish that was the case. '

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it! So I'm just gonna take it easy for a little bit."

"Oh... So you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?" Fujisaki asked the older boy, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

Kuwata's posture relaxed. "Huh. Well if that's all it is, it's nap time for me. I was up way too late last night, so I could use a little shuteye."

The tension started to dissipate from the room, shocking Naegi. Perhaps it was because of his past, but he knew that something nefarious was going on. How so many of his fellow Ultimates didn't understand this was beyond him.

*Ding dong, bing bong*

' Huh? '

The sound of a bell echoed around the room. Suddenly, a monitor that was hanging on the wall opposite of Naegi turned on, a black silhouette appearing on the screen.

"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing!" A mysterious voice spoke via the intercom. "Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then...!"

The soldier did not like what he was hearing. The voice was cheerful, but in a mocking sort of manner. Despite the clear joy present in its tune, it felt sadistic in its origins. If he had to further describe it, he'd say it was the type of voice that belonged to someone that would laugh with joy after committing a murder.

"Ahh, to all incoming students!" The voice continued. "I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at...right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. ...That's all. I'll be waiting!"

The machine abruptly turned off, leaving everyone with more questions than before.

"...What. The. Hell was that just now?" Enoshima asked, breaking the tense silence that began to form around them.

Togami turned around, not interested in talking to his fellow classmates. "Well then, if you'll excuse me…"

Without so much as even sparing anyone a glance, the progeny left the room.

The model's jaw dropped. "H-Hey! What, you're gonna take off just like that!?"

"Ohh yeah, now I get it!" Hagakure stated, not having heard Enoshima's question. "This whole thing was just to get us all pumped for the entrance ceremony!"

He chuckled to himself. "Man, thank god it was all a joke. I'd be totally freaked if this was real! Alright, guess I'll head out too. Wonder what they got planned for us next…"

Kuwata grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Damn, I was totally looking forward to that nap too. Why'd they have to go and kill the mood?"

Both boys took after Togami's example and left the room as well.

Seeing this, Fujisaki chased after them.

"W-Wait for me! I wanna go with you!"

"That is that, then," Celeste said once the three of them were gone. With a small curtsy, she too began to make her way outside. "I will see you all there."

Fukawa followed shortly after. "N-Not that anyone cares, but I-I'm gonna go too…"

Half the class had left, with the others remaining in place. An unspoken understanding was acknowledged by all of them: something awful was awaiting them.

"This...this doesn't seem right," Maizono said, a worried look consuming her face.

Enoshima shakily nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that announcement was totally weird."

"Maybe, but just staying put doesn't mean we'll be safe," Kirigiri informed them. If she had any feelings regarding their situation, nobody could tell as her face remained unreadable. "Besides, aren't you guys just a little bit curious to find out what's going on around here?"

Ogami let out a grunt of agreement. "If we do not move forward, we learn nothing. The only choice is to push ahead."

Her words were enough to convince the rest of the class to move forward. One by one, they all left, until only a single person remained, his eyes glued to the monitor.

'I know what's coming next isn't going to be anything good ,' Naegi monologued to himself.

Memories began to flow through his head, memories he wished to forget.

A boy who did everything he could to survive. A boy who took lives without mercy, only to cry himself to sleep as their phantoms tormented him. A boy who refused to give up when faced with impossible odds, despite knowing that it would be far easier to do so…

These experiences made Naegi the person he was, and because of everything he's been through, he recognized that he was in immense danger once more.

The boy's heart started beating fast, a rhythmic drumming that informed his body of what's to come. His muscles were ready to see action, his senses were alert, and his mind was prepared to react to anything thrown his way. His life was on the line, and he refused to go down without a fight.

Just like he had before, Naegi made himself a promise, a promise that would force him to keep moving forward until it was fulfilled.

'Mom, dad, Komaru, I swear that I will come back to you just like last time. '

The boy glanced at the chair he took from the classroom, debating on bringing it to the gym with him. In the end, he decided against it, as having it around while others were nearby would be far from ideal. If he accidentally struck one of his classmates during the windup, he'd have another body to add to his kill count.

'Not taking that chance.'

With his mind made up, Naegi started walking towards the door.

'I should hurry up. Don't wanna keep everyone wait- '

…Suddenly, he froze in place, a moment of realization stopping him in his tracks.

'Hang on a sec… '

The topic of his classmates reminded him that there was another mystery surrounding their situation that needed solving. He had brought it up during his conversation with Kirigiri, but he was so focused on everything else that it escaped his mind afterwards.

With the exception of himself, everyone had left for the gymnasium. Anyone with eyes should be able to see that…

…right?

'No, that's wrong! '

There was another student who hadn't left yet.

But unlike him, it wasn't by choice.

To claim someone 'left' implies that they were once at the location they departed from.

So, with that in mind, how could this student exit the front entrance when they were never there to begin with?

'Where's the Ultimate Lucky Student?!'

0000

Author's Note 2: Just thought I'd explain some of the decisions that I made in regards to Naegi's character.

1. Naegi's ability to read people: canon Naegi's already pretty good at reading people, but I feel like his talentswap would further boost this skill. He's not *just* a soldier, he is *the* ultimate soldier. As a soldier, you need to have a good sense of detecting danger. I feel it's perfectly reasonable for Naegi to sense the bloodlust of Fukawa's alter ego, detect some of Celeste's motivations, and realize that something's up with Enoshima. I don't want him to be an OP Mary Sue though, so I set limits on his abilities on that front. He's not the Ultimate Detective, nor is he as adept at navigating lies like Celeste is, so he wasn't able to deduce what exactly is up with Fukawa nor does he know that Enoshima's an imposter. He's just able to detect that something wasn't normal about them. Honestly, if Ikusaba had more time to develop, I feel she'd have the same skills in this area despite her lack of social skills.

2. I've purposely left out the names of the countries he's fought in. I do not feel comfortable with making up a war between two real countries for this fic, especially seeing what's going on with the world today. Nor do I feel comfortable trying to name a country. The last thing I want to do is offend people. All that you need to know is that just like the Novoselic Kingdom, these countries are fictional ones that exist in the Middle East. The languages I've selected for Naegi to know reflect this. You might be thinking to yourself that he knows more languages than humanly possible, but Sonia's managed to learn thirty languages prior to entering U.A. While Naegi wasn't formally tutored in said languages, I feel part of being the Ultimate Soldier is the ability to adapt to one's surroundings. Learning the languages commonly spoken is part of the adaptation process. Again, there's a limit to his skills in this area, as he's only able to read three of the nine languages he knows.

3. If you're wondering who's more skilled in combat between canon Ikusaba and this fic's version of Naegi, they're equal. The baseline I use for Naegi's physical abilities is that if I can see canon Ikusaba preforming them, then so can he. I don't want to have him excel over her in this department. What makes them so different is their emotional intelligence, ability to empathize, and their mentality regarding their professions. If you haven't noticed yet, their backstories are also different, but expect some elements of canon Ikusaba's backstory to appear in his own.

4. Once again, I just wanted to remind everyone that how I'm writing Naegi's PTSD is based off my own experiences with it. I am not a veteran though, so if you think I'm accidentally promoting harmful stereotypes of it, please let me know so that I can improve.