Danganronpa: Despair's Therapy

by fangsla

not my story author give permission to do whatever anyone want with it after abandon It wasn't your decision to be in this world! If anything you'd rather be back within the stars! Watching the various worlds march towards their untimely demise! But your boss being a salty bastard sent you on vacation to the 'wonderful' world of Danganronpa! villain mc harem evil protagonist lemon

7. Chapter 6: Day 5 Arc 1 Fair Play is Turn

Chapter 6: Day 5 Arc 1 Fair Play is Turnabout Part 2

? POV (A back alley somewhere in Tokyo)

"There he is… The unknown element." He noted as he looked down from his vantage point.

The dark shine of the early morning hid his form well so he had no fear of being spotted. Most of the city had yet to even wake up and the sun wouldn't rise for another two hours. He had plenty of time to do as he pleased without anyone noticing. Not even Enoshima would know that he left his perch.

Not that he needed to do this at night or the early morning to get away with it. Just that it was much easier for someone like him to do so with conditions like this…

He was currently watching a man he called 'The unknown element'. He didn't care enough to come up with a better name for the man. But the man did catch his interest, ever since he caught him spying on Hope's Peak a month ago.

He would only catch the man when a specific woman came to the school. He of course should've notified the school immediately of the trespasser, but he honestly saw no point in doing so.

It would've led to the most boring outcome surely…

After the third time of catching the man by school premises he decided on a whim to follow the man. On that day he would witness the man kill the woman's bodyguards before kidnapping her. He must admit he felt a modicum of surprise at the efficiency of it all, the man even lost him after he completed the deed.

It was the speed of it all that caught his eye, it was no mere skill that he was able to take out four armed men in a minute and get away with kidnapping not long after. It was clearly talent.

He of course knew talent existed outside of the confines of the school… But this was the first time he witnessed a foreigner with a talent, and a talent in a subject he was lacking in… At least when compared to his other talents.

He did not doubt that if he were to face the man in combat, even if unarmed, he would win the bout with little difficulty. The gap in their abilities would be too great for the man to overcome even with his talent in killing.

But talent alone would be of no great interest to him. At least not enough to get someone like him to follow another person around this early in the morning.

No… It was because the man showed up once more after he completed what he perceived to be the man's task.

His lack of understanding on why the man showed up again was enough to catch his interest. He assumed the foreigner was just a stalker. But that assumption was proven wrong… A pattern was established, and then broken.

He must truly be struck with boredom if this is enough to grab his interest…

But caught his interest it did.

So he continued to watch from on high as the man waited in the alley. Though he would not be waiting for too much longer…

"Romano… I heard you were open for business…" An elderly voice came from the alley entrance.

The now named 'Romano' faced the voice and said, "Yes, I've fulfilled my contract with the German President… I'm sure the death of Miss Bohm will hit the news soon. I thank you for your assistance in luring her to that school under your care."

Suddenly he felt all interest fade. It was mere conspiracy, and once more talent was being abused by those without it to complete their deeds.

He would leave at this point in any other circumstance. But he knows whatever he's about to hear could prove useful in the future. So he continued to watch as a frail, yet well-dressed, old man approached 'Romano'. This man was flanked at both sides by bodyguards.

He didn't recognize the man but did recognize his outfit. The man was one of the Steering Committee.

"It's technically under our care, but yes, you are welcome. I assume that along with the standard payment should be enough to hear our offer?" The man asked 'Romano' with trepidation, he clearly knew what the man was capable of.

"Enough to hear you out… Yes." He said.

The old man nodded and waved one of his bodyguards forward. The bodyguard brought a suitcase over to 'Romano' and let him look through the content. 'Romano' then mentioned, "A bit more than the standard…"

"Well this particular person has been a thorn in our side for a while now…" The old man started to say before 'Romano' raised his hand demanding quiet.

"You must be truly desperate if you are willing to go through this much effort to have me kill someone. I have to wonder, would they give me an even better offer for your head?" 'Romano' says nonchalantly.

The old man, fearing for his life, backed up and shouted, "Surely you would prefer to kill someone more corrupt than I?"

"I would have difficulty finding it amongst Japan's ranks in the modern day. Even the Yakuza have begun to clean up their act recently. Yet it's organizations like yours that keep this wonderful country stuck in the muck of corruption…" 'Romano' declared.

"I assure you this… Person… Is beyond even us… If you would just hear me out I am certain you would agree without question…" The old man muttered.

"I will give you my counter offer instead…" 'Romano' started.

The old man looked ready to run, though it is doubtful he'd get far… 'Romano' continued with, "There is one man in this country I want dead, more than anyone. The slander on my name will not allow me to do business with you until your organization rectifies this mistake."

The old man became a lot more composed as he asked, "You want exoneration?"

"I kill the corrupt and the criminal. If it means I must work with your lot to do so I shall. I worked with your government, with you, in the past. Only for my name to be attached to an orchestrated crime against a young girl who didn't deserve what she got." 'Romano' stated.

"That was of course so that…" The old man tried to speak.

'Romano' didn't let him, "I don't care for the reason. I will not have my very name attached to such a pointless death. I have my standards."

"Yet to have us atone for that… You would have us let you kill the very man who slandered you?" The old man asked.

"I expect an investigation to at least disassociate my name with that specific crime as well… With the attention I will soon be grabbing it would be the perfect time for some plucky detective to look more into my case and realize the discrepancies, don't you think?" He started with.

"If you do these two things I shall kill whoever you wish for me to kill. You won't even need to pay me in full." 'Romano' explained.

The old man thought it over and said, "Very well… Let me speak with the rest of my cohorts before I rush any decision… You'll likely get what you want but even if you see us as 'corrupt' we do have a process for these things…"

'Romano' then said, "Do as you please, farewell…" Roman then went to leave.

The 'Unknown Element' was no longer Unknown it seems. Getting up to leave Izuru Kamukura contemplates what he just witnessed.

"This world… Is so dull…" He whispers under his breath.

Akira Furuya POV (In his dorm)

Waking up was a pleasant experience this fine morning. After copious copulation between you and Celeste last night, just being in bed with your girlfriend was a treat. The afterglow was truly _divine_.

But enough 'wholesome' fun. You woke up and that means it's time to get to work.

Getting out of bed and leaving a sleeping Celeste behind you head to the kitchen to make yourself a quick breakfast. Yawning as you work leads you to thinking about today and what you have to do…

So you're going to quickly go to your mom's apartment and check your files, then you are going to hang out with Chiaki to continue where you left off last night, and then you should have to attend class by then…

Could you fit in anything else? Maybe do something with Celeste… Perhaps check in on Seiko or Miu? Hmm no, that might be cutting it a bit too close. You're certain your mother and Chiaki will take up a lot of your time.

Oh well…

Fifteen Minutes later

Leaving your dorm you look at the sky for a minute before heading down the steps. As you descend the stairs you look around and see quite a few people around the dorms. A lot of people you don't recognize at that… Though you do catch some familiar faces as you see Makoto, Leon, and Sayaka talking in the distance.

Actually speaking of familiar faces you see Junko and Mukuro heading behind the girls' dorm.

That specific duo was one that was going to catch your attention no matter what. Especially with how timid Mukuro looked as she walked behind her sister. You considered that it was likely going to be a waste of time.

However, your curiosity beat out your sense and you decided to follow them.

As you near the corner where you saw Junko and Mukuro turn you consider your approach.

Approaching the corner you hear something thud on the ground as before hearing Junko acting uncharacteristically malicious as she says, "You dumb fucking skank, I give you one damn job and you can't even do it right! Just watch him, that's all you had to do! But no, that was too much for you, you just had to let him slip right under your nose!"

That immediately grabbed your interest.

You peaked around the corner to see Junko facing away from you stomping on something… That something was Mukuro… Even as her very face was being smushed into the concrete by Junko's heel she was staring at her sister with rapt attention.

"You better be glad he came back else I would've gutted you for sure you stupid mutt. Gawsh you make me so angry sometimes you know that!" Junko complained.

The very real and physical threats aside, Mukuro didn't seem all that upset as she meekly muttered, "Sorry Junko…" Though her words were a bit muffled due to the aforementioned face being squished into the ground by her sister.

"Sorry's not gonna cut it you know! I should peel off your fingers for your slacking, you're supposed to be the Ultimate Soldier!" Junko continued with the threats.

"Yet you're so useless they should've given you the title of Ultimate Doormat instead, but even that's too much! At least a doormat cleans the crap off my boots! Yet here I am, only getting it more dirty!" Junko ranted, though any anger had long since subsided. It seems she was now just laying it on her sister for the fun of it.

The worst part is considering the blush forming on Mukuro's face…

She was into it.

"I didn't mean to…" Mukuro muttered.

"Shut it you titless pervert! I didn't ask you to speak!" Junko exclaimed. You were certain that both girls were enjoying the scenario. Even if there was actual rage behind any of Junko's words.

You quickly hid back behind the corner as you thought about what they just said… So Junko was having Mukuro look over someone? You have to wonder who it was… Your thoughts immediately go back to the day you met Mukuro, was the person she was supposed to watch this 'Ryota'?

You didn't get much longer to think as you heard Mukuro say something, "Junko… Someone's coming…"

"Huh?" Junko exclaimed in confusion.

Shit… Did she hear you hide?

Fuck no point in it now they're going to see you one way or another.

You decide to walk around the corner like you weren't even aware they were there, and walk past them. As you do so, you feel Junko's arm wrap around your neck, causing you to freeze, as she enthusiastically says, "Hello there~! Akira~! Going for a stroll?" The way she enunciated your name did not make you feel at all comfortable.

Acting oblivious, you ask, "Where did you come from?"

"Oh you know, somewhere… How about you?" Her voice contained a hidden frost to it.

You weren't deterred as you said, "Somewhere else… Why? Do you make it a habit to hide around corners so you can jump somebody?"

"Well I do like a good prank every now and then~..." Junko quickly responds.

"I'm not finding it particularly funny, you scared the living daylights out of me just then." You say.

"Oh? You didn't even jump! I must've gotten you good then, if you froze still~!" Was her response.

As she was focused on talking you checked around for Mukuro only to not see her anywhere. "Whatcha looking for?" Junko asked.

You quickly say, "Dunno. Just felt like there was someone watching us."

"Probably if we're this in the 'open' right?" She said, and you must say you don't like her sarcastic tone.

"Probably." You say.

"So what really got you to jump me like that? I doubt it was to say hello…" You continue to act as if nothing is wrong.

Dropping all pretense Junko then states, "Oh you're good. If I didn't know better I would think you really were passing by." That causes you to stop acting. Your face became fully neutral as you stared at Junko with veiled uncertainty.

"Don't you know it's rude to listen in on other people's conversations Akira? You naughty boy! I should have you punished." She was acting as if she was in full control of the moment.

You think carefully on what to say next.

"A bit daring isn't it?" You ask.

Junko looks confused at your sudden question, "Huh? If you think it's daring for me to suggest such a thing I think you'll find I'm quite capable of doling out."

"Oh no I wasn't suggesting such a thing." You state, leaving Junko even more confused than she already was.

Junko tilts her head, leading to her pigtails drooping behind her as she says, "You know you being all cryptic and crap is like really killing my vibe…"

"I just thought it was quite daring to do such a perverse thing to your sister in public was all…" You take a sudden step to the right as you watch Mukuro pass by you, clearly trying to grab ahold of your arms, though ultimately failing.

Mukuro quickly whips around and rushes you again as you dodge once more confusing the hell out of Mukuro as you somehow manage to avoid her twice and say, "I mean if the two of you want to play out your incestuous sadomasochistic fantasies don't let me stop you. I only thought it was an odd thing to do in publ-!" You weren't allowed to speak further.

The third time's the charm as Mukuro finally grabs ahold of your arms before pulling them behind you and pushing to the ground as Junko berates her, "You absolute moron! Don't you know how stupid we look now thanks to those dumb moves you tried to pull!"

You hear Junko's boot smack against Mukuro's back a few times as she says this.

Mukuro was frankly bewildered, and blushing up a storm too. So you bring up, "I mean I was expecting it, she wasn't. Doesn't matter how good she is at tackling if she doesn't expect me to dodge it."

Junko walks into view as she strikes a pose and points down at you as she goes on to say, "Okay first of all that's somehow not at the top of my concerns right now! Two Muku you are so trashy it hurts! Three, how the hell do you know she's my sister? We look nothing alike!"

"I mean the resemblance is somewhat there… And your sister told me." You explain. Leading to Mukuro's entire face going red from embarrassment.

"What the fuck!" She yelled as she turned her ire and finger to her sister.

"I forgot you wanted me to keep it a secret for now… Sorry." Mukuro explained.

"Grrr! A thousand deaths! From a thousand weapons! I won't be satisfied until you're scarred by one of every blade on the planet!" Junko manically said.

"If you want me to start I have my knife on me." Mukuro then told her, she was being genuine too.

Junko, as if hit with whiplash, immediately says, "Ack! Trashy! Stupid! Muku! NO! I'm so angry with you right now I can feel my chest combusting like a firework!"

Mukuro looked down in shame as she realized all she was doing was making her sister mad she then whispered, "Sorry Junko…"

"Stop apologizing, you're only making the rage I feel worse~!" She declared, though the euphoric expression on her face told a completely different story.

"Sorr-..." Mukuro then decided it was time for her to stop talking. The obvious shame Mukuro was experiencing caused Junko to look ecstatic.

"If you two are done with your comedy routine, I'd like to get up now." You reinsert yourself into the conversation, somewhat foolishly.

Junko brings her finger to your face as she says, "Okay number one buster! No, way Jose! I like you right where you are, pinned underneath my disgusting ass sister. Two as much I hate her, the fact you just dodge a sneak attack from Muku actually concerns me a bit. Three, I'm allowed to do whatever I want with my sister whenever I want to. I'd strip and fuck her with a spiked dildo in the middle of class if I felt so inclined!"

"Junko!" Mukuro shouted, clearly embarrassed.

"Don't act like you'd refuse you whore!" Junko states.

Mukuro said nothing in response. It was at this point you realized your shitty joke might just be the facts.

"As pleasant as this conversation is. I'm really just trying to be nice here." You interject again.

"Muku, slap him for me!" Junko demanded.

Mukuro did so without comment. Leaving a red mark on your cheek.

You were beginning to get annoyed with these childish antics…

Staring blankly into Mukuro's eyes for a moment you watch the Ultimate Soldier as she begins to show unease. Upon seeing this unease you turn your gaze towards Junko and ask, "Do you have any shame in making your sister act like a thug?"

She begins twirling one of her pigtails as she says, "No. Not really. I mean, honestly the question is kind of disingenuous don't you think? I don't MAKE her act like a thug. She's just thuggish, and ugly to boot." You could see how much those words hurt Mukuro, but you also noticed a shiver of pleasure as she held you down.

"I think she's quite lovely to look at. The most beautiful woman I've seen? No. But she definitely has a charm other girls would be jealous of." You defend Mukuro, though it was honestly done more to get on Junko's nerves even if you spoke the truth.

Inadvertently your words cause the Ultimate Soldier to blush.

Junko meanwhile stops messing with her hair to glare at you and say, "Yeah, and I'm gonna die young! Puh-lease my guy! This girl right here?" Junko says as she grabs the back of her sister's head and points at her,

Junko continues with her insults as she pulls on her sister's cheeks and says, "At best she's cute like a pug. Damn ugly! But just pitiful enough to earn your sympathy. I think you're just trying to smooth talk my stupid sister into letting you go before I decide on what to do for Punishment Time." The sinister smile on Junko's face made you feel a bit tense but you kept your cool.

You decide it prudent to respond to Junko's accusation with, "No, that wasn't my intention."

Junko's face scrunches up at hearing your words as she lets go of her sister and stands up to say, "Tch… I honestly can't tell if you're being honest or not and it's making me feel the worst kind of way! " Her tone was filled with wrath yet her face was that of pure glee as she spoke.

"I am being genuine. I'm just trying to figure out why you hate your sister so much…" You explain.

Mukuro tenses upon hearing you say the word hate which leads to her tightening her grip on you. Junko then snidely says, "Isn't it obvious? She's a dumb mutt that came running back to her owner the second she realized she couldn't live without her master. I really shouldn't have to explain even that or give a reason why Muku here deserves everything she gets."

You then say something rather stupid, "So she wasn't there for you whenever you needed it. Something I'm certain she's doing her best to repent for. I think you're just being an unreasonable brat if this is how you treat a family member this devoted to you."

Outraged at what you just said, Mukuro lifted you slightly off the ground before slamming you back into the dirt. Your entire upper body and head now felt sore but you didn't let the pain get to you. You continued to stare stoically at both sisters.

"Maybe worry about yourself more? I think Muku loves this dynamic as much as I loathe it! Really I'm just being a good little sister by helping my older sibling fulfill her greatest desire, being a bitch that is…" Junko wistfully states.

With your head jostled and the way Junko was speaking, you came to an immediate realization.

Junko did not care about Mukuro. There was an apathy to the situation you couldn't quite lock onto until just now. Perhaps there is some familial love or resentment hidden under Junko's veneer but it was clear…

Junko was apathetic to the whole situation… So you say, "You don't even care about her a little bit do you?"

That causes Junko to pause while Mukuro has a lost look on her face. Junko's own face broke open into a wide, genuine, smile upon hearing your words. "Oh really? I don't even slightly love my darling sister?"

"I can't really tell. Your apathy is all consuming; it physically hurts to see it in action." You say in response.

Mukuro seemingly caught onto what you two were talking about which led to her narrowing her eyes as she tried to glare into your very soul. Your soul glared back and she immediately got off of you. "Muku? What in the hell are you doing?" Junko asked, bewildered.

"Sorry Junko, I let my instincts take over for a moment there…" Mukuro said solemnly.

"Instincts? Hey… You weren't trying to pull anything were you?" Junko asks as you continue to lay on the floor, almost expecting Mukuro to jump you once more.

"Your sister must've been glaring into my eyes for so long I can only assume her own reflection in my eyes scared her." You 'explain' as you sit up.

"What kind of lame reason is that?" Junko complains to herself.

Silence befalls the three of you.

You decide to break the silence with a joke, "So am I free to go?"

Junko non-comittally waves you off as she says, "Yeah, I was getting bored with this entire thing anyway. I don't want to lose my interest in you… Just yet." She then started walking off

Her statement was mostly innocuous but the way she said it caused you apprehension. Especially since you couldn't catch her expression due to her running off… Though it seems she left her 'mutt' behind.

Mukuro for whatever reason didn't follow her sister just yet as she stared at you from a safe distance and sternly said, "Apologize."

You doubted Junko actually cared about an apology… But Mukuro did.

So after taking a second to think you call out to Junko, "I'm sorry for interrupting whatever the two of you were doing. It was seriously not my intention." You lied as easily as you breathed.

That caused Junko to turn around as she saw you and Mukuro which led to her sighing then saying, "Yeah sure. Now come on Muku, I have other uses for you than fighting for my honor or whatever nonsense you're pulling." Turning around without further thought Junko continues to wander off…

Yet her sister ignores her demands for a bit longer.

Mukuro tried to ask you something before settling on, "Did… Did you really me… Nevermind… I… I'm sorry for being rough with you, but what my sister wants comes first… You understand right?"

A part of you wanted to be rude but you ultimately ended up agreeing. "Family comes first and all that, I get it… I have my own family that's a bit… Crazy…" You say trying to be diplomatic considering Mukuro extended the olive branch first.

"Junko isn't crazy…" Mukuro said flatly as she glared at you one last time.

You don't say anything in response to that lest you get yourself tackled into the dirt once again.

Sighing to herself she says, "I mean it… Junko's just… Nevermind… I'm not very good at explaining these things." She ultimately refuses to elaborate and begins wandering off leaving you on your ass as you think over what just happened.

Ultimately you conclude that Junko Enoshima is no mere insect buzzing around your ear…

But a jaguar waiting to jump the caiman.

That analogy only makes sense to you doesn't it?

Whatever…

Time to go sifting through your stuff for an ungrateful detective.

30 Minutes Later (Akira's Former Apartment)

Rapping your knuckles against the door you try to see if your mother was home and predictably… She wasn't… Thankfully your mother at least gave you the courtesy of a key to the apartment in case 'you were ever thrown out of Hope's Peak'.

You know she was joking but any lesser man would've been hurt by such comments!

Opening the door you wander inside and head to your room.

It was filled to the brim with unopened and unsorted boxes. Your closet was overflowing with all your files… Though you could've probably fit them all in there but since nobody was going to live in this room for a long while…

If ever again…

Yeah you don't really give a damn.

The ensuing events would likely be described as boring, but tedious work in the end… Is work.

You rather quickly found the box stuffed to the brim with files the very year you should've encountered your foreign patient. However finding his specific file was another endeavor.

You would spend the next hour flitting from file to file, page to page, folder to folder…

It was an exhaustive process.

Though with time your primary goal would be complete. Like right now actually!

You had found your files on your foreign patient, 'Ferrucio Bugiardo'.

Now you are certain Kyoko wanted you to just find and then hand over all the files to her… However, she has been a constant thorn in your side and you are honestly seconds away from attempting to take retribution on her for simply disturbing your life…

But… Why make it easy for her? For one these are your files, you have the right to read them… Two, well you'll consider your second point later.

As you continue to look through the files you notice that details are sparse but all are odd in one way or another. Mr. 'Ferrucio' appeared to be quite the clean freak, and had talked frequently about his hemophobia throughout each of the files…

Which, if he really is an assassin, doesn't make much sense. However, you consider that it could just be a lie.

Other details were how he kept all of his spaces clean and appreciated Japan's 'cleanliness culture'... Whatever that was supposed to mean… The first file was contaminated head to toe with this man's obsession on cleanliness and order.

Hmmm a detail from the second file stands out to you in particular… His need to keep things clean is so obtrusive to his life that anything he works with must be thoroughly cleaned before use, even his living spaces… He'd go so far as to hunt down all pests that infested his apartment just so he could sleep soundly.

The man was truly obsessed with cleaning…

Alright, maybe you're being a bit overdramatic. Of all that you have written down, his obsession with cleaning doesn't even take up ten percent of your files. However it is a through line that stands out considering the man should be an assassin…

That's assuming Kyoko is correct that 'Ferrucio' is actually this assassin.

Besides if the man was so infamous wouldn't news of you being his psychologist for a time at least hit the news? This entire situation is quite odd…

It really doesn't matter how much you read through this… The only thing that sticks out to you are his odd cleaning habits… Kyoko may find more use out of these files but…

You are not really keen on giving these files to her for free even if for all you're aware they are rather useless.

What to do?

Kyoko will pay the piper eventually… But for now, it is time to take these files back with you to Hope's Peak… You have someone to meet.

About 45 Minutes Later (Thirty Minutes til class)

Upon arriving back at your dorm you had shoved your files into your desk for safe keeping. With that taken care of you had no need to worry about anyone snooping around and taking anything… Except maybe Celeste but you're certain if she were to do so she'd quickly get bored with the file then just put it back.

Yet that's not what is important right now!

You have a date with destiny! In the form of a cute and attractive gamer girl…

This is definitely the most important thing on your plate right now… There is absolutely nothing else you could be doing during this very moment that would be a better way to spend your time… Ahem…

No, this will be worth it.

You can sink your claws into Chiaki Nanami while she's nice and vulnerable without her even realizing your intentions for her! Honestly it was just wonderful how girls like Chiaki, Miu, Mikan, and Toko just seem to fall into your lap.

One might even say it's a bit too good. But you wouldn't be you if you didn't take advantage of your situation.

Even if some Karmic force was intent on working against you due to your good fortune so far? You were certain you'll do fine. It wasn't ego talking, as you aren't prideful enough to even consider such a thing. You really just were getting incredibly lucky…

A part of you does think you should begin playing it safe, as you're acting a bit swiftly…

But your desire to prey on girls like Chiaki is too powerful to ignore. Again who would you be to not take advantage of a good opportunity?

Speaking of… How are you going to get into contact with Chiaki? You don't exactly know which dorm is hers.

Okay this has happened twice now…

"Akira?" A pleasant voice takes you out of your thoughts.

It was the very girl you were looking for… How lucky you are indeed. You quickly say, "Oh, Chiaki! I was just looking for you! How's your morning thus far?"

"Last night was probably the best I've slept in a while… So I'd say I'm doing well… We're going to hang out, yeah?" She asked with a sleepy face and a tilted head which ended up making her look just adorable.

You nod at her question then realize what she just said and in faux exasperation you exclaim, "You say you slept well yet you look like you're about to fall over!"

"I said in a while… Not in my whole life…" Chiaki pointed out as she began to yawn.

Your brain went into overdrive upon realizing that Chiaki seemed to be suffering some form of sleep troubles on top of all her other issues. "Well… At least it's an improvement?" You ask.

"Yeah… Gotta look at the bright side right?" Chiaki says with a smile.

"Yep! Alright what do you have planned for me Chiaki?" You ask, not really expecting much.

Yet as you did so Chiaki's aura suddenly became much more lively as her eyes opened as wide as you've seen them yet. Then with her most excited tone yet, she said, "I have just the thing!"

She immediately began dragging you off and you realized just how starved this girl was for 'positive' attention.

Well, everyone's loss and once more… Your gain…

As Chiaki continued to drag you further and further from Hope's Peak you just had to wonder where she was taking you. Classes would start soon so whatever Chiaki wanted to do would have to be something that couldn't take long…

Yet this walk has already taken five of the twenty minutes you two have left to head to class. Of course classes aren't mandatory to attend. Though you definitely did at least want to show up, if only to keep up appearances.

Despite your internal commentary Chiaki would continue to take you further and further away from the school. It was to the point that even if you two walked back to Hope's Peak you would be late for class.

"Uh, Chiaki, where are we going anyway? We'll miss class." You ask.

Chiaki finally stops with her single-minded march onto wherever she was going as she said, "Huh?"

"Classes are going to start in like five minutes." You point out.

"Oh…" Her voice had a tint of confusion in its tone.

She was not at all paying attention to the time… You then say, "It's fine… I just wanted to make sure you were aware… I can miss a class it won't be the end of the world."

"Sorry…" Chiaki said, looking as if she was kicking herself internally for not noticing sooner.

"What part of it's fine did you not get?" You say with a mocking tone.

Chiaki lit back up at your words thus grabbing your arm again and renewing her tread towards wherever she was heading.

Within the next fifteen minutes you two would finally reach where Chiaki had wanted to take you and you must say… You are an idiot for not realizing sooner. She is the Ultimate Gamer, where else would she be happy to take someone?

Chiaki had of course brought you to an arcade.

Though this one didn't look all too fancy. The place definitely seemed like an older arcade that's been neglected in recent years.

Chiaki had finally let go of your arm as she walked inside, as she opened the door she waved you to follow her. Which of course you did.

You can already tell you're about to get your ass kicked.

Upon entering the arcade you noticed a distinct musty smell that permeated the location, it was faint but ultimately felt. The arcade itself looked fine. It had plenty of machines, all the lighting seemed to be working, and the faux brick wallpaper was intact.

Overall you would say the place seemed unimpressive but homely. You two weren't even the only people there. There were some teenagers that appeared to be skipping school playing what appeared to be fighting games in the back.

You continued to look around the place and you quickly noticed a desk at the front of the arcade with an older man sitting behind it reading a book. It was easy to assume he was the owner of the establishment.

The man upon noticing he had more customers looked up from his reading material to say, "Rather early today Chiaki… A new friend of yours?" Oh he knew Chiaki?

"Yep!" Was Chiaki's response.

"Well have fun you two, just let me know if you need any help with the machines!" The old man said as you followed Chiaki to a cabinet.

"You frequent this place?" You ask, genuinely curious.

Chiaki nods as she walks up to a machine and picks up a controller before saying , "I used to live nearby here when I was younger. Jun, the owner, is a friend of my parents. So when we still lived here he often let me stay past closing to play just that little bit longer…" This was probably the most she talked without any pauses, though it's of no surprise that she's passionate about the arcade.

After taking a breath in between speaking she then finished speaking with, "When I came back to the city to attend Hope's Peak I was surprised the place was still open. So safe to say it's been my goto arcade since then."

Seeing she had nothing else to add you asked, "So what are we playing first?"

She pointed to the other available controller of the machine as she said, "It's an on rail shooter."

It was at this point you noticed the odd controller Chiaki was holding. It was designed like a gun which you guess made sense considering what Chiaki just said and the demo screen on the machine itself… Guess you just weren't paying attention.

Picking up your 'gun' you get ready for whatever the game has in store for you. As you were doing that Chiaki inserted the necessary payment.

"I wanted to start off with something easy and co-op since I know it's hard for others to keep up with me." Chiaki mentioned as the game started.

"Are you doubting me?" You asked teasingly.

As the two of you began to play, Chiaki quipped, "I've been told I tend to overestimate people a lot actually."

You smirk to yourself but you would soon find within the coming hour that Chiaki might have been serious with that quip.

An Hour and a Half Later

You aren't… This bad right? Like obviously Chiaki was going to be better than you, by a large margin at that but…

"Astral Finish! Perfect!" Roared the audio from the arcade cabinet.

You felt your life drain… This is like the only fighting game you actually played… It must be because it's an earlier game in the series and you're not used to it yet.

Regardless you know that you aren't THIS bad.

Unless… Chiaki really is just THAT good…

At the realization you fell into a deep depression…

"I might've gotten a bit carried away…" Chiaki stated as soon as she noticed your reaction to being perfected.

You glared at the gamer girl with utter contempt which caused her to flinch upon noticing.

She then quickly said, "You were pretty good though! I think you're the only one from Hope's Peak that's actually made me play this seriously in a fighting game!"

You glared harder when she said 'play this seriously'.

"Run it back." You demand.

"O-Of course!" Chiaki accepted with a stutter.

Two Minutes Later

"Did you just TOD me?" You yelled out in annoyance.

"Heh, sorry, I just wanted to go for it since I could." Chiaki said.

You could feel your left eye twitch as a blanket of anger enveloped you.

Two Minutes Later, again

As you look upon the words 'Astral Finish' for the twelfth time tonight you turn to Chiaki and ask, "I know you can, but could you not combo me into an Astral, every time?"

"Sorry…" Chiaki said apologetically.

Another Two Minutes Later

"Finally I took a round! Wish I could've done it with a character I actually played though." You bemoaned.

"Round three." Chiaki stated simply.

"Ah shit." You bemoaned.

Ten Minutes Later

You had done it, you had actually beat Chiaki. It was a grueling endeavor and it was honestly pure luck that you won the DP coinflip, but you did it. Sighing to yourself you place down the controller and stretched.

"One more game?" Chiaki asks earnestly.

Rubbing the back of your neck you then say, "Yeah sure."

You did ten more games.

Twenty Minutes Later

Leaving the Arcade with Chiaki in tow you two were clearly satisfied with the experience. You won't lie, you got pretty aggravated when you began playing against her. Though in the end you have to say it was fun getting your ass beat.

Obviously now that you're a bit more used to fighting her you won't get so easily trounced again…

Oh who are you kidding? You don't care that much if Chiaki is better than you. It was just the initial annoyance of realizing the gap in skill that got you upset.

"This was fun…" Chiaki said as she walked side by side with you.

In response you said, "Yeah. We'll have to do it again sometime."

Chiaki stopped walking as she looked at you and asked, "Really?"

You stopped and turned towards Chiaki to say, "Yeah? Is it really that surprising?"

"Well… Not entirely… It was just a few times there it felt like you were just playing for my sake rather than for your own enjoyment." Chiaki said.

"Huh?" You asked. What in the hell was she going on… Oh… Is that how she interpreted your annoyance earlier?

Before you could say anything in response Chiaki then quickly said, "Nevermind." She then ran up to you and began walking at the same pace you two had been going at earlier.

"Alright…" You didn't push the issue.

A while later Chiaki would then ask, "Hey Akira?"

"Yeah?" You responded.

With some trepidation she then asked, "I know this might be a bit presumptuous, but do you want to come hang out in my dorm? I have a console so we could play some co-op games..." As she spoke you noticed she was fiddling with her hands and the cuffs of her jacket.

She was clearly nervous to ask the question. Why she would be you don't understand.

However, upon hearing the question your mind immediately thought of the opportuntity that had presented itself… You couldn't really do anything extreme while in the arcade… Her dorm would be a different story.

Chiaki Nanami POV (Just arriving at her dorm)

She'll admit she's a bit nervous. Even as she opens the door to her dorm she was actively chastising herself for asking Akira over to her dorm. She worried that she may have seemed a bit forward, the two of them have only known each other for only a few days after all.

But Akira was super friendly with her… If she was being honest he was really the only person in her life recently that hasn't been treating her like glass. No constant looking over her shoulder to ensure she wasn't going to break.

He just seemed so genuine in comparison to how some of her classmates show their care for her… That's not to say they don't care! Just the way he goes about showing that care was far kinder to her than anything her classmates could handle…

Maybe it was best to say he had tact.

The only other person that seemed to be really good at dealing with her when she's particularly sad would be Ibuki. Even then she has problems with Ibuki, particularly with her energy and penchant for being loud.

Yet Akira, whether it was intentional or not, was capable of making her melancholy disappear at a moments notice. Even when it began to creep back on her like it did while they were at the arcade he was just capable of getting it to go away by being there.

Maybe that was why she was so willing to ask him to come over.

He was just good at making that melancholy of hers disappear.

She didn't want it to keep coming back like it always has. Especially since recently it's been hard for her… Mostly because of how Ha…

No, now's not the time to be like that. She has a friend over.

To get her mind off of bad memories she began to talk to Akira, "Sorry if my dorm's a bit messy. It takes a lot to get the motivation to clean it." She really should've it cleaned it up earlier when she had the chance.

"I mean I've seen worse. Just a few clothes and unmentionables being left out isn't really that bad." He excused, though halfway through his statement she just sort of shut down…

She didn't really leave underwear out in the open and then invite a guy over right? What kind of message does that send? She was beginning to really regret this. "Chiaki?" Said guy asked.

"Just give me a sec…" She casually stated as she went over and grabbed all her misplaced clothes before swiftly walking over to her bedroom then throwing her stuff in there.

It must have been obvious that she felt awkward cause Akira then said, "There's really nothing to be embarrassed about Chiaki… I understand getting comfortable in your living space and not really thinking about those kinds of things."

She still had the right to feel embarrassed.

Desperate to forget about all that she rushed to her TV, put it on the right hdmi channel, and then sat down on her couch. "Ready to play?" She asked Akira.

"Yeah sure." He said looking a little befuddled.

She was giving such a bad impression of herself right now wasn't she…

As Akira sat down he pointed out, "Uh… You didn't turn on any of your consoles so I don't exactly know what controller to use…"

Maybe she was a bit too quick… Getting back up she turned on her Switch and grabbed two pro controllers from the table between the TV and couch. Handing one to Akira she quickly chose a game to play and launched the application on the console.

"A racing game? I'm not too good at those..." He said as Mario Kart appeared on the screen.

Considering the game she thought her response was good, "It's easy. Don't worry. You'll get a hang of it without much difficulty."

"You could at least explain the controls…" He complained.

"Ah… You've never played a Nintendo console?" She asked.

"Nah, more of a PC guy." He stated.

"Alright." Chiaki said as she leaned over Akira and began pointing at various buttons explaining what each of them did in the game.

Mid-way during explaining she noticed her right breast was pushing into Akira's arm… She once again felt embarrassed but Akira didn't react at all so she assumed he didn't notice.

Sadly he noticed something else. "You alright Chiaki? You look a bit red." He asked.

"N-Nothing, let's play…" She didn't want him to think she was a pervert or anything… Chiaki didn't see Akira that way and at this point it was clear neither did Akira. She was determined to ensure this relationship worked as it should, that being a friendship.

Chiaki was just happy to have a friend who treated her exactly how she wanted to be treated.

So without any other words said the two of them began to play games once again.

10 Minutes Later

Feeling a bit thirsty, Chiaki placed her controller down on the table and got up, much to the confusion of Akira. To clarify what she was doing she told him, "Give me a second I'm gonna get a drink."

"Alright take your time." He responded.

Grabbing a bottle of water from her fridge she took a sip as she walked back to the couch. Not paying attention to her feet she accidentally stubbed her foot into the couch which almost caused her to trip over herself. What it did cause was the water to go tumbling out of her hands and onto the couch…

She hadn't put the cap back on.

Which she didn't notice due to her massaging her foot. "Ah… Crud…" She groaned.

"Shit!" Akira yelled out upon noticing the water.

"You okay Chiaki?" He asked.

Still unaware of the problem she simply responded with, "Yeah I'm fine… Foot's a bit sore… What happened to the water…" She noticed the cap of the bottle on the floor and as she looked on the couch her seat had been soaked…

"Let me help you clean that up." Akira offered as he went into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of paper towels.

It took about a minute but they cleaned up the mess.

"It's still soaked…" Chiaki bemoaned as she felt the seat of the couch.

Chiaki stared at Akira as he had sat back down. "I'm assuming you want me to give up my seat?" Akira asked.

Chiaki felt somewhat bad but she really didn't want to stand… So she just said, "If you don't mind."

"Actually I have a better idea." He said.

"Huh?" She asked.

He motioned to his lap as he said, "We can both sit."

"Eh?" She asked, incredulously this time.

In response to her reaction he then said, "C'mon it'll be fine. If you don't want to I get it. I'll just get up and stand on my poor tired legs."

Chiaki at this point was torn… She didn't want to stand, especially because she was herself tired, and she didn't want to force Akira to stand if he was tired… It didn't help that he was a guest so as the host she should be accommodating…

But she really didn't want to stand…

It should be fine though, right? The two of them were just friends, he wouldn't offer such a thing if he had ulterior motives right? Yeah, Akira's a good guy. She can trust him. He's consistently proven that in such little time.

So without further turmoil she awkwardly sat on Akira's lap. Particularly over his right knee so he could see the screen. She was definitely blushing up a storm. This was only made worse when he inadvertently pulled her in so he could hold his controller.

Her back was now against his chest, and she could feel him breathing.

He then said, "Are you alright? If you feel uncomfortable you don't have to do this…"

That made her feel bad and so she hastily said, "No, no, it's fine... I just didn't expect that…"

"Alright let's get back to it." He said casually.

Meanwhile Chiaki was fighting internally on if she should just stop this and say she'd rather stand or if this should continue. In the end she just said, "Let's…"

And so they continued.

Eventually the position Chiaki was in completely left her mind and she honed back into her passion that is gaming.

Thirty Minutes Later

After handing Akira his own ass for the past twenty minutes in game she could tell he was getting a bit tired. So as he placed down his controller to stretch after the most recent loss screen.

She didn't even think about what he was doing.

Not even as he brought his arms back down, she expected him to pick up the controller.

After a few seconds she realized he wasn't holding his controller.

A few seconds later she would feel why he didn't.

As Akira Furuya was fondling her right breast.

Chiaki could only stare at his hand wide eyed, she was having difficulty processing what just happened. Even as she could see the most obvious proof in the world of what Akira was doing she couldn't believe it.

She could only believe for a very short time that it was just an accident.

But only for that short time.

As Akira began flexing his hand, squishing her soft breast. It was clear what his intent was at this point. She didn't know how to describe what she was feeling at this moment. Disappointment? That's probably the most prevalent feeling right now.

Yet she just continued to sit there offering no resistance as Akira played with her boob. Did she… Not care?

No, she had to care. She could tell due to the pit in her stomach.

Akira, offering no time for Chiaki to collect herself, began to grope her other breast. His hands massaged her boobs roughly and the Ultimate Gamer could feel his grip getting tighter and tighter the longer she did nothing.

Just as she was beginning to think up a response to Akira's actions, he brought both his hands to the tip of her breasts and then pinched and pulled her nipples.

Her nipples were hard.

She couldn't help but let out a squeak at the sudden move, though she wouldn't lie to herself, it was more of a swift moan than a squeak.

"Akira…" She went to say.

"Shh… Just enjoy it Nanami…" He spoke into her left ear, Chiaki could feel his warm breath envelope the left side of her face causing her to shiver.

She didn't want to let him continue… But her will to resist… It was weak… Upon hearing those words she let her arms fall to her side and let Akira do his thing. She's never felt more shame in her life, why was she letting him do this?

Then she began to hear her voice…

No, no, no… It couldn't be…

Was she?

Was she enjoying this?

Her moans were soft, but present. That meant she enjoyed it right? She was enjoying being molested by Akira…

The fear she felt at the realization of what this could mean for her as a person immediately brought back some of her resistance. "Akira… This is too fast, I don't like this…" She said, pleading to his sensibilities.

They only met each other recently, certainly Akira understood that this was going too far too fast right?

"I'm sorry…" He said, and for a moment she felt relief.

Then her hope shattered as he continued, "Don't stress yourself, you'll be comfortable with this soon… I know it's scary now… It's sudden… But we both know you want this, or rather something like this."

She felt her breath catch in her throat. What he said couldn't be true right?

Chiaki groaned to herself but ultimately decided this couldn't continue. She gripped both of Akira's arms and tried to remove the… She tried to remove the… Why is she just holding his arms?

She looked forward, specifically at the TV screen.

It had turned off due to being idle for so long, so all she could see on it was her own face. What was that expression on her face? Her entire face was flushed, her mouth was open quite a bit and she could see subtle movements indicating she was breathing heavily. She didn't even notice until now…

But that was not the worst of it… There was something dull about her eyes… She didn't like that vacant look she had…

Her expression looked as if she could do nothing but enjoy the experience. That was… That wasn't what she was feeling at all… Her body and soul were not aligned in the slightest.

What is she supposed to do in this situation…

"Enjoy it…" Answered Akira.

She felt her entire body shiver and a pleasurable feeling crawled all the way up from her neck down to her toes. What was this?

Akira finally let go of her breasts as she was left twitching in his lap. Chiaki didn't know what to do anymore, she didn't even know how she felt… She could only stare at her molester in anticipation, what was to happen next?

"You feel good don't you?" Akira asked her inquisitively. She didn't know how to react to the question.

All she could do was mumble incoherently, "I… Don… It didn… No…"

He leaned in until their faces were centimeters apart, "That was with all your clothes on you know… With this man layers of fabric in the way of my hands and you felt that good? Just imagine what you would feel if even one layer was removed… Think about the pleasure then."

She tried not to, she really did. But the image was now stuck in her head… She knew for certain she was blushing up a storm, and she could only imagine how lewd she looked…

Panting… Red faced… In the lap of a guy she li…

No…

Too fast, it's all too fast! She needs to get control of herself!

"So why don't you lose the jacket and I'll give you a more personal taste of what I can provide for you. Beyond a comforting presence that is." He spoke without regard for her inner turmoil.

She shouldn't… She really shouldn't.

Yet she did.

Unzipping her jacket she felt as though she was beginning to hyperventilate. She should stop… Yet as she lowered her jacket to her elbows, letting her breasts jut out, she couldn't bring herself to argue anymore.

Despite her mind and soul clearly trying to reason why they should stop this, or at least slow down, her body was assertive in what it wanted.

And it wanted to feel good.

She felt her face grimace as she once again had hands maul her breasts with no remorse. The grimace quickly turned into an awkward expression mixed between mild annoyance and positive expectation. She could feel her lips quiver into a smile as she shut her eyes tight tying to not worry about what was going on.

Akira continued to do his thing, and she continued to do hers. "Show me those eyes of yours, I want to see your desire… I want to see if it matches mine." Akira whispered into her ear.

She hesitantly opened her eyes as her face was turned to look directly into Akira's own eyes. His eyes were that of a predator that had caught its prey, she didn't know how else to describe his glare.

Fear crept its way up her spine, made only worse by what Akira said next, "No, not the same. Something lesser… Are you so lost as a person that even this little amount of joy is enough to ensnare you?"

What… What was that supposed to mean? Was he calling her easy?

He grabbed her chin and said, "We were here to play no? You should get back to that. I have my own 'game' to win."

It was like something clicked inside of Chiaki. The best way for her to distract herself had just presented itself. Picking up the remote and turning on the tv she takes hold of her controller before scrolling to some random downloaded game before starting to play.

"Yes that's it… Let us both have our fun." Akira said as he once again pulled at her nipples.

Though she didn't really hear him, she was too focused on the screen by this point. That's what she told herself anyway.

Not matter how she acted, her face made it clear on how she felt.

And she felt good.

Akira Furuya POV (Minutes later)

You honestly can't believe you're getting away with this! By all accounts this has been a great success! You get to feel some supreme breasts, and you didn't even have to force it! On top of that you think Chiaki is actually enjoying this.

Considering her lack of resistance anyway.

Well, you do realize she put up 'some' resistance. Because even the weakest- willed person would have some problem with another person inflicting their own will onto them.

Yet as of this moment, all that resistance has faded, and you are getting your fill. Your fortune once again leads you to those most vulnerable to your treatment. As a girl like her is like putty in your hands.

All that was needed were some soft words and rough hands, and she was yours.

Even now, as she plays her games, trying to distract herself, you are having the time of your life teasing her. Oh, how you loved the way she tries to squirm out of your lap whenever you get particularly rough... Or how she would pause every time your fingers found their way to her nipples...

In your hands was a gourmet meal, it was only right to feed your sadistic tendencies.

Wanting to taste forbidden fruits began to test your luck.

Reaching for her blouse, you began loosening her outfit by undoing a button or two. Upon realizing you were 'undressing' her, Chiaki let out a gasp and then reached for your hand. But it was already too late. You had snaked your hand underneath her blouse and began mauling her breast once more.

You didn't reach under her bra just yet. Even you have your limits right now.

Chiaki quickly noticed you weren't actually stripping her and returned to her game with trepidation. It was clear that took her off guard, and she was now occasionally looking down at your arm as you 'massaged' Chiaki's bountiful mounds.

You didn't go too much farther than that. You let your thumb wander to the bare skin of her breast, which got a nice reaction from Chiaki as she froze still from the contact.

However, you simply continued what you were doing, molesting Chiaki Nanami as she played her game.

Sadly, after that, the enjoyment of your current activity quickly began to vanish. Chiaki was paying less and less attention to you, which removed all tension.

You also didn't want to go any further, lest you take an unnecessary risk that could call for… Drastic measures.

But seriously, you expected that molesting a gamer girl as she was playing her games would be a bit more fun!

But now that she's getting used to it there's nothing more you can do!

In annoyance you pinch her right nipple through her bra, getting a bit of a jolt from the gamer girl but nothing more. Not even a gasp! Not even a held- back moan!

It drove you insane!

Ah, maybe this is simply what you get.

It was fun while it lasted.

Removing your hands from Chiaki's body, you let the gamer girl finish her gaming session as you let her sit on your lap. Honestly, you barely paid attention to how your body was reacting to Chiaki's butt rubbing against your hidden erection at this point. Mostly because you had become invested in what she was doing.

You will not accept any sort of blame! Watching Chiaki play is actually hypnotic!

You don't mean her body either, she's just clearly good at playing video games!

Hmm… You wonder what she's thinking actually… Was she really that focused on her game? The gameplay seems to suggest that, but she is an ultimate for a reason.

Does it really matter though? You should just sit and enjoy the show, you got your fill.

Let Chiaki have her fun.

Chiaki Nanami POV (A few minutes after she finished playing her game)

Even as she led Akira outside, she felt tense. She felt worried, not that Akira would hurt her or anything, but instead her worry was directed at something more personal. She worried that Akira viewed her as someone who was 'easy'.

As in someone that would be... Easy to seduce... Someone he could play around with without consequence.

She was also worried that he would be right in that thought. That she really was 'easy'. She should've shown some strength and prevented him from molesting her. Instead, she let him do as he pleased, he only stopped when she began showing some self-control by not reacting to his touch.

The fact that she was capable of doing that at least gave her some solace that she wasn't that 'easy'.

Yet as she opened the door for Akira, and waved goodbye to him… She couldn't help but feel tense as she said goodbye.

Why was she not outwardly acknowledging what just happened? Is she actually 'easy'? But she was capable of getting Akira to stop. So is she only so 'easy'? Is she 'easy' at all?

She doesn't like these thoughts but they all share a source. "Akira…" She wistfully said his name as she slumped onto her door after closing it.

Why does she feel this way? "Akira…" She said his name once again as she sat there.

Her cheeks were on fire, she could feel it. She must look like a tomato by now. She is so embarrassed. That guy… She couldn't be 'easy'... She's never felt this way before, not even with Hajime.

Was this Lust?

She wouldn't let anyone just do that to her. She knows better.

Her hand began to drift between her legs._

Yet she just let Akira do that. She didn't even act outraged! She pretended like it was normal!

Pulling up her skirt, she reaches towards her crotch._

Why did he make her feel like this? They only just met!

Unconsciously, she moves her panties to the side._

Was this Lust?

With two of her fingers she delves into her own body without noticing._

Was this something more? "Akira…" She says once again, her tone full of affection.

She pulls them out for a moment, then plunges them back in ad nauseum._

Was this love? True love?

She felt something deep inside her roar as she continued to pleasure herself._

"Akira!" She shouted as she came. It was at this point she realized what she had been doing.

Looking at her cum stained fingers in despair Chiaki bemoans, "I really am that 'easy'..."

That did not sit right with her. She didn't want to be 'easy'. Not for Akira. She didn't understand why she felt so strongly about this but the idea of Akira just seeing her as 'easy' was something she could not abide.

Making herself decent she stood up with an odd amount odd determination.

She thought to herself, 'I'm not 'easy'!'

She then said aloud, "I'm hard mode!"

She then proceeded to cringe at her own statement.

Akira Furuya POV (Dorm Lounge)

Who would've guessed she would be right where you expected? If you had to barge into class late just to grab her, you would be a little more than upset. But of course, someone like Toko would skip class.

She appears to be in a slump.

Her face is sorrowful, and she appears to be trying to pass the time by reading. You could only wonder what left her in such a mood, but honestly, you don't care. You're here for a very specific reason.

Walking up to the Ultimate Writing Prodigy you let your presence be known with a simple, "Ahem."

Toko jolts in her seat, and a myriad of emotions fly across her face. Starting with fear, then rage, and then surprise, all culminating in overwhelming joy as her eyes widen upon seeing you. "Master!" She shouted upon realizing it was you.

That caught you by surprise.

"Huh?" You say this as Toko returns to being fearful.

"W-Was I not supposed to call you that… N-No it was sir… Yes, that's right… I-I didn't m-mean to be imp-improper, sir." She went on and on beyond that, but you were left a bit confused until you remembered your last interaction with Toko.

You might as well fix this real quick before getting to the matter at hand.

"Master is fine... Pet." You interrupt Toko.

The girl shivers at your statement before excitedly saying, "So you wanted to spend time with me, Master? I saw you didn't attend class, so I assume that means you wanted to do something else? Were you looking for-?" You tuned her out pretty quickly as she went on and on again.

Interrupting her once more, you say, "Toko."

The girl immediately shuts up and stands at attention as you tower over her.

"I'm in need of your 'service'... But that would require privacy, I was thinking we'd sequester ourselves to your dorm for now, then begin talking there… Would that be fine with you?" You ask.

Toko looks a bit pensive but quickly nods as she begins heading out of the lounge.

You follow close behind as she leads you out and to her dorm.

A few minutes later

Upon entering the writer's dorm, you take note of the gloomy atmosphere and an absolutely repugnant smell. For a moment, you expected to find her room in a similar state as Hyoko's, with trash abundant and a complete lack of care for her living space.

Only to find it completely orderly and well-taken care of.

"G-Give me a second…" Toko excuses herself as she heads to her kitchen.

She reaches into the cabinet under her sink and pulls out some air freshener. Toko takes a moment to spray the whole of her dorm with it and quickly the rotten smell is replaced with a chemical smell.

"What even was that stench?" You ask in disgust.

"Sorry Master… I don't usually have guests… But at least it smells better now, right?" Toko asks with apparent tension.

The smell certainly was a turn-off. However, with how earnest Toko was, you could only say, "Ugh, as long as it's fine now, I guess."

She seemed relieved.

Wanting to forget that smell and also because you wanted to have fun, you then tell Toko out of the blue, "Sit."

Now you expected you would have to explain what you meant or that you would tease Toko until she's a quivering mess on the floor, readying herself for what's to come. Hell, even just needing to repeat what you said due to its sudden nature was on the table.

What you didn't expect was for Toko to immediately drop to her knees and then look up at you in anticipation. It was as if she had been waiting this whole time for this moment.

Well best not to keep your pet waiting then…

"What an obedient pet..." You whisper to yourself.

Toko continues to stare at you, clearly nervous. She clearly wanted to say something, but before she could gain the courage to do so, you asked, "What degenerate fantasies have you been having to so swiftly understand what I meant?"

That question only served to make Toko even more anxious as she struggled to say anything.

As she continued to stay on her knees, you watched as her body began to involuntary shiver before she finally gained enough courage to say, "I was thinking Master would finally claim me as his slave. That he would wrap a collar around my throat and tell me to follow his commands before... Before he..."

Her face became flushed, and her lips quivered as she said, "Before he shoves my head onto the floor, ripping me of all belongings, and taking my… M-My… My virginity!"

"You're such a bitch in heat, Toko." Is all you can say as you smile at the clearly disturbed girl.

She groaned pleasantly at your statement, clearly caught between embarrassment and enjoyment. Walking up to the writer, you cup her face with your right hand as you ask, "Is that all, Toko? Is that all you want from me? To make you a woman?"

"My woman?" You ask quietly, whispering into her ear.

Her face was on fire, her gaze was lustful, and her lips squirmed. She was clearly incapable of deciding whether she should say something or not. All she did was nod.

"Not just yet. We have to pace ourselves, yes?" You ask her.

Again, she nods.

"Now, if you would relieve me of my pants... We can begin." You order.

Toko nods enthusiastically as she reaches for your fly, but before she can, you grab both her hands and tell her, "Not with those."

Outraged, Toko was incapable of keeping herself quiet any longer as she asked, "How am I supposed to..." She was interrupted as you smacked the back of your right hand against her cheek.

She seemed a little upset at the treatment, but she still hadn't lost her blush or the lust in her eyes. You smirk at her, then say, "You're a smart girl. You can figure it out."

Though irregardless of how smart she is, it would take her some time to figure out a way to remove your pants.

However, as she now stares up at you so shyly, it was definitely worth it. Her teeth clenched down onto your pants zipper as she began to pull downward. The sound of her groaning and the unzipping of your pants was tantalizing with the sight before you.

As the zipper became fully undone, you told Toko, "Now, you can use your hands."

In a quick motion, the Ultimate Writer unbuttoned your pants, and then, in the next second, neither pants nor underwear were left to block your erect member. Without prompting, you slam your dick down onto the right side of Toko's face, causing the girl to flinch at the surprising action.

She began to reach for it until you slapped her cheek with your left hand and told her, "Stay still."

"Take a moment to soak it all in. Your prize is right here, pet. No need to rush." You said as your dick rested on her face, you were made slightly uncomfortable due to her glasses.

"Y-Yes M-Master…" Toko said in a haze, her warm breath making up for the discomfort her glasses caused.

She really was such a slut.

Once a minute has passed, you tell Toko, "Now you may begin. But start with my jewels first. You can work the shaft once I believe you deserve to."

The girl let out an affirmative hum as she let your dick rest on her face. Toko's hands left her sides and found themselves below the base of your cock as she began to fondle your balls. Her grasp was gentle. She cradled your family jewels like they were precious artifacts, as if they were the most important things she had laid her hands upon.

Yet even though she obviously enjoys groping your privates, it isn't enough for her.

The greedy gal began to drag her face down to your testicles. Noticing this act immediately, you let her do as she pleases, the only sign of your displeasure being your words as you say, "Naughty, naughty girl." Toko's flushed face gets even redder at your words.

As she drifted on down, you could feel her sniff your cock, it was oddly arousing. Made all the better as she finally reached her destination. Toko was officially beneath you; her entire form rested underneath your dick as she continued to fondle you.

With surprising confidence, Toko brings her mouth up to your right testicle before lightly clasping down on it with her lips, then sucking.

It was an odd experience, and truly, Toko was an odd individual.

But she was a pleasurable one, for sure.

Since her glasses are no longer rubbing up against your cock, you take the chance to slap your member against her forehead. You then repeat your earlier words, "Naughty girl indeed."

All Toko did in response was mumble out an apology as she continued to indulge herself.

"You no longer need to hungrily suck at my balls, Toko. You can now take part in what you truly want." You inform her. You had become painfully erect at this point, and playing around any longer would've made you act more like a beast than a man.

The lust in her eyes tripled as she immediately let go of your balls. Her mouth was left ajar as she trailed her tongue from the base of your member to the tip. Upon reaching your tip, she then gouged herself on as much dick as she could fit into her slim throat.

Which was almost half of your length!

This girl is absolutely crazy about your dick, that's for sure!

"Slow down before you hurt yourself." You try to tell her.

Toko ignores you, too busy indulging in her lust and enjoying your body. Taking hold of her braids, you rip Toko off of your dick. "M-Master! W-Why!" Toko immediately complains.

With a deadpan expression, you then tell the writer, "I'll have you know I have other girls I can go to if you're not gonna listen properly." You watch Toko's face pale and her eyes widen in fear as you say your piece, the girl is terrified of the implication.

"H-Huh? Where… Where is this coming from, Master? I can please you! I can!" She begged and pleaded, but ultimately, it did nothing to sway you.

You then slap her as she continues to blabber on before saying, "Listen to me, Toko. You're my pet, got it?"

She nods at the statement, then says, "Y-Yes, M-Master?"

"Therefore, you are special to me. You're my first pet after all." You speak whimsically, and as you speak, you notice that your words seem to brighten her mood.

Feeling as though she wasn't quite following you, you then yell at her, "However, I have no use for a pet that can't listen to simple instructions. Got it!"

"Y-Y-Yes! Sorry! Master!" Toko cried out.

Certain that Toko now has the full picture, you tell her, "Good. Now get back to it, and pace yourself. I don't want you to choke yourself and have your gag reflex do something you'd really regret…"

Nodding fiercely, Toko starts to wrap her mouth around your dick once more. However, this time she actually listens to what you ordered her to do and paces herself.

Good.

She's learning.

Learning that a pet's wants always come after a master's needs is an important step to her becoming your real pet.

You think Toko listened to you too well. She isn't speeding up, nor is she going much further than she already has. You were getting bored, BORED, of all things. In annoyance, you bring up, "You do realize if you're going to be this slow, I could've gotten myself off by now, right? Or better yet, go find someone clearly better than you to do that for me…"

Panicking Toko quickly picked up the pace. You think she tried to say something as well, but your dick was now shoved so far down her throat that nothing legible could be heard.

Feeling annoyed still, you took out on Toko obviously, "Just so you know, even if you give me the best head this world has ever seen. It isn't gonna stop me from being with other, much better girls, got it?"

Like clockwork, your words got Toko motivated, and now-!

Oh hell yeah! Deepthroat!

Burning with passion, you grabbed both of Toko's braids with one hand before pulling her in and forcing her to stay like that for about a minute. She struggled for a moment but didn't resist once you began moving your hips on your own.

With you holding her hair tightly, she could only get so far from your cock as you pistoned through her mouth and into her throat. It felt damn good. Toko's throat was slim, at least in comparison to the other girls you've fucked, which of course meant she sucked you off real good!

You were going to cum any moment now, so after a few more thrusts, you pulled the Ultimate Writer off your dick and cummed all over her face. You got a lot of your spunk on her glasses, to Toko's dismay.

However, she didn't get a chance to complain as you ripped off her glasses and tossed them to the side. "H-Hey! I… I need those!" She shouted.

Toko went to crawl for her glasses, but before she could, you lifted her by her neck and forced her to stand up. "Not right now, you don't." You say as you force your pet to stare into your eyes.

At that point, Toko stops resisting and simply stands there waiting for what you were going to do next, only to be surprised by sudden, raucous laughter.

"H-Huh?" Was her only reaction to your sudden change in behavior.

"Such a good little bitch! You might not be perfected yet, but you definitely will be a good pet eventually, you slut! I mean, look at you! Do you have any dignity? Any at all? To let me so easily and thoroughly defile you! To let me take your freedoms away so willingly! What's wrong with you? Are you really that much of a horny bitch?" You rant in her face.

Your words immediately cause Toko to come to some realization, and for once, the girl seems to feel shame. Though it's too late at this point, "Don't go feeling sorry for yourself now! You're my pet, after all! Actually, now that I think about it... Last time I checked, pets don't wear clothing…"

"Strip." You command

With great shame, Toko begins to take off her dress. However, as she goes to do so, you add, "Slowly! Put some effort into it and make it sexy, eh?"

Toko nods silently as she does what you say, taking off her dress slowly. This action lets your mind wander and try to figure out her figure before you can see it. Her top was off soon enough, and she went a bit fast on removing her skirt, though you didn't get on her case over it.

With all that was left to cover her being her underwear, Toko pathetically hides her stick of a body with her arms. She was really thin, and not in a particularly hot way.

She wasn't anorexic or anything, but she was thin. Too thin for your liking. She wasn't svelte, Toko practically had no curvers. Her body wasn't particularly attractive, nor did it help her look cute and vulnerable.

Sighing to yourself, you realize you will probably have to pressure her into taking better care of herself to get some meat on those skinny bones of hers. But you don't need her to be on par with other girls right now. She was fine, her face alone made her a five out of ten.

Even if her body wasn't particularly superb, she was still a good six.

Toko was probably unnerved by your gaze. So to prevent her from feeling too uneasy, you walk up to her and pet her head before saying, "Good girl…"

With a hidden glare, you add, "Now get those scraps of cloth you call underwear off and get on your hands and knees."

Toko listened. As she was a good pet after all, and good pets listen to their master's commands.

She did as she was told and stood there on all fours in the nude. With how your pet's head occasionally swerved to look at you as you walked around her, you'd be willing to call her cute. However, now was not the time for praise.

Upon reaching Toko's ass, you copped a feel. She was quick to turn to look at you, surprised at you touching her butt. She was a bit flat at both ends, but the reaction was arousing enough with how she shyly hid her blushing face afterwards.

As you passed Toko's head, you took hold of one of her braids before pulling her forward.

"Ugh!" Toko grunted as she quickly followed.

She was obviously not ready for your action and was far more perplexed when you grabbed her other braid before continuing to lead her somewhere. Her face made it clear she didn't enjoy this that much, which was a surprise to you. The writer always acted like a masochistic slut, but maybe she has things she doesn't like after all.

"Do you… Have to pull-?" She tried to ask.

However, you were already ahead of her as you said, "Yes, now follow me."

She made an uneasy hum before she continued to follow behind you as you led her to her bedroom door.

Even though she couldn't really see what you were doing, Toko quickly realized where you were taking her as she shouted, "W-Wait! D-Don't go in there!"

Without regard, you open her bedroom door. Due to her reaction, you expected to find something embarrassing, but instead... It was normal? You looked down at the Ultimate Writer as you realized she was hiding her face behind her hands, clearly embarrassed for whatever reason.

Toko then raved under her breath, though you couldn't actually hear what she was saying, "A boy... A boy's in my room... A boy I like... Eheheh... I'm not ready... Not ready at all... You should've told me I would've prepared the room more..." An uneasy smile could be seen underneath her hands, and though you couldn't hear her...

You knew Toko was being odd again.

"Did I say you could stop?" You asked menacingly.

Toko quickly began crawling again as she hurriedly said, "S-Sorry, M-Master!"

Leading her to the edge of her bed, you watch the girl look at you in confusion, clearly unaware of your intentions. You pull her braids up, forcing her onto just her knees as you say, "Get on the bed? Are you daft?"

Toko looked apologetic and quickly followed your instructions.

Letting go of her braids, you look at the girl eye-to-eye as she sits on her bed awkwardly staring at you, waiting for your next order.

So you order her simply, "Turn around and bark like the bitch you are, pet!" Toko's blush had reached it's reddest yet. Oh, the hidden fear in her eyes! It's intoxicating!

She did not resist. She did as she was told.

Toko Fukawa faced away from you, and despite this, you could imagine the exact expression on her face. The exact one.

As she barked like a dog.

You knew her face was one of servile humiliation.

She really was a good girl.

Putting your knee onto the bed, you smack Toko's ass as you tell her, "Keep barking, bitch! Start shaking that ass of yours too, as if you had a tail!"

Her barking got louder and more erratic as she began to shake her butt. Laughing to yourself as you smack her ass once more as you let her thoroughly humiliate herself. You then climb onto the bed, kneeling just behind Toko as she continues to shake her ass and bark.

Unable to resist temptation any longer, you push Toko down, getting a yelp from her as she stills under your grasp. Your hands wander over her body and face, every twitch of Toko got your dick harder and harder.

Soon enough, you were rubbing your dick against Toko's pussy between her thighs.

Gripping Toko's chin, you force her to face you as you get a gander at her face. "Scared?" You asked.

She shook her head no, too afraid to speak.

"Excited?" You then say, this time receiving a nod.

A brief chuckle is exchanged before you say, "Good." Without warning the writer, you flip her onto her back and get on top of her, grasping her hands and holding them down.

"Know that I will not be gentle." You whisper into her ear, and you watch as she shivers under you.

Tension was on the rise as the head of your dick poked at her most precious place.

In a single motion, Toko's virginity is ripped away from her as you begin fucking her like you hadn't touched a woman in years. So rabid in your lust for her womanhood, you barely catch onto the fact that Toko was gripping your back with both her hands and legs as you went to work.

The bedroom was filled with nothing but the sounds of hardcore sex.

Grunts, moans, and the smack of flesh against flesh.

Toko looked as if she was completely absorbed in you fucking her, and in your case, you were quite literally too focused on fucking her to care.

She felt great; her slim body was insanely tight, and with how she was gripping you, it made it easier to bang her. Was this the best sex you ever had? No, you wouldn't even suggest it was top-five material.

However, the sheer animalistic sex that was occurring definitely made this particular session enjoyable.

As you continued to thrust into her, you began to rant, "You fucking bitch, this is what you were made for! Getting fucked!" You yelled into her face as your arms pushed into the bed on either side of Toko's head.

You don't know what compelled you to be so crass, but there was just something about Toko and the current events that made such blatant degeneracy enjoyable.

You continued in your ramblings, "That's all you're good for anyway! Being my fucking fleshlight and being there for me to fuck with as I please! But hey, maybe I'm giving you too little credit."

"Perhaps you could write some half-decent smut for me to jack off to when I'm feeling lonely, but then again! I guess that only further proves my point, doesn't it?" You yell.

Toko clings onto your back as hard as possible as you say this. You could feel your skin tearing as her nails dug into you, all the while she shouted out, "Yes~!" Toko had cum, and she cummed hard.

This sensation was surprisingly sobering, as you realized you too would cum soon.

However, you wanted this to last. You really wanted this to last.

Yet, you realized your wish couldn't be granted. Time flew by like that as you shout, "Fuck!" Load after load is dumped deep into Toko. The writer lets out a sound that could only be described as a purr, as she is filled up very quickly.

"Amazing…" She breathlessly says.

"It's everything I could've wanted and more~!" She says before her eyes shut, it appears you've not only really made Toko's day but fucked her into a coma.

Then she sits up straight in the split of a second, causing her to bump her head into yours. What happened next was the last thing you could've expected as Toko jumped onto you and seductively said, "Ah, oops~! I was far too eager, Master~!"

Looking at your pet, you catch on quickly that she looked less like a timid dog and now more like a mischievous cat. If that makes any sense…

What you're trying to allude to is, well…

Something about Toko had suddenly changed.

It seems that you were about to be greeted to an entirely new side of the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, just after taking her virginity.

With exceptional confidence, Toko rubbed her body against yours. Fearing no reprimand, she rested her very head into the crook of your neck and then began sniffing you. She was acting very differently. There was no way this was as simple as dissociative identity disorder.

Was Toko inflicted with an entirely new kind of personality disorder?

You were too invested in analyzing Toko's behavior, so you let her do as she pleased.

Her hands wandered all over your body. You began to wonder if she just liked touching you or if there was something more to her actions.

Toko then suddenly stops in her actions, and you stare at her curiously. The Ultimate Writing Prodigy then wraps her arms around your body before thrusting her face into the center of your chest. You then hear Toko mutter under her breath, "So perfect. Master~! Master~! I found my Master~!"

What an odd thing to say.

This far more brazen Toko starts lowering herself while her arms are still wrapped around you; it doesn't take long for her to come face-to-face with your member. "So big… Bigger than all those boys… You really are my Master~!" She says, her voice sounds as if she were drunk.

You don't respond to her words, wondering what she's going to do.

Toko wraps her hands around your member, and suddenly an oddly long tongue exits her mouth.

You'll admit you lost a bit of your cool when you saw that monster of a tongue exit her mouth. That thing had to be nearly three decimeters!

Without time to process, she began using that tongue of hers to lick your member. It was oddly maneuverable, as she was capable of wrapping it around your tip fully. It was like she had three hands instead of two!

Then she began talking, though you could barely understand her thanks to the fact she was jerking you off with her tongue!

"Do you like it~?" Was basically the only thing that was legible.

"Yeah, I do." You tell her as you pet her head.

Her eyes shine at your praise, and she begins to work much faster.

Toko, in a manic state, then starts to repeatedly say one word, "Cum… Cum… Cum… Cum… Cum…"

You couldn't last much longer with just how lewd this version of Toko was. That tongue was so oddly arousing, and with all that stimulation on top of that, you don't feel at all bad for cumming so fast.

As ropes of cum lay slathered on her face and tongue, Toko begins to clean herself with that odd tongue of hers as she says, "Master's cum…"

What she said after that made you chill a bit, "I wonder how his blood tastes. His cum tastes so divine, so his blood must be like ambrosia."

She must've not been aware you could hear because she said that right in front of you so casually.

"Can I have some of your blood, Master~!" Toko then asked.

Perhaps instead, she was simply crazy…

What the fuck did you get yourself into?

You ensure your voice is firm as you say, "No."

Toko shriveled at the answer before jumping off the bed and acting as if your answer didn't upset her. Wrapping her hand behind her head, she says, "Oh, well! If my Master says no… Then the answer is no~!"

Her words don't match her feelings as she says, "I'll get to taste Master's blood one day, but it's no good without permission~!"

You don't say it aloud, but yeah, you are not letting this crazy chick ever taste your blood if you can help it.

Toko then got on her knees at the edge of the bed as she said, "Is there anything else I can do for you, Master~? I don't want you to leave so soo-~!"

Her words were left unfinished as your dick landed on her face with a distinct slap from the harsh contact. You then tell her, "You've been a good cumdump and all, but I'm afraid it's best if I get going. Don't worry though, Toko. We'll have another go sometime soon, I'm certain."

"Aw… Well, if Master needs to go~! Who am I to keep you here~?" She said in response, reveling in the feeling of your shaft on her face.

She then whispered under her breath, "Though I wish I could tie you down and enjoy myself forever~."

You pretended to not hear her.

After removing yourself from the bed, you make your way to leave in a particularly quicker manner than usual.

However, just as you were about to exit you feel Toko wrap her thin arms around you as she says, "You know I'm not that gloomy girl… Is that why you're so quick to run away?"

Tensing up, you say, "Nah. I am really busy. I wouldn't mind staying a bit longer to see what that tongue of yours can really do, but again, I have to go."

"Ah, such a benevolent Master~! I can feel the love~! But if we do have another go like you promised, just know… Don't call me Toko. Call me Jack." Those were the last words exchanged between you and the Ultimate Writing Prodigy's alter ego before you left her dorm.

Standing just outside the door you wonder to yourself, "Do I have a habit of associating with dangerous people?"

Thinking it over for a second you then say, "No, that would be ridiculous."

Looking out from the balcony, you take a second to think…

Alright… What's next, then?

Domination Gains!

Toko gained 20 Adoration!

Toko gained 15 Obedience, Respect, and Loyalty!

Toko gained Properly Paranoid!

Found Toko's perk Blood-Lust!

Standing outside of the Ultimate Therapist's office, you wait outside for Miaya to finish whatever she was doing. After you had left Toko's dorm, you realized how late it was, and you realized it would be in your best interest to not skip your duties as a 'therapist' like you did with class.

However, it seemed Miaya was busy.

You don't know who is in there with her, but you weren't going to be rude and interrupt. Instead, you would wait like the good little boy you were…

You couldn't keep a straight face at that thought.

Chuckling to yourself, you quickly silence yourself as you hear the door opening.

A harsh voice is heard as someone exits the office, "I'm telling you there's something wrong with her! If you aren't going to take my concerns as her friend seriously, then what's the point of having a therapist at this fucking school?"

Well, well… Ruruka Ando, of all people? That was the last person you expected.

Miaya, meanwhile, seemed tranquil as she said, "Ando, I understand you are concerned, but I can't force Kimura to admit if something is or is not going wrong. I can't do anything without Kimura being willing to speak with me. Please do not pressure her into seeking my help if she is unwilling to seek help in the first place."

Ruruka pointed her finger at Miaya as she began to complain, "Ugh! Everyone in this school is so goddamn usele-… You…" Then she noticed you were here.

"What do you want?" Ruruka rudely asked.

Not giving Ruruka a second thought, you tell her, "I'm here to speak with Miaya."

She glared at you for a moment before her eyes widened ever so slightly before narrowing, "What did you do to Seiko?"

"Huh?" Frankly, you're offended at the gall.

"Yeah, that's the only thing that's changed recently… What did you do to Seiko! She's been completely normal until she met you! She's brought you up a bit too often, too! What did you do?" Ruruka accused.

Not having any of it, Miaya then raised her voice and said, "Ando! What is wrong with you!"

Seemingly realizing the situation she was in, Ando's eyes widened once more as she fumbled her words, "I… Um…"

Calming herself down, Miaya tells her, "No, it doesn't matter. You better go and calm yourself, Ando; you are being hysterical. I understand you're very familiar with Kimura and can tell something has changed about her… However, that is no excuse to go accusing people of involvement in Kimura's change of behavior for no reason at all!"

Unable to come up with any excuse or reasoning for her actions, the confectioner shrinks away as she says, "W-Whatever…" She quickly runs off after that, not staying in your presence.

"That girl… She didn't even apologize." Miaya complained.

Miaya then bowed and said, "I'm sorry for her behavior. That girl is really possessive over her friends, and she gets so worked up when she notices anything wrong. I just wish she had patience sometimes."

"Don't worry. I've worked with some tough patients in the past. I can take a bit of disrespect." You tell her.

Miaya nods thankfully as she then says, "Thank you for your understanding… Now I know this may be a bit rude after all that; however, I wish to request something of you, Akira."

"Hmm?" You ask, curious about what she could possibly ask for.

Miaya then explains, "I have a very specific student I wish for you to speak with today. She's a part of your sister class and has been erratic as of late due to a traumatic nightmare. At least that's what she tells me. I haven't been really able to help her, as she gets very defensive whenever I probe for more information."

"Miu Iruma, right?" You ask, and you smile internally upon the realization.

Miaya nods as she continues explaining, "Yes, her. I've done the best I can, but this honestly seems to be more than a bad dream. I really worry something genuinely horrible happened to her. I hope you would be willing to handle her with a different perspective and expertise than my own, as it doesn't seem to be helping."

Well, that might be because you are trying to treat genuine trauma as though they were night terrors. It's not entirely her fault for misdiagnosing the issue; after all, there's no evidence something happened to Iruma, so you can't get on her case. Also, if you did, that would reveal your involvement.

"If you're sure. Though I must ask, will she even be willing to speak to me? She seemed deathly afraid of me and Makoto yesterday." You bring up.

Miaya nods as a soft smile appears on her face, "Yes, I've spoken to her. I cannot guarantee you'll be able to get through to her, but she's at least agreed to try and hear you out."

"Alright then, all I can do is wait for her to arrive, yeah?" You ask.

"Mhm… After that, I'll leave it to you." Miaya said.

Though Miaya was unaware that she had just handed this poor girl…

Into the hands of the devil.

You sat patiently in a lounge chair as you waited for Miu to show up. Your mind was wandering all over the place due to the hilarity of the situation. You're honestly impressed at how goddamn stupid this girl is.

What in the world was she thinking?

Seriously, you couldn't have gotten a better outcome after fucking that girl. 'Night terrors' what a load of bullshit. The very idea that night could've been anything but real shouldn't even be a thought that crossed Miu's mind. Though that did bring into question…

Did she really think it was a dream?

A lewd nightmare of sorts?

The possibility was certainly amusing. Yet even if Miu did not present herself as the wisest of people, there has to be a limit to one person's stupidity. Maybe you'll be left impressed if you are wrong. Regardless, there is one thing you are certain about.

Miu has not told anyone about what actually happened.

If Miaya was aware the 'dream' was about sexual assault, even if Miaya had the slightest bit of trust in you, she would never allow a male to head Miu's mental recovery. Even if you were an Ultimate.

You couldn't stop yourself from grinning like a madman.

You were but a push away from cackling maniacally at the situation. However, you had to keep it together. Any moment now, Miu Iruma will walk through that door and metaphorically plop herself into your lap.

Oh yes… That's another thing… The fact this is happening at all means Miu couldn't even figure out you were the one who raped her!

That's fucking hilarious.

"Kehehehe…" You couldn't hold in your laughter at that point, your snickering thankfully went unnoticed.

Collecting yourself, you look forward at the door as you see the knob turn. A dark shine lit your eyes as you watched Miu peak her head in. The second she spied you smiling gently at her, you could see her pupils contract and a blush overcome her face.

"Is there a problem, Iruma?" Miaya asked from outside.

Putting on false bravado, Miu then says, "N-No… Not at all! I can handle this!" The Ultimate Inventor then proceeds to march over to the lounge chair across from you.

Poking her own head into the room, Miaya informs Miu, "If you're certain I won't stop you. But if you believe you'll get nothing from this, it is better to come up with an alternative."

Upon receiving no response from Miu, as she had become a mess of nerves at this point, Miaya could only sigh to herself before shutting the door and leaving. With the door closed, it was final. Miu was in your hands, free for you to manipulate as you please.

Shifting the position you sat in, you look kindly at Miu as you tell her, "Thank you for coming to see me. Miaya told me you had been having trouble with night terrors?"

In response to your question, Miu just sat there, quite literally twiddling her thumbs.

Her only response was to give you a nod.

At least she gave you a response.

Not letting your expression change in the slightest, you elaborate, "I'm afraid Miaya did not give me more details than that, though I do believe that is because she never had the details to begin with. I understand if you do not wish to talk about these terrors of yours; however, I will need something to work with. I may be an Ultimate, but I'm not a miracle worker."

Miu then spoke up, "Y-Yeah, I get that… J-Just give me a second, alright; my head's been a mess."

Nodding to her request, you then say, "Of course."

Miu then began rubbing both sides of her temple with her index fingers. A few seconds pass, and she stops, seemingly entering a state of serenity.

You raise a brow at this, not really following whatever mental ritual Miu was attempting to do.

Miu's expression then becomes very agitated as she suddenly starts shouting, "I hadn't told that therapist this because she honestly freaks me out, but I think I got raped!"

Your face suddenly becomes deadpan as you let out a, "Eh?"

A few seconds pass as you stare at the mortified girl with a blank expression. Annoyed at your lack of reaction, Miu points a finger at you and says, "I'm being serious, okay! I think I got raped!"

"You think?" You repeat the most important part.

Miu continues to point at you as she exclaims, "I'm like eighty-two percent certain! Not confident enough to say it did in fact happen, but certain enough to exclaim it's a possibility, alright!"

Sighing to yourself, you tell her, "Okay… Let's take this one step at a time, because while that sort of revelation is awe-inspiring and all, it doesn't give me much to work with."

"You don't believe me?" Miu shouts in outrage.

"Miu, I'm going to only say this once. If you're not in the mood to be helped, don't bother seeking it." You coldly inform her.

Miu then experiences a sudden change in mood as she begins to cower from you, "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means if you are not willing to accept the way I go about things in my efforts to help you, why bother seeking my help?" You point out.

Calming down a little, Miu scratches at her cheek as she says, "Oh… So, like, you do believe me, but you just want to figure out what I mean? Or something like that."

"Something like that." You say gently, trying to re-enter the persona you had intended to keep.

"W-Well… Then what's taking you so long… If you've got questions ask em…" She says rudely.

"Okay, first off, why didn't you tell Miaya about any of this?" You ask.

"Didn't you hear me? She's a creep!" Miu says, sounding offended.

"Could you elaborate?" You politely ask.

Miu then sits up and crosses her arms as she says, "Well, first off did you see how tiny she was? She's a grown woman, and she's like four foot nine."

As Miu speaks, you mentally note the fact that Miaya is in fact exactly five feet.

"I don't trust anyone over the age of eighteen that's under five foot two, you got me? Like I get some people don't have a choice in the matter, but you gotta understand it's creepy having her stare up at me like that!" Miu explains.

What the fuck did short people ever do to her?

You expected that to be it, but then Miu continued speaking, "Speaking of staring—that's basically all she does, and it's fucking creepy! I'm stressed the fuck out enough as it is, and I got a midget glaring at me from across the room! She's like one of those little ghost girls from a horror show!"

That one is a bit more understandable, but not really a reason to be like this-.

Then Miu kept speaking, "Oh and she never fucking speaks unless spoken to like a fucking-… Creep? That's all I can really describe her as, and anyway, that's not the point! I thought Therapists were meant to like coax out your problems, lay them out for you, and then help solve them but she just… Doesn't do anything!"

You really had to hold in the fact that Miu didn't give Miaya much to work from what you could tell.

However, Miu was not done, not yet, "So yeah, she's a total freak! How the hell a woman like her is the Ultimate Therapist is beyond me. I never felt at ease for one moment! Ah! Just thinking about her stare gives me the goddamn shivers!" As she said that you noticed she did in fact shiver quite intensely.

"Hopefully, I can give you a better experience than what Miaya could provide." You say with a strained expression, really trying your best to call out Miu's clear prejudice against Miaya.

"Yeah I hope so too! Because I swear I'm like this close to just going to the police!" Miu then suddenly informs.

Again, you have to hold back from telling Miu that's what she should've done in the first place. Mostly because that would probably require you to actually start being serious.

"Oh, also before you say anything, the reason why I haven't is cause I have like three DUI's and I am not dealing with those guys again unless I have to. I wasn't even drunk the second time! And the third time I wasn't even the one driving, K1-B0 was, and it's not my fault that I needed him to learn how to drive so I can have a chauffeur when I _am_ drunk!" And that was the last thing Miu said before she took a deep breath and calmed down.

Okay, this girl was just… Certifiably insane.

'One step at a time Akira, one step at a time…' You think to yourself as you massage your temple.

"Alright then.. Since Miaya was a no-go… Why work with me, then? If you had been sexually assaulted, one would assume you'd be less tolerant of men…" You brought up.

Miu suddenly tensed as she began rubbing her left arm as she said, "I don't think I should say."

"I can take it." You say, doing your best to stay amicable with Miu.

Being given the go-ahead, Miu nervously says, "Weeeell… You give off a… You're kind of a… Well, you see-..."

"You know I'm more offended at the fact you're so unwilling to say whatever you want to say than you not saying it, right?" You tell her, not really expecting anything scathing.

"You're a beta." She says with a deadpan expression.

'Well fuck you too bitch.' You shout in your head.

"Welp… Nothing I can do about the way you feel, right?" You state.

"Isn't that your job, though?" She asks.

More than willing to steer the topic in a different direction, you tell her, "I can only do so much. Giving out advice and nice words only does so much. Think about me less like someone who will change you and more like someone who will guide you towards change."

"Therapy really is a scam." She says, with that same fucking deadpan expression.

Doing your best, your fucking best, to stay calm, you tell her, "Well, perhaps I can change your mind by the time we're done."

"Big doubt." She says as she rests her head in her hands.

'Fuck. You.' Is all you could think.

God, at this point, you were seconds away from bending her over the table and ensuring she understood that what happened that night wasn't a dream. However, you should at least try to do your job. This isn't Angie; you can't get away with literal sexual harassment in this case.

You then look at Miu.

On second thought, it isn't impossible.

Shaking away those thoughts, you say, "Well, why don't we start at the beginning?"

"Alright…" Miu says uncertainly.

Smirking to yourself, you then say, "Growing up, how was your relationship with the fundamentals of conscious existence?"

"Huh?" Miu says, making a face.

"What led up to this sexual assault incident? Your uncertainty in regards to whether it happened or not is troubling." You ask, as if repeating yourself.

Miu then points out, "That's definitely not what you said."

"Beg your pardon?" You ask, feigning stupidity.

"Whatever… Um, well, you see, I'm gonna need to give some context. Okay so on the first night of school… I was um… Doing something… In the music room and I think some creep was watching me…" Miu stated.

Smiling inwardly, you ask, "What were you doing in the music room?"

"I'd prefer not to say." Miu said with a surprising amount of seriousness.

"So on your first night at Hope's Peak, you were for some reason in the music room, and you believed someone was stalking you?" You ask.

"Yes." Is Miu's answer, her seriousness still intact.

"Miu… I'm not one to make baseless assumptions, but were you perhaps… Doing something sexual in nature in the music room?" You ask doing your best not to be too obvious about it.

Blushing up a storm Miu's serious expression dissipates as she immediately goes to refute, "No! No! No! Definitely not! I mean, a gorgeous girl like me? Masturbate? Puh-lease! You wouldn't catch me dead doing something like that, especially in publ-!"

"Miu, I never accused you of masturbating…" You point out with a deadpan.

"Gah! Well, you implied it alright! Why are you trying to make a genius like me look like a slut?" Miu shouts, doing her best to not look like the slut she is.

Being placative, you say, "Okay, perhaps I was bit on the nose with the sexual part. However, I have no reason to believe someone was just stalking you in the school building at night unless it was something… Well, obscene is probably the best word for that."

Miu crosses her arms and turns up her nose, like a brat. However, she doesn't say anything in response.

"Do you want me to apologize?" You ask her in exasperation.

Nodding silently, like a child, Miu uncrosses her arms.

"I'm sorry for insinuating such a thing. Now could you tell me what happened…" You ask her, not even really trying to keep up your kind front.

You'll at least try to stay neutral from this point on, but Miu is making it really difficult!

Meanwhile, Miu was grumbling to herself as she got ready to elaborate on the situation.

She then came out and just said it, "Alright, so yeah, I was cranking one out by myself, and some asshole fucking got up in my business like the limp dicked loser he is and started messing with me!"

The insults keep coming. A lesser man would've felt his heart break in two at this point.

"Did he… Do anything to you?" You feigned concern.

Miu rubbed the back of her head as she then said, "He hit me a bit, but other than that, he just said some stupid shit that I let get to me."

"Hit you?" You feigned concern. Though your mind was really on how she was lowballing the issue. You did a bit more than just hit her, and of course she wasn't mentioning the fact that she told you she was going to leave her door open on her next fucking bondage session.

Oh yeah, she didn't even mention that she had tied herself up; whose dignity is she trying to protect? Ha!

Miu then placed both hands on her hips as she announced, "I mean, he didn't even leave any bruises! My pa hit me worse than that, and that man was one of the gentlest parents on the planet! When he wasn't drunk…"

Okay, one, you weren't trying to leave bruises. Two, is that empathy crawling out of your coal pit of a soul? Because you felt a little bad after she said that… For her, of all people!

Instead of lingering on whatever kindness crawled out of your heart, you crushed it in seconds and let it fall to the wayside. You were much more interested in Miu and her mental state than you ever thought you could be.

God, what is wrong with her? You have to find out…

"Alright and what happened after this… He didn't touch you in any other way?" You ask, not for a second letting your facade fade.

"No? Not that I can remember anyway…" She says. Though honestly, you couldn't remember either; you don't think you did.

You then ask, "So this guy got physical with you but only roughed you up, didn't touch you in a sexual way, and this has to do with you being raped how?"

Miu then mumbled under her breath, something…

"Could you repeat that? A little louder?" You ask her.

"I might've told him I was… Going to leave my dorm open so he could… Mess with me…" Miu says with what appears to be regret. You weren't even certain she could feel such an emotion to be perfectly honest.

"You. What?" You say, acting as if this was a shocking revelation.

Miu, clearly upset, then shouts, "I didn't think he would actually come and rape me, okay! I didn't tell him where my dorm was—just that it would be left unlocked! I thought it would be something fun to masturbate to but I didn't… I didn't want that…"

Looking at Miu seriously, you ask, "Are you absolutely certain this guy raped you?"

Miu doesn't look certain as she hugs herself and says, "Not really… I had a blindfold on and I had fallen asleep at some point before it happened… But it was so real! Even if there's a chance, I just can't believe it's a dream!"

"Do you want my honest opinion, Iruma?" You ask.

"Yes?" She says looking genuinely interested in what you are going to say next.

"I think you have a very vivid imagination." Is what you tell her.

"H-Huh?" Is all she can say as you take control of the conversation.

Honestly, you must thank Miu. Thank her for making this so easy. Giving you all the rope needed to hang her. The dumb bitch got comfortable because she viewed you as a non-threat. Well, that's fine. You don't need to be seen as a threat.

In fact you prefer it when your victims are left unaware.

You then inform her, "I believe it is entirely possible that you are having an overreaction at-… Well the lightest way to put it is, your fantasies."

Miu's reaction is one of confusion. Her face crinkles at the prospect, but she seems to be giving it some thought. In a surprisingly out-of-character moment, Miu softly says, "It's… Not out of the question, I guess…"

She really was just that easy.

"What was the first thing you did after you woke up?" You asked out of the blue.

"Huh… Well first, I untied myself…" Iruma muttered, and as she spoke, you leveled a half-hearted glare as if you were disappointed.

She noticed and quickly became a stuttering mess as she continued, "A-Anyway's a-after I-I u-u-untied myself… I-I hopped i-into t-the shower cause I f-felt really d-dirty. I-I t-think I-I h-h-had c-cum on me b-but by t-the time I-I w-would've ch-checked I al-already washed m-myself."

Okay this time you were actually glaring at her… What a stupid girl.

Sighing again, you say, "Miu it's entirely likely that your dream was a bit… Much… For you. Which would lead to you feeling dirty, as you said. I find it unlikely that you washed all signs of… Spunk… When you took a shower. It's possible there wasn't any at all." Did your cum not get on her sheets or anything?

Then again, they probably dried into stains she couldn't recognize.

Man you are exceptionally lucky… Maybe you should be the Ultimate Lucky Student, kekeke….

"T-That makes some sense." Miu says, clearly feeling down and a bit embarrassed.

However, Miu was quick to counter her attitude by shouting, "But still! It felt way too real to be a dream! Besides, there wasn't even one guy; he brought some woman with him too!"

Oh, bringing Celeste into this? Naughty girl.

"Are you bisexual?" You asked as soon as you heard that.

Miu's face scrunches up as she quickly refutes, "What no! I can barely get it up when around most dudes! Why'd you think I'd be into girls?"

You quickly explain your thought process, "Just making sure. Because that is a bit weird for a dream if it's not something you're into."

"Ahah! Proof!" She says enthusiastically.

"Though that doesn't necessarily cut out the option of it being a dream. Just makes it odder." You clarified.

"Dammit! Are you trying to help me, or are you leading me in circles!" She shouts, enraged.

Neither, obviously, but you can't say that. So instead, you say, "I am just trying to figure out the most likely possibility. That will lead us to going in circles for a bit, Iruma. I hope you understand that I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable."

The girl didn't know how to respond. So instead, she huffed, crossed her arms, and sat further back in her seat as she said, "Whatever."

Yet she immediately followed up her actions by pathetically asking, "B-But… Do you think it really was a dream…"

"Yes." You say without missing a beat.

"Can you explain to me why? Make it simple, act like I'm an idiot." Miu says, being unusually shy.

Thankfully, you can easily fulfill that last part for Miu, she doesn't make it difficult after all. So you do as she asked, "Well, first off, you don't seem all too broken up about it. Rape is usually more traumatizing. You've been flighty, yes, but you seem to be fine otherwise. Add onto that there's lack of evidence and your own uncertainty, well… It would be dishonest for me to suggest that you had been raped." Though Miu was… Kekeke.

"Alright… That's good, right?" Miu asked as if she somehow didn't understand a thing you were say-... You then saw Miu's sweating face, lit aflame with a blush, and her lips constantly shifting between a smile and a frown.

What is she thinking in that head of hers?

You then tell her, "I wouldn't necessarily saying having dreams about rape is good… But it's obviously better than having been actually raped…"

"Okay, great! Ah, it feels so good to know I'm fine…" She said as she notably relaxed into her seat.

"Just like that? Miu, there's still plenty to go over. These are just my beliefs from questioning you so far, I'd prefer to be absolutely certain you haven't been raped…" You say, sounding worried.

Miu suddenly sits up and asks, "Do we really have to?" Her face returned to being embarrassed.

"Now I'm beginning to think my assessment was wrong." You lied.

Her face loses its flush as she shouts, "Nope, we can continue! Ain't no way I handed this genius girl bod to some creep on a silver platter!"

'Au contraire, you did, Miu. I was there, kekeke!' You chuckled to yourself in your head.

"Anyways, I don't believe there will be any other purpose in questioning the events of two nights ago." You start saying.

"Wait, huh? Then what are you-." Miu tried to interrupt.

You did not let her stop you from continuing, "I would like to know if you've had similar dreams in the past. I do have a theory on why such a dream could occur but first, I need more information about your life before Hope's Peak. You don't mind, do you?"

Upon hearing you out, Miu scratched at her cheek and said, "No… I guess not… But talking about such things with a guy like you feels weird." Then she paused.

Before suddenly talking to herself, "If it was K1-B0… Yeah I'll just act like I'm talking to K1-B0; that way, it feels less uncomfortable… You're a genius, Miu!"

'You're a goddamn idiot, Miu.' You think to yourself as you lean forward, ready to finish up this session.

Miu thinks to herself for a moment before finally speaking up, "Well, this all started about a few years back, when I got into that car accident. I think I might've been seventeen… No, sixteen…"

You had to do a double take before asking, "You were driving at sixteen? I thought you could only get a license at eighteen..."

"Pa taught me how to drive as soon as I was twelve, and I was driving on my own by fourteen!" Miu said proudly.

"That's… Very illegal." You mutter, not that you had a leg to stand on.

Miu stuttered for a moment before saying, "T-Though I usually drove my motorcycle, which I had a license for at sixteen. I was only driving my pa's truck cause I needed it at the time."

Miu then added, "I did get in trouble for that crash, though… But nobody but my ma knew I had been driving cars for like two years! I wasn't allowed near any vehicle that wasn't a bike until I was eighteen after that, haha!" Good for her?

Wait…

"Miu, how developed—looks wise—were you when you were a teenager, if you don't mind me asking?" You suddenly ask.

"I haven't aged a day since fifteen! This gorgeous girl genius is just destined for eternal youth, you know!" Miu exclaims.

Well that explains it, girl looked in her early twenties when she was fucking fifteen. Why would they check if a young woman was an actual child while on the road… She must've been an absolute menace when she was younger.

"So anyway, after I got in that car crash, I'd been having constant dreams. They weren't anything sexy, just a bunch of machines. It's kind of funny that it took my pa passing away and getting into a car crash for me to get interested in inventing after he tried so hard to get me to share his passions." She said as if what she said was even slightly normal.

"That's unfortunate…" You say, not really knowing how to respond.

She quickly said, "Nah, it's fine! Sure my pa's just grateful I'm fulfilling the Iruma legacy up there in the clouds. Okay, so then I started dreaming about K1-B0 since he was down in the garage, nearly done. The dreams were purely about finishing him, and of course I eventually did. Though after…"

Oh?

Miu then began shuffling in her seat as she said, "Yeah so, I'm certain you wouldn't expect it, but I was a pretty lonely kid back then. Too mature for my age and all that. So when I began finishing up K1-B0 I started having weird dreams…"

This is not the direction you thought this would be going.

Her face became completely flushed as she began to fidget even more in her seat, "I won't lie, it was selfish of me to do what I did back then. I didn't finish K1-B0 because I wanted to complete my father's work but… But… But because I was-..."

'Because you wanted a boyfriend!' You thought to yourself.

"Because I was such a fucking loser back then!" Miu shouted.

Huh?

She then began ranting in a completely different direction, "I was just the idiot loser with the big tits at school. Nobody really liked me because my mom was European, and some of the guys there literally referred to me as a blonde cow. However, with K1-B0, I would have someone who could be my friend! No longer would I, Miu Iruma, be a loser! I would be the gorgeous girl genius you see here today!"

That…

That was the last direction you expected. You're genuinely stumped.

You had been legitimately taken off guard by what Miu said.

Then she decided to keep speaking, "Then, after finishing K1-B0 and him becoming my friend, I think that's when I had my first wet dream." Ah, there it is.

"I won't go into details though, as that is private family business!" She started, turning her nose up at you.

Wait, did she just imply she thinks of K1-B0 as a brother? That's fucked in a way only you could enjoy.

"After that, though, if I'm not dreaming about my next creation, it's… Probably about sex." She said with the slightest bit of shame.

"Have you had any dreams about rape… Before now?" You asked hesitantly.

"Oh, yeah, loads." She said without missing a beat.

"As intense as this latest one?" You added.

She then casually said, "Oh, no. Most of the time, I was just being held down as I begged no when I really meant yes, but beyond that, nah." That… You don't know what to say to that.

Miu Iruma is a weird ass girl.

Shaking your head of that thought, "Then my diagnosis as of now is it might have just been a wet dream as you explained it, getting mixed in with the stress of starting Hope's Peak. It's a new place after all and even if you're familiar with K1-B0, most of this is all new to you…"

"Yeah, that makes sense, I guess…" Miu responds half-heartedly.

Nodding to yourself, you get out of your seat before saying, "Now I believe that's all the time I have for today… However, before I let you go, could I ask of you one last thing?"

"Umm, yeah, what?" Is Miu's response.

"If you have any dreams similar to this, please inform me at your earliest convenience." You tell her.

She went to go say something but you quickly added, "Do not go into detail with these dreams… Just alert me that they have happened… I felt that needed to be clarified."

Miu stops herself upon hearing your elaboration and just gives a terse nod before getting out of her chair. Just as she was about to leave, Miu turned around to look at you one last time before saying, "Well… You're better than her, at least…" She then runs off…

You decide to take the compliment and not make any snarky remarks in your head.

Now that this shit show is over…

What's next?

Thirty Minutes Later

You ended up deciding to take a walk and see where the wind takes you. With your luck, you're certain you'll come across something interesting. Yet so far, no luck. You went a bit off campus, but now you were at the school again, walking around back.

The athletic facilities were surprisingly empty. Maybe the athletes prefer training earlier in the morning? It's probably some sort of coincidence that you happened to wander back here while no one was making use of them.

Still, that leaves you slightly upset. You would've enjoyed interacting with Sakura again, though not in a training capacity.

You also wanted to know more about other students, of course, but talking with a good-looking girl is always a wonderful way to pass the time. Actually…

Hmmm… Now that you're giving the fields a second look.

It seems the facilities weren't as barren as you thought.

In one of the far corners, there was a small spot that was used as a public pool for students. It was honestly amazing how they were able to fit so many facilities into the limited space without the field behind the school feeling cramped.

Now you being impressed with Hope's Peak ability to make efficient use of space aside… It seems Aoi Asahina is taking an afternoon dip.

Not that you're really surprised that the Ultimate Swimmer was making use of a pool. However, she seemed like the kind of girl to bring company to such things. Yet she is totally alone back there.

Smirking to yourself, you begin walking over to the pool.

It looks like she could use company after all.

Watching from out of sight, you wait until Aoi is midway through one of her laps before slipping into the pool area and into the locker room entrance. The view from the pool to the doors was blocked by a pair of walls, so you could take your time now.

You had only intended to check if there was anyone with Aoi, but upon sneaking a peek inside, you are greeted by literally nothing.

Emboldened by this fact, you enter the girls' locker room in full, then begin making your way over to something quite important.

On one of the benches out and about in the locker room, there was a pair of clothes strewn across the bench. The very ones you know for a fact Aoi wears. Picking them up, you chuckle at the absurdity of what you planned to do. Your first thought was to rip them, but you knew that would be far too suspicious.

Yet the end result would surely have been quite entertaining.

No, no. Instead, you look towards the lockers of the room. It seems some girls did not keep up proper etiquette with their lockers, with a few being wide open. With little remorse, you shove Aoi's clothes into one of the lockers before ensuring the locker was secured.

Honestly, it's not your fault for doing such a thing. It was the girls fault for getting a bit too comfortable at the school; you knew for a fact some of the open lockers had to be first-years like you and Aoi, so they had no excuse.

It would be quite hilarious if you had thrown the clothes into Aoi's locker, as you could believe she would leave her locker wide open.

However, you made sure to throw them into a locker that had something you doubt Aoi had, cosmetics. Aoi didn't strike you as the kind of girl to care that much about her appearance, at least not enough to put lipstick in a pool locker.

You were certain Aoi would be hard pressed to find her clothing in the near future. You had to wonder if she had different pairs… She had to right? Like, a normal person…

Ultimates, right…

You may have just gotten rid of Aoi's only pair of clothing now that you think about it…

Getting your mad laughter under control, you sneak out of the girl's locker room and do your best to make it seem as if you had just wandered in as you shout, "Yo, Asahina!"

Aoi was resting on the far side of the pool, thinking about something. So when she suddenly heard your voice, she began looking around wildly like a pet when their owner sneaks up on them. Upon finally spotting you, the tanned girl waves towards you as she says, "Yo, Akira! When did you get here?"

"Saw you out here all alone and thought I'd come check up on ya." You somewhat lied.

Appreciating the sentiment, Aoi waves her hand as she says, "Ah, you didn't have to do that. I usually practice alone anyway. Though I appreciate the company!" This girl was way too friendly and too damn distracting… She really must be something special if those giant tits of hers aren't getting in the way.

As of now, Aoi is just wearing a standard swimsuit. However, due to her figure, it was basically skin-tight, and she had very noticeable cleavage.

"Figured you would." You say to make sure you weren't caught leering, though you doubt Aoi would've noticed or even mind.

"You want to join me? The water's pretty nice! Way better than the pool at my old school!" The Ultimate Swimmer asked.

Playing hard to get, you say, "I appreciate the offer but I'm afraid I'm not in a swimming mood. I mostly came to check up on you, as I said."

You watch her expression sour before it returns to its usual jubilance as she says, "Aw… Well that doesn't mean you have to leave so soon, you know! If you don't want to get wet, you can just watch me!"

"I suppose that's true… But you know… If you just wanted someone to hang out with you, Asahina, all you have to do is ask…" You tease.

Pouting at your words, the girl mutters, "Not my fault Sakura was busy…"

"Hmm?" You ask, not really getting what she said.

"So if I ask really nicely will you stay?" Aoi asked hastily.

Chuckling you say, "I was just teasing you Asahina. I'll stay if you want me to."

"Oh." She exclaimed with a blank expression.

"Alright! Well I don't want you to get bored or anything so how about while I'm doing my laps you count for me! I tend to lose track after a hundred." She says while rubbing the back of her head.

Oh? You were about to suggest that... "Sure! I'd be happy to, Asahina!" You tell her, acting friendly. Though considering she just said she usually does over a hundred, you may be here for a while…

"Great! Before we start, if you're gonna call me anything, call me Aoi! We're friends, aren't we!" The girl exclaimed happily as she prepared to start her workout over again.

"Of course, Aoi…" You tell her as she pushes off the pool wall and starts lap one.

This girl really was too friendly. Oh well, you can't be blamed for taking advantage of her then.

Now you always knew Ultimates were insane. After all, you were one and Celeste was another, so you had a good idea on how insane the difference between the average and the talented was… However, this is the first time you've seen a talent like this on display. Truly on display.

Despite your assumptions that Aoi's figure did not lead well into swimming, the girl cleared the distance of the entire pool within seconds. About twenty- five seconds. Considering the pool was about fifty meters, if not longer… That was insane.

You're certain that's at least peak for the non-talented, and she's doing it without breaking a sweat. Olympic level and she does it with ease…

You chuckle as you say, "One."

Truly, being talented was a blessing few could understand, but watching someone talented at work was always a sight. You wonder how fast she would be if she were putting her all into her swimming, cause it was obvious she was holding back as she was just practicing.

You could keep up with what was going on, obviously. There was always a brief pause whenever she got to a wall and of course, while she may be a bit too fast for other people to catch up with her… That doesn't mean her speed is so unreasonable that the human eye can't keep up.

In fact, it was quite easy to follow along.

Honestly, with her speed, she should probably be swimming in the men's division. You doubt any other woman—unless they were nearly as talented as her—could keep up.

The part that actually impressed you was that she was able to keep up this pace for a while.

About an Hour Later

A long while, in fact. "One hundred fifty!" You yelled as Aoi grabbed onto the wall, seeming a bit winded.

Aoi began climbing up out of the pool as she said, "That's enough for now!"

As she walked over to you, you took note of the Ultimate Swimmer's heavy breathing. It seems that took more out of her then you had assumed. "Sorry, I had already done fifty laps before you came over so I wanted to do the full two hundred." Aoi said as she rubbed the back of her head.

Raising a brow, you tell Aoi clearly, "I don't mind." You really don't. How were you supposed to care about that when her soaked body was right in front of you? Not that you were letting your lower head think for you. After all, you'd rather both of your heads work in tandem.

"Ah well, then thanks for sticking around! Most people get bored after forty, you know." She says.

"Well, I found it quite enthralling to watch a woman of your talents at work." You say honestly.

Aoi's face turns a bit red as she surprisingly stutters out, "O-Oh? W-Well, I-I'm glad you enjoyed it!"

You take notice of the fact that Aoi's breathing hasn't calmed down… "Are you alright? I didn't think you were pushing yourself but you seem a bit out of it…" You ask.

"Huh?" Aoi asks, confused.

Before quickly covering up her confusion with panic as she says, "Yeah, a little bit. I can usually go for longer but about halfway, I kind of tried to show off…"

You did notice her getting faster after seventy, though it only lasted until lap ninety-two. "I see…" You mutter.

"Then I'd like to offer you something." You tell her.

Aoi at least looks interested as she asks, "Hmm? Offer me what?"

"Well, considering you went through the effort of straining yourself to try and keep me interested, how about I give you a massage in exchange?" You offer.

Aoi's reaction was quite hilarious, "Bwah! Huh? I thought you were a brain doctor, not a masseuse!"

"I am a psychologist, though my career thus far has been as a therapist." You explain.

"A physical therapist?" She genuinely asked.

You shook your head no as you explained, "Well, while that isn't my field of expertise, I did attend a seminar for it a while ago. No, I am just a psychiatrist."

"Is that like another word for a therapist?" Aoi asks, clearly confused.

"It's a type of therapist that can prescribe medicine." You explain to her.

"Oh, but I don't see how that would make you a good masseuse." Aoi bemoans.

"I doubt I'm anywhere near an expert-level Aoi, but I do have experience with massages. My girlfriend Celeste—she's in our class—wears these fake twin tails on her head, and because of their size, she tends to get a crick in her neck after a while." You start explaining.

"Uhuh?" Aoi says, clearly not following.

With a soft smile, you continue speaking, "So when we both lived in Tokyo, she had me take classes on how to give massages cause she didn't want to spend money on a masseuse. I decided to humor her when she bought me those classes and actually took them. While I was there, I did learn how to do a full body massage."

The fact that you weren't even lying was the funny part.

"Oh!" Aoi says, as she comes to some sort of revelation.

"Well, I guess if you're fine with it…" Aoi says. You had to do a double-take in your head at what she just said. She should be the one who is not okay with it… You know what, whatever.

"I thought you were coming on to me for a second there. I doubt you're the kind of guy to cheat on his girlfriend, though! So if you're okay with it, sure!" She said enthusiastically. Wait… What…

This girl is denser than you thought!

You waited by one of the pool chairs as Aoi went to get changed—not that she was going to put on more clothes. No, she wasn't going to get changed, but to strip. Yes, you thought that right.

As the Ultimate Swimmer exited the lockers, you took the time to look at her mostly nude body. Only mostly nude, as she was trying to cover herself with a white towel.

Yet despite Aoi's best attempts, her cleavage firmly remained prominent. It didn't matter how hard she squished her breasts with the towel and her arms, her boobs would not be bound.

"Sorry for taking so long!" The girl shouted as she walked over to you. Aoi was still acting her usual self, but you could tell something was concerning her.

Pretending to be ignorant, you tell her, "Are you nervous? If you're having second thoughts, I wouldn't want to force you to do something you weren't comfortable with."

"Huh? No, no, I don't mind doing this at all!" Aoi cried out, waving both of her hands in some odd attempt to convince you of her sincerity. Though with how her towel slipped just enough to give you a better view of her breasts, you'd play nice for now.

Aoi then explained, "It's just that I think I forgot where I put my clothes somehow… I swore I left them on the bench but when I went to put on a towel, they weren't there! So I checked my locker just to make sure and they weren't in there either! I swore I brought them with me too…"

"Is this… A regular occurrence, or do you think someone might have taken them?" You ask.

"What? Why would someone take my clothes?" Aoi asked incredulously.

"Well, I can't think of another reason why you'd somehow misplace them…" You kindly explain.

Aoi shakes her head and takes a moment to think before saying, "Well, I put on my swimwear before I came over here, but I brought my stuff with me so I could change once I was done. So I don't know where they could've gone…"

"Which was the purpose of my suggestion." You explain.

"Why would anyone take my clothes though? Especially my jacket!" Aoi shouted, scandalized at the idea.

You shake your head as you lie through your teeth, "I have no idea. Maybe someone thinks they're funny? Have you upset anyone recently?" Aoi shakes her head at the latter suggestion.

"Such a pain." Aoi groans.

Pulling up her towel a bit, she then adds, "But I never saw anyone come by? Did you?"

"No. But don't the lockers have a back entrance?" You ask, now remembering that was in fact a thing.

"Oh… Well, once I find whoever did this, I'll sic Sakura on them!" She shouts, determined.

"She's not a dog, you know…" You say humorously.

Aoi raises a finger and says, "She's my friend, though! As friends, we've got to protect each other!" It seems they have formed a stronger bond than you could've assumed. They must be natural friends, then.

"So you don't trust me to protect you? I thought we were friends…" You teased.

Aoi's face turns into shock as she pouts and says, "That's not what I meant! It's just that Sakura's super strong, so I want whoever did this to feel the pain!"

"I understand you. I'm sorry someone did such a thing." You say, feigning sympathy.

Aoi waves off your false concern as she says, "It'll be all good once I get my jacket back! I can just get new clothes, so I'm not too concerned about that, but that jacket is mine!"

Her eyes widen in realization as she shouts, "Anyway! Enough about stolen clothes and jackets! I want a massage!"

What a funny girl.

You feel you have to note that you hadn't even told her to strip to a towel. You had even told her you were fine with giving her a massage through her swimsuit. She was the one that insisted on stripping herself down to only a towel.

What a funny girl indeed.

Upon saying that, Aoi practically plopped herself down onto the pool chair. It took a lot of self-control for you to not do anything untoward from the offset. The Ultimate Swimmer had a figure out of this world.

She was lying down on her stomach with her head resting in her arms as she patiently awaited you to begin. It's been a while since you've done a full- body massage. In fact, the last time you did it was in those classes that you mentioned previously.

After all, Celeste only needed her neck massaged, though perhaps she would be open to the full course now that you two were in an actual relationship.

Something to bring up with her later then.

For now, you have a tanned swimmer to rock the world of. Because while it may have been a while since the last time you've done such a thing, nor did you regularly practice it. The motions and actions required to do it flooded your brain in your time of need.

Placing both of your hands by her neck and on her shoulders, you start with what is familiar to you. Firmly gripping her body with your fingers, you began to push your thumbs into her back, targeting the muscles around her shoulders. There is an immediate reaction from Aoi as she lets out a small hum at the contact.

You continue to give her upper back and neck your full attention, just doing your best to ensure this remains as pleasant as possible for the swimmer. You needed to give a good impression if you were to try your luck, after all.

As you press your thumbs into the back of her neck, making sure not to push into any bones, you feel Aoi lean into your touch. "Try to stay as still as possible." You tell her, smirking to yourself as she flinches.

"Sorry." She mumbles.

You were certain she didn't need to be completely still if under the purview of a professional. However, you didn't want to accidentally press into her spine and make this uncomfortable. You had been firmly told that massages don't feel good when the masseuse starts pressing into bones. Though for the life of you, you couldn't remember exactly why that was.

You could infer that you needed to focus on the muscles, and you trusted the judgement of the woman that took the time to explain that to you. Even if you couldn't remember the exact reasoning,.

As you finished with the upper body, you trailed your hands down her back and to her left foot. Aoi grumbled a bit at you suddenly moving on but didn't say anything. Not that she was left dissatisfied for long as you began massaging the soles of her foot.

You didn't spend too long on her foot, as that was just not the kind of thing you were interested in. So you began trailing up her leg, applying only a bit of pressure as you went up her calf. Aoi began to make lewd noises as you got to her thigh, which you gave special attention to, of course.

Not that she was aware of the way her moans could be taken as you massaged her lower thigh. You were impressed with how toned her legs were, but not surprised. What surprised you was just how smooth her legs were. Of course, if you pressed hard enough, you'd find out how toned her muscles really were.

But it was still odd yet pleasant to get the in-between of thick thighs and a toned athletic body.

As you finished with her upper thigh, you trailed your hands across her buttocks and down her other leg as you performed the previous technique once more. At this point, Aoi was doing her best to keep herself from shivering and making a ton of noise.

Not that you helped her when you began playing with her butt. To distract her from your blatant fondling, you tell her, "You had a ton of knots in your legs, you know."

"Hmm~? Is that bad?" Aoi asked, though you'd say it was more of a mewl.

Kneading her ass 'carefully', you inform her, "I don't believe so, but I'm not a professional masseuse, mind you. From what I recall, they form from overuse of muscles on top of other factors. So I believe it just means you're very active when it comes to your passion."

"Oh." Aoi says, not really paying attention.

You let your thumb rub right over her asshole, causing the girl to jolt. "Something wrong?" You ask as you continue your 'massage'.

"N-No…" She said as she went from resting her chin on her arms to resting her entire face on them. It seems even she's capable of embarrassment.

However, at this point, she just gave you the go-ahead to be as daring as you like.

Done with the Ultimate Swimmer's ass for now, you begin working on her lower back. Somehow, that gets the loudest moan yet from the girl. It sounded straight out of a porno; it was so extra, you actually had to stop what you were doing for a moment.

"You, alright?" You ask her, not feigning concern for once in your life.

Turning her head to face you, Aoi's face was lit up with a bright blush as she stuttered, "Y-Yeah, sorry. I-I d-don't know what came o-over me!" You had only pressed your thumbs into her back, on either side of her spine, just above her hips.

Where did that come from? Cause you doubted that was her climaxing or something equally ridiculous.

That experience aside, with Aoi confirming she was alright, you continued working up her back. Despite Aoi's… Noises… You couldn't be certain on what she was thinking. You could assume that she was finding this sexually pleasurable.

However, you could not know how she felt about it.

You assumed she was just embarrassed, but she kept her face in her arms. Meaning you had to entirely rely on the noises she made and her body language to infer what she was experiencing.

Upon reaching her neck once again, you ask her, "Do you want me to massage your arms?"

"H-Huh?" Aoi asks, raising her head in confusion.

"Do you want me to massage your arms?" You repeat.

"Oh. Yeah, sure, go ahead!" She says.

However, she didn't spread her arms despite telling you to do so. "Aoi, you do realize you're gonna have to give me your arms to massage them, right?" You tell her.

"Oh! Sorry!" She says as she hands you her left arm.

You were speedy with massaging her arms. From the palms, to the back of the hands, to the wrists. In all of a minute for each. Then from the wrist to the elbow, and from the elbow to the shoulder.

Though you wanted to get it over with so you could move on to the _rest of her body_ , you made sure to be thorough. You didn't want Aoi to think you were half-assing it; otherwise, what you were about to do wasn't going to work.

Letting go of her body and taking a step back, you ask her, "Alright, can you turn around?"

"Oh, we're done already?" She said sounding upset.

Raising a brow, even though she wasn't looking at you to see it, you then say, "No? I did say I was going to do a full body massage."

"W-Wait! That includes… H-Hey not that I think you didn't do a good job! But if you're done, you can just say you're done!" Aoi stutters as she turns around to face you, holding up her towel to hide her breasts.

You back up a bit, "I mean, most masseuse's don't do the front to protect the modesty of the client, but I figured you wouldn't mind. Also, it's not like I hadn't seen your lower bits when I was doing your legs. If you feel uncomfortable with the idea, despite what I assumed, I won't do it."

At the mention that you saw her pussy Aoi lit aflame. She… Was not paying attention.

Becoming contemplative, Aoi curls up in the chair a bit as she thinks over that revelation. "Well…" She starts, sounding exceptionally hesitant.

Shutting her eyes as tight as she can, she lets the towel fall as she lays back down, "We've gotten this far. B-Besides, I doubt you're that kind of guy." You are, in fact, that kind of guy.

Yet you were doing your best to not stare at her breasts so that the stupid swimmer would let you go as far as you pleased.

Nodding you tell her, "Alright, I'll start with your upper body to get the embarrassing bit out of the way. You can cover back up once I'm done."

"O-Okay, just give me a second to prepare myself." She asks, her blush refusing to fade.

Giving her space you wait patiently until the girl says, "Alright! I can handle this!"

Smirking internally, you approach the girl one more time.

With caution, you place your hands directly under Aoi's endowed breasts. You don't grab them just yet; you want to be able to go as far as possible with your groping. So instead, you massage at the edge of her boobs, teasing at what was to come. This causes whatever Aoi did to steel herself to quickly whittle away.

"Mmm..." Aoi groans as she pulls back from your touch.

"Is it uncomfortable?" You ask her as you take your hands off of her.

"N-No! I just… Could you get it over a bit faster? I feel a bit embarrassed." Aoi tells you.

"Sorry, I was trying to give you ample time to prepare yourself but it seems I just made you uneasy. I'll make it quick." You lied. Starting slowly, you firmly grip the bottom half of both of her breasts, cupping them in your hands. They were soft.

Aoi lets out a groan as you squeeze. She moans as your thumb brushes against her bosom. Her face becomes lewd as your hands run over her nipples.

This was yours.

A part of you was annoyed at how easy it was to get to this point, but another side of you was unwilling to let this joy go. Your grip gets a bit firmer as you push and pull her breasts softly, furthering Aoi's poorly hidden arousal.

There was nothing wrong with grabbing a treasure left unattended.

Even if fighting for a jewel, whether metaphorically or literally, makes the spoils far more enjoyable… When handling an object of this quality? You couldn't care about how easy it was to grasp it.

You could only appreciate what was rightfully yours.

Aoi is yours. She is yours. She just doesn't know it yet.

These breasts? These nipples you are pinching with your index and middle fingers? This endowed body that was given to an accomplished athlete?

Yours.

Your lust at this point was no longer hidden. However, Aoi was so consumed by her own lust that she didn't catch the glint of greed in your eyes. Nor did she notice that you were no longer massaging her boobs but roughly fondling them, partaking in her perfect body.

You had to reign yourself in to not take her lips with your own. You had to fight against every urge to pin her down to the pool chair, then take her virginity then and there. You had to fight your want to steal another treasure for your collection.

Your greed could not be sated right now. You were being brazen enough as it was.

Though you cannot indulge in your greed and your desire to collect.

You could satisfy your lust.

You begin to pull your hands downward to her waist as you say, "I'm moving on to your waist."

However, as your hands let go of her breasts, Aoi's hand shot up to grab your left wrist. You both were shocked at that. Aoi's flushed face suddenly became very pale as she realized what she just did and the implication behind it.

Her sudden awareness caused you to become stone-faced. You did not want to risk her being aware of your manipulation. You needed this to all be her idea.

"I-I-I-I-..." She stuttered as she continued to hold onto your wrist.

"Aoi, is there a problem?" You feigned ignorance to the thoughts swimming in her head.

As if now aware that there was a human being connected to the arm she was holding, Aoi flinched as she dropped her arm to her side. Her face went through so many emotions you couldn't exactly guess what she was thinking. However, her final expression made it all clear.

As she turned her head away. As her blush returned in full force. As her expression turned into disappointment, disappointment that was aimed at herself. It couldn't be more obvious! You didn't even need to think about what was going on in her head! It was that apparent!

"N-No. Sorry. It's just… I guess I'm a bit ticklish… You can continue." Was her poor excuse as she refused to meet your eyes.

Sighing, you tell her, "If this is too much for you I can stop now. I can tell you're uncomfortable." As well as the reason why.

"No!" She shouted looking at you.

Realizing her overreaction she began stuttering again as she floundered under your gaze, "I-I mean… We m-made it this f-far. No stopping now r-right?"

"You don't need to force yourself." You tell her.

Her eyes widened as she realized you were pulling your hands away from her body. "H-Hey! I! I said you didn't need to stop, okay! It was just a reflex!"

Sighing again, you tell her, "If you say so. Again, if this becomes too uncomfortable, we don't need to continue. I wanted to do this to be nice but if you are not enjoying it, there's no reason for either of us to continue."

Unthinking Aoi averted her eyes as she spoke under her breath, "The problem is I'm enjoying this a bit too much…"

Pretending as though you didn't hear her, you place your hands back onto her body and trail down her waist. You could only wonder what Aoi was thinking.

Aoi Asahina Third Person POV (Lying down on a pool chair)

That was… Something else…

She didn't know how else to describe it the way his hands 'massaged' her chest was an experience. One that dredged up a part of herself she didn't like but couldn't say no to. She was only human; it's not her fault that such a thing made her feel this way.

The borderline molestation of her chest tore the worst part of herself—the side she locked deep within her heart—out to play.

She preferred to be a lax and happy-go-lucky gal. However, that wasn't what she truly was. It was how she liked to act, and it was the part of her that other people enjoyed being around. But it was partially a mask to try and hide away her darkest self.

She had bad habits and a poor attitude. Something her parents did their best to curb. She'll never forget the day Yuta wandered into her room while she was flicking the bean to some unsavory videos on the internet. The talk she got from her parents still haunts her.

Especially the second talk they had when they found some 'things' she ordered behind their back while she was still living with them. Now if she were just a normal girl, she's certain her parents would've just shook their heads and turned away from a teenage girl just being a teenage girl.

But she wasn't being entirely honest to herself; she knew she was downplaying what actually happened to make her feel better. She knew her parents had good reason to scold her and try to set her on the straight and narrow. Stuff like that was why she did her best to stay bubbly and never let out the rest of her. She wasn't a good person.

Not in the slightest.

But because she wasn't, that meant she had to try all the harder to be a good person! She was doing pretty good! But then this happened…

It was her fault… She should've turned him down the second he said he had a girlfriend.

She doesn't even believe that he's taking any pleasure from this and that makes it all the worse for her. She's taking advantage of his good will and desire to be nice to her just so she can get herself off.

She was terrible. Akira's in a relationship and she was basically a second away from begging him to finger her.

Like, he's made her feel this good by just touching her? What would she feel if-...

No! That exact kind of thought is why she needs to control herself.

She really wanted to run away and just curl up into a ball in her bed, then never talk to Akira again to spare him from her presence! But… _'What if he touches me down there?'_ She thought to herself as Akira pressed his hands into her hips.

"Mmm~!" She had to hold in yet another moan. She didn't know how he did it, but just him touching her made her go on the fritz. Her mind and body were on fire as he touched her.

They barely know each other. Fast friends sure…

But this was too fast for her. _'Not fast enough.'_ A criminal part of her mind thought.

She brought a hand up to hide her mouth as she bit into her lip. She was terrible. She was actually thinking of stealing some guy away from his girlfriend, a guy that she's known for a grand total of two days.

Her parents would be so disappointed in her.

His hands trailed lower, towards her thighs. Yet all she could think about was how easy it would be for his fingers to slip into her pussy then and there. How she wouldn't even fight back such a blatant move. Instead, his hands found their way to her thighs with no detours in the slightest.

It was a pleasant feeling as he massaged her legs. Yet it was not the feeling she craved.

What was wrong with her? She's always been like this since she got a libido. Always a step away from losing all control and sensibilities. Not to mention her fetishes weren't exactly acceptable to anyone. She hasn't even thought of her kinks in years…

Why does he make her feel this way?

This isn't love, she knows that. There is a connection between the two of them, yeah, but not love. Budding best friends maybe?

No, this can only be lust.

She watched with anticipation as his hands began trailing back up her legs, and towards her pussy once more. Clenching her teeth behind her hand she tried her best to keep her mouth shut. She had to control herself. She's already gone too far with this and she'll have to apologize to Akira later… But right now she just has to prevent herself from going beyond the pal-!

"If you're fine with it I'll end the massage here. Unless you want me to go a step further?" He said. She knew what he meant. He knew she knew what he meant. It wasn't even a secret what a step further meant. There was no hiding it.

"Yes." She said swiftly, not really considering the consequences.

"Are you sure?" He asked with pleading eyes that begged her to stop taking advantage of him like this.

She couldn't control herself anymore as she said without hesitation, "Yes." She hated herself.

He sighed one final time as his right hand began approaching her most delicate region. The part of her body that she herself has only touched. A guy, a guy she barely knew at that, was about to touch her down there. She was excited, she felt guilty, and she was scared.

Would he hate her?

His hand finally landed upon the spot she wanted him to touch since she felt him touching her ass. A slight motion upwards is all that was required to make her head explode as all tension was released in that moment. Her head pushed back into the lawn chair as she did her best to not climax from but a single touch.

Her mind was clouded fully in want. She wanted this. She wanted what she could not have. Damn him for being taken. He should be hers! No one has ever made her feel like this! Not even the guy she crushed on in high school made her feel like this!

A motion downwards.

She slammed both hands onto her mouth to prevent herself from moaning obnoxiously and giving the game away. She was not a slut. She wasn't! She was just a girl who had a hard time with self-control! Yeah that's it. She was only human. She wasn't wrong for feeling this way. She wasn't wrong for acting this way.

Aoi Asahina is a friendly girl that anyone can get along with. She gave that girl next door feel. She might seem a bit dumb, and admittedly she isn't the smartest. But she was someone that anybody could enjoy the company of. Aoi Asahina wasn't just a mask.

It wasn't.

It-.

A motion upwards cuts off her thoughts as she grabs onto the pool chair, and her back arches without her consent.

Release.

She came. She didn't know if all it took was three touches for her to do so. However, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize just how pent-up she was until she climaxed.

Oh…

Oh god… She can feel two of his fingers inside her.

They must've slipped in due to her…

Not granting herself a second thought as she pulled herself off the chair and onto the floor. Scrambling up and grabbing her swim clothes she ran off with the last thing she shouted to Akira, "I'm sorry!" Running into the girl's locker room shame crept into her heart.

Her free hand found its way to her chest. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she went to sit down on a locker bench.

She let her swimwear fall to the floor as she held her head with both her hands as she stared at the floor. "What is wrong with me?" Is all she could ask herself as tears threatened to spill.

However, she collected herself as best as she could and stared up. Taking a deep breath, she let the single tear fall from her eye before wiping it away.

Sitting in silence, butt naked, Aoi's thoughts were in turmoil.

'What is wrong with me?'_

'I'm a bad person.'_

'Mom and dad were right; I can't control myself.'_

'Aoi Asahina can't be just a mask.'_

'What would Yuta think of his older sister if he knew?'_

'It can't all be fake… I can't just be faking it. I am not just a mask, right?'_

'I can't be trusted to do anything right…'_

'It was going so well until Hope's Peak; I was doing well. I hadn't done anything nasty in forever.'_

'Am I really that fake? Has anyone actually known me? Am I, as people know me, even rea-.'_

She was taken out of her thoughts as someone knocked on the locker door, it was Akira's voice that followed, "Aoi. I'm sorry _ I should've just stopped the second I noticed you were uncomfortable. I didn't mean for it to go that far. I'm sorry. If you need to hit me or do something terrible to me to make up for what I did _ I will endure it. I mean it, I'm sorry."

'Shut up!' She yelled in her head. He was making her feel worse and worse. She didn't mean to. She just thought it would be fun. Why did she keep insisting on going further? Why was she like this?

She heard him sigh before saying, "You probably don't want to hear me right now. If you want to pretend this didn't happen, I won't stop you. But I will try to earn your forgiveness as best as I can. I'm sorry, Aoi. I hope your day gets better after this." She didn't say anything until she heard him walk off.

Clenching her hand into a fist, she muttered to herself, "How could you let him blame himself, you idiot? It was your fault!" Filled with anger, Asahina looked for her clothes.

She just wanted to go back to her dorm and sleep the day away. She'll just pretend it's a bad dream and…

She just remembered that some bitch came in and made off with her clothes. Slamming her fist into her locker, all Asahina could do was shout, "Fuck!"

Grabbing her swimwear, she quickly clothed herself as she muttered to herself, "If I find whoever did that, I'm going to punch them in a very uncomfortable place…"

She was now using the anger for her stolen clothes to pretend like nothing else happened. It was the only way she could stop herself from running back to him and begging for more.

And she knew that.

Narrative Gains!

Aoi gained 25 Lust!

Aoi gained 10 Obedience and Respect!

Aoi gained 5 Adoration!

You found Aoi's perk, The Happy Mask!

Akira Furuya POV (School Cafeteria)

Hope's Peak has been the greatest thing to happen to you. Honestly, before you uh… Fused… You had been dreading the idea, only really using Hope's Peak to get away from your mother. However, every day has been an adventure so far. Five days, and you've handled all sorts of gems.

You mean people. It's hard to think of these people as anything other than treasures for the taking at times…

Anyway, you wouldn't trade this experience for the world. Though you recognized that you were just getting consistently lucky.

Yet you were going to keep pushing your luck until you felt some push back.

Taking a sip from your cup of coffee, you thought over today. It was too easy. You don't know why, but you were annoyed at that. Grateful for your fortune, yes. However, the lack of effort was annoying. These Ultimates should be the finest jewels that you would have to fight to retain control over.

Yet again and again, they fall into your lap ripe for the taking.

What you are trying to say is that you want something more difficult.

Because five days in and you were already attempting to seduce some, others you planned on breaking down until pretty much nothing was left, and then there were those between the two.

Yet you've been left wanting for only one thing… A challenge.

Kyoko might end up being that, but that girl is strong in will alone. Once you get her into a situation where smarts and being stubborn can't solve the issue, she'll crumble.

Then what about Junko… She feels like she should be your greatest threat, but you believe she wishes to play a game of cat and mouse. While she may think herself the cat right now, and for now you were inclined to agree… You feel as though there might be a way to turn it around and make her the mouse.

Then again, you may just be underestimating them, but it's too early to tell.

Either way, you don't mean to say that they can't end up being the challenge you wish to overcome right now. What you are complaining about is that right now you feel as though there is nothing to strive for.

Thinking over the various women in the school, you think of anyone who could fulfill this itch of yours.

Celeste is your partner in crime, so she's someone to work with, not strive for.

You feel as though Mikan will fall ass first onto your dick soon, if not within the week.

Seiko wouldn't fight back if you didn't push too far, and you were being given a lot of leeway in that regard.

Miu was a mess, but one you were intent on making a bigger mess of considering your earlier talk.

Ibuki would be fun, but she was a nice girl. You think you'll treat her well, if only as a show of good will for helping you relive good memories.

Toko's personality issues aside, she was already yours; no need to say anything else.

Angie… You're not going to touch her with a ten-foot pole until she asks you to. Just to be safe.

Chiaki was much like Ibuki, but you were going to have fun with her soon, you're sure. Though you could be wrong.

Tenko would be fun to break, but you doubt she'll be a challenge, to be honest.

Hiyoko is much the same as Tenko.

Mahiru? Hmmm… You'll probably spare her. She was plain and nice, but not of much interest right now.

Mukuro would be fun to steal from right under her sister, but again, you don't think she'll be a challenge.

Sakura? That's more of a physical challenge than anything, but you don't have to go that route. Ah well…

And Aoi, well, the malicious grin that overtook your face says it all.

"I'll figure it all out. I'm just letting my want for something more overcome me. Patience will reward me if I take it seriously." You tell yourself. It really was too early to tell, but it was fun to think about.

As you continued to drink your coffee suddenly you begin to hear… Music? Piano? Hmm…

Kaede right? Probably the music room. Well, you're curious and the playing is quite good, as expected of an Ultimate.

Besides, coffee is always better with a good tune.

Thankfully, it seems your directional skills will not be required. It was quite easy to follow the sound of the piece being played to the music room. The door was left ajar, which explains why you could hear it from the cafeteria. Otherwise, the soundproofing would've prevented any noise at all.

As you approach the door, you take another sip of coffee, leaving your mug half empty.

Entering the doorway, you curse in your mind as you realize Kaede was not alone. Sitting on the chair at the piano with her was a boy. One you didn't recognize. You surmised that he was also a part of her class, but you could just be assuming things. Standing in the doorway, neither of them noticed you as you leaned on the wall and took another sip of your mug.

It was then that you realized what Kaede was playing. 'Clair de Lune?' You thought to yourself. Honestly, you were surprised. You'd think Kaede would be interested in more obscure pieces. Then again, nothing like something popular every once in a while. After all, the piece was well loved for a reason.

Though the playing sounded a bit too melancholic.

Not a strike against Kaede's skills, but something you felt you had to note. The boy had his eyes shut tight as he just enjoyed Kaede's playing. You were able to figure out the boy was timid but tried his best to stay 'professional'. Anytime Kaede's arm would stray a bit too close to him, even if there was never contact, he would stiffen before relaxing.

You quickly figured out that the real reason he kept his eyes shut was because he didn't want to leer at Kaede.

What a good boy.

That's all you could think of him as. A man who had yet to become a man. How can he sit next to a woman like Kaede and not enjoy his time in full? Not that you're saying he should grab her or anything, but to close his eyes and ignore the beauty playing beautifully? That was, in your opinion, a stupid move.

You chuckled to yourself as the piece was beginning to come to an end.

Taking one last sip, you finish your coffee.

Placing your mug down on a desk by the door, you clap as the piece comes to an end and say, "Wonderful playing!"

The two flinched as they realized they weren't alone. "Ah! I forgot to close the door!" Kaede said upon realizing something else.

You wave aside her concerns as you say, "Oh, I didn't mind. You play beautifully, you know."

"Ah thanks… Though I'll apologize for forgetting anyway." She said kindly as she got out of her seat.

"Akira, right?" She asked with a look of concern as she says your name.

Nodding, you say, "Yes. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten your name either, Kaede." She scratched the back of her head at your comment.

"I'm kind of used to being forgettable so you'll have to forgive me for thinking that." She says with a slight smile as she scratches the back of her head.

Why would she be forgettable?

The boy then decided to speak up, "I find that hard to believe."

"Eh? You should've seen me in high school. I had to keep reminding people my name was Kaede, not 'Piano Freak'." Kaede said with a teasing face. You then realized the purpose of her comment as the boy scrambled out of the seat.

Standing tall, the boy found courage to say, "Well, that's their problem. I don't know why anyone would treat someone as talented as you like that."

"If I'm being honest, I kind of earned the reputation." She laughed to herself.

The boy shakes his head as soon as he realizes Kaede was messing with him. Walking up to you he raises his hand out towards you and says, "Shuichi Saihara, nice to meet you."

"Akira Furuya, same to you." You say as you take his hand and shake it. The handshake was surprisingly firm and made you reconsider your initial opinion.

The glint in his eyes as he looks over you is all it takes for you to realize that you were not giving him enough credit. From just his gaze you could tell… You may have found your challenge after all.

Turning away from Shuichi you ask Kaede, "I must wonder, were you planning on playing a little more perhaps?"

Kaede seems startled at the sudden question, "Oh! Maybe? I kind of am in a Debussy mood… Hmm… Arabesque or Reverie? That's a tough choice for me…"

"De… Debussy?" Shuichi asked at the odd last name, well odd to him at least.

Kaede smiled at Shuichi as she kindly explained, "Claude Debussy, he composed the piece I just played called Claire de Lune in case you weren't aware."

Shaking his head as if insulted he responded with, "I knew it was Clair de Lune, I just never gave too much thought into the composer. The name is… French right?" He looked uncertain as he asked that and you could see a bead of sweat pool on his forehead.

"Uhuh! Debussy is one of those composers that I just can't get out of my head when I start playing his pieces. I'll probably be in a Debussy mood for the rest of the day!" Kaede said, as if anything she just uttered sounded normal.

Letting out a singular silent chuckle, you say, "I'm more of a fan of Chopin myself."

Nodding her head at your statement Kaede says, "A good choice to be sure. I assume you like his nocturnes?"

"When played on violin." You say with a smirk.

Kaede lets out a gasp and utters, "Heresy…" Before chuckling at her own words.

You let out a slight laugh at that as you spy a glance at Shuichi, he doesn't really seem to know what to do in this conversation. At least that is what you thought until he actually spoke, "Hmm… Classical music is kind of out of my wheelhouse, my uncle tends to prefer jazz."

"Any with a focus on piano?" Kaede asks, interested.

"Some but I wouldn't know any of the names. Sorry that I couldn't contribute more than just a tidbit." He says looking down though his face was stone so you couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking. At least not yet.

"Ah well I always like hearing what people would be interested in hearing me play? So would you want me to try my hand at some jazz piano?" Kaede asks.

Looking up, Shuichi waves one of his hands as he calmly explains, "Oh no I wasn't trying to suggest that! It's just I felt a little left out of the conversation, sorry! Besides that's more of my Uncle's thing I don't really have a preference with any kind of music. I liked what you were playing before well enough."

Though he raised his voice, there was no nervousness in his words. His face remained collected, almost as if he was trying to give as little away as possible with his expressions. It was suspect but you didn't think about it just yet.

"Ah thanks! So Debussy it is, you don't mind right Akira?" Kaede said as she walked back over to the piano.

"Of course not!" You say kindly though internally you were surprised at where Shuichi steered the conversation. You expected to be able to lead them both on a chain for at least a few minutes but now Kaede was going back to playing piano with Shuichi following behind.

You couldn't exactly tell if it was intentional.

Because from your perspective it really did just look like he was trying to add to the conversation and Kaede herself just led it to a natural conclusion. However, you surmised he had some degree of social anxiety, and yet…

You couldn't shake the fact that he was a bit too calm right now for someone that gave off that impression.

You needed to know more. Though you decided to wait until Kaede had sat down and began to play before saying anything, "If you don't mind me asking Shuichi, what exactly is your talent?"

Shuichi, startled at your words, turns away from going to sit down beside Kaede to say, "Oh well I'm the Ultimate Private Investigator. Though to be honest I wouldn't say it's much of a talent. I have good deduction and I'm a bit better at combing through a room than most people, but again not that special."

There it was. Downplaying his abilities, and while it wasn't as audible as say Tsumiki, he had a stutter and took time to think over his words. This just made you more certain that Shuichi was either intentionally trying to get the conversation dropped earlier or felt oddly strong about something.

You were leaning towards the latter for now, maybe he just felt exceptionally embarrassed being out of his depth considering the topic?

You realize at this point Kaede decided to play Reverie. Ignoring Kaede's playing, you speak over it as you tell Shuichi, "Don't undersell your abilities like that. You were chosen as an Ultimate for a reason, and you should know unnecessary humility is just as bad as unnecessary pride."

Scratching the back of his head he looked very nervous as he asked, "Is that so?"

Nodding your head you then say, "I would say so anyway. Though considering it was a bit rude of me to say all that without so much as saying my talent, I must ask for your forgiveness. If you're interested, I am considered the Ultimate Psychologist."

You notice his eyes narrow for a split second before he nods and says, "There's no need to apologize, I didn't take any offense." There he was again, being a bit too calm for someone with such apparent anxieties.

Just good deduction your ass. He was basically switching off his anxiety with whatever he was doing right now!

Now you're more than certain he was trying to get Kaede back to playing just so he didn't have to talk with you for whatever reason. Did you do something to slight him…

Did he get a glimpse of your true self behind the facade…

If so… 'You're playing a dangerous game Saihara…' You think with a smile.

Unaware of your thought he sits down next to Kaede as she continues to play. She appeared none the wiser of what either of you were talking about.

And both were ignorant of the thoughts that began to swirl in your head.

You would describe Kaede's current state as 'in the zone', her eyes were gently shut and yet her fingers glided across the piano with precision as she played the piece impeccably. You definitely couldn't notice any mistakes, and you have reason to believe that any mistakes she was making weren't detracting from the piece in the slightest.

Deciding to be nice you let her get halfway through the piece before you say anything. Once you felt comfortable to ask something you pounced, "So, Kaede."

"Uhuh?" Kaede asked as she continued to play with her eyes shut, her body had begun to softly sway in tune with the music. She was completely lost in what she was doing and yet she could find enough room in her limited brain space to register your question.

Ultimates…

"I had actually come here intending to ask you something." You explain simply, as you didn't want to distract her from what she was doing.

"Oh? Really?" She turned her head to face you and opened up her eyes to look into yours, her playing not worsening for a moment. Shuichi gave you a side glance as he tried to pretend he was staring at Kaede's hands.

"You know that I am the Ultimate Psychologist, yes?" You ask.

"Uhuh!" She said with a bob of her head.

"Well I wanted to offer you that my services are always open if you need any help from psychological aid to just life advice. Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with you per say…" You start.

But Kaede seemed a step ahead of you, "So come to you if I think you can help?"

"Yes, exactly." You say with a soft smile.

Kaede turns back to her playing as she says, "Thanks for offering. Though I don't think I'm in really need of such help to be honest. Nice of you to come tell me specifically though… Unless you do that for everyone."

"Well I just like to make sure prospective friends of mine are aware that I'm willing to be there for them even if we aren't friends just yet." You tell her, not letting her words deter you.

Kaede flinches at your words and plays a single note off key, but quickly adjusts the song to make it sound like it wasn't even an error, "Oh! Well thank you for real then…" Her words were apologetic.

She slowed down the tempo as she said, "Sorry, I've been given the whole 'we're here for you' talk by the therapists at my old school so I just thought you were doing that. Should've realized you weren't so shallow…"

"Though do you mind if I ask you something?" She asks.

"Mhm, what?" You say.

"What made you want to be friends with… Or think you needed to offer me… Therapy… Ah, nevermind I don't know what I was really trying to ask anyway." Kaede shakes her head as she finishes speaking.

You had been given an opening.

Smiling gently to hide your malicious glare you say, "Well considering the last time I saw you, you had been looking out for someone who by your own admission treated you like crap..." You let that sit as you were fishing for reactions.

Shuichi lifted his head up to stare at Kaede specifically. He seemed upset at the prospect someone was mistreating Kaede if his expression was anything to go by. Kaede meanwhile had a blush take over her face as she looks away.

After a second more passes, you finish your previous words with, "I consider something like that to be quite a good quality for a person to have and I'd hate to see someone such as you suffer unnecessarily. I'm more than willing to help you shoulder any burdens you feel are too much to bear, or if you feel that's too much, just a friend you can talk to."

"Ah! Thank you sincerely. I'd shake your hand but mine are a bit preoccupied, haha!" Kaede says, looking a bit embarrassed with a dumb grin on her flushed face.

"Honestly, thank you. Sorry if I seemed a bit apprehensive." She sort of repeated.

"It's no problem, I understand most therapists, especially those hired by schools tend to be the shady sort." You tell her, and out of the corner of your eyes you catch quite the devilish glare coming from Shuichi.

"Don't you think that's a bit much for an offer of friendship though…" Shuichi asks, not even bothering to hide a bitter tone.

Continuing to smirk you tell him, "Forgive me if you felt I was embellishing or being too forward."

Shaking his head, you notice his face twitch for a moment into a scowl before he returns to being stone-faced. "I do prefer to make it obvious when I'm offering to be friends though I hope you do not feel pressured just because I was a bit extra about it." You explain.

"On no, don't worry. I'm more than willing to be your friend if you'll be mine Akira, besides… Even if your taste in instrumentation is subpar. You know the classics, you can't be all that bad!" She jokes.

You laugh alongside her as you stare at Shuichi under lidded eyes.

'C'mon do something. Prove to me you are to be my challenge.' You beg in your mind, almost annoyed at how well this was going. Shuichi was just letting you move in on a girl you could plainly tell he liked being around, and you do not believe Shuichi is one of those better man types.

'C'mon, be a man!' You shout internally.

"Kaede, I really think you should take becoming friends a bit more cautiously." He finally speaks up.

Kaede finishes the piece as she gives Shuichi a weird look, before saying, "Why would that matter? We became fast friends… So if Akira is willing, why wouldn't I be able to become friends with him in record time?"

"Kaede if you want my honest opinion I think you should've taken 'our friendship' a bit slower as well. Though I won't lie and say I mind how friendly you are to me. However, no offense to Akira, but I find him a bit suspect." He said out loud.

"Huh?" Kaede asked, more shouted, in shock.

You raise a brow on the outside.

On the inside you were cackling like a mad jester.

"Maybe that was a poor choice of words, forgive me." He says, looking away as he speaks. Though his face remains like stone.

Shaking his head he looks back at you as Kaede asks, "What did you mean then?" She looks confused.

"I meant that his behavior is odd. You must've been standing behind us for a while before you announced yourself to us." He brings up. You raise your eyebrow at the weak reasoning, not really impressed thus far.

Kaede gives him an odd look as she says, "I think you may be jumping to conclusions Shuichi, he could've just been enjoying my playing." You expected him to scowl or show some sign of annoyance but his expression stayed the same.

What was he up to? He didn't really think this was effective right?

"Of that I have no doubt. But consider his choice of words. He came here specifically to ask you such a thing, yes? That is what you said?" He asks.

Not really seeing where he was going with this, you said, "Yes, once I heard the piano music, I had assumed it was Kaede. She had priorly mentioned that she considered herself a 'Piano Freak' to me, so it wasn't hard to connect the dots."

"But you came here expecting Kaede to be alone?" Shuichi then asked.

Still not really understanding what he was intending you play along, "Yes, though if you're suggesting that I had planned on doing something untoward to her I'll be quite upset." Kaede gapes at the suggestion.

Meanwhile Shuichi appears off balance as he quickly spits out, "What? No."

"For one, even if I thought that was the case, that would be ridiculous for me to suggest without proof." He rants.

"Two. Maybe you should let me finish what I'm saying before you try and spit on my accusation. I don't necessarily believe you're intending to do anything nefarious. It's just what you're trying to do—at least what I suspect you're trying to do—is something I can't abide." He explained with a harsh tone.

"Oh? What am I trying to do?" You question, no longer fearing anything. The boy might've been correct in his assessment of his abilities than you thoug-.

"You're being compelled by Hope's Peak to build psychological profiles on all of the students aren't you?" He then says with a glare. Kaede stops gaping as she looks at Shuichi weirdly.

Your eyes widen at that, before you gain control of yourself. It should've been obvious. Of course the school…

"They came to me on my first day saying they wanted me to investigate two students from Class 78-A. So I wouldn't put it behind them to ask you to do such a thing. Considering a psychologist like yourself likely excels in one on one situations you've probably been trying to catch at least every student in such a situation so you could figure them out." He continued to explain.

Kaede returns to gaping at the mere insinuation behind his words. She then turns to look at you oddly, as if she didn't know what to think of you anymore.

You actually were kind of shocked that he put together what you were doing with just that. He hadn't guessed the right reasons, nor to the extent or purpose behind them. However, he connected those dots quite easily…

Of course from his perspective all of it just clicks together, doesn't it? Why wouldn't a student like you feel compelled to follow the school's orders when they could set you up for success…

Just sacrifice some of your morality and do these simple things behind your classmates' backs, then never have to worry about living a hard life again.

Though of course it seemed he came to some wrong conclusions. Firstly you don't understand the extent of the school's intent with all this skullduggery, but considering what Miaya has told you… You are inclined to believe that perhaps the school doesn't actually have nefarious intentions. Just an odd way of getting people to advance their talents.

But Shuichi had reached a similar conclusion you had with likely very similar info if not less.

The only difference is that you were being the Kyoko in his situation. Kind of ironic now that you think about it.

Secondly, him going out and calling you suspect makes more sense now. After all he doesn't need to do anything else but apologize if he's wrong, but if he's right Kaede would be more cautious of you due to your 'less than honest intentions'.

Hmm you wonder how you should handle this…

"I won't deny that the school came to me with such an offer." Is the start of your response, which causes Shuichi's eyes to narrow ever so slightly while Kaede's own are open to the widest they've been yet.

However, you had more to say, "But I refused them. For one, it would be highly illegal for me to give such personal details on my patients to anyone. Even if Hope's Peak has enough influence for me to not worry about such things, I won't break the confidentiality I establish with my patients. Not only would it be wrong and a breach of trust but it could likely end with ruining my reputation."

You were certain that if you had tried the altruistic angle Shuichi would pick up that you're not entirely being honest. So, you didn't hide the fact that you are a bit self-centered.

"Maybe you were a bit too quick on that accusation, Shuichi…" Kaede says, looking between you two with grave concern.

Shuichi himself has the dignity to accept he had been 'wrong', "Perhaps, though you must admit, even with hindsight, his actions are a bit suspect…"

You, meanwhile, chuckle and say, "I would recommend not looking at Ultimates with the same lens you would a normal person. Almost all of the students here that I've interacted with have some serious quirks, and I guess I'm much the same if my behavior seems weird to you."

Nodding solemnly, Shuichi then tries to say, "You're probably right… Ah! Also, I do apologize, but… You do know about the school's-..."

Though you interrupt to keep control of the conversation, "The school's less than stellar behavior, yes."

However, before Shuichi can say anything, Kaede instead says, "So… Hope's Peak really is that shady? You'd think that someone would've revealed something like this to the public by now…" You could see that she seemed a bit sour about the idea.

Shuichi shakes his head and says, "No… Hope's Peak is too important to Japan to let such a controversy take it down. There's too much at stake if the academy were to go under. It's likely those who've gotten involved with this kind of work for the school just kept their mouths shut. Why risk your future after all? What's the gain?"

Kaede then shouts, "That's all sorts of messed up!"

Considering Kaede derailed the conversation, you try to take control again by saying, "I must admit, considering your hostility earlier I expected more push back from what I claimed."

"Why? It's clear to me that you have nothing to do with them now." Shuichi asks, legitimately confused.

You just stare at him for a moment. 'Ultimate's really are something else.' You thought to yourself. He had basically just proven your earlier point about Ultimates and you doubt he even noticed.

Shuichi then asks, "Anyways, back to what I had wanted to ask, since you know do you have any idea why they'd be doing such things?"

You had a few, but, "No, not really. Any answers I come up with just don't make sense the more thought I put into them."

Shuichi sighs before saying, "I really hope it's just one big misunderstanding. But I'm going to keep looking into this… Who knows, maybe they have a good reason for requesting such things?"

Kaede, meanwhile, looks uncertain. Which makes sense; she kind of just had this all dropped on her without any warning. Shuichi's fault clearly.

"Well, I wish you luck in that case. I'd rather just focus on helping my fellow students and developing my own talents." You say, and Shuichi's face sours at that.

He then says, "That's a shame… It would be nice to have someone who could help me with this. Though I get it, it's not like sticking your neck out like I plan to do has any real benefit."

You went to say something, but you paused as you noticed Kaede's face turning flush. She then shouts, "I could help!" You both just stare at the pianist like she had grown a second head.

Embarrassed, she then explained, "I mean, I know I'm not all that smart, but it would do a lot for my peace of mind if I knew what the school was up to!"

Shuichi softly smiles and says, "I understand, and I wouldn't mind your assistance, Kaede. That's for sure."

These two were sickeningly sweet. Well, you decided to be generous just this once, "I guess it would be rude of me to not at least offer this much, but if I hear or see anything that might interest you about the school, I'll let you know."

"Thank you! I appreciate it!" The Private Investigator says enthusiastically.

Hidden in your thoughts, you realize at this point there is no longer a reason to stay.

You failed to get control of the situation in the end and it seemed that your initial attempts to get Kaede upset with Shuichi failed or at least you never saw any obvious signs that you succeeded. Nonetheless you have practically set Shuichi onto the school, which will be entertaining.

"Anyway, I should be going. I've interrupted your time together long enough." You say cordially to the Pianist and Private Investigator.

Kaede waves you off while Shuichi says, "Have a good evening."

You were left a bit disappointed, all things considered. You know you could've done better. You know you were better.

However, it seems that for once, luck was not on your side… Oh well… That'll just make it more entertaining when you take Kaede Akamatsu for yourself…

Now…

Where is little miss detective?

Finding Kyoko was a bit of a trial. You looked around the school to see if you could find her but only ended up getting lost, which was not at all your fault. Then you headed to the dorms, and while Sakura was nice enough to show you which of the dorms was Kyoko's, she wasn't there. Then you went into the student lounge, and she wasn't there either.

Instead, you were walking back to the school to ask around and only then did you come across Kyoko.

Standing a fair distance away from one another, Kyoko was the first to speak, "I was looking for you…"

You two had just missed each other while you were searching for one another, hadn't you?

"Same." You say.

Silence ensues between the two of you.

Kyoko goes to say something but ultimately decides against it. "What?" You ask.

Shaking her head, Kyoko then says, "Something you don't have to worry about. Do you have the files with you?"

"No. I don't want to be seen walking around handing out documents of former patients, you know." You complain.

Kyoko has the decency to look ashamed as she says, "Sorry… That was-."

"Are you coming or not?" You interrupt as you begin walking back to your dorm. Thankfully, instead of saying anything, she quietly follows behind you. However, you could practically smell the anxiety billowing off her, despite her best attempts to hide it.

She had a good mask, but you could see beyond it.

Walking back to the dorm was a minor affair. You're certain you and Kyoko were getting certain looks as you walked to your dorm. You had even noticed Hiyoko and Mahiru on the stairs of their dorms, glaring at Kyoko. You couldn't even hide your sardonic smile at that.

Approaching your dorm, you give a brief knock to see if Celeste is in there, and it appears she isn't… Hopefully, she's taking your advice seriously. You don't want her to turn up dead or something.

"Come on in." You wave over to Kyoko, who was awkwardly standing a fair distance away.

She seems a bit apprehensive… More than usual…

However, the two of you enter your dorm without fuss. Time to get this over with.

"I assume you're not just going to hand these files over, are you." Kyoko asks as she closes the door behind her.

Grimacing, you respond with, "No. At least you aren't so stupid to believe I'd do this for free."

Sighing, Kyoko then says, "You know we don't have to be antagonistic towards one another, especially when we're working together…"

Okay, prior to this, you were faking your annoyance. Now you were actually aggravated. This girl was something else, truly.

So raising your index finger, you then say, "Okay, let us correct something before we go any further, because clearly you don't understand. We are not working together." That causes Kyoko's mask to falter and her face to sour.

"You are pressuring me to do work for you because otherwise your lead dries up with me. So out of the goodness of my heart and trust in your intuition—even when I have reason not to—I decided to cooperate." You explained, not entirely lying, obviously.

"But…" Kyoko said, waiting for you to follow up with your previous statement.

"However, if you think that we are currently on a level playing field, then you're actually a damn fool." You say.

Kyoko steels herself as her mask returns and she asks, "What do you mean?"

Your eyebrow twitches ever so slightly at her arrogance, leading you to then explain, "Kyoko, even if you personally believe your current actions are warranted and I'm not doing anything wrong helping you, that's not how anyone else will see it. By all accounts, I am committing a crime the second I hand you the files of one of my patients, irregardless of who they are or if they're currently a patient."

Kyoko seems to get a bit nervous at the idea as she crosses her arms and sort of curls in on herself as she says, "That shouldn't really matter… Confidentiality has been broken in similar cases, and it's not as if I'm going to tell anyone you did this, even if the information provided is unhelpful. I also plan on connecting any evidence I receive through your files in other ways as to not implicate you."

You could see her logic, but arrogance was causing ignorance. You then tell her, "Okay, one, what if you can't connect the evidence?"

"I can." She said firmly, glaring at you for the suggestion.

Ignoring her, you then add, "If you can't, that will implicate you were getting your information from an illegal source, which would mean me. As for two, I don't trust you."

Kyoko stands straight at that, her eyes a bit wide as she slightly stutters out, "W-Why?"

"Really? After how you've treated me, you have the gall to ask me that?" You shout.

However, Kyoko then does something you didn't expect, "I… No… I understand… Is there anything I could do to earn your trust?"

With your face softening, you say, "Okay, I'll say it plainly as to ensure there is no confusion between us. What I'm doing is not only career-destroying if it ever gets out, but will likely have me sent to prison for a long time. My licenses will be revoked, and I will never be allowed to practice my passions ever again in an official setting."

With every word Kyoko's uncertainty begins to build further and further on itself.

"But, again, if this helps my case… No, I can't convince you with that, can I? Is there nothing I can do to earn your trust?" She asks solemnly.

"I didn't say that, but I am saying you're going to have to give something up if you want my assistance. If you want this to be us working together as you so put it, then I can not bear sole responsibility and consequence if what you plan goes south." You explain.

Kyoko's eyes narrow as she asks, "What are you suggesting…"

Taking your phone out of your pocket, you raise it up until the camera is level with Kyoko's face. You watch pleasantly as she grits her teeth. You then tell her exactly what you want.

"A confession."

Silence fills the room.

Kyoko lets her hands fall to her sides as she sighs to herself and then asks, "Is this the only way?"

"The only way I'm giving you anything—my trust or my files—is if we're both going down if this goes south." You clearly state.

"It won't." Kyoko confidently says.

You then say, with a grin, "Then this should be all the easier, right? If there's no risk, then this video is worthless."

Kyoko squirms in place at the implication.

"Of course, that's only if you're denying that such a risk exists." You add.

"I understand your points. I wouldn't dare try to deny that. However, you have to understand that even I would be a bit concerned at someone holding something like that over my head…" Kyoko confessed.

"Oh, but I thought other cases have done similar? After all, it's common practice for the Japanese government to pardon its detectives when they do something a bit sketch that ultimately gets another criminal in jail… Oh wait…" You start with, and you watch with amusement as Kyoko grows more and more ashamed

You then say, "You're a part of the detective library, right? You don't get all those fancy protections government detectives do, right? I'm certain you could get a pardon if you begged Daddy enough over something minor. This isn't minor, though, is it? If I was pressured into it and didn't just agree to give you the information, you'd likely be joining me in a cell, wouldn't you…"

You finish with a malicious smirk, "But notice how I never mentioned a way for me to be pardoned or a way this ends where I don't go to jail. Weird right?"

"I get it! Please, I'm not an idiot." She growls, crossing her arms once more.

"I understand why you would want assurance. I do, but I have considered such things and I have my ways to not implicate you. This isn't the first time I've been on a case like this." Kyoko says, standing up straight, looking aloof as she speaks.

You get in her face as you say, "That doesn't matter because I don't trust you. Really, you should just be happy that this is all I'm asking for. Because if everything goes well, like you say it does, the video will mean nothing. I just want the lowest level of collateral to ensure that I'm not the only one who gets hurt if you fuck up!"

Kyoko looks into your eyes with that stoic mask of hers for a bit longer but quickly backs off as she takes a step back. She then looks at the ground in shame and speaks under her breath, "Very well… If this will give you peace of mind and have us work with one another, then I'll do it."

Did she acquiesce because she wanted to get on good terms with you? No, that wasn't right… No. A girl like her? Being like that? Definitely not. However, with the way she acted, it definitely felt like something similar but Kyoko wasn't like that. Sure, she had masks but that's too out of character…

Right?

"How do you want me to do this?" She asks with some trepidation.

Raising your phone, you instruct her, "Clearly explain what you did. How you've asked me to do this for your investigation and that you had pressed the issue until I agreed. Quite literally, just confess. That's all you have to do."

Kyoko sighs one last time as she stands up straight for the camera. The wall behind her was the plain standard for Hope's Peak dorms. Only certain people, like Celeste, had their walls decorated so there wouldn't be any implication that this wasn't her dorm she was recording this in.

"I'd have you hold it and record it yourself but I want to make sure it's actually recorded." You tell her just a bit before you hit record, not even letting her process what you said.

Though she catches on quickly and looks into the camera with that stoic mask of hers as she says, "I, Kyoko Kirigiri, have a confession. I have pressured one of my classmates, Akira Furuya the Ultimate Psychologist, to break confidentiality with one of his former patients. I believe the patient has a connection to a series of murders a few years back and has returned to the country to commit another set of murders."

She takes a pause and a deep breath as she then says, "I understand that something like this is not looked upon fondly by anyone… However, this was the best idea I could come up with to apprehend the suspect. Akira did not want to cooperate with me due to us not getting along well, but I requested his help despite this. He only decided to help me under the belief I would solve the case and not give away his involvement."

"I apologize for my actions and ask for leeway to be given for his. It would only be due to his misplaced faith in me that he got involved in the first place, and it wouldn't sit well with me if he suffered for that." She finished, bowing as she said this.

Ending the recording, you say, "You did get a few brownie points for that last bit. I don't think it'd ever hold up in a court of law but it definitely makes you seem more sincere and is appreciated." You then shove your phone back into your pocket.

"That's because it was sincere." She says unexpectedly, as she crossed her arms again. You also noted that she tended to do that a lot… You wonder what it signifies since it's clearly a personality quirk.

However, that's not what you were focused on, because what she said through you for a loop. You could only look at her weirdly as you really didn't know how to respond to her words.

"Whatever, anyway, you wanted the files on Ferrucio Bugiardo, yeah?" You ask.

"Yes." She says.

Well, no point in denying her now, right?

A few minutes later

Kyoko got to work quick—the second the files landed on the table, she immediately began perusing their contents. She was clearly concentrating on the task at hand but you had a question itching the back of your mind for a while now. So instead of waiting any longer, you ask, "So how did you make the connection between Bugiardo and Romano?"

Not taking her eyes off the paper in front of her, she responds, "What do you mean?"

Scratching your chin, you say, "Well, they share the same face for sure, but I doubt you were able to connect the two without a fair bit of investigation. I was just interested in your process, I guess."

The Ultimate Detective gave a slight nod before saying, "I don't mind sharing, but I didn't connect the dots on my own. I used one of my connections in the Detective Library. They were someone with the equipment and the skills to find his face…Though I wasn't even intending to find his false identity… Rather, I was trying to find if the man was caught on camera at any point."

"Hmm?" You hummed as you sat down opposite of Kyoko.

Bringing her hand up to her chin, she began to mutter, "He must've returned to our country recently, and then there's the matter of the murder. Yet we couldn't so much as catch the mask he wore, much less his face… It's like I'm chasing a phantom."

"You're being rather forthcoming…" You say awkwardly, not really expecting her to say this much or anything at all.

"I'm hoping a cooperative attitude will make you more willing to be cooperative in turn…" Kyoko says without shame as she stares into your confused eyes.

You wait until she's looking back at the files to let your eyes twitch in annoyance. This girl was a special kind of dense… It was kind of endearing, but Kyoko just rubbed you the wrong way.

It was like watching someone who was trying way too hard to be funny. You couldn't help but cringe internally at her attempts to further her investigation or her attempts at 'repairing' her relationship with you.

"I really hope that you weren't implying you were going to try to extract more favors from me…" You said, pretending as if you didn't understand what she meant.

Not taking her eyes off the files as she flips to the next page she says, "What? No… That wasn't what I was-... I meant-… Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

Silence reigns in the room for a minute before you ask, "So this friend of yours figured out that this killer was a patient of mine?"

Looking up from the files for a second, Kyoko says, "Coworker is a better word… But yes, they were the one who found out Romano had been a patient of yours."

"How?" You asked, though you felt you had a good idea of how.

Kyoko stayed silent for a moment before turning back to the files and saying, "Camera's showed Romano entering your former workplace on six different occasions. Your available times for sessions lined up with when Romano visited and left, which is how we came to the conclusion that he was a former patient of yours."

You then pointed out, "And obviously he would've done it under his other identity, which is why you needed files on a Bugiardo and not a Romano. While that is interesting, are those of the Detective Library allowed access to city cameras? Also, why would they keep videos saved from all the way back then?"

Kyoko quickly responded as she flipped another page, "Not everyone is allowed access to camera footage. We're usually only allowed to see any footage related to the crime we're investigating." So far, everything has made sense.

She then followed up that reasonable explanation with this, "The specific detective I went to request help from specializes in finding people and was granted access to Tokyo's camera system by a former Prime Minister. As far as I'm aware, he keeps a lot of footage in case of a situation where film from years past is required for an investigation."

What?

"I've heard from other detectives that he has thousands of terabytes of recorded footage stored in hard drives…" She added on.

That was a lot to unpack.

"Okay, three questions in no specific order. Do you have legal access to any of that footage? Why is this guy trusted with such a thing? Also, wouldn't that be tens of thousands of hours of footage to go through just to find that out?" You asked slightly exasperated.

Kyoko placed the files down for a moment as she answered your questions, "I do, as I was only provided relevant information to my current case." Okay, that kind of makes sense.

"As for my fellow detective, he is a trusted member of the Detective's Library and has close ties with our government. Considering his specialty, it would be best if he had access to as much information as possible when he needs to locate a missing person or a particularly dangerous criminal." She followed up with, which again made some sense.

Bringing her hand up to her chin she thinks over what she's going to say next before landing with, "As for the last question, as far as I'm aware, he has particularly advanced equipment that was designed solely to look over a vast amount of footage and determine if an individual is in the video. I'm pretty sure the most difficult part of his job is just finding what hard drive he needs to insert rather than actually finding someone amidst the footage."

"But to carry footage from years past? And that much of it?" You asked not knowing how to feel about that revelation.

Lifting the files back up to continue reading, she simply says, "It is of my opinion that he's a hoarder." Then did not elaborate.

Ignoring that, you then ask, "He only has access to Tokyo security cameras, right? Not cameras set up by other private companies, schools, and houses, right?"

Sighing, Kyoko then says, "It would not surprise me if he has camera footage that he shouldn't have. However, I have no information or evidence in regards to him having such footage. In the end, I don't have a good opinion of the man, and I'd rather focus on my investigation. So if we could stop talking about him…"

"Sorry." You say, not really meaning it.

Unable—or more accurately, unwilling—to come up with a new topic of discussion, you left Kyoko in peace as she continued to look over the files. You had big doubts of the usefulness of such files but such doubts were put to rest when Kyoko said, "He was there…"

"Huh?" You asked.

"At the theater, where the police found the victim's body… Romano was there…" She muttered under her breath, you don't think she was even responding to you.

"Kyoko, what are you talking about…" You groan.

"Was he in the compartment under the stage? No… They had to check it right? But the habits implied by this file…" She continued to mutter.

"Kyoko!" You shout, causing the young detective to startle.

"What?" She asked as she collected herself.

You then ask, "What are you mumbling about?"

"I think your files just implicated that Romano was at the crime scene long before and even after he killed the victim." She said as she got out of her seat.

"Wait what?" You say, honestly baffled at how that conclusion was made.

"I have to go." She said, before taking a bow and running out of your dorm.

You follow her to the door, confused at what she meant by any of that. You catch her descending the stairs, and so you are brought to a crossroads.

15 Minutes Later

Okay it is only by the grace of fate itself that you are following Kyoko! Why in hell can this girl run so fast! Your fucking legs are going to melt at this rate! But you keep following her, for whatever fucking reason! Maybe you thought she was going to do something stupid.

Maybe you just wanted to catch her alone.

Maybe it was something else entirely…

Whatever the reason! "This is so goddamn stupid!" You mutter under your breath as you stay in full sprint, quite a few meters behind Kyoko.

If she turns a corner, you are losing her. If she enters a crowd, you are fucked.

But regardless, could she just slow down!

And she just turned a fucking corner!

Speeding up and making your legs work like they've never worked before you turn the corner at full speed and catch a glimpse of Kyoko turning yet another corner. Fucking Tokyo was huge; where could she possibly be going!

Okay think! Use that brain of yours!

Hope's Peak is in the middle of Bunkyo Ward… Even if you weren't good at navigating a straight line, there are only so many places she could be heading on foot, but it's obvious she's going out of Bunkyo Ward—if you both weren't out of it already.

So there's Shinjuku, Chiyoda, Taito, Arakawa, Kita, and Toshima Wards…

Fuck! How are you supposed to figure out where's she running to with seven fucking options!

Why did your sense of direction have to be terrible!

Fuck it just keep following her, you'll figure it-...

Woah, she's slowing down!

Quickly slipping around a corner, you look to see as Kyoko reaches a full stop in front of some theater. Okay… Where the fuck are you two?

Wait, she's going inside…

Fuck… You need a second… You feel like you're about to lose a lung…

Kyoko Kirigiri POV (Inside the Theater, back at the scene of the crime)

Re-entering where Miss Bohm's body had been strung not even days prior, Kyoko was surprised to find the entire theater cleaned up. There wasn't even a spec of blood from where Bohm was tied to that horrid cross… The words written in blood were also gone…

It was like the theater was picked clean.

Approaching the ramp she had found in her previous investigation, she lifted it up once more. Her mind wandered as she looked at the seemingly untouched door in front of her… Did Otokita really not investigate down here after that lecture he gave her? That upset her on a fundamental level but she doubted Otokita was incompetent, at least like that.

Instead, she found that the door was locked…

They probably couldn't get inside at all. Now she at least could forgive the police if they didn't see the need to investigate beyond this door… However, she was now more certain than ever that this is where Giovanni Romano had been hiding… If not currently hiding.

Pulling up the left side of her skirt, she unclasps her firearm, a Browning Hi-Power given to her by her grandfather. To be honest, she didn't like using firearms, but considering the situation… She'd have to put the training instilled in her by her grandfather to good use.

Keeping her gun in one hand, she began to fiddle around with the handle of the door. It didn't seem like she would be lucky and the door could just be pulled open…

Considering the age of the door, she can probably kick this open… She just has to hope her culprit wasn't inside…

Gulping down her fears and pointing her gun at the door, Kyoko raised her foot near the handle just to see where she'd need to kick. Then…

One!

Two!

Three!

She's inside, pointing her gun at every bit of shadow that looks suspicious. She is relieved to find no one else inside.

Instead, she was pleasantly surprised to find her intuition was correct. As in the under-stage compartment, there was a suitcase, a backpack, and a futon. There wasn't anywhere Romano could be hiding, at least from within here, but-...

Kyoko then stilled…

Her ears were suddenly ringing as the sound of a revolver going off somewhere else was heard.

'What was-?' Was all Kyoko could think of before a menacing voice was heard from behind.

"I kindly ask you put that gun down, young lady."

Akira Furuya POV, Minutes Before

You did your best to keep your breath in check, but that was more challenging than it should've been. At the very least, you kept quiet enough that even as you followed Kyoko from behind, she didn't notice a thing.

Eventually, she entered one of the rooms. You decided not to follow her in, as it would be much more awkward to hide in there than it would be to hide out here.

However, watching through the double doors, you watch as Kyoko approaches a ramp leading up to the main stage of the room. She then lifts it up, revealing a hidden doorway just underneath the ramp. What did she find…

You know… It wouldn't be hard to jump her here… Close the ramp down and still have some space to have fu-...

Then she pulled out a gun she was hiding under her skirt and those thoughts immediately vanished. It was incredibly sobering to see Kyoko Kirigiri pull out a gun… You thought it wise at this point to just go. Whatever she could be looking for was not worth risking getting shot.

"Don't you know it's rude to spy…" A voice came from behind you.

Swiftly turning around, you are left with the unfortunate sight of one Ferrucio Bugiardo's face solemnly staring into your own… Though perhaps you should call him Giovanni Romano, considering that was his false identity.

"Bugiardo?" You ask, a little scared.

"Oh, you remember me?" He asked as he closed the distance between us…

All he did was take three steps, and yet he was now centimeters away from you. "To be honest, I'm surprised of all the people who would come here… That one would be you, Furuya… That detective girl I'm not too surprised by, but you are an odd sight for sure."

"What do you mean?" You ask with the tiniest quiver in your voice.

"Well, you see, that girl was here earlier and I could tell she was the smart as well as stubborn type. She'd figure out I was here eventually. All I had to do was wait." Was his response.

"We both know that's not what I was referring to…" You mutter.

He cocked his head to the side and it was at this point you were beginning to feel actual dread as he said, "Isn't it obvious? We had only known each other for a short time so to meet up again like this is rather odd, is it not?"

"I guess…" You mutter once more.

"Now, I have to ask, do you know what I am?" He asks while looking down at you…

You flinched, you damn fool, you flinched. The terror had set in and the one time you needed to control your tiniest expressions the most, you fumbled.

"What a shame. If you had pretended not to, I would've let you go, that I swear. I truly enjoyed the few talks we had, you know. You had seemed like a bright man with a prominent future…" He said mournfully.

You didn't need to see what he was doing to instinctually call out, "Wait!"

In a swiftness unseen, the man pulls a revolver out of nowhere and puts a bullet cleanly through your chest. "Shit-!" You shout as you immediately put your hands to grasp at the bullet wound.

At this point, you had fallen over and were lying against the wall as you panicked. The man just walked off into the theater with Kyoko…

Goddammit…

Please, don't let this be how you go out of all things…

Kyoko Kirigiri POV (Back under the stage)

A cocking of a revolver is heard as the man says, "Now."

With no other choice Kyoko puts her handgun down on the floor before raising her hands. She felt queasy.

Giovanni Romano then says, "Good. Now, I want you to understand I don't like harming or threatening children. Now I know you'll take offense to that, but until you're twenty-five, you will always be a child in the eyes of the elderly like myself."

He didn't lower the gun, Kyoko was certain, especially as he continued to speak, "I'm giving you a chance, girlie, to put this all behind you and continue on with your life like nothing happened. All you have to do is walk out of here with your injured friend in the hallway and swear to yourselves never to speak of this or me again."

Friend? Who?

"You can turn around; I'd like to see your face." He said, though he phrased as if she had a choice, she knew it was a demand.

Gulping down her fears, she turned to face the man. He was unmasked and without his poncho. The Italian national was before her in the flesh.

"You don't need to put up a brave face, I know you're scared. It's the first time you've been face-to-face with a killer before, yes?" The man asked.

She took offense to his words and said, "You aren't the first killer I've met like this. Not even the first assassin…"

"But it is the first time you've met a killer like me—a true killer. Not someone who preys on the weak, the young, the elderly… But one that hunts his fellow man and kills them like the dogs they are…" He said.

Personally, she felt he was being arrogant, but looking into his eyes… There was definitely something different about them, something she definitely didn't see in the other murders she's gone up against… A righteous conviction.

For a second, she found her eyes wandering and she felt her eyes widen when she caught Akira of all people stumbling into the room, clutching his chest…

Did he follow her here?

Did… Did Romano shoot him?

Why? What was going on?

"Keep your eyes on me, girl." Romano demanded.

She immediately did so, not willing to risk getting shot.

"Have you been in a situation like this before? Despite your fear, you have a calm about you that I wouldn't expect, even for a hardened detective…" He asks.

No, she felt fear just like anyone else would in this situation. If anything, she is more scared than she has been in a while. She has been held at gunpoint, at knifepoint—hell, she's been in a situation with someone claiming they were about to pull a pin on a grenade before.

But this is the first time where she didn't have a way out, where she didn't have help, where she didn't secretly hold all the cards…

She rushed…

Why did she rush?

Her grandfather was going to scold her for years if she got out of this…

Yet she hid that fear because she knew it would give Akira away. He was going to hate her after all of this was done, wasn't he? She knew she didn't ask him to follow her but he probably did so out of concern considering how quickly she ran over…

She was certain Romano wouldn't be here… n fact, she believed he would've moved spots after Bohm's death.

But now that she thinks about it, hiding at the scene of the first crime? Truly brilliant…

"No, you're just good at hiding that, aren't you…" He pointed the gun closer, causing her to take a step back instinctually.

"Good, that means you understand what I'm about to say. I repeat, leave this place and never come looking for me again, never speak my name again. Do that and you can live a long, fruitful life, young detective…" He says, waving his gun past him, clearly motioning for her to leave.

That's when Akira pops up behind the man with one of those metal foldable chairs and swings at him.

She couldn't focus on the sudden action as she was too busy looking at the bullet wound in the middle of his stomach. Romano expertly blocked the chair with his arm but was sent stumbling back even with his quick reaction.

"C'mon! Shoot him!" Akira yells quickly in pain, and that was all that was needed to get her to break into action.

Picking up her gun from the floor, she goes to shoot Romano but the man throws the chair at her, causing her to be unable to see the Italian as well as getting knocked to the ground by the makeshift projectile. "Damn it!" Akira yelled at that.

"Stubborn boy! You should've stayed down when given the chance." Two more gunshots are heard as Romano shouts.

She begged internally that neither hit Akira—that he wasn't killed. Then two more were heard.

And a final one as she finally got the chair off her.

She was then burdened with the sight of Akira rolling on the floor with gunshot wounds riddling his chest.

"It didn't have to be this way! But you children, oh, you wonderful, talented children! You just had to get involved with this dirty business." Romano complained as he stood over Akira's body.

He went to reach for something out of his pocket but then realized it wasn't there. Romano swiftly looked around and his eyes caught something to the left of them. Kyoko's eyes were drawn to it as well and it was then she realized it was a revolver loader on the ground; his only extra set of bullets fell out…

Not risking the man taking a shot to the back and getting his hands on the extra rounds, Kyoko quickly shoots the loader. This thankfully destroys most of the bullets, except one. However, it was flung too far for Romano to safely retrieve.

So instead, the man ran towards the doors.

Kyoko didn't react fast enough, so when she shot at Romano, all of her shots missed. Meaning he escaped with not so much as an injury.

"Dammit…" Kyoko growled under her breath.

Looking at Akira, still terribly in pain, she realized she had more pressing matters.

Yet even as Akira lay on the ground struggling for dear life Kyoko found herself hesitating… Was it because she felt it was her duty to chase after the killer? Did she believe it was too late for her classmate? Why was she hesitating? Surely she wasn't so inhuman to leave someone to die…

It was then that she realized something…

She was hyperventilating, sweating uncontrollably. She was scared.

Scared for Akira, that's the only thing that made sense to her.

Putting aside her fear she ran to his side, dropping her gun on the floor, as she focused on helping Akira. Despite the pain he was in, he found it within himself to speak, "You bitch! Ugh! I clambered all the way over here, hit him, and you miss! You aim like a damn stormtrooper! Guh, fuck!"

"Stop speaking! You're only exacerbating your injuries! You need to stop moving and quiet down. I'll do my best to treat you…" Kyoko said as she reached into her coat and pulled out a small first aid kit. It wouldn't be the best for dealing with bullet wounds, but it could stabilize him...

Hopefully…

"Agh! Fuck! Why did I do that…" Akira groaned as she ripped off his shirt and coat.

That was a question she herself also had.

However, his wounds took priority over her questions. It seems all the bullets went cleanly through him, so thankfully she won't have to pull any bullets out of his body. The wounds were odd though, they weren't bleeding out at a rate she would expect.

His body should be a bloody mess with six holes in his chest yet they were bleeding more like a shallow cut. Were the bullets Romano used specially made to not make cause a lot of bleeding? How would one go about that? She didn't know but considering Akira's files it appeared Romano was a clean freak. She could believe he'd go to exorbitant lengths to not cause unnecessary messes for him to clean up.

She still wondered how though…

"Your wounds aren't too bad thankfully…" She told Akira, a bit tactlessly.

"Aren't too bad! I got holes in my stomach! Fu-UGH!" Akira tried to say but halfway through he began coughing up blood.

She could feel a bead of sweat travel down her forehead as she said, "Considering that you got shot that many times, the fact your wounds are only this bad is a miracle… Also could you lift your arm? I need to wrap these bandages around you…"

"Yeah, ask the injured guy to move! Real nice of you Kirigiri!" Despite his harsh words he did as she asked with minimal resistance, well other than what he was saying. However, Kyoko had quickly figured out that this was just Akira dealing with the stress…

She doubted he actually meant anything he was saying…

At least that's what she hoped.

"Fuck… I can't keep my eyes open…" He then said.

She then felt her heart sink, and she found herself fumbling over her words as she asked, "H-Hey… You need to keep yourself awake…" It was but a single stutter, but the fact she even stuttered at all made her feel gravely embarrassed.

"I know, fuck… I didn't think it would be this hard though…" He said.

"Just focus on my voice Akira… I need you awake." She begged, she knew she could never forgive herself if someone else died because of her…

Yet even as she did all she could to keep Akira alive…

Akira Furuya would say his last words of the night.

"Sorry, I can't…"

Kyoko could only stare with widened eyes as his body became lifeless. It was only then that she heard the sirens from outside the theater…

Kyoko's tism activates, and now she will interrogate Akira at his earliest inconvenience!

A few hours later…

She stood outside of the hospital room, anxiety filling her soul. Thankfully it appeared Akira would live, but he'd have to stay here at least overnight. Much to Hope's Peak chagrin she feels she has to mention. A representative came trying to extract Akira to the school for treatment, but apparently he was in no state to be moved…

However, his health had taken a drastic change in the past two hours since that occurred.

For the better.

He was making an exceedingly odd recovery according to the doctors. They project he'll be able to return to Hope's Peak by the morning, but Kyoko found it strange… She should be happy, but for such a miracle to occur? It was a mystery she needed to answer.

She'd figure this out at a later time, out of respect for Akira coming to her rescue, to his detriment at that.

However, she would get her answers once he recovered. Answers to questions such as why he followed her? In hindsight him following her was odd, but she doubted it was anything nefarious. She just wanted to know what the hell was going through his head for him to follow her to the theater.

She also had to know what happened with him and Romano before he came up behind her. Then she also needed to figure out what caused this swift recovery.

She's certain he'll take it the wrong way, but she needed to sate this itch for answers.

Sighing to herself she realized that this was likely going to cause another confrontation between her and Akira.

She hopes he understands, she really does-...

"Where is he!" A panicked cry came from down the hallway.

That voice… Why was it familiar?

"Miss please! Mister Furuya is not in the state to accept visitors right now!" A nurse cried.

The voice cried in turn, "Oh I'll leave him in a worse state after this stunt!"

"Miss, please don't!" The nurse squawked.

Turning to look towards the noise she realized why she recognized that voice. Approaching her was Celestia Ludenberg, and she was Akira's girlfriend from what she surmised. Though she hasn't gotten official confirmation from either of them about their relationship status, not that she cared.

Though she was surprised to see Celeste without her twin drills, or her 'unique' style of clothing.

Then Celeste's eyes caught her own, and she felt her anxiety worsen with how her ugly Celeste's grimace became with just becoming aware of her presence. "You! Were you involved!" Celeste demanded.

"What are you implying?" Kyoko said defensively as Celeste got in her face.

"Were you why Akira got shot!" Celeste yelled, it was then Kyoko realized why she had a hard time figuring out that it was Celeste who was speaking. The Ultimate Gambler was not using her accent in the slightest.

However, Kyoko didn't know how to respond to the accusation, "I… Yes…" So she just said what she believed to be the truth.

A smack reverberated the hall as Celeste suddenly slapped her. The nurse behind her gasped at the sudden show of violence…

"You… You bitch!" Celeste growled.

"Miss you can't just-!" The nurse tried to say.

"It's fine." Kyoko interrupted, feeling as though she deserved that much for what her actions caused.

"If I see you even approach him ever again, I'll tear your hair out you skank!" Celeste said, as she threw the door open to Akira's room.

"Miss calm down-!" The nurse tried to speak once more.

Only for Kyoko to interrupt again, "Let her be…"

"There is no excuse for that kind of behavior! How can you just take that!" The nurse shouts, scandalized.

"It's fine, I deserved it." Kyoko says.

The nurse looked at her oddly for a moment before shaking her head, and entering Akira's room as well.

Kyoko at this point realized there would be no benefit to staying here, Celeste certainly wouldn't let her speak to Akira once he wakes up. Considering the crying that was coming from his room, she very much doubted that her and Celeste would ever have a positive relationship.

Standing there in the middle of the hallway Kyoko's anxieties only festered. Which were not helped by Celeste's wails.

After a few more minutes Kyoko finally spoke up, though to no one in particular, "I should go…"

Yet it appears Kyoko was not alone, as someone not only shared the hallway with her but heard her muttering. "Not yet, Kirigiri, I need to speak to you about what happened tonight." The slimy voice of Otokita came from behind her.

"Let's get this over with then." She sighed as turned to face the government detective.