The Other Half of Me

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/25994227.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M, M/M
Fandom: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Relationship: Hinata Hajime & Kamukura Izuru, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito,
Kamukura Izuru/Nanami Chiaki, Hinata Hajime & Kamukura Izuru &
Komaeda Nagito & Nanami Chiaki
Character: Hinata Hajime, Kamukura Izuru, Nanami Chiaki, Komaeda Nagito,
Enoshima Junko, Ikusaba Mukuro, Matsuda Yasuke, Class 77 (Dangan
Ronpa), Class 78 (Dangan Ronpa)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Hinata Hajime and
Kamukura Izuru Are Twins, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Drama, Violence,
Mystery, Developing Relationships, Hajime & Izuru's relationship is
main focus of story, Humor, Character Development, Brothers,
Romance, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Komahina and Kamunami are less
focused but still relevant to plot
Collections: Quality Fics
Stats: Published: 2020-09-19 Updated: 2021-04-14 Chapters: 21/40 Words:
83862

The Other Half of Me

by MidnightMare247

Summary

Hinata Hajime was an ordinary, average reserve course student attending Hope's Peak
Academy. With no special talent or skills, he didn't expect his life to be all that exciting.

Kamukura Izuru was anything but ordinary, the perfect embodiment of hope and talent
walking among Hope's Peak. With his remarkable talents in his possession, everything in
his life seemed to bore him.

Neither of them expected that to change until that fateful day they ran into each other, and
they each realized they had a brother.

Notes

- I'm so excited to post this fic! I've been working on this fic for some months now and it's
the first long fic that I've written in a long time. This is also the first Danganronpa fic that
I've written so I'm a little nervous but oh well HERE WE GO!

- Before we begin, I’m just gonna come out and say this right off the bat: I did not watch all
of the Danganronpa anime. I watched bits and pieces, but I have yet to finish watching all of
Despair Arc, Hope Arc, or Future Arc consecutively. Although I have not yet finished the
anime, I did do extensive research, watched clips, read wiki pages, and basically got the gist
of what went down in the anime (plus I already spoiled the anime for myself by reading
other fics) so I'm using that to help me write this AU fic that takes place at HPA. Am I
gonna actually sit down and watch the whole anime at some point? Probably. Is it going to
be before I post this fic? No it is not.

- Also! I just realized I should mention, Hajime and Izuru's relationship will be the MAIN
FOCUS throughout the story as this fic is more centered around them. KomaHina and
KamuNami are more minor-focused, however they are still relevant to the plot and will
begin to take place around chapters 5 and 6.

- Fic will mostly be a POV switch between Hajime and Izuru with occasional switches of
other important characters

- New chapter update each week, every Saturday! Next Update: 09/26/20
 The Wisteria Tree
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Hajime didn’t expect this day to be any more eventful than the last.

Every day was pretty much the same after all; wake up, go to class, hang out with Nanami during
lunch, go back to class, then when the day was over, return to his dorm room. On weekends, he
might go out and spend more time with Nanami at an arcade, grab a bite to eat with her at a fast-
food restaurant, or even play videogames with her online.

Those were the most exciting days for Hajime. Other than that, his days were uneventful. That’s
just how life was for a Reserve Course student like him. But could he complain? He should be
grateful just to be able to attend a school like Hope’s Peak, the school of his dreams. His parents
had been hesitant about allowing him to attend the school, but at some point, they agreed to it and
paid the pricey tuition to appease their son’s wishes.

Now here he was on a Monday morning, nearing the middle of the first school term. He stared at
himself in the mirror, adjusting the green tie on his black uniform. After making sure his
appearance was acceptable, he grabbed his school bag and made his way out of his dorm room. He
exited the dormitory building and looked up, the morning sunrise spilling bright orangish colors
onto a blue sky. The summer season was approaching soon as spring neared its end.

Reserve students quietly walked past him, minding their own businesses. Having woken up early as
he usually does, he had some time before his classes started. He could go grab breakfast from the
school cafeteria or wander around campus for a bit. The brunet chose the latter, not really in the
mood to deal with busy lines and loud cafeteria chatter.

He wandered down his usual path, gazing out at all the various buildings on campus. Inevitably,
his eyes landed on the Main Course building not too far from where he was standing. That building
was where all the talented students were, students with tons of potential and futures destined for
greatness. Those students were known as Ultimates.

Other reserve students often found them to be snobby and stuck up, thinking they were better than
their less talented peers. He wasn’t sure how true that was, but he did know they weren’t all like
that; one Ultimate student happened to be his best friend, after all, and she never treated him as less
significant than her.

He found himself walking around the Main Course campus, passing by Ultimate students who
seemed a lot cheerier and livelier than the reserve students did. Normally, seeing a reserve student
wandering around the main campus would earn him some disapproving looks and glares from
some of the adults, but he ignored them; he’d been here enough times already while hanging out
with Nanami, and he wasn’t planning on stopping, so they’d just have to deal with it. Though, it
did still bother him a little when he felt their scrutinizing, judgmental gazes on his back…

He continued to walk aimlessly, lost in thought until he spotted a lone wisteria tree off in the
distance. Huh, he never noticed that tree there before. It was standing in a more deserted part of
campus, with no other students seemingly near the area. A perfect place for him to contemplate his
own self-worth and meaning to his existence. He sighed and closed his eyes, walking the straight
path on the walkway towards the tree as he slipped into deep thought. He wondered how different
his world would be like if he had an Ultimate talent like the Main Course students. What talent
would he even want to have?

His best friend was the Ultimate Gamer. That would’ve been a cool talent to have, though it was
hard to imagine Hajime beating his friend’s dedication to her games. Ultimate Debater? He wasn’t
particularly great at many things, but he was pretty decent at debating on certain topics and
discussions. He had gotten into many debates with his friend before, whether it was about current
world events, conspiracy theories, or plotlines in videogames that made absolutely no sense and
were a disgrace to their former name. Or would’ve his talent was-

“Oof—!” Hajime’s thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly hit something very solid, causing him
to fall back and land hard on the pavement. Ouch. Maybe walking with his eyes closed hadn’t been
the brightest of ideas. The brunet groaned and rubbed his head, sitting up. He opened his eyes,
ready to apologize to whoever he had run into, only to fall silent upon seeing who the other person
was.

There standing before him was a boy who looked to be around his age. He wore a suit and tie, a
uniform that looked almost similar to his, except the material seemed a lot higher quality,
somehow. The boy had incredibly long, luxurious black hair that spilled around him like a
waterfall of black ink. He wouldn’t have drawn his eyes away from it had it not been for the one
other striking feature this boy possessed. Two blood red, piercing eyes stared down at Hajime,
trapping him in its gaze. They were striking, intense, and if he looked close enough, he swore he
could see very faint—crosshairs? Everything about the person before him radiated power and
superiority, even the stone-cold, stoic expression on his face. It left him speechless.

“I— uh—“ Hajime stumbled over his words, struggling to get his thoughts out. Even just speaking
to this person felt unruly, like he was breaking some unspoken rule of sorts. The other didn’t say a
word, only stared at him silently, analyzing. After getting over his initial shock, he finally worked
up enough nerve to stand up, getting a better look at the person across from him. They were about
the same height, it would seem. He also appeared to have a similar body type as his from what he
could tell. Actually, now that he was looking at him closer, he looked…eerily similar to Hajime.

Upon first glance, you wouldn’t think they looked anything alike, but if you take away the
magnificent hair and scarlet red eyes, they did, in fact, seem to share the same face: sharp, focused
eyes, pulled into a neutral expression, similar to Hajime’s neutral expression except far more
intimidating. His nose, lips, jawline, and even the bit of ears he could see peeking from his curtain
of hair all looked like Hajime’s. It was like he was staring at a corrupted reflection of himself. It
was surreal.

Finally, after what felt like ages of staring and neither one of them saying a word, Hajime broke the
silence.

“Uh, sorry… I didn’t mean to run into you like that,” he said apologetically, facing the red-eyed
boy in front of him. “I wasn’t paying attention, so… my bad.”

The other boy said nothing, only stared. Hajime felt confused; did the other boy not hear him?
Should he repeat himself? He opened his mouth to do so, only to stop short as the other boy finally
spoke.

“Name.” the other boy said in a flat tone. It took Hajime a moment to process what the other had
said until he realized that the other was asking for his name. Except it was more of a command
than it was a question.

“Oh, uh, my name,” Hajime cleared his throat, nearly forgetting his own name before he replied.
“My name is Hinata Hajime. Nice to meet you.”
The other boy closed his eyes. “Hinata Hajime.” he repeated as if searching for confirmation that
that was, in fact, the correct way to pronounce it. Hajime felt a chill run through him upon hearing
his name being said in such a monotone voice. And yet even though his voice lacked emotion, it
still sounded eerily similar to Hajime’s own voice. The boy then reopened his eyes, glancing at
Hajime one last time, before he proceeded to walk past him, leaving him stunned.

“H-hey, wait, aren’t you gonna tell me your—” Hajime whirled around only to discover that the
other boy was no longer there. What the hell?? Hadn’t he just been there a second ago, how did he
disappear so fast? He looked out at the empty walkway before him, the flowers on the wisteria tree
gently swaying in the breeze above him.

He had to tell Nanami about this.

Hajime approached the fountain located somewhere within the campus of the school, holding onto
his lunch tray. Every school day during lunch hours he came to this spot where his best friend was
waiting for him, and every school day there she was, sitting on the bench near the fountain with her
eyes glued to her Nantendo Game Girl Advance, mashing buttons and strategizing. She wore her
usual brown school uniform along with the signature white hair clip she always wore, located on
the left side of her bangs, in the shape of the spaceship from Galaga, one of her favorite
videogames. Her lunch tray sat right by her, only partially eaten. He sat down beside her, setting
the tray down on his lap.

“Good afternoon, Hinata-kun.” Nanami greeted, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“Hey, Nanami. I hope you’re not forgetting to eat your lunch again.”

“Ah, I know. Let me just finish this round.” She continued playing her game for about a minute
longer, Hajime patiently waiting as he took a bite of his sandwich. Eventually, she set the device
down and turned to face him, beaming at him with those pale rose eyes. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, something interesting happened to me today.”

“Oh?” She took a bite out of her own sandwich, her next words coming out muffled as she chewed.
“What happened?”

“I ran into this student today, and he was, well, kinda creepy.”

“Creepy?” The lilac-haired girl tilted her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

“When I ran into him, he hardly seemed affected at all. He just stood there staring at me without
saying a word. Plus, he had this insanely long black hair that I’m pretty sure was real, and these
red, intense-looking eyes. He hardly spoke to me, just asked for my name then walked off...”

“Whoa…” She looked intrigued, eyes widening a slight bit.

“That’s not even the craziest part,” he continued. “The craziest part is that I think he sorta…
looked like me. I swear his face looked like mine and when he spoke his voice sounded like mine
too, except more… cold.”

“Hmm,” Nanami put a finger to her chin in thought. “Maybe someone stole your DNA, created an
evil clone version of you, and programmed that clone to destroy the original.”

“Haha, very funny,” he wryly replied, a lazy smile stretching on his face. “Besides, if he was an
evil clone, wouldn’t he have already destroyed me when I first ran into him?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want any witnesses to expose him. Then the original guy’s best friend would
have to track him down and exact revenge on him in the sequel.” She looked up at the sky, finger
still on her chin as she appeared to be daydreaming this storyline she suddenly created. Hajime
couldn’t help but chuckle. He always found her somewhat quirky behavior to be cute.

“Well, either way, I’m still curious about that guy. Like, what’s his name? What kind of talent does
he have? What grade is he in?”

“He sounds mysterious,” The lilac-haired girl took a sip of strawberry milk, a thoughtful expression
on her face. “Actually, now that I think about it, he sounds like the guy from that rumor.”

“Rumor?” The brunet looked at her curiously.

“I’ve heard a rumor going around about a mysterious, long-haired guy who lurks around campus,
though is rarely seen, like a ghost. I can’t say for sure, but if I recall, I think I’ve heard someone
call him… Kamukura Izuru.”

“Kamukura Izuru?” Hajime felt like he heard that name before. Wait, wasn’t that the founder of
Hope’s Peak Academy? There’s no way the person he ran into earlier was the founder; he looked
way too young – around Hajime’s age – and definitely seemed like a student attending HPA.
Maybe he was related to the founder, like his grandson or something. Or he could just
coincidentally share the same name, though that seemed unlikely. That might not even be his real
name at all. Although something about that name still tugged at him.

Kamukura Izuru… just who are you anyway?

Boring. That is how this day had begun.

Much like the previous days prior, nothing seemed to hold much interest to Izuru. He had awoken
from his sleeping state upon sunrise, as always. Next, he underwent his typical hygiene routine, as
always. Then he flawlessly prepared himself a small, well-balanced breakfast in which he quietly
ate in his room, as always. These daily tasks that he has undergone countless times had once again
proven to be tedious and boring.

After he completed his morning routine, his teachers had given him an assignment to remodel a
faulty rocket ship design in which Izuru completed in less than half an hour. That, too, had been
boring. Afterward, he had been given free time to do as he pleased which led him to wander the
school campus, an act he had done many times already, but the only other alternative was
remaining in the underground tunnels surrounded by pestering teachers and scientists all day.

In summary, his morning had begun exactly as he predicted it would; boring and uneventful.

Until something not-so-boring happened.

It happened as he was wandering the school campus. A student from the Reserve Course
Department had been walking across the main course campus and unintentionally crashed into him
on the walkway.

[Note: Zero effect on himself, though the same could not be said for the other student who crashed
onto the ground. Upon analyzation, no external injuries were sustained]

He didn’t think much of it at first. After all, there was nothing particularly interesting about the
boy. The student seemed as bland and boring as one could get with little to no striking physical
features or personality traits to be seen. However, there was something about the student that
caught his attention; the other male appeared to share similar physical characteristics as he did.

Not just similar, in fact, upon further examination he looked near identical to Izuru if you disregard
the eye color, hair color, and hair length. There were smaller, less significant details the other boy
possessed that differed from the two of them such as the other boy’s uneven fingernails, his
slightly tanner skin tone, a small, faded scratch above the other’s left eyebrow – but these details
were small and hardly mattered.

His voice was identical as well. The frequencies were the same as Izuru’s, the major difference
being that the other student’s voice sounded far more expressive than his. This left Izuru with
questions: Who is Hinata Hajime and why are his physical attributes so similar to his own? There
was a possibility that the look-alike was merely a doppelganger—there were only so many
different combinations to physical appearances that human beings could possess, after all—whom
Izuru could’ve just found by chance, though that probability was low.

After some calculating, Izuru made a decision: he will find out more about this Hinata Hajime.

With that objective in mind, he made his way through the quiet, empty corridors of the Hope’s
Peak Academy school hallways towards the headmaster’s office. It was well past midnight which
meant no students or staff members were there to interfere with his plans. This also meant that he
was violating not only school rules but one of the rules his teachers had given him about going out
of his room after hours. Not that he particularly cared for the rules his teachers enforced, it was
simply more convenient for him if he followed them to avoid dealing with their lectures.

He approached the door to the headmaster’s office and—using one of his many ultimate talents—
lockpicked the door open with ease. The door opened with a slight creak, allowing him inside. As
expected, the room was uninhabited. He walked over to a cabinet full of files and proceeded to
open each drawer one by one, searching for one file in particular. Then he saw it.

He pulled out a manila folder, opening it and scanning over its contents.

Name: Hinata Hajime

Sex: Male

DOB: 01/01

Height: 179 cm (5'8")

Weight: 67 kg (147 lbs)

Reserve Course Department

Class 11-B
 GPA: 3.0

As expected, the file contained very basic information, some of which he’d already deduced upon
meeting the look-alike. He stored any additional information away in his memory and continued to
search. There were a few other files, things such as medical record copies, a birth certificate copy,
and his registration form. He did a quick scan of those, storing that information into his memory as
well.

Then something else caught his attention. Stored at the very back of the manilla folder was another
folder, thin and black. He took out that folder and carefully opened it, doing a quick scan of its
contents.

Ah, so his theory was correct… This is an intriguing discovery. Does the look-alike know about
this? The probability is low, considering the look-alike’s initial reaction upon meeting him.

Izuru hasn’t been this interested in something for a long time, he realized. Many questions began to
flood his mind: Why was this information kept secret from him? Does the look-alike truly not
know of his existence? If so, why? What other secrets have been kept from him?

Is there more to this Hinata Hajime than what meets the eye?

[New Objective: Observe Hinata Hajime until further details]

Chapter End Notes

- Izuru shall commence: stalking!

- I read somewhere that wisteria can symbolize new beginnings. I hope I'm correct.
- Just so you know, the Chiaki in this fic is based off the real one in the anime, not the
AI.
- I don’t know what class Hajime is in so I just chose a random class number.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Also do the Reserve Course students have dorms? …I don’t know but they do now.
- Next Update: 09/26/20
 Brothers
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The next day, Hajime was on his way to the fountain again, lunch tray in hand. He hadn’t had any
other run-ins with the mysterious boy from yesterday, not that he was expecting to, but… he’d be
lying if he said he hadn’t been hoping for it. As to why he was hoping for it, he had no clue. As he
was heading towards the fountain, however, he felt a strange sense of eyes on his back, watching
him.

He found himself looking over his shoulder every minute or so, but there was never anyone there,
only the occasional student walking by, paying him no mind. He tried to ignore this feeling,
figuring he was just being paranoid for whatever reason. Eventually, he spotted Nanami at the
fountain and took a seat beside her.

“Hey hey, Hinata-kun.” Nanami greeted, eyes glued to her Game Girl again.

“Hey, Nanami.” He sat down and wordlessly began to eat his food.

It was quiet, only beeping sounds from Nanami’s videogame filling the air. She was too focused on
her game and he was too distracted with his thoughts to spark up a conversation. He had a lot on
his mind, a lot being the mysterious individual he met the other day and had yet to see again.

He didn’t know why he kept thinking about this person; maybe because he looked so alike himself,
maybe because there were so many rumors about him, or maybe because he simply seemed like an
interesting albeit intimidating person and wanted to know more about him. Either way, he found it
difficult to focus on anything else ever since he ran into that guy.

“Is everything alright, Hinata-kun?” he snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his friend’s
voice, turning to face Nanami. Her eyes were still glued to the screen but Hajime could tell that a
part of her attention was on him. “You seem a little distracted.”

He wasn’t sure if he should tell his lilac-haired friend what was on his mind. He didn’t have an
explanation as to why he was so invested in this Kamukura person, so it might seem weird if he
admitted out loud that he’s been thinking about him ever since yesterday.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just have some stuff on my mind…” he replied.

“Hmm, if you say so,” she finally put down the device and turned to face Hajime. “By the way, did
you hear about the latest battle royal game that just released?”

“Oh yeah, I did. I was thinking about getting it.”

The two of them then fell into a discussion about the latest videogame releases as they finished
eating their lunch.

Izuru hid behind a nearby tree, watching the two individuals eating and conversing beside one
another. One of them he had immediately recognized to be the look-alike, Hinata Hajime, the
person whom he had been following around all day and observing from a distance. A few times the
other male would look over his shoulder, and every time Izuru would swiftly hide out of view
before he could be spotted. Now he was here, watching as he spoke with a female he had yet to
meet.

Name: Nanami Chiaki

Title: Ultimate Gamer

Sex: Female

DOB: 03/14

Height: 160 cm (5'2")

Weight: 46 kg (101 lbs)

This was a student he did recognize upon analyzation, having obtained knowledge on all the
Ultimate Students attending Hope’s Peak Academy. His teachers had not given him any
information on the Reserve Course students, claiming that it was unimportant considering their
talentless nature and therefore not worth his time. He was beginning to suspect other reasons as to
why they would withhold this information from him.

He continued to study the look-alike and the gamer, the way they talked and interacted with one
another. According to his observations, they appeared to have a close, mutual relationship built on
companionship. One would think this was odd considering they both held different statuses, the
gamer being labeled more superior than her talentless companion. He wondered what reasons there
were to their companionship.

He listened in on their conversation closely. They appeared to be talking about an electronic video
game of sorts. It sounded boring. Eventually, the two of them parted ways, most likely returning to
their respective classes. Izuru knew it was unwise to wander around the schools while classes were
in session; even with his stealth, there were students and staff members everywhere, and he was
bound to get caught if he continued to follow the look-alike out in the open.

Although he didn’t care much whether he was seen by others, it was less inconvenient for him if he
avoided all other people. His teachers also made it known that they would prefer if his existence
remained anonymous, though Izuru did not see a reason why he should. After watching the two
students depart, Izuru turned around and headed back to his lab.

Another 24 hours cycled by. Izuru hid behind the same tree, watching the two students depart
again as their lunchtime had just ended.

He had observed the look-alike throughout yesterday as well as today and has his schedule
memorized, which was as follows: emerge from reserve course dormitories around 7:30 AM,
wander up until 8:30 AM (note: both days, the look-alike has revisited the wisteria tree where they
met two days prior), start walking to class at 8:30 AM, have lunch with the gamer at the fountain at
11:30 AM, leave back to class at 12:00 PM, then return to dormitories after 3:15 PM.
From what he has observed, the look-alike has little to no talent or special skill. His social life
consists of socializing only with the gamer before proceeding to isolate himself in his dorm room.
The conversations the look-alike and the gamer have held were usually about trivial topics and
things that he did not care for.

He also noted that neither the look-alike nor the gamer has mentioned Izuru in any of their
conversations, leading him to believe that the look-alike is either unaware of his relations to Izuru
or does not care for his existence, most likely the former. This led to more questions, but he was
beginning to doubt he’d have them answered by just observing the other male.

Izuru has reached a conclusion: Hinata Hajime is completely and utterly boring.

He supposed this was inevitable. He had hoped to uncover more information regarding the
discovery he made Monday night, but the look-alike had proved useless in that matter. He would
have to find other ways to uncover the truth. He left the fountain area, having no intention of
returning.

After leaving the fountain, he headed back towards the underground tunnels, avoiding as much
contact with others as possible. He made it to the staircase leading downwards to a basement door
and proceeded to approach the door, stopping in front of the retina scanner, allowing it to scan his
eye.

A few seconds later, the door opened and granted him access, allowing him to pass through into
the underground tunnels, the area that was technically considered his ‘home.’ He didn’t bother to
speak to any teachers or scientists he passed by as he made his way to his room.

He arrived in his room shortly after, shutting the door behind him. His room was of average size
and always clean and organized, with a desk over by one corner, a dresser, and a bed in the other
corner. He didn’t carry many possessions, deeming them unnecessary, which left a lot of space in
this dark, empty room. There was also a bathroom connected with a door to the right side of the
room, a small space where he performed his hygiene routine.

Even though this was considered ‘his room,’ it only served to remind him of all the endless,
repetitive days he’s spent isolated and stuck in this cycle of boredom. Hardly a minute after he
arrived, his lab door reopened and one of his teachers entered the room. They always came into his
room unannounced.

“There you are, Izuru,” The woman spoke, clipboard in hand. “Come, you have an assignment to
complete.”

Izuru was not pleased with this, already predicting how unbearably boring this would be, but
proceeded to follow the teacher regardless. His thoughts lingered back to the events that transpired
since Monday morning, from meeting the talentless look-alike to his last observations of him at the
fountain.

Such a boring outcome.

Hajime sat in his dorm room, textbooks and notebooks sprawled out all over his desk. It was
getting late and the brunet figured he should try to cram a little study time in before bed. His grades
were nothing but average, and it was only because of these study sessions that he even managed to
achieve that. He tried to focus as he wrote down notes but found it difficult to concentrate as he still
had a certain someone on his mind.

He sighed and put down his pencil, feeling a headache coming on. Maybe it was time to consult
someone about this problem of his or he’d never get anything done. He pulled out his smartphone
and texted the only person he could think of.

Nanami

8:06 PM

[8:06 pm]

You: hey Nanami, u up?

A few seconds later, his phone vibrated, signaling a notification.

[8:06 pm]

Nanami: yep, I’m playing animal crossing

Nanami: wut’s up?

[8:07 pm]

You : nothin much, just studying

You: I’m having a hard time focusing tho

[8:07 pm]

Nanami: why’s that?

[8:08 pm]

You: something’s been on my mind a lot lately…

[8:08 pm]

Nanami: wut’s on ur mind?

He hesitated, debating whether or not he should tell her before finally giving in.

[8:10 pm]

You: I keep thinking about that guy I ran into last Monday
[8:10 pm]

Nanami: ah, u mean that Kamukura guy?

[8:10 pm]

You: yeah

[8:11 pm]

You : I know it’s weird. I just feel like I want to see him again and maybe get to know him?

You: Idk why…

[8:11 pm]

Nanami: I get what u mean

[8:12 pm]

Nanami: we should try to find out more about him

[8:12 pm]

You: rly?

[8:12 pm]

Nanami: yeah, why not?

Nanami: I’ll ask my classmates and see what they know about him

[8:13 pm]

You: ok, thx Nanami

[8:13 pm]

Nanami: yep yep (＾ｕ＾)

Hajime smiled, feeling a new sense of excitement and adventure blossom within him. Maybe it was
silly, but he couldn’t help it. Besides, when did interesting things ever happen to him? At least now
he had something to look forward to tomorrow.

The next day, Hajime sat by Nanami at the fountain, too eager to even touch his lunch this time
around.
“Good afternoon, Nanami.” he greeted as he sat down.

“Hinata-kun, hey,” she placed down her Game Girl and turned to face the boy beside her. “Did you
find out anything about you-know-who?”

“Not much. I heard a few people talking in the halls about the rumor of a red-eyed, black-haired
person…” Hajime proceeded to tell her about what he overheard, most of which was just gossip
about Kamukura only being a superstition (which Hajime knew was false considering he ran into
the man himself) or that he is real, but isn’t human, like a ghost haunting the corridors.

“Hmm, you think he might actually be a ghost?” Nanami asked, looking as if she was seriously
pondering this with her finger on her chin.

“I’m pretty sure he wasn’t.” he deadpanned. Though he supposed it wouldn’t be too hard to believe
as he thought back to the almost supernatural aura the boy gave off.

“Well, I talked to my classmates and one of them said they actually saw him.”

Hajime’s head perked up as he looked at Nanami, eyes lighting up with interest.

“Really?” he asked.

She nodded. “My friend Komaeda-kun says he’s seen him before. He didn’t get a chance to talk to
him before he disappeared, but the description he gave me sounded just like the one you gave me.
Long black hair, sharp red eyes, and a very serious persona. He also said something about him
radiating hope or something like that...”

Radiating hope…? Hajime shook his head at that thought and instead focused on the other thing
Nanami told him. The descriptions matched, which meant he wasn’t the only one to have seen
Kamukura in person.

“I see. Is there a way I could talk to Komaeda, maybe ask if he knows anything else about this
Kamukura guy?” he asked.

“I’ll ask him to meet with you, but there’s no guarantee. Komaeda-kun can be a bit, well, much.”

He nodded and continued to ponder this new information as the both of them finished eating their
lunches.

The last school bell of the day rang, dismissing all students from their classes. Hajime gathered his
belongings, being one of the last ones to leave as his classmates filed out of the door. Eventually,
the brunet made his way out of the classroom. The hall was empty and quiet, strangely enough, not
a single soul in sight. Sunlight spilled from the hall windows, painting the corridor in orange
colors. It felt almost eerie, ominous, like something big was about to happen but he didn’t know
what. It left the brunet feeling tense, uncertain.

Until he saw him.

Standing there at the end of the long hallway was the elusive man himself: Kamukura Izuru. His
back was turned to Hajime, but there was no mistaking those long, raven-colored locks flowing
gracefully down his back. His thoughts flickered back to the rumors, about how some people
thought he was a ghost, and the brunet couldn’t argue with that idea as he noticed the sunlight from
the window made the other boy look ethereal, like a phantom in the corridors.

The figure did nothing, only stood there like he was waiting for something. For a moment, Hajime
was stuck frozen in shock. Then suddenly, the raven-haired boy started to walk away, his footsteps
completely silent. Hajime snapped out of his trance and reached a hand out towards the other.

“W-wait! Kamukura!”

The other boy slowed to a stop. He took that as his chance to continue. “You’re Kamukura Izuru,
right?” The brunet took several steps towards the other, daring to get closer to the mysterious boy.
A few seconds passed by before the figure finally spoke, back still turned to Hajime.

“That is correct.” the boy said, voice as monotone as he remembered. Hajime could feel the
excitement bubbling up within him.

“Ah, you might not remember me, but I’m—“

“Hinata Hajime.” Kamukura finally turned around to face the brunet, scarlet eyes locking onto his.
“I remember you.”

“Y-you do?” His voice cracked, feeling jittered underneath the other boy’s intense gaze.

“I remember anything and everything, always.”

“I see…”

Man, this guy is really intense…

Hajime cleared his throat. “Well, first of all… who are you?”

The red-eyed boy was silent for a short moment before he responded.

“I am what they call the Ultimate Hope.” Hajime looked at him quizzically. Ultimate Hope…?
What does that mean? As if reading his thoughts, the other male continued. “I possess all other
Ultimate talents. In other words, my talent is talent itself. My purpose is to spread hope throughout
all of humanity using these many talents I have been gifted with. That is why I have been given the
title of Ultimate Hope.”

Hajime’s eyes widened.

Holy crap… his talent is talent itself? Is that even possible?

“Wow, that sounds... big.” Hajime only grew more curious about the boy in front of him. “Wait, so
you’re an Ultimate, then? What class are you in? How come you’re here in the Reserve Course
building if you’re an Ultimate? And why did you—“

“Boring.” the other boy interrupted. It took a moment for the brunet to process what the other said,
eyes blinking.

“Excuse me?”

“Your questions are boring. I predicted they would be, coming from someone like you.”

Someone like me…?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he frowned, feeling something in the air around them change
suddenly.

Kamukura looked at him with cold, calculating eyes.

“I was unsure of what to expect from you. Considering our connection with one another, I assumed
you’d possess a similar talent as I, or some fraction of it at least.”

“Connection? Talent? Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?”

The other boy fell silent again as if thinking of his next response carefully. Eyes piercing through
Hajime’s soul, he answered.

“You and I are brothers.”

What?

There was no way he heard him correctly.

“Huh?” Hajime looked at him as if he just grew a second head. The other boy seemed unperturbed
as he continued.

“We share the same biological parents. We are brothers. More specifically, twin brothers.”

…What the hell? The other boy was talking like he was sharing a simple fact rather than dropping
a bombshell on him. There was no way what he was saying was true. Hajime did not have a
brother. As far as he knew, he was an only child and always has been.

And yet, as he looked at the serious boy across from him, noticing their similar features, he
couldn’t help but consider this being a true fact. But how? How was this possible? How could this
other person know this? How long had he known? It didn’t make sense. There was a heavy,
discomforting feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

“Is this some kind of joke?” The brunet felt tense, hands clenched.

“Are you turning away from the truth?” Kamukura remarked. He looked the opposite of Hajime’s
current state, calm, and collected as he stood there, judging him. “Is that your response? How
boring…”

The red-eyed boy turned around and began to walk away. Hajime flinched.

“Hey, wait a minute! What the hell was that?” he snapped, his patience growing thin. “You can’t
just say we’re brothers then turn around and walk away! What do you mean we’re twin brothers?”

“Such a predictable reaction from a predictable person,” Kamukura stopped walking, looking over
his shoulder and staring at him in contempt. “People like you, who lack talent and purpose, are
insignificant. Your connection to me gave me a mild interest in you, but even with that connection,
your existence bores me.”

Hajime felt like he had just been slapped in the face, or better yet stabbed straight through the heart
with a metal sword. There was a pain in his chest, sharp and crushing, almost enough to make
Hajime want to shrink down and disappear entirely. Then his shock transformed into anger.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” he seethed.

“Someone you will never understand,” Kamukura was not at all fazed by his anger. “You are an
inferior being, a parasite leeching off those more talented than you. That is all you are.”

“You—!”

Kamukura disappeared down the hall, leaving a hurt, confused, and angered Hajime behind.

Hajime laid on his dorm room bed, deep in thought as he stared up at the ceiling. He’d been
processing what Kamukura told him ever since their last meeting hours earlier. A part of him still
refused to believe it. He’d grown up thinking he was an only child in a household with two parents,
one who worked out the house all the time and another who worked at home all the time, neither of
them having very much time for him.

He never had any siblings to play videogames with, or watch movies with, or talk about
miscellaneous things with; he always did those things alone. The closest thing he had to experience
those things with were the few friends he had in elementary and middle school, but he’d never been
that close to any of them. So for someone to come out of nowhere and tell him that he was his
brother…

There was only one way to know for sure.

Hajime picked up his smartphone, scrolling through his contacts until he found the one he was
looking for. He tapped the screen, calling the number, and held the phone up to his ear, listening to
it ring a few times before someone picked up.

“Hello?” a voice on the other end spoke.

“Hey, mom.” he replied.

“Hajime, dear, how are you?”

“I’m… fine, I guess. You?”

“I just finished preparing dinner for me and your father. You remember that curry recipe, the one
he likes so much? I think I finally perfected it. It’s quite delicious.”

“Yeah, sounds great…”

His mom must’ve noticed the stress in his voice as she paused.

“...Is everything alright, Hajime?”

Hajime inhaled deeply and shifted so that he was sitting up in his bed.

“I met someone today.”

There was another pause on the other end, a hesitance.

“...Oh?”

“Yeah. He’s a student like me who goes to Hope’s Peak. He looks like me and…” he sighed. “…
 his name is Kamukura Izuru and he says he’s my twin brother.” He could’ve sworn he heard a
small gasp on the other end. Then there was silence, stretching on for what felt like ages. “Mom…
is it true? Do I have a brother? A twin brother even?”

“I–… Hajime, I-I…” He could sense the distress coming off her from the phone, struggling to get
the words out.

“Please, mom,” he stressed. “I just want the truth.”

He felt bad for pushing his mom like this—she had always been slightly more emotional and easier
to stress out, unlike his more level-headed father—but this was something he couldn’t just put off
or ignore. Once again, silence stretched out on the other end, and for a moment he thought she
wasn’t going to respond. Then finally, he heard a shaky sigh on the other end.

“…It’s true,” his mom confessed. “You have a twin brother.”

Chapter End Notes

- Dun Dun Duuuuuun! (sike we all saw it coming)

- Also golly, Izuru, why you gotta roast Hajime like that?
- Next Update: 10/03/20
 Double Trouble
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Hajime woke up that Friday morning with a plan. The conversation he had with his mom last night
ended shortly after she confirmed that Kamukura was in fact, his twin brother. He had initially been
thrown for a loop upon hearing that he had a brother, but hearing his mom confirm it made it all
too real. The brunet had a million questions to ask, such as why his parents didn’t tell him about
Kamukura, why didn’t Kamukura live or grow up with them, and why does Kamukura have a
different last name than him?

After the confession, his mom became too distressed to answer any other questions he might’ve
had and instead ended the phone call abruptly. He wasn’t sure when his mom would be ready to
tell him the whole story. He didn’t plan on sitting around waiting for her, either. If his parents
weren’t going to tell him the truth, then he would take matters into his own hands.

He was going to talk to Kamukura Izuru again.

Hajime left the dormitory building like a man on a mission. He didn’t know where he was going to
find Kamukura, but he had a few ideas on where he might spot him. He stepped onto the Main
Course campus, keeping an eye out for the raven-haired twin as he passed by Ultimate students.
The two encounters he had with Kamukura happened when they were alone, so he figured he
wouldn’t be around any crowded areas. He remembered the wisteria tree, the place he first ran into
the twin, and how it had been completely deserted. With this in mind, he made his way to the area
where the lone tree stood.

He arrived shortly after and to his surprise, he saw him—Kamukura Izuru standing alone beneath
the wisteria tree, back turned to him. He suddenly remembered their last encounter and how not-
so-smoothly things had gone, prompting a wave of anxiety to make itself known within him. But
knowing what he knows now, he was determined to speak with him and possibly get to know him
regardless of the arrogant attitude he seemed to carry. He took a deep breath then approached the
twin.

“Hey…” he called out. Kamukura did not respond or move to face him, even though he knew the
other boy heard him. The brunet bit back the urge to snap again, pushing down his irritation, and
instead sighed. Well, here goes nothing…

“Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day,” the brunet shifted his weight onto his
other foot. “I… I talked to my mom—well, I guess our mom—and she told me it was true. We’re
brothers.”

Kamukura slowly turned around, eyes immediately locking onto Hajime’s. The brunet felt that
twist in his stomach again, that sense of intimidation threatening to return, but he was determined
not to back down. Steadying his nerve, he straightened his stance and stared back at Kamukura
with resolve, keeping their gazes locked.

“I never knew I had a brother up until now. I don’t know why you were kept a secret from me, but
either way, I really want to get to know you. So, if you want, I was hoping maybe we could… hang
out?”

A small flicker of surprise crossed the other boy’s face for a split second before it returned to its
neutral expression.

“…Why?”

“Like I said, I want to get to know you better,” He shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his
weight again. “Even though you were being kind of a jerk the other day, if you’re really my twin
brother then we should at least know more about each other. Besides, I wanna understand what
happened between you and our family, don’t you?”

Kamukura’s eyes shifted downwards, looking thoughtful. “I admit, I am also curious about my
origins. I was not aware that I had any existing relatives until recently, let alone a twin brother.”

“So then… you agree to hang out with me?”

Kamukura looked back up to meet the brunet’s gaze.

“Yes,” he answered simply. “Although I can already predict many ways this will play out, I am
curious to see what you have planned, Hinata Hajime.”

Hajime felt both surprised and relieved.

“Ah, okay then,” he smiled a little. “By the way, since we’re brothers, you can just call me Hajime
if you want.”

Kamukura hummed in acknowledgment.

“Is it okay if I call you Izuru?”

“I don’t care.”

“Alright then.”

Hajime pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and checked the time. It read 8:29 AM. “Ah, I
gotta start heading to class,” He slid his phone back in his pocket. “We should meet back here at
lunchtime.”

“Very well.” Izuru agreed.

“I’ll see you later then, Izuru.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

With that, Hajime turned around and made his way back to the Reserve Course campus. Some time
after he left the wisteria tree, he pulled out his smartphone again and texted Nanami.

Nanami

8:31 AM

[8:31 AM]

You: hey, ur not gonna believe this but I ran into Izuru again

[8:31 AM]
Nanami: really?? :O

[8:32 AM]

You: yeah, and guess what?

You: he’s my brother

You: my TWIN brother

[8:32 AM]

Nanami: ur joking

[8:32 AM]

You: I’m dead serious

[8:33 AM]

Nanami: OMG!!! :O

Nanami: so that’s why he looked like you! wut a plot twist!

[8:33 AM]

You: Ikr?

You: I’m gonna be hanging out with him at lunchtime today to get to know him better

You: hope that’s ok with u

[8:34 AM]

Nanami: of course it’s ok! You two need to start gaining those relationship points!

Nanami: good luck Hinata-kun! I believe in u! (/ ◕ ヮ ◕)/

[8:34 AM]

You: thx

[8:34 AM]

Nanami: don’t forget to tell me how it goes! (*^ ▽^*)

[8:35 AM]

You: I won’t

Hajime smiled at his phone before sliding it back in his pocket and walking into his classroom.
At lunchtime, Hajime arrived back at the wisteria tree, lunch tray in hand. When he got there, he
immediately spotted Izuru standing beneath the tree once again, this time faced to the right with his
eyes closed. Hajime approached him.

“You haven’t been here since I left, have you?” he asked a little worriedly.

“No,” Izuru opened his eyes to look at Hajime. “I arrived precisely twenty-five minutes and thirty-
three seconds ago.”

That’s still a long time…

“Alright then,” He looked around the area. “We should go look for a table to eat at.”

Izuru turned towards him, trailing slightly behind him as they searched for an outside table. The
brunet couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved, feeling the other boy’s stare on the back of his neck.

I still can’t believe he’s my twin brother… he’s so… different.

Eventually, he spotted what he was looking for.

“There,” Hajime pointed towards a lone table near the walkway. “Seems like a decent spot to eat.”
The brunet walked over to the table, setting his tray down on the tabletop, then sat down, watching
as Izuru sat across from him. Hajime noticed the raven-haired twin didn’t bring a tray or any sort of
food for that matter.

“You didn’t bring any lunch for yourself?”

“I do not need to obtain nourishment at the moment.” Izuru stated matter-of-factly.

“Uh, okay…” He took a bite of his sandwich and adverted his gaze.

The silence that ensued was, simply put, awkward, at least for Hajime. For the next five minutes or
so, he ate his lunch in silence while Izuru just stared at him across the table, like he was observing
a creature in its natural habitat. Hajime could feel beads of nervous sweat forming on his skin,
shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The other didn’t seem at all bothered or discomforted by the
silence, only indifferent. He wondered if the other was even capable of feeling awkward with how
many times Hajime had caught him staring.

I should probably say something…

“So…” He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “How long have you been at this school?”

There was a short moment of silence before the other twin responded. “A long time.”

He felt annoyed by that indirect answer but decided to let it go for now.

“You said your title was the Ultimate Hope, right? And your talent is talent itself?”

“Correct.”

“Is that really true? I mean, how is that possible?”

Izuru paused, looking thoughtful again. Then he spoke. “I was brought into this world with
extraordinary talents, that of which have been honed and perfected here at Hope’s Peak Academy
by my teachers. They have trained and taught me how to best utilize these talents to the point
where I have far surpassed them in terms of skill and intelligence.”
“Wow,” he said, surprised. “So, you’re like… a genius among geniuses or something?”

“Essentially.”

And I’m actually related to that super-talented genius?

Hajime tried not to let his intimidation show and instead opted to change the subject.

“I seriously don’t know why I’m just now finding out about this. About… you.” He looked down
at his half-eaten sandwich. “My mom—our mom hasn’t picked up any of my calls since last night
and dad hardly ever answers my calls. He’s usually too busy.” Izuru seemed to be paying close
attention to his words as he spoke. “I just don’t get it… why would they hide this from me? From
us?”

“I have some theories.”

Hajime’s head perked up, waiting to hear what the other boy had theorized. The other simply
blinked at him.

“Well? Aren’t you gonna tell me?”

A few seconds of silence passed, indicating that no, he was not going to tell him. He frowned.

“You’re seriously not gonna tell me?”

No response. Hajime grumbled in annoyance and continued to eat. Eventually, he finished his
lunch, making sure to gather all the remains on his tray.

“Gotta head back to class,” The brunet stood up and gathered his tray. “What time do your classes
end so we can hang out again?”

“I will be unavailable for the remainder of the day,” Izuru also stood up from his seat. “I have
assignments from my teachers to complete.”

“Oh. Well, give me your phone number and we can set up another time to hang out.”

Izuru looked at him. “I do not own a cellular phone.”

Hajime threw him a surprised look.

He doesn’t have a cellphone? Huh… guess I’ll have to get him one at some point.

“Ah, well then… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Hajime hoped the other boy would still be
willing to hang out with him the next day, even though it felt incredibly awkward the first time.

The other boy blinked at him again, remaining silent for another moment. Then he replied. “Yes.”

Hajime nodded then made his way back to class.

Izuru passed through an empty hallway in the main course building, making his way towards the
underground tunnels. He thought about his earlier encounter with the look-alike Hajime. He had
predicted the other boy might seek him out again, though he expected he wouldn’t. He found
himself mildly surprised when the other boy had approached him and requested his company.

Their encounter yesterday had ended with the other boy frustrated and fueled with negative
emotions after Izuru explained his inferiority to him. Surely he would’ve felt humiliated enough to
stay away after being reminded of his insignificance from someone far more superior than him,
and yet the other boy chose to seek him out anyway, to get to know him as he put it.

Izuru did not sense any ulterior motives and thus agreed, not having anything else to do anyway.
Furthermore, he could use this opportunity to learn more of his origins. The other boy had made it
clear that he’d been contacting their biological parents in an attempt to gain more information,
which would either help confirm or deny his theories.

As he continued down the hall, he sensed the presence of two other people approaching from the
opposite end of the hallway before they even reached his sights. He glanced over, immediately
analyzing the two figures as they drew closer. Two females, both Ultimate Students, one of them
with long, strawberry blonde pigtails, and round, falsely blue eyes. The other female had short
black hair and sharper, light purple eyes. They both wore the uniform of main course students with
slight alterations. Upon analyzation, Izuru knew who they were.

Name: Enoshima Junko

Title: Ultimate Fashionista

Sex: Female

DOB: 12/24

Height: 169 cm (5'7")

Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)

Name: Ikusaba Mukuro

Title: Ultimate Soldier

Sex: Female

DOB: 12/24

Height: 169 cm (5'7")

Weight: 44 kg (97 lbs)

Although they appeared to be normal Ultimate students, Izuru could sense something off about
them both, especially from the blonde one. Her entire aura reeked of deception as well as
something dark and sinister. For a moment they made eye contact, locking gazes as they analyzed
each other. Izuru was not interested in interacting with them and so he shifted his gaze forward,
attempting to walk pass them.
“Whoa, hold on there, hot stuff!” The blonde stuck an arm out in front of him, blocking his path.
He stopped in his tracks, not pleased with the interruption. The blonde turned to him with a
deceptively friendly smile. “And just who might you be good-looking? I haven’t seen you around
before.” Her voice was cheery, flirtatious, and her movements seemed animated. Izuru did not
respond and instead stared at her with disinterest.

“Ooh, playing hard to get, are you? That’s fine, besides, I already know who you are,” She leaned
forward, closer to Izuru than he would’ve preferred. “You’re the legendary Kamukura Izuru, aren’t
you? Wow, lucky me! Looks like I found the Ultimate Hope himself! Isn’t that exciting, Mukuro?”

“If you say so, sister…” The dark-haired girl’s demeanor remained rigid, on guard as if she were
prepared for any sudden movement from him. Enoshima on the other hand seemed carefree.

“Say, you know what would be fun?” Enoshima’s smile stretched across her face, eyes growing
dark. “If the whole school found out about the Steering Committee’s little pet project they have
hidden beneath the school. Can you imagine the amount of chaos that could bring forth?”

Izuru knew not to underestimate the student before him; she seemed more intelligent and
dangerous than most other people at the academy. He wouldn’t doubt it if she had done many
destructive things or has wreaked havoc upon many others in the past. Even so, he was unbothered
by her threat, not particularly caring for it.

He attempted to move past her again, only to be blocked by the dark-haired female who stood
defensively by her side. He was beginning to feel annoyed by their presence, his eyes boring holes
into the soldier’s.

“Move.” he commanded. Ikusaba—although her demeanor became slightly more tense—did not
falter. She pulled out what appeared to be a combat knife, clutching it in her hand. He glanced at it
briefly but was otherwise unfazed, knowing he could easily disable it from her if he wanted to.

“Relaaax, Mukuro,” The blonde rolled her eyes, seeming annoyed by her sister. “No need to get all
serious on us. If he wants to leave, let him.” Enoshima turned her attention back towards Izuru with
a playful expression on her face. “Just know, it would be a shame if something were to happen to
this school’s precious Ultimate Hope. He should watch his back.”

“You are of no threat to me, Enoshima Junko,” he replied simply. “You are inferior.”

Ikusaba growled, seemingly annoyed by his comment.

“What did you just say to her?” The soldier readied her knife and lunged at him. “You take that
back—!”

Without so much as breaking a sweat, he swiftly moved out of the way of the attack, the back of
his hand connecting with her cheek and sending her crashing towards the ground. Ikusaba yelped
and collapsed, her knife skidding towards the other side of the floor. Enoshima looked slightly
surprised, but not the least bit concerned for her sister. Instead, she looked back at him with a grin,
clapping her hands.

“Wow, you really sent her flying!” she exclaimed. “Sooo cool! Maybe you’re not so boring after
all.”

He blinked at her, slightly surprised at how unbothered she was about her sibling being struck and
possibly harmed. Enoshima seemed to notice this, tilting her head slightly to the side.

“Hmm, are you wondering why I’m not so worried about my sister? Why should I be? Seeing my
 own sister get tossed like a ragdoll by the Ultimate Hope himself—Hehehe, how thrilling! How
hopeless! How… despair-inducing~”

Suddenly, her expression became more serious as she took a step closer and spoke again.

“You see, that’s how unpredictable despair can be. This feeling I get when something so horrible
happens—it’s amazing! Despair is chaotic, messy, uncontrollable. It makes the world so much
more fun and interesting!”

Interesting?

He thought about this, listening as she continued to speak.

“With that being said, you should totally join me! Ditch this boring hope you’ve been forced to
pursue and join the side of despair instead! With you and I working together, we could finally turn
this boring world into something more interesting! Something more chaotic! Something more
despair-inducing!”

The pig-tailed girl giggled and squirmed, seeming ecstatic by the mere thought.

“I’m getting excited just thinking about it! What do ya’ say?”

He considered this for a moment. As of now, his life had been, simply put, boring. He could
remember everything from the age of five when he was first being taught under the guidance of his
teachers. Nothing ever posed a challenge for him and he realized that, despite having incredible
talents and capabilities, it was all boring and meaningless. So the idea that the world could
somehow become less boring did seem tempting…

Then he remembered Hajime. That’s right, he already had plans of his own to attend to. He
wouldn’t be able to entertain Enoshima’s philosophy at this time, assuming he would anyway.

“I’m not interested.” he finally replied as he stepped past Enoshima and continued down the hall.
She seemed slightly taken off guard by that response but quickly recovered, whirling around to his
direction.

“Let me know if you change your mind!” Enoshima called out, then smirked—ignoring the pained
groans from her sister as she got off the floor—and watched him disappear down the hall.

Chapter End Notes

- Even in this fanfic Mukuro can’t escape the backhand!

- You know, I debated adding Junko to this fic, because apart of me just wants to write
one big feel-good story. But I gotta keep things interesting, and what better way to do
that then with a dash of DESPAIR?
- Also, I don’t really know how to write Junko or Mukuro that well as I did not fully
watch the anime or know a whole lot about them. I know in the games Junko has
shifting personalities, but apparently that doesn’t start happening until she starts the
whole tragedy thing? I don’t know but I hope my portrayal is at least somewhat
accurate.
- Next Update: 10/10/20
 Free Time
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The following day marked the beginning of the weekend. Hajime woke up, blinking the
drowsiness away as he rose out of bed and proceeded to go through his morning routine. One quick
shower later, he was back in his room wearing a simple white-collar shirt and dark jeans.

Finally, it’s the weekend. What a long week.

He sat on the edge of the bed and took out his phone, shooting a quick text to his friend while
pulling on his sneakers.

Nanami

8:13 AM

[8:13 am]

You: good morning Nanami

[8:14 am]

Nanami: gud morning Hinata-kun!

Nanami: how was lunch yesterday with ur brother?

[8:14 am]

You: tbh it was kinda awkward but not too bad I guess

You: I still feel bad about bailing on u tho

[8:15 am]

Nanami: Hinata-kun, stop. U didn’t bail on me

Nanami: u just met ur long lost twin brother for the very first time!! there’s no way I’d stop u from
spending time with him. there’s plenty of other days we can have lunch together.

[8:16 am]

You: ur right, I know

You: I’m supposed to be meeting back up with him today but I’m not sure when or where

[8:17 am]
Nanami: couldn’t you text him?

[8:17 am]

You: he doesn’t have a phone

[8:17 am]

Nanami: oh

[8:17 am]

You: yeah

Hajime was in the middle of typing out another text message while opening the door to his dorm
room, only to look up and be immediately met with a pair of red eyes staring back at him.

“Ah—!” he startled, dropping his phone. “What the—Izuru?! What are you doing here?!”

Izuru's expression was blank, standing straight in the doorway like something out of a horror
movie.

“We agreed to spend the day together," he replied, unconcerned.

“That’s not what I meant. How did you find my room? How long have you been standing right
outside my door?”

“I’ve watched you enter these dormitories on previous occasions and was able to track down your
exact room number. As for the time, I’ve been here for approximately seventeen minutes.”

“Hold on—you’ve been stalking me?!” he looked at the other boy incredulously. “Izuru, do you
have any idea how creepy that is?”

“How else did you expect me to meet with you today?”

“I don’t know, I figured you’d be waiting by that tree again or something!”

“It’s more time-efficient if I came directly to you.”

“You—“ Hajime stopped mid-sentence and sighed, rubbing his temple as he felt a headache
coming on. Despite the other boy’s questionable behavior, he tried to be patient, otherwise he’d
risk snapping at him again and falling into another argument. “…Never mind. Anyway, since
you’re here, we might as well start hanging out.” After his initial shock subsided, he returned his
attention to the boy in front of him. “So, what should we do today?”

Izuru gave the brunet an unimpressed look. “It was your idea for us to spend time with each other,
yet you ask me what we should do?”

“I just thought you might have a suggestion…”

“I do not care what activities we partake in. Time passes the same regardless of what I do.”

“Alright then…” Hajime closed the door behind him and locked it. “Well before we do anything,
we should probably get breakfast first. There’s a diner in town we can go to that I think is pretty
decent. We can use the train station to get there.”

The other boy said nothing, stepping aside and allowing Hajime to lead the way as they walked out
of the dormitory building. It was another warm day, the clouds in the sky only partially blocking
out the sun. They both silently made their way to the train station, Hajime once again discomforted
by the silence. He wanted to say something, but he was unsure of what to say to the twin. Izuru
made no attempts at sparking up a conversation either, staring straight ahead as he trailed slightly
behind Hajime. He had a feeling the raven-haired twin was not one for small talk.

Upon arriving at the station, they stopped and waited for the train. While waiting, he took a
moment to examine the other. His expression was unchanging as he stared off into the distance, not
looking particularly excited or eager to be here. His hair was still a mess of inky dark tendrils,
spilling at his sides. Hajime had no idea how he could stand to have all that hair in this warm
weather. He also just seemed to notice Izuru was still wearing his black suit.

“You’re going to wear that to the diner?” he questioned. “Don’t you have any other clothes?”

“No.” he replied flatly.

Seriously, what’s with this guy?

Shortly after, the train arrived and they both boarded it. The ride was quiet as the train moved.
Some passengers were looking at Izuru warily or with interest but didn’t pay much mind to Hajime.
Eventually, they arrived in town, getting off the train and heading towards the diner. One short
walk later and they finally reached their destination, approaching a beige-colored building.

“We’re here.” Hajime stated before entering the diner, Izuru trailing behind him. The aroma of
freshly cooked food filled the air, easing some of the tension Hajime had been feeling and
replacing his anxious thoughts with thoughts of food. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded this Saturday
morning, with mostly couples and business associates occupying the booths and tables.

Hajime spotted an open booth near the front windows with no other occupants nearby to disturb
them. Perfect. The brunet walked over to the table and sat down, watching as the raven-haired twin
sat across from him. Then he picked up a menu, scanning over the options.

“What are you going to order?” he asked.

Izuru was gazing out the window when he replied. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Really?” He arched a brow. “Well, what do you like? Sweet? Spicy?”

“I do not have a preference.”

Doesn’t this guy have an opinion on anything?

He decided to order them both an assortment of grilled fish and rice, as well as some orange juice
for himself and water for Izuru. Both of them sat in silence as they waited for the waiter to return,
Hajime pretending to be interested in the menu while Izuru gazed out the window. Not long after,
the waiter returned with their meals, placing them down in front of them before leaving. Relieved
to no longer be sitting there awkwardly, he took a bite out of his food, savoring the light flavors. He
wondered if the other boy was okay with the selection.

He glanced across the table to see the raven-haired twin eating slowly, mechanically bringing the
chopsticks to his mouth as if he were performing a chore rather than enjoying his food. Hajime
couldn’t tell if the other was displeased with the food or if he liked it and just didn’t show it. Or
maybe he didn’t care for it?

“Does the food taste okay?” he suddenly asked without thinking.

Izuru finished chewing and swallowed before answering. “It is acceptable.”

“I see…” He looked back down at his food, tapping the ends of his chopsticks against the glass
plate. His lips were tight, eyebrows creasing in frustration. Hajime wasn’t a very social or outgoing
person and holding conversations wasn’t exactly his specialty. The person across from him
appeared far worse in comparison, however, making this situation all the more difficult.

He wanted to talk about the other’s past, to know where he’d grown up, and maybe discover why
they’d been separated from each other. But it felt too early to bring that up, neither of them that
close to one another. Small talk didn’t seem very effective either, the other boy only offering brief
responses or not responding at all. He was at a loss.

Still, he wanted to try. This was his brother after all. If he wanted any chance of getting to know
him, he had to make an effort, no matter how unsure he felt.

“…How was your morning?” he asked, having no idea what other topics to discuss. Izuru looked
disinterested as if he were expecting a question like that.

“Boring.” he replied. Hajime’s mouth opened to respond before he could stop himself.

“You say boring a lot,” he pointed out, a hint of frustration in his tone. “Isn’t there anything you
like or enjoy? Hobbies? Interests?”

Izuru stopped eating and went silent for a moment, eyes fixated on his plate. Hajime watched him,
feeling a sudden bit nervous and wondering if he had said something wrong. But as he thought
about it, he realized that whenever the other boy went silent for this long, he either wasn’t going to
respond or was deciding which words he wanted to use to respond with. The brunet guessed the
latter and decided to patiently wait for the other as he took a sip of orange juice.

Eventually, Izuru looked back over at him and responded.

“I am not made to like or want,” he explained. Hajime felt slightly taken off guard by that
confusing response but continued to listen. “When I was brought into this world, I was given a
purpose, to be loved by talent and to bring hope to others. As a result of my perfect nature,
everything becomes predictable and boring.”

Hajime’s brows furrowed and he stopped eating, processing what the other just told him. He
wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that response, but it sounded… wrong.

“That doesn’t make any sense…” he mumbled without realizing it. He saw one of Izuru’s
eyebrows quirk slightly upwards.

“Was my explanation unclear?”

“No, it’s just—what do you mean you aren’t made to like or want? Are you saying that because of
some purpose or whatever, your opinions don’t matter?”

“I am saying it’s simply not in my nature to like or want things,” Izuru clarified. “I am programmed
mainly by logic. Likes, dislikes, wants, and emotions do not stand by logic.”

“You’re talking like you’re some sort of machine.” Hajime argued. He didn’t know why he was
getting so worked up over this, it just didn’t sit right with him. He couldn’t understand it and it was
beginning to frustrate him.

“Considering the basis of my nature, it wouldn’t be implausible to compare me to that of a

machine,” Izuru remarked. “I was made to fulfill a singular purpose in which I continue to carry
out, such as a machine is only made for its intended purpose.”

“No, that’s wrong,” he refuted, refusing to accept those words. “You weren’t born just to fulfill
some purpose. You’re your own person. Just because you’re the Ultimate Hope doesn’t mean
that’s all you have to be.”

“That’s precisely what it means,” Izuru closed his eyes as if he were becoming annoyed by
Hajime's persistence. “Perhaps that concept is too difficult for an unremarkable person like you to
grasp.”

Hajime flinched, feeling a sudden pang in his chest. He fell silent, averting his gaze while
subconsciously gripping his cup tighter. Izuru took that as the end of their argument and returned to
eating, the sounds of chopsticks and quiet conversations from other patrons filling the background.

Irritation and doubt began stirring within him. This guy was supposed to be his twin brother,
someone whom he held a connection to and could potentially bond with, and yet here he was
acting like some deity sent to fulfill some higher purpose, too good to be wasting his time with
someone like Hajime. He was beginning to question if he would ever understand his quiet
counterpart or if maybe reaching out to this guy was a mistake…

He glanced back over at Izuru from across the table, examining him. He appeared to be finished,
his tray and cup empty, and was now gazing out the window with a bored expression. He's
supposedly super talented, yet he doesn't boast about it or seem very prideful of it. He just
seemed… apathetic, like he couldn’t care less. Even when he was explaining his talent to the
brunet, he sounded more like he was just stating facts rather than boasting about himself.

Hajime’s irritation seemed to settle down slightly as he considered this.

“I have another question,” Hajime suddenly spoke again. Izuru’s eyes lazily rolled over to meet his.
“If you don’t like anything or have any specific interests, what do you do in your free time?”

Izuru stared at him for a short moment before returning his gaze towards the window.

“Wander,” he replied. “Observe other students. It isn’t particularly interesting, but occasionally
something mildly interesting might occur, such as running into you.”

So that’s what he was doing when I first met him? Just… wandering?

He was unsure of what to make of that, his lips pulled tight and eyebrows creased as he fell deeper
into thought. He remembered feeling something similar back before he met Nanami. He hadn’t had
anyone to hang out with or anything to do rather than go to school, study, and sleep. He didn’t see a
point in going back home either, knowing no one was waiting for him. Even his parents—whom he
at least thought he could trust before this whole twin brother discovery—were never that involved
in his life and would probably care less whether he decided to visit or not.

So he could somewhat understand that empty feeling, at least…

“Wow, that… sucks.”

“How so?”
“I mean, working all the time, then not having anything to do on your free time sounds… rough.”

Izuru was eyeing him again as if he were searching for something that Hajime wasn’t sure of. He
shifted a bit in his seat, discomforted by the intense gaze, but remained firm as he prepared to say
his next words.

“If you want, you could hang out with me and my friend during your free time. Her name is—“

“Nanami Chiaki.”

Hajime jumped in his seat, startled.

“Wha—? Wait, were you stalking her too?!”

“Only while you two were together.”

Hajime stood up abruptly from his seat, palms pressed against the surface of the table.

“Okay, seriously, you can’t keep doing that! It’s one thing for you to stalk me, but you can’t just go
around stalking other people! It’s really creepy, not to mention you could get into a lot of trouble!”

He pointed an accusatory finger at the twin as he rebuked him. Izuru was silent as he spoke, staring
at him blankly like a child being scolded for reasons unknown to them. He didn’t seem to fully
understand how disturbing his actions were even as Hajime explained it to him. It left him
wondering just how little social interaction Izuru had. After he finished scolding him, Izuru closed
his eyes, seemingly in thought.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.” he responded.

Hajime sighed and plopped back down in his seat, suddenly feeling worn out.

“Good.” He dropped the subject and finished the rest of his orange juice before waving the waiter
over for the bill.

The morning at the diner had been somewhat informative. Apparently, observing someone from a
distance without their knowing—or stalking, as the other had put it—was considered creepy. He
would be sure to make a mental note of this for future reference. After the twin had finished
lecturing him, they proceeded to pay the bill and prepared to leave. The twin had offered to pay for
both of their meals, but Izuru deemed this unnecessary considering he had plenty of money at his
disposal, so instead, they split the bill into equal payments.

After they left the diner, they boarded the train back towards Hope’s Peak Academy. As they were
standing on the train, holding onto the hanging straps, Izuru noticed the twin was contacting
someone on his smartphone via text message. Upon analyzation, it would appear he was talking to
Nanami Chiaki, and by watching his right thumb push specific keys on the screen, he deduced that
they were talking about himself.

He was unable to read the gamer’s response from his position without it being unsubtle, but by
watching the movement of Hajime’s fingers, he could deduce that his messages went something
like this:
 [9:14 AM]

Hajime: yeah we just left the diner. We’re on our way back now

[insert gamer’s response]

[9:14 AM]

Hajime: it was ok. A little awkward still

[insert gamer’s response]

[9:15 AM]

Hajime: yeah, maybe ur right

Hajime: hey u still down to play COD tonight?

[insert gamer’s response]

[9:15 AM]

Hajime: ok I’ll plug in my headset but… can’t we just talk thru party chat?

[insert gamer’s response]

[9:15 AM]

Hajime: fine but if I get into another argument with some 8 year old again I’m leaving

As suspected, they must be close if he’s willing to divulge information about their meetings to the
other, not to mention the amount of time they seem to spend together. He pondered this as they
rode the train back towards the school. Some time afterward they arrived at the academy, stepping
back onto the main course campus.

“I don’t have much planned today so,” The brunet turned to face Izuru. “How about we look
around for a bit?”

“Very well.” Seeing no issue with that, he agreed. They both wandered around school grounds in
no particular direction. Being the weekend, there weren’t a great many students lounging around,
but there were still areas that remained occupied.

One of these occupied areas included the track field which he and the twin happened to stumble
upon. There were a couple of groups occupying the field, sporting running clothes or casual wear.
Nothing particularly interesting to see here, yet the twin had slowed to a stop, surveying the field as
he seemed to be considering something.

“Hey, so… I wanna see if you’re really as talented as you say you are.” Hajime turned to face Izuru
with a look of challenge. “How about a race?”

“You will not defeat me.” he replied simply.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Foolish. Nevertheless, he decided he would entertain the twin by accepting his challenge. He and
the twin both took their positions at the start of the track field, standing atop of the white line. The
other boy initiated the countdown.

“On your mark… Get set… Go!”

Izuru immediately took off in a sprint down the track field at what one might consider superhuman
speed, quite literally leaving the other boy in the dust as a huge cloud erupted from the ground. He
paid no mind to the gaping expressions he received from other students in the field, focused only
on his objective, wind whipping past his face as he approached the finish line.

When he made it back around, he stopped at the line and waited for the twin to catch up. Sometime
later, Hajime jogged towards the finish line, panting as he slowed to a stop.

“Holy crap, you weren’t kidding…” The brunet panted.

“I told you, you would not defeat me.”

Hajime took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again.

“Okay, would’ve I get a few second heads start?”

“I will still win.”

“I just wanna test it.”

Izuru looked at the other boy, pondering what his motives were, whether the twin actually thought
he could beat him or if he only wanted to see Izuru’s talent at work. Regardless, he complied and
retook his place back at the start line beside the twin. He allowed the other a few seconds to get a
head start, watching the brunet take off down the field.

Not that it mattered, as he would still ultimately defeat him anyway. Exactly ten seconds later, he
took off in a sprint, once again leaving the twin in the dust. Hajime coughed and slowed to a stop
mid-run, not bothering to finish the race as he watched him achieve victory a second time.

The brunet turned around and returned to Izuru’s side by the line, resting his hands on his knees.
He watched as the twin recovered himself, dust covering his clothes and partially staining his white
shirt.

“Ugh, I think I got some dust stuck in my lungs.” Hajime coughed. “I’m gonna go fetch a water
bottle, want one?”

“No thank you.”

“Okay, be right back.”

Izuru watched Hajime walk off and disappear inside the school building. Now completely bored,
he took that time to close his eyes and contemplate. Though he didn’t get far as suddenly, he heard
something whizzing towards him from behind. He quickly shot his hand behind his head and
caught the object before it could him. Retracting his arm, he unclenched his hand and saw that it
was a baseball with a scribble of a cartoon bear's face drawn onto it in black marker.

“Whoopsie! Didn’t see ya’ there.” A feminine voice came.

He turned around to see Enoshima approaching, blue eyes full of mischief.

 “Kamukura-senpai! What a coincidence we run into each other again. Why, it’s almost like its
fate.” she purred. “I’ve been thinking about you since yesterday. Did you miss me too?”

“No.”

“Ouch, you’re so cruel, senpai!” she smirked, tapping her cheek. “By the way, who was that dork
you were hanging out with just now? Was that your boyfriend? I didn’t know you swung that way,
Kamukura.”

“What do you want?” he replied, ignoring her mockery.

“Straight to the point, hm? Well at first I wanted to know why you were hanging out with some
reserve course loser. Then it hit me! That loser almost looks like you. Ya’ know, like an uglier,
wimpier, boring-er version of you! That’s when I realized…”

She leaned in close, staring him straight in his eyes.

“That loser is related to you, isn’t he? Let me guess, is he like, your long-lost brother?”

He stared at her wordlessly, eliciting a gleeful giggle from the girl.

“Wow, that is hilarious! The Ultimate Hope himself has a brother, and he’s some talentless nobody
from the reserve course. Gee, I wonder how the other reserve students will feel about that. Maybe
they’ll get jealous knowing one of their own has such an awesome super-talented Ultimate for a
brother. Maybe they’ll beat him up, steal his lunch money, sabotage his schoolwork! Wouldn’t that
be sooo despair-inducing?”

“I do not care about any of that.”

“Oh?” She pulled away, her stance and expression becoming serious. “You don’t care that your
brother’s classmates may treat him badly if they find out his secret? If you don’t care about him
then why are you hanging out with him?”

“…”

She was quiet for a moment, a blank expression on her face as she appeared to be considering
something. Then she shrugged dismissively.

“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find out sooner or later anyway. In the meantime, have you reconsidered
my offer?”

“The answer is still no.”

“Ugh, come on! I know you’re bored, I can see it in those dead eyes of yours. Just give in to me,
Kamukura. Come on, I know you want to. I’ll even let you touch my big boobies, is that what you
want?” Enoshima used her arms to squeeze her chest together, batting her lashes at him.

Izuru did not dignify that with a response.

Chapter End Notes

- hAjImE liKeS oRaNgE jUiCe

- Hajime’s first debate with Izuru! (and it ends with Izuru being petty lol)
- There was actually another important event that was supposed to occur in this
chapter, but this chapter was becoming kind of long so I had to add it to the next
chapter instead (the goal is to keep each chapter around 3000-4500 words)
- Next Update: 10/17/20
 Izuru Has Joined The Party
Chapter Notes

Small Note: As of 10/17/20 the estimated number of chapters this fic will have is 40
just to give a general idea of how long this fic will be. It may actually have less
chapters than that but for now, the expected number is 40.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Hajime was on his way back to the track field holding two bottles of water. Even though Izuru had
declined his offer, he figured he’d grab one for him in case he changed his mind. As he was
heading back towards the field, he passed by a lab door slightly ajar. He didn’t think much of it
until he heard a sudden shout coming from inside the lab, halting his movements.

“Crap!” A voice, seemingly a boy’s, growled in frustration. Hajime knew it was probably best to
mind his own business, but curiosity got the better of him. He backtracked his steps and peeked
past the cracked door and into the student lab. The room appeared to be a workshop from what he
could tell, with wrenches, screwdrivers, drills, and other tools lining the wall. Machinery parts laid
strewn about and the room itself smelled a mix of oil and sweat.

Hajime slowly creaked the door open further to get a better view. That’s when he noticed the bright
orange car located in the center of the room, propped up with a car jack with someone’s lower
body stuck out beneath the car. Upon closer examination, he realized the person was laying down
on a creeper seat. The only part of the person he could see was the blue jumpsuit and white
sneakers.

He probably shouldn’t be spying like this. He attempted to close the door and walk away, but the
creaking seemed to have alerted the person underneath the car.

“Hey, is someone there?” The boy called out. He froze, realizing that he’d been caught.

“…yes?” he awkwardly replied.

“Oh good, could you pass me that wrench?” The repair boy pointed to a tool laying a few feet
away on the floor, looking as if it’d been accidentally kicked too far out of its reach. He seemed
completely unbothered by the fact that Hajime had been peeking in on him, which surprised him
but was a bit of a relief. Maybe he was too focused on repairing the car to care.

“Uh, sure.” He stepped into the room and picked up the nearby wrench, walking over to the repair
boy and kneeling beside him. He held out the wrench to him and the other boy took it while still
beneath the car. Hajime could see oil stains on the other’s hand.

“Thanks, man,” The boy proceeded to tighten something beneath the car with the wrench. “I’ve
been working on this car now for hours. Ever since I was assigned to design my very own car from
scratch, I haven’t been able to stop, haha.”

“You built this whole thing yourself?” Hajime inquired. It was pretty impressive, he had to admit,
especially if the repair boy had only started working on it today. Though that was to be expected
from Ultimate students, he supposed.
“Sure did! Could you pass me that screwdriver?”

Hajime picked up the screwdriver, passing it to the repair boy. It would seem this was his
temporary job now, passing tools to the unnamed student beneath the car. Though surprisingly he
felt content, assisting whoever this person was while watching him work.

“So you like to fix things I assume?” he asked, hoping his questions weren’t breaking the other’s
concentration.

He did not seem bothered by the questions however as he talked and worked simultaneously.

“Pretty much. Not only cars, either. I can repair generators, factory machines, airplane engines—
any machine, really.”

“That’s pretty impressive.”

“Thanks! It sure as hell beats having to hire someone for repairs when you can just fix everything
yourself. It’s also good for impressing the ladies~ Pass me those pliers.”

Hajime looked down to see three different sets of pliers, all of them shaped differently. His hand
hovered over them, unsure of which one the repair boy needed which consequently made him feel
a bit anxious. Eventually, he decided to trust his gut, choosing the toothiest-looking pliers and
handing it to him.

He watched the other boy bring the pliers underneath the car and continue working, confirming
that he had chosen the correct tool to his relief. A short moment later, the student finally slid out
from beneath the car, revealing himself as he sat up. He had strikingly hot pink hair with thin,
matching eyes and a black cap atop his head.

“Name’s Souda Kazuichi by the way. I’m the Ultimate Mechanic.” He grinned, revealing razor-
sharp teeth that sort of reminded him of those pliers he just passed to him. “Nice to meet ya’.”

“I’m Hinata Hajime.” He smiled.

The other was looking at him expectantly. That’s when he realized Souda was probably waiting
for him to tell him his talent. He suddenly felt self-conscious, worrying if the mechanic would feel
put off once he realized who Hajime was. He averted his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m uh… from the reserve course.”

When he met Souda’s gaze again, his face didn’t give off anything close to disgust or disapproval.
He just nodded before looking down at the water bottles in his hand.

“Oh, is that for me?” Before Hajime could protest, Souda took one of the bottles, unscrewed the
top, and immediately chugged down half of it. When he was finished, he let out a satisfied exhale.
“Ah, that’s just what I needed. Thanks, man! Hey, let’s be friends!”

“Uh, okay, sure.” He shrugged.

Souda grabbed a nearby checklist on a clipboard, flipped the list around, and quickly scribbled
something down with a pen. Then he tore off a piece of the list and held it out to Hajime.

“Here’s my number. Let’s hang out sometime!”

Hajime returned outside and looked over at the track field, immediately spotting Izuru still
standing near the area he had left him at. He felt relieved, worried the twin would’ve left after he
kept him waiting longer than he’d intended. It was then that he noticed Izuru was talking to
someone else, a girl with two big blonde pigtails. He couldn’t make out much of her from this
distance, but by the time he got closer, the girl was already walking away, disappearing shortly
after. He approached Izuru.

“Who was that?” he questioned.

“Nobody important.” Izuru dismissed.

The two of them sat down by the nearest tree, bathing in the shade as they watched the other
students run the track field. Hajime unscrewed the cap to his bottle, sipping the water and finally
relieving his dry throat. He could see Izuru’s eyes on him in his peripheral vision, watching him as
he drank the water. Anxiety crept beneath his skin, his hand gripping the bottle just a bit tighter.

He didn’t understand why the other boy would sometimes stare at him like this. Anyone else
would consider this rude or creepy behavior. He also wasn’t sure if the other noticed how
uncomfortable it was making him or if this was just another one of those social concepts he didn’t
fully understand. If Hajime had to guess, he would say the twin probably did notice it was making
him feel tense, but most likely didn’t care. Either way, he didn’t know how to call him out on it, so
instead, he kept quiet and continued watching the other students run around the track field.

Hajime wasn’t sure if they had a good time today, but it didn’t seem too bad, at least.

Almost a week passed since that Saturday. Throughout the week, Hajime continued to spend time
with the Izuru, though not much. Each day they would eat breakfast together at the table near the
wisteria tree (he considered going to the diner again but realized his wallet could not support that)
having short, often one-sided conversations. That was the only interaction they shared on the
weekdays and almost every morning he showed up, he seemed just as disinterested as the previous
day, hardly speaking to him at all. Yet the other boy still showed up anyway, so that must mean
something, right?

When Friday night arrived, Hajime was on his bed, reading a manga he’d been meaning to catch up
on when his phone suddenly vibrated. He set down the manga and picked up his phone.

Nanami

7:21 PM

[7:21 PM]

Nanami: hey hey

 [7:21 PM]

You: hey Nanami

[7:22 PM]

Nanami: I feel like we haven’t hung out in a while

[7:22 PM]

You: same

[7:22 PM]

Nanami: we should hang out tomorrow

Nanami: u should bring ur brother too

Hajime thought about this, wondering if Nanami would feel creeped out by Izuru. That thought
quickly vanished however as he knew his best friend wasn’t that judgmental.

[7:23 PM]

You: ok, I’ll bring him

You: meet at the fountain?

[7:23 AM]

Nanami: yep yep

Ah, now would probably be a good time to do that other thing, too.

Hajime set his phone back down and went back to reading his manga, his thoughts lingering on
tomorrow.

Izuru made his way to the wisteria tree as it was now customary to meet with the twin there since
going directly to his dorm room whilst uninvited was deemed intrusive. He was typically the first
to arrive, but this time it was the twin who had arrived first, standing beneath the tree while
browsing his smartphone. He also noted that the brunet was holding a small, brown paper bag in
his left hand. Upon noticing his arrival, he looked up from his phone.

“Oh hey, you’re here.” Hajime pocketed the cellular device and turned to face him. “So today I
was thinking we could hang out with a friend of mine. Sound good?”
Nanami Chiaki, he assumed, would be the friend whom they would be spending time with. He was
unsure of what to make of this suggestion, though he couldn’t see a reason to decline. She would
most likely just bore him or be a nuisance at worst.

“Very well.” he replied noncommittally.

The two of them walked towards the fountain, the location the twin and gamer both frequently
hung out. Upon arriving he immediately spotted the lilac-haired gamer waiting there, her eyes
trained on the screen of the device in her hands that she appeared to be playing. She sported a
slightly different attire rather her school uniform; she still wore her cream-colored hoodie but with
a matching cream-colored skirt rather than a brown one, and a blouse with a pink ribbon attached.
When she noticed the two of them, she lowered her device and smiled, waving them over.

“Hey hey, Hinata-kun.” The gamer greeted.

Izuru stopped a few steps behind Hajime, watching as the brunet approached her while he kept a
fair distance from them both.

“Morning Nanami,” Hajime replied. “Hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve only been here for a few minutes… I think. I lost track of time while I was
playing Gala Omega.”

The gamer turned to face Izuru, acknowledging his presence. He expected her to feel intimidated,
perhaps wary of him. After all, he was a stranger to this girl and it would only seem logical that she
be on her guard. Instead, he watched as the girl approached him, walking over until she was only a
few feet in front of him. She examined him with big, curious pink eyes, her mouthed formed in a
small ‘o’ shape as she did so. Then she looked back up, meeting his gaze.

“You really do look like Hinata-kun’s evil clone.”

He blinked.

“N-Nanami…” Hajime cleared his throat, heat rising to his cheeks. “That’s not… you didn’t have
to say that.”

“Ah, right, sorry.” She looked at him apologetically. “I take that back. You don’t look evil, you
just look mysterious. Like if you were a Pokémon, you’d be a dark type. Or if you were a Monster
Card, you’d be Dark Magician… or maybe Red-Eyes Black Dragon.”

The gamer seemed to get lost in her own thoughts for a moment. She appeared a bit ditzy, Izuru
noted. Then she redirected her attention back towards him.

“Anyway, you must be Hinata-kun’s brother, right?”

“That is correct.” he replied.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nanami Chiaki, the Ultimate Gamer.” she smiled softly, placing a hand
on her chest.

“I am called… Kamukura Izuru, the Ultimate Hope.” In his peripheral vision, he saw the twin
quirk his eyebrow at Izuru’s phrasing but said nothing.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know you today, Kamukura-kun. Oh, I also brought breakfast.”
The gamer tugged her pink backpack off her shoulders and unzipped the bag, pulling out what he
deduced was a breakfast burrito wrapped in aluminum foil and a water bottle. She handed the items
to the twin then proceeded to do the same for him, holding out a burrito in one hand and a water
bottle in the other.

He examined both items for a moment then looked up to meet the gamer’s gaze. Her expression
was soft and friendly, not a hint of intimidation or discomfort to be seen. He could tell it was
genuine, not the kind of expression where someone feigns friendliness in order to be polite, but in
actuality do not wish to be near you. He looked back down at the burrito and water she was
offering and accepted them both, taking them into separate hands. The burrito was warm—most
likely just made from within the restaurant it came from—contrast to the cooler water bottle.

The three of them sat down on the bench by the fountain and ate, with him on one side, the gamer
on the other, and the twin in between them. Hajime and Nanami were both engaged in conversation
similar to the topics they discussed during Izuru’s observations of them a short while ago.
Occasionally, Nanami would ask Izuru a question in an attempt to lure him into the conversation.
He would offer her brief responses, saying no more than he needed to, then would return to silently
eating the greasy, subpar breakfast burrito as he observed them both. The gamer didn’t seem to
mind this, nor did she seem to mind his occasional staring as he observed her and the twin eating
and interacting.

Once the three of them finished their meals, they gathered the remains and disposed of them in the
nearest trash bin. Then Nanami asked him a question.

“Have you ever been to the arcade in town, Kamukura-kun?” she asked.

“I have not.” he answered. His teachers never assigned him to go somewhere as trivial as an arcade,
so he never bothered to.

“It’s really fun. The three of us should go together.” she suggested.

“Sounds fine by me,” Hajime agreed. “We haven’t been there in a while anyway.”

The twin and the gamer both looked at Izuru as if seeking confirmation. It would seem that, for
whatever reason, they valued his opinion on the matter. Truthfully, he did not care where they
went or what activities they partook in. He only planned to observe them and analyze their
relationship between one another, ergo the location did not matter.

“I see no qualms with it.” he shrugged.

The small group boarded the train into town, arriving at the arcade approximately half an hour
after their departure. Upon entering the building, he was immediately met with a variety of
different lights and sounds. Before him laid rows of colorful machines, glowing screens, and neon
lights. Buzzing, button mashing, and other electronic sounds were emitted. This was a place made
for fun and entertainment, though Izuru had doubts that it would provide him with any enjoyment.
After all, he could easily win any game this place had to offer.

The trio approached a coin exchange machine, exchanging money for coins, then proceeded to
browse through the rows of games. Izuru trailed shortly behind them.

“Now then, what should we try first? Hmm… Oh, I know.” Nanami led them to a machine with a
glowing screen, the words “Street Fighter II” displayed on the front. She turned to face him with an
excited expression.

“Hey Kamukura-kun, do you want to 1-v-1 me on Street Fighter?”

“You will not defeat me.” He warned, just as he warned Hajime during their race at the track field.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Hajime commented. “Nanami is the Ultimate Gamer after all,
and she’s pretty good at this game too.”

“I play against Hinata-kun all the time, but I’m really excited to have a new opponent.” She
bounced on her heels excitedly. “Well, Kamukura-kun? Will you play with me?”

Izuru looked at her eager expression and hummed. “Very well.”

Nanami took the left side as Player 1 while Izuru took the right side as Player 2, both of them
inserting their coins. Hajime watched from the sidelines, curiously. She selected Ryu as her fighter
while Izuru chose randomly and was selected with Chun-Li.

The match started and they both began. Nanami’s eyes were focused and determined while Izuru’s
expression was blank but equally focused. They battled relentlessly, neither of them holding back.
Each of Izuru’s moves were well-calculated, quickly adapting to Nanami’s fighting style and
combating it accordingly. It was clear she was a skilled player with experience, but Izuru was
smarter, quicker, and a better strategist.

Hajime watched the intense brawl with amazement, the sounds of quickly mashing buttons filling
the air. Eventually, Nanami’s health drained completely and a “KO” appeared on the screen
followed by a “PLAYER 2 WINS.” As expected, he had won. Izuru glanced at the gamer,
expecting her to be disappointed, only to find that she instead looked exhilarated.

“Wow! That was really fun!” Nanami beamed at him. “You did so well for your first time
playing.”

Izuru slightly quirked a brow. “Fun? Even though you lost with the one talent you have?"

"Well sure, losing can be frustrating. But I'm still glad I was able to play with you. GG, Kamukura-
kun."

“That’s the first time I’ve seen anyone beat Nanami at this game.” Hajime added, seemingly
impressed.

…How curious. Izuru had played videogames before, as directed by his teachers, and they all
became boring rather quickly. Even this game hadn’t been particularly exciting, and yet…

“Hey hey, let’s go play some more games.” Nanami suggested.

The three of them continued to browse and play through different game selections, Nanami
practically dragging him to each game alongside Hajime. He hadn’t anticipated how eager the
gamer girl would be for his participation, despite him being practically a stranger to her. They
played a few more competitive games in which Izuru defeated Nanami and completely obliterated
Hajime whenever he tried to challenge him. Then they transitioned into Co-op games which were
less competitive, but the twin and the gamer seemed invested regardless. They tried their luck in
luck-based games as well, and as he predicted, Izuru won them easily with his Ultimate Luck talent
(one of his more boring talents, he’d say).
At some point, Hajime challenged him to a dancing simulator where two players compete against
each other by stepping onto colored platforms and following the patterns as seen on the screen. He
flawlessly performed this as well, stunning Hajime with his movements while Nanami watched,
giggling. A small crowd had also formed around them, seeming awestruck with his movements and
cheering them on until the game was complete.

Overall, the games themselves had been mostly boring, however… playing alongside or against
Hajime and Nanami had made it somehow less boring. He wasn’t entirely certain as to why that
was. Eventually, they decided to end their session with the crane machines. The machines held
merchandise within them, ranging from mystery eggs to plushies. Izuru wasn’t one for material
items, finding most of them pointless, and chose to watch the other two attempt to win instead.

“These things are totally rigged.” Hajime clicked his tongue as he once again failed to win an item.

“That’s because the claws only hold tightly every three or four tries. I think I’m gonna win this
time.” Nanami said, aiming for one item in particular.

She seemed determined to win one of the plushies, more specifically the plushie resembling a
blackish-purple cat with an upside-down crescent moon symbol on its head. He supposed it wasn’t
strange for a person to be fond of cutesy things, though cuteness seemed quite pointless to him.
Regardless, he watched as she made a third attempt at securing the cat plush, the claws of the crane
weakly holding onto the head of the plush before dragging it towards the hole and dropping it.

“Ah, I got it.” She reached down, taking the plushie from the dispenser and holding it in her hands.
She examined the plushie for a moment, gently squeezing it in her hands, then she giggled softly
and turned to face Izuru. “This plushie reminds me of you, Kamukura-kun.”

He blinked a few times, examining her face as well as the plushie. He failed to see the
resemblance. Then the gamer did something truly unexpected and held the plushie out to him.

“Here, this is for you.”

He looked at the gamer quizzically.

“You’re giving this to me?”

“Yep, it’s a gift. I want you to have it.”

Izuru glanced at Hajime who was watching nonchalantly, shrugging, then he looked back at the
gamer.

“Why?” He didn’t understand the point of her offering something like this to him. Then the
gamer’s smile broadened, that warm expression crossing her features yet again.

“So you’ll have something to remember the day the three of us officially became friends.”

He felt a flicker of surprise.

“…Friends.” he repeated.

“Of course. All three of us.”

Izuru was unsure how to place this warmth suddenly spreading throughout his chest. Nevertheless,
he accepted the gift, taking the small plushie from her hands and examining it closer. It was soft
with big, red eyes. He still didn’t see how it made Nanami think of him.
Afterwards, they headed back towards the school campus, the gamer eventually parting ways to
return to her dorm room, leaving Hajime and Izuru to themselves.

“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hajime said before he began to walk away, only to stop abruptly in
his tracks. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He turned back around to face Izuru and reached inside the small
paper bag he’d been carrying all day. Izuru watched as he pulled out what appeared to be a
smartphone and held it out to him. “Here.”

Izuru took the device in his hand, examining the black, rectangular smartphone.

“Now we can talk whenever and schedule our hangouts easier. I already set up a phone plan so you
should be able to receive and send calls and texts. I’ll send you the account and payment plan
information.”

Izuru was unsure of what to say, so instead, he chose to wordlessly nod. The brunet smiled and
spared one last glance before walking off towards his dorm. Izuru stared down at the device for a
moment before pocketing it and walking back towards the underground tunnels. After returning to
his room, he looked down at the plushie in his hands and placed it on top of his desk. Not a minute
afterwards he sensed someone approaching his room, the door opening.

“There you are,” The female teacher that frequently escorted him spoke. “Where have you been?”
He chose to ignore the teacher’s question, not seeing a reason why he should tell her. The teacher
sighed, irritated. “Fine then. Just be sure to come to the testing room in ten minutes. You have
exams to complete.” The teacher left the room, closing the door behind her.

He was slightly annoyed at the fact that he had yet another boring exam to do, written tests that
were supposed to evaluate his knowledge and ensure that his intelligence was still perfect. Of
course it was. It always was, and yet the teachers felt the need to keep testing him anyway. Then he
felt something vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out the smartphone, turning on the device. The
screen lit up, a basic gradient wallpaper with geometrical shapes displayed. There was a
notification at the top of the screen reading “1 New Message.” He tapped the message, opening it,
and reading it.

Hajime

3:51 PM

[3:51 PM]

Hajime: hey Izuru, just wanted to see if the service was working or not

Right, the other had told him he’d added his contact number into the phone. Another message
appeared.
 [3:52 PM]

Hajime: good, the message went thru. Now we can talk to each other whenever

Izuru thought about this. It was certainly more convenient to communicate this way rather than
meeting at the tree every day. He hadn’t expected the twin to gift him something this thoughtful.
Another message appeared.

[3:53 PM]

Hajime: u there??

Izuru stared at the screen a little longer before touching it, typing out a response.

[3:54 PM]

You: Yes.

Chapter End Notes

- Yeeeah baby, Izuru has joined the party and is now officially part of the gamer
squaaad!
- Also Hajime meets Kazuichi Souda! Yes, this was the scene that was supposed to be
added to the last chapter (as well as Hajime returning to the track field) but became too
long. I apologize for the awkward pacing.
- Also, anyone catch the reference with the plushie? ;)
- Next Update: 10/24/20
 Lucky Day
Chapter Notes

Hey hey, quick update. So the next two chapters after this one will be two-parters,
which means “Chapter 7” will be “Part 1” and “Chapter 8” will be “Part 2.” That
being said, since October is my favorite month and Halloween is my favorite holiday,
I will be posting both parts within the same week. So instead of Saturday, the next
update will be on Tuesday followed by another update on Saturday! :)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Hajime was at the fountain with Nanami for lunch, picking back up on their usual routine, only this
time there was an added addition to their little group. Izuru was with them as well, spending
lunchtime with the two of them. After their trip to the arcade, Hajime figured the three of them
might as well keep hanging out together and Nanami didn’t seem to mind either.

Now the three of them were sitting at the fountain bench, eating their lunches and playing games
on their Nantendos. Izuru didn’t have one of his own so Hajime suggested taking turns using his in
which Izuru just shrugged and agreed, not seeming to care either way. After Hajime lost once again
to Nanami, he held out his device to Izuru.

“Your turn.” he prompted. With indifference, Izuru set down his lunch tray, took the device in his
hand, and proceeded to battle Nanami in Gala Omega. Izuru and Nanami seemed to be getting
along well, to his relief. He was worried the twin might give her a hard time, but he hadn’t done
anything especially rude towards her like insulting her or staring at her for uncomfortable lengths
of time (unlike his treatment towards Hajime), so that was a good sign, probably.

Additionally, Nanami didn’t seem to mind Izuru or his antisocial behavior and treated him with the
same friendliness she had shown Hajime. He wasn’t sure if this counted as progress, but it
certainly seemed that way. As he pondered this, he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He took out the phone, spotting a new message in his notifications.

Souda

12:06 PM

[12:06 PM]

Souda: yoooo soul bro, wut r u doin rn??

[12:06 PM]

You: uuh, eating lunch?

[12:06 PM]

Souda: uh-huh that’s cool anyway meet me inside da school at Room 77 pronto
 [12:06 PM]

You: what? why?

[12:07 PM]

Souda: becuz I need u 2 help me with something!

[12:07 PM]

You: well I can’t, I’m busy rn

[12:07 PM]

Souda: c’mon bro! it’s an emergency! it’ll only take a sec!

Souda: brooooo don’t leave me hangin! :( :( :(

Souda: THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION HINATA!!!

[12:08 PM]

You: somehow, I doubt that

You: but fine, I’ll do it if you stop spamming my inbox

[12:08 PM]

Souda: I knew I could count on u!

He had mentioned to Nanami about running into a repair boy with pink hair and shark teeth. Turns
out, that repair boy was actually in her homeroom class. Since then the mechanic has been texting
him every so often and half the time it was about some girl in his class he always referred to as
‘Miss Sonia’ or something like that.

Hajime sighed, pocketing the phone. “I’ll be right back. Souda wants me to help him with
something.”

“Okay, Hinata-kun.” Nanami's eyes were glued to her Nantendo as she engaged in another intense
match. Izuru said nothing in response, eyes trained to his screen as well. With that, Hajime left off
towards the main course building.

Hajime passed through the halls, trying to be as discreet as possible. He was pretty sure he wasn’t
supposed to be in here, especially during school hours, but Souda had insisted he come so at least
if he got in trouble the mechanic would back him up… probably. Eventually, he spotted a door
labeled 'Room 77'.
Ah, this must be it.

Hajime stopped in front of the door as realization dawned on him. He was about to walk into a
room potentially full of Ultimate students. That was kind of an unnerving thought. Why was he
doing this again? He could just walk away, return to the fountain, and tell Souda that he couldn’t
make it after all. But that would be pretty cowardly, he mused. So with a breath, he steadied
himself and gave a tentative knock before turning the doorknob and stepping inside the classroom.

The first thing he noticed was a set of hot pink hair sitting at a desk, looking as if he were
impatiently waiting for someone as he eyed two other people in the room. The two people in
question were near the back of the room, one blonde girl and the other a… strange-looking boy
with dark hair. Hajime was surprised to see very few students in the classroom, but it made sense
considering all the other students were probably in the cafeteria eating their lunches or just hanging
out elsewhere. Even the teacher was not present which meant he could avoid any potentially
awkward confrontations with them.

It was then that Hajime noticed one other person in the room sitting at a desk somewhere near the
front of the class. It was a boy, pale and slender looking with a mess of white, untamed curls on top
of his head. His elbows were planted atop his desk, chin resting on the back of his pale hands.
Briefly, he made eye contact with him, greyish-green eyes locking onto his. Hajime felt a chill run
through his spine, of what he wasn’t sure, but before he could react, he heard a voice call out to
him.

“Hinata, bro! There you are!” Hajime’s eyes flickered over to meet Souda’s as he stepped in front
of him, blocking his view from the boy at the desk. He brought his attention back to the mechanic,
remembering why he came here in the first place.

“Hey Souda,” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, what’s this emergency you were on
about?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Souda wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer. He pointed
across the room. “You see that girl over there?”

Hajime turned his head to where he was pointing and spotted the blonde girl still chatting with the
strange-looking guy.

“That girl is Miss Sonia-san. She’s the Ultimate Princess and also the most beautiful, elegant, kind
girl in the whole school.”

So that’s the girl Souda was always talking about in their text messages. Still, Hajime didn’t see
how that concerned him.

“Okay? So, why am I here again?” he questioned.

“Because I need you to be my wingman and help me impress Miss Sonia!”

Hajime threw the other boy an incredulous look.

“That’s the big emergency you kept bothering me about?”

“Yeah, dude, this is an emergency! I’ve been trying to impress her since school started but
nothing’s worked. But with my wingman around, I might have a chance, and then she’ll finally go
out with me!”

“…I’m leaving.” Hajime turned around to leave the room.

“Awe, what? Wait, Hinata!”

As Hajime was exiting the door, he suddenly came face-to-face with a different pair of vibrant pink
eyes, causing him to gasp and jump in alarm. It was another student, a girl with multi-colored hair,
two horns atop of her head, spiky earrings, and piercings beneath her bottom lip. If he had to
describe her, he would say she looked like some sort of rock star. She must’ve just walked in
behind him, because he definitely would’ve noticed her had she been in the room earlier.

“Hai there!” The wild-looking girl beamed. “Ibuki’s never seen you around before!”

Souda sighed, walking up beside him. “Hinata, this is Mioda, the Ultimate Musician.”

“That’s right! I, Buki, Mio, Da! Put it together and what do you get? Ibuki Mioda!" She gushed.
“Soooo who’re you?”

“Um, I’m Hinata Hajime. Nice to meet you.” he replied.

“Hajime-chan! Ibuki will say that name in her head over and over so that she doesn’t forget!”
Mioda closed her eyes, looking to be in deep concentration as she quietly chanted “Hajime-chan”
over and over.

She's so energetic...

“Ah, you don’t have to, uh…”

“Just let her do her thing. She’ll get bored of it eventually.” Souda said. Then he gasped, squeezing
Hajime’s shoulder. “Ah, Miss Sonia’s coming this way! Quick Hinata, get ready to do the
wingman thing!”

“W-wait, what am I even supposed to do?” Hajime protested.

But there wasn’t any time to discuss that as he turned his head to see the blonde lady and the
strange guy approaching them. He could examine the two of them better now that they were closer,
and from what he could tell, the girl appeared to be a foreigner with sparkling blue eyes, white
porcelain skin, and long, blonde hair that glittered like fields of wheat. He could see why Souda
would be attracted to her. Still didn’t excuse his behavior though.

“Miss Sonia, over here!” Souda waved her over.

“Hello, Souda-san.” she greeted. Her eyes then landed on Hajime’s, a gentle smile growing on her
face. “Oh, why hello there! My name is Nevermind Sonia, and my title is the Ultimate Princess. I
am a foreign exchange student from a small European kingdom called Novoselic. It’s a pleasure to
meet you.”

Ultimate Princess… that made sense. But even knowing she’s a princess, he felt strangely at ease

“Ah, likewise.” Hajime returned the friendly smile.

“And I am Tanaka Gundham!” A thunderous voice boomed, coming from the strange-looking boy
who stood beside the princess. The boy had mismatched gray and red eyes, a jagged scar running
across one eye which Hajime couldn’t tell was real or not. He had gray streaks in his black hair,
two small earrings in his ears, and a long purple scarf around his neck. He was certainly interesting
in both appearance and voice. “May you never forget it as long as you live! Remember it well, for
it is the name that will one day rule this world!”
Rule this world? Was he joking or was he being serious? How does he respond to that?

“R-right…” Hajime replied sheepishly. “Well, it’s nice to meet you both.”

“And what do we have here?”

With the sound of yet another new voice approaching, Hajime was beginning to wonder exactly
how many people he was going to meet today. He looked over to see the white-haired desk boy
approaching the group. Now that he was closer, Hajime could see faint pink tips at the ends of his
hair, gradually fading from its roots. He also noticed that he was just slightly taller than him,
wearing the standard school uniform along with a green and red sweater beneath it. His face was
calm, greyish-green eyes locking onto Hajime’s once again.

“Hinata Hajime, was it?” he said, voice as calm as his face.

“Ah… yeah.” he replied lamely, too caught up trying to figure out what to make of the boy in front
of him. The pale boy examined him from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze, making Hajime feel
a little self-conscious. Then he looked back up, meeting his eyes again.

“I’m Komaeda Nagito. Nice to meet you.”

Komaeda… that name sounds familiar

That’s when he remembered Nanami mentioning that name a while ago, back when they were first
talking about the rumors of Kamukura Izuru.

“Ah, you’re the guy Nanami told me about.” Hajime pointed out with sudden interest.

“It would seem so. And you’re that student Nanami-san is always talking to me about… from the
reserve course.”

Komaeda’s face was neutral, the previous polite smile nowhere to be seen. Hajime suddenly felt
tense, lips growing tight as he felt the air between them change.

“That’s right… is that a problem?”

“Not necessarily," Komaeda shrugged. "I’m simply curious to see what it is about you that has
Nanami-san so captivated. But it’s none of my business after all, Hinata-kun.”

Hajime wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but before the situation could get any more awkward,
Souda stepped back in.

“Don’t mind him, Hinata. He’s a weirdo.” Souda said. “Anyway, enough about Hinata! Miss
Sonia-san, may I have the honor of spending the rest of lunchtime together with you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Souda-san, but I’m afraid I already have plans.” she dismissively replied.

“Plans?” he whined. “What plans?”

“Tanaka-san and I are going to visit the gymnasium together! There he will show me all the tricks
his Four Dark Devas can do!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“That’s right, mortals!” Tanaka smirked. “My Four Dark Devas are going to put on a miraculous
performance during this very hour! You are all welcome to come if you wish to bear witness to
such greatness!”
With that, Nevermind and Tanaka both made their way out of the classroom.

“Ooh, Ibuki wants to watch!” Mioda beamed as she followed behind them, excitedly bouncing out
of the room.

“Yeah right, those dumb hamsters can’t be all that great. Come on, Hinata!” Souda huffed and
grabbed Hajime’s wrist, forcefully tugging him along

“H-hey, wait a second—!” But Hajime’s protests were ignored as he was dragged out of the
classroom. He barely caught a glimpse of Komaeda eyeing him on their way out the room.

Izuru had defeated Nanami in yet another round of Gala Omega.

“Ah, you win again, Kamukura-kun.” Nanami smiled. “You’re a tough opponent, but I’m
determined to keep trying. I bet I’ll beat you eventually.”

He hummed in response and closed his eyes, lowering the device as he fell into thought. He still
didn’t quite understand this girl sitting beside him. She was quick to accept Izuru as her new friend
despite knowing very little about him. This could be simply due to naivety as she does appear
somewhat gullible. Or perhaps it’s his relation to Hajime that has her feeling so at ease, which
brings him back to the question of why the two of them hold such a close companionship with one
another despite their differences. She seemed to notice him contemplating and lowered her device
as well.

“Oh, do you want to take a break?" she asked. "It’s probably a good idea for us to finish eating our
lunches. I tend to forget sometimes…”

He reopened his eyes and looked at the lilac-haired girl.

“Why do you hang out with Hajime?” he questioned.

“H-huh?” She seemed startled by the sudden question, a slight tint of pink rising to her cheeks.
“What do you mean?”

“You are an Ultimate. Hajime is a talentless and relatively unremarkable person. He is beneath
you.”

A small gasp escaped her lips.

“That’s not true, Kamukura-kun!” she protested, frowning. “Hinata-kun isn’t beneath me. He’s my
best friend and I would never think of him like that.”

“Even though he possesses no talent or any exceptional skills?”

“People are worth more than whether or not they have a talent, Kamukura-kun.” She raised a finger
to the air as if she were ready to defend her friend with her life. “Besides, he has a lot of other good
character stats. He’s a great listener, and always fun to play games with, plus he’s really kind and
caring.”

“Hmm…” He considered these words for a moment shortly before a notification sounded from
Nanami’s phone. She pulled out her phone, looking over the text, then giggled in response to it.
Izuru briefly saw the message displayed on the screen.

Hinata-kun

12:21 PM

[12:21 PM]

Hinata-kun: your class is crazy Nanami help me

She stood up from her seat, collecting her bag and lunch tray.

“I have to go. As class rep, I promised my teacher I’d help her with the upcoming Sports Festival
preparations before lunch is over. Could you tell Hinata-kun I had to leave?”

He nodded and stood up as well. Then she turned to leave, only to stop in her tracks, turning back
around to face him.

“You shouldn’t underestimate Hinata-kun. You might not think much of him now, but I bet he’s
going to surprise you.”

He blinked, watching her.

“…We will see.” he replied.

She smiled and waved goodbye, walking off towards the main building. Izuru watched her leave
until she was out of sight, then glanced down at the Nantendo in his hand. He should return this to
Hajime. With that objective in mind, he left towards the Main Course building.

Hajime was heading down the hall alongside Souda after their trip back from the gym.

“I can’t believe Miss Sonia fell for that dumb animal show,” Souda grumbled. “It wasn’t even that
cool…”

What started as a performance with Tanaka showing off his pet hamsters’ moves somehow
escalated into birds, frogs, snakes, and other small creatures being added to the show as well. He
had no idea where they came from, but the performance had been admittedly impressive, albeit
hectic. They continued down the hall, rounding a corner when they suddenly came face-to-face
with someone.

“I’m telling you Hinata, someday I’m going to be the one impressing Miss Son– GAAAAAAH!!”
Souda jumped in surprise, hiding behind Hajime and clinging to his shoulder. He looked over to
see what had alarmed the mechanic, only to see his red-eyed twin standing before them. “Holy
crap! Hinata, who is that creepy guy and why does he look like you?”
Hinata ignored Souda and instead looked at Izuru who was staring blankly, unfazed by the
mechanic’s outburst.

“Hey Izuru, I was just on my way back. Where’s Nanami?”

“She had business to attend to.” Izuru held out the blue Nantendo device towards Hajime. The
brunet blinked, nearly forgetting he had lent the handheld console to the twin.

“Oh, right. Thanks.” He took the device back and tucked it away.

“Wait a minute, is this your brother?” Souda gaped. “You didn’t tell me you had a brother,
Hinata!”

The repair boy was eyeing him as if he had just betrayed his trust while still clinging onto his
shoulder.

“Um, sorry? I guess it never came up…” Hajime shrugged. Then he realized he should probably
introduce them to each other. “Uh, Souda, this is my twin brother, Kamukura Izuru. Izuru, this is
my friend, Souda—”

“And he’s your twin?!” Souda whined, completely ignoring the rest of the introduction. “Man, how
am I supposed to be your best soul bro when you have an actual bro? I can’t compete with that!”

“It’s not a competition, Souda. Besides, we’re not that…”

Hajime was about to say ‘close’ but for some reason, he hesitated. Maybe it felt rude to say
something like that in front of the other twin, or maybe he just felt that wasn’t an important detail
that Souda needed to know. Whatever the reason, he didn’t have long to ponder on it when
suddenly, a voice came from down the hall.

“Wow, another unexpected surprise! Today must be my lucky day!”

Hajime and Souda both turned around to see a white-haired boy coming from down the hall. He
recognized him from earlier, the boy whom he had met in Class 77’s room and had also seen in the
gym during Tanaka’s performance. Komaeda was walking towards them, his eyes fleeting from
Hajime’s to Izuru’s and back to Hajime’s. He was unsure of how to feel about the pale boy’s
sudden presence. What was he even doing here? Did he follow them?

“Hinata-kun, how coincidental it is for us to run into each other again.” Komaeda smiled, but
Hajime had a feeling it was only to be polite. Then he turned his attention towards Izuru who
seemed bored with this entire situation.

“Ah, I recognize you. I’ve seen you before, but I have yet to properly meet you in person.” He
slipped passed Hajime and Souda (a bit rudely, Hajime noted) and stood in front of Izuru. “It’s you,
isn’t it? You’re the Kamukura Izuru, the person from the rumors who lurks within Hope’s Peak.”

Izuru didn’t respond, merely staring at the cotton-haired boy neutrally. Komaeda didn’t seem
bothered by the lack of response, instead clasping his hands together in admiration.

“Wow, I can sense how much potential for hope you have radiating from you.” Komaeda praised.
Hajime felt like he heard something like that before. “Someone like you… If I had to guess, you
must be incredibly talented. How lucky it is for someone like me to be meeting you today!”

“How boring…” Izuru disregarded.

Komaeda blinked.

“Oh? Am I boring you? I deeply apologize, trash like me shouldn’t be wasting the time of someone
so important.”

Trash like him…?

“With that said, I won’t be wasting much more of your time. I only wanted to say farewell to
Nanami-san’s friend, but had I known I’d be meeting her friend’s relative as well, and that his
relative would be the legendary Kamukura Izuru, well… I wonder if this truly is good luck.”

Komaeda’s eyes landed on Hajime again, a thoughtful expression on his face. Hajime wasn’t sure
if he was being passive aggressive or what this guy was hinting at, but it was certainly starting to
annoy him. Souda groaned and rolled his eyes as if this behavior was something he was familiar
with.

“Alright, alright, enough of this,” Souda grumbled and turned to Hajime. “We’re gonna head back
to class now before Komaeda starts rambling on all day. Thanks for helping me today, Hinata. I’ll
catch ya’ later!”

“Yeah, see ya’.” Hajime nodded.

“Goodbye, Hinata-kun. Goodbye, Kamukura-kun." Komaeda waved nonchalantly as he was

dragged off by Souda. "I hope we meet again…”

Hajime and Izuru both watched as Komaeda disappeared into the distance.

“I feel like that guy is gonna be really troublesome…” Hajime mused.

“Agreed.” Izuru said.

At least that was something they could both agree on. Though, troublesome as he may or may not
be, Hajime found himself feeling curious about him, too. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask
him about his talent. He’ll have to remember to ask the next time he sees him.

It was early evening as Izuru passed through the empty halls towards the underground tunnels. As
he was rounding the corner, he stopped to see a familiar set of blonde pigtails belonging to none
other than Enoshima. She was alone in the hallway, her back casually leaned against the wall, one
foot over the other as she examined her red-polished fingernails. It would seem she was waiting for
him.

“About time you showed up.” She pushed herself off the wall, turning to face him. “You sure do
spend a lot of time doing nothing, ya’ know that? As a fellow analyst, I don’t see how you can
survive that boredom.”

Izuru did not respond to that.

“I see you’re still hanging out with that reserve course student,” She stepped closer to him, once
again invading his space much more than he’d prefer. “That brother of yours… He’s the reason
you declined my offer, isn’t he?”
 “…”

“I knew it. So you’re clinging to your precious brother in hopes that he’ll soothe your everlasting
boredom, is that it? Pfft, come on Kamukura, get real! You really think that nobody’s gonna bring
any sense of enjoyment in your life? You think he’s capable of making you feel anything?”

Izuru felt something twist inside of him with each word she spoke. He stood still, eyes following
her as she slowly began to circle around him, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor.

“What’s so good about having a twin anyway? I have one and she’s utter garbage.” She reached
her hand out towards him, red nails raking through his hair and twirling strands around her finger,
playing with it. His body grew tenser, the twist in his gut becoming more apparent. “Don’t you
see? You and your brother are no different from me and Mukuro. One is superior and the other is
inferior in every way. It’s just that simple. You may think you’ll find something of interest with
him, but you won’t.”

Enoshima’s words sunk into his mind like poison. He found himself unsure of what to say or how
to respond. It was as if there were a void in him, growing wider with each word she spoke,
threatening to overcome him. He was reminded of the feeling – or rather the lack of feeling – he’s
experienced all his life. It hadn’t been as strong, as unbearable these past few weeks as it usually
was, but it still lingered within the back of his mind.

If his relationship with Hajime were truly like Enoshima’s and Ikusaba’s, then wouldn’t it be
logical to assume that he’ll grow completely bored of him just as Enoshima has grown bored of her
sibling? As if reading his thoughts, she pulled her hand away from his hair and stopped in front of
him, her face falling blank and her expression darkening.

“You will get bored with him eventually. It’s only a matter of time. And when you do, I’ll be
waiting.” Enoshima turned on her heels and waved as she walked away. “See ya’ later Kamukura-
senpai~!”

Izuru watched as she disappeared down the hall, leaving him, much like the corridors, with
emptiness.

Chapter End Notes

- Here comes Hope Trash Nagito! Truthfully, I’m much more familiar with game
Nagito than I am anime Nagito, and that may or may not affect his characterization in
the story. From what I heard, anime Nagito comes off as more… softer compared to
game Nagito, or more charming? I don’t really know how to describe it, but there
appears to be some differences between the two. I’ll try my best to remain accurate to
both his depictions in the anime and game, but just know that as I’m writing this, I’m
mainly thinking of game Nagito simply because I’ve seen the games before I saw the
show and I’m more familiar with that interpretation.
- We also get to meet a few more fun characters of Class-77, all of which I adore.
- Sports Festival coming soon??
- Next Update: 10/27/20
 Sports Festival Part 1
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

July arrived at Hope’s Peak Academy, and with it, the upcoming Summer Sports Festival. The
festival was a lively event made for Ultimate Students to compete in a variety of different sports
activities. Other students and staff members were welcomed to watch and cheer them on with
refreshing beverages and treats available for purchase at nearby food stands.

Hajime hadn’t initially planned on attending the festival but Nanami had invited him to join her.
She also suggested asking Izuru if he’d want to join them too. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if the
other boy was interested in competing in the sports events or even attending the festival at all, but
he figured there was no harm in asking. The two of them have been spending a fair amount a time
together, although if he were being honest, he wasn’t sure if they were making any progress in
their relationship.

After their visit to the arcade, Hajime thought they’d gotten at least somewhat closer, leaving the
awkward, you-still-feel-like-a-stranger-to-me phase. When Izuru began eating lunch with both him
and Nanami, he felt as if this point was further proven. But even though they’ve been hanging out
for a little over a month now, their relationship felt… stagnant.

They both had yet to discuss anything involving their past or their family connection—he wasn’t
even sure if he was ready to discuss it with the other twin or not. Talking to him was a hard task, so
much that even casual conversations seemed like a difficult feat to accomplish. Not to mention the
aloof boy didn’t seem to have any interests and hardly enjoyed doing anything, which made trying
to connect with him all the more challenging. Hajime wasn’t used to going so far out of his way to
connect with other people. Normally, if he couldn’t understand someone or if they didn’t want to
be bothered with him, he’d leave them be.

But this was his brother, and despite everything, he really did want to understand him.

He met up with Izuru that morning at the table near the wisteria tree, the sun glaring down on them
on this particularly sunny day. Both of them were seated as they ate their breakfast. Hajime
glanced across the table, watching the twin’s mechanical movements as he wordlessly ate. He
supposed now was a better time than any to ask him about the festival.

“The Summer Sports Festival is today,” Hajime began, initiating the conversation as he usually
does. “I heard a lot of Ultimates will be there competing against one another. Are you competing
too?”

Izuru’s eyes were downcast, using his chopsticks to move a stray piece of rice back into his bowl.
He seemed completely disinterested in the topic.

“I will not be participating.” he disregarded.

“Oh…” Hajime took a bite of his apple, the sound of crunching filling the air. “Well, do you want
to watch the festival with me and Nanami? It could be fun. You don’t have to go if you don’t want
to, though...”

The raven-haired twin was silent for a moment. As Hajime looked at him from across the table, he
couldn’t help but notice that he suddenly seemed… annoyed, or rather disappointed about
something.

“Very well. Though I highly doubt it will be enjoyable, I will join you.”

Hajime said nothing in response to that, feeling slightly concerned. The rest of their breakfast was
eaten in silence.

The festival was packed, nearly every student within the main course and reserve course having
shown up. Students were scattered all across the campus in groups and pairs, a mood of excitement
filling the air. Some students carried bottles of water or cold treats to complement this hot day.
They headed towards the track field, Izuru trailing even further behind Hajime than usual as they
passed through the excited crowd.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the track field. Within the field, they appeared to be setting up
for a racing event. There were pairs of students lined up near the starting line, some casually
chatting while others were stretching, preparing for the race. A second later, Hajime turned his
head to see a familiar lilac-haired girl rushing over, slowing to a stop in front of them.

“Hey hey, Hinata-kun. Hey hey, Kamukura-kun.” Nanami greeted. “You both made it.”

“Of course.” Hajime gestured towards the track field. “Is this where you’ll be competing?”

“Yep, I’ll be competing in the Three-Legged Race with Nevermind-san. It’s my first time ever
doing a three-legged race though, so I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you’ll do great. You’re one of the most determined people I know,
plus you’re great at competing in games, right?”

“Maybe in videogames. But this is a real-life game, and I don’t know if my stats are high enough to
win this one…” She tugged on the straps of her bookbag worriedly.

“Well, even if they’re not, I know you’ll still try your best, and that’s what counts, right?" Hajime
gave her a reassuring smile. "And who knows? You might just get first place anyway.”

Nanami looked at him with slight surprise, then smiled back. “You’re right. I’m going to do my
best!”

With fists clenched and a determined expression on her face, Nanami ran back towards the track
field. Hajime smiled, watching her.

“She will lose.”

Hajime turned his head in surprise at the sound of Izuru’s voice. His arms were crossed, gazing out
at the group of contestants on the track field with an expressionless face.

“What do you mean?” Hajime frowned.

Izuru lifted his hand, pointing towards the field. Hajime turned his head to see that he was pointing
at two girl contestants. The first girl had lighter skin and short, black hair, sporting a pair of
camouflage shorts and boots. The second girl had tanner skin and brown hair, tied into a high
ponytail with a curl at the end, also wearing shorts as well as a tank top.
“That student is the Ultimate Solider and the other student is the Ultimate Swimming Pro," Izuru
explained. "They are the most athletic compared to the other contestants. I predict they will win.”

“You don’t know for sure they will win…” Hajime replied.

“Perhaps. But the probability of them losing is low. In fact, I can predict exactly how this will play
out.”

Hajime wasn’t sure what to say to that. The two of them stood near the crowd of spectators,
watching as the referee began the countdown. As soon as the whistle blew, the contestants all took
off running in pairs, legs strapped together. The crowd cheered in excitement, rooting for the
racers. Hajime’s eyes were on Nanami and Nevermind as they ran alongside the other contestants,
setting a decent pace for themselves. He cheered them on, giving shouts of encouragement towards
them. Izuru, on the other hand, was quietly spectating.

The soldier girl and the swimmer girl were in the lead, both of them moving faster than the other
racers while also maintaining a balance between each other. Just as they reached the finish line, the
soldier’s eyes met with Hajime’s. Purple eyes locked onto his, narrowed and intense. He felt a
strange sense of confusion and discomfort from the look she was giving him. Then as soon as they
crossed the finish line, the crowd erupted into cheers and the small, peculiar moment passed. He
turned his attention back to Nanami and Nevermind who were coming up towards the finish line.
They barely made second place having almost been outran by another pair of students.

“Ah, second place. They were pretty close.” Hajime said.

“It ended exactly as I predicted,” Izuru closed his eyes. “How boring…”

Hajime frowned and was about to respond to that until he saw Nanami and Nevermind approaching
in his peripheral vision.

“Hinata-san! It is good to see you again!” Nevermind happily greeted.

“Ah yeah, good to see you too.” he smiled. “I saw you racing out in the field. You both did great
out there.”

“Thanks! We got a lot farther than I expected. We even made second place!” Nanami beamed.
“Thank you for cheering us on, Hinata-kun. Oh, Kamukura-kun, were you watching too?”

“I was.” He replied.

“Which event will you be participating in?”

“The outcome will remain the same no matter which event I participate in. Ergo, it is pointless for
me to participate.” He turned back towards the field dismissively.

“Oh, I see…” Nanami was smiling, but there was a tinge of worry in her tone and expression.

Hajime couldn’t help but feel worried too.

After the race, the three of them decided to stop by the stands for a snack. There were various
stands located outside in the fields, ranging from sweet treats to cool beverages. Nanami spotted a
stand selling cream puffs and suggested trying out that one. As they approached the cream puff
stand, they saw two people standing in front of it. One of them was a guy, big and bulky with
muscles that could probably take on a gorilla. The other person was a tall girl with tan skin, brown
hair, and also seemed to have an athletic physique.

“Hey, Owari-san. Hey, Nidai-kun.” Nanami greeted.

“Oh hey Nanami!” The girl - whose name Hajime assumed was 'Owari' - turned towards Hajime
and Izuru, mouth stuffed with creampuffs. “Oh hey, who’re you dudes?”

“Hello, I’m Hinata Hajime.” he smiled. “Nice to meet you—”

“Hold it right there!” The guy shouted, startling him. “Your voice is too soft! Let your voice rise
from the bottom of your stomach!”

“U-um… I’m Hinata Hajime!”

“You can be louder than that! Do it again!”

“My name is Hinata Hajime! Pleased to make your acquaintance!”

“There you go! Now then, I AM NIDAI NEKOMARU, THE ULTIMATE TEAM MANAGER!!!
Don’t forget it, even if you go to hell!” Nidai turned towards Izuru, pointing. “And you! You’ve
been quiet this whole time. Are you just gonna stand there or are you going to tell me your name?
Go on, shout it with all your might!”

“…” Izuru stared blankly.

“Um, this is my brother, Kamukura Izuru.” Hajime sheepishly said.

“GAH-HAHAHA! I see. You’re a man of few words, I can respect that. After all, some people
speak louder with their actions than their words.” It was then that Nidai began eyeing the two of
them, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Hmmm…”

“W-what is it?” Hajime stammered, discomforted by the team manager's intense gaze.

Nidai looked back up.

“Hinata, lend me your body.”

“E-excuse me? Whoa! H-hey, w-wait a seco—“

Nidai began feeling all over his body, patting down his arms and legs. Hajime threw Izuru a
helpless look while the twin only stood there, offering him no help. He might even say Izuru
looked a little amused. Bastard.

“Hm... Just as I thought, I wasn't wrong.” Nidai smiled. “You must’ve been born with good bone
structure. If you changed your diet and bulked up your muscle mass, you’d make an amazing
athlete!”

“Huh? Me?” Hajime pointed to himself.

“Yes, you. And you too, Kamukura. With the two of you sharing the same bone structure, you both
have the potential of becoming great athletes if you worked hard enough!”

“I possess a multitude of athletic talents,” Izuru stated matter-of-factly. “I do not need to work hard.
I am already the best.”

“GAAAAHAHAHAHA! Such confidence!”

“Confidence…? I simply stated the obvious.”

“What’s that?” Owari suddenly cut in, examining Izuru from head to toe. “This guy says he’s the
best? No way, he’s built like a stick.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate your opponents, Owari.” Nidai warned.

“Hmm, okay then! Hey poker face, fight me!” Owari challenged.

“Uuh, that’s not– I don’t think you should uh–” Hajime tried to cut in but was interrupted.

“Come on, if you’re really strong then you’re the perfect person to fight! Now fight me!” Owari
grinned sharply, cracking her knuckles.

“Fighting you would be pointless. No matter what, I will defeat you.” Izuru replied dismissively.

“Oh yeah, tough guy? Bring it, then!”

Izuru sighed. “As I predicted. You are a moron.”

“Hey, what the hell did you just call me?!” Owari fumed.

“Owari-san, please…” Nanami placated. “I don’t think now is a good time to pick a fight with
Kamukura-kun. We are at a festival…”

“Hrmm, fine. Another time, then.” Owari backed off with a pout.

Hajime sighed in relief.

They explored more of the festival before Nanami had to temporarily part ways, having been asked
to assist her teacher in setting up another sports event. This left Hajime and Izuru to wander around
on their own for a bit. Eventually, they came across the Boys’ Basketball Game taking place in the
gym. There were two teams of students on each side of the court and crowds of students sitting
down at the bleachers, eager to watch the game.

On one side of the court, Hajime spotted Souda standing alongside his team of basketball
contestants. The pink-haired mechanic caught his eyes and smiled back at him, waving as he
approached.

“Yo, Hinata! We’re short a player, want to join?” Souda asked.

“Uh, I’m not so sure if—“

“Wait, is that your brother?” Souda looked at Izuru who was standing beside him, surveying the
gym with an unimpressed look. “Hey, aren’t you like, super-talented? You should join our team
and help us win the basketball game!”
“I’m not interested.” Izuru disregarded.

“Come on, man, please? We’re short a player and could really use your help! Plus, I wanna win so
I can impress Miss Sonia-san!”

Izuru closed his eyes, proceeding to ignore the pink-haired teen. It wasn’t until Souda literally
dropped to his knees and started begging him to join that Izuru reluctantly agreed. It was a pretty
pathetic thing to watch and he could tell the other twin only agreed just to shut him up. Hajime
watched as Izuru and Souda both walked over onto one side of the court, the game close to starting.
He found himself an empty spot near the front of the bleachers and sat down to watch the game.
Soon after, the game began.

He watched as the boys competed against one another, his eyes mainly on Izuru and Souda in
particular. Izuru’s movements were flawless, stealing the ball easily from the other team. He then
weaved through his opponents effortlessly, swiftly ducking and dodging, dribbling the ball
rhythmically. Within seconds, he shot the basketball into the net from the other side of the court,
the whole crowd watching it land perfectly through it without touching the rim. All the while his
face was blank, bored as if he were competing against elementary kids.

The crowd was awestruck by Izuru’s performance, falling silent shortly before bursting into a
cheer of excitement. Hajime gaped, astonished. He knew the other boy was amazingly athletic, that
much was proven back when they raced each other on the track field. But seeing him in action still
left him feeling amazed, and he couldn’t help but join in the exhilaration, cheering on Izuru from
his spot on the bleachers.

“Hinata-kun from the reserve course.”

Hajime stopped and turned his head at the sound of a voice, only to see Komaeda standing nearby,
a calm smile on his face. Rather than his school uniform, he wore a white t-shirt, black jeans, and a
large, heavy-looking green coat. How he could wear that coat in this hot weather was beyond him,
Hajime thought. The pale boy stepped closer and took a seat on bleachers, beside him.

“Komaeda. What are you doing here?” Hajime asked.

“I just came by to cheer on the Ultimates. What about you?” Komaeda replied.

“Same here. I’m cheering on Souda and Izuru in the basketball game.”

“I see,” Komaeda’s smile grew. “So you’re supporting your friend and your brother as they work
together to win first place. That’s quite admirable, Hinata-kun.”

“I guess so.” Hajime hummed, remembering something. “By the way, you’re an Ultimate too,
right? What’s your talent?”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you that before? How rude of me.” Komaeda sighed. “Don’t get your hopes
up too high though. It’s a pretty disappointing talent…”

“A disappointing talent…? What do you mean?”

“I’m lucky.”

“…Lucky?”

“Yep, that’s my talent. I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student, or at least that’s what they call me.”
Ultimate Lucky Student... What did that mean? Was luck even a real talent in the first place?
Hajime couldn't help but wonder...

“Your face looks troubled.” Komaeda interrupted his thoughts.

“Oh, no, I’m not troubled or anything,” Hajime reassured, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m just a
little confused, and also curious, I suppose.”

“I understand. Here, allow me to explain. You see I got into this school by—“

Komaeda was cut off by another round of cheers erupting from the crowd as Izuru threw another
perfect shot into the hoop. The pale boy chuckled.

“Ah, perhaps I should explain it another time, in a quieter setting.” Komaeda said.

“Good idea.”

The two of them continued watching the game, Izuru and Souda’s team far in the lead. He almost
felt bad for how easily the other team was getting demolished. As he watched the game, he
couldn't help but wonder, though, was Izuru having fun? He was clearly good at this, and the
crowd of students were all cheering for him, but judging by his face, he didn't seem to care for any
of it. Was he really that bored of this? Hajime was about to contemplate more on this, until
Komaeda spoke again.

“It’s wonderful being able to witness hope from the sidelines, isn’t it?” Komaeda smiled. “How
does it feel being a steppingstone for your brother to shine?”

Hajime blinked.

“…What?”

“Isn’t that why you’re here? To support your brother?”

“Well, yeah, but… what do you mean, ‘steppingstone’?”

“Well that’s what you are, isn’t it?” Komaeda cocked his head slightly to the side. “You’re here
because you want to cheer on your brother, to aid him in displaying his talent and spreading hope
throughout everyone around him. So in other words, you’re a steppingstone leading towards a
greater good.”

“…” Hajime had no idea where that came from or how he was supposed to respond to it. He
couldn't decide if he should feel confused, annoyed, or if he should just ignore that strange,
insulting comment entirely. Komaeda seemed to notice him struggling and gave him a sympathetic
look.

“Don’t feel too bad, Hinata-kun," Komaeda said. "You and I are in the same boat. Even though I’m
an Ultimate, my talent is more of a burden than anything which essentially makes me the same as
you. But at least you know you can help the Ultimates and their hope shine, and that includes your
brother.”

Hajime stared pointedly at the boy beside him. This guy was spouting nonsense...

“Hm, what’s with the look? Do you disagree with me? Wait…” The smile on Komaeda’s face fell.
“…don’t tell me you think you stand on equal grounds with him.”
“Equal grounds?” Hajime scoffed. “What are you talking about? We’re both equals.”

“Oh, Hinata-kun…” Komaeda sighed, shaking his head. “You truly are a mystery.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just don’t understand you, is all. How can you stand by someone so talented and possibly think
you’re equal?”

Hajime felt a pang in his chest. He clenched his fists, hands shaking.

“Talent isn’t everything.” Hajime asserted.

Komaeda looked him up and down.

“Hmm, if you say so, Hinata-kun.”

Komaeda stood up and left the bleachers. Hajime watched as he walked off, whatever good mood
he was in now completely ruined thanks to that guy. He wanted to ignore it, to push away those
words. That guy was just some asshole; he didn’t know Hajime and it wasn’t fair for him to judge
him just because he didn’t have some miraculous talent. But still, those words stung, especially
when they sounded so similar to those words that came from his brother. He remembered them
clearly.

“People like you, who lack talent and purpose, are insignificant”

There was a tight squeeze in his stomach, twisting and turning and burning him inside.

“You are an inferior being, a parasite leeching off those more talented than you. That is all you
are.”

He was quiet for the rest of the game while the crowd around him continued to cheer and holler. In
the end, Izuru and Souda’s team won by a landslide with Izuru being the obvious reason for their
flawless victory. As the crowd dispersed, Hajime could hear some passing students whisper and
chatter about the incredible long-haired basketball player. He saw Izuru and Souda heading
towards him and stood up from the bleachers.

“Wooo, your brother was insane!” Souda exclaimed. “We absolutely demolished the other team!”

“Yeah, I saw. Congratulations…” Hajime forced a smile despite the ugly feeling stirring in his gut.

“Hehe, man, I hope Miss Sonia saw me.”

Souda fist-bumped the air as he walked off. Hajime then turned to Izuru.

“You did great out there.” he said.

“It would’ve been over a lot faster had I competed alone.” Izuru turned away, expression dull. “It
was tedious.”

Hajime frowned at this but didn’t reply. The two of them walked out of the gym together,
Komaeda’s words clinging to the back of Hajime’s mind.
 Pointless. All of it.

The Sports Festival was made to boost students’ morale while simultaneously showing off the
various talents incorporated within the school. But was there any true meaning to this? For Izuru,
this festival was nothing more than a waste of time. He was dragged along from one event to
another, spectating each game alongside the twin and the gamer, and as each game took place, he
found himself growing increasingly bored.

The games were all dull. Volleyball, Table Tennis, Soccer: Izuru predicted all the outcomes.
Crowds of students would rave and cheer, but he would not join them. Whatever joy they were
feeling was alien to him, for there was no thrill or excitement here for him to experience. Only
boredom. Boredom and emptiness.

It nagged him at the back of his mind all throughout the day, from the three-legged race to the
snack stands, to the basketball game, and so forth, making itself more and more known with each
passing second. All these activities, all these people, they were so boring and predictable. But what
more could he expect from this meaningless world.

Then more of Nanami’s classmates began to appear. How annoying… He truly did not wish to be
bothered with any of them. While the twin and the gamer were distracted, Izuru decided to slip
away and head towards the exit. There wasn't much time left until the festival was over so he
would wait outside for the remainder of it.

This empty feeling was consuming him.

Chapter End Notes

- Pheeew this chapter was a tough one to get through! I tried to do as much research on
the Summer Sports Festival event in the UTDP as I could. There was also a lot of
dialogue between characters to get through.
- Two more Class-77 students are introduced to both brothers!
- I know Nagito may be coming off as mean here but this is legitimately how he acted
towards Hajime in the UTDP so I apologize on his behalf for his assholery.
- Next Update: 10/31/20
 Sports Festival Part 2
Chapter Notes

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate it!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Hajime stood by Nanami’s side throughout the rest of the festival, wandering around. Izuru had
been mostly quiet if he wasn’t saying something super pessimistic. At one point, as Nanami was
speaking with Tanaka and Nevermind, Hajime looked over his shoulder and saw that his twin was
gone. He was confused at first, thinking maybe he had gotten lost in a crowd as he was trailing
behind them. But then he remembered, this was Izuru. If he disappeared suddenly like this, it was
most certainly intentional.

He felt a mix of things: confusion, disappointment, frustration, and maybe other emotions he
couldn’t place at the moment. He knew Izuru wasn’t the most enthusiastic of people, but this
whole day it felt as if the aloof twin was being nothing but cold and distant. Even Nanami was
worried about him, especially when he just disappeared without warning.

Towards the end of the festival, Hajime and Nanami decided it was a good time to part ways for
the day. He considered leaving straight back to his room but figured he should probably find Izuru
first. Assuming Izuru hadn’t left straight back to whatever room he stayed in... On second thought,
maybe he should stop and breathe for a moment.

He stumbled upon the Trophy Room and stepped inside. The room was empty, leaving only him,
his thoughts, and a display case full of trophies belonging to Hope’s Peak Academy, showing off
their great accomplishments. He examined them, a thoughtful expression on his face. He wondered
what it felt like to earn a trophy…

“One of those yours?”

Hajime jumped as he heard a voice and immediately spun around. Leaning against the doorframe
was a girl with two big, strawberry blonde pigtails, blue eyes with long eyelashes, and a
fashionable black and red uniform. If he had to describe her from first appearance, he’d say she
looked like a top-of-the-line model with the kind of face you’d see on television or in a fashion
magazine. For some reason, he felt like he’d seen her somewhere before but couldn’t pinpoint
when or where…

“Oops, did I startle you? Sorry about that, I didn’t think anyone else would be in here.” The girl
casually walked inside “I was just looking to take a breather from that busy sports festival.”

“Ah, so was I.” he replied.

She came closer until she was standing a few feet in front of him. He couldn’t help but feel a little
nervous, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

“I’m Enoshima Junko by the way, the Ultimate Fashionista~” She smiled, flipping her hair back
for emphasis.
“I’m Hinata Hajime, nice to—”

“Hey, wait a second, aren’t you like, the brother of Kamukura Izuru?”

Hajime blinked in surprise. “Um, yeah, that’s right. How did you—“

“What’s your talent?”

“H-huh?”

“You’re an Ultimate too, aren’t you? What’s your Ultimate talent?”

“Um, I’m… actually from the reserve course.”

“Oh… Sorry, I didn’t realize,” she gave him a pitying look. “I mean I just assumed since your
brother’s so talented and all that you must be super talented too…”

“…” he fell silent, averting his gaze as an awkward silence ensued. That ugly feeling in his gut
began to intensify.

“…Ah well! It’s no big deal, really! Don’t beat yourself up about it." she twirled a strand of her
hair around her finger. “Say, where is your brother anyway?”

“I don’t know, he disappeared some time earlier…” he looked at her suspiciously. “Why do you
want to know? Do you two know each other?”

“Oh yeah, we’ve spoken to each other a few times. We’re friends, but he likes to play hard to get,
ya’ know? He never mentioned anything about having a brother though, so imagine my surprise
when I see you! I wonder why he never brought you up before. You’re such a cutie~!”

Enoshima reached out, affectionately patting his cheek with her hand. He smiled sheepishly, face
flushing.

“A-ah… thanks?” he coughed. “But we’re not really that close…”

“Hmm, but didn’t you both come to this festival together?” She pulled away, cocking her head
slightly to the side.

“Yes, but…”

Enoshima was looking at him, waiting for an answer, but he didn’t have one to give. What could
he say? They had come to this festival together and yet it felt like the other boy was hardly present
at all. He thought he was getting closer to him, that maybe their relationship was finally beginning
to make some sort of progress. But today felt as if that point had been proven wrong…

“Is something wrong, Hinata?” Enoshima came closer until she was standing behind him, gently
squeezing his shoulders. “You look really bothered right now.”

Hajime felt embarrassed again as she touched his shoulders and a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t
move.

“I-I’m fine, it’s just…” He really shouldn’t be spilling his problems out like this to a stranger,
but… he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stop. Maybe it had all just been in Hajime’s head. Maybe he
wanted to believe him and Izuru were becoming closer, but in all actuality, they weren’t, and he
was just fooling himself into thinking they were. Does Izuru even want to become closer? Does
Izuru even want to be bothered with Hajime? Did it truly matter to him at all…?
“Go on, tell me. I’m listening.” Enoshima was massaging his shoulders now as he coaxed him. At
this point, Hajime was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice how strange this was or to care. He
was lured in by the sound of her voice and the comfort she was offering, letting his guard down
without even realizing it.

“I guess I just thought that… Izuru and I could be…”

“Ooh, I see…” Enoshima leaned in closer to his ear and whispered. “Poor Hinata, unappreciated
by his talented twin brother. It really isn’t fair to you at all, is it? You try so hard to get closer to
him, and yet he doesn’t seem to care at all. I can only imagine how you feel…”

“I…” That ugly feeling inside of him grew more and more as she purred into his ear, almost as if
she were reading his darkest thoughts and picking them apart. It felt like he was put underneath a
spell, and all he wanted was to confess his thoughts and secrets to the girl behind him. It would be
so easy. It would…

No, this was wrong. Wasn’t someone waiting for him? He shouldn’t be here.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Hajime suddenly said.

“Hmm?” Enoshima stopped massaging.

“I didn’t mean to ramble on like this. You probably weren’t looking to hear some stranger dump
their problems on you. I’m sure you have more important things to do, and besides, I should
probably get going…”

Just like that, the spell was broken. Hajime blinked and realized that he was standing in the middle
of a trophy room alone with a teenage girl standing behind him, hand on his shoulder, whispering
into his ear and… wait what was that cold pointy thing pushing up against his back? Before he
could question it, the girl whirled around in front of him and the cold thing disappeared.

“Ahh don’t worry about it! I should get going, too! Tell your brother I said hi~!” She smiled and
waved goodbye as she left the room.

Hajime watched her leave, feeling strange. What just happened? He came into this room to think,
then that girl showed up and started talking to him, and he got so caught up in his thoughts he
hardly noticed how close she was and what she was doing. And that cold, pointed thing he felt
against his back just now… was that just her nails, maybe? Or was it his imagination?

He was too tired to think about this. He sighed and pulled out his phone to text Izuru.

The sun was nearly fully set over the horizon, a deep blue void encompassing the sky as afternoon
transitioned into evening. Izuru understood perfectly how the earth rotation worked, causing the
phenomenon known as day and night, thus making the sky just another dull, uninteresting concept
for him. The Sports Festival had ended, most of the students having left the building and returned
to their dorm rooms before curfew. He was seated on the bench by the fountain—a location he
knew would be unoccupied at this time—with his arms crossed, one leg crossed over the other, and
eyes closed, waiting for time to pass.

He expected Hajime to arrive soon. The twin had texted him asking about his whereabouts. It was
only a matter of time before the brunet would show. Eventually, with his eyes still closed, Izuru
sensed the twin approaching, his footsteps drawing nearer until they stopped right beside the
bench.

“Hey,” Hajime said, though his voice sounded notably restrained. “Where have you been?”

Izuru opened his eyes to meet the other’s gaze. His expression was stern, brows slightly knitted,
lips pulled into a tight, thin line, and eyes filled with confliction. He could sense tension emitting
from the other boy as well. He concluded that the other boy was upset.

“Wandering,” he answered simply. “That is until the people became too annoying, so I chose to
wait outside.”

“Is that why you bailed on me?”

Izuru threw the twin a questioning look. His hands were in his pockets now, eyes averted.

“Are you upset that I left?” he countered.

“N-no, I mean… I’m not upset.” Hajime sat down beside him, still avoiding eye contact. Izuru
could see through the lie easily but chose not to press the issue. If he did not want to discuss it, he
saw no reason to push him to. Silence ensued, neither of them speaking. It appeared the twin had
more he wanted to say, and after a minute or so of neither of them saying a word, he spoke again.

“The Sports Festival was pretty hectic today, huh?” Hajime said.

“Evidently.” Izuru deadpanned.

“We met a lot of new people with colorful personalities. The games were fun, too. Nanami had a
good time…” The brunet fidgeted in his seat, anxiously. “…did you have a good time? Even a little
bit?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “The festival was boring, predictable, and overall meaningless.”

In his peripheral vision, he saw Hajime’s expression harden into a frown.

“If it was so boring, then why did you stay? In fact, why did you agree to come in the first place?”
The volume in his voice was steadily growing as he became increasingly aggravated, but for
reasons Izuru could not decipher. He was only being honest. Was the brunet unsatisfied with his
answers?

“You are the one that requested me to join.” Izuru replied matter-of-factly.

“You didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to,” Hajime argued. “You could’ve just said no.”

“We agreed to spend time with one another. I am simply fulfilling that agreement.”

“Is that the only reason you agreed to spend time with me? Because you feel compelled to?”

“Logically speaking, yes. The basis of our agreement is that we are related by blood. Relatives
typically accompany one another. What other reason would there be?”

“Are you being serious right now? You know what—forget it, I don’t care.” Hajime abruptly stood
up from his seat, glaring down at Izuru. “I don’t care what your reason for hanging out with me is,
but if you want to leave, you’re more than welcome to leave. You’re not obligated to stay just
because we’re brothers. I mean, I want to hang out with you because even though you act like a
stuck-up jerk, I still want to get to know you better. But clearly, you don’t feel the same way, so if
it bothers you that much, you’re free to go anytime.”

Izuru remained silent, eyes narrowed as he watched the other boy rant and ramble.

“In fact, we don’t even have to hang out anymore if it makes you feel better. I’ll still be here
regardless, and you can continue hating me whether we hangout or not and that’ll be just fine by
me, so there!” Hajime slumped back down onto the bench with finality, his face and body drained,
crestfallen. Izuru was silent, expression blank as he mulled over these words. One line, in
particular, had caught his attention.

“…I don’t hate you.”

Hajime released a small, dry laugh in response to that, head hung low.

“Could’ve fooled me…”

Izuru felt something strange. There was a heavy, throbbing feeling in his chest, aching with
something unknown to him. His body tensed, startled and surprised by this sudden feeling. These
symptoms only seemed to intensify as he looked at the twin and the tired, defeated expression on
his face, olive eyes trained to the ground.

Was this… Guilt?

It had to be, Izuru concluded, because even if he technically didn’t do anything wrong, he certainly
felt like he did. Izuru attempted to make sense of the situation by reevaluating the issue.

He’d given the other boy the impression that he ‘hated’ him, which was false. It wasn’t Izuru’s
fault if the other boy interpreted it that way, and yet… he couldn’t dismiss the idea that he himself
was responsible for this, and for some inexplicable reason, that bothered him. This feeling was
new to him and he was quickly coming to realize that he did not like it. As he looked at the twin,
he suddenly came to a conclusion: he needed to fix this.

Izuru contemplated his next words carefully, then spoke.

“…I apologize for making you feel that way.” He began, voice coming out softer than even he
expected, emitting words foreign to him. A look of surprise and confusion crossed Hajime’s face
then as he turned his head to meet Izuru’s gaze. He continued. “I realize now that perhaps I have
been a little unfair to you. You are giving an effort to bond with me, despite our differences, and I
have not made it easy for you. I… do not wish to leave. Instead, I would like to try again, if you are
still willing.”

Hajime was silent, his face painted in surprise. Then his shoulders visibly relaxed, the tension
easing away.

“Yeah, okay. I’m cool with that…” The brunet averted his attention back to the ground, seeming
less dejected now. They fell back into mutual silence. Izuru watched as the other fidgeted idly with
his fingers. He felt as if he should say something. That is what brothers do, correct? Talk about
things? But what topics did they have to discuss? Izuru always found small talk to be pointless and
typically didn’t say more than what was necessary.

He thought back to Hajime’s words when they first agreed to hang out. I want to get to know you,
he had said. Hajime has made a clear effort to understand him so perhaps it was time for Izuru to
return the favor. But where should he begin? He thought of basic conversation starters that family
or friends would discuss and chose one accordingly.
 “…What is your favorite color?”

Hajime looked at him incredulously, startled as if he’d just been slapped in the face. He watched as
the twin’s facial expression morphed from that of surprise and confusion to something soft and
slight amusement.

“It’s green,” Hajime answered. “and yours?”

“I don’t have a particular favorite...” For a moment, he thought his answer might disappoint the
twin again. But he did not seem disappointed, in fact, only accepting.

“I figured.” Hajime leaned back against the bench, gazing up at the evening sky. “So, you told me
you have teachers who give you assignments, right? What are they like?”

“The teachers or the assignments?”

“Both.”

“My teachers are boring. They tell me things I already know and lecture me whenever I displease
them.”

“Sounds about right.”

“As for my assignments, they are often given to me by random, sometimes within the morning and
sometimes within the afternoon. They vary, often relating to one or more of my many talents. I also
have weekly written tests to complete and occasional medical checkups to ensure my health, talent,
and intelligence are at peak performance…”

The two of them continued to converse with one another for the rest of that evening, occasionally
shifting topics. They learned a few more details about one another, information that was mostly
minuscule and unimportant but caused a better understanding of each other, nonetheless. It wasn’t
particularly exciting, but… it wasn’t unbearably boring either. In fact, he preferred this quieter time
spent talking with Hajime than he did attending the sports festival today.

One thing was for certain: Hajime had surprised him. It wasn’t exactly the first time as the twin
had taken him slightly by surprise several instances before. But he had predicted those instances.
This, on the other hand, had evaded his foresight.

Izuru had predicted the twin would seek him out and even predicted the possibility of him being
upset. What he did not predict was that Hajime would elicit guilt from within himself. He never felt
guilty before and he had committed more harmful acts than hurting someone else’s feelings. Yet
somehow, the twin had caused him to feel this way, had caused an emotional reaction from within
him, which was not something Izuru thought was possible. It intrigued him that he was able to feel
this way and that Hajime was the one responsible for it.

He wondered what other ways his brother might surprise him.

Chapter End Notes

- :)
- Next Update: 11/07/20
 Bond
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

It was the last day before Hope’s Peak Academy’s one-month summer vacation period. This meant
students would be returning to their former homes for a brief period of time, leaving the school
buildings empty until the second school term began. Though not entirely empty. The system of
teachers, doctors, and scientists underneath the school never rested as they were always active even
during vacation days, which meant Izuru would be stuck with them for yet another month.

It was an especially dull and boring time that he was not looking forward to enduring. However,
this time may prove to be different. Both Hajime and Nanami had suggested staying in touch with
him during the vacation via cellphone, and not only that, they had already begun discussing times
for them to hang out at different locations in town. Although he was sure to still be bored, it was a
better alternative than sitting in his room for four and a half weeks doing nothing.

Shortly after the last school bell of the day rang, Izuru made his way through the halls of the main
course building, passing by other students. Fortunately, none of the other students bothered him as
they were too busy discussing their summer vacation plans amongst each other to notice him.
Eventually, he came upon the classroom labeled “Class 77” and spotted a small group of familiar
students standing near the entrance. Hajime and Nanami along with the pink-haired mechanic were
all waiting for him as they discussed their summer plans together. Hajime was the first to spot him
within the crowd.

“Izuru, over here.” Hajime waved him over. Izuru leisurely approached the small group. It was
then that Nanami and the mechanic greeted him as well.

“Hey hey, Kamukura-kun,” Nanami smiled. “Are you excited for summer vacation?”

“Not really,” Izuru replied. “Time passes the same whether it’s during school hours or vacation
hours.”

“Pfft, way to be a killjoy!” The mechanic commented. “Well my bro Hinata here is gonna be
staying with me during summer vacation. It’s gonna be wild!”

“Yeah, I was originally going to go back to our parents’ house, but… yeah…” Hajime rubbed the
back of his neck, awkwardly averting his eyes. “Anyway, Souda invited me to stay with him for
summer vacation, and he seemed really insistent, so—“

“We’re gonna have so much fun!" The mechanic interuptted. "We’ll stay up all night eating
snacks, watching movies, talking about chicks. And by chicks, I mean mainly Miss Sonia, of
course.”

“…On second thought, maybe I should just stay with my parents.” Hajime deadpanned.

“Hey, don’t be like that!” The mechanic huffed. “What about you, Kamukura? You wanna crash at
my place for the summer too?”

“Jumping off a roof sounds more appealing than living in your household for a month.” Izuru said
to the mechanic.

“Ugh, you’re both too cruel!”

Nanami giggled light-heartedly. The three of them began making their way down the hall towards
the exit of the school building. They had decided they would walk out of the school building
together before they parted ways. He didn’t see the point in this considering this wouldn’t be the
last time they’d be seeing each other and they had already begun scheduling times to meet again
during their vacation, but apparently, the others still felt the need to give a proper farewell right
before they depart. So be it.

There were groups, pairs, and individual students all around them, but one group in particular
caught his eyes. Down the hall, he spotted three figures approaching their direction. One of them
was Enoshima, and with her was Ikusaba as well as a boy taller than the two of them walking in
between them. He could be described as having pale skin, blue eyes, and black, unkempt hair,
holding a manga in his hands as he read and walked simultaneously.

Name: Matsuda Yasuke

Title: Ultimate Neurologist

Sex: Male

He recognized the neurologist. He had seen him a few times before within the past, sometimes
even underground. The neurologist knew about Izuru’s existence and the projects being withheld
beneath the school. His teachers seemed to find his studies useful. He was unsure of exactly how
involved the neurologist was with the projects being held underground, including his involvement
with Izuru’s purpose-given existence, but he knew the neurologist at least contributed somewhat to
his teacher’s work.

As they drew closer, Enoshima threw a glance towards Izuru. Her eyes narrowed, a deceitful smile
tugging at her lips. It didn’t take long for Izuru to figure out what she was scheming, for as his
group crossed with Enoshima’s, he witnessed her boot covertly stick out near Hajime’s, tripping
him over and causing him to stumble into the neurologist.

“Crap—!”

“The hell—!?”

Hajime fell on top of the neurologist and they both went toppling to the ground unceremoniously.
The brunet groaned and sat up, looking down at the neurologist beneath him who was shooting
him an angry glare.

Hajime quickly scrambled off of him. “Shit, sorry—“

“Watch where you’re going, reserve course.” Matsuda glowered as he pulled himself up from the
ground.

Hajime visibly shrank at that while the neurologist continued glaring daggers at him. Izuru
watched silently.

“Right, my bad. I didn’t mean to fall into you, I just—“

“I don’t need to hear your shitty excuses,” Matsuda interrupted. “If you don’t know how to walk,
go back to preschool and figure it out.”

“Matsuda-kun!” Enoshima lightly smacked the neurologist’s shoulder, acting as if she were
offended. “You’re so mean, cut the poor guy some slack!”
“Please, it was just an accident,” Nanami placated, stepping in. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to—“

“Stay out of this, Goldilocks.” Ikusaba shot Nanami a look of warning.

“Goldilocks…?” Nanami blinked. “But, I’m not Goldilocks, I’m Nanami…”

Matsuda reached down, picking up the manga he had dropped. It appeared one of the pages were
slightly torn.

“You ruined my book.” The neurologist looked very displeased.

“Look, I said I was sorry. It was an accident, no need to be an ass about it.” Hajime frowned.

“Sorry doesn’t fix my torn-up book, dumbass.”

A small crowd of students began to take notice of the ongoing commotion happening in the
hallways, turning to look at the two groups. That lucky student appeared to be within the crowd as
well, watching the scene with curiosity, a blank expression on his face. Izuru knew the situation
was going to continue to escalate so long as Hajime and the neurologists’ tempers continued to
flare. This was no doubt what Enoshima had intended as she intentionally tripped Hajime into
stumbling into Matsuda. He could see her smiling mischievously at him from her position near the
neurologist.

Izuru could intervene and stop the situation from escalating if he wanted. But was there a reason
to? It didn’t have anything to do with him so he wasn’t required to take action.

The mechanic was the second one to attempt to diffuse the situation. “Yo man, chill out—“

“Shut it.” Matsuda cut him off. It was then that the neurologist’s eyes landed on Izuru’s.
Recognition flickered in his eyes before they narrowed, something akin to confusion and suspicion.
“Tch, I didn’t know the lab rat had a brother...” he murmured thoughtfully.

“What did you just say?” Hajime growled, expression hardening. “Don’t call him that!”

“Yeah, ‘sides you’re one to talk! You look more like a rat than he does!” The mechanic jabbed a
finger at the neurologist.

“No one asked you, bolts for brains.” Matsuda spat.

Izuru watched as Hajime and the mechanic both fell into an argument with the neurologist and the
soldier. Nanami continued trying to diffuse the situation unsuccessfully while Enoshima
inconspicuously egged it on, successfully. Like a wildfire, the situation grew worse with each
passing second. More students began crowding around, watching the scene as their arguing grew
louder, edging on near chaos. The lucky student was still within that crowd, his eyes trained mainly
on Hajime as if he were speculating something.

Izuru did not plan on interfering. He saw no reason to partake in this dispute, nor did he see a
reason to end it. Though it was clear Enoshima had caused this intentionally, perhaps trying to
prove a point to him, that still didn’t give him a reason to interfere. He was just a bystander, a
spectator waiting to see what would happen similar to the other students crowded around them. He
wouldn’t act, or disrupt, or intervene. He would simply watch and see what happens.

“You think I’m gonna take orders from some reserve course loser?” Matsuda hissed.

“I’d rather be a loser than some pompous asshole like you!” Hajime snapped.
Matsuda suddenly reached out to grab Hajime’s collar. “Listen here you little—“

It happened in a flash.

One moment it was loud, the four of them standing across Enoshima and her two associates as their
groups clashed. The next moment, the neurologist was splayed out on his back, ten feet away from
them on the ground. The hallway fell silent, all eyes on Izuru. Izuru’s hand was, for some reason,
frozen in front of him in a knife hand position. Miraculously, his brain seemed slow on
understanding what just occurred until realization finally dawned on him.

Izuru had struck him. It hadn’t been a conscious decision; he hadn’t calculated doing this before he
had done it. He just did it. He didn’t know why he did it. Most likely, the neurologist hadn’t even
planned on seriously harming Hajime. And yet, when he saw Matsuda move to grab the twin,
something within himself seemed to activate, making him move without thinking. An impulse. An
instinct.

The people around him were all gaping at him, eyes wide and in shock. Hajime himself was gaping
at Izuru along with Nanami and the mechanic. Even Enoshima seemed taken off guard, her
expression gone blank. He could spot the lucky student within the crowd, his eyes sparkling in
admiration as he stared at him and Hajime as if he were having an epiphany of sorts. They all
seemed to be looking at him and Hajime.

Why did he do this? He wouldn’t have done this before. Enoshima wouldn’t have done this. This
was illogical. He looked at Hajime, who was still looking at him. There was a wordless exchange
between them, an understanding.

It was then that Izuru realized something: Enoshima had been wrong. His relationship with Hajime
was not like Enoshima’s relationship with Ikusaba.

This bond that they seemed to carry… was something else entirely.

Hajime sat against the wisteria tree, deep in thought. It had been about half an hour since that
incident. He hadn’t expected to fall into such an intense argument with that mean-looking, entitled
guy in the hallway. In fact, he had been just about ready to walk away until that guy had insulted
Izuru. When he did that, it felt like something in him snapped. Hajime wasn’t sure why it made
him so angry, besides the ultra-talented twin was more than capable of defending himself if need
be. Still, it was like something within him just activated, the need to defend his brother’s name
against that shit-talking jerk in the hallway.

But what was more surprising was what Izuru had done. The aloof twin hadn’t said a word during
the entire exchange. Hajime had been mostly focused on arguing with the shit-talker, so he hadn’t
noticed exactly what the twin had been doing, but he was sure Izuru had just been spectating the
whole ordeal. It wasn’t until that guy tried to grab Hajime when Izuru had lunged forward and hit
him before the guy could even touch him. It left the whole hallway in shock the way Izuru sent
him flying ten feet down the hall in just one swift motion.

At first, Hajime wasn’t sure why Izuru had done it—why he had protected Hajime like that when
he was sure the twin wouldn’t have cared enough before. But when Izuru looked at him, Hajime
saw that confusion in his eyes, as if he didn’t know either. And then something passed through
them, an understanding of sorts. Truthfully, the whole situation had been pretty stressful which led
Hajime to come to this tree to calm down and process everything that just occurred. He sighed and
closed his eyes, leaning further back against the tree as he ruminated.

“Beautiful.”

Hajime startled, looking up at the sound of someone’s voice. Before him, he saw a familiar mess of
white fluffy hair coming towards his direction. Komaeda stopped beside him, hovering over him
with a gentle smile on his face. For a moment, he felt at a loss of words, not registering what the
other boy had said to him.

“What?” Hajime gawked.

“The tree.” Komaeda patiently replied, gesturing towards the wisteria. “There’s not another tree
like this on campus. It’s quite beautiful, wouldn’t you agree?"

“Oh. Yeah, I guess so…” Hajime shrugged.

Komaeda sat down beside him, leaning his back against the tree. Hajime tensed a little, feeling
confused. Why was he here? The last time they’d spoken had been at the Sports Festival when the
pale boy had pretty much mocked him for being a talentless reserve course student, calling him a
stepping-stone even. Although they hardly knew each other, and as strange as Komaeda was, those
words still hurt to hear. So why bother to approach Hajime again if Komaeda thought so little of
him? Hajime didn't know how to ask him that, so instead he kept his eyes trained to the ground,
elbows resting on his knees as the two of them sat in silence.

“…I owe you an apology, Hinata-kun.”

Hajime lifted his head in surprise, looking over at the cotton-haired boy beside him. Komaeda was
gazing up at the sky, his expression still calm but somewhat sympathetic.

“I shouldn’t have treated you so unfairly before. I understand if you’d be mad at scum like me for
what I said to you…” Komaeda said.

Hajime was silent, feeling at a loss again. He hadn’t expected the other boy to apologize to him all
of a sudden. And he was self-deprecating again. This guy was so confusing…

“But I was wrong about you, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda continued.

“What are you on about?” Hajime huffed impatiently.

Komaeda just smiled and turned his head to look at Hajime. The look he was giving him made his
heart skip a beat. “When I first met you, I thought you were just like me. Just another nobody, a
stepping stool to further the hope of the talented.”

Hajime grimaced at that.

“But I was wrong!” Komaeda beamed enthusiastically. “What I witnessed earlier in the hallway,
when you defended your brother’s name so valiantly, and he defended you so protectively... It was
such a beautiful moment! You two have such a strong, hopeful bond! The bond that you share with
your brother, it’s amazing, incredible, and so full of hope! Do you know what that means, Hinata-
kun?”

“Uh… what?” Hajime felt almost completely lost. Then, Komaeda leaned in closer, his face inches
away from his, so close he could count his pale eyelashes. Hajime leaned back a little, trying not to
stare too hard at those sage eyes so close.

“It means you are the exception," Komaeda declared. "You may not have an Ultimate talent, but
the bond you share with your brother makes you worthy enough to become a symbol of hope!”

Hajime wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but Komaeda sounded happy about whatever
he was saying, so maybe that meant it was a good thing?

“I really don’t understand what you’re saying but… thanks, I guess?” Hajime said.

“No. Thank you, Hinata-kun.” Komaeda smiled and pulled away, sitting back against the tree. The
two of them sat by each other for some time longer in peaceful silence. Hajime was still unsure of
what to make of the boy beside him. One moment, he was insulting him for being talentless. Now
he was praising him and calling him a symbol of hope.

Hajime was still wary of him no doubt, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stay upset. In a way, his
presence was somewhat… calming, especially after that stressful incident in the hallway. Why
Komaeda kept showing up out of nowhere and talking to him was still a mystery to Hajime,
though. He looked over at Komaeda to see him gazing up at the sky, that calm smile on his face.

What a strange guy…

Izuru stood outside the gates of HPA, watching as the sun began to set over the horizon. One
month would pass before the students returned to this school. He, however, would remain living
here, as he always did. He pondered what it would be like for him to live somewhere else other
than the school for such an extended period of time. Would it truly matter where in the world he
resided?

No matter where he stayed, boredom seemed to follow him regardless. Yet the thought of being
stuck here at this school still left him feeling somewhat displeased. He was not looking forward to
spending more boring, empty hours underground. He could only hope that spending time with
Hajime and Nanami during the summer would alleviate some of that emptiness.

He turned around to head back inside the school building, but just as he began walking away, he
heard a voice call out to him.

“Kamukura-kun!”

He stopped and looked over to see the lilac-haired gamer jogging towards him, waving at him. She
held onto one strap of her bag, the curls of her hair slightly bouncing as she drew nearer. Once
close enough, she slowed to a stop in front of him.

“I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to see you before I left.” She examined him with a slight look of
concern. “That incident in the hallway earlier really got out of hand… Are you okay?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” Izuru replied.

“I just wanted to make sure you and Hinata-kun were both alright.” As if suddenly remembering
something, her eyes lit up. “Oh, also, before I was heading home, I realized something. Could I see
your phone for a moment?”

He blinked then pulled out his cellphone, holding it out towards her. Nanami took the phone into
her hands then began tapping the screen. She appeared to be inserting something into the phone.
When she was finished, she held the phone back out to him. He took the phone and saw a new
contact labeled “Nanami” on the screen with a cellphone number attached.

“I almost forgot to give you my phone number. Now we’ll still be able to talk during summer
vacation.” She smiled. He stared at the contact for a moment then returned the phone to his pocket.
“Well, I’ll see you later then, Kamukura-kun.”

“Yes. Goodbye.” Izuru nodded. Nanami fell silent, looking at him for a moment before averting
her gaze. He watched as she fiddled with the straps to her bag, a faint tint of pink dusting her
cheeks. She appeared to be nervous, or rather hesitant about something, but he was unsure of what.
Then suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso, a warm body pressing against his. It
took him a moment to process what was happening until he realized she was hugging him.

It was a common gesture people often did as a way of expressing affection. It felt foreign to him, as
this was the first time he’d been hugged by anyone. He looked down at the shorter figure, her arms
wrapped around him, eyes closed, and face buried against him. Warmth spread throughout his
chest. This warmth… this was the same way he felt at the arcade, thus making this the second time
Nanami had this strange effect on him. Strange… but not unpleasant. He was uncertain how to
respond, so instead, he chose to continue standing in place, arms draped to his sides as he watched
her.

Shortly after, she pulled away, looking up at him with a bright smile. “See ya’.”

Izuru watched as she ran back off into the distance.

What a curious girl…

“Teeheehee! Wow, this is incredible! So incredible!”

Junko giggled and squirmed in place as she sat in her limo, her mind littered with thoughts from
earlier today. Kamukura had taken her by surprise with that stunt he pulled in the hallway. She
managed to drag Matsuda along with her and Mukuro, and her plan to have him fall out against
Kamukura’s reserve course brother had gone without a hitch. She had expected for things to fall
into chaos from there, with someone or some people getting hurt, and seeing that delicious look of
despair on little Hinata’s face after he gets expelled for ‘fighting’ a main course student, or from
the betrayal of his twin brother who couldn’t even bother to have his back.

But that didn’t happen. What was supposed to be a chaotic, despair-inducing situation was instead
turned into a shocking display of hope as Kamukura swooped in, protecting his brother from the
big bad Matsuda. Her plan completely fell apart right in front of her face. How absolutely…
wonderful! Mukuro was seated beside her, wiping down the blade of her combat knife as she
watched her squirm and spasm.

“What’s incredible, sis’?” Mukuro asked, her head tilting like a confused puppy.

“Well duh! What happened earlier in the hallway, of course!” Junko replied.
“But, I don’t get it. Your plan to break up that Kamukura and Hinata guy failed.”

“Well obviously!” She kicked the other girl hard in her shin, causing her to wince and blush.
“Don’t you know what that means? It means Kamukura’s bond with his brother is a lot stronger
than we thought it was. Do you know what thaaat means?”

“What, sis’?”

“It means, the stronger their bond is, the more despair-inducing it will be when it all comes falling
apart. I can see it now: Kamukura Izuru, the Ultimate Hope, falling deep down into the pits of
despair, so far down that he becomes… the Ultimate Despair. Pupupu…” The mere thought of
dragging the Ultimate Hope down into despair was making her shake with excitement.

“…Why don’t we just kill his brother then? Wouldn’t that bring Kamukura down into despair?”
Mukuro suggested.

“Ugh, Mukuro, you meathead, don’t you get it?!” Junko kicked her repeatedly, making the other
wince and moan. “You really think Kamukura’s just gonna let us waltz over and kill his dorky
brother at this point? He knows we’re a potential threat. He’ll predict our actions and if he catches
us trying to make any moves on his dorky brother, he’ll kill us first. Of course, I can predict his
actions too, so there is a chance we’d succeed in killing that dork…”

She yawned and stopped kicking. “But that would be totally boring! The despair won’t be as fun if
Hinata gets removed from the story so soon. No, if we want to drag Kamukura into truly soul-
crushing despair, we’ll have to be patient. Besides, my plan might’ve failed, but everyone saw
what Kamukura did to Matsuda, and I bet the Steering Committee won’t be too happy to hear about
it. What’ll they do when they find out their little pet project is feeling adventurous and breaking the
rules, I wonder? Pupupu…”

“…Are you sure you don’t want me to just kill his brother for you? I could at least kidnap him and
—”

“Just can it, Mukuro!”

Izuru stepped through the entrance of the underground tunnels, only to be immediately met with
his teachers all standing before him with their white lab coats. They each looked at him with stern
expressions and stiff postures. He knew what that meant, sighing internally as he had to deal with
yet another one of their pointless lectures.

“Izuru, where have you been?” An older, male teacher asked. He ignored him, opting to walk past
his teachers instead as he headed towards his room.

“Don’t ignore us, Izuru,” A female teacher within her mid-thirties scolded. “We heard about what
happened in the school hallway earlier. What were you thinking? You’re supposed to stay hidden,
not start fights with other students."

Izuru continued ignoring them, growing increasingly annoyed with their presence. No doubt they
would continue to pester him whether he responded or not, so there really was no point. He
considered installing a lock onto his door as he drew closer to the room down the hall.
 “It’s that boy, isn’t it?” The older teacher said. Izuru slowed to a stop. With his attention now
caught, the teacher continued. “That boy from the reserve course. We know you’ve been hanging
around with him. If this boy becomes too much of a distraction then–“

“He is none of your concern,” Izuru turned around, eyeing the group intensely. “I have stayed on
top of my tasks. What I do in my free time is my business.”

“Don’t sass us, Izuru,” The first female teacher crossed her arms. “Remember your purpose.
You’re here to serve as humanity’s hope, not make friends with talentless nobodies.”

“You hid him from me.” Izuru retorted. The teachers looked puzzled at his statement. Of course,
Izuru wouldn’t expect these incompetent people to understand what he was accusing them of.

“What on earth are you talking about?” The male teacher scoffed.

“My biological brother. You hid his existence from me.”

The room suddenly fell silent. The teachers were exchanging nervous, knowing looks with one
another. Izuru turned around, facing them.

"I will continue fulfilling my purpose, but if you want my cooperation, then it would be wise of
you all not to interfere with my affairs.” Izuru turned his back towards them and continued down
the hall. As he grew further, he could hear his teachers whispering to each other.

“We have to tell the Steering Committee about this…” One of them whispered.

“Of course. Schedule a meeting time with them pronto.” Another whispered back.

Chapter End Notes

- I don’t know much about Yasuke Matsuda considering I did not read Danganronpa
Zero (the most I know is from research), but I heard he’s a shit talker, so I had to
include him talking shit. Also, I literally don’t know this man’s date of birth, height, or
weight, so I couldn’t include it within Izuru’s analysis. Let’s just assume Izuru knows
what it is. Also also, Yasuke does play more of a role within the future chapters rather
than just serving as a quick antagonist.
- Izuru internally referring to Souda as just “the mechanic” and Komaeda as “the lucky
student” rather than by their names is intentional. It's meant to show how much he
acknowledges someone based on whether he uses their name or not.
- Next Update: 11/14/20
 Summer Vacation
Chapter Notes

Heads up, this chapter contains a high amount of text messages and group chatting! It’s
only for this chapter, then it’ll return to normal writing style. I figured this would be a
neat way of breezing through summer vacation without skipping through it entirely,
though I apologize if the sudden change feels odd. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Well, here we are!” Souda exclaimed. “Welcome to my bike shop! Or well, my parents’ bike
shop, but the apartment above it is totally mine. Follow me.”

Hajime followed Souda as they made their way towards the back of the empty bike shop, duffel
bag in hand. When Souda suggested that Hajime stay with him for the summer, he explained to
him that he lived alone in the apartment connected to the top of his parents’ bike shop. Apparently,
he and his parents used to live within the apartment, but after saving up enough money, Souda’s
parents bought themselves a house and gave the apartment to Souda for him to stay in. Which was
convenient, because Hajime wasn’t sure how Souda’s parents would feel about having some
random boy living with them for a month.

Once they reached the back of the store, they spotted a staircase leading up from the shop into the
apartment. Souda led him up the stairs, pulling out a set of keys, and unlocking the door.

“And this is my apartment! Pretty cool, right?” Souda opened the door and stepped out of the way,
allowing Hajime to pass through and see inside. The apartment was admittedly in good shape.
There was a decently spaced living room with an old couch, a small coffee table, and a TV. Near
the living room was a small but fully functional kitchen. There weren’t a whole lot of decorations,
but a few portraits hanging on the walls, some potted plants here and there, and what looked to be
gadgets and machine parts littered all around the house. There was also a bit of an oily scent in the
air. Guess he should’ve expected that.

“It’s nice,” Hajime smiled sincerely. “Thanks again for letting me stay here, you really didn’t have
to.”

“Ah, don’t sweat it, bro! Come on, I’ll show you around.” Souda gave him a quick tour of the rest
of the house, showing him the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and lastly, his bedroom. Souda’s
bedroom was a lot more... flamboyant than the rest of the house. The walls were painted dark gray
with a few ‘suggestive’ posters hanging from them. In the center of the room was a king-sized bed
with pink bedding, a nightstand beside it, a workbench in the corner with machinery strewn about,
and a dresser near the closet. He also noticed the smell of oil was a lot stronger in this room than in
the rest of the house.

“This is where we’ll be sleeping.” Souda gestured towards the room. Hajime blinked, eyeing the
one bed in the center of the room.

“You mean, in the same bed?” Hajime said. “Because you don’t have to, I can sleep on the
couch…”
“Nah man, I got a futon in the closet you can use. But I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed if I didn’t
have the futon. We’re bros, so it’s no big deal!” Souda grinned.

“Right…” Hajime helped Souda pull the futon out of the closet and set it up for him, preparing it
for tonight. Afterwards, the two of them returned to the living room.

“I’m gonna order us a pizza. Pepperoni sound good?” Souda asked.

“Pepperoni sounds good.” Hajime smiled. Souda dialed a number and walked off into another
room. Hajime plopped down onto the living room couch and pulled out his phone, scrolling
through his contacts.

Izuru

6:05 PM

[6:05 PM]

You: I made it to Souda’s place

You: his apartment smells like motor oil

[6:05 PM]

Izuru: Fitting.

[6:05 PM]

You: I rly shouldn’t be complaining tho, it’s better than nothing

You: how’s it feel living at HPA during the break?

[6:05 PM]

Izuru: Boring.

[6:06 PM]

You: wish I could visit but we’re not allowed on school grounds during the break

You: we could def still hangout in town tho. We should set up a time to meet soon

[6:06 PM]

Izuru: Okay.

[6:06 PM]

You: I was thinking we could go to the arcade again

[6:06 PM]

Izuru: Okay.
 [6:06 PM]

You: ur conversational skills r outstanding

[6:06 PM]

Izuru: Your spelling prowess is immaculate.

Hajime felt the corner of his lips tug upwards. Then Souda returned to the living room.

“Alright, the pizza’s on its way!” The shark-toothed boy grinned and plopped down on the couch
beside him. “You ready to pop in some movies?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Hajime smiled. The two of them spent the rest of the night in the living
room, watching mainly action-packed movies and comedies while sharing one large, greasy
pepperoni pizza and a liter of sugary soda pop. They told stories about themselves and cracked
jokes with each other, sometimes finding themselves doubling over in laughter.

At one point, their conversation steered over to girls. Souda inevitably rambled on about 'Miss
Sonia' for a good half hour, then he asked Hajime if there were any chicks he was currently into.
Hajime thought about this then eventually shrugged and told him that there was one girl he had a
crush on back in middle school, but that's about it as far as he knew. Souda seemed unsatisfied with
that answer but decided to let it go for now.

Overall, Hajime would say he genuinely had a good time with Souda that night. When midnight
rolled around, the two of them decided to hit the hay, having talked and laughed themselves to
exhaustion. Souda sluggishly crawled into his bed and within seconds was fast asleep. Hajime laid
down on his futon shortly after, pulling the blanket over himself. He wondered if Izuru and
Nanami were already asleep or not. With that last thought in mind, Hajime closed his eyes and
drifted off to sleep.

Nanami

8:22 AM

[8:22 AM]

Nanami: gud morning Hinata-kun!

[8:22 AM]

You: good morning Nanami

[8:22 AM]

Nanami: how’s ur first day of summer break?

[8:22 AM]
 You: good, just ate breakfast with Souda. We had leftover pizza

You: nutritious, I know

[ 8:23 AM]

Nanami: I had take-out

[8:23 AM]

You: looks like we’re both guilty

You: u talk to Izuru yet?

[8:23 AM]

Nanami: yep I sent him a text right after u

Nanami: we should start a group chat and add Kamukura-kun

[8:23 AM]

You: good idea

[8:24 AM]

Nanami: ok I’ll start it

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

8:25 AM

[8:25 AM]

Nanami: looks like it worked

Nanami: Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun, u there?

[8:25 AM]

Hinata: yep

[8:25 AM]

Kamukura: Yes.

[8:25 AM]

Nanami: ( ＾ｕ＾ )
 Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

8:18 AM

[8:18 AM]

Nanami: gud morning!

[8:18 AM]

Hinata: good morning

[8:18 AM]

Nanami: it’s the second day of summer vacation!

[8:18 AM]

Hinata: that it is

[8:19 AM]

Nanami: u guys wanna meet up at the arcade later?

[8:19 AM]

Hinata: yep sounds good

[8:19 AM]

Nanami: Kamukura-kun, how about u?

[8:19 AM]

Kamukura: Very well.

[8:19 AM]

Nanami: ok how does 2 PM sound?

[8:19 AM]

Hinata: 2 PM is good

8:19 AM]

Kamukura: That is fine.

[8:19 AM]

Nanami: ok
 Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

2:21 PM

[2:21 PM]

Nanami: hey hey

[2:21 PM]

Hinata: hey Nanami, what’s up?

[2:21 PM]

Nanami: I had a strange dream last night

[2:21 PM]

Hinata: what was it about?

[2:21 PM]

Nanami: I had a twin sister who looked just like me

Nanami: except sleepier somehow

[2:21 PM]

Hinata: even more sleepy than u already are?

[2:21 PM]

Nanami: yeah haha

[2:22 PM]

Nanami: having a twin sister would be cool. But I think u and Kamukura-kun are the coolest twins
I know

[2:22 PM]

Hinata: we’re the only twins u know

[2:22 PM]

Nanami: oh yeah

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

 5:31 PM

[5:31 PM]

Hinata: when I said we should try out that new Italian restaurant that just opened up in town...

Hinata: I did not expect you to take over the kitchen Izuru

[5:31 PM]

Kamukura: The food was subpar. I did what was necessary to give us a proper meal.

[5:32 PM]

Nanami: the service was nice at least. I don’t know how their food tasted since there was a hair in
mine.

Nanami: if Kamukura-kun hadn’t noticed that hair in the food and pointed it out, I might’ve
accidentally eaten it

[5:32 PM]

Hinata: Izuru got really vexed over that, didn’t he? He took the plate to the kitchen and gave all
the chefs a lecture about it

Hinata: then he said he’d give them a proper demonstration on how to properly cook a meal,
walked into their kitchen, and recooked our orders

Hinata: he even wore an apron and a hair tie. U really looked like a 5-star chef

[5:33 PM]

Nanami: Kamukura-kun actually did the restaurant a lot of good!

Nanami: the food he cooked for all the diners was amazing and the restaurant got a lot of good
publicity for it

Nanami: u did a rly good thing for them Kamukura-kun

[5:33 PM]

Kamukura: It doesn’t really matter to me.

[5:33 PM]

Hinata: either way, I had fun. We should try out other restaurants sometime.

[5:33 PM]

Nanami: yeah

[5:33 PM]

Hinata: maybe next time Izuru will actually eat the food
[5:33 PM]

Kamukura: Maybe next time the chefs will actually know how to cook it.

[5:33 PM]

Nanami: oh my

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

8:47 AM

[8:47 AM]

Hinata: yooo wut up its Hinata

[8:48 AM]

Nanami: ?

Nanami: Hinata-kun?

[8:48 AM]

Hinata: wuts up bby gurl hows it goin ;)

[8:48 AM]

Nanami: ???

[8:48 AM]

Kamukura: That’s not Hajime.

[8:49 AM]

Hinata: ofc it is who else wuld it b!

Hinata: btw did I mention I have da coolest soul bro ever?

[8:49 AM]

Nanami: Souda-kun is that u?

[8:49 AM]

Hinata: nu way dis is Hinata

Hinata: I WISH I wuz Souda tho

Hinata: man Souda is jus so cool I wish I could b as cool as himmmmmmm

[8:50 AM]

Hinata: djdnakdkgsjhf bgfkkkkkk

[8:52 AM]

Hinata: I’m back

Hinata: Souda had my phone

[8:52 AM]

Nanami: we know ( ≧∇≦)

[8:52 AM]

Kamukura: I suggest enabling a password for your cellphone.

[8:52 AM]

Hinata: good idea

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

4:20 PM

[4:20 PM]

Hinata: oh my god

Hinata: that was hilarious

[4:20 PM]

Nanami: competitive shooter games tend to have a lot of aggressive players, but I never heard
someone that angry before

[4:21 PM]

Hinata: I can’t believe he thought Izuru was hacking XD

Hinata: he was cussing him out over the mic

[4:21 PM]
 Nanami: Kamukura-kun got more than half the team’s kills combined

Nanami: it was pretty impressive, but that guy shouldn’t have assumed he was hacking because he
wasn’t

[4:21 PM]

Hinata: he called him a 30 year old no-life basement-dweller

[4:22 PM]

Nanami: usually I’m the one getting accused of cheating

[4:22 PM]

Hinata: he said he was gonna track Izuru down and kick his ass

[4:22 PM]

Nanami: they’re just empty threats… most of the time

[4:22 PM]

Hinata: and Izuru was just quiet the whole time!!

Hinata: omg I can’t breathe! XD XD XD

[4:23 PM]

Nanami: Kamukura-kun I understand if u don’t want to play shooter games anymore after that

[4:23 PM]

Kamukura: It doesn’t matter to me. I couldn’t care less for the tantrums of a short-tempered
imbecile.

[4:23 PM]

Hinata: “30 year old no-life basement-dweller" XD XD

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

3:11 PM

[3:11 PM]
 Nanami: u guys ready to play?

[3:11 PM]

Kamukura: I cannot play videogames at the moment.

[3:11 PM]

Hinata: why not?

[3:11 PM]

Kamukura: My teachers have confiscated the gaming consoles.

[3:12 PM]

Nanami: they did what?! (°ロ°) !

[3:12 PM]

Hinata: why would they do that??

[3:12 PM]

Kamukura: They say it has become too much of a distraction.

[3:12 PM]

Nanami: It’s summer vacation! what else do they expect u to do?

[3:12 PM]

Kamukura: My assignments.

[3:12 PM]

Hinata: u still have assignments to do during vacation?

[3:12 PM]

Kamukura: Unfortunately.

[3:12 PM]

Nanami: that’s completely unfair (⇀‸↼‶)

[3:12 PM]

Hinata: your teachers are assholes

[3:13 PM]

Kamukura: I can get them back.

[3:13 PM]
 Nanami: wdym?

[3:13 PM]

Kamukura: The location in which they’ve hidden the consoles should not be hard for me to find. I
can bring the consoles back and we can continue playing.

[3:13 PM]

Hinata: won’t u get in trouble?

[3:13 PM]

Kamukura: Most likely, though that does not concern me.

Kamukura: I prefer playing games with you two than doing what my teachers demand of me.

[3:14 PM]

Nanami: Kamukura-kun…

Nanami: I’m rooting for u! Gud luck finding the consoles, we’ll be waiting! ＼( ＾ ▽ ＾) ／

[3:14 PM]

Hinata: let us know when you’re ready

[3:14 PM]

Kamukura: I will.

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

7:33 PM

[7:33 PM]

Hinata: wow

Hinata: that movie was…

Hinata: so boring

[7:33 PM]

Kamukura: Agreed.
 [7:33 PM]

Nanami: yeah it was pretty bad

Nanami: I was so excited for us to watch it in the movie theaters but…

[7:34 PM]

Hinata: the story was so bad

[7:34 PM]

Kamukura: The plot was quite predictable.

[7:34 PM]

Hinata: The acting was horrible, the characters were forgettable

[7:34 PM]

Kamukura: A mind-numbing experience indeed.

[7:34 PM]

Hinata: And the main character was just so…

[7:34 PM]

Kamukura: Dull.

[7:35 PM]

Hinata: yeah exactly

Hinata: I honestly had more fun waiting in line

[7:35 PM]

Nanami: ( ´ ω ` )

[7:35 PM]

Hinata: what?

[7:35 PM]

Nanami: oh nothing (* ≧ ω ≦*)

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura

 8:45 AM

[8:45 AM]

Hinata: It’s the last day before the second school term begins

[8:45 AM]

Nanami: yeah it is

[8:45 AM]

Hinata: how do u feel about returning to school?

[8:45 AM]

Nanami: I’m excited! The break’s been nice, but I miss my classmates

[8:46 AM]

Hinata: I get that. Tbh I’m looking forward to meeting at the fountain everyday with u two again

[8:46 AM]

Nanami: me too ( ＾ｕ＾)

Nanami: are u looking forward to the second term too, Kamukura-kun?

[8:46 AM]

Kamukura: Everything will remain relatively the same for me.

[8:46 AM]

Hinata: except we’ll be there

[8:46 AM]

Kamukura: Yes. I suppose that is the only thing to look forward to.

[8:47 AM]

Hinata: that’s a pretty nice thing to say. I didn’t know u missed us so much Izuru

[8:47 AM]

Kamukura: Your presence is only slightly more tolerable than my teachers.

[8:47 AM]

Hinata: there it is

[8:47 AM]

Nanami: hehe ( ＾ ▽ ＾)
...

...

...

Missing.

He opened his eyes and saw that something was missing. There was an empty space beside him
where his _ _ _ _ _ _ _ should be. He sat up in his _ _ _, looking around. His _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was
nowhere in sight.

“_ _ _ - _ _ _ _?” he called out. No response. Maybe his _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was already up and was _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ his _ _ _ _ _. He pushed the rest of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ off his body and scooted towards
the edge of the _ _ _, hopping off. Two small feet plopped down onto the floor and carried him out
of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _. He walked towards the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ only to see that the door was open
and the room was empty. His _ _ _ _ _ _ _ must’ve already _ _ _ _ _ _ _ his _ _ _ _ _ then and was
waiting for him at the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ with _ _ _ and _ _ _.

He walked to the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, expecting to see his _ _ _ preparing the _ _ _ _ _ and the

smell of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the air. But there was no _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, or _ _ _, or _ _ _, or _ _ _ _
_ _ _. The _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was empty.

Where did _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ go?

He carried his little feet through the hallway, passing by the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. He turned his
head and looked into the _ _ _ _ to see his _ _ _ and _ _ _ were there. But something was wrong. _
_ _ was quietly sitting on the _ _ _ _ _, hands folded in _ _ _ lap. _ _ _ looked _ _ _. His _ _ _ was
standing in the living room with _ _ _ arms crossed, staring out the window. _ _ looked _ _ _ too,
but like _ _ was trying to hide it as _ _ gazed out the window.

What was _ _ _ looking at?

He continued down the hallway and saw the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was open. Sunlight spilled in
through the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, touching his little toes. Through the _ _ _ _, he saw _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ parked on the street in front of the _ _ _ _ _. The _ _ _ _ were starting to leave.

He reached out—

DON’T—

Hajime gasped, his eyes snapping wide open. He blinked his eyes rapidly as they adjusted to the
darkness, recognizing a dark ceiling above him. He sat up on his futon, looking around to see
Souda sleeping heavily on his bed, snoring loudly with one leg hanging off the side and drool
dripping onto his pillow. He pulled out his phone, the bright screen burning his eyes for a second.
The time read 2:21 AM. He unlocked the phone and went straight to his contacts.
 Izuru

2:21 AM

[2:21 AM]

You: Izuru?

[2:21 AM]

Izuru: Hajime. Is something wrong?

[2:22 AM]

You: no, everything’s fine

[2:22 AM]

Izuru: Than why are you contacting me this late at night?

[2:22 AM]

You: sorry, I just had this weird dream

You: were u sleeping?

[2:22 AM]

Izuru: Naturally.

[2:23 AM]

You: right, sorry. Didn’t mean to wake u

[2:26 AM]

You: Idk why I texted u, it’s stupid rly

[2:27 AM]

You: u can go back to sleep now. Sorry

[2:28 AM]

Izuru: …

[2:29 AM]

Izuru: Hajime.

[2:29 AM]

You: yeah?
 [2:29 AM]

Izuru: Goodnight.

[2:30 AM]

You: goodnight Izuru

Chapter End Notes

- Thus marks the end of what I would like to call Arc 1!! I just want to take a moment
to thank the people who left kudos and comments. Every time I see a new comment it
truly makes my day and I love hearing your thoughts on the story so far. To the regular
commenters who leave multiple comments, thank you, it makes me so happy to see
others invested in the story as much as I am, and the support is super encouraging. <3

- This story will be split into three arcs. There will be a short break as I continue to
write the second arc. I’m already multiple chapters into Arc 2, but I want to make sure
at least more than half of the chapters are well-written and polished. If all goes
according to plan, I should start posting the next arc at the beginning of January in
2021 (so about a one-and-a-half-month break). I hope you all will be willing to stick
with me until then! I already have the majority of plot as well as the ending planned
out, so now it’s just a matter of time and patience :)

- What to expect: The 1st Arc was essentially introductions, the beginning of new
relationships, and hints towards the mystery and what’s to come. Arc 2 is when the
action really starts to pick up! Relationships develop, bigger conflicts occur, mysteries
begin to unravel, and more characters are introduced. What was Hajime’s dream all
about? How exactly did Hajime and Izuru become separated? What exactly happened
to Izuru anyway? What is Junko scheming, and will it put an end to what Hajime and
Izuru have started? How will the Steering Committee respond once they find out about
Hajime? Find out in Arc 2!
 Begin Second Term
Chapter Notes

Aaand we’re back in 2021! Welcome back, I hope you all are doing well! ^^ 2020 has
been a roller coaster of a year and truthfully, I’m glad it’s over.

Just some small notes: I made some small edits to previous chapters during the break.
Nothing major, just some grammar and structure things (I realized recently that I
wasn't supposed to capitalize the first letter after every dialogue sentence, only some
:P so I had to go back and fix all of that, and I'm still not sure if I'm doing it right) I
edited the tags a bit as well.

But more importantly, I'd like to give a fair warning from here on out as there are
some potentially triggering things in this next part. Please keep in mind, ANYTHING
that happened in canon could possibly happen in this story (so things such as murder,
brainwashing, abuse, etc. could happen). The reason I chose not to include specific
tags is because I wanted to avoid spoiling the story, but I also want the readers to
know what they're getting into in case any of the content could be triggering.

Now then, let’s move right onto Arc 2!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The second school term began at Hope’s Peak Academy. The morning had been busy with students
moving back into their dorms and refamiliarizing themselves with their respective classes. Hajime
wasn’t particularly excited to be back in his classes. There weren’t many people from the reserve
course that he was well acquainted with, though there were a few he may consider his friends.
Regardless, there was one thing he was looking forward to, and that was meeting with Izuru and
Nanami for lunch as he did during the first term.

He was eager to meet with them again until he received a text this morning from his twin stating
that he’d be unable to attend breakfast or lunch with him today. He explained that his teachers were
giving him a sizeable amount of assignments to complete that would interfere with his free time.
Hajime was a little disappointed to hear that but decided they could always hang out after school
instead. In the meantime, he could still hang out with his best friend.

When lunchtime came around, Nanami sent him a text asking him to meet her at her classroom.
With that in mind, Hajime made his way through the main course building, reaching Class-77’s
room and stepping inside. The classroom was full of students this time, half that he recognized and
half that he did not. They were all busy chatting amongst each other, not noticing that he entered
the room, except for one person.

“Hinata-kun!” Nanami ran over and threw his arms around him. He couldn’t help but smile as he
wrapped his arms around the shorter girl. Then she pulled away, looking around expectantly.
“Where’s Kamukura-kun?”

“He couldn’t make it today," Hajime replied. "Said his teachers were giving him a lot of work.”

“Awe, that’s too bad.”

“Yeah, but I was thinking that since he couldn’t show up, the three of us could hang out after
school instead.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “How about… we come to my dorm and play
videogames?”

“That’s a great idea, Hinata-kun! I’ll bring over some games, and snacks too.” Nanami smiled
enthusiastically. It was then that he saw one of the other classmates approaching, one that he
recognized.

“Ah, Hinata-san! Hello again!” Nevermind greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Eh? Who’s Hinata?” Owari asked cluelessly from her seat near Nidai.

“Seriously? You met him at the Sports Festival, didn’t you?” Souda questioned.

A look of recognition passed her features. “Oh, right! Henry!”

Hajime decided not to bother correcting her on that. Then,

“Hajime-chaaan!” He flinched at the sound of a shrill voice and felt arms wrap around behind him,
squeezing him. He looked over his shoulder to see familiar multi-colored hair and pink eyes. “Ibuki
remembered your name! You’re Hajime-chan!”

“That’s right. Glad you remembered.” Hajime relaxed a little, allowing the energetic girl to cling
onto his torso.

“Did you remember Ibuki’s name too??”

“Of course. You’re Mioda Ibuki, Ultimate Rockstar.”

“Ding-ding-ding! Hajime-chan got it right! You get a gold star!” Mioda placed a sticker on his
cheek which he soon realized was actually a gold star. He chuckled and thanked her, removing the
sticker from his cheek.

“You ready to head over to the fountain now?” Nanami asked.

“Huuuh? Where’s Chiaki-chan and Hajime-chan going?” Mioda tilted her head slightly.

“Oh, we were just heading over to the fountain for lunch.” The lilac-haired girl replied.

“You’re leaving us already? But you cannot!” Nevermind interrupted.

“Yeah, come on class rep, we haven’t seen each other for a whole month! Spend some time with
us!” Owari seconded.

“But…” Nanami seemed conflicted, fidgeting where she stood.

“It’s okay Nanami,” Hajime gave her a reassuring smile. “You should spend time with your
classmates, I’m sure they’ve missed you. Besides, we can still hang out after school.”

“Well… alright. I’ll remember to bring plenty of snacks and games for us to choose from.”

Hajime nodded and watched as the gamer girl was dragged away by her classmates. With that, the
students of Class 77 filed out of the room, most likely heading towards the cafeteria or some other
place for lunch. He watched them disappear out the door, leaving him in the empty classroom. Or
at least he thought it was empty until–
“Hinata-kun!” Hajime jumped at the voice and whirled around to see a pale, cotton-haired boy
standing there with a friendly smile on his face. He hadn’t even realized the pale boy was still in
the room, having assumed he’d left with his other classmates. “Haha, did I startle you? My
apologies, how rude of me.” Komaeda gave him an apologetic look.

“It’s fine…” Hajime was skeptical. It had been a whole month since he last saw this strange
person, Komaeda Nagito, the Ultimate Lucky Student. He nearly forgot about him, in all honesty.
But now that he was here, he couldn’t help but remember all the previous times he’s spoken with
him, from their first meeting in this classroom to the gym bleachers at the Sports Festival, to
underneath the wisteria tree on the main course campus. Now here he was again, leaving him with
that same feeling of intrigue and uncertainty that he always seemed to leave Hajime with.

“Looks like the two of us got left behind, huh?” Komaeda glanced at the door where the other
students left through.

“Seems that way.”

“Hinata-kun, I know this is bold of me to ask, but…” Sage eyes shifted over to meet Hajime’s.
“Would you like some company right now?”

“Are you asking me if I want to hang out with you during lunchtime?” Hajime inquired.

“Well, I figured since neither of us has any plans for lunch, you might want someone to accompany
you for a short while.”

Hajime considered this. It was true, he didn’t have any other plans since Izuru was busy and
Nanami was spending time with her other classmates at the moment. He supposed it couldn’t hurt
to spend some time with Komaeda, despite his weirdness. Hajime didn’t realize how silent he had
been until Komaeda’s expression became dejected.

“That’s a no, then,” Komaeda smiled. “Forgive me, I understand you wouldn’t want to waste your
free time with scum like me.”

Hajime looked up. “Ah, no, I was just thinking is all. I wouldn’t mind spending lunchtime with
you, Komeada.”

“Oh,” the pale boy’s face lifted. “Well in that case, to the cafeteria then?”

Hajime sat with Komaeda at an outside table across from each other. It was a relatively sunny
afternoon with only an occasional cloud blocking out the sunlight. There was a slight, cool breeze
brushing against his skin and blowing Komaeda's hair. He found himself distracted as he watched
the other boy’s fluffy white hair swaying gently in the wind. It's like a cloud...

“It’s good to be back at Hope’s Peak,” Komaeda began, bringing Hajime’s attention back from his
hair to the pale boy’s face. “How was your summer break, Hinata-kun?”

“It was okay. I spent a lot of time with my friends and my brother.”

“Ah, you mean Kamukura-kun? You two do seem rather close.”

“I guess so,” Hajime rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, things started out kind of rocky between
us, but… I think we’re starting to get somewhere, maybe? I don’t know…”

“I believe you’re overthinking it, Hinata-kun. I know it’s not my place to say this, but it seems to
me that Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun both have a close bond, even if they aren’t fully aware of it.
They should cherish that.”

Hajime was surprised by that, then he smiled, feeling calmer now after hearing that. “Yeah, you’re
right. Anyway, how was your break?”

“Pretty uneventful, mostly boring,” Komaeda shrugged. “Well, I did find a diamond ring on the
ground.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it was pretty lucky. But then I got hit by a car.”

Hajime blinked. “…I’m sorry, what?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing too serious," Komaeda smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "The
worse I got was a bruise or two, haha.”

“Okay…” Hajime then remembered something. “Hey, so, I never got to hear your story.”

“Story?” The pale boy tilted his head slightly.

“The one you were telling me at the Sports Festival, about how you got into this school.”

“Oh, that? I’m surprised you remembered.” Komaeda explained how he won his spot in Hope’s
Peak through a random selection in an annual, country-wide lottery. After listening to his story,
Hajime understood now why they would give him the title of Ultimate Lucky student. After all,
winning a lottery, especially one that would send you to a school as prestigious as Hope’s Peak, is a
feat that would be considered very lucky. Though, was that enough to give someone an entire title
based around luck? Was that even considered a talent?

“I admit, I have mixed feelings about it,” the white-haired boy mused, playing with the chopsticks
on his lunch tray. “I never thought an average, talentless high school student like me would ever
enter Hope's Peak Academy. At first… I declined. I told them I didn’t deserve it. But they told me
they really wanted me to attend. Apparently, this so-called luck of mine is a talent that even the
school doesn’t fully understand. To research it, the school picks the Ultimate Lucky Student every
year through an annual lottery.”

“That’s interesting.” Hajime lifted his carton of milk, taking a slow sip.

“I know. Hope’s Peak Academy is amazing if they can actually research something as vague as
luck. Well, thanks to that luck, a guy like me was able to attend this school, so for that I’m
grateful. But on the other hand… I feel a little out of place here.” Komaeda’s face was melancholy,
then it suddenly lit up. “But I suppose it’s worth it if I get to meet such beautiful people like you
and Kamukura-kun!”

Hajime snorted out his milk, knocking over the carton as he fell into a fit of hacking and coughing.
Whatever was left of the milk was now spilled across the surface of the table.

“Hinata-kun, are you alright?” Komaeda looked concerned.

“Shit—yeah, I’m okay. My nose burns is all…” He rubbed his nose and stood up in his seat,
quickly trying to recover from the embarrassing display as he cleaned up his mess. “I’m gonna go
get another drink from the vending machine.”

Hajime avoided meeting Komaeda’s gaze as he excused himself from the table. He hadn’t meant to
do something that embarrassing, he just didn’t expect that… compliment Komaeda had given him
so suddenly. He also didn’t understand why his chest was feeling so warm and fuzzy all of a
sudden. He approached the nearest vending machine, examining the selections. Then he inserted
some money into the machine, pressing a button. The drink moved just an inch forward but did not
fall.

He clicked his tongue. “Seriously?”

“Here, allow me.” Komaeda appeared from behind him, startling him a little.

“Ah, you don’t have to…”

“It’s no problem at all, really.” Komaeda proceeded to insert his own money into the drink
dispenser. Then he pressed the correct button and waited for the drink to drop. The drink moved
ever so slightly towards the edge, incredibly close to falling. Yet it remained stuck on the tip of the
rack in both a comedic and frustrating fashion.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Hajime huffed.

“Just my luck,” Komaeda chuckled, running his fingers through the fluffy curls on his head. “I’m
sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“It’s probably because of my bad luck that your drink is still stuck in there. You see, sometimes
I’m blessed with incredibly good luck. But other times, I’m cursed with incredibly bad luck. Now
would appear to be one of those times where my bad luck has caused yet another inconvenience.
I’m terribly sorry about that.”

Bad luck? Good luck? Hajime knew the other boy was considered lucky, but he didn’t know it
worked like that. Before he could question him more, a strange noise was heard coming from the
machine. Both boys turned to look at the machine and saw a red error message flashing on the
number display. The machine began to shake, gradually moving more violent. They took a step
back and watched as rows of drinks began falling off the racks. Hajime’s eyes widened in shock.
Komaeda, on the other hand, looked the least bit surprised, still smiling casually.

“Well, looks like my luck’s beginning to turn.” Komaeda innocently joked.

“Y-you had something to do with this?” Hajime looked at him in disbelief.

The pale boy turned to face him fully, a friendly expression on his face. “Didn’t I tell you? I am the
Ultimate Lucky Student.”

Izuru stared at the two neat stacks of papers on the table in front of him.
He was sitting in the testing room in a lone chair in front of a lone table located at the very center
of the room. The testing room was dull, gray walls surrounding him with no windows or
decorations; only the chair, table, the lights on the ceiling, and surveillance cameras in the corners
of the room. He had been in this room many times. The silence was always suffocating.

Five teachers stood around him, observing him with scrutinizing gazes.

“Izuru, today you are to complete these exams regarding quantum physics. They are all expected to
be completed before the end of the day.” One of the teachers, an older male with glasses, directed
him. Izuru was silent, continuing to stare at the tall stacks of papers in front of him. The first stack
was made of exam papers while the second stack was made of unfilled scantrons.

This was an excessive number of exams and an amount that he was not normally given, though he
could already deduce why this was happening. His teachers were giving him more work in order to
prevent him from spending time with his brother. This could also be interpreted as a form of
punishment, an attempt at dissuading Izuru from staying involved with Hajime by forcing him to
complete an excess of tedious tasks as consequence.

The teachers think they can discourage him. Very well. He would play along, for now.

Izuru took a paper from both stacks, placed them down on the surface of the table, picked up a
perfectly sharpened pencil, and filled in the first answer on the scantron. His teachers were
watching him closely for a few minutes, one of them writing something down on a clipboard
before all five of them left, leaving him in the silent, empty room.

He was already on the next exam sheet when he felt the cellphone in his pocket vibrate. He kept
his eyes on his paper, knowing that the teachers were watching him on the surveillance cameras,
and stealthily pulled out the phone, hiding it underneath the table as he checked the message.

Hajime

1:05 PM

[1:05 PM]

Hajime: videogame session in my dorm tonight with me and Nanami, you coming?

Izuru discreetly typed out a response.

[1:05 PM]

Izuru: Yes.

He slid the cellphone back into his pocket and continued testing.
Hajime browsed through his phone as he waited for Izuru and Nanami to arrive. Pretty soon, a
knock on the door sounded. He got up and opened the door to see his twin standing there, holding a
bookbag in his hand for some reason.

“You made it.” Hajime smiled and stepped aside, allowing him through. Izuru silently stepped into
the room and promptly looked around, examining the area. He watched as the twin explored,
snooping around the bed, drawers, dresser, and the rest of the room. It was as if he were
committing each detail of the room to his memory. He should probably feel violated right now,
Hajime thought, but he was steadily growing used to his brother’s odd antics. “Sure, make yourself
at home.” Hajime quipped as he shut the door.

Once he finished his little exploration, Izuru sat down at Hajime’s desk, unzipped the bookbag
he’d been holding, and pulled out what appeared to be a stack of papers and a pencil. He neatly
placed the papers onto the desk in two separate piles then started to fill them out. Hajime walked
over to the raven-haired twin, looking over him to see that the papers he was filling out were…
exams?

“What the…? Who gives this many exams on the first day back at school?” Hajime questioned.
Izuru didn’t reply to that as he continued filling out the papers. Then there was another knock on
the door. Hajime walked back over to the door and opened it. Nanami stood there, face hidden by
the armful of videogames, controllers, and snacks she was holding.

“Ready to play?” she muffled, holding a controller cord in her mouth. Minutes later, the three of
them were sitting on the edge of the bed, controllers in hand. Videogames and snacks were splayed
out on the blanket. Izuru pointed out the excess of sucrose and sodium in the snacks Nanami had
brought over in which Nanami pointed out “it’s gamer food” and proceeded to crack open a can of
soda pop, offering it to the raven-haired twin. Izuru reluctantly accepted the soda, then the three of
them began to play.

They started with Mario Party. Nanami had brought two extra controllers, making it so that all
three of them could play together. They selected Party Mode and played against each other along
with a CPU. The game was hectic, and Izuru won all the rounds, though Nanami came close
several times. Hajime wondered if Nanami chose this game based on its unpredictability thinking
Izuru would enjoy it more. He wasn’t sure if Izuru was able to predict the outcomes of the games,
but if he did predict them, he didn’t comment on it.

They played a few other games after that, some competitive and some team games. They got so
absorbed in gaming that they hadn’t noticed how much time had passed. At some point, Nanami
began to doze off as they were playing. Her eyelids fell closed, body leaning towards the left until
her head gently fell onto Izuru’s shoulder. Izuru’s eyes shifted to Nanami’s sleeping form, looking
at her wordlessly. Hajime paused the game and reached over, gently shaking her shoulder.

“Hey, Nanami.” Hajime whispered.

“Hmm?” she murmured, head still resting against Izuru’s shoulder.

“I think it’s time we get you back to your dorm.”

“Hrmm, okay…” she yawned, rubbing her eyes and lifting her head off Izuru’s shoulder. After
packing up the games and controllers, Hajime and Izuru proceeded to walk Nanami back to her
dorm.
Shortly after dropping Nanami off, Hajime and Izuru began walking back from the main course
students' dormitories. It was evening outside now and close to curfew. As they headed down the
pathway, Hajime looked over at Izuru who’s facial expression was in its usual blank fashion. There
was a thought in the back of his mind that had been nagging him for a while now, and now that
they were alone, he decided to confront it.

“Hey, so um…” Hajime shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked. “Can I ask you something?”

“You need not my permission.” Izuru stated flatly.

“Right. Well, I was just wondering… how come you live here at the academy? You stayed here
during summer vacation and you never talk about going to any other home, and your teachers give
you super difficult exams on the first day back. That’s pretty odd, don’t you think?”

Izuru was quiet, slowing to a stop. Hajime slowed down as well, turning to look at his brother.
Moonlight shone down on them, casting Izuru in a pale light, making him look almost ethereal. It
reminded Hajime of when they first met. It had only been a few months ago and yet it felt like ages
ago.

Back then, the twin had appeared so mysterious, almost untouchable, a legend that he was
fortunate enough to witness. But now, even if he were still mysterious, he felt more… real to
Hajime, not a myth, but more like, just another person with flaws and all. More like himself. The
raven-haired twin stood silently, appearing to be in deep thought as he contemplated his response.
When he was finished, red eyes met back with Hajime's.

“I’ve always been here,” Izuru began, his gaze distant. “This is all I’ve known for my entire
existence. The furthest day that I can remember existing is at the early age of five. The earliest
memory I can conjure is when I opened my eyes and was told my purpose.”

The early age of five… Hajime thought about this as he listened.

“Since then, I have resided within this same place, performing endless tasks under the guidance of
my teachers. It is my purpose.” Although his voice was monotone, Hajime could hear the
weariness in his words, his eyes appearing almost glassy. He felt his chest tightening on the inside
and the need to say something important, but he wasn’t sure how to say it.

“…Hey, do you wanna come back to my dorm and hang out a little longer?” Hajime suggested
instead. “We could watch a movie together.”

Izuru looked at him again, silent for a moment, then replied. “Very well.”

Izuru was seated by Hajime as they stared at the television screen. The movie was boring. It was a
mystery film, although Izuru already figured out the entire mystery about one-third into the movie.
He imagined the movie wasn’t the real reason the twin had invited him back over to the dorm.

“…Hey, Izuru?” His suspicions were confirmed at the sound of the twin’s hesitant voice. Izuru
turned his head to look at Hajime, olive eyes looking at him with uncertainty. The brunet slightly
fidgeted his seat, averting his attention to the ground. “I don’t fully understand the situation you’re
in, but… from where I’m standing, it doesn’t sound all that great. In fact, it sounds to me like this
school is just using you...”
Izuru was silent, watching as the other boy spoke his thoughts.

“I just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to, ya’ know, be stuck here like this. You don’t
have to do anything those teachers tell you to. You have a choice.”

“I have nowhere else to go,” Izuru replied. “I have no other purpose in life.”

“No, that’s wrong,” Hajime refuted him. “Because… I’m here. You can stay with me. And maybe
you don’t have to have a purpose, but if you’re really unsure of what to do with yourself, we could
figure that out too. Together.”

“You’d go that far out of your way for me. Why?”

“Come on, isn’t it obvious? I mean…” Hajime looked away, rubbing the back of his neck with
cheeks slightly tinted pink. “…you’re my brother. I care about you and I want you to be happy.”

“…I see. I will consider your words.” Izuru pondered the idea of caring for another person. Did he
care for Hajime? He would prefer if Hajime were alive rather than deceased, that much was
certain. He would also prefer if he were healthy in both a physical and mental sense.

Now that he's thought about it, he has never been this invested in another human being before
meeting Hajime. People often bored him, and usually he held no interest in interacting with them.
Sometimes it felt as if Izuru were on a different plane of existence; not a real person, just an
observer spectating those around him. Sometimes it felt as if everyone else were just puppets, that
none of them were real. Hajime was the first person who did not seem that way to him. He was
there. He was real. Sometimes, he even made Izuru feel real.

So by that logic, he supposed, in a way, that he must… care for Hajime as well, at least to some
extent. How far that extent went, he had yet to know, but he would acknowledge that he at least felt
some form of cherishment towards his twin which was more than he ever felt for anyone.

Sakakura Juzo was the Head of Security at Hope’s Peak Academy. It was Munakata’s idea for him
to take this position, claiming it would help him stay close to Munakata and Yukizome as they
investigated the Steering Committee and the suspicious activity going on in the school. Munakata
was a smart person and an incredible leader; he knew there was something fishy going on in this
school.

The Reserve Course Department had been constructed, and to apply for it, a ridiculously high
tuition fee must be paid. That money had to have been going somewhere. Question is, where was
the money going? Munakata was determined to find out, so when he asked Juzo to apply as Head
of Security and to assist him, of course, he accepted.

Juzo was in his office filling out paperwork at his desk when suddenly, the door to his office burst
open. He jumped in his seat, looking across the room to see two teenage girls in his doorway, one
with two big blonde pigtails and the other with short black hair.

“Heeey everybody! Junko Enoshima has arrived~!” The blonde announced, posing as if she were
standing in front of an audience. The other girl was stoic and silent, standing there stiffly.

“Who the hell are you?” Juzo immediately grew defensive, rising to his feet. These teenagers had
 no business storming into his office this late at night and Juzo didn’t need to be a rocket science to
tell that these girls were trouble. The blonde one approached the desk while the black-haired girl
guarded the door.

“Now now, play nice. Unless you want the whole world to know your secret.” The blonde girl
casually sat on top of his desk.

“Secret?” Juzo narrowed his eyes, having no clue what she meant. It was then that the pigtailed girl
pulled out her cellphone and showed it to him. He looked down at the screen and saw photos of
Munukata with cutesy pink heart filters. Juzo’s eyes widened at the realization of what she meant.

“Do you see what I’m getting at? Do you realize the position you’re in now?” The blonde smirked.
“If Munakata found out, what do you think he would do?”

“No! Stop!” Juzo suddenly became terrified. There’s no way Munakata could find out about this,
about how he truly felt. If he found out, his whole world would be…

“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone about your little boy crush. Under one condition.” She waved
her phone tauntingly, emphasizing the control she currently had over him. Juzo realized now that
he had no choice. He had to comply.

“…What is it that you want?” Juzo asked.

“Good boy,” her eyes became dark. “Now then, I need you to do something for me.”

Chapter End Notes

- Sometimes I daydream about Hajime, Izuru, Chiaki, and a fourth person whom I-
will-not-name-yet-but-you-can-probably-guess, playing Mario Party, and I smile. I’m
stuck between deciding which Mario Party they’d play. I’m thinking between 4, 6, and
8. What do you guys think?
- Also I can’t decide if Hajime would be Luigi and Izuru as Mario for the matching
colors or if it would be better if Hajime was Mario and Izuru was Luigi. Please help
me decide, these are important questions–
- As I mentioned at the very beginning, I haven’t actually watched all of Danganronpa
3, so characters such as Juzo are being written mainly on research. I would also like to
mention that the timeline is a bit mixed up, meaning certain events that may have
taken place canonically have not taken place yet. This is an Alternate Universe, so
some things may happen a little differently (or not at all) in comparison to canon.
- Next Update: 1/9/21
 Sucker Punch
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The following day, Hajime was eating lunch at the fountain. Izuru and Nanami sat beside him,
both absorbed in their Nantendos. He watched the two of them play against each other as he ate,
shortly before glancing to his left side to see a figure approaching them in the distance. He squinted
his eyes, watching as the figure drew closer.

“Hey, isn’t that…?” Hajime began to recognize the features of a slim figure, pale skin, and fluffy
white hair.

“Oh, it’s Komaeda-kun.” Nanami lowered her Nantendo. Komaeda walked up to them, a bright
expression on his face as he held a tray of lunch in his hands.

“Nanami-san! Hinata-kun! Kamukura-kun!” Komaeda chirped. “I didn’t realize you three would be
here. I was just wandering around when I happened to stumble upon you all. How lucky!”

“Hey, Komaeda-kun. Would you like to join us for lunch?” Nanami suggested.

“You’re asking me to join you? That’s awfully kind of you, but I wouldn’t want to intrude on such
close friends.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. Are you guys okay with it?” The lilac-haired girl looked at him and Izuru.

“It does not matter to me.” Izuru disregarded with a blank face as he ate his lunch.

Hajime shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine with it.”

“Hmm, well in that case, I’d be honored to join you all.” Komaeda smiled and positioned himself
on the ground by the bench, sitting cross-legged with his tray in his lap.

“Uh, you don’t have to sit on the ground you know,” Hajime gestured towards the bench. “We
could make room…”

“Haha, it’s fine, don’t worry,” Komaeda raised his palms. “I don’t mind sitting here. Just enjoy
your lunch, don’t mind me.”

Hajime felt uncertain for a moment before shrugging it off and continued eating. He wasn’t
entirely sure how to feel about the white-haired boy being there, but he decided to leave it be. It
was probably just a one-time thing anyway.

It was now routine for Komaeda to join them at the fountain during lunch. The first two days
Komaeda had shown up to the fountain, claiming that it was just ‘by luck’ that he found himself
there. Both times, Nanami had invited Komaeda to join them. Then the third day, Komaeda had
shown up again, and by that point, Hajime knew this would be a regular circumstance.

He remembered the white-haired boy showing up the third day exclaiming, “Hinata-kun! We meet
ag–“

“Yeah, yeah, just sit down.” Hajime had interrupted.

Lunch with Komaeda certainly was… something. He always sat cross-legged on the ground and
often times he would be rambling on about hope, his luck, or his admiration for the school and its
students. He would ask Hajime questions in between his ramblings like what he thought about hope
or details about his relationship with Izuru. He tried asking Izuru questions too, but his responses
were usually brief, blunt, and neutral, leaving little room for further conversation.

From what Hajime could tell, Komaeda was talkative and very eager to express his thoughts. He
couldn’t really understand most of what the white-haired boy was talking about, and it did get
annoying sometimes. But it also didn’t seem like Komaeda had many friends. He’s even expressed
that despite being in the Main Course, he feels like an outcast. Maybe the lucky boy was just lonely
and eager for some company. Could Hajime really judge him for that?

He thought about this as he approached the main gates, heading towards the fountain with his
lunch tray in hand.

“Hey, you!” Hajime stopped at the sound of an older, masculine voice. He looked over his
shoulder to see a tall, muscular guy with dark green hair, sharp eyes, and a blue uniform coming
his way. There was a strong, overbearing aura emitting from his being, and the word mean seemed
to be written all over his face. “Where do you think you’re going?” Intense pink eyes glowered
down at him.

Hajime tensed beneath the man’s sharp gaze. “Um, through the gate—?”

“Reserve Course students aren’t allowed in the main course building. Beat it, punk.”

“Oh, I’m not going in the main building. I’m just meeting with my friends in the courtyard for
lunch.”

“Not happening.” The man stepped closer to him.

“But I need to get in th—“ Hajime didn’t have time to argue as suddenly, the man grabbed his
collar, tossing him backward. He yelped in alarm and fell to the ground, his back hitting the
pavement. Wincing, he ignored the dull pain in his back and slowly pulled himself up in a sitting
position. Eyes fluttered opened to see the contents of his lunch tray spilled all over the ground. He
looked up at the man who was now hovering over him and recognition passed through him.

“I know you…” Hajime said. “You’re the Ultimate Boxer. You won the World Championship
Boxing Tournament, and now you’re the head of security at Hope’s Peak...” The man before him
said nothing in response to that. Hajime sat up further, positioning himself on his knees. “Look,
I’m just trying to meet with my friends for lunch. They’re waiting for me, so please, I have to get
through.”

The security guard sighed in annoyance, running his hand through his hair. “Your friends, huh?
Tch, you reserve course students are so full of yourselves. Prancing around, acting like you belong
here with the main course students. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

Hajime flinched, feeling a flame spark up inside of him. He threw a glare at the man above him,
hands clenched. “What the hell is your problem? My friends are still my friends, no matter which
course we’re in.”

“Considering yourself friends with the main course is an insult in itself. If anything, you’re only
holding them back, like a mosquito sucking off the blood of those greater than them.”

“What did you just say?” Hajime shot up to his feet. “You bastard!” He swung his fists at the
security guard, blood boiling beneath his skin. The man dodged and weaved through each of his
attacks before quickly ducking underneath his arm and landing a punch straight to his gut. Hajime
wheezed, all air escaping him as he collapsed to the ground.

“You talentless people are useless," the man stared down at Hajime as if he were a piece of gum
stuck to his shoe. "Even if you were to die now, you’d only be more of a hassle for me to deal with.
You bring down the whole place, either way.”

Hajime coughed, clutching his stomach in pain as he tried desperately to push away the man’s
words. A trickle of blood ran down his bottom lip, but he ignored it, choosing instead to shoot a
glare at the man above him.

“So what if I’m not one of your precious elite students? Our lives are all worth the same!” Hajime
snapped. The man lifted his foot and slammed it down on Hajime’s back, mocking him.

“No, they’re really not,” the man sneered. “Grow up, kid. You can’t make diamonds out of scrap
metal. Act like a normal high school student, hang out with the other normal students, and enjoy
your lives, thinking you’re all great. Got it?” Hajime refused to shut his eyes no matter how much
he wanted to, his gaze burning into the man. The boxer seemed unfazed as he continued. “I know
kids like you… you start acting all special, just because you interact with the Main Course a little.
Honestly, this is why I hate normal people. You cling to the talent of the main course students like
crap trailing behind a goldfish.”

“You’re wrong…” Hajime seethed through his teeth. “There’s more to life than just being
talented.”

“You’re right,” the man smirked. “The talentless should act as befits them. If you have time to
envy the talented, use that time to live like a gear in a machine. For people like you, who have no
talent, you don’t need to think. If you live life idly, groveling before your betters, nothing can
make you happier.”

Hajime felt the last bit of his composure snap. He cried out in fury and shot to his feet, rapidly
swinging his fists at the security guard as adrenaline pumped through his veins. The boxer was
caught by surprise from this outburst and just narrowly missed Hajime’s fist as it grazed his chin.

The man growled, reeling back his arm. “Ballsy little punk—!“

Hajime closed his eyes, preparing to feel the impact of a solid fist hitting his face. But it never
came. He peeked open an eye, only to see white, fluffy hair directly in front of him, blocking his
vision. Komaeda stood between them, the boxer’s fist stopped inches away from the pale boy’s
face. The lucky boy didn’t seem the least bit concerned about it as he looked directly at the
security guard.

“I’ll have to ask you not to do that, sir.” Komaeda’s voice was as eerily calm as his expression.

“Walk away, kid," the guard warned. "This doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh, but it does. You see, Hinata-kun here is a friend of mine. We’re supposed to be having lunch
together.” he smiled. “Now then, would you kindly step aside so that my friend and I can go eat our
lunches? We might be late for classes if we don’t make it on time.”

“…” The man was quiet, seeming conflicted. Then after a few seconds of tense silence, he ‘tched’
and walked away, leaving Hajime and Komaeda alone by the main gates. Hajime panted, taking a
moment to recollect himself. His heart was still racing from the rush of adrenaline, but his
breathing was beginning to slowly even out again. Once the guard was fully out of sight, Komaeda
turned around to face Hajime.

“Hinata-kun, are you alright?” Komaeda’s eyes widened as he noticed something on Hajime’s
face. “You’re bleeding!”

“I’m alright…” Hajime looked over at the other boy. “Thanks for helping me. That guy was an
asshole.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Though I do
understand where the guard was coming from.”

“What do you mean?” he frowned, hoping he’d misheard the other.

“If I were in his position, I would’ve probably been concerned about letting you pass into the main
building as well. It is his job after all, and reserve students aren’t meant to be on the same grounds
as the elite main course. But he doesn’t know how special Hinata-kun actually is, so it couldn’t be
helped.”

Komaeda grabbed a napkin from the disassembled lunch tray on the ground and reached out
towards Hajime’s face to wipe the thin trail of blood. Hajime smacked the white-haired boy’s hand
away before he could and threw a glare at him, startling him. Any appreciation he had for the other
boy just a moment ago was dissolved by the bullshit he was spouting. He turned around and
stormed off towards the fountain, ignoring the confused-looking Komaeda silently following
behind him.

Izuru knew something was wrong. Hajime had yet to show up at the fountain and neither did the
lucky student. He nor Nanami had received any calls or text messages from him since yesterday. It
was irregular for his twin to be this late without warning, which meant there was a good possibility
that something went wrong. Nanami sat beside Izuru on the bench, not hiding her concern as she
nervously fiddled with the strings of her hoodie.

“They’re not usually this late, and they’re not responding to my texts…” Nanami turned her head,
looking at him with worry-filled eyes. “I think we should go looking for them. They might be in
trouble.”

He nodded in agreement. With Izuru’s luck and analytical skills, it wouldn’t be too difficult to
track down the whereabouts of his twin, and there was a possibility that the lucky student was with
him as well. Just as they were about to begin their search, Izuru spotted two figures approaching in
the distance.

The first figure he saw was Hajime followed by the lucky student who was trailing slightly behind
him. His eyes locked onto the brunet and immediately he noticed something was wrong. The
twin’s appearance was ragged, his uniform disheveled, scrapes against the surface of his skin, and
a thin trail of blood running down his bottom lip. All indicators suggest that he’d been involved in
a physical fight.

“Hinata-kun!” Nanami shot to her feet. “What happened?”

“I was on my way here when I… ran into some problems. Sorry I’m late...” Hajime looked
apologetic. Izuru stood up and approached Hajime. Once directly in front of him, he grabbed the
twin’s chin, turning his head from side to side as he inspected him. “H-hey!” the brunet protested.
Izuru ignored him and continued inspecting his face.

[Analysis: Minor laceration on lower lip. Multiple scrapes against skin. Early signs of bruising on
right cheek. Minimal external injuries sustained. No signs of internal injury.]

[Conclusion: Zero signs of significant damage. No medical assistance required.]

After making sure there were no significant damages, he released his hold and looked directly at
Hajime.

“Who did this?” Izuru inquired.

The brunet averted his gaze. "It's nothing. Just some jerk—"

“It was the head of security’s doing," the lucky student interrupted. "I believe he’s also known as
the Ultimate Boxer.”

“Why would the head of security attack Hinata-kun?” Nanami questioned.

“Apparently, he was trying to prevent Hinata-kun from going into the Main Course building.”

“That’s no excuse to beat him up!” her cheeks puffed out indignantly. “Hinata-kun has been in this
courtyard countless times before!”

“That is strange, isn’t it?” the lucky student rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Why would the head of
security bother trying to stop Hinata-kun now, when he’s clearly been in the courtyard countless
times already?”

Izuru already knew how and why it happened. In fact, there was a ninety-six percent probability
that this was Enoshima’s doing. He pulled a handkerchief out of his suit pocket and wiped the trail
of blood from Hajime’s face, ignoring the twin’s embarrassed protests as he contemplated how he
would approach this situation. It wasn’t long before it was decided. He would need to have a word
with Enoshima.

Later that day, Izuru found Enoshima in the security guard’s office. She sat casually on the desk in
the back of the room, one leg crossed over the other with a half-eaten, red apple in her hand.
Ikusaba was there as well, wiping her blade, only to freeze and stiffen at the sight of him.
Enoshima on the other hand seemed unperturbed by his presence.

“Mukuro, go be useful for once and guard the door.” Enoshima tossed her half-eaten apple at the
soldier’s head, watching it bounce off and roll away.

“Yes, sis’…” Ikusaba side-eyed Izuru as she walked past him, stepping out of the room and closing
the door behind her. Enoshima uncrossed her legs and opened her arms wide in a welcoming
gesture.

“Kamukura~! Long time no see, babe!” she gushed.

 “I know that was your doing with the security guard.” Izuru ignored her nonsensical behavior and
got straight to the point.

“Who, meee? I would never! Come on now, is that any way to greet a friend?”

“You and I are not friends. Furthermore, if you kill Hajime or make any attempts to kill him, I will
terminate you.”

“My my, so serious…” blue eyes narrowed in challenge. “How do I know you aren’t bluffing?
After all, if I kill Hinata, you’d have no reason to kill me since he’d already be dead. Killing me
wouldn’t change that, so wouldn’t it be pointless to try and kill me if I already murdered him?
Doesn’t that go against your whole logical persona?”

“Perhaps. But if you take away the one interesting thing in my life, I will take away the one
interesting thing in your life.” he stared her down intensely. “You can’t feel your precious despair
if you’re dead.”

It was a standoff. If Enoshima killed Hajime, Izuru would kill Enoshima. It would be quick and
most likely painless, giving her an anticlimactic death. He knew Enoshima wouldn’t be willing to
risk that.

Because that would be a boring ending for them both, and they both knew it.

“Yeah yeah, I knew you would say something like that,” she sighed and rolled her eyes, hopping
off the desk. “Relax, I don’t plan on killing your precious brother. But just so you know, you can’t
always be there to protect him. Take Sakakura for example. There’s no telling how far that security
guard was willing to go if he hadn’t been stopped. He could’ve been beaten to death for all we
know.”

Enoshima circled him. “There are numerous outside forces at work that could take him away at
any moment, and there’s no way to stop them all from happening. Just imagine it! He could be
walking down the road someday, just minding his own business, then suddenly– BAM! A truck
slams into him and splatters him across the pavement! Or maybe he’s lying down in bed sleeping
safe and sound, when suddenly a crazy serial killer breaks in and stabs him repeatedly with a pair
of scissors! Stab, stab, stab!” she jabbed at the air.

Izuru resisted the small urge to cringe at the unpleasant imagery formulating in his mind.

“It’s awful, isn’t it? Something so tragic happening to him. It absolutely could happen at any
moment, though. Ah, just imagine the despair~” she giggled and squirmed in place. Izuru decided
then that the conversation was over and turned to make his way out of the room. “Hmm, leaving so
soon? Come on, stay a little longer! It’s not like something tragically happened to your brother
already. Or did it?”

He ignored her mocking laughter as he pushed past the door, passing by Ikusaba on his way out. It
was illogical to think that Hajime was in danger again after just being with him a mere few hours
ago. And yet, for some reason, the gruesome images of his imaginary death lingered in his mind.

Chapter End Notes

- Hajime is not afraid to throw hands

- Did I catch anyone by surprise by having Nagito appear instead of Chisa? Or were
you expecting Izuru?
- Next Update: 1/16/21
 Intrusive Thoughts and Contemplation
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Hajime fell asleep that night feeling exhausted and sore, the adrenaline having gone away by now.
When he woke up, he hardly felt any more refreshed. His thoughts lingered on yesterday’s events,
the security guard’s sneering face still fresh in his mind. Knots twisted in his stomach as he
recalled all the things that man had said to him, venomous words replaying in his mind over and
over.

"...you reserve course students are so full of yourselves..."

"...you’re only holding them back..."

"...you talentless people are useless..."

"...cling to the talent of the main course students..."

"...even if you were to die now, you’d only be more of a hassle..."

He shook his head desperately, ceasing the thoughts. Don't think about it. If he thinks about it too
much, he may fall down into a dark hole, and he wasn't confident that he'd be able to crawl back
out of it. It was better not to think about that security guard or his words.

Then there was Komaeda.

Hajime had mixed feelings about him. On one hand, the lucky boy had defended him against the
security guard which wasn’t something he had to do. But on the other hand, he only defended him
because he thought he was special, not because he actually cared. Had Hajime just been a normal
reserve course student in his eyes, would Komaeda still have bothered to help him, or would he
have allowed the security guard to beat him up—encouraged it even?

Why was Hajime so special to Komaeda anyway when they hardly knew each other? Maybe it was
because he shared blood with his super talented brother that Komaeda deemed him worthy enough.
Then again, he hadn’t thought much of him at first even when he did know he had a talented
brother. Maybe he was overthinking it and this was all just a mind game Komaeda was playing just
to mess with him.

Thinking about the enigma that was Komaeda was leading him towards a massive headache. He
decided he didn’t want the white-haired boy occupying his mind any longer. He needed a
distraction, so that Saturday morning, he grabbed his cellphone and invited Izuru over to his dorm.
Thankfully, it was the weekend so at least he could relax for a couple of days before having to go
back to dealing with asshole security guards and white-haired weirdos. Izuru replied swiftly,
agreeing to come over, and so Hajime waited for him, trying not to fall back into his cesspool of
negative thoughts.

About half an hour later, he heard a knock on the door and opened it to his twin standing before
him.

“There you are. I was wondering when you were gonna show up—” Hajime stopped when he
noticed his twin’s strange appearance. He looked the same as usual, except the overflowing mass
of hair on his head appeared to be infested with twigs, burs, and leaves sticking out of it. “Whoa,
what happened to your hair?”

“I was hunting in the forest.” Izuru monotonously replied.

“…Right. Well your hair looks like a bird’s nest right now.” Hajime decided not to question
whatever crazy assignment Izuru’s teachers had sent him on and instead opened the drawer to his
nightstand, pulling out a hairbrush. “Come here, I’ll fix it.”

Izuru wordlessly walked over to him and sat down at the edge of the bed, turning his back towards
him. Hajime sat next to him, gently took hold of his raven locks, and slowly dragged the brush
through his hair. Wow, his hair is so soft… Hajime had been told before (mainly by Nanami) that
his own hair was surprisingly soft and silky, but Izuru’s was far more noticeable.

Hajime wondered what it would be like if his own hair could grow out this long. He wasn't sure if
he'd be able to pull off a look like that; even though he and his brother shared the same face, for
some reason, he still thinks Izuru would look better with that hair than he would. Not to mention, it
would probably be a hassle to maintain every day, so maybe he was okay with only his brother
being blessed with goddess hair.

He took his time brushing each foreign item out of his long hair. “I have no idea where you get all
this hair from, because mom and dad’s hair aren’t like this.” He commented, removing another
leaf.

“Is that so?” Izuru replied with sudden interest.

“Yeah, well I guess mom does have long hair, but not nearly this long. It’s also black, like yours.
Dad’s hair is pretty short and brown, like mine.” Hajime used his fingers to disentangle a
particularly stubborn knot with a twig entrapped within it, then he continued brushing. “…I’ll take
you to go meet them sometime if you want. I still don’t know the whole story about why they kept
you a secret from me, or why you were separated from us in the first place, but… hopefully, we’ll
get to the bottom of it.”

Izuru was silent, seeming to contemplate these words. Eventually, his hair was completely brushed
out. Hajime set the brush down, using his fingers to pick out any remaining twigs, leaves, and burs.
Then he combed his fingers through his hair for good measure, making sure there weren't any
knots or nature left in his hair.

As he was doing so, his fingers brushed over his scalp, and he suddenly felt a strange texture
beneath his fingertips on a section hidden beneath his hair. His fingers stopped in place. Izuru
didn’t seem to react to the touch, so he allowed his fingertips to feel around the strange area on his
scalp, tracing the skin. The texture seemed to be in a line running from ear to ear right along the
back of his neck. Wait a minute… Is this…?

There was no denying it. These were scars.

Lead sunk into his stomach upon the realization. What did this mean? Why would someone have
scars on the back of their head? Izuru was still sitting face forward, having yet to say anything
about what Hajime just uncovered, though it still seemed as if he were watching him. He realized
the twin was giving him a choice, to question the mysterious scars and approach the unsettling
subject, or to leave it be and not risk crossing into unknown territory.

Hajime did want to approach it. But at the same time, he was hesitant. There was already so much
on his mind since yesterday’s incident—he wasn’t sure if he was ready for whatever this new
discovery could mean. Not to mention, if the truth was actually that bad, he didn’t want to bring up
bad memories for Izuru and possibly ruin their day together. Though it was possible the truth
wasn't that bad—maybe it wasn't a big deal at all. But if it was, then...

He decided he would address it later when his mind was clearer.

“Okay, I’m done.” Hajime stood up and carried the trash can back to where it belonged. A few
seconds later, Izuru was sitting back over at the desk, writing down on more papers that he pulled
from his bag. He scoffed. “Again with that? Why are your teachers giving you so much work?”

“They are giving me an excessive amount of assignments to prevent me from visiting you.” Izuru
answered simply, his eyes never leaving his papers as he filled out the scantron. Hajime flinched at
that.

“Really? That’s…” Guilt and indignation stirred up inside him. The more he was discovering
about this school and the kinds of people who run it, the more disgusted he found himself feeling.
Right now wasn’t the time to be ruminating over that, however. Hajime picked up one of the
papers and examined it. There were loads of different shapes and symbols that seemed math-
related, most of which he did not recognize.

Okay, this is way beyond my IQ level…

He set the paper back down and grabbed a fresh bottle of water instead, setting it on the desk
beside Izuru. He might not be able to do much, but he would still help as much as he could. Izuru
seemed to appreciate the effort, nevertheless, accepting the water as he worked on the written
assessments. He continued to assist the raven-haired twin whenever he could while his mind
inevitably wandered back off to the person he’d rather not be thinking about. There really was no
point in thinking about him, but he couldn’t help but wonder what went through Komaeda’s head.

Nagito was sometimes lucky. Truly, lucky.

When he first met Hinata-kun, he could only think how terribly average this boy was. A Reserve
Course student, someone with no talents to show for. A nobody. It baffled him how Nanami-san
could lower herself to such standards by considering someone like that to be her friend. Then again,
she also considered Nagito her friend, and he was just as terrible of a person (it’s not like he had a
real talent after all, he was only here by luck!). Perhaps Nanami-san was just so benevolent that she
would offer such lowly people her kindness. She was truly an icon worth being given the title of
Class Representative.

He figured that had to be the only reason – because of Nanami-san’s kindness, not because there
was anything particularly special about this boy. But just in case, he decided he would follow
Hinata-kun for a short while. Then to his surprise, he discovered that the reserve course student
had a twin brother: Kamukura Izuru, the Ultimate Hope. They were opposites, one of them the
most talented among talent, and the other the most average among the talentless.

How ironic, Nagito thought! Was it bad luck that he met someone as basic as Hinata-kun and good
luck that he met someone as special as Kamukura-kun shortly after that? No, that didn’t seem right.
There was something about Hinata-kun in particular that still nagged at him, but he couldn’t
pinpoint what that something was.

Then there was the hallway incident. Nagito had been there when the quarrel went down. Hinata-
kun had gotten himself into a heated argument with Matsuda-kun, the Ultimate Neurologist. It had
started with something trivial and quickly escalated from there. He remembered thinking to
himself, how bold Hinata-kun was to be standing against someone much more superior than him
like Matsuda-kun. The feisty reserve student was stepping out of his place, something Komaeda-
kun would normally find shameful.

Then Matsuda-kun said something particularly insulting towards Kamukura-kun, and Hinata-kun
had gotten quite upset by that, more so than he was initially. In response, Hinata-kun had defended
his brother’s name, demanding that Matsuda-kun not speak about him in such an ill-manner.
Nagito would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little surprised by that. Did Hinata-kun know his place
after all and was using his position as the Ultimate Hope’s brother to defend his twin’s honor? It
was the best a talentless reserve student could have to offer, after all, serving as a stepping stool for
those greater than them.

The argument became truly heated after that. But when Matsuda-kun moved to grab Hinata-kun,
Kamukura-kun had finally stepped in and knocked the neurologist back with incredible strength,
protecting his twin brother.

It was a sight to behold. Such a beautiful moment, a bond shared between the two twins.
Kamukura-kun being the talented one, you would guess that he would have already found a way to
settle the situation long before it escalated. But it was because of his brother that he chose to act,
that he displayed such radiant hope. Hinata-kun also acted, displaying bravery in the face of an
Ultimate if it meant defending his brother’s honor. It was as if both of them were strengthened by
each other, balancing each other, a yin and yang. That’s when he knew that Hinata-kun was not
like Nagito or any of the other reserve students. He was special, truly special, an exception among
the untalented masses.

Nagito remembered feeling thrilled by this discovery! He decided then that he wanted to appreciate
this hope between the twins from afar, to observe and help their hope flourish in any way he could
without directly interfering. It was the best a nobody like him could offer this world, after all, a
chance to serve those greater than him and to help them prosper.

But strangely enough, he found himself gravitating towards them instead of keeping his distance.
He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps he was curious to see what kind of people they were, the passionate
Hinata-kun and the aloof Kamukura-kun. But he knew he was also being selfish, allowing himself
to step too close to the light that was Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun. It was only a matter of time
before he got burned by this light, that fate would reprimand him for allowing himself to indulge in
something he didn’t deserve to have any part of.

Nagito was sometimes unlucky. Truly, unlucky.

The incident with the security guard was one he hadn’t been expecting. His luck had brought him
to Hinata-kun and he was able to save him from the assailant. But what happened after that was…
less fortunate.

Nagito wasn’t sure what he’d said or done wrong, but he was almost certain that whatever he did
had upset Hinata-kun. After they returned to the fountain, Hinata-kun did not talk or even look at
him for the rest of the lunch period. Not that he deserved any of Hinata-kun’s attention, but he
couldn’t help but notice the brunet actively ignoring him right after that incident occurred. Nagito
wasn’t the best at picking up on social cues, he knew this, but it was obvious that he had done
something to make Hinata-kun unhappy.

How unlucky… Nagito was already being a burden to him. Perhaps Hinata-kun would be happier
if he left them alone. That’s what he was supposed to be doing in the first place, after all. Nagito
wouldn’t have to worry about him or his bad luck damaging the hope that is Hinata-kun and
Kamukura-kun if he kept his distance and left them be.

…Then again, it was Nagito’s good luck that brought him to Hinata-kun when he got attacked by
the security guard. There’s no telling what could’ve happened if he hadn’t been there to intervene.
With that in mind, perhaps it would be better to stay nearby him, just until he was sure he was safe.
He would keep close, but he would still stay in his place, being sure not to let his bad luck
influence Hinata-kun or to upset him again. And if Hinata-kun truly wanted him to leave him be,
he could always simply tell him and of course, he would oblige.

Stay close but not too close. Nagito was sure he could manage that. After all, how hard could it be?

Chiaki strategically mashed the buttons on her console controller, eyes focused on the screen of her
TV. Mortal Kombat wasn’t a game she played often, but she felt like playing something violent
and competitive. After the incident yesterday, she couldn’t stop feeling antsy. She wanted to talk to
her teacher about what happened and figured if anyone could do something about it, Yukizome-san
could. But she wouldn’t be able to talk to her in person until Monday, as it was currently the
weekend.

She told herself to be patient and to try to cheer up. Videogames were normally a good distraction
for her whenever she was feeling bothered. But she couldn’t stop thinking about how Hinata-kun
had looked so roughed up and defeated. How could someone—no, not just someone, a security
guard—do something like that to her friend? Hinata-kun was one of the nicest, most sincere people
she’d ever meant. He didn’t deserve to get beaten up over something so small like walking through
a gate.

Chiaki lost focus again, failing to block the last attack from her opponent. Her health was
completely drained and a loud FINISH HER sounded from the TV before her opponent tore her
character apart and mutilated her. The word FATALITY was shown on the screen, mocking her.
She sighed and set her controller down. This couldn’t wait until Monday—she really needed to
speak to her teacher about this. She picked up her cellphone and scrolled through her contacts,
searching for her teacher’s name. Then she hit the call button and waited until the other person
picked up.

“Nanami! Calling on the weekend, are we? Is everything alright?” Yukizome-san’s voice sounded
from the cellphone.

“I’m alright,” Chiaki crossed her legs, idly fiddling with the controller cord. “I’m sorry to call you
like this on the weekend.”

“Don’t worry about it. What’s up?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about Hinata-kun…”

“That friend of yours from the reserve course? Is he okay?”

“He’s okay now, but…” she took a deep breath. “Yesterday he got beat up by a security guard.”

“I’m sorry, did you say he got beat up by a security guard?” her voice sounded surprised.
“That’s right. Hinata-kun was just trying to eat lunch with us when the guard stopped him and
wouldn’t let him through. Then they got into a fight and Hinata-kun was… he was really upset.”

“Would you happen to know the security guard’s name?”

“I don’t know his name, but my friend said it was the head of security who did it.” There was
silence on the other end. Chiaki stopped fiddling with the controller cord. “Yukizome-san?”

“…Thanks for letting me know about this, Nanami,” Yukizome-san’s tone suddenly sounded
serious. “I’m sorry to hear that happened to your friend. I’ll make absolute sure it doesn’t happen
again.”

“Thank you, Yukizome-san. I’m sorry to bother you with this, I just don’t want to see my friend
hurt again.”

“Oh hush, you know you are never a bother to me, Nanami. Now have a good weekend.”

“Yeah, you too. Goodbye.” Chiaki hung up, feeling a little better now. She took out Mortal
Kombat from her gaming console and inserted a more casual game to play.

Izuru returned to the underground tunnels that night, handing his completed exam sheets over to
his teachers. Right after he’d done that, the teachers handed him five thick literature books and
ordered him to translate each of them into a different foreign language. They claimed to be
ensuring that his linguistic skills are still up to date with modern languages, though it was
becoming glaringly obvious that they only wished to waste his free time with mind-numbingly
boring tasks.

Nevertheless, Izuru took the literature books and brought them to his room. He set the stacked
books onto his desk, opened one of them, and proceeded to translate it from Japanese to English
onto an identical book. It didn’t matter which foreign languages he chose, so he would decide upon
the most popular languages.

As he translated each word onto paper, his mind wandered elsewhere until a new thought came to
him. What is Hajime doing right now? It was currently 1:21 AM, so he was most-likely already
asleep in his room. He could visualize it perfectly in his head: Hajime would be laying down on a
white mattress, beneath a thin blanket, head against one of two pillows, in a dark, unlit room. His
chest would rise and fall with his steady breathing, a sign that he was still alive.

But there was also a probability that he would be staying up late because it was the weekend. He
would be sitting on his bed leisurely browsing his phone or his laptop. Then he would get up out of
bed, perhaps to use the restroom or grab a bottle of water from his pantry. Then, not looking where
he was going, he would trip over his laptop cord and fall over and his head would hit the corner of
his desk and split open and—

Izuru’s pen froze over top of his paper. How strange. Thoughts don’t normally distract him from
doing his tasks. The hypothetical scenario he’d conjured in his head did seem to take an unexpected
turn, but usually, it wasn’t enough to divert his attention. He disregarded the uneasy feeling in his
stomach and continued translating in French now.

By the time he was finished translating all five books, it was 3:00 AM. If he slept now, he would
 still be able to receive three hours of sleep. He didn’t require as much rest as an average person did,
so he should be able to rejuvenate well enough with three hours of rest. He turned off his desk
light, laying flat on his bed and closing his eyes, preparing to shut down. It was normally a quick
and simple process, having knowledge of techniques to quickly fall asleep. However, his mind
strangely began to wander again.

He pictured Hajime sleeping soundly in his bed a second time. It was ridiculous to think he’d be in
any danger at this time. No, he was very much safe and alone in his room.

...Though there was a probability he wouldn’t be alone. As he laid there asleep, the doorknob to his
room would turn. A dark figure would enter the room with soft, quiet footsteps. The figure would
hover over Hajime’s sleeping form. Then slowly, the figure would pull out a dagger and bring it
down on him in rapid sucession, stabbing him again and again and again and again—

His eyes snapped open, breaking the vivid imagery. A heavy feeling churned in the pit of his
stomach.

Izuru did not get any rest that night.

Chapter End Notes

- Finally getting some Nagito and Chiaki POV

- Next Update: 1/23/20
 Overdrive
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Hajime woke up to the sound of ringing. When he first heard it, he tried to ignore it. Probably just
some random person calling the wrong number, his muddled mind supplied. It wasn’t until his
phone rang a third time that he realized whoever was calling was determined to not let him fall
back asleep. With a groan, he blindly reached out for his phone on the nightstand. Who the heck
could be calling him this early on a Monday morning, anyway?

He picked up the phone and answered it. “Hello? Who’s this?”

“Izuru.” The monotone voice of his twin was heard from the other end of the call. Hajime rubbed
the drowsiness from his eyes and sat up in bed.

“Oh, hey Izuru,” he yawned. “I wasn’t expecting you to call this early. Did you need something?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“…Good morning.”

“Oh, uh, good morning…” Hajime sat there, waiting for the other boy to continue. There was an
awkward silence. “…Is that it?”

“…Yes.”

“Okay…”

“…”

“…See you at lunch?”

“…Yes.”

“…Alright, see ya’.”

“Goodbye.” Izuru hung up. Hajime blinked, eyeing his cellphone in puzzlement. Well that was
strange…

[Monday, 9:09 AM]

Izuru ran the treadmill in the private gymnastics room as his teachers watched him. The goal was
to evaluate how many kilometers he could run within one hour. It had been a fairly long time since
he was given fitness tests – he’d long since broken world records in regard to speed, strength, and
agility. Fastest runner, swimmer, biker – he’d succeeded in every one of them and outranked all the
previous rankings.

Of course, these were all just tests to evaluate his true potential, and all his achievements have been
kept disclosed within the walls of Hope’s Peak. As far as the rest of the world knows, the records
have remained unbeaten.

His feet moved swiftly, carrying him with enough speed to rival that of a cheetah’s. All the while,
his teachers observed him with critical gazes, recording information on their clipboards as they
always did. After the running, he was instructed to swim for an hour. He lowered himself into the
private pool and did as instructed, swimming across to one side of the pool and back in a repetitive
motion for exactly one hour.

Cool water rushed past him with each stroke, soaking into his hair. All the while, his mind was
counting down the seconds, waiting for this pointless activity to be over. Though if they were
planning to go all out with this fitness test, then that meant there were still other objectives that
would need to be completed before the test was over.

At this rate, he might be late for lunch with Hajime. He had called the twin hours ago at 7:00 AM,
near the time the sun was rising. He wasn’t entirely certain what compelled him to contact the twin
so early in the morning, but hearing the twin’s voice at least verified that he was safe and
unharmed. Afterwards, Izuru hung up and proceeded to go through his morning routine shortly
before he was assigned to perform this current fitness test.

He hadn’t contacted Hajime since earlier today. He was fine this morning. However, there was
always a possibility that something has happened to him since then. Many future outcomes that
may have occurred since Hajime’s awakening, outcomes that were unlikely enough that Izuru
would normally disregard them.

But no matter how small, how unlikely, even the most improbable occurrences were still
probabilities. Without Izuru there to protect his twin against those dangerous possibilities, the
likelihood of him experiencing death or injury only increases.

Izuru willed himself to move faster.

[Monday, 12:13 PM]

Izuru approached the fountain area only a few minutes behind schedule. He’d managed to take a
quick shower after the fitness test and didn’t bother stopping by the cafeteria for lunch. Each
second that passed was another second of Hajime not being within his sights and therefore being in
potential danger. As he neared the fountain, he spotted Hajime sitting by Nanami on the bench
with the lucky student there as well.

Nothing appeared to be out of place; they were eating their lunches and conversating, as usual.
Though there appeared to be some tension between Hajime and the lucky student, that wasn’t
something Izuru was concerned about. What was more important was that Hajime was still safe. A
sort of relief flooded his system, calming his nerves and slowing his movement. He reached the
trio and took his seat on the bench. Hajime looked over at Izuru.
“Did you just work out?” Hajime questioned. “You look a little weary. And where’s your lunch?”

“The cafeteria was crowded, so I chose not to go there today.” A small, believable lie as technically
the cafeteria would be more crowded since Izuru arrived late. Furthermore, a lie would prevent
Hajime from questioning his reasons and thus avoiding a more problematic scenario.

“Oh, okay...” The brunet looked at him from the side of his eye. “…You’re sure you’re okay
though?”

“Yes. I have no reason not to be.” Izuru looked back at him. The twin nodded, seeming to accept
that answer, then continued eating. Izuru watched as the other boy took a bite of his meat-filled
dumpling, chewing nonchalantly. There was a possibility that the food would become lodged in his
throat, blocking his airways, and leading him to choke to death.

A ridiculous thought—even if he were to choke, Izuru knew how to perform the Heimlich
Maneuver and would easily be able to dislodge the solid from his throat.

He would be fine.

[Tuesday, 8:25 AM]

The spotlight shone down on him as Izuru sat in a lone chair, facing his teachers. With a violin in
his hand, he performed The 24 Caprices before his teachers, a piece written by famous Italian
composer Niccolò Paganini. It was one of the most difficult violin pieces to master. Izuru
performed it flawlessly, moving the bow over top of the strings with perfect timing and precision.

Notes glided in the air as he played the instrument. He had every note to this song stored within his
memory, so now it was only a matter of applying that knowledge to his hands and producing
music. While the main part of his mind focused on executing his performance, another part of it
wandered off back to his twin.

[C, G, D, A, E, B, F ♯ , C ♯ , D ♭ , A ♭ , E ♭ , B ♭ , F]

Hajime should be sitting in class right now, somewhere within the Reserve Course building. The
reserve building was located near the Main Course building. Izuru held knowledge on everyone
within the Main Course classes, but he had little knowledge on the Reserve Course students. As far
as Izuru knew, there weren’t any students in the reserve classes with whom his twin held many
problems.

But his knowledge was limited – there could be people in Hajime’s class who were potentially
dangerous and Izuru would have no way of knowing. Perhaps he should infiltrate the school’s
database and study the twin’s classmates as well, to ensure none of them posed a threat.

[C, a, F, d, G, e, B ♭ , g, D, b, E ♭ , c, A, f ♯ , A ♭ , f, E, c ♯ , D ♭ , b ♭ , B, g ♯ , F ♯ , e ♭ ]

If not his classmates, then Enoshima could be there, or her sister. They could be making a move to
attack Hajime while he wasn’t near, sneaking into the reserve building and luring the twin out.
Izuru was at least eighty percent sure his threat against Enoshima would keep her away from
Hajime, but with her impulsive nature and addiction to despair, there was still a possibility she
would attack Hajime anyway. It was unlikely…

[C, a, G, e, D, b, A, f ♯ , E, c ♯ , B, g ♯ , F ♯ , e ♭ , D ♭ , b ♭ , A ♭ , f, E ♭ , c, B ♭ , g, F, d.]

But still a possibility.

[Tuesday, 12:06 PM]

Izuru’s eyes focused on the 8-bit spaceships on the Nantendo screen. He’d played this game with
Nanami nearly every weekday during the lunch period. Occasionally, she would switch the game
and they would try something new, but for the most part, Gala Omega seemed to the game she
favored the most.

True to her title, Nanami was a skilled opponent. So far, Izuru had beaten her in every round, but
Nanami had put up quite a fair fight, coming close to victory several times. Today, however,
Nanami seemed to be doing exceptionally well against him. For some reason, Izuru was finding it
more difficult than usual to keep up with her. His reaction time was just slightly more delayed,
slightly less sharp than usual, resulting in him barely fending off the spaceships on his screen in
time.

How peculiar – his reaction time was not as quick as usual. Although it was still enough to defeat
Nanami, it was off enough for him to notice. After he’d barely won, Izuru lowered the device.
Hajime was seated by Nanami on her other side, watching them play. The lucky student had yet to
show up.

“Ah, I almost won that round, Kamukura-kun!” Nanami turned to look at Izuru with curious pink
eyes. “Are you concentrating enough? It seems you’re a bit slower than usual.”

“I’m fine.” Izuru disregarded.

“Hmm, if you say so.” Nanami’s face lit up as if she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the
way, Mioda-san’s been asking about you, Hinata-kun.”

“She has?” Hajime looked up after suddenly being pulled into the conversation.

“Mhm. Nevermind-san has too. They really like having you around class. I also told them about
Kamukura-kun being your twin.” The lilac-haired girl tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hinata-kun,
Kamukura-kun, how do you both feel about joining my class?”

Izuru considered this. If he and Hajime were to join her class, he would be able to keep an eye on
Hajime during school hours, eliminating any potential threats around him and thus making sure
he’s safe during the day. This idea would be best for them, Izuru decided.

“Joining your class?” Hajime fidgeted. “Well, even if I wanted to, I don’t have an Ultimate
talent…”

“Maybe Yukizome-san could make an exception for you,” she insisted. “I’m sure she wouldn’t
mind, plus she already knows about you.”

“I doubt it would work…” The brunet looked away from them, hiding his melancholic expression.
He didn’t have confidence that the school would allow someone like him with low status to enter
the main course.

Izuru was sure he could find a way to work around that, to have him submitted into Class 77 even
if meant forging signatures and creating false documents. If not, Izuru could always try joining his
reserve course class instead. Either way, he would be closer to Hajime and would be able to watch
him, so the class itself did not matter to him.

“Well, it’s just a thought,” Nanami fiddled with her hoodie string. “But I think… it would be really
nice to have you and Kamukura-kun in the class.”

Hajime looked as if he was considering this. It was then that they heard another person coming
towards the fountain. Izuru noticed Hajime look up and tense at the sight of them, averting his
attention to anywhere else but the person before them.

“Good afternoon, Nanami-san, Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun.” The lucky student smiled and
approached, sitting down on the ground beside the bench with his lunch tray in hand, then fell into
a conversation with Nanami.

Moments later, Izuru noticed a buzzing sound from his right side, steadily drawing nearer. His eyes
flickered to the right. He spotted a small insect – more specifically, a honeybee – coming towards
their way. His eyes followed the tiny, winged insect as if flew closer towards his face, hovering
around him.

Approximately five percent of the human population experience severe allergic reactions to insect
stings. Most people who have insect-related allergies do not realize they are allergic until they have
been stung. With this in mind, there was a possibility that Hajime was one of those people who
were not aware they had this allergy. If that were the case, a bee sting could be potentially fatal for
him.

The bee flew above Nanami’s head, circling it before hovering towards Hajime’s face. Izuru
pictured the insect puncturing the twin’s face with its stinger. Hajime’s throat would swell, and the
twin would struggle to breathe as he fell into anaphylactic shock, clawing at his throat in
desperation. As Izuru watched the insect hover inches in front of Hajime’s unnoticing face, he
quickly shot his hands out and crushed the tiny threat between his palms.

Hajime jumped in his seat, blinking in puzzlement before olive eyes looked at Izuru. He opened his
hands, revealing the now dead insect.

“…There was a bee.” Izuru clarified.

“Ah, very perceptive, Kamukura-kun!” The lucky student praised from his seat nearby.

“Yeah…” Hajime gave Izuru a questionable look. Izuru disregarded his confusion and flicked the
bee corpse from his palm.

[Wednesday, 7:33 AM]

The sound of the blade swinging through the air filled the room. Sword in hand, Izuru sliced
through each robotic training dummy as they came towards him. The robots were designed in a
way that made them mobile, moving targets wielding swords of their own. The objective was for
Izuru to defeat them all, to test his combat and swordsman skills. His teachers observed him
through a one-way glass window outside the training room.

Izuru focused on each moving target, annihilating them one by one. He moved swiftly, dodging
and countering attacks effortlessly. His senses were on high alert, though his reaction time was,
noticeably, still not as sharp as it was normally—in fact, it was even more delayed than it was the
previous day. He suspects the lack of sleep was beginning to affect his abilities. Either way, his
teachers were bound to notice this, which may not bode well for him—he hasn’t underperformed in
any of his assignments in a long time.

He wielded his sword as another wooden dummy approached him. The dummies were faceless,
moving mechanically. As he held the sword, facing the machine, an image formed in his mind. The
expressionless robot before him was now replaced with a man in a blue uniform, green hair, and
pink eyes. He recognized the image as the security guard, the one who had encountered Hajime not
so long ago. The one who, if not stopped by the lucky student, could have greatly injured his twin.

Izuru’s grip on the sword tightened, and in one precise motion, he sliced through the dummy’s
torso. One threat eliminated.

Behind him, another dummy approached. He turned around to face it—this time, an image of the
soldier appeared, firm purple eyes upon a hardened expression. The soldier was trained to fight and
kill, to eliminate enemies without hesitation. This same soldier was also a tool for her sister,
subservient, willing to do anything for her sister, which included eliminating someone like his
twin. She was strong, but Izuru was stronger.

Izuru plunged his sword straight through its chest. Another threat eliminated.

Something was itching beneath Izuru’s skin. His eyes landed on another dummy. An image of
Enoshima appeared. Her mocking grin, cruel blue eyes—even her maniacal laughter seemed to
echo in Izuru’s ears. This woman was powerful, analytical, calculating—she was the biggest threat.
Someone like Hajime would never be able to stand a chance against her. She would crush him,
spiritually or physically, and there were so many different ways to do it, so many different
possibilities.

His eyes flashed, and in one quick motion, he sliced its head off. Eliminated.

He would eliminate anything or anyone if he had to, just as easily as he’d crushed that bee between
his hands.

“Your test is comp—“ Izuru whirled around, preparing to eliminate another threat, only to stop the
blade inches away from the teacher’s neck. The teacher stood frozen, staring at him with eyes wide
in shock. He dropped his clipboard, the sound echoing throughout the room. Izuru slowly retracted
his arm, lowering the sword.

The teacher nervously cleared his throat. “Th…The test is complete. Y-you are dismissed.”

Izuru silently walked past the teacher and exited the training room, returning the sword to its place
beside the other training weapons. He didn’t look at his teachers who were no doubt watching him.
He could hear them whispering behind him.
“…Did you see that? The subject nearly chopped his head off...”

“…Maybe we should slow down with the extra assignments. They seem to be taking a toll…“

“…The Steering Committee gave us direct orders…”

“…will proceed as planned...”

Izuru ignored them, returning to his room. Though he remained composed, his heart was racing in
his chest. He’d nearly decapitated his teacher amidst his frenzied thoughts. That had never
happened before. Was there something wrong with him…?

No. It was a small error. He merely became too focused on his task. There was no use pondering
on it.

[Wednesday, 12:14 PM]

Izuru walked beside Hajime, Nanami, and the lucky student across the campus grounds. Nanami
suggested they wander today, perhaps get a chance to meet some of her classmates. She was trying
to encourage him and Hajime to join her class, it seemed. He was already approving of the idea.

Ahead of them, a small figure was approaching. He analyzed the person.

Name: Hanamura Teruteru

Title: Ultimate Cook

Sex: Male

DOB: 09/02

Height: 133 cm (4'3")

Weight: 69 kg (152 lbs)

“What’s cooking, good lookings?~” The cook smiled slyly, holding a plate of food in his hands. He
eyed Izuru and Hajime. “Say, Nanami-san, who are your two friends here? I don’t believe we’ve
properly met.”

“I’m Hinata Hajime, and this is my twin brother, Kamukura Izuru.” Hajime introduced.

“Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun, hm? It’s lovely to meet you both. I’m Hanamura Teruteru, the
Ultimate Cook. Though I’d much prefer to be called the Ultimate Chef~”

“Hanamura-kun always makes the most delicious meals.” The lucky student smiled.
“I sure do. Would you like to try some?” The cook offered his plate to Hajime.

“Sure, why not?” Hajime smiled and reached out towards the plate. Izuru shot his hand out and
smacked the plate up into the air. “W-whoa, hey!” The brunet startled.

“Gah—!” The cook exclaimed. “H-hey, whaddya go and do that for?”

“What’s gotten into you?” Hajime looked at him incredulously.

“The food could have been poisoned.” Izuru fixed the cook with an intense stare of warning. The
cook trembled and paled beneath his gaze.

“P-poisoned? Now why would I go and poison my own food?” The cook looked confused.

“Izuru, you’re being completely paranoid…” Hajime’s eyes were heavily focused on him. “Is
everything okay? I’ve never seen you act like this before…”

Izuru blinked, looking down at his hand. Was he being paranoid? It felt logical at first, but now
that was reassessing it, perhaps his reaction had been irrational…

“R-right, well uh… nice meeting you two!” The cook scampered off towards the building. A tense
silence fell over them.

“…We should head back to the fountain.” Nanami suggested, breaking through the silence. Izuru
wordlessly walked with them, not daring to look at the worried expression on his twin’s face.

[Thursday, 2:00 AM]

Izuru stared up at the ceiling of his room. His eyes were burning. He suspects the drastic reduction
in sleep has officially taken an effect on him. The easy solution would simply be to fall asleep.
However, his mind refused as his thoughts seemed to continuously torment him.

These past few months have filled his life with something new, something interesting. He’s done
things he’s never done before. He’s felt things he’s never felt before. All of this because of the
presence of Hinata Hajime.

He could lose this at any moment. Knowing that made his insides twist and coil, a dull ache
throbbing in his chest. He’s thought about this every night for several days, and every night he
became tormented with these indescribable feelings.

This constant feeling…

This was torture.

To care for another being was torture. Yet even knowing that, he still preferred this than going
back to before—back to solitude and numbness. Back to hours upon hours of doing nothing but
pointless tasks, to wandering around aimlessly with nothing but his thoughts and his never-ending
boredom. He could better tolerate the boredom that cursed him whenever he was in the presence of
Hajime, but he could hardly bear it when it was only him.
He didn’t want to go back.

But there were so many dangers surrounding the twin—even with Izuru’s capabilities, was it
possible to protect him from every danger that lurks around the corner? Realistically, no. Unless he
could chain himself to the other boy [not entirely impossible, though it would be inconvenient—
perhaps worth consideration] then it just wasn’t within his power to protect Hajime at all times.

Be that as it may, he must try. He's the only one with the capabilities to ensure his safety in this
dangerous world. No matter what, he had to keep Hajime safe.

He had to.

[Thursday, 12:22 PM]

Izuru followed Hajime, Nanami, and the lucky student to room Class 77. Nanami thought it was
time they try to meet her class, so she requested her classmates all gather in the room during lunch.
Izuru found it hard to focus as they headed towards the class. There was a fog in his mind, a
heaviness in his limbs, but he disregarded all of this. He needed to remain vigilant, and so he was,
constantly looking for immediate threats surrounding Hajime.

They reached the classroom and entered. The room was filled with all the students of Class 77,
chatting amongst themselves in separate groups. Some of them seemed eager to see Hajime,
greeting him as he entered the classroom. Hajime shyly greeted them in return, seeming surprised
by the attention.

Izuru decided to remain by the doorway, leaning against the wall as he kept watch of Hajime.
Some of the students appeared as if they wanted to approach Izuru, but they must’ve sensed his
disinclination to speak with them because they hesitated.

As he watched Hajime speak with some of the students, he noticed someone else approaching him.

He saw her.

A blonde pigtail was sticking out just within his view as the rest of the person stood in front of
Hajime, obscured from his vision.

It was Enoshima.

Izuru raced across the room, immediately stepping between him and Enoshima. He grabbed her
wrist in a tight hold, something dangerous emitting from him.

“H-hey! What the heck are you doing?” The girl protested. Izuru blinked at the unfamiliar
sounding voice. This wasn’t Enoshima, this was…

Name: Saionji Hiyoko

Title: Ultimate Traditional Dancer

 Sex: Female

DOB: 03/09

Height: 168 cm (5'5")

Weight: 47 kg (103 lbs)

She hardly looked anything like Enoshima; her hair was an entirely different shade of blonde, and
she only wore one pigtail rather than two. Her eyes were orange, not blue, and she wore a kimono
rather than Enoshima's fashionistic outfit.

The dancer was looking up at Izuru with fear and confusion in her eyes. “A-are you some kind of
weirdo or something? Let go of me!”

Izuru released the dancer’s wrist. She snatched her arm away, rubbing her wrist, and quickly
retreated to her friend. Izuru realized that the whole class was looking at him. He could hear
hushed whispering around him, could feel the wariness in the air. Hajime grabbed Izuru’s wrist and
dragged him out of the classroom. Once out of the room, he pulled him down the hall until they
were a good distance away from the room. Then he whirled around and faced Izuru.

“Okay Izuru, what the hell is your problem?” Hajime’s tone was bordering on furious, glaring at
him. “You’ve been acting strange ever since Monday. Why in the world did you do that?”

Izuru’s gaze lowered to the floor, finding it difficult to meet the twin’s eyes.

“I… thought she was a threat.” Izuru admitted.

“Wha—? A threat? That doesn’t make any sense, she was only trying to talk to me. You did the
same thing with Hanamura the other day when he was offering me food. It’s like any time someone
approaches me, you assume they’re gonna—” Hajime stopped, eyes widening. “Wait a minute… is
this about what happened last Friday?”

“I am only trying to protect you.” Izuru responded. The twin did not seem happy with that
response, brows creasing further.

“Izuru, I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to protect me.” Hajime affirmed. Izuru looked
away, ignoring him. The twin grew more frustrated. “Are you listening to me? I’m not a damn
kid!”

Izuru frowned. Why must he make this so difficult? Can’t the twin see that he was only trying to
keep him safe? Is that not what brothers are meant to do? Frustration began to crawl beneath
Izuru’s skin.

“I fail to see the issue,” Izuru argued. “Does my protection not benefit you? Does my regard for
your safety displease you?”

“You’re talking as if I’m in danger.” Hajime countered.

You are, is what Izuru wants to say, but the words do not fall from his lips. He cannot tell Hajime
about Enoshima—he would not understand. He would only grow more worried and confused.
Hajime was searching Izuru’s expression until eventually, his eyes lowered to the ground. The
twin's demeanor changed, lips pulled tight, fists clenching, and body shaking. It appeared he was
struggling to voice his next words, until,

“…Because I don’t have a talent, I’m helpless, is that what you’re thinking?” Hajime reopened his
eyes, pain, and frustration evident in his eyes. “You think I can’t take care of myself, because I’m
not strong, or smart, or skilled enough? I’m—I’m just a burden to you, right? I’m only holding you
back—”

“No.” Izuru firmly interrupted.

“Then why?” There was desperation in the twin’s voice, in his eyes.

I don’t want to lose you, are the words that don’t escape him, stuck in his throat and locked into his
chest. Izuru turned away. His eyes burned. The aching in his chest seemed to increase. Everything
felt so heavy, as if he would sink into the ground at any moment, swallowed up by fear and
exhaustion. He was beginning to realize just how impossible this was. He couldn’t protect Hajime
—he was going to make a mistake, just as he’s done now.

He let his thoughts and predictions on what-ifs cloud his judgement, and because of that, he’s acted
out enough for the twin to notice and become displeased by his actions. Hajime may very well
push him away because of this, and without him around, the twin would only be in more danger.

He’s going to fail. And Hajime was going to…

“Izuru?” Hajime huffed and grabbed his shoulder, turning him back around. “For god’s sake, will
you just—“

Hajime stopped, his eyes widened an inch. Silence fell into the air for a moment before his
expression softened, hardly a trace of anger left. Izuru was confused. What did he see?

“…Come to my room tonight.” Hajime’s voice was calm. Izuru blinked but didn’t refuse.

[Thursday, 7:21 PM]

When evening arrived, Izuru made his way towards Hajime’s dorm. He knocked on the door as
customary before entering the room upon Hajime’s approval. Once inside, he went straight
towards the desk and sat down, picking up where he left off with his new set of exams. He was
working on Optimization Theory when he heard his twin’s footsteps approach and stop behind
him.

“Izuru, when was the last time you slept?” Hajime asked.

“Thirty-six hours ago,” Izuru filled in another answer. “I’ve managed three hours per night every
two days. It is the most efficient way for me to rest while still maintaining the bare minimum of
my cognitive functioning—“

“Alright, that’s it.” Hajime’s hand slammed down on the exam papers and snatched them away.
Izuru blinked and looked up, watching as the twin threw the papers into the trash bin. Then he
returned to him with a stern look, reaching out and grabbing his arm with a tug. Izuru stood up,
 allowing the brunet to pull him towards the bed. Hajime released his arm and gently pushed him
back. Izuru plopped down onto the bed.

“Go to sleep.” Hajime threw the blanket over him. Izuru watched the blanket fall slowly on top of
himself, covering his face and obscuring his vision. He laid motionless for a moment before
pulling the blanket down far enough to free his face. His eyes followed Hajime as the twin turned
off the desk light and sat down beside him on the other side of the bed. The two of them looked at
each other silently.

“I’m not going to sleep until you go to sleep.” Hajime declared. Izuru was unsure how to respond
to that. The twin seemed undeterred, pulling out his laptop and proceeding to do what Izuru
presumed was his schoolwork. The screen of the laptop illuminated the dark room, the sound of
typing filling the silence. Izuru continued to watch, observing him as he worked. He was
procrastinating, Izuru noticed, with several tabs open that did not involve the expository essay he
was supposedly working on. Hajime briefly glanced at Izuru then casually continued to type.

“You’re not bothered by my staring.” Izuru pointed out. It wasn’t a question but rather a statement.
When Izuru first began spending time with Hajime, he was often discomforted whenever Izuru
would observe him like this. Now, however, didn’t appear to be the case. Hajime looked at Izuru
again, blue light reflecting off his face.

“I guess not,” Hajime shrugged. “I mean, I definitely was at first. But then I realized, it’s just a
thing you do.” The twin then returned to typing. It was strangely calming, watching the brunet
perform this simple task as he laid against the mattress. He didn’t know why, but his constantly
active mind felt as if it were becoming lighter, clearer. The fog that had clouded his mind for a
week now seemed to be dispersing. No, it wasn’t just calm he felt. He felt something else,
something more difficult to describe.

He felt… Safe. Content. Home.

…What a strange choice of words, but they were the only ones he could think of. Either way, he
decided he was okay with this feeling. With his mind slowing down, he continued to watch Hajime
until his eyelids grew too heavy. He drifted off to the sound of typing.

Chapter End Notes

- I'm not fully satisfied with how this one came out but uuugh my brain hurts! I’m
sorry if this chapter is a bit sloppy, it became longer than I anticipated and I didn’t
have as much time to edit it as I’d hope for (which is no else’s fault but mine).
Anyway, Izuru chapter! Mostly, except for the first part.
- This fic was actually inspired by a work written by another author. The whole idea of
Izuru discovering emotions because of someone was given to me after reading another
story with that concept. The fic in question has been orphaned, but I still treasure it.
- Next Update: 1/30/21
 Level Up
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Missing.

He opened his eyes and saw that something was missing. There was an empty space beside him
where his _r_ _ _ _ _ should be. He sat up in his b_ _, looking around. His _r_ _ _ _ _ was
nowhere in sight.

“_z_ - _ _ _ _?” He called out. No response. Maybe his _r_ _ _ _ _ already woke up and was _r_
_h_ng his _ee_ _. He pushed the rest of the _la_ _ _t off his body and scooted towards the edge of
the b_ _, hopping off. Two small feet plopped down onto the floor and carried him out of the _ _
_r_ _ _. He walked towards the _a_ _r_ _ _ only to see that the door was open and the r_ _m was
empty. His _r_ _ _ _ _ must’ve already _r_ _ _ed his _ee_ _ then and was waiting for him at the
d_ _ _ng ta_ _ _ with m_ _ and d_ _.

He walked to the _i_ _ _ _ r_ _ _, expecting to see his m_ _ preparing the _ab_ _ and the smell of
_ _e_ _ _ _ _t in the air. But there was no _ _e_ _ _ _ _t, or m_ _, or d_ _, or _r_ _ _ _ _. The _i_ _
_ _ r_ _ _ was empty.

Where did _z_ - _ _ _ _ go?

He carried his little feet through the hallway, passing by the _ _ _ _ng r_ _m. He turned his head
and looked into the r_ _m to see his m_ _ and d_ _ were there. But something was wrong. His m_
_ was quietly sitting on the _ _ _ _h, hands folded in her lap. S_ _ looked _ _d. His d_ _ was
standing in the living room with his arms crossed, staring out the window. H_ looked _ _d too, but
like h_ was trying to hide it as h_ gazed out the window. What was d_ _ looking at?

He continued down the hallway and saw the fr_ _ _ _ _o_ was open. Sunlight spilled in through
the en_ _ _ _ _ _, touching his little toes. Through the _ _o_, he saw th _ _ _ b _ _ _ _ _ _r_
parked on the street in front of the _ _ _s_. The _ _r_ were starting to leave.

Where were the _ _r_ going? He was so confused. His h_ _ _ _ was telling him to stop the _ _r_.

He walked towards the front door—

Hajime woke up with a startle, blinking up at the white ceiling above him.

That dream again…

It was hard for him to make sense of it—each time that dream occurred, he felt so close to grasping
onto it, like a hand reaching out for a source of light in the fog. But as soon as he woke up, the light
disappeared back into the fog, and he was left with only blurred, hazy fragments of the dream.

He looked over to his left side to see his twin still laying there, back facing him. He was almost
completely still, his breathing barely audible. The only indication that he was alive was the subtle
rising and falling of his body beneath the blanket. It was a strong contrast to Souda with his
tossing, turning, and snoring. He couldn’t tell if the other twin was awake or not, though he could
only hope that he hadn’t accidentally woke him up with his nightmare.
Hajime quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake up the twin (assuming he wasn’t awake
already), and went through his morning routine. Not too long after, he stepped out of the bathroom.
He looked over at his bed to see Izuru sitting up, undoubtedly awake now.

Even as he woke from sleep, his face remained relatively expressionless. Though Hajime was
starting to notice little telltale signs from his brother, small hints and indications that would reveal
his mood, like how his sharp eyes would soften just slightly when he was more at ease and less
analytical, as they were now.

He recalled the state Izuru was in yesterday; he remembered seeing that look on his face, how his
eyes had been ringed with red with just barely visible bags underneath. He had looked so tired and
stressed out. Hajime had never seen him look that way before, and any frustration he may have had
quickly vanished from his mind.

“You know, it’s total bs that you can wake up with your hair still looking that good.” Hajime
grabbed the hairbrush from his drawer and tossed it to his twin.

Izuru caught the brush. “Your hair isn’t exceptionally tangled upon awakening either,” he said as
he proceeded to tame his own hair.

“It is. It’s just easier for me to brush out.”

“While mine is more difficult to maintain. You are envious, however, you fail to consider the
tediousness that comes with maintaining appearances.”

“H-hey, I’m not envious,” Hajime huffed. “Is this how you accept compliments?”

“If that’s what you’d consider a compliment, you aren’t exceptionally great at giving them.”

Hajime chuckled and shook his head. It’s safe to say the twin was feeling better if he was able to
banter with him like this. Their discussion was interrupted as suddenly, there was a knock on the
door. Izuru stopped brushing, eyes darting towards the door with acute awareness, and just like that
his expression became just as serious as before. Hajime wasn’t sure who was at the door. He
approached the door and opened it.

Standing in his doorway was a rather strange, unexpected display—Komaeda stood directly in
front of him with red, talon scratches on his face, pigeon feathers in his hair, and a slightly
disheveled uniform.

“Hinata-kun? What a pleasant surprise! I didn’t realize this was your dorm room!” Komaeda
smiled as if this scenario was completely normal.

“Komaeda? What are you doing here?” Hajime questioned the odd boy.

“Haha, well, it’s kind of a funny story...” Komaeda then went on to explain a series of luck-based
circumstances that led him here. It involved being chased down into the building by a swarm of
pigeons, then as he was running from the birds, he slipped on someone’s skateboard, which
brought him down a hall, which led him into a laundry cart in which he fell into, which brought
him down another hall, which dropped him off in front of this specific dorm room. Then out of
curiosity, he knocked on the door.

“…and lucky me, it seems the door I knocked on belongs to Hinata-kun! It was certainly unlucky
being attacked by a swarm of pigeons, but because of that bad luck, I was led to Hinata-kun in his
dorm! How lucky!”
“That’s… quite the story.” Hajime didn’t want to believe that ludicrous story, but knowing what
little he knew about Komaeda, it was probably true. He was still on the fence about Komaeda; he
hadn’t forgotten about the incident last week and the things the white-haired boy had said to him.
Just thinking about it had Hajime feeling irked all over again.

The other boy seemed to notice his annoyance and for a moment, Hajime thought he saw the smile
on his face droop just slightly, but it was quickly fixed.

“I’m terribly sorry for intruding. I’ll leave you alone now.” Komaeda turned and started to walk
away.

“Wait,” Hajime called out. Komaeda stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder confusedly.
“It’s fine. You’re already here, so… would you like to tag along with me and Izuru for breakfast?”

“Breakfast with you and Kamukura-kun? Hmm, while I am truly honored that you’d invite
someone like me along, I don’t know if that would be the best idea. Spending lunch with you both
is already a privilege, but breakfast as well might be too much.”

“It’s really no big deal,” Hajime shrugged. “Besides, it’s just for today.”

Komaeda’s eyes seemed to dart around in confliction. “I know, but trash like me really doesn’t
deserve to—“

Hajime walked up to him and reached out, brushing the pigeon feathers out of his hair. It was sort
of an impulse decision, but the feathers were a little distracting, so he figured there was no harm in
clearing them out. When he was finished, he pulled his hand away to see Komaeda staring at him
wordlessly, face painted in surprise.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Izuru standing behind him, watching the scene as if he were
spectating something slightly interesting. Hajime blushed and cleared his throat, feeling as if there
were a spotlight shining down on him for some reason.

“If you’re coming, then hurry up.” Hajime prompted before setting off down the hall. Izuru
followed behind him, and after a short hesitation, Komaeda did as well.

The breakfast line was long as it typically was in the mornings. Hajime was the first to receive his
tray, waiting near the exit for Izuru and Komaeda to return. While he waited, he observed the other
people in the cafeteria. The room was full of students from both the Main Course and the Reserve
Course—it was one of the only times the Ultimate students and reserve students were mixed
together like this.

As he observed the room, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure standing against the opposite
wall from him. Across the room stood the head of security, leaned up against the wall. His arms
were crossed, pink eyes scanning the students in the cafeteria. Eventually, his eyes landed on
Hajime. They made eye contact.

Hajime tensed, feeling a wave of anxiety surge through him. He could practically feel the guard
evil eyeing him from across the room. The discomfort almost made Hajime want to avert his gaze
and coward away, but he forced himself not to. Then suddenly, the man looked past Hajime at
something behind him. The guard’s face paled, morphing from hostility to nervousness, or
something akin to fear. Hajime felt confused by this but didn’t have much time to question it as he
watched the guard turn his head away and leave the cafeteria. Whatever he saw must of really
freaked him out…

Hajime glanced over his shoulder to see Izuru standing behind him, breakfast tray in hand.

“Oh, hey,” he quickly forgot about the security guard. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Not long,” Izuru tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Shall we go eat?”

“As soon as Komaeda gets here.” It wasn’t long before Komeada showed up with his tray. Once
the three of them had their trays, they made their way towards the exit of the cafeteria. They didn’t
get far before someone else came into the cafeteria, stepping right in front of them.

“Oh, what do we have here? It’s one of my students!” A bright voice said. The trio stopped in their
tracks, looking over to see a woman with an orange ponytail, bright green eyes, and an apron over
top of her clothing. The woman was smiling, seeming to recognize Komaeda. “Good morning,
Komaeda!”

“Good morning Yukizome-san!” Komaeda greeted.

“Staying out of trouble, I hope?”

“Haha, of course.” Neither of them mentioned the talon scratches that were still visible on
Komaeda’s face, though Hajime was willing to bet the teacher was already used to the lucky boy’s
shenanigans.

The woman’s eyes shifted over to Hajime and Izuru. “Wait now, who do we have here?” She came
closer, inspecting the two of them. When her eyes landed back on Hajime, her face lit up in
recognition. “Ah, I remember now! You’re Hinata Hajime, Nanami’s friend!”

“That’s right.” Hajime smiled.

“Nanami’s always talking about you. Oh, and is this your brother?” Her eyes shifted over to Izuru.

Hajime nodded. “He’s my twin, Kamukura Izuru.”

“Kamukura Izuru…? That’s the name of the founder…” Yukizome leaned in closer to Izuru,
inspecting him. Izuru stared back at her neutrally. “Huh, you aren’t wearing a main course
uniform, but something tells me you aren’t from the reserve course either…”

“I am an unofficial student.” Izuru answered in a monotone voice.

“Unofficial student…? Hmm…” Hajime watched the scene, noticing how the teacher’s eyes
seemed to be searching Izuru’s suspiciously. Izuru’s face remained expressionless, giving away
nothing as he stood before the teacher’s sharp gaze. If Hajime didn’t know any better, he’d say it
almost felt like a silent interrogation was happening between the two. Then, after what felt like
forever of silence, the teacher’s face lit up again.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Kamukura!” Yukizome beamed. “Nanami has spoken very highly
about the both of you, in fact, a few of my other students have been talking about you two as well.
I’ve also heard you two have been sneaking into my classroom during lunch hours.”

Hajime felt heat rising to his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “A-ah, sorry—we
didn’t mean to sneak in, we just—”
Yukizome laughed. “I’m just teasing you! I don’t mind you dropping by, really.” She gave one last
smile to the three of them. “Well, I better going. You three stay out of trouble, now!”

The teacher left the cafeteria in a hurry. Hajime looked at Izuru.

“Was it just me, or did she seem really curious about you?” Hajime asked him.

Izuru shrugged. “She is suspicious of my involvement with this school’s project.”

“What project?” Hajime questioned. Izuru gave him a look. “Wait… are you saying you’re the
project? I mean, I knew you were involved in some secretive stuff, but…” For a brief second,
Hajime thought about the scars he had seen on Izuru’s head, and how Izuru had expressed that he’s
always lived at this school, and a bunch of other little things that seemed odd about Izuru’s
involvement with this school. But he still didn’t know what all of this truly meant, not really.

All Hajime knew was that Izuru was some sort of super-talented child prodigy who was picked up
and raised by Hope's Peak and just happened to live here. Other than that, he was just like any
other student.

...Right?

Komaeda was silent, also seeming as if he were trying to piece together the puzzle that was Izuru
and Hope’s Peak Academy.

“It is not worth explaining at this time,” Izuru disregarded. “We should continue our destination
before our food gets cold.”

Hajime nodded, deciding to forget about it, for now.

Chiaki had been looking forward to having Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun meet her classmates.
She had been so excited when she brought them to her classroom yesterday, hoping that by
bringing Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun to her class, all of her friends would finally get to meet
each other, and everyone would have a good time.

But instead, it went… poorly.

She wasn’t sure exactly what had gone wrong, but one moment, Hinata-kun was having a
conversation with some of the girls who wanted to meet him, and the next moment, Kamukura-kun
was gripping Saoinji-san’s wrist while the whole class was staring at him in shock. She
remembered after Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun had abruptly left, the whispering started
happening all around the classroom.

Chiaki had felt so confused and upset by Kamukura-kun’s behavior, but she took a moment to calm
down and breathe. Kamukura-kun was a level-headed person; he wouldn’t just do something like
that for no reason. She texted Hinata-kun afterwards asking about Kamukura-kun and if he was
okay. Hinata-kun explained what happened, expressing that Kamukura-kun was really stressed,
mistaking Saoinji-san for someone else, and that it was all a big misunderstanding.

Chiaki found herself unable to stay upset about it after that. The next day, Chiaki was eating lunch
again with Hinata-kun, Kamukura-kun, and Komaeda-kun.
“You should probably get those scratches looked at…” Hinata-kun spoke to Komaeda-kun. Chiaki
was happy to see them speaking to each other again, though there still appeared to be some tension
between them.

“That won’t be necessary,” Komaeda-kun replied. “I’m sure they’ll go away on their own. Though
I’m flattered Hinata-kun is concerned over someone like me.”

“No, I seriously think you should go see the medic.” The brunet sighed. “Look, I’ll go with you,
okay?”

“…Well, if Hinata-kun insists.”

Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun both stood up. “We’ll be back shortly.”

“Oh, alright then…” Chiaki watched as Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun both left off, leaving her and
Kamukura-kun alone on the fountain bench. She looked to her right and noticed Kamukura-kun
was staring at Hinata-kun as he walked further and further away. He stared in Hinata-kun’s
direction for a rather long time, as if he were afraid to have him leave his sights.

Now that she thought about it, Kamukura-kun has been acting more and more odd ever since the
day Hinata-kun came to the fountain with Komaeda-kun looking beat up. That was the day he had
gotten into a fight with that security guard. Ever since then, Kamukura-kun has been acting
strangely, with him playing worse in videogames, his behavior towards her classmates, and how
clingy he seemed to be with Hinata-kun lately. Maybe she should ask him about it.

“Kamukura-kun?” she called out. He turned his head, red eyes shifting over to meet hers. “Are you
okay?”

“…” Kamukura-kun’s only response was silence. She fidgeted in her seat.

“It’s just that, well… you’ve seemed a bit off since last Friday when Hinata-kun fought with that
security guard. Is that what’s bothering you?” He turned his head again, looking away as if he
weren’t sure how to answer that. That confirmed her suspicions, but just to be sure, she asked him.
“Kamukura-kun… are you worried about Hajime?”

Silence. For a moment, she thinks he isn’t going to respond. Maybe it was a bad idea to bring this
up, she thinks. She was just about to apologize when he finally spoke.

“…Yes,” he confessed. “I think… I am worried.” She was surprised to hear him say that, but also
relieved now that he told her what he was feeling.

“I see,” she smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay to be worried.”

“Worry is irrational,” his brows were slightly knitted in what seemed to be frustration. “It does not
benefit me at all. Instead, it causes me to behave in ways I normally wouldn’t.”

“Well, you’re right. Worry is irrational, but for rational reasons… I think. I was worried about
Hinata-kun too when he showed up like that. It’s what happens when you care about other people.”

“How do I stop it?”

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. That was a tough one. “That’s a hard one, Kamukura-kun. It can
be difficult to just stop worrying… But I think it helps to think positively, to have faith that
everything will be okay.”
“Like hope.”

“Yeah, like hope.” she smiled. Izuru looked at her for a moment before gazing down at the ground.

“I can see so many possibilities of him getting hurt...” His eyes seemed to glaze over at that. Chiaki
was silent for a moment, considering. Then, she reached out and gently placed a hand onto his
shoulder. His eyes flickered up to meet hers.

“There’s no way to know for sure what will happen in the future,” she said. "But we can still do
our best to make sure good things happen. Hinata-kun has friends like us around that can help him.
But more importantly, we must trust that Hinata-kun can take care of himself.”

“Trust…” Kamukura-kun repeated that word as if it were foreign to him.

“Mhm, trust. Oh, and also, I told my teacher Yukizome-san about what happened with that security
guard, and she said she'd make absolute sure that it doesn't happen again."

“…I see.” Kamukura-kun looked at her with thoughtful eyes, considering her words. Talking about
it seemed to have helped him, as he appeared a little more relaxed now after that. She smiled and
pulled her hand away, glad that he was feeling a bit better, and returned to eating her lunch.

“Hajime has surprised me.” he suddenly said.

“Hm?” She looked over at him.

“You told me he would surprise me, some time ago. You were correct. Not only that…” he leaned
in closer, inches away from her face. This close, Nanami couldn’t help but notice how pretty his
eyes were. They were deep red and striking, reminding her of rubies or freshly bloomed roses. She
felt her heart pumping faster in her chest.

“You have surprised me as well.” he stated like it was a fact.

“I-I have?” she stammered.

“Yes. You seem to have an effect on me that I am unable to decipher. I am curious about you,
Nanami Chiaki.”

Curious about me…? Chiaki felt heat rise to her cheeks.

“O-oh, okay.” She wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but for some reason, it made her feel
warm inside, and maybe a little nervous, but in a good way, she thinks. Kamukura-kun pulled
away, and both of them went back to eating their lunch in comfortable silence.

Nagito sat on the bed in the medical room, idly poking at the scratches on his face. He wasn’t too
fond of medical rooms, but the school nurse was kind, almost as kind as the nurse in his classroom.
After him and Hinata-kun entered the nurse’s office, she did a quick examination of the bird
scratches on his face, applied some antibiotic ointment, then left the room saying she would return
momentarily, leaving him alone with Hinata-kun.

Now here they were, with Nagito sitting on the edge of the medical bed. Hinata-kun was standing,
leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
“…Did you really mean what you said?” Hinata-kun suddenly broke the silence. Nagito looked up
to see the brunet was looking at him with a stern gaze. “That day with the security guard, I mean.
Do you actually… agree with him? Do you think untalented people are worthless?”

Nagito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I wouldn’t say they’re completely worthless, but they
certainly don’t hold as much merit as an Ultimate. I believe the best a talentless person has to offer
is to support those greater than them.”

Hinata-kun seemed to get tenser with each word, though Nagito didn’t understand why. “What
about me, then? What makes me so special compared to the other reserve students?”

“You are the exception,” Nagito answered easily. “You have a powerful bond, one that carries you
above the rest.”

“I don’t understand. Are you saying that, what—I’m only worthwhile because I’m related to
someone who’s talented?”

“Well, no, not exactly…” Nagito fidgeted in his seat, sensing the brunet’s increasing aggravation.
“Hinata-kun, I feel like this discussion is beginning to bother you. There’s no need to continue this
conversation if it’s upsetting you.”

“I’m not upset because of this conversation. I’m upset because I don’t understand you, and I can’t
tell if you’re just trying to mess with me or what!”

“Hinata-kun…”

“…Just forget it.”

Nagito was at a loss of words. The room fell silent. Hinata-kun was looking away from him now
with a heavy frown on his face. He felt like he should apologize. But apologize for what? He
couldn’t really apologize if he didn’t know what he was apologizing for.

Nagito stared down at his lap, trying to think of another way to fix this.

“…Would’ve you did have a talent?” Nagito suggested tentatively.

“What?” Hinata-kun’s eyes flickered towards him.

“I mean, have you ever thought about what talent you would have, if you did have one?”

Hinata-kun stared at him suspiciously for a moment before removing his gaze. “…Yeah, I’ve
thought about it once or twice.”

“I think maybe you would be… Ultimate Serenity.” Nagito always thought Hinata-kun’s presence
was, for the most part, calming.

Hinata-kun raised a brow. “Which part of me did you look at to come up with a title like that...?”

“I'm pretty sure the ability to bring serenity to others just by being there is really amazing. Let's
see... what about Ultimate Clumsy Student?”

The brunet scoffed. “I’m not that clumsy.”

“It is my understanding that you bumped into your brother when you first met him, if I recall you
telling me,” he raised a finger. “and you fell into the Ultimate Neurologist the day before summer
vacation,” he raised another finger. “and you somehow managed to fall into a confrontation with
the head of security guards whilst sneaking into the main course campus." He raised a third finger.

“…Okay, so maybe I’m a little bit clumsy, but still.”

“What about Ultimate Scatterbrain?”

“W-what are you trying to say?” A tint of red appeared on Hinata-kun’s cheeks.

“Haha, don’t take it so seriously, I’m only joking! Hmm, then… Ultimate Spiky Hair?”

“That’s not a talent at all!” His cheeks became redder and Nagito noticed the tips of his ears were
red now too.

“I know, right? Haha!” Nagito chuckled light-heartedly. He knows he shouldn’t be taking so much
delight in this, but teasing Hinata-kun was just so fun. Hinata-kun huffed and smiled slightly. He
seemed to be feeling a little better now.

“I don’t understand you, and I can’t say I’m happy about… what you said, but I guess there’s no
use in arguing about it any longer, so…” Hinata-kun looked over at him firmly. “Let’s just agree to
put this behind us and move forward, deal?”

Nagito nodded quickly. He still wasn’t sure what they were ‘putting behind them’ but if it satisfied
Hinata-kun, he would happily oblige.

“Good. Besides, if we’re gonna be friends, then I still want to try to understand you.”

Nagito blinked. Friends…?

“Hinata-kun considers me his friend?” He asked confusedly.

“Well, yeah, I mean, we hang out, don’t we? And despite the things you said, you did still help me,
so… I’d say we’re friends.”

Nagito isn’t sure how to feel about this. To have Hinata-kun consider him his friend was simply
too much. He didn’t deserve this—he wasn’t worthy.

But then… why does he feel so warm inside?

Izuru returned to the underground tunnels feeling more stable than he had been during this week.
His mind was returning to a more logical state, allowing him to reflect on himself.

Upon reflection, Izuru was almost amazed by how irrational he became. He had been unable to
sleep and became less focused due to the distress his thoughts had caused him. The feeling of
distress itself wasn't something he was used to. The lack of sleep along with the excess work he
had been given affected him even greater than he thought it would, causing him to make poor
judgement calls and act unnecessarily hostile towards the people interacting with Hajime.

In conclusion, it had been an unpleasant yet fascinating experiencing. Even now, feelings of fear
and dread lingered in him, and thoughts of tragedy invaded his mind, but they weren't as intense as
they had been previously. He was beginning to recognize how challenging this path he's taken with
Hajime would be.
For once, Kamukura Izuru had a challenge. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little thrilled
by that thought.

One thing was for certain: Enoshima was still a threat. He will still protect Hajime, but he mustn't
go overboard if he wishes not to have any more 'incidents' like the one in Nanami's classroom. He
will have to keep a clear head, which meant ignoring many potential threats towards Hajime. The
thought was nerve-wracking, but he will endure it.

He will try to… trust, as Nanami phrased it.

As he headed down the corridor, he was approached by a teacher, the one who was mainly in
charge of his schedule.

“Izuru, where were you last night?” The teacher frowned. “Why didn’t you return to your
designated room? There is a curfew in place, and you are not allowed to violate it.”

“I did not violate curfew,” Izuru corrected. “I spent the night in someone else’s dorm.”

“And that someone is your reserve course brother, I assume?”

“Yes.”

The teacher huffed. “This is becoming a serious issue. We allowed you to wander because we
thought you were responsible enough, but you cannot keep disappearing so often.”

Izuru ignored her as he stepped into his room. Immediately, he realized something was off. The top
of his desk was bare, empty. His plushie was missing.

“If you keep being distracted by these trivial matters then—“

“Where is the plushy?” Izuru interrupted.

“Where is what?” The teacher looked baffled.

“There was a plush toy in the shape of a cat sitting atop of my desk. Where is it?”

“Oh, that thing? We had no idea what that was doing in your room, so we threw it out.”

He was heavily annoyed by that. Not only had they been snooping through his room, but they were
touching his belongings.

Izuru walked past his teacher and made his way to the staff room. The teacher blinked and
scrambled to follow behind him. He stepped inside the staff room and located the nearest trash can.

“What are you—?”

He reached down and dug through the trash can, startling the teacher into silence. After pushing
aside the junk, he found the plushie, pulling it out. It was slightly dirty and a bit torn, but still in
relatively good shape. Izuru brought it back to his room.

“Izuru, where are you going? I’m talking to you—“

He shut the door in her face, ignoring her protests. Now alone and undisturbed, he pulled a needle
and thread out from his dresser and sat down at his desk. With careful precision, he sewed the
plushie back together, restoring it. He considered installing a lock onto his door to prevent his
teachers from meddling with his belongings. As he sewed, he heard two teachers talking outside of
 his door.

“The extra assignments aren’t doing anything to stop him from seeing that reserve course
student…” The female huffed.

“You’re right, at this point we’re just wasting time and resources. Cancel the extra assignments.” A
male teacher replied.

Of course it wouldn’t work. His teachers were incompetent for thinking it would. Izuru added the
finishing touches to the plushie then set it back atop of his desk.

Chapter End Notes

- Izuru was totally giving Juzo the death look in the cafeteria in case you're wondering
- Next Update: 2/6/21
 Animation
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

If Izuru was going to prepare himself against whatever Enoshima had planned, he must first figure
out what he’s up against. When the school year first began, he had studied each profile of every
Ultimate student admitted to Hope’s Peak. Just recently he discovered that Enoshima Junko had
been admitted into the school through recommendations, and not only that, but he also discovered
that she held a connection with the Ultimate Neurologist. If Enoshima was associated with the
Ultimate Neurologist from Class 77-A, that meant the neurologist may have valuable information
on Enoshima that could benefit Izuru.

With that in mind, Izuru made his way to the Ultimate Neurologist’s lab located somewhere within
the Main Course building. It was unwise to simply waltz into the neurologist’s lab, which is why
Izuru already had a story fabricated in case the neurologist became suspicious of him. He’d tell the
neurologist that he’d been sent by his teachers for a physic evaluation, thus preventing him from
discovering his true motive.

He arrived at the Ultimate Neurologist’s lab and stood before the closed door before reaching out
and knocking three consecutive times. Shuffling came from the other side followed by footsteps
nearing the door. When the door swung open, the neurologist, Matsuda Yasuke, was revealed. He
stood in the doorway, his hair messy and unkept while sporting a less formal attire.

“Look Enoshima, I told you I’m not—“ Blue eyes met Izuru’s before the neurologist froze at the
sight of him. His last encounter with the neurologist had been during the hallway incident shortly
before summer vacation. If he recalled correctly, Izuru had struck the other boy as he was arguing
with his twin. It was clear from the way the neurologist’s body tensed and the tightness in his
expression that he had not forgotten about the incident either. Matsuda quickly recovered,
attempting to hide his discomfort beneath a stoic expression. “Oh… it’s you. What the hell are you
doing here?”

“I was sent here for a physic evaluation.” Izuru lied easily, voice and expression betraying nothing.

“They sent you directly to me for a psychic evaluation?” Matsuda raised a brow. “What the hell
for?”

“My teachers wish for an assessment. They are concerned for my mental health due to my…
erratic behavior as of lately.” Izuru twirled a strand of hair around his finger in disinterest, a trick
to make his lie seem more honest by appearing nonchalant. Matsuda opened his mouth as he was
about to respond when he was interrupted by another voice coming from within the room.

“Is that Kamukura-kun?” A familiar voice came from behind the neurologist. Izuru’s eyes shifted
to an area behind Matsuda and he quickly spotted the lucky student sitting in a chair within the
room. Komaeda smiled at him, waving cheerfully. “Hi, Kamukura-kun!”

Matsuda sighed in exasperation, shoulders hunching. “Great, now I have not one, but two weirdos
to deal with. Have a seat.” The neurologist stepped aside, allowing Izuru to pass through the door.
As he entered the room, he quickly examined his surroundings. The room itself was slightly
disorganized, with a stack of manga books in the corner, shelves holding labeled medications on
the wall, a few medical beds with monitors and cords hooked to them, and some posters showing
x-rays and brain anatomies. Against the wall, there was a row of chairs lined up, and in one of
those seats sat the lucky student who was looking at him expectantly. Izuru walked over and sat on
the chair beside the lucky student.

“What a surprise to see you here, Kamukura-kun!” Komaeda beamed.

“Likewise.” Izuru hadn’t expected the lucky boy to be here, but it wasn’t too surprising.

“You may be curious as to why I’m here. Well you see, I’m here because—”

“Your Frontotemporal Dementia.” he interrupted. He had deduced the boy had some type of
mental illness upon first meeting him. After further speculation, he concluded the white-haired boy
was diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

Komaeda’s face seemed to lift in surprise at Izuru’s statement. “Ah, that’s right. I’m surprised you
figured it out so easily, not many other people know about it besides Matsuda-kun. I suppose that’s
to be expected of the Ultimate Hope!” Komaeda smiled. “Matsuda-kun has been generous enough
to run tests on me in hopes of finding a way to reverse the effects. I tried to refuse, insisting he
shouldn’t waste his time on someone like me, but the school administrators are adamant about
having my illness treated, so here we are.”

The other boy removed his gaze to face the front, his smile remaining. “I don’t expect him to be
able to fix my problem, but I do feel grateful. Even though he’s wasting his time on filth like me, at
least I can help him utilize and hone his talent to its greatest potential. I may be worthless in all
other aspects, but I can still help serve those whose hope shines brighter. For that, I am grateful.”

Izuru watched the other boy carefully, his brain most likely deteriorating as they speak. He could
find a cure for that Frontotemporal Dementia, but whether or not the lucky student would accept it
was a different matter entirely. Komaeda didn’t seem too worried about his slowly deteriorating
brain as he sat calmly in his seat. Then again, with the unfortunateness that came with his luck
cycle, the other boy was probably used to being in hopeless situations.

After a short moment of silence, Komaeda returned his gaze to Izuru.

“So you said you’re here for a psychic evaluation?” Komaeda asked.

“Indeed.” he replied.

“That’s odd, I don’t see anything wrong with Kamukura-kun’s current mental state. Then again,
Kamukura-kun did leave a rather bad impression on Class 77.” Komaeda leaned back in his chair,
crossing one leg over the other. “Rumors have been spreading around the school about you. From
the hallway incident to this new incident in Class 77’s room, people are becoming very wary of
Kamukura-kun, the once legend of the school, now a mysterious, unofficial student with a twin
brother from the Reserve Course.”

That may not bode well for him, Izuru realized. He’d been aware before of the rumors spread
around him—the supposedly mythical person wandering around the school grounds. He hadn’t
cared about any of it before, but now that Hajime was involved and Enoshima was plotting against
him, it would probably do him well to not give himself a bad reputation, else the student body may
start protesting against him. That must be the reason why the lucky student told him this, to warn
him about that very thing happening should Izuru's reputation start to deteriorate.

“But I’m assuming there’s a reason why you were being so protective that day,” Komaeda
continued, sage eyes shifting over to meet Izuru’s. “You’re usually very calm and composed, so to
see you act out like that must mean that you had a good reason for it. You probably know
something that the rest of us are oblivious to, something that was enough to make you lose your
composure. Or maybe not something… maybe someone.”

Komaeda rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Izuru stared at the lucky student for a moment,
considering.

“...Komaeda,” Izuru called out. Komaeda snapped out of his thoughts, surprised by Izuru calling
him by his name, and looked over to meet his gaze. “Exchange phone numbers with me.”

His face lit up. “Oh, that’s a good idea! I already gave Hinata-kun my phone number, but it would
be good to have yours too.”

Izuru took out his cellphone and handed it over to Komaeda. The white-haired boy tapped the
screen for a short moment then handed the phone back to Izuru. “Just text me and I’ll have your
phone number as well.”

He nodded. Shortly after, Matsuda reappeared from the backroom with a clipboard in hand.
“Alright, let’s get this over with, Komaeda.”

Komaeda stood up and left with the neurologist through another door in the back of the room.
Once they were gone, Izuru stood from his seat and promptly searched around the room for clues
and information regarding Enoshima Junko. He didn’t find much, but he did find a photo of the
neurologist standing in a picture with a girl. The girl had red hair and red eyes, and upon further
speculation, he realized that girl was Enoshima. This confirmed that they must have known each
other for a while.

Izuru returned the photo to its exact place, not leaving any evidence of his investigation behind.

His name was Mitarai Ryota, the Ultimate Animator. Or at least, that was the name of the person
he was pretending to be at the moment—the person beneath that disguise didn’t have a real name.
The only title that he was able to attach to his identity was the Ultimate Imposter. But for now, he
was Ryota, and so he would refer to himself as such. He was just on his way to bring his friend, the
real Mitarai Ryota, a tray of lunch during the lunch period.

As he was walking past the gate, he felt a sudden chill crawl up his back as if someone were
standing behind him. Ryota stopped in his tracks and with hesitance, slowly turned around.

A boy was standing there, wearing a black suit with red eyes and long black hair—no wait, Ryota
has seen this person somewhere before. It was that quiet guy who stood in Nanami’s class that one
day. He hadn’t done anything, just stood there against the wall, watching the other classmates
while his supposed brother interacted with the other students. Then out of nowhere, he grabbed
Saoinji’s wrist in a grip so tight and a look so intense, you’d think he was about to break the poor
girl’s arm.

Ryota didn’t know how to feel about that other than worry and fear. Now that boy was standing in
front of him, staring at him with a blank expression. He quivered a bit beneath his gaze, hoping
that whatever the other boy wanted, there was no ill intent behind it.

“Um… h-hello?” he stammered. That person—Kamukura, was it?—blinked at him.

“What is your name?” Kamukura(?) asked him in a monotone voice.

“W-who, me? I’m Mitarai Ryota, the Ultimate Animator.”

“No you’re not.”

“H-huh?” Ryota was taken aback. Could he really have seen through his disguise so easily? “What
do you mean? Of course I am!”

Kamukura gave him a deadpan look as if to tell him that he was fooling neither of them with that
statement. “Who are you really?”

“I’m…” He sighed. There was no point in keeping up the act. “If I tell you who I really am, can
you promise not to tell anyone else?”

“I have no interest in revealing your true identity.”

“Okay… the truth is, I’m not Mitarai Ryota.”

“Obviously.”

“Mitarai is actually my friend, but he doesn’t like coming out to classes, so I’ve borrowed his
identity and went to classes for him. I’m actually the Ultimate Imposter.”

Kamukura hummed as if one of his theories had been proven correct. “Is anyone else aware of
this?”

“You and Mitarai are the only ones who know about this…” Imposter nervously tugged at his
sleeves. Now that the truth was out in the open, perhaps it was time to get his off his chest. “The
truth is, I’m worried about him. He stays in his room all day working on this project of his. He’s
completely obsessed with it—he says it’s going to change the world. Because of that, I’ve had to
bring him food every day and make sure he’s taking care of himself, or else he’ll work himself to
death.”

“I see,” Kamukura’s face appeared thoughtful. “This animation… do you know of its contents?”

“I don’t know the details of it—he hasn’t shown it to me.”

“And is there anyone else who knows about this project of his?”

“Not that I’m aware of…”

“Hmm…” Kamukura looked up. “Thank you for informing me. I suggest keeping a close watch on
your friend.”

Before Imposter could question that statement, Kamukura walked past him and disappeared.

Hajime looked down at his cellphone as he made his way through the hallway of the Main Course
building. He’d just visited Souda during lunch and left him at the classroom door. As he headed
back to his class, he realized he might be a little late, but at that point he didn’t really care. It’s not
like his teachers were missing him anyway, and he was more focused on the group chat discussion
that Komaeda had just been added to.

Nanami, Hinata, Kamukura, Komaeda

12:32 PM

[12:32 PM]

Nanami: I added Komaeda-kun to the group chat

[12:32 PM]

Komaeda: Wow! My first group chat! I’m so lucky to be involved in such a private discussion
between three close friends. This is truly a memorable moment, I feel so honored!

[12:32 PM]

Hinata: it’s really not that big of a deal Komaeda

Hinata: anyway, aren’t u and Nanami in the same class right now? R u texting right beside each
other?

[12:32 PM]

Nanami: Komaeda-kun isn’t in the classroom right now. Yukizome-san sent him to bring back
some paperwork from the headmaster’s office

[12:33 PM]

Komaeda: That’s right! I’m on my way back to class right nowwwwwww

Komaeda: wkifnfnsksk ajdjjjjjj

[12:33 PM]

Nanami: r u ok Komaeda-kun?

[12:33 PM]

Komaeda: Of course! No worries!

[12:33 PM]

Kamukura: He fell.

[12:33 PM]

Komaeda: Huh? What do you mean, Kamukura-kun?

[12:33 PM]

Hinata: he totally just fell

[12:34 PM]

Komaeda: Ah, it would seem I have been caught... I did fall and drop all the paperwork I was
carrying, and now it all flew out of a window.

[12:34 PM]

Hinata: that’s not good…

[12:34 PM]

Komaeda: It certainly isn’t. But it’s alright, I’m sure my luck will turn soon! Though Yukizome-
san will not be happy with me, haha!

[12:34 PM]

Nanami: if it was an accident then I’m sure she won’t be upset. don’t be so hard on urself

[12:34 PM]

Komaeda: Nanami-san, you are too kind. Truly you are a symbol of hope.

[12:34 PM]

Hinata: oh boy, I can hear the hope speech happening thru the phone

[12:34 PM]

Kamukura: There is a 90% probability that is indeed the case.

[12:34 PM]

Komaeda: I can’t hide anything from you two. If only there was a way to express my anguish

[12:34 PM]

Nanami: u can always use emoticons

[12:34 PM]

Komaeda: What’s an emoticon?

[12:34 PM]

Hinata: my god he’s worse than Izuru

[12:34 PM]

Nanami: it’s like this :)

[12:34 PM]

Komaeda: Oh I see! Like this? :)

[12:34 PM]
Nanami: there u go

[12:35 PM]

Komaeda: :) :) :)

[12:35 PM]

Nanami: ok that’s enough

Hajime chuckled to himself as he read the conversation. He was typing out another response when
he rounded a corner at the end of the hallway and, not looking where he was going, crashed into
something solid. He stumbled backward, barely managing to catch himself as he regained
composure. The sound of metal cans clattering against the ground is what made him look down and
notice six blue energy drinks rolling around him, having just been dropped onto the floor.

“Ah, sorry! Here, let me get that for you—” Embarrassed, Hajime crouched down and quickly
began to pick up the cans without meeting the eyes of the person before him. I’ve bumped into
more people at this school than I have in my entire life. Maybe I am the Ultimate Clumsy Student…

“…It’s fine.” The person whom Hajime realized was a girl replied in a serious tone, crouching
down in front of him to pick up the cans as well. Hajime looked up and paused when he saw who
the person was. Her hair was short and black, with pale skin and freckles painted across her nose.

He recognized her—it was the soldier, the same one who he caught evil eyeing him at the Sports
Festival, and the same one who had been there during the hallway incident.

The girl’s face was impassive as she collected the other three cans from the ground. Her purple
eyes flickered upwards, meeting his gaze with something sharp and intense. He stiffened,
discomforted. Something about her was off, making him feel extremely uneasy. The look she was
giving him made him feel as if he’d somehow offended her with his very existence. Hajime kept
her gaze as he stood back up, trying to convince himself that there was no logical reason for him to
feel nervous.

“Uh… here.” Hajime held the remaining drinks to her. The girl stood up and wordlessly took the
drinks, then with one last glance, she continued towards her direction down the hallway. Hajime
watched her disappear down the corridor. All the while, he couldn’t help but think that he was
missing something…

For as long as she could remember, Mukuro has loved her younger twin sister unconditionally.
Junko was amazing—clever, smart, pretty, and everything Mukuro wasn’t. She was the sun, bright
and blazing as she burned everything around her. As incredible as Junko was, there was one thing
she craved more than anything, and that was her despair. Junko lived and breathed despair,
pursuing it as if her very life depended on it—it was the only thing that seemed to matter to her.

No one understands Junko like Mukuro does. All Mukuro wants is for her sister to be happy and
for her to realize how much Mukuro cared about her. So whenever her sister asked her to do
something for her, she did it without hesitation. If her sister told her to walk, she would. If her
sister told her to kill someone, she would. If her sister told her to jump off a bridge into a large
body of water, she would (which she has done before so she'd probably survive). Every bit of
attention her sister rewarded her with made it all worth it, whether that be a pat on the head or a
kick to the face.

Mukuro lived for her sister.

But then Kamukura Izuru and Hinata Hajime came along. Ever since those two brothers appeared,
that’s all Junko ever talks about. She wants to drag the Ultimate Hope into despair and insists that
her plans to wreck the world with despair can’t be done unless Kamukura is on board with it.
Mukuro doesn’t think that’s true; someone as incredible as Junko is surely capable of dragging the
world down with or without the help of some lab experiment.

Mukuro doesn’t understand it. What has Kamukura done to deserve so much attention from Junko?
All he does is hang around his talentless twin brother.

Hinata Hajime... Mukuro had bumped into him earlier in the hallway. There was nothing special
about him and yet he seemed to be at the very center of all of this. Junko had talked about how the
two brothers held a close bond with one another, and how they would need Hinata in order to
manipulate Kamukura.

Mukuro had watched them, had seen the way Hinata and Kamukura spoke to each other, how they
interacted as if they were walking on the same plane. Kamukura was obviously superior to Hinata,
and yet he doesn’t order him around, or uses him, or expresses how worthless his brother is
compared to him. Hinata was obviously beneath Kamukura, and yet he doesn’t serve him, or obey
him, or submit to him the way a loyal person should. It baffled Mukuro the way those two act
towards one another. It just didn't make sense to her at all.

It doesn't matter—Junko may say Kamukura and Hinata’s bond was strong, but Mukuro’s bond
with her sister was stronger. Hinata’s relationship with his brother was nothing compared to the
love and devotion Mukuro held for her sister, and she would prove it to Junko as many times as
needed.

Mukuro stepped into the Ultimate Animator’s room carrying the cans of Blue Bull in her arms.

“Ugh, about time you showed up! You’re such a slowpoke, you know that?” Junko criticized. Her
sister stood by a desk at the back of the dimly lit room where someone else was seated. Ryota
Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, sat at the desk in front of her, staring straight at the monitor before
him as he worked on his animation. Mukuro doesn’t know all of the details of Junko’s plan—she’d
never really been that good at plotting and scheming—all she knew is that it had something to do
with that animator they’ve been visiting often and the animation he’s working on.

“Sorry, sis’.” Mukuro approached her sister, still holding the energy drinks in her arms. Junko took
a Blue Bull from her and held it out to the animator. After a few seconds, Mitarai paused what he
was doing, finally seeming to notice Mukuro’s return and the Blue Bull being held out to him.

“Oh, thanks!” He smiled and accepted the drink from Junko. The boy was as frail as a toothpick,
having barely been eating or drinking since he started working on this project.

“So like, how much longer until that animation’s done?” Junko tapped her nails against the desk
impatiently.

Mitarai took a large sip of the Blue Bull before setting it down and directing his attention back to
the screen. “Well, it's nearly complete, but I still need to tweak some things before it’s fully
 finished. It might take another few weeks, maybe a month at most?” The boy’s face looked
determined as he drew away. “When I’m finished with this, the world’s going to be a much better
place. No one will ever have to feel hopeless again…”

“Totally! That’s the spirit!” Junko patted Mitarai’s head almost affectionately. Mukuro ignored the
burning she felt rising in her at the sight of that. “The whole world’s gonna be so hopeful once they
see your anime, they’ll wanna kill themselves! Now you just keep working on that project you
sweet little angel~”

“Uuh, right…” Mitarai replied confusedly. Junko turned and walked back over to Mukuro.

“I can’t wait until that dweeb is finished,” Junko whispered to her. “He’s so focused on making a
'hope-inspiring anime' he doesn’t even realize how that his little project is going to be used for
despair instead! He’ll be so devastated!” Her sister giggled feverishly before pausing with an
analytical gaze. “Though at this rate, we may need to speed things up. If we wait too long,
Kamukura might start catching onto us, and if he finds out, he’ll try to stop us before we can use
the brainwashing video.”

“You really think it’s going to work?” Mukuro asked.

“Of course it will! Question is, who are we gonna use it on first,” Junko gave a wide grin. “Just
kidding! I already know who we’re going to use it on.”

“Who, sis’?”

“You don’t worry about that. Besides, I have a job for you to do.”

“Do you want me to grab more energy drinks?”

“No, stupid! I’m talking about a bigger job. I’ll tell you it after the animation is done. And when I
do, you better not disappoint me!” Junko poked her chest for emphasis. Mukuro blushed, feeling
excited at the thought of pleasing her sister. Surely her sister would realize how devoted she was
after she completed this next job.

“I won’t disappoint you, Junko.” Mukuro said determinedly.

Chapter End Notes

- That's right, it looks like there's gonna be brainwashing involved everybody, oh

boooy!
- Matsuda retuuurns momentarily!
- Izuru and Nagito bonding time? Well more like just interacting
- The Izuru and Imposter scene was inspired by another fic, “Manufactured Talent” by
Xrangel. I suggest checking it out if you like Kamunami, it's a good story imo! (maybe
I should just shout out the few fics that inspired this one in the first chapter or
something)
- Next Update: 2/13/21
 Testing Phase Complete
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“Alright, students!” Yukizome-san smiled as she addressed her classroom, her entire aura radiating
enthusiasm and positivity. “I have an important meeting to attend at this time, so I will be back
shortly! I trust that you’ll all be good while I’m gone. Now then, keep up the good work!”

Chiaki and the rest of her classmates watched as Yukizome-san left the classroom. A second later,
the room filled with chatter as her classmates talked amongst themselves, separating into their
groups. Chiaki stayed in her seat, pulling out her cellphone. Her phone had been vibrating on and
off in her pocket all throughout class, the reason being that she and Hinata-kun had been taking
turns sending funny pictures and jokes to the group chat.

A lot of the jokes were videogame-related, much to Chiaki’s delight. She struggled to hide her
small giggles and laughs at the jokes Hinata-kun sent. What was even funnier than the jokes were
Kamukura-kun’s and Komaeda-kun’s confused reactions to them. Kamukura-kun’s responses were
comically dry and serious, but you could tell he was trying to participate in the humorous back-and-
forth discussion, which Chiaki found surprisingly endearing.

Komaeda-kun’s responses were mostly confused, but he was trying his best to understand the
jokes. Occasionally, Komaeda-kun would glance at her from his seat near Chiaki with his
cellphone in hand, giving her a loss look as if he were waiting for her to explain the joke. Chiaki
would only giggle and continue texting. She did not regret adding Komaeda-kun to their group
chat.

Chiaki had just been sending another funny picture, not noticing the person who had been talking
to her and waving a hand in front of her face.

“Uuuh, earth to Nanami! Are you listening?” Saionji-san frowned, waving her hand.

“She’s probably spacing out, playing videogames again.” Koizumi-san shrugged, standing beside
Saionji-san. “It might be best to leave her be.”

“Huuuh? But that doesn’t look like a videogame.” Mioda-san unexpectedly popped up behind
Chiaki, looking over her shoulder at the phone screen. “Wait a minute… No way! Is Chiaki-chan
texting a boy?”

Chiaki quickly hid the screen of her phone from their view, pink dusting her cheeks. She had only
just realized she was surrounded by four of her classmates: Mioda-san, Saionji-san, Koizumi-san,
and Nevermind-san all looking at her expectantly.

“It’s just a group chat, that’s all...” Chiaki insisted, feeling embarrassed by their staring.

“A group chat with boys?” Nevermind-san smiled, playfully teasing her. Then her face lit up as if
she just realized something. “Oh, I bet it’s Hinata-san and Kamukura-san!”

“Ugh, that’s who you’re texting?” Saionji-san crossed her arms petulantly. “I don’t get why you
hang out with them. I mean, Hinata is alright I guess, but his brother is a total weirdo.”

“Saionji-san, you shouldn’t say such impolite things about Nanami-san’s friends.” Nevermind-san
faced the other girl with a disapproving look.
“But it’s true! Didn’t you see the way he grabbed me?” The ponytailed girl huffed. “Face it, he’s a
major creep.”

“He does seem a bit strange,” Koizumi-san rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Not to mention, he isn’t
even an official student. Nobody really seems to know anything about him…”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Saionji-san turned to face Chiaki, pointing a finger at her. “Nanami, you
need to ditch those guys before they try and take advantage of you!”

Chiaki tensed, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She didn’t like what they were saying about her
friends, but she knew they were only trying to look out for her. Saionji-san especially seemed
worried about Chiaki, even though she was trying to hide it. But still, Chiaki knew Kamukura-kun
and Hinata-kun weren’t bad—they were just as much of her friends as her classmates were, and she
would always defend her friends.

“Guys, please… Kamukura-kun isn't bad at all. Just give him a chance.” Chiaki pleaded. From
across the room, she heard a grunt come from one of her other classmates and realized Kuzuruyu-
kun had been listening to their conversation as he stood beside Pekoyama-san.

“I don’t know, Nanami. From what I hear, that bastard is bad news. You sure it’s a good idea to be
involved with him?” The yakuza had his arms crossed.

“Who’s bad news?” Owari-san looked up from her seat, seeming to notice the growing
conversation. “Who’re we talking about? Someone trying to hurt Nanami?”

“They are speaking of the mysterious fiend who visited us not long ago, Kamukura Izuru…”
Tanaka-kun spoke from nearby.

“Oooh, you mean that guy with long-ass hair? I remember him. He called me a moron!”

“H-he knocked my food up in the air!” Hanamura-kun jumped in, standing up from his seat. “I was
just trying to be nice when I offered my food to his brother, but then he went ahead and ruined my
perfectly good dish! I was so humiliated!”

“Um, M-Mitarai-san said he ran into him not too long ago too, r-right Mitarai-san?” Tsumiki-san
turned to her other classmate who was both bigger and taller than her in comparison.

Mitarai looked hesitant then shrugged. “I-I guess so, but he didn't seem so bad. Maybe. I don't
know…”

Souda-kun let out an exasperated sigh, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
“Will you guys just relax? Hinata is a cool dude, and yeah sure—his brother might be a little
creepy—but he’s not that bad.”

“Who asked you, dork face?” Saionji-san hissed.

“H-hey, what did you just call me?!”

While the whole class fell into an argument, Chiaki shrank further into her seat, lowering her
phone. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like sending funny pictures anymore…
Hajime had just left the fountain with Izuru, their lunch session with Nanami and Komaeda having
ended. He recalled how earlier this morning, he and Nanami had spent a considerable amount of
time sending pictures to the group chat during class. Hajime had nearly gotten in trouble for it,
having been caught by his teacher once while texting on his phone, but he’d luckily avoided any
heavy consequences other than embarrassment.

He had continued doing that all throughout class—it was fun, a lot more than listening to his
teacher’s dull lecture in the cold, suffocating atmosphere that was the Reserve Course classrooms.
Nanami had seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit, until all of a sudden she stopped texting back.
Hajime figured she probably had to get back to schoolwork. But then she had shown up at the
fountain during lunch and seemed off for some reason, which he hadn’t been expecting.

“Hey, is it just me, or did Nanami seem a bit quieter today?” Hajime looked at Izuru who was
walking beside him in a matching pace.

Izuru was facing forward as he replied. “Yes, she did appear to be in what one would call, ‘a bad
mood.’ I suspect she was upset about something.”

“Any idea what?” So it wasn’t just Hajime’s imagination—something had been bothering Nanami.
She had seemed just fine this morning when they’d been spamming each other with jokes in the
group chat. He hoped he hadn’t accidentally sent something that upset her. As if reading his
thoughts, Izuru responded again.

“I do not know the exact reason behind her agitation, but the probability of it being a result of your
doing is low. If anything, I suspect I may be the cause.”

“Why would you be the cause?”

“I am not completely certain. However, I noticed her avoiding direct eye contact with me during
lunch.”

Hajime wasn’t sure what to say to that. Instead, he decided to move onto another subject.

“Have you thought about joining Nanami’s class yet?” Hajime asked. “You probably could if you
wanted.”

“That would not be the wisest idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“I believe the students of Class 77 are not too fond of me.”

Hajime winced, recalling the last time they'd visited Nanami’s classroom, the day Izuru had
freaked out and grabbed Saionji's wrist. While he somewhat understood why he did what he did,
that didn’t mean Nanami's classmates would.

“You got a point… but I’m sure it could be fixed if you tried.” Despite the bad first impression
Izuru left, Hajime didn’t want the raven-haired twin to feel discouraged from joining Nanami’s
class. He knew that the other boy probably didn’t see much point in joining the Main Course class,
but Hajime firmly believed that it would be better for him if he did.

If Izuru were to join Nanami’s class, he would be able to participate in normal classes doing normal
amounts of schoolwork without having to follow whatever insane rules given to him in this
‘special program.' Not only that, but he would be surrounded by other students to socialize with,
rather than being kept isolated in an unknown part of the school. It would be the first step to
separating Izuru from this crappy situation he'd been put in as this school's 'Ultimate Hope' or
whatever they wanted to call it.

“Seems rather pointless.” Izuru shrugged in disinterest.

“Wouldn't it be worth a try? No wait, let me guess,” Hajime cleared his throat, then let both his
expression and his voice fall flat, mimicking Izuru. “It’s all so boring, and everything is so
boooring, and I’m so dark and broody.” He placed the back of his hand against his forehead in an
overdramatic gesture.

Izuru turned his head towards him, giving him the most deadpanned look in all of history. “Was
that supposed to be an impersonation of me?”

“Yes," Hajime smirked. "And I totally nailed it, don't you think? Or would you say it was boring?"

Izuru huffed out his nostrils and didn’t reply, seeming slightly annoyed. Hajime took that as a small
victory for him. The two of them then heard something vibrate. Hajime looked down at his own
pocket—it didn’t come from his phone. Instead, it came from Izuru's. He watched as his twin
pulled out his phone and looked down at the screen before typing something.

“Who’s that?” Hajime asked without thought. He hadn’t meant to be nosy, he was just surprised
that Izuru was texting someone that didn't involve the group chat. Izuru continued typing
something then slid his phone back in his pocket.

“Komaeda.” Izuru answered simply. Hajime was even more surprised by that, wondering what
Izuru and Komaeda could possibly be texting about in private. Either way, he didn’t question it.
They eventually parted ways and Hajime returned to his class.

Mukuro stood nearby as she watched her sister hover over Mitarai. The animator was still sitting at
his desk, working on the animation that would supposedly brainwash whoever watched it and
make them only able to feel hope. Junko wasn’t planning on using it for hope, unbeknownst to the
animator, and once the animation was complete, Junko would rearrange its contents so that
whoever watched the animation was brainwashed into despair instead.

But Mukuro could tell Junko was getting impatient. As her sister stood behind Mitarai, her red
fingernails were tapping the desktop impatiently, eyes narrowed at the screen of the monitor.
Mitarai seemed to sense Junko’s irritation, glancing over his shoulder every now and then with an
uncertain look.

“Hey, um… you know you don’t have to stay here and watch me do this,” Mitarai paused his
drawing, looking at both Mukuro and Junko. “Don’t you two have classes?”

“Who cares about classes?” Junko’s eyes flickered from the monitor screen to Mitarai. “You and I
both have the same goal, remember? Don’t you wanna help spread hope to those around you?”

“O-of course I do, and I really appreciate your help and support, but—I think I’ll be okay finishing
this on my own…”

Junko stared at him for a long while, her expression cold and calculating. Mitarai fidgeted
uncomfortably beneath her gaze, averting his eyes. Mukuro didn’t know what Junko was thinking,
but she could tell her sister wasn’t pleased with how slow things were going, and now the animator
was trying to back out before her plans even began.

Mukuro lifted her hands and cracked her knuckles, shooting the animator a cold, warning look. No
one was going to stop her sister from getting what she wanted, even if it meant using force against
the animator, if that’s what it took. For Mukuro, it would be as easy as snapping a toothpick in half.

But suddenly, Junko’s face lit up into a gleeful expression.

“You know what? I just got the best idea!” Junko reached over Mitarai and grabbed a hold of the
computer mouse. “How about we test this bad boy out now?”

Mitarai’s eyes widened, swiveling around in his chair. “H-huh? But it’s not finished yet—”

“Yeah yeah, I know that, but you still need to test it, right?”

“Well… I guess so, but—”

“Alrighty then! Mukuro, get your ugly ass over here!”

Mukuro blinked then did as told, walking over to Junko. “Yes sis’?”

Junko turned to look at her, something mischievous in her bright blue eyes. With her hand still on
the computer mouse, she clicked the button. Mukuro felt confused for a moment before she noticed
the animation playing on the monitor. Her eyes drifted up to look at the monitor, watching pictures
and colors move. Mukuro never cared much for drawings, animations, or cartoons, but something
about this video playing before her was just so… so…

Mukuro struggled to finish that line of thought as her head started to feel fuzzy. Her eyes remained
trapped on the monitor screen, frozen in place. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to
look away, and slowly her will to look away from it dissolved along with her focus.

Her mind was static, fuzzy, and distorted.

Then suddenly, it all just stopped.

She blinked, the monitor screen having turned black. Mukuro couldn’t tell how long it had lasted
—maybe a second, maybe an hour. She could just barely register the fat tears pouring out of her
eyes and rolling down her cheeks as she collapsed onto the ground, shaking. She heard a worried
gasp come from Mitarai, but she couldn’t look up as her body weighed her down to the floor. Her
head was pounding.

“Yep, it totally worked! But as I expected, it only works for a few measly minutes...” Junko
speculated.

“As I said, it’s not finished. After I finalize some parts of it, the effects should be permanent. But
um… shouldn’t you be worried about your sister? If the effects had been permanent, your sister
would’ve been…”

Mukuro could practically hear Junko rolling her eyes at that. “She’s fine. Mukuro’s a soldier, after
all—she’s practically built for this stuff. Besides, I’m sure she just loves being able to help us out,
right sis’?”

“Of… of course, Junko.” Mukuro was finally able to lift her head, blushing as she looked over at
her sister. Her sister had just praised her, and that made her stomach flutter with joy. She would
gladly be used as a guinea pig if it meant pleasing her sister again.

Junko reached over the animator again and began messing around with the computer.

“H-hey! What are you doing?” Mitarai startled in his seat.

“Just rearranging some things here and there, no biggie.” Junko nonchalantly replied.

“R-rearranging some things? What are you talking about? What are you—"

“You don’t worry your pretty little head about that, Mitarai! Trust me, everything I’m doing is to
help benefit you, so just sit tight.” Junko turned around and walked towards Mukuro, delivering a
swift kick to her side. “Get up, sis’! It’s time for you to do that big job I talked about!”

Mukuro grunted but did as told, standing back up with shaky knees. Her head was still pounding,
but she toughed through it. She was a soldier—she could handle anything. Once she was standing,
Junko leaned forward to whisper to Mukuro.

“Now all I have to do is switch a few layers and rearrange some contents to make this video more
despair-inducing~ It shouldn’t take me long, and while I’m doing that, I want you to lure in
Kamukura.” Junko pointed a finger at Mukuro’s chest. “First we’ll need some bait—someone close
to Kamukura who isn’t Hinata. Do you have any idea who I’m getting at?”

Mukuro knew exactly what to do.

Chiaki was in her dorm room, laying down on her bed as she stared at her phone screen. She had
left class early today—not that she meant to be rude or leave her classmates so suddenly, but… she
just wasn’t in the mood to stay today. Yukizome-san probably wouldn’t mind anyway—Chiaki
rarely left class early or took days off, so one day off shouldn’t be too big of a deal, right?

She tried playing some videogames for a bit to distract herself but found that she couldn’t. Instead,
she somehow ended up laying down on her bed, staring at the contact labeled “Kamukura” on her
phone. After debating back and forth whether or not to text Kamukura-kun, she sat up and quickly
typed on the phone screen before she could change her mind again.

Kamukura

1:45 PM

[1:45 PM]

You: hey Kamukura-kun

A few seconds later, she received a response.

[1:45 PM]

Kamukura: Hello Nanami.

[1:45 PM]

You: I left class early today

[1:45 PM]

Kamukura: I see. Is everything alright?

Chiaki bit her lip, trying to think of a good way to reply. She typed out half of a response before
she deleted it again. She repeated that process several more times before letting out a frustrated
sigh. Why was this so hard? No, a better question would be: what did she even have to say to
Kamukura-kun in the first place?

It was clear to her that the comments her classmates made about Kamukura-kun was bothering her,
and she wanted to talk to him about it. But what was she supposed to say? Hey, my classmates sort
of think you’re a huge jerk, but I know that’s not true, so do you maybe wanna go and talk to them
so that maybe they’ll start liking you more?

Chiaki shook her head at how ridiculous she sounded. Was she even in the right place to feel upset
about this, when Kamukura-kun was the one being talked about so negatively? She hadn’t even
realized three minutes had passed until another message popped up on her screen.

[1:48 PM]

Kamukura: Nanami?

[1:48 PM]

You: sorry, yeah I’m ok

You: could u come over to my dorm? there’s something I wanna talk to u about

[1:48 PM]

Kamukura: Very well. I assume you want me to go there now?

[1:48 PM]

You: now would be gud, if that’s ok with u

You: my room number is 26

[1:48 PM]

Kamukura: Understood. I will be there shortly.

 Chiaki sighed and lowered her phone. She had no clue what she was going to say to Kamukura-
kun, but still, she wanted to try. Maybe she’d have better luck speaking about it with him in person
than through texting.

Looking around at the games and controllers scattered around, she realized she should probably
straighten her room. She slid out of bed and began picking up things, organizing them. Now that
she thought about it, she never invited Kamukura-kun to her dorm room before. The only other
person who’d been invited before was Hinata-kun. But now Kamukura-kun would be the one
coming to her dorm, instead.

As she was straightening her room, she heard a knock on her door.

Oh, that was fast… she thought to herself. It had only been a minute since she invited Kamukura-
kun over. He must be a very fast walker.

Chiaki walked over and opened the door, cellphone in hand. “Hey Kamuku—”

But it wasn’t Kamukura-kun standing in her doorway. Chiaki barely had time to register a cold,
freckled face before a bag was thrown over her head. She gasped in alarm, struggling to get away,
but to no avail. Everything was dark, the bag obscuring her vision. She couldn’t understand what
was happening, only being able to recognize that someone was attacking her.

Her phone clattered and fell to the floor before the room was left empty.

Chapter End Notes

- Just in case anyone is confused, the ‘Mitarai’ in the beginning is Imposter, not the
actual Ryota Mitarai, but Chiaki doesn’t know that (I’m sure you all knew that anyway
but I still feel like I needed to say it)
- Next Update: 2/20/21
 Two Analysts, One Ryota
Chapter Notes

Hey hey, small update! It’s been a bit of a rough week since the area I live in got hit
with a winter storm which knocked out our power for a few days. Consequently, I had
less time to write this chapter and even less time to edit it. If there's grammar issues
here or there, I’ll most likely go back and fix them, and don't be surprised if there's
some huge edits in some of the writing as I may go back and redo some of the words...
and sentences... and paragraphs...

It's been a stressful week, and this is a bit of a long chapter, and my literary skills do
not feel great right now, just a fair warning.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Upon Nanami’s request, Izuru made his way towards the gamer girl’s dorm. He had a few ideas as
to what she wanted to discuss with him in private, but nothing concrete. It left him feeling partly
curious and, strangely enough, uncertain. He had no rhyme or reason for his uncertainty, his
logical brain had convinced him as much.

He arrived at her dorm shortly after his departure. The door was closed, the gamer girl presumably
waiting for him on the other side. Izuru reached out to knock, only for his hand to suddenly stop in
place, inches away from the door. Something was off. Having enhanced senses as well as an
incredibly sharp mind, he noticed when there were irregularities in his environment, and right now,
his mind was telling him that everything was too quiet, too still. One might brush that off as
paranoia, but Izuru wasn’t foolish enough to ignore his intuition.

Now on full alert, Izuru lowered his hand to the doorknob, turning it slowly, and opened the door.

The room was clean, organized. A plethora of videogame consoles was set up near the TV, with a
few plushies and merchandise neatly lined against her desk and bed. The room itself was so very
much ‘Nanami’ except, Nanami herself was missing. There didn’t seem to be a single trace of the
aforementioned girl in sight—no soft pink eyes, or bright warm smile, and even the beeping sounds
of the Nantendo she constantly carried around was no longer present.

Only an empty, Nanami-less room.

Izuru spotted a pink cellphone on the ground, the only thing out of place in the disturbingly
untouched room. Nanami’s cellphone.

Alarm bells immediately went off in Izuru’s head. He picked up the cellphone, the screen lit up to
reveal the most recent messages she and Izuru had been sending each other. Her last message was
sent to Izuru twenty minutes ago, meaning she must have disappeared between that time and now.
His eyes flickered downwards when he noticed something else—on the ground near the doorway,
there was a singular strand of black hair. The puzzle piece clicked in place.

Izuru ignored the increased pounding in his chest and pulled out his own cellphone, sending a
quick text to Komaeda. If his prediction was correct, then Komaeda would be a key component in
executing his next plan of action. Once the message was sent, he quickly set out in search of
Nanami. He had no clues as to where Nanami had been taken, but there was a good chance that
Nanami was still located somewhere on school grounds and an even greater chance that it was
somewhere secret.

Through inductive reasoning as well as his luck, Izuru found himself standing in front of a statue
resembling the founder of Hope’s Peak, the original Kamukura Izuru. Within this statue, there was
a hidden keypad leading to a secret passage beneath it. Izuru had been here many times before and
naturally had known for a long time about the secret passage. He approached the statue and
activated the keypad before slowly it moved, and the entrance was revealed.

With little time for second-guessing, Izuru stepped past the entrance and traversed through the dark
hallway at a brisk pace, the statue slowly closing behind him. There was a chance that he may very
well be walking straight into a trap, but there weren’t many other options. The longer Nanami was
kept within the mercy of Enoshima, the greater the chances are of something detrimental
happening to the gamer.

He could hear the relentless pounding in his chest as he moved through the quiet corridor. This
feeling of unease was becoming more familiar to Izuru, even more so as images of Nanami flashed
through his mind. The logical part of his mind shoved down the troublesome emotion—now was
the time to stay focused.

At the end of the hallway on the left side of the wall was a room with a big red door attached to it.
The word danger repeated in his mind, but he ignored it. Pushing the red door open, he entered the
room.

The room was lit up by dull light, revealing that of a courtroom, or something resembling it. At the
back of the room, he saw a familiar lilac-haired girl tied down to a wooden chair. Nanami
squirmed in her seat, a strip of duct tape strapped across her mouth, around her wrists, ankles, and
mid-section. She hadn’t noticed Izuru walk into the room yet as she seemed to be struggling to
escape her bindings, eyes squeezed shut.

“Nanami,” he called out, approaching her. Nanami’s head shot up, looking over at him with wide,
panicked eyes. Recognition passed through her features and for a moment she was calm, until her
eyes widened in what appeared to be horror, and she began to shake her head vigorously, shouting
something only for her words to be muffled by the duct tape. Izuru stopped in the middle of the
courtroom, hesitating as he became confused by this change in behavior. He realized too late that
Nanami had been trying to warn him.

The dull light in the room suddenly shut off, replaced by a dim, red light. A dozen monitors slowly
lowered down from the ceiling, surrounding Izuru in a circular position. It only took a few seconds
for Izuru to understand what was happening and, acting quickly, he averted his gaze to the ground
a second before the monitors lit up. He could hear a video playing on the monitors, producing a
loud, distorted sound. It echoed throughout the room, filling his ears with static and nonsense. He
didn’t dare look up at the screens, his eyes closed and facing the floor.

Then he heard what sounded like another monitor turning on and a voice was heard.

“Kamukura senpai~! How do you like my little trap? Isn’t it totally awesome?” Enoshima’s
obnoxious voice came blaring through the monitor. He could imagine her smug face and pigtails
mocking him through the screen. “It took me some time to set this up, but it was totally worth it for
you! If you’re lucky, that means you didn’t look at the monitor screens. But if you did look at the
screens, then that means you’re totally brainwashed right now! Sooo are you brainwashed,
Kamukura? Are you, are you?”

Izuru knew she wouldn’t be able to hear his reply as the fashionista was presumably speaking
through a recorded message.

“Well, I’m just gonna assume you are. If you are brainwashed, then in just a moment, you’ll have
no choice but to kill that pretty little gamer girl in front of you. That’s right, you’re gonna kill her
with your bare hands like a savage beast! Do it, Kamukura! Kill her!”

Izuru clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes shut while facing the floor. If he had looked away from
the monitors just a second later, he would’ve failed. If he hadn’t run into the Ultimate Imposter and
found out about the existence of the ‘world-changing animation’ or in other words, the
brainwashing video, he would have lost control of himself and would have been forced to kill
Nanami.

The thought causes a very unsettling feeling to twist in his stomach.

“Buuut if you are not brainwashed—which would be totally lame—then that means you should
still be standing in the middle of the courtroom. You can try moving around if you want, but I gotta
warn you, there’s deadly traps everywhere, like, all around you. One wrong step and—BOOM!
You’ll be splattered all over the floor! Of course, if you really want to avoid stepping into those
traps, all you have to do is open your eyes. Pupupu…”

Enoshima sighed. “And If you choose to do nothing, then you’ll just be stuck there. Meanwhile,
I’ll be out here, continuing my plans for world domination. You’re probably the only person who
can stop me, Kamukura, but it’s too bad that you’re stuck there. And you know, the brainwashing
video isn’t complete, so the effects will only last about five minutes. If you endure it, you’ll be
able to escape and come stop me. I mean your friend will be dead within those five minutes, but
hey, at least you’ll have escaped! So what’s it gonna be, Kamukura? Allow me to brainwash all of
Hope’s Peak, or kill Hinata’s best friend? Aha, how despairing! The anticipation is nearly
unbearable! Anyways, have fun, Kamukura!”

The recording ended. Izuru stood there, eyes remaining closed as he tried to formulate his next
plan. He couldn’t move, else he might step into one of Enoshima’s hidden traps, all of which were
potentially deadly. He couldn’t open his eyes without the risk of looking at the brainwashing
video, which would force him to eradicate Nanami. With those two options out the window, he
was left with little to no room to act, and the longer time went on, the longer Enoshima could be
potentially causing disaster that will result in undesirable consequences.

Izuru was trapped.

Asking his teacher if he could be excused to use the restroom during class usually resulted in a
downright no for Hajime and his reserve course classmates, but today his teacher must be feeling
generous because he begrudgingly allowed it. Unbeknownst to his teacher, Hajime didn’t actually
have to use the restroom, he just wanted to get away from the soul-sucking hellhole that was his
classroom. Being in a reserve course class was like being stuck in a prison cell—dull, grey, and
lifeless, and there was an understanding between the reserve students that they all collectively
agreed with that sentiment.
If Izuru thought his school life was boring and monotonous, he’d outright die from the dullness of
spending just a day in Hajime’s class.

Hajime was halfway to the boy’s restroom when he heard a voice cut through the silence of the
school halls.

“You don’t deserve it.”

He stopped in his tracks, whipping his head towards the direction of the voice. To his right side, he
saw her, the soldier girl, leaning against a nearby wall with her arms crossed and a stoic expression
on her face. At this point, Hajime was starting to feel both annoyed and disturbed with the number
of strange instances he’s had with this girl. It almost felt like she was doing it on purpose, like she
was playing some game with Hajime that he was completely unaware of. After several strange
interactions with her, he still had no clue who this girl was or why she seemed to have such a
personal vendetta against him.

“Excuse me?” Hajime raised a brow at the soldier. The black-haired girl pushed herself off the
wall, approaching him. He stiffened as he watched her come closer but stood his ground, refusing
to cower. She stopped in front of him and stood there, her face cold and intimidating. It almost
reminded Hajime of the look he was so accustomed to seeing on Izuru’s face, except Izuru’s felt
more impersonal and involuntary, while hers felt more hostile, directed straight towards Hajime.

“Hinata Hajime,” she addressed, voice devoid of emotion. “You have no idea how much trouble
you’ve caused. The eyes you’ve drawn, the commotion you’ve stirred… you’re oblivious to it all.”

“Do you have a problem with me?” Hajime wasn’t in the mood to be speaking in riddles, and as far
as he’s concerned, he’s under no obligation to listen to this girl ramble on about nonsense—he gets
enough of that from Komaeda.

“I just don’t get what she sees in you,” Purple eyes narrowed at him, searching for something. “I
don’t get why she’s so obsessed with your brother, or why Kamukura bothers protecting you.”

Hajime blinked, startled at the mention of his brother. Someone was obsessed with Izuru… Izuru
was protecting him… What does that mean? He felt something itch beneath his skin, questions that
he’s been dying to know answers to. He opened his mouth to speak, only to shut it again, biting his
tongue as he took a moment to actually examine the person in front of him.

Izuru had never mentioned this girl before—in fact, the only time Izuru had mentioned her was
very briefly at the Sports Festival, and that was only because he was pointing out who would win
the Three-Legged Race. As far as Hajime knew, this girl was a complete stranger, and yet she had
approached Hajime acting as if she was familiar with Izuru. One other girl had done that exact
same thing on the day of the Sports Festival, approaching him with the mention of his brother. If
he remembered correctly, she was blonde, and had two big pigtails, and… what was her name
again?

Hajime carefully decided to ask, “You said ‘she’ is obsessed with my brother… who exactly are
you referring to?”

“My sister,” The soldier frowned. “Ever since you and your brother showed up, you two are the
only things she seems to care about.”

Her sister… Could her sister possibly be that same girl from the Sports Festival with the pigtails?
Wait, now that he thought about it, he’s seen that pigtail-girl multiple times. At the racetrack, he’d
seen her speaking briefly with Izuru before she disappeared. Then during the hallway incident
when he got into a fight with that neurologist, he’d seen her standing next to him. And hadn’t the
soldier been standing next to pigtail-girl during the hallway incident too?

In hindsight, he probably should’ve noticed these occurrences a long time ago, but the fact remains:
this was strange, too strange to be simple coincidences. There was something not right about these
two girls and Hajime was beginning to suspect that they weren’t friends of Izuru at all. He felt like
he was treading through dangerous territory right now, and if this girl were truly the Ultimate
Soldier, that only made this situation a lot riskier.

If he were smart, his best bet would be to leave right now before he did something stupid.

But on the other hand… this girl seemed to know something about what was going on, something
related to Izuru and apparently Hajime as well. Whether she was friends with Izuru or enemies, she
had information. Izuru was obviously keeping secrets from him, and Hajime doubted he’d be able
to get his twin to spill them. This could be his only opportunity at getting information, at putting
together the incredibly complex puzzle that was Izuru, and Hope’s Peak, and whatever dark secrets
were hidden within this school.

Hajime was tired of not knowing what was going on.

“What does your sister want from my brother,” Hajime asked sternly. “and what does it have to do
with me?”

The soldier’s expression was hard, unmoving, and for a second, Hajime thought he may have said
the wrong thing and at any moment, the soldier was going to reach out and snap him in half.
Instead, she only sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Eventually, she will realize how unimportant the both
of you are. I have a devotion to my sister, one that you couldn’t possibly begin to understand.
Someone like you wouldn’t know anything about true love or loyalty.”

The way the soldier was speaking almost made it sound as if the relationships between their
siblings were a contest of sorts, which was really bizarre in itself, and also a sign that maybe
Hajime should evacuate the premises now.

“Look, I’m not too sure what you’re getting at here, but I really need to start heading back to
class...” Hajime took a few steps back, gesturing towards the end of the hall where his classroom
was located. In response, the soldier took a few steps closer until she was only inches away, face-
to-face with him. Her gaze was intense, a cold fire seeming to burn behind those purple eyes.
Hajime leaned slightly backward, resisting the urge to back away further.

“You will not surpass me, Hinata,” The soldier declared. “I’ll prove to Junko that our bond is
greater than yours, one way or another.”

Hajime watched the soldier disappear down the other end of the hallway.

Maybe he should skip class today.

Chiaki was scared. No, scared wasn’t the right word—she was completely terrified.

One moment, she had been sitting in her dorm, waiting for her friend to show up, and then the next
moment, this girl had shown up and had taken her away. It had taken her a moment for her brain to
come to terms with the fact that she had been kidnapped and left in this unknown place, tied to a
chair with no idea where she was.

She remembered hearing her kidnapper talking to someone else while she still had the bag over her
head. It sounded like two girls, but neither of them had sounded recognizable. She vaguely recalled
hearing the words ‘trap’ and ‘bait’ and ‘Kamukura’ and ‘despair.’ It left her feeling confused and
worried, with no understanding of what was happening other than the fact that she had been
kidnapped and that someone might be trying to hurt Kamukura-kun.

Soon after the kidnappers had left, she writhed and struggled as hard as she could in her seat. She
managed to shake the bag off her head, finally getting to see where she had been taken. Looking
around, she appeared to be in a—courtroom, maybe? There wasn’t much light in the room, not
allowing her to see much other than the podiums, red carpet, and the large red door across from
her.

With nothing else to do, she continued to struggle in her bindings, hoping that by some miracle
she’d be able to escape or that someone would come to save her. The first person to pop up in her
head was Kamukura-kun. Chiaki had invited him over a minute before she’d been kidnapped, so
surely, he’d be the first person to notice. But a part of her worried that he hadn’t shown up and
noticed her missing, that maybe he had changed his mind about visiting her dorm, that he had
forgotten about her completely, that she would be stuck in this dark room forever. It was irrational,
she knows, but she couldn’t help it—she couldn’t help the fear settling into the back of her mind.

Is this how Princess Peach felt whenever Bowser took her away? Or any of the other female
characters who’d been taken away by a bad guy waiting for the protagonist to save them? Chiaki
couldn’t say she was very happy playing the role of 'damsel in distress', but it wasn’t like she had
much of a choice…

“Nanami,” she had heard a voice call out to her and immediately stopped struggling. When she
looked across the room, she saw Kamukura-kun standing there. A mixture of joy and relief had
flooded her system—he hadn’t forgotten about her after all.

But that relief was replaced by fear as realization finally sunk in.

Trap… Bait… Kamukura… Despair…

Kamukura-kun was walking into a trap, and Chiaki was the bait.

The next moment, the lights in the room had turned red, and an awful sound filled the air. Chiaki
wasn’t able to see Kamukura-kun anymore, her view blocked by the back of what appeared to be
monitors. She vaguely registered a voice coming from one of the monitors, but the distorted noise
from the other monitors was so loud, she couldn’t make out what the voice was saying.

She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and attempting to curl in on herself as much as she could.

Everything was so red, and loud, and Chiaki just wanted to leave, leave, leave, leave—

“Nanami, stay calm,” Kamukura-kun’s calm voice broke out through the distortion, grounding her.
“Do not panic. We are going to get out of this, but I’ll need you to listen to me carefully and follow
my instructions. Understood?”

Chiaki let out a muffled affirmation, and somehow, she knew the raven-haired boy had heard her
clearly through the loud noise.

“There are monitors everywhere,” he explained. “It is dangerous to look at them. Right now, my
eyes are closed. I would come to you, but the room is trapped, and if I navigate blindly, I will risk
activating one of those traps. So instead, I will guide you through escaping your bindings. Do you
understand?”

Chiaki nodded her head, letting out another muffled affirmation. She wasn’t sure how Kamukura-
kun was going to help her escape her bindings, but she trusted him.

“Good. First, lick the duct tape across your mouth until it falls off. Your saliva should make it less
durable.” Kamukura-kun instructed. Chiaki hadn’t thought about that, too busy panicking while
trying to break out the chair. She built up as much saliva as she could and stuck out her tongue,
licking ferociously at the duct tape across her mouth. It wasn’t long before the tape started to
loosen, slowly but surely unsticking from her mouth.

Soon enough, the piece of tape fell from her mouth and Chiaki felt like she could breathe just a
little better.

“I-It worked!” Chiaki grinned joyfully. “Kamukura-kun, it worked!”

“Good,” Kamukura-kun responded. “Now flex your muscles and try to wiggle out of your
bondages.”

“O-okay. It’s really tight, but I think I loosened it up a bit.” Chiaki had been wriggling ever since
she’d been tied to this chair, and the duct tape was starting to feel a bit looser than it did before.
But it was still incredibly tight, her wrists and ankles feeling very sore. She squirmed more in her
seat, trying to slip out of the duct tape. But it was no use, whoever had secured her had done it well
enough to make it not so easy to slip out off.

After five minutes, she huffed in frustration, attempting to force the duct tape off as she tried to
kick and jolt, rocking herself in her chair. This would probably be easier if she were stronger like
Owari-san or Nidai-kun were. Maybe if she were smarter like Kamukura-kun or warier like Hinata-
kun, she wouldn’t have let herself get kidnapped so easily in the first place. But no, now wasn’t the
time to be beating herself up about that. She was so close to escaping, she just had to- if she could-
just-

Chiaki jerked forward a bit too forcefully and suddenly lost balance, causing the chair to fall over.
She hit the ground with a grunt, hearing something small and metal fall and clatter beside her head.

“Are you okay?” Kamukura-kun called out from the center of the room. Chiaki had nearly
forgotten he was still there, waiting patiently as the monitors continued blaring in his ears. She
panted against the floor, having maybe overexerted herself a bit.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I fell.” She looked over to the spot near her head and noticed her hairpin had
fallen out, the little Gala Omega ship reflecting light from the room. “Oh, my hairpin fell out.”

“The Gala Omega Hairpin...” Kamukura-kun mused as if he remembered it perfectly. “Try to use
that to cut through your bindings.”

“T-the hairpin?” Chiaki gawked, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

“It is made of metal. You may be able to cut through the bindings on your wrist with it.”

Chiaki supposed it didn’t seem entirely impossible. She had seen crazy things like that happen on
videogames and even in movies like ‘Mission: Impossible.' But as mentioned before, she trusted
Kamukura-kun, and if he said it was possible, then what other reason did she need to try it?
Chiaki slowly scooted the chair around, positioning herself so that her back was facing the hairpin.
It took a while, but after some scooting and repositioning, she managed to get her tied hands to
reach the hairpin. Carefully, she focused on using the sharp end to cut through the duct tape on her
wrists, keeping her pace steady.

The process was slow, and she wasn’t sure if it was working until she started to hear a soft tear
behind her. She gasped, stopping for a moment before newfound confidence overtook her. She kept
a steady pace, careful not to drop the hairpin. The tear started to grow as she cut at the tape, ripping
it until it was loose enough to feel her wrists coming apart.

With one strong tug, she broke her wrists free from the tape.

“Yes! I did it, Kamukura-kun! I’m free!” Chiaki was practically bouncing in her seat, feeling a rush
of adrenaline course through her. With her hands free, she quickly untied the rest of herself, ripping
off the tape from her ankles and mid-section. “I’m coming over to you Kamukura-kun—”

“No,” Kamukura-kun’s voice was calm but firm. “Do not come to me. I am surrounded by traps,
remember? You may set one of them off.”

“Oh, right…” Chiaki felt dumb, having nearly forgot about that, but her embarrassment was
quickly replaced by worry. “Then how do I get you out of there?”

“You can’t. Right now, you need to escape.”

“But—there’s no way I can leave you here!”

“I will be alright,” Kamukura-kun’s voice was soft, reassuring. “If you escape now, you can bring
back help. Close your eyes and follow along the wall from where you’re standing. Keep going until
you reach the door.”

Chiaki was hesitant, feeling conflicted. She really didn’t want to leave Kamukura-kun here alone,
but she knew this was the best option, and she wouldn’t be gone long before she returned with
help. “Okay Kamukura-kun, I’ll go get help, and I promise I’ll be as fast as possible.” She was
fairly certain Kamukura-kun didn’t need the reassurance, but she gave it anyway.

Chiaki placed her hands on the back wall then closed her eyes, sidestepping along the wall. If she
followed the wall, it shouldn’t be long before she made it to the big door that led out of this room.
She kept her eyes closed as Kamukura-kun instructed, not daring to open them for even a second.

She was certain that the exit was near until suddenly, everything went silent—the monitors shut
down instantly, silencing the noise that had been blaring constantly throughout the room. Chiaki
opened her eyes after realizing that the power had been shut off, seeing nothing but pitch black.
The room was completely silent and dark.

“Kamukura-kun?!” Chiaki called out in a panic. She whipped her head around, trying to make out
where she was or where Kamukura-kun was, but to no avail. She felt two hands fall onto her waist
behind her and gasped, jumping.

“It’s me,” Kamukura-kun spoke calmly. Chiaki relaxed, turning around to see Kamukura-kun
standing there. The room was still dark, but she could see two red eyes glowing in the darkness.
Literally, they were glowing.

“Kamukura-kun…? Your eyes, they’re glowing!” she exclaimed, surprised.

“Yes. I am bioluminescent which allows me to see through the dark.” he explained. Chiaki
couldn’t help but stare at them in awe. Kamukura-kun was always filled with so many surprises, it
amazed her. Chiaki held Kamukura-kun’s hand as he led her through the darkness, avoiding the
traps. She found herself continuously distracted by the feel of his hand around hers. His hand felt
soft and lean, and no matter what, she didn’t want to let go.

Eventually, they reached the big door and pushed it open, escaping the room. Once out of the
room, they quickly left the strange area—which she now realized was some sort of secret
underground facility beneath the school statue—and escaped back to the surface. Chiaki was still
holding his hand.

“Why did the power go off?” Chiaki questioned. It seemed strange and also awfully convenient for
them.

“I sent Komaeda a text stating that if I do not respond to him in half an hour, to shut off the
school’s main power system.” Kamukura-kun explained. Chiaki wasn’t sure how to feel about that,
shifting where she stood.

“Kamukura-kun… what’s going on?” She looked at him, confused. Kamukura-kun turned his head
to face her, red eyes assessing.

“I will explain it to you later. For now, there's something I need to take care of. Go find Hajime.”
Kamukura-kun said. She wasn’t exactly satisfied with that answer but there wasn't much room for
arguing right now, so instead, she nodded.

“Okay, just... please be careful.” She looked down at Kamukura-kun’s hand that was still
connected to hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before finally letting go. Kamukura-kun looked
down at his own hand then back to her with something soft in his gaze. "I will." he said before
turning around and leaving. Chiaki watched him leave, reminiscing for a moment about the feel of
his hand and the soft look in his gaze, before blushing madly, snapping herself out of it and running
off to find Hinata-kun.

Ryota didn’t understand what went wrong. He only wanted to make an animation that would
inspire hope in people. How did he get caught up in all of this?

“Come on, just hurry up and finish it!” Enoshima goaded, poking at his back as he followed him
around the school campus. “I need the finished product pronto! Come on, do it, do it!”

“L-leave me alone!” Ryota desperately tried to get away from her. He had a suspicion that this girl
was crazy from the start, but the fact that she was following him around trying to force him to
complete his project was absurd.

What did she need it so badly for, anyway? Were her intentions really as good-willed as his were,
or was she trying to pull something else…? Ryota has dealt with enough bullies in his life to know
when he was being manipulated, toyed with. He didn’t want to believe it when he first met
Enoshima—he wanted to believe that he had met someone who wanted to help the world as much
as he did.

But he was starting to believe that he’d been wrong…

Enoshima suddenly stood in front of him, stopping him from going any further with hands on her
hips. “Listen here, nerd, I’ve been helping you work on this stupid project for ages now, and I’ve
been nothing but patient, haven’t I? I need you to help me, help you! And if you can’t do that, then
maybe I’ll just have to show your classmates this secret project you’ve been working on for so
long, how does that sound?”

Ryota swallowed thickly. “What are you saying? You’re gonna show the animation to… m-my
classmates?”

“Yup, that’s the plan! Or at least, my version of it…” Enoshima grinned, pulling out her phone and
waving it in front of him. Ryota felt confused.

“Your version…?” His eyes widened. “W-what did you do?”

“Just made some little tweaks, that’s all! Now cooperate unless you want your class to be filled
with despair!”

Despair?! Was she being serious? His animation wasn’t supposed to be for spreading despair. It
was meant to spread hope, to inspire goodness in the world.

Despair was the exact opposite of that!

“Y-you can’t… you can’t do that!” Ryota’s breathing began to pick up, becoming unsteady.

“If you don’t want your friends to fall into despair, then finish the animation, Mitarai.” Enoshima’s
eyes were dark, making Ryota feel so small beneath her gaze. Then suddenly, he caught sight of
someone else rounding the corner of the walkway. A boy with long black hair and red eyes stepped
into view.

“Do not use that animation,” The boy’s voice sounded emotionless much like his face. Red eyes
were directed at Ryota, locking onto him and sending a chill up his spine. Enoshima gasped
exaggeratingly and stood behind Ryota, gripping his shoulders.

“Be careful, Mitarai, don’t you know who that is?" She whispered in his ear. "That’s Kamukura
Izuru. Haven’t you heard the rumors about him? He's the biggest bully in this school!”

“I-I don’t…” Ryota was even more confused now, his eyes flickering between the tall boy across
from him and the blonde girl standing behind him.

“He wants to stop you from spreading hope. He's gonna wreck all your hard work! Quick, Mitarai,
brainwash him before it's too late!” Enoshima urged, shoving Ryota’s phone in his hand. Ryota’s
hands were shaky, holding his phone that held his own copy of his animation. If he played the
video from his phone and showed it to the boy in front of him, he would be brainwashed, but…

“Do not trust her,” Kamukura said, taking a few steps closer to him. “She only wants to use your
animation to spread despair across the world.”

“He’s lying, Mitarai. He’s the one who wants to spread despair, I only want to help you spread
hope. Don’t you remember everything I’ve done for you? Are you really gonna trust him over
me?” Enoshima whispered more into his ear, pressing herself against Ryota’s back as she invading
his space. Ryota's mouth felt dry, his face paling and body quivering.

“Trusting Enoshima is a foolish decision,” Kamukura stood directly in front of him now,
practically pressing himself against Ryota’s front side. “She just admitted that she was going to
spread despair to your classmates. Do you truly believe she's interested in helping you spread
hope?”
 “I-I…” Ryota's eyes were impossibly widened, suffocating beneath the powerful presence that was
Enoshima and Kamukura, trapped between them both figuratively and literally.

“Use it!”

“Don’t use it.”

The two of them were arguing now, eyes glaring into each other while Ryota was practically
sandwiched between them. Ryota found himself feeling incredibly overwhelmed and on the verge
of a full-blown panic attack. He couldn’t decide who to trust, who not to trust—the both of them
were persuasive and yet absolutely terrifying! Ryota didn’t know how to face this, couldn’t decide
what to do.

So he did the only thing he knew how to do.

He screamed and ran.

Chapter End Notes

- I searched “can you cut duct tape with a metal hairpin” and didn’t get an answer but a
very reliable source told me that it was possible (*cough* my brother *cough*)
- Hajime is finally starting to piece things together, about time
- I couldn't think of a better title for this chapter other than “Two Analysts, One Ryota”
in relation to the last scene. It wasn’t originally supposed to be a ‘suggestive’ scene
buuut whoops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Next Update: 2/27/21
 Don't Run Away
Chapter Notes

I’m a whole day late. There goes my update streak :’) But hey, 18 chapters is the
longest I’ve ever consistently updated a fic, so I’m proud of myself! Sorry for the
lateness of this chapter. Next chapter is still scheduled to release next Saturday

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Hajime decided to skip class after all. It was nearly the end of the day anyway, and it wasn’t like
he’d be able to pay attention to the lesson being taught in class, not after that off-putting encounter
he had with the soldier girl earlier. He hadn’t even caught the girl’s name, all he knew was that
somehow, someway she was associated with his twin, the same twin who had apparently been
keeping secrets from him.

Honestly, he couldn’t say he was surprised. Izuru has always been reserved and mysterious, only
allowing Hajime to know small bits of his life within the walls of Hope’s Peak. It’s not like Izuru
was obligated to tell Hajime everything going on in his life, so in a way, Hajime understood. But at
the same time, it still stung knowing that his brother didn’t trust him enough to consult him. Not to
mention, if he was in danger, wouldn’t it be better for Hajime to know about it? How else is he
supposed to have his brother’s back if Izuru won’t be honest with him?

Hajime stopped on the pathway somewhere near the main gates, taking in a breath. He really didn’t
feel like going back to his dorm, not with all these thoughts stirring restlessly in his mind. He
looked up at the blue sky, contemplating.

Izuru… what are you hiding?

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard hasty footsteps draw near. He turned his head, only to
see his lilac-haired gamer friend running towards him with a troubled look on her face. Nanami
slowed to a stop in front of him, planting her hands on her knees and panting heavily as if she just
ran a marathon.

“Nanami?” Hajime called out, confused. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in class—”

“Hinata-kun, I need your help!” She interrupted, lifting her head to meet his gaze with wide eyes.
“It’s your brother—he’s in trouble!”

A flicker of surprise passed through him before he tensed, alerted. “What happened? Is he hurt?”

Nanami inhaled deeply before explaining in a rush. “I left class early today and was cleaning up
my dorm room when all of a sudden, a stranger had shown up and kidnapped me, and they took me
to this secret room and left me tied up to a chair, then Kamukura-kun showed up to save me but it
turns out it was a trap, then we both got trapped in the room, and eventually we got out, then he
told me to come find you, and now we have to go find him because I’m pretty sure there’s some
people here who wants to hurt him!”

The gears in Hajime’s brain halted, struggling to process the information the shorter girl just
dumped on him. His first thought was that this must be some kind of joke Nanami was pulling on
him, but judging by the desperate look on her face, pink eyes wide and pleading, Hajime knew she
was telling the truth. Several emotions passed through him then—alarm, confusion, worry, some
other things Hajime couldn’t quite place at this moment—but he shoved all that down so that he
could focus on the problem at hand.

His mind went back to the word kidnapped and it was only then that it actually sunk in. Hajime
didn’t want to believe that some crazy person had kidnapped his best friend and what could have
transpired had Izuru not shown up to save her. He could only imagine how terrified Nanami felt,
and that thought was enough to make Hajime’s blood boil, but now wasn’t the time to be angry.

“You were kidnapped. Nanami, that’s… that’s awful. Are you okay?” Hajime asked worriedly.

Nanami shook her head. “I’m fine, forget about me. The trap was set for Kamukura-kun, which
means someone here is trying to hurt him. We have to find—”

Nanami was interrupted by the sound of a high-pitched scream piercing the air. The two of them
simultaneously turned their head to see a scrawny-looking boy with a scarf around his neck
sprinting down the walkway, eyes wide in terror as he screamed. Hajime hadn’t a clue who he was
or what he was running from, but from what he could tell, the boy was panicking and was looking
like he was about to do something stupid. Hajime and Nanami shared a look, seeming to have the
same idea, before following the screaming boy.

Ryota couldn’t take it anymore.

The constant fear, the hiding, those two scary girls, that freaky red-eyed boy—Ryota swore that
red-eyed guy was so creepy and robotic, he was like the Terminator or something. It was all too
much.

He needed to finish this animation now.

He ran down the walkway and rushed into the school building, quickly reaching his dorm room.
He slammed the door shut behind him, not bothering to lock, and scrambled to get to his desk. He
picked up the drawing stylus with shaky hands and aimed it at the tablet connected to the monitor.

Just a few more edits and his animation would be complete. Then he would broadcast it to the
whole school, have every student watch it so that no one would have to experience despair ever
again.

He’ll save everyone, even if it means forcing them to accept hope.

He was just adding the finishing touches when suddenly, a knock sounded on his door. He let out a
small ‘eep!’ and jumped in his seat.

“Hello?” An unrecognizable voice called out from the other side of the door. “Um, my friend and I
saw you screaming and running across campus, and we were just wondering if you were okay…”

Ryota relaxed a little once he realized it wasn’t Enoshima at his door, but his nerves were still very
much frayed. “Yes, I-I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

Everything was not fine, but he didn’t trust this stranger enough to let him know that.
“You didn’t look very fine,” Another voice came from the other side of the door, a girl’s. “you
looked like you needed help. Can we come in?”

Ryota’s gut instinct was to yell “no, don’t come in!” but when he opened his mouth, nothing came
out. His anxious mind was screaming at him, telling him that he needed to tell these people to go
away, that he needed to finish his animation and broadcast it before it was too late. But he was
hesitating, as if he weren’t actually sure what he was doing was the right thing to do. But of course
it was! If it was for the sake of hope, then this had to be the right thing to do… right?

At the lack of response, the boy on the other side spoke again. “We’re coming in,” he said shortly
before the doorknob turned. Ryota didn’t have time to protest before the door opened, revealing
two figures standing in his doorway. One of them was a taller boy with short brown, spiky hair and
green eyes, while the other was a shorter girl with pink hair and pink eyes. Ryota hadn’t met either
of them before, and not knowing how else to react to the two potentially dangerous strangers
standing in his doorway, he shrieked.

“Whoa, whoa, easy!” The boy raised his palms in a non-threatening gesture. “It’s alright, we’re not
here to hurt you.”

Ryota stopped shrieking but his heart was still beating rapidly in his chest. “W-who are you?”

“I’m Hinata Hajime, from the Reserve Course Department.”

“And I’m Nanami Chiaki, from Class 77…”

“Class 77…?” Ryota squinted his eyes at the girl. That was Ryota’s class—or at least, the class he
was supposed to be in but never actually showed up to—which meant this girl, Nanami, was
actually his classmate.

“We really don’t mean to cause any trouble. It’s just, we saw you running and we were worried.”
Nanami looked at him with a friendly smile. “What’s your name?”

“Um… I’m Mitarai Ryota, the Ultimate Animator.”

“Huh?” Nanami blinked. “That’s weird. There’s another student in my class with that name and
title. But… I’m pretty sure you’re not him.”

“Right… it’s actually a funny story.” Ryota rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how he was gonna
explain his friendship with the Ultimate Imposter and how he basically agreed to cover for Ryota
while he worked on his animation. But before he could explain, another figure entered the room so
quietly that Ryota almost hadn’t noticed. He looked over Hinata’s shoulder to see the creepy boy
from earlier with the scary, robotic expression, red eyes staring at him like they were locked on
target.

“It’s him!” Ryota backed away in his seat, pointing at the red-eyed cyborg. “It’s the Terminator!”

“Terminator?” Hinata looked over his shoulder to glance at the red-eyed boy before looking back
at Ryota. “Um, no, that’s just my brother.”

“When did you get here, Kamukura-kun?” Nanami asked.

“Just now,” The cyborg—no, ‘Kamukura’ said flatly before moving further into the room,
allowing someone else to enter. “I brought someone.”

Ryota was confused as he watched someone else enter the room (just how many more people are
coming to invade his room?) until he saw the person standing in his doorway was none other than
his friend, the Ultimate Imposter. He was still disguised as Ryota from head to toe.

“Mitarai,” Imposter looked at him worriedly. “Kamukura told me what was going on and I’m here
to tell you, don’t broadcast that video.”

Ryota tensed in his seat, visibly trembling. “B-but… I have to. I have to broadcast it o-or else
Enoshima will…”

“You told me you were working on this project because it was your passion, because you wanted
to make the world a better place. But if you’re doing this because someone is bullying you into it
and you’re planning to use it for harm, you shouldn’t do it.”

Ryota shrunk in his seat and lowered his head. His friend was right, he knows he is, but still, they
couldn’t understand. They didn’t get it. Did they have any clue what it was like to be constantly
bullied for pursuing their passions? Anime is an important part of their culture and has always been
something Ryota held dear to him, and yet he’d always been bullied and harassed for it. He was
just so sick and tired of people being mistreated by bullies like Enoshima.

Hinata sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but your
friend is right. If someone is trying to force you to do something that you know is wrong, you
shouldn’t do it.”

“You don’t understand!” Ryota snapped, on the verge of tears. “You don’t know what it’s like to
be constantly picked on for something you can’t control!”

Hinata’s lips twist into a bitter smile, something sad and understanding in his eyes. “Actually, I do.
It sucks. A lot.”

Ryota fell silent at that, suddenly feeling guilty. He hadn’t meant to say that, and he knew it wasn’t
fair for him to assume the other boy had never been bullied before.

“And as someone who does understand,” Hinata continued. “I know that by doing this, you’re just
giving the person bullying you more power over you. By doing what they want you to do, you’re
giving them more control.”

“But if I don’t do this, they might do something worse. I-I just… I just want it to stop. I’m scared,
Hinata.”

“The only way to truly end this is to face your fears.”

Ryota lowered his head in shame, fresh tears spilling out as he shook in his seat. “I can’t. I’m a
coward. I don’t know how to face my fears. I only know how to run away from them. I don’t know
how to deal with all the bad things that happen to me. I just—I just want to erase all the bad in the
world and spread hope so no one else has to suffer.”

It’s what Ryota has been doing all his life—running away from his bullies, from his problems,
from the world itself. He’s gotten so used to being alone that he didn’t even bother trying to
participate in his own class or meet any of his classmates other than the Imposter. He didn’t bother
trying to make new friends or experience new things. He’s wasted so much time cooped up in this
room working on this damn project and now he’s so close to finishing it, finally ridding this world
of all terrible things that make people feel hopeless, but… but he…

Ryota’s eyes were still squeezed shut when he heard footsteps coming closer and felt a gentle hand
land on his shoulder. He reopened his eyes to see Hinata standing in front of him, gazing down at
him with a soft, kind expression.

“Don’t run away anymore. You have a friend here who really cares about you and is willing to
stand beside you, and I’m sure more people would care about you if you give them a chance.
Wouldn’t you say that sounds more hopeful than whatever you’re doing right now?”

Ryota’s eyes widened, staring at the person before him with his mouth agape. He thought about his
words, considering them. Finally, he took a deep breath and bit his lip, nodding in agreement.
Kamukura took a few steps closer, staring at the monitor before slowly pulling his arm back and
delivering a swift punch to the monitor, breaking it.

“H-hey!” Ryota weakly protested.

“It’s probably for the best.” Imposter said sympathetically, putting his hand on Ryota’s other
shoulder.

“So, smaller Mitarai-kun,” Nanami spoke up. “how do you feel about joining Class 77?”

Ryota looked at the girl and smiled tentatively, nodding. Maybe making new friends wouldn’t be
so hard after all.

Izuru reviewed everything that happened today. After reevaluation, he concluded that Enoshima
had planned to use Izuru to murder Nanami. There are several reasons why she chose Nanami: not
only was Nanami the class representative of Class 77, but she was also Hajime’s closest friend.
Ideally, by having Izuru murder Nanami with his own hands, she would succeed in both bringing
Class 77 into despair as well as his brother after leaving Hajime with the realization that his own
brother had killed his best friend.

In summary, it was an elaborate scheme to cause despair to Izuru by permanently putting a rift
between him and Hajime while simultaneously turning Class 77, and possibly the entire school,
against him.

Fortunately, her plan failed. Izuru’s run-in with the Ultimate Imposter is what led to Izuru being
informed about the animator and his brainwashing video. With this information in mind, Izuru was
able to predict Enoshima getting her hands on the brainwashing video and attempting to use it
against him. This prediction is exactly why Izuru decided to contact Komaeda, sending the lucky
student a message telling him to shut off the main power. It would seem exchanging phone
numbers with Komaeda had proved useful, as the lucky student did exactly what Izuru told him
without question.

Once he escaped the secret room, he immediately sought out the Ultimate Animator only to find
him with Enoshima. Izuru attempted to dissuade the animator from taking Enoshima’s side shortly
before the animator ran off. While the animator ran, Izuru snatched Enoshima’s phone, erasing any
and all traces of the brainwashing video before promptly destroying her phone, much to her
displeasure—“hey, no fair! So lame!” Enoshima had whined.

After that, Izuru moved onto the final step of his plan: he visited the Ultimate Imposter and
brought him to the animator’s room where, fortunately enough, Hajime and Nanami had gathered.
Both Hajime and the Imposter were able to persuade the animator into giving up his pursuits in
brainwashing Hope’s Peak, allowing Izuru to successfully destroy the brainwashing video before it
could be broadcasted.

In conclusion: Izuru successfully foiled Enoshima’s plan. One may say that in this scenario, hope
had triumphed over despair. Ironically, Izuru never truly considered himself on the side of hope or
despair. Hope had initially bored him, and despair hadn’t been something he considered before
Enoshima’s arrival. He liked to consider himself a neutral party, not caring whether the world was
led by hope or despair.

But now that he was associated with Hajime and his friends whom he was sure were more in favor
of hope, then he supposed he was on hope’s side if only because he felt more inclined to their
wishes than anyone else’s.

Izuru returned to the main gates alongside Hajime, Nanami, the Imposter, and the animator.

“Hey, Kamukura, was it?” Imposter approached Izuru, a friendly smile adorning their face. “Thank
you, for everything. Because of your help, Mitarai found the courage he needed to stop hiding
away. He’s even decided to finally join our class.”

Izuru hadn’t exactly done what he did for the animator’s benefit, but he wasn’t about to correct the
imposter, so instead, he just nodded.

“To be honest, my class doesn’t have very good impressions of you. But after what you did today,
you’ve earned both my respect and my support. If it ever comes down to it, I’ll vouch for you in
the future.” Imposter smiled, and with that, they left off with the animator. Immediately after those
two left, Komaeda came strolling through the gate.

“Hey guys!” Komaeda smiled and waved. “I just got expelled, haha!”

“You got expelled from school?” Hajime repeated, surprised.

“Only for a few days. I don’t think the school took too kindly to me shutting off the main power.
Oh well, what can you do?” Komaeda shrugged.

Nanami yawned. “I’m so tired, I wouldn’t mind being expelled for a few days…”

Komaeda and Nanami fell into a one-sided conversation with Komaeda rambling and Nanami
mostly dozing off while standing up. Izuru felt a tap on his shoulder and turned his head to see his
twin looking at him expectantly.

“Izuru, can we talk for a moment, in private?” By the tone of Hajime’s voice, Izuru suspects that
he won’t be able to escape this conversation. With a begrudging nod, Izuru followed him inside the
school building.

For some reason, Izuru decided that the school rooftop would be a good place to hold their private
conversation. At this point, Hajime didn’t really care which location they decided—what was more
important was the discussion itself. Hajime stood on the rooftop, gazing out at the view below. The
sun was setting in the sky, casting the world around them in an orangish glow. There was a soft
breeze brushing against Hajime’s skin and blowing his hair. The whole scene felt momentous,
almost dramatic in a way, but it was a nice view, admittedly.
Beside him, Izuru stood silently, raven hair blowing majestically in the wind as he gazed out at the
view. Hajime could only wonder what was going through the twin’s mind right now, whether he
foresaw this confrontation happening and what he was expecting Hajime to say. Hajime had quite a
bit to say to him that he wasn’t sure where to start. Eventually, he decided to start things off lightly.

“Today was certainly something, wasn’t it?” Hajime began, scratching his cheek. “To be honest,
I’m still trying to unpack it all. I don’t fully understand everything that happened today other than
the fact that Nanami was kidnapped, and that animator guy was planning to do something bad
because he was scared of something. And of course, you had something to do with both of these
things, and while I don’t understand the whole story, I’m pretty sure I figured out who was
responsible for all this…”

Hajime leaned his arms against the railing, turning his head to face Izuru.

“So, those two girls, the one with the pigtails and the soldier… What do you know about them?
They must be trouble.”

“…” Izuru looked back at Hajime with a blank expression, pretending not to know what Hajime
was talking about. Hajime threw the twin an unimpressed look.

“Come on, I’m not dumb. Those girls have never been interested in me, some random reserve
student, and now all of a sudden when you come around, they approach me multiple times.
Whatever’s going on with those girls, I know you’re involved, and I know you’ve been hiding
things from me.”

Izuru turned his head away, expression unreadable. Hajime tried to search for any hints or
indications on his brother’s face to guess what he was thinking but found that all signs had been
carefully hidden. Hajime sighed heavily, closing his eyes. He had to get through to the stubborn
twin else he may never get another chance to understand what the hell was going on.

“Look, I know you probably just want to protect me—I get it. But I’m telling you, whatever secrets
you’re hiding from me, I can take it.” Hajime thought about what Nanami had told him earlier,
remembering the confusion and fear he felt from finding out that she had been kidnapped while
Hajime had just been wandering about without the slightest clue that his friend was in danger.

His previous anger came forth and he turned around to face the twin, frowning. “Do you have any
idea how it feels to hear your best friend was kidnapped and have no idea why? The only reason I
haven’t lost my shit yet is because I wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself before I did.
Seriously, what the hell, Izuru?”

“Nanami’s kidnapping wasn’t something I anticipated happening in the manner it did,” Izuru
lowered his head in a way that appeared apologetic. There was an almost regretful look on his face.
“Endangering her wasn’t my intention. I apologize for my failure to protect your friend.”

“She’s your friend too, remember?” Hajime pointed out. A flicker of surprise passed through the
twin’s features as if he hadn’t been expecting Nanami to still consider him her friend after what
happened.

“…Our friend…” Izuru corrected himself.

Hajime continued. “I’m not saying it’s your fault, by the way, nor am I blaming you for Nanami’s
kidnapping. But this is why it’s important that we have this conversation now. At this point,
whatever you’re hiding is doing more harm than good, and if it’s endangering me or Nanami, then
I need to know about what’s going on. Can’t you at least let me try to understand? I can handle it.
You can trust me.”

Silence fell in the air again. Izuru’s face was contemplative, considering. Hajime waited patiently
for him to get his thoughts in order until he spoke.

“…The girl you mentioned with the pigtails,” Izuru looked over at Hajime with a serious gaze.
“her name is Enoshima Junko. I met her days after I met you. When I first met her, she offered to
show me something interesting: a world filled with despair, something chaotic and supposedly
unpredictable. She wanted me to join her, to help her enact her plans. I declined her offer, but she is
persistent in changing my mind. Ever since then, she’s been trying to convince me to join her side
in despair.”

Hajime hadn’t known what to expect, but he certainly hadn’t been expecting that. To fill the world
with despair… it sounded like something a supervillain would do. Is that really the kind of person
they were up against?

Hajime swallowed thickly, ignoring the nervous energy rising in him. “…And the soldier? How
does she play a role in this?”

“Ikusaba Mukuro is the older twin sister of Enoshima Junko,” Izuru answered. “she follows
Enoshima’s every command.”

That explains some things but also raises more questions. Does that mean Enoshima ordered
Ikusaba to confront Hajime earlier in the hallway today? But… what would be the point in that?
Unless Ikusaba decided to approach Hajime for her own reasons.

Either way, Hajime had been right about one thing: these two girls were dangerous. Thinking back
to the Sports Festival, Hajime remembered how that girl, Enoshima had touched him and
whispered things into his ear. He hadn’t realized until now that Enoshima had been trying to
manipulate him. How many other instances went over Hajime’s head while he remained blissfully
ignorant? Just how much danger were they in? Was someone like Enoshima really out to get them?

The thought makes his stomach twist, anxiety threatening to overtake him. He could feel the twin’s
eyes watching him, gauging his reaction. Hajime took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down.
He told Izuru he could handle hearing the truth, and he meant it. Besides, after that speech he’d
given to Mitarai earlier, he’d be a hypocrite if he didn’t face the truth. He wasn’t going to back
down or cower now.

“I’m not scared,” Hajime affirmed. He wasn’t sure if that statement was true or not, but if he was
confident enough, maybe he would believe it.

“You shouldn’t underestimate Enoshima,” Izuru replied. “She is exceptionally intelligent, strategic,
and dangerous.”

Hajime shrugged. “I’m not too worried about that. Besides, I know someone who’s even more
intelligent and dangerous than her.”

For a split second, Hajime could’ve sworn he saw Izuru’s lips quirk up just slightly, but it was gone
in a flash, leaving only a ghost of a smile in its place. Hajime found himself smiling in return. The
two of them continued gazing out at the sunset, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere for a moment
longer. The threat that was Enoshima and Ikusaba still occupied Hajime’s mind, leaving him a
little unsettled. What was even more worrying was the thought that for a few months now, Izuru
had been facing them off alone—he knew his brother was capable of handling himself but there
was only so much one person could handle on their own.
 Hajime refused to let Izuru face Enoshima and Ikusaba alone. Whatever was in store for them, they
would face it together.

Chapter End Notes

Terminator Izuru: *puts on sunglasses* I’ll be back

Hajime: where are you going? and why are you wearing sunglasses?
Terminator Izuru: *turns and leaves*

It was funnier in my head

- Next chapter will be more like a filler chapter, but it’s a chapter I’ve been excited to
post for quite some time and we get to focus a lot more on the main squad. Here’s a
hint for next chapter: 4 Players
- Hajime's speech to Ryota was supposed to be similar or like a parallel to his speech
in Hope Arc but... I don't actually remember what he said (O_O;)
- Next Update: 03/6/21
 4-Player Mode
Chapter Notes

Wooooo 20 chapters! We’ve made it to the halfway mark! Woop woop! ✺◟( • ω • )◞✺
We may even be further depending on if the story does end on Chapter 40 or if it ends
sooner.

Shout-out to those who gave me suggestions for the “Mario & Luigi” idea, I
appreciate all you guys’ input! Enjoy this fun wholesome chapter!

CW: copious amounts of Mario references

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Hajime opened the door to his dorm room, stepping aside so that Izuru, Nanami, and Komaeda
could enter. Komaeda smiled, curious eyes looking around the room.

“So this is what it feels like to be in Hinata-kun’s room,” Komaeda sighed in admiration, clasping
his hands together. “I truly am grateful that you invited scum like me to your place of living. What
an honor.”

“Yeah, yeah, just sit down somewhere so we can get started.” Hajime crouched down by the TV
where the videogame selections were located. Nanami had eagerly volunteered to bring her
videogames and consoles to his room in preparation for their gaming session. This was the first
time Komaeda had been invited to their gaming session, so the lilac-haired girl made sure to bring
four separate controllers for each of them and a wide variety of games for them to choose from.

“Which game do you think we should play first, Hinata-kun?” Nanami bounced on her heels in
excitement. Hajime hasn’t seen her this excited to play with a new opponent since she first played
with Izuru at the arcade.

“I’m not sure,” Hajime hummed. “Since Komaeda is new to playing with us, maybe we should
start with something casual. Rocket League?”

“I thought you said something casual.” Nanami stopped bouncing and fixed him with a
deadpanned look.

Komaeda chuckled softly. “Please, there’s no need to worry about choosing a game on my account.
I don’t deserve that sort of consideration, and truthfully I’d be honored enough just to watch you all
play!”

Nanami turned to look at the white-haired boy, pouting. “Komaeda-kun, you can’t just sit there and
watch us play all day. You promised you would play with us today.”

The gamer girl’s expression was determined, a sign that meant arguing wasn’t an option. The
white-haired boy sighed, realizing that he was fighting a losing battle. “Ah, well, I suppose that’s
true…”

Satisfied, Nanami turned to look at Izuru who had settled himself at the edge of the bed, his
disinterested gaze fixed onto the wall. “How about you, Kamukura-kun? Do you have any
suggestions?”

“Not particularly,” Izuru shrugged, indifferent.

Hajime shook his head. “I don’t even know why you bothered asking him that. He never has a
suggestion.”

“Forgive me if I’m speaking out of turn, but might I suggest something?” Komaeda said.

Hajime looked over at the white-haired boy. “Oh, sure Komaeda. What would you like to play?”

“Since we can’t seem to decide which videogame to play first, I say we choose by random!”

Hajime rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering. “By random, huh? I guess that could work, but
how are we going to choose randomly?”

“Well, I was thinking…” Komaeda kneeled onto the floor, sage eyes scanning over the selection of
videogames. “One of us could mix up the games and spread them out. Once they’re mixed up,
another person will close their eyes and select one of the random games scattered on the floor.
Whichever game they select is the game we play. Simple, right?”

It seemed like a rather silly way to decide which game to play, but it was better than nothing.
“Would if the game we select is a single-player game?” Hajime questioned.

“Most of the games I’ve brought over are multiplayer games,” Nanami sat down on the edge of the
bed next to Izuru. “Although maybe a few of them might be two-players only. If it comes down to
that, we could just take turns.”

With no other objections, they decided this would be their method for choosing a game to play.
“Alright, so who’s gonna mix up the games, and who’s gonna close their eyes and pick one?”
Hajime asked.

“I think since this is Komaeda-kun’s first time playing with us, he should be the one to pick the
game,” Nanami suggested.

“Fair enough. I guess I’ll mix them up, then.” Hajime shifted on the floor then proceeded to mix
up the games. All the while, Komaeda sat crisscross in front of him with his eyes closed, smiling as
he waited patiently for Hajime to finish mixing. Hajime stopped, looking at the boy across from
him to make sure he wasn’t peeking, then he pulled his hands away. “Okay, go ahead and pick a
game.”

Komaeda blindly reached a pale hand out, letting it hover over the scattered cases before him.
After a few seconds, he lowered his hand and picked up one of the cases, holding it up. When he
opened his eyes, he looked at the case, revealing a game titled Mario Kart.

“Oh my god…” Hajime groaned. Of course, he had to pick that game. He had played that game
with Nanami in the past and every single time Nanami destroyed him in it, which wasn’t much of a
surprise since she usually beats him in all the games they play, but for some reason, that particular
game always had a way of ticking him off.

Komaeda chuckled apologetically, scratching his cheek. “I’m sorry, did I pick a bad game?”

Hajime sighed, inserting the cursed game into the console. “No, you’re fine. I’m just mentally
preparing myself, that’s all.”
“At least it’s a 4-player game. We can all play split-screen.” Nanami said as she picked up her
controller. The four of them all positioned themselves in front of the TV, controllers in hand.
Hajime decided to sit on the floor, his back leaned against the bed frame. Komaeda sat about an
arm’s length away from Hajime, also seated on the floor.

Nanami and Izuru both seemed content to sit side by side on the edge of the bed, their arms and
legs practically touching although neither of them seemed to notice. Once everything was set up,
the four of them were greeted by the cheerful main menu screen as it lit up on the TV.

“So how do I play this game?” Komaeda observed the main menu curiously.

“It’s a racing game, which is pretty self-explanatory,” Hajime replied. “We’re all opponents racing
against each other and our goal is to get first place. It’s set up like a tournament, so there will be
several rounds of racing per game.”

“I see…” The white-haired hummed. “I haven’t played many videogames before, so forgive me if
I’m a bit inept.”

“It’s fine, I’m not that good at racing games either. Just do your best.” The four of them selected
their characters and their karts. Hajime decided to select the main character Mario because why
not? Nanami selected a tiny character named Toad as that seemed to be her preferred character for
this game. Komaeda and Izuru were both clueless and chose randomly, with Komaeda getting the
green brother Luigi and Izuru ending up with the tall lanky villain Waluigi (which Hajime found
kinda funny). Once their characters and vehicles were customized, the race began.

On the countdown, the four of them and the eight other AI racers immediately took off. As
expected, Izuru and Nanami were starting off strong, ranking first and second place, respectively.
Hajime himself was somewhere in the middle, trying his damndest not to fall off the road before
they even reached half-way across the track. While playing, Hajime decided to take a curious
glance at Komaeda’s screen.

Komaeda was in last place, having fallen off the track multiple times. If Hajime thought he was
bad at this game, Komaeda was far worse.

“You know the goal is to not fall off the racetrack, right Komaeda?” Hajime teased.

“I’m trying,” Komaeda huffed, his expression twisting in slight frustration. Hajime found himself
surprised to see the genuine frustration on the other boy’s face, seeing as how he rarely seemed to
show emotion at all.

“Don’t worry, Komaeda-kun,” Nanami’s eyes were glued to the screen as she spoke. “You can still
catch up. Try to get an item.”

“An item?” The white-haired boy questioned.

“It’s those clear cubes with question marks on them,” Hajime clarified. “It’ll grant you a random
item that will give you a boost, like a mushroom for a speed boost, or a shell that you can throw at
another racer to slow them down.”

“Oh, I see…” Komaeda trailed off. Hajime went back to focusing on the race. As Hajime
recovered from getting hit by another damn red shell, Komaeda spoke up again. “Oh, I think I got
an item! It looks like… a bullet?”

“That’s a really rare item. Use it to zoom past the other racers and get closer to first place.”
“Like this?” He watched as a gigantic bullet zoomed past his screen, putting Komaeda in fourth
place. Hajime couldn’t say he was surprised by how lucky Komaeda was for getting such a rare
item so soon until the boy in question continued getting more and more rare items—bullets,
invincibility stars, triple red shells. At this point, it seemed as if the game were trying to hand
Komaeda the win on a silver platter.

“I got another item!” Komaeda beamed. “Hmm, what’s this blue shell do?”

Hajime glanced at the map to see Izuru still in first place. An evil grin stretched across Hajime’s
face. “It’s a blue shell. Use it to mess Izuru up.”

“Huh? Well, alright…” Komaeda seemed lost but used the item. A blue shell flew past all of their
screens and straight towards Izuru’s character, hitting him directly. The only response elicited from
Izuru was a noncommittal hum as he watched Nanami and a few other racers fly past him, swiping
his first-place position.

Hajime felt petty satisfaction from watching Izuru lose first place. Maybe having Komaeda play
with them wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

As the races went on, the game became more intense than Hajime thought it would. Izuru was
usually in the lead, playing perfectly with enough luck on his side to avoid getting hit by other
player’s items. But Komaeda’s luck was more extreme and inconsistent than Izuru’s seemed to be,
which caused a negative effect on the raven-haired twin’s performance. That paired with Nanami
who’s skill left her right on Izuru’s tail for the most part meant that she would often steal first
place.

Between Izuru, Nanami, and Komaeda, the three of them were all battling against each other. It
was because of this intense battle of luck and skill colliding with one another that—while the other
three were so focused on each other—Hajime actually managed to win first place in the third race!

Holy shit… Hajime almost couldn’t believe it. He’d actually won a race against two of the best
gamers there were? While a part of him knew this was mainly because of Komaeda’s luck
disrupting Izuru and Nanami’s performances, it didn’t make him feel any less exhilarated.

There was only one race left in the tournament. Izuru had won the first, Nanami won the second,
and Hajime won the third. If Hajime won first place in this last race, he would win the whole
tournament. A new hope seemed to blossom within him.

During the last race, while the other three were busy fighting each other, Hajime was busy
creeping up on first place. Adrenaline like no other coursed through his veins as he neared the
finish line. Just one game. If he could just win one game, he’d be satisfied. It may seem ridiculous,
but the thought of actually beating Izuru and Nanami in something left him fueled with vigor.

He could be considered a worthy, talented competitor if he managed to beat two Ultimate Gamers
in a game like this.

And boy, was that a nice thought.

As he neared the finish line, he hadn’t noticed both him and Komaeda had scooted closer to the TV
away from their original positions, arms brushing against one another as their eyes were heavily
focused on the screen. He also didn’t notice that Komaeda was coming up right behind him with an
invincibility star, right near the finish line. Hajime’s heart plummeted in his chest.

“Wait—no! How?!” Hajime watched in horror as Komaeda’s kart smacked into him with his
invincibility star, knocking him off the course. And with that, Komaeda reached the finish line and
won first place, followed by Izuru in second and Nanami in third. Hajime’s dreams were shattered
as he saw the scoreboard appear, revealing Izuru as the winner of the tournament having scored the
highest collectively in all four races.

Hajime dropped the controller with a frustrated huff. Fuck this game.

Beside him, Komaeda had his hand covering his mouth, struggling to contain his laughter. The
white-haired boy seemed to take joy in Hajime’s suffering. Heat rose to Hajime’s face. He knew he
was being childish, and he really wasn’t one to get upset at losing, but Komaeda laughing at his
expense only made his defeat feel that more humiliating.

“Whatever. Screw this—" Hajime started to stand up to leave.

“No, wait, Hinata-kun! I’m sorry!” Komaeda laughed as he reached out, grabbing Hajime’s arm
with both hands and tugging him back down.

“You certainly don’t seem sorry,” Hajime griped, though there was a small smile tugging at his
lips. “You seem to be getting a real kick out of this.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just—” Komaeda wheezed. “—your reaction, I wasn’t expecting it. Please, don’t
leave!” Laughter continued spilling out of the white-haired boy and it was then that Hajime
realized this was the first time he ever heard Komaeda laugh like this. It was so genuine, unlike the
usual calm demeanor the boy always held.

Not only that, but Komaeda was still clinging to his arm, his pale fingers feeling cool against
Hajime’s skin. His chest felt strangely warm, glancing from the pale hands on his arm to the
joyous expression on Komaeda’s face. He didn’t know what he was feeling at this moment, but
somehow, it made him forget all about losing this game.

Behind them, Nanami and Izuru both exchanged knowing looks.

Chiaki was the next person to select a game.

She sat on the floor with her legs folded beside her, eyes closed. Reaching out a hand, she blindly
selected their next game. When she opened her eyes, she looked to see what she was holding. Super
Smash Bros.

Chiaki gasped, eyes sparkling. This was one of her favorite games!

“Oh nice,” Hinata-kun smiled. “Super Smash Bros is always fun. Isn’t this one of your favorites,
Nanami?”

“Mhm!” Chiaki nodded vigorously. “Come on, let’s play!”

Super Smash Bros was a very competitive and strategic fighting game. She’d played with many
opponents online, trying different strategies and mastering different techniques. It had been fun
playing against online strangers, but now she had three different friends to play with, and one of
them she knew would be a challenge.
Chiaki inserted the game before reclaiming her seat on the edge of the bed by Kamukura-kun. The
boy beside him hadn’t seemed particularly excited about any of the games they’ve played before,
but Chiaki was hoping to change that. Kamukura-kun told her once that he found playing
videogames to be boring (which had initially shocked Chiaki to hear. Who gets bored with
videogames?!) because he always won them and was never presented a challenge. Chiaki had been
determined to beat him ever since, hoping that by winning against him, he would start to enjoy
playing games. So far, she hadn’t had much luck.

But this game. This was her game, and she wasn’t letting Kamukura-kun steal the crown so easily.

The character selection screen was vast with a wide variety of characters to choose from. Chiaki
selected Pac-Man, having mained him for quite some time (she held a special place in her heart for
retro game characters after all). Hinata-kun selected Link, Komaeda-kun randomly selected Kirby,
and Kamukura-kun randomly selected Samus.

Hmm, that’s not a bad character, she thought to herself, eyeing Kamukura-kun’s selected
character. Chiaki used to play with that character a lot before she moved onto different ones,
making her very familiar with that character’s fighting style.

Chiaki held the controller firmly in her hands, locking her eyes to the television screen. In her
peripheral vision, she thought she might have seen red eyes glancing at her briefly before looking
back to the screen in front.

In a few moments, the game began. Much like their previous game, this game was hectic with all
four of them competing against each other, except this time there weren’t any bots, only the four of
them. Komaeda-kun was the most inexperienced player out of them all which meant that he didn’t
stand a chance against them and was the first to be eliminated.

“Oh, did I lose already?” Komaeda-kun scratched his head.

“Yeah, you were eliminated. You did fall off the board a lot…” Hinata-kun commented.

“Haha, whoops…” The match got even tougher shortly after Komaeda-kun was eliminated.
Moments later, Hinata-kun was eliminated.

“Ah well, I tried.” Hinata-kun lowered his controller. With Komaeda-kun and Hinata-kun both
eliminated, that left Chiaki and Kamukura-kun as the remaining competitors. Chiaki leaned
forward in her seat, mashing each button strategically at a rapid pace. Every second mattered
against Kamukura-kun and one slip-up could cost her the whole game. Her heart was racing in her
chest with each attack they delivered to each other, blocking, dodging, trying to predict one
another’s movements. Chiaki swore her fingers were going to snap off with how fast they were
moving.

Hinata-kun and Komaeda-kun were no longer speaking as if they knew not to break the intense
focus. A curious, curious part of her wondered what Kamukura-kun’s face looked like right now, if
it was as focused as hers was or if it was calm. She questioned if his palms looked as sweaty as
hers felt right now, or if his whole body was as stiff and shaky as hers. Chiaki wanted to look so
badly to see if the boy beside her was the least bit off-balanced by Chiaki’s efforts.

But she refused to give into that urge. Now was not the time to lose focus!

It was right after that thought that Chiaki’s character landed one final hit on Kamukura-kun’s
character, sending him flying off the screen before a large “GAME!” signal appeared on the
screen. Chiaki’s fingers froze as she realized what that meant. She had beaten Kamukura-kun.
Chiaki won.

“I won!” She jumped up from her seat, a rush of energy soaring through her. “Did you see that? I
won, Kamukura-kun! I told you I would beat you someday, didn’t I?” Chiaki was breathing
heavily, slowly coming back down to her senses. A blush rose to her cheeks upon realizing just
how excited she’d gotten. Still seated on the bed, Kamukura-kun was looking at her with what
could be described as slight amusement.

“So you did,” Kamukura-kun replied. Chiaki tried to search for any signs of joy or even
disappointment from the raven-haired boy, but he still looked as calm and impassive as he
normally did. She suddenly grew worried. Maybe beating Kamukura-kun hadn’t changed his mind
about videogames after all…

“Does this mean… I mean did you…” have fun? Chiaki wanted to ask but hesitated. Before her
thoughts could go any further, Kamukura-kun suddenly stood up from his seat. Chiaki looked over
at him.

“Your performance was excellent. You have proven yet again to be a worthy opponent.”
Kamukura-kun said flatly. Heat rose to Chiaki’s face. While she appreciated the compliment, that
wasn’t quite what she expected to hear from him.

“Thanks, but the reason I wanted to win so badly wasn’t just because I wanted to beat you. Really,
I just wanted you to have fun.” Chiaki fiddled with her hoodie string. Kamukura-kun looked at her
with a curious gaze. She continued. “It’s just that, since you told me you were always bored, I
figured m-maybe by beating you, playing videogames would be more fun for you…”

Chiaki adverted her gaze to the ground, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

“Nanami…” Chiaki lifted her head at the sound of Kamukura-kun’s voice. Kamukura-kun was
staring back at her. “You do not need to concern yourself with satisfying me. I already prefer being
here, playing with you.”

Chiaki was surprised by that statement. He didn’t exactly say he had fun, but it seemed that was the
closest to hearing confirmation that he had a good time.

“You were pretty good too by the way, especially for your first time,” Chiaki smiled. “But don’t
think this will be the only time you lose.”

Kamukura-kun was silent for a moment longer before moving closer to her. This close, Chiaki was
reminded yet again of just how red Kamukura-kun’s eyes were and how pretty his hair was, long
raven strands flowing down his sides. Her heart began to pick up at a familiar fast pace.

“In that case, I look forward to losing to you again,” Kamukura-kun said. Chiaki didn’t actually
win any of the other rounds against Kamukura-kun after that one, but she didn’t feel any less
fulfilled.

Izuru was chosen to select the next game.

He kneeled on the floor with his legs folded beneath him and closed his eyes. There were thirty-
seven games total, meaning there were at least thirty-seven different possibilities for how this day
would go. He wasn’t familiar with every game, having only played a select few with Hajime and
Nanami, but the choice of game wasn’t much concern to him.

After Hajime shuffled the games, he reached out and immediately selected one by random, wasting
no time. Opening his eyes, he looked at the bright cover of the case. New Super Mario Bros.

“Are all the games we play today going to be Mario games?” Hajime said as he took the game
from Izuru, inspecting it. “At least this one’s fairly easy. It’s a platformer game, and the goal is for
Mario and Luigi to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser’s castle.”

Izuru was familiar with this story. The hero, Mario, would venture out to rescue the princess from
the villain’s clutches. All the while, his brother, Luigi would follow him. Izuru found himself
curious about the purpose of Luigi. It was clear that Mario was the star of the story—he was the
one whose name was on the cover, the one who the princess was enamored with. What purpose did
Luigi serve other than following the main hero around?

“You guys ready?” Hajime asked, turning to look at the others.

Nanami was silent for a moment, rubbing her chin in thought. “Hmm… actually, I think just
Hinata-kun and Kamukura-kun should play.”

“Huh? But this game has a four-player option.” Hajime raised a brow.

“I know, but I’ve already played this game and beaten it a dozen times, so it’s probably best if I sit
this one out. Komaeda is probably fine watching too, right?”

“Of course!” Komaeda smiled. “I’m happy to support you both while watching from the sidelines!”

“Alright then. I guess it’s just me and you, Izuru.” Hajime grabbed a controller. Their seating
positions had switched, leaving Izuru and Hajime to sit on the edge of the bed while Nanami and
Komaeda sat on the floor.

Hajime glanced down at the controller in his hand before rubbing the back of his neck. “Right,
so… Nanami is normally player one for this game. You’ll probably want to be player one since
you’re more skilled and all, so…” The brunet held out the ‘player one’ controller to Izuru.

Izuru briefly glanced at the controller before looking back at the boy beside him. “I prefer player
two.”

“Huh?” A flicker of surprise passed through the brunet’s features. “Are you sure? If I’m player
one, that means I’ll be Mario and you’ll be Luigi.”

“That’s fine.” Izuru was curious to play as the secondary brother. What was Luigi’s significance in
the story, he wondered? Would playing as the aforementioned character draw him closer to the
answer?

“Oh—okay then. I guess that means I’m… player one.” Hajime’s expression seemed to morph
through different emotions at that statement before they proceeded to start the game. With their
characters selected, the adventure began.

The game was fairly simple as Hajime first suggested. They traversed through each level and
world, jumping through various platforms while avoiding obstacles and enemies. Occasionally, the
twin would give him tips on how to pass each level, though Izuru was quick to pick up most of it.
Hajime seemed content with leading them through each stage, giving Izuru room to contemplate as
he followed the twin’s lead.
There had to be a reason this Luigi character still appeared in several of the Mario games. If his
character wasn’t marketable, then surely his presence would have been removed by now. Yet his
character was valued enough if they continued to insert him into each game they released, despite
Luigi being the failed hero between him and his brother.

“I never got to play Mario before…” Hajime suddenly broke through the silence. Izuru looked at
the twin beside him. His face was contemplative, olive eyes fixed to the television screen. “Feels
weird. I mean I guess it doesn’t really matter which character you are in this game, but still… I’m
so used to being Luigi.”

Izuru had a feeling there was an insinuation behind that statement. Looking at Hajime, he could see
how there may be similarities between him and Luigi. Like Luigi, Hajime was lacking in
comparison to his brother.

…Was Hajime a failure? That’s what he thought when he first met the talentless twin. By society’s
standards, people like Hajime couldn’t be heroes. That’s what his teachers had taught him and
logically speaking, it made sense.

Then why was Hajime the first person to ever make him feel something?

“Why do you dislike being player two?” Izuru decided to ask him.

“H-huh?” Hajime stumbled, nearly falling off a platform. “I never said I disliked being player
two.”

“You were clearly displeased when you offered for me to be player one.”

“A-ah, well, it’s just…” Hajime looked down at the controller. “I… I guess I just wanted to see
what it was like to be in the spotlight for a bit? I mean Luigi is fine, but everyone wants to play as
Mario at least once, ya’ know?”

Izuru hummed as they continued to traverse through the game. By the end of it, they defeated the
antagonist and rescued the princess, as expected. Izuru still hadn’t fully figured out the significance
of Luigi, but he decided he would ponder more on it later.

The final game of the day was chosen by Hajime. He sat in front of Nanami, eyes closed as she
shuffled the games. When she was finished, he reached out and picked one by random, opening his
eyes to look at the game. Mario Party.

He couldn’t help the smile from growing on his face. This was the first game that Izuru, Nanami,
and Hajime had all three played together in Hajime’s dorm. The game is designed as a board game
in which the player’s goal is to earn the most stars by the end of the game. The three of them had
played this game together at the beginning of the second semester, and now Komaeda would be
playing with them.

Out of all the games they played today, this one had been the most chaotic. While some of the
gameplay as well as the minigames were based on skill, a good portion of the game was also based
off luck. With Komaeda being here, there really was no telling how the games would play out.

As they were playing, Hajime took a glance over at Izuru. He appeared as he normally did: calm,
 composed, apathetic. But Hajime could see it, that softness in his gaze as he viewed the television
screen, controller in hand. It felt so rare to see the raven-haired twin so relaxed and content, just
enjoying himself. Even if it wasn’t the most exciting thing for a super-genius to be doing, Izuru
didn’t seem to mind being here.

Hajime smiled to himself, glad to see his brother having a good time.

Having Komaeda participate in their gaming sessions presented a new challenge for Izuru. Games
with more skill involved boded well for Nanami, given her experience. Games with more luck
involved leaned more towards Komaeda’s favor, often causing more sporadic gameplay. Even
Hajime presented as a challenging opponent, for as Nanami’s skill and Komaeda’s luck clashed
with Izuru’s, Hajime’s consistency would sometimes put him in the lead.

With this knowledge, Izuru could still predict how the games may play out and strategize
accordingly, but even with his strategizing, the probability of him losing each game was greater
than it had been before.

For some reason, he wasn’t displeased by that thought. Before he met Hajime, he found no
pleasure in playing videogames. Like everything else, they were always too easy for him.

Izuru still mostly had the advantage even now, but his success rate has been noticeably lower than
usual.

Is this what it felt like to have fun? If so, he could see why others enjoyed it so much.

Chapter End Notes

Izuru: The CPU — plays like a CPU on highest difficulty

Chiaki: The Veteran — good sportsmanship but will destroy you
Hajime: Decent Player — slightly better than average player
Nagito: Chaotic Noob — terrible at the game but has insane luck

- I wanted Izuru's introspection about Mario & Luigi to be longer, but I realized I wrote
5k words for a filler chapter and I should probably stop. We'll revisit that topic soon
- why did I write 5k words for a filler chapter
- also happy birthday Lightningstrike5757!! :D
- Next Chapter: 3/13/21
 The Hinata Twins
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Hajime was beginning to notice something different about his days in the Reserve Course
Department.

Usually, school hours were dull and monotonous. He didn’t hang out with many of his classmates,
rarely speaking to anyone save for a few people. He didn’t pay his classmates much mind nor did
his classmates pay him any, all of them content with just floating through the school day like
ghosts.

But recently, he’s started to notice eyes watching him as he sat at his desk when his back is turned.
He’s heard whispers passing by as he walked through the hallways and the not-so-subtle glances
from his peers. At first, he thought that he was just being paranoid, but it was becoming more and
more difficult to deny it as he made unwanted eye contact with each passing reserve student, each
seeming to be watching him with unmistakable curiosity.

Hajime didn’t know where all this sudden attention was coming from and found that it was,
admittedly, freaking him out. He hadn’t the slightest clue what was going but he was definitely
missing something.

It wasn’t until one unnamed student approached him in the hallway that he got his answer. “Is it
true that you’re related to the mysterious Kamukura Izuru?” The boy asked.

Hajime blinked twice at the boy stood in front of him, his mind coming to a halt for a moment
before he replied. “Uh, yeah, I guess so,” Hajime shrugged. After that, the questions all came
barreling down on him as an increasing number of reserve students approached him all at once.

“Did you and Kamukura really fist-fight the Ultimate Neurologist?”

“Is it true that Kamukura attends special classes? What’s up with that?”

“I heard Kamukura hates blonde girls, so like… is that true?”

Hajime quickly became overwhelmed by the onslaught of questions. He hadn’t anticipated all this
sudden attention from people finding out about his sibling relationship with Izuru. It explained why
he felt like everyone was suddenly gossiping about him, because they were. Not knowing how to
answer those (rather ridiculous) questions, Hajime apologetically excused himself and managed to
slip away from the group of the students, hiding around the corner of the hall.

When he was sure the group of questioning students were gone, he let out a sigh of relief and
turned around to continue heading down the hallway, only to feel someone slap his shoulder. He
jumped in surprise and whipped around to see a smaller, angry blonde girl looking at him
impatiently.

“H-hey! What was that for, Natsumi?” Hajime rubbed his shoulder.

“You jerk! You didn’t tell me you had a brother in the Main Course!” The shorter blonde,
Natsumi, pointed an accusatory finger at him.

“Technically he’s not in the Main Course…”

“Shut up, you know what I mean! After I told you all about my brother Fuyuhiko, you couldn’t
have bothered to tell me that you had a talented sibling too?”

Hajime smiled at the blonde girl sheepishly, scratching his cheek. “I guess it just… slipped my
mind?”

“Ugh, whatever,” Natsumi crossed her arms. “If you kept it a secret just so you could get some
popularity points, then consider it a success. Now the whole school won’t shut up about the
‘Hinata Twins’.”

Hajime stopped and blinked. Hinata Twins? That couldn’t seriously be what they were calling him
and Izuru, could it? They didn’t even share the same last name. He couldn’t help but wonder who
started this rumor in the first place.

“But I will admit, it’s nice to know that I’m not the only person in the Reserve Course who’s got a
sibling with talent,” Natsumi looked at Hajime, a determined look in her eyes. “I bet you’re
aspiring to be in the Main Course with your sibling too, right? That means we both have the same
goal. I swear, someday I’m going to get into the Main Course and be just as great as my big
brother, just you wait.”

Hajime didn’t know what to say to that. He remembered when he first met Natsumi, how dedicated
she was to get into the Main Course with her brother. She seemed determined to get there no matter
what, claiming that talent was everything, and without it, you’re nothing. Despite her hot-
headedness, she and Hajime had actually become somewhat of friends, or at least he thinks they
are.

The two of them continued walking through the hall together, chatting about her brother,
homework, and whatever else came to mind at the time until they suddenly passed by two other
girls, both that Hajime recognized. One of the girls had short red hair, green eyes, and freckles,
while the other girl had long black hair and violet eyes.

“Hey Hinata,” the redhead girl, Koizumi, smiled and waved at him. Upon noticing Natsumi next to
him, she immediately tensed, retracting her hand and averting her gaze.

Natsumi’s eyes flickered over to Koizumi before her lip curled up in disdain. “Whaddya’ know, it’s
the goody-two-shoes.”

“Don’t start, Natsumi,” the black-haired girl, Sato, glared at the blonde girl with an intense gaze.

“Or what? You gonna do something about it, Plain Jane?”

“Sato, let’s just go…” Koizumi tugged on Sato’s arm lightly, eyes pleading.

Natsumi waved her hand dismissively. “That’s right, run along before you say something you’ll
regret.”

“Why don’t you run along?” Sato fearlessly stepped closer to Natsumi, eyes burning.

Natsumi growled and raised her hand. “You little bitch—!”

“Hey, hey!” Hajime quickly stepped in between the two girls before the situation could escalate.
“Stop it, that’s enough...”

Sato huffed and backed away while Natsumi snarled, backing away as well.
“Let’s go, Sato…” Koizumi smiled weakly at Hajime. “It was nice seeing you again, Hinata…”

“Yeah, you too, Koizumi…” Hajime watched as Koizumi and Sato walked off, disappearing down
the hall. He then turned to look at Natsumi who stood with her arms crossed, frowning.

“Why do you always treat her that way?” He asked. Natsumi seemed to tense at that, quiet for a
moment. The smallest flicker of guilt passed her features before it disappeared, replaced with
stubborn pride and anger.

“Buzz off… What would you know, anyway?” The blonde girl quickly walked away, leaving
Hajime to watch as she disappeared down the other end of the hallway. He considered going after
her, but the lunch period was about to begin and he had plans to meet with Izuru in Nanami’s
classroom today. With a sigh, Hajime turned back around and headed out the reserve building.

Hajime met up with Izuru at the entrance of the Main Course building before the two of them
headed towards Nanami’s classroom.

“You remember what we talked about, right?” Hajime said. “No more hostility towards Nanami’s
classmates. If you want to stay on good terms with them then you’re gonna have to make an effort
to. Understood?”

Izuru made a vague noise of agreement, though he didn’t seem very enthusiastic to be here. With
that, Hajime reached out and opened the door to the classroom before the two of them stepped
inside.

“Look! It’s the Hinata Twins!” Mioda was the first to shout, pointing at the two of them.

“The Hinata Twins? I’m pretty sure one of their names is Kamukura, not Hinata.” Souda pointed
out.

“Ibuki likes the way Hinata Twins sounds better than Hinata-Kamukura Twins. That’s why Ibuki
started calling them the Hinata Twins in the first place and now everyone’s calling them that too!”

Well, that explains that…

“It’s so lovely to see you two again, Hinata-san, Kamukura-san!” Nevermind approached them
with a bright smile. “We were so worried you wouldn’t come again after, well, last time...”

At the mention of that, Saoinji was the next to approach them, her eyes immediately landing on
Izuru with a distrustful look. The last time they had visited Nanami’s class had been the day that
Izuru grabbed Saoinji’s wrist in an act of paranoia. Hajime wouldn’t be surprised if he had bruised
it, considering how hard his grip had looked that day.

Izuru’s expression was blank, seeming to wait for Saoinji to speak before he does anything.

“Oh look, if it isn’t the creep…” Saoinji said, still eyeing Izuru warily. Izuru didn’t respond,
expression blank as he waited for the girl to continue. Saoinji huffed and crossed her arms. “I heard
what you did for Nanami, but don’t think you’re off the hook just yet. I haven’t forgotten what you
did.”
Hajime watched as Izuru closed his eyes and leaned forward, bowing to the shorter girl. “I
apologize for my behavior and causing harm to you. It will not happen again.” The apology was
formal and sounded more polite than regretful, but it was the closest to a sincere apology that he
could give. Nonetheless, the blonde girl was caught off guard for a moment before she quickly
recovered.

“Humph, well I’m not gonna say you’re forgiven, but… I guess I’ll let it go for now. That is, if you
give me a piggyback ride.”

Izuru rose back up. “To which location shall I carry you then?”

“Huh? You’ll actually do it?” Saoinji’s face lit up then, smirking. “In that case, take me to the
vending machine!”

The twin wordlessly turned his back towards Saoinji and crouched down, allowing her to ride on
his back, then casually carried the blonde girl out of the room. Hajime wasn’t surprised to see Izuru
carrying her so easily, but it was still a funny sight to see him holding this 5’5 girl so casually while
she ordered him around. Despite her size, she seemed like she was used to getting piggyback rides.

“Nanami told us about what your brother did for Nanami-san,” Hajime turned his head back to
Nevermind as she spoke to him. “She told us that someone had taken her away, and if it hadn’t
been for Kamukura-san, she would’ve seriously gotten hurt.”

Hajime rubbed his neck. “It’s true, someone did kidnap Nanami. If Izuru hadn’t found her, I’m…
not sure what would have happened to her.”

Mioda threw her arms around Nanami who was playing on her Nantendo, oblivious to the
conversation. “Ibuki is so glad Chiaki-chan is okay!”

“We’re sorry for misjudging your brother before,” Koizumi said apologetically. “It’s clear now
that you both care a lot about Nanami. You must be good friends.”

Hajime nodded. “Seems like you and Sato are pretty good friends too. By the way, I’m sorry about
the things Natsumi said to you earlier.”

The redhead sighed. “It’s fine. Natsumi is… I don’t know. I try not to let her get to me too much.
Honestly, I’m more worried about Sato. I can tell that lately, she’s been getting more and more
frustrated by Natsumi, and I can’t help but feel that eventually, she’s going to snap…”

That did sound worrying. Natsumi was a member of the yakuza family—her and her brother
Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko—so it’s safe to say she was a part of a pretty powerful clan. Hajime had been
intimidated by this fact when he first met Natsumi, but after getting to know her, he didn’t really
pay it much mind. But that’s not to say if Natsumi were angered enough, she might use her
influence as a yakuza member against someone less powerful like Sato, and Hajime didn’t want to
think about what might happen then.

Shortly after talking to Koizumi, Izuru returned to the classroom, still carrying Saoinji on his back.
After carefully placing her back down, Mioda bombarded him and dragged the raven-haired twin
over to where Owari and Nidai were, insisting that he join them in arm wrestling. Hajime couldn’t
help but smile at the sight. The antisocial twin looked so awkward, being dragged around by
Mioda and interacting with so many colorful Ultimate students, and yet he looked exactly like he
belonged here.

At some point, Hajime found himself seated with Komaeda and Souda, the three of playing a card
game called ‘Uno.’

“Well, you’re much better at Uno than you are at Mario Kart 8,” Hajime grumbled as Komaeda hit
him with yet another draw-four card.

Komaeda chuckled. “Ah, I see you’re still salty about that, aren’t you?” The white-haired boy
teased, throwing Hajime a look that was most definitely smug.

Hajime felt heat creep up his neck and he wondered when the white-haired boy had gotten so
sassy. “Shut up, I’m not salty.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Hinata-kun, you did get third place. That’s better than last place,
right?” Komaeda snickered.

“Keep it up, I’m gonna destroy you next time we play.”

“If you two are done flirting with each other, can we get back to the game?” Souda interrupted with
a roll of his eyes. Hajime choked on air, his face burning up.

“F-flirting?! We weren’t flirting at all!” Hajime’s voice cracked. Komaeda didn’t seem at all
affected by Souda’s words, only looking slightly amused by Hajime’s reaction.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, you’re a tsundere. Just play a card already.” Souda waved his hand
dismissively. Hajime was about to reach over and choke the pink-haired mechanic until suddenly,
he heard a voice call out to him.

“Hey, Hinata, was it?”

Hajime turned his head to see a short boy standing in front of him with shaved blonde hair and
green eyes, reminding him very much of his friend Natsumi. If Hajime remembered correctly, this
was Natsumi’s older brother, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko the Ultimate Yakuza. The first thought that came
to Hajime’s mind was ‘baby face’ but he wisely kept that thought to himself.

“I need to talk to you for a second. Is that alright?” Kuzuryu said.

“Um, sure…” Hajime stood up from his seat and followed Kuzuryu to the other side of the room.
Once there, the shorter boy stopped and looked at him with a serious gaze.

“You’re in the reserve course class with my sister, right? Her name is Kuzuryu Natsumi. You
know her?” Kuzuryu asked.

“Yeah, I know her. Why?” Hajime worried for a moment that he might’ve overstepped some sort
of boundary by speaking to the Ultimate Yakuza’s sister.

Kuzuryu seemed to notice Hajime’s apprehension and his face softened. “Relax, you’re not in
trouble. I just wanted to see if you’d be willing to do me a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” Hajime inquired.

“I need you to keep an eye on Natsumi for me. The thing is, she’s been acting strange lately and
I’m worried about her. I figured since you’re in the same class, you could keep a lookout in case
something’s going on.”

Hajime frowned, falling into thought. Natsumi’s been acting strange lately, too? He hadn’t noticed
anything different. Then again, he has been pretty preoccupied lately. Ever since Izuru told him
about Enoshima and Ikusaba, he’s been distracted thinking about what those two girls could be
planning next and how he and Izuru are going to face them should they try something else.

At Hajime’s lack of a response, Kuzuryu raised a brow. “Something wrong? I can pay you if that’s
what you want.”

Hajime snapped out of his thoughts. “Ah, no, that’s not it. I’m fine with looking out for her, but
why ask me to do it of all people?”

Kuzuryu shrugged. “From what Natsumi told me, you’re the only person in her class that she
seems to be on good terms with. Not just that, but Nanami trusts you, so you’re good in my book.”

Hajime thought about it a little longer before he decided. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Thanks. Let me know if find out something suspicious happening with my sister. I’m counting on
you, Hinata.” Kuzuryu said, giving a final nod before walking off.

As lunchtime neared its end, Izuru left the classroom and walked with Hajime towards the exit of
the Main Course building. The brunet seemed particularly pleased with Izuru successfully making
amends with Nanami’s classmates.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? I told you it would all work out if you just tried,” Hajime said.

“I already predicted it would work out. I merely thought it would be pointless, until now,” Izuru
replied.

“Yeah, yeah. What made you change your mind, then?”

“If we are to face off against Enoshima, then it is imperative that I do not make an enemy out of
the student body of Hope’s Peak, else Enoshima will use them against us.”

“Oh, you’re right…” Hajime frowned, his tone becoming more serious. “Have you thought about
what she might be planning next? Neither of us has had any more encounters with her or the soldier
since the kidnapping incident.”

“There are many possibilities to what Enoshima may be planning to do next, but with so many
variables at play, there is no definite conclusion.”

Without any hints or clues leading towards Enoshima’s next scheme, there’s no way to determine
exactly what her next move will be. It’s unlikely that she would try directly targeting Nanami
again, and Izuru has already threatened to annihilate her should she choose to go after his twin,
therefore she most likely won’t target Hajime either. However, there are still many ways she could
target them through indirect means, and still many ways she can cause a disaster to occur.

Hajime rubbed his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I still don’t get why this girl is so
obsessed with ‘dragging you into despair.’ It just seems so twisted and… not normal.”

‘Not normal’ was an understatement. The twin had yet to witness Enoshima in her true nature, to
truly know what the despair-obsessed analyst was capable of.

“Enoshima is not normal,” Izuru explained. “She will do whatever it takes to alleviate her
boredom, even if it means subjecting herself and others to despair. We are very similar in a sense,
hence why she is so adamant about changing my mind.”

“No way, you’re nothing like her,” Hajime shook his head. “I can’t imagine you doing anything
crazy like kidnapping someone, let alone siding with something like despair. There’s just no way.”

Izuru did not respond to that. He never told the twin that he actually considered going along with
Enoshima’s plans, to aid her in her quest for despair in exchange for something interesting. He also
failed to mention that the only reason he declined Enoshima’s offer was because Hajime had
already gotten his attention beforehand.

…It’s probably best to leave those words unsaid.

“Even if you are both super smart, I still don’t see why she wants you to help her,” Hajime
continued. “If she’s so smart, couldn’t she convince someone else?” The twin seemed to be
contemplating heavily about this, attempting to theorize as much as his simple mind could. Izuru
almost felt pity for the twin and how hard he was trying to solve this puzzle. Perhaps it was time to
give him a hint, a clue to help him connect the dots.

Izuru remembered the scars permanently engraved on the back of his head and decided that would
be a good place to start. He stopped walking and looked at the twin.

“Hajime,” he called out. The brunet stopped walking and turned to face Izuru. “You said that you
wish to understand me, correct? You also wish to know about my involvement with this school’s
secret project and why I don’t remember anything before the age of five.”

A flicker of surprise passed through the brunet’s features before he gave a slow nod.

“Meet me at the tree after school today, and I will tell you about the scars.”

The brunet looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on him, olive eyes widening.
He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated as if he weren’t sure what to say. Eventually,
he closed his mouth, and with an uncertain expression, he nodded.

“Hey Tsumiki, don’t forget to meet with us in the courtyard later, okay?” Koizumi-san said.

Mikan nodded. “R-right, I’ll be there. See you later, Koizumi-san and Saoinji-san.”

“You better not be late or we’re totally ditching you, you dirty pig!” Saoinji-san demanded.

“Gah! I-I won’t, I swear!”

Mikan watched as Koizumi-san and Saoinji-san walked away, splitting off in a different direction.
Mikan was so grateful to have friends like Koizumi-san and Saoinji-san, even if she doesn’t
deserve them because she’s always annoying them or getting in their way. They don’t need to say it
outright for her to know how much of a burden she is, after all, Saoinji-san makes it very clear that
she’s worthless.

But still, she wants to do her best for her friends, no matter what. Mikan made her way down the
empty hall, considering heading back to her dorm room until it was time to meet with her friends
when she suddenly turned the corner and collided against something hard, falling backwards with a
shriek and landing in an awkward position.

“Ah! S-sorry! I-I’m so sorry!” Mikan cried out.

“Huh? Who’s this chick you just ran into, Mukuro?” An unrecognizable voice said.

“I don’t know, sis’…” A second voice said, also unrecognizable. Mikan opened her eyes to see an
intimidating girl towering over her with black hair, pale skin, and freckles. Her expression was as
hard as stone and she was looking straight down at Mikan, making her want to shrink out of
existence.

“I-I’m so sorry for running into you, I’m such a clumsy mess, p-please forgive me…” Mikan
begged the intimidating girl. It wasn’t until another person stepped beside the black-haired girl that
her attention was diverted. Behind the intimidating girl was another girl with two big pigtails of
strawberry blonde hair, eyes as blue as the sparkling sea, and an aura that radiated power and
confidence. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from her.

“Well, what do we have here?” Blue eyes looked down at Mikan analytically. “You’re the
Ultimate Nurse, Tsumiki Mikan from Class 77, right?”

Mikan sat up. “Um… that’s right. W-who’re you?”

“Enoshima Junko from Class 78,” Enoshima smiled and crouched down in front of her, offering
her a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mikan.”

“O-oh… th-thank you.” Mikan blushed at the sound of her given name coming from the other girl.
She accepted her hand, distracted by her red, perfectly manicured nails as Enoshima helped her off
the ground. Once standing, Mikan quickly turned to the black-haired girl and bowed.

“Um, I’m really sorry for running into you like that, I-I hope you’re not hurt,” Mikan apologized.

“Awe, you’re so sweet, Mikan! Isn’t she just the sweetest, Mukuro?” Enoshima turned to the
black-haired girl. The intimidating girl—Mukuro—didn’t reply, only stared.

Mikan shuffled nervously. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, though… w-what are you doing
here? I mean, this hall leads to Class 77 and you’re in Class 78. Are you meeting someone here?”

“Well, we were just bored and decided to wander around for a bit, that’s all. Are you saying you
don’t want us here, or something?” Enoshima asked.

Mikan gasped, eyes widening. “N-no! That’s not it! I—”

“Because if that’s how you feel, I have to say I’m a little hurt, Mikan. And here I thought we could
be friends…” Enoshima gave her a hurt look and Mikan immediately felt guilty.

“I-I’m so sorry, I was just curious! I d-didn’t mean to hurt your feelings! Please, please forgive
me!” Mikan shook, breathing heavily as she struggled to not panic. She had just met Enoshima and
had been so nice to Mikan, and the nurse was already screwing everything up! Mikan continued to
apologize profusely before she suddenly felt a hand touch her face, gently caressing her cheek.
Mikan opened her eyes to see Enoshima smiling in front of her.

“Shh, It’s alright, Mikan. I forgive you,” Enoshima’s voice was like honey, sweet and soothing.
Mikan found herself slowly calming down as she lost herself in sparkling sea blue eyes.
 “Y-you do?” Mikan whispered.

“Of course I do. In fact, we should get to know each other more, Mikan.”

“I-I’d like that…” Mikan let out a sigh as she nuzzled her cheek into Enoshima’s hand. Warmth
spread all over her and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. There was no way to describe
what she was suddenly feeling other than that she felt awestruck by this person in front of her. She
wasn’t used to being so cared for, and yet this person had been so nice to not laugh at her
clumsiness, to help her off the ground when she fell, and she had even forgiven her. It made her
feel so warm inside, so relieved, so…

Wonderful.

Chapter End Notes

- Really sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Life has been hectic lately and I had to
take a break for my mental health’s sake. But I'm back now and I still plan on
finishing this fic, so no worries ^^
- Next Update: ???

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