Chapter Text
April 26th, 2011: Hope's Peak Academy family bathroom-9:00 AM
*Squeaking noises* Junko is commanding the snouters <Alright, my reanimated plant rat pack, the time has come for you all to spy on the staff and students. Athlete squad, you follow the athletic students. Intel squad, you follow the intelligent students and stay out of their line of sight, hearing, and smelling range. Variety squad, you follow the various students, and when I say various, I mean the talent category, not the remaining students outside the athletes and lintels. Finally, the talentless staff squad follows the staff and talentless students. By 10:00 PM, I want all of you back into my room on the dot. Any questions?> The talentless staff squad raised their eyebrows about the word talentless Junko keeps throwing around. Junko catches on to this and gets defensive < D-Don't take it the wrong way; it's a lack of a better term thing. It's either that or referring to them as reserve students. Now spread out> the snouters crawled through every hole they could find and started surveilling
Hope’s Peak Academy’s ultimate talent lab: The music room-10:00 AM
Sayaka invited Makoto to join her in the music room; he and an overweight brunette student sat on the makeshift bleachers. “Hey, aren’t you the one who impersonated Togami for a year?”
“Yeah, I’m Marome Mitari, the ultimate imposter searching for a new talent.”
“So you’re here to scope out the music field?”
“That, and to support a friend”
“Same here.”
Three students show up in front of them: a bluenette, a brunette with highlights, and a redhead. Sayaka, Ibuki, and Leon. Marome was expecting Ibuki to join the two, but instead of holding an instrument, Ibuki is holding a clipboard, a timer, and a pen and is sitting right between the two guests.
“You’re not joining them!?” Marome asked in shock.
Ibuki spoke with the most serious tone she had ever used: “This is an evaluation for Maizono and Kuwata.” Marome's jaw dropped: “Maizono!? Kuwata!? Since when do you use last names, and what happened to your energy?”
“I’ll explain later. Maizono and Kuwata must be dedicated to this field especially Kuwata. Ready, you two?”
Leon took a deep breath. “Ready”
Ibuki starts the timer, “Begin!”
Leon proceeds to carry on a note with complex transactions. It was high at first, then low, and a few seconds later, the pattern between high and low became more complicated to identify.
“It’s been over a minute. Leon really has been practicing ” . “Ibuki is scribbling percussively. I had never seen that side of her before, " Makoto and Marome thought.
Leon stops vocalizing and smiles at Ibuki despite being out of breath. Makoto and Marome applaud, but Ibuki, on her part, glares at Leon and glances at the notes she makes. She Uncharacteristically groans
“Alright, you two, a deal’s a deal. All three of us can be a band,” Sayaka clapped as Leon fist pumps. “But you Kuwata are still getting lessons from Maizono. So don’t forget about my condition. I’ll schedule our first rehearsal,” Ibuki, leave the music.
Makoto and Marome are stunned. “Hey Mitari, I was under the impression that Ibuki was a bit more carefree.”
“She is usually. Maybe I’ll check on her.”
“Good idea. I need to check on Sayaka and Leon ”anyway. The two parted ways, and Makoto joined Sayaka and Leon.
He was about to speak only for Sayaka to cut her off. “You should talk to only me, Makoto. Leon is going to need a lot of water.”
Makoto’s eyes widened. “How did you know I wanted to speak to one of you?”
Sayaka let out a small giggle. “I’m psychic!”
“Huh?” Makoto scratched his head as he became more confused.
“Just kidding! I have excellent intuition. Plus, your face speaks for itself.” she pointed out.
Makoto blushed as he covered his face with his hands. “Is it really that obvious?” he moaned.
Sayaka gave a reaffirming pat on his shoulder. “A little bit. So I guess it’s about how odd Mioda’s behavior was?” Makoto nods. “Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one who was taken aback; even I was.”
Makoto looked to surprise. “So what was that about?”
Sayaka’s finger touched her chin. “Let’s see…Back at the first day of school…”
April 4th 2011
Sayaka was heading towards the music room and saw Leon walking down the opposite side of the doors. “Hey, Sayaka!”
“Hey Leon, how’s your first day?”
Leon went down. “Not so great. Ibuki rejected my offer to be in a band with her.”
Sayaka’s eyebrows went straight up. “A band?”
“Yeah…I want to be a musician.”
“A musician!?”
“Is that so weird?”
“I’m just surprised; I suppose there's nothing wrong with wanting to change your title.”
A goofy and reassuring grin grows on Leon’s face. “Yeah! That’s right! I have no reason to be ashamed or worried about not wanting to play baseball anymore! I’m here to follow my dream of being the world’s greatest Musician!”
“So, why do you want to be a musician? It’s not just to impress the girls, is it?”
Flinching as if she’d hit the nail on the head, Leon laughed nervously and grinned at her. “N-No way! I wouldn’t do something as petty as that! I’d stay with baseball if that’s all I wanted!”
“I was just kidding. But does that mean you can play an instrument and sing well?”
“Nope, never played one, but my voice, on the other hand, is made for the stage, even though I’ve never actually taken a singing lesson!”
Almost immediately, Sayaka’s eyes narrowed at his comment. “Okay then, why do you want to become a musician? You know it’ll be a lot of hard work, right?”
“Uh, well…” he hesitated at first, seeming rather nervous for the first time since they’d left the class. “I suppose it’s because I like the idea of everything, you know? Going around different places, playing music for people, and making everyone have a good time!”
That comment confused Sayaka even more. “So then, what got you interested in music anyway?”
“You don’t seem the type, being the Ultimate Baseball Star and all—.”
“And that’s the problem,” he interrupted, stopping suddenly and turning toward her. “I never wanted to be a baseball star. I’ve always hated that stupid sport. I only used it to get into Hope’s Peak to try and change my status. Once we get out of here, I’m quitting cold turkey!” Genuine shock overtook Sayaka’s face. “So…do you think you could give me some pointers? I-I mean, you’re way better at that stuff, and I thought that…maybe you and I could try singing a duet or something?”
“Sure! I’d love to help you sometime!” She replied through her now fake but convincing smile.
Although shocked, Leon felt joy as he registered her answer. “S-Seriously! You’ll help me out?!”
Sayaka nodded before hardening her features and saying, “But bear in mind that I’m a strict teacher. And if I don’t think you’re cut out for it, I won’t hesitate to tell you. Do you think you can handle that?”
Seeing her so severely stopped the Ultimate Baseball Star momentarily, realizing she would not pamper him simply because of who he was. However, that didn’t deter him, as he recovered an instant later and grinned back at her firmly. “I can take whatever you throw at me! I won’t let you down! I promise!”
A light chuckle escaped Sayaka as she answered, “Alright then, it’s a deal.”
Leon’s face lit up with pure excitement, and he couldn’t help the enthusiastic shout that followed. “Alright then! Let’s get some practice in!”
“…Right.” Leon barely noticed her lackluster answer as he left the talent labs and headed through the entrance to the music room, revealing a guitar-tuning Ibuki. “Excuse me, are you Ibuki Mioda?”
“Hey! That’s me! I-bu-ki!” Her eyes then narrowed at Sayaka. “Why do you look familiar?”
“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Sayaka Maizono, the ultimate pop sensation.”
Ibuki's smile dropped. “Pop sensation? You’re an Idol?”
“Yes, I am; I’m here because I wanted to collab our music.”
“I see…Let me think it over then.”
Sayaka was taken aback “Really?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I do see where you're coming from, two music-related ultimates working together in harmony; the only real issue I have is that we have completely different genre styles that we usually play.”
“Hmm, you have a point then. I guess we can trade music for now, at least?”
Ibuki lightly taps her foot. “Sure, we can do that.”
Sayaka bowed. “Thank you so much, Ibuki!”
Ibuki narrowed her eyes. “Call me Mioda”
Sayaka stood up straight “Huh?”
“I usually don’t collaborate with anyone, and when I do, it usually falls apart. I want to ensure that we can mess well before we start, and in turn, I’ll call you Maizono.”
Sayaka looks confused. “Oh, Okay then, Mioda.” She turned and left.
Present
Makoto has no words for what went down. In summary, Leon Kuwata, a boy who had never had a bad game or even failed to hit any pitch thrown at him, openly denied his talent. He had been blessed with a gift that most people would kill to have, and all he could feel was resentment. But then he remembered the ultimate development plan and understood what everyone was talking about
“I heard that some of the ultimates are unsatisfied with their talents. Kuwata is one of those people.”
Sayaka sighs. “Clearly, but that’s not me. I’m happy with the skills that I was born with. I made numerous people happy with my songs, and if it meant teaching a jock how to sing? I’ll accept that, too.”
“That’s great to hear. Although, Ibuki’s answer to your collab is a bit concerning.”
“Yeah, that didn’t pan out as much as I hoped. The last name biases were very peculiar due to what I heard about Ibuki, but at least we traded a few of our songs, and talking about that, wasn’t there a song you want me to sing?”
Sayaka asked. Makoto held his chin with his hand. “I’m not too sure, to be honest. Are there any new songs you and your idol group have written?”
“Hmm...We have been working on one, though it works better when performed as a group. You don’t mind if it’s just me, right?” she asked him.
Makoto shook his head. “No, not at all. I’m curious to see what songs you make.”
As Sayaka prepared herself, she had one thought about her student, and anger started to slowly build within her: Don’t get into the entertainment industry with such frivolous thoughts, Leon Kuwata!”
Marome runs into an aggravated Ibuki, who is slowly breathing in and out “Now this is getting too bizarre,” “Ibuki.”
The rocker turned to see Marome’s face and perked up. “Marome!” She hugs them. “Just the face I need to see!”
Marome breaks it through, “And I need to talk to you. You acted weird back there.”
Ibuki felt hurt by that sentence, “Oh. Well, it’s not the first time somebody-”
“I didn’t mean it because you have an eccentric personality; I said it because you usually have an eccentric personality. That was the first time I’ve ever seen you with a stern expression, so I want to see if you’re alright.”
“You wanna see if I’m alright?” Marome nods “*sighs* I’ll be blunt then. I… I don’t like idols. They give me bad memories of being an After School Poyoyon Hour member.”
“After School Poyoyon Hour!? That’s the most famous all-girl band in the country. You were a member?”
Ibuki nods. “We had a rival named “Black Cherry,” a boy band that people would hype up as “boy band versus girl band” I envied the boy band because at least they had creative freedom; we were demanded to sing like idols from a disgusting producer. ” Marome was taken aback by the hint of venom in her tone at those last two words: “Needless to say, I quit the club due to creative differences. I was much more into the heavy metal genre anyway.”
“So you were upset at seeing Maizono because of that?”
“Yes, but I know it’s not her fault, so I’m moving past it. Besides, Kuwata is a different story altogether…”
April 4th 2011
Ibuki is fine-tuning her guitar until the door creaks open, revealing Leon. “Oh, Ibuki! Heeey!”
“Hey! That’s me! I-bu-ki!”
“Hehe...I wanted to talk with you at least once!”
“Ooh? And what business does Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star, have with me?”
“Forget about baseball! I’m going to explode onto the stage as a musician!”
“Huh? You know how to play an instrument, Leon?”
“Nah. I’m going to be vocals!”
“Hmmm...then how about writing lyrics and composing?”
“Not really. I’m going to have one of my other members do that pain in the ass stuff.”
“W-Wow...so does that mean you already have band members ready to go on stage with you?”
“That’s what I’m recruiting people for right now! So...Ibuki, you wanna join my band?”
“Huh?”
“You’re guitar. I don’t have any instruments yet, so anything’s fine. Me and the former star Ibuki... Both of us will get a lot of attention from our debut! And our fans probably won’t overlap, so I’ll let it slide if you stand out a little!”
“Hu...huhuhuhuhu…Haaa... Ahhh...I don’t even have a face for this. I’ve never felt this un-pumped up…Not bad, Leon! Not bad!”
“Then you’re gonna be the guitarist for my band, right!?”
“Nope! Not even if you paid me a million, a billion, or a gazillion dollars!”
Ibuki stands on stage, looks down at Leon, and gives him the most piercing gaze she has ever made. “I think you should leave.”
Sweatdropping, Leon took the hint and left
Present
Ibuki crossed her arms and shook her head. “Not even Maizono, Black Cherry, or After School Poyoyon Hour was that vapid to music.”
“Then why start a band with him?”
Ibuki sighs. “Because Kuwata and I like the punk rock genre. A genre that’s obviously out of Maizono’s element, and for some reason, she wants to help him.”
“So you made this test to see if Kuwata is being genuine.”
“Kuwata and Maizono. Even though we played different genres, I thought Maizono took music as seriously as I did. Teaching that lazy bum hindered my respect for her, but that respect was restored the moment she passed. I even agreed to collab with both of them if they pass.”
“You’re going to keep your word, right?” Marome asked sternly
Ibuki blushed and turned her head away, pouting. “Now that’s just rude; Ibuki always keeps her promises, whether I like it or not, and in all honesty, Ibuki feels ambivalent.” Ibuki walked towards her equipment
“Where you’re going?”
“To write a new song. Ibuki’s confident that you’re going to love this one”
“Can’t wait to hear it”
Ibuki smiles “Seeya Marome!” She leaves the music room along with Marome, unaware of a Snouter in the vents.
Hope’s Peak Academy Boy’s locker room-11:00 PM
Class 77 is having gym class. Hajime is sitting on the bench solemnly. “Hinata!” He turns to see Soshun Murasame in his uniform. “You’re not even in your uniform. What are you doing?”
“S-Sorry Murasame! I have a lot on my mind. ”
Soshun raised his eyebrow. “Does this have to do with Nanami and Koizumi?”
Hajime scrambles off of the bench. “You knew!?”
Soshun laughs, “Just because I spend a good chunk of my time as the Ultimate Student Council President in an Absurdly Powerful Student Council doesn’t mean that I don’t pay attention to my classmates. I even noticed how distant you were with them at the start of the year. ”
Hajime’s hand reaches behind his head. “Yeah...Long story short, I hurt Mahiru when she recovered from the aphrodisiac incident at the sports festival.”
Soshun cringed. “Please try to refrain from reminding me if the turmoil is relevant to that day; I still get headaches just by thinking about it.”
Majime nods. “She had a crush on me before coming here, and it took...that for her to confess.”
“ But you didn’t reciprocate, did you? ”
“ I told her she’s more of a parent to me.”
Soshun cringed harder. “No wonder she’s avoiding you. ”
“ Yeah, not only we haven’t been on speaking terms ever since, but for some reason, since the start of the year, Chiaki’s been avoiding me.”
Soshun stroked his chin. “Komaeda might be right; you are something. ”
“ What do you mean? ”
“ Well, he said, and I quote, “For a talentless student, he has quite the social network with the female students here””
Hajime blushes. “Where did he get that impression of me? ”
“ Besides Nanami and Koizumi, there’s also Kuzuryu. ”
“ Kuzuryu!? Natsumi Kuzuryu!? “Soshun nods. “How did- ”
“ Komaeda witnessed you and her shopping at a camera store earlier this month, and she exits the place crying. Did you break her heart, too?”
Steam of frustration flows from Hajime. “Ok, first of all, you must stop gossiping with Nagito! ”
“I can’t promise you that. He’s my journalist’s biggest info broker. “
“ Journalist? You mean Kohei Matsudaira. ”
“ Yep, and he’s been an excellent reporter for the school.”
Hajime raised his eyebrow after Soshun gave unprecedented praise to Kohei. Soshun proceeds to stare into space after saying that, so Hajime claps his hands in front of his face
*CLAP! CLAP!*
“Guh! What!? Oh, sorry, what else were you saying? ”
“ Second, yes, there was a confession from her and a rejection from me, but that’s because she never even liked boys!”
Soshun eyes widen. “What? So wait, why did she confess to you? ”
“ Because her dad’s sexist jerk. “Soshun clinched his fist. “Are you feeling alright, Murasame? ”
“ Yeah...I just got hit with a scenario close to home, but I’m good. Now, back to you, I think you should talk to one of them to see the answer for yourself. ”
“ Who do I start with? ”
“ You should start with- ”
“ HINATA! MURASAME! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE!? ” “I have some training I want to start on! If I miss it, I’ll kill you! ” Nekomaru and Akane yelled
“I’ll explain later; let’s just go!”
Hajime and Soshun leave the locker rooms, unaware of a Snouter in the vents.
Hope’s Peak Academy hallway-1:00 PM
Natsumi is telling Fuyuhiko everything about her sexuality. About her fears, her crush on Sato, and how she plans on confessing to her. Fuyuhiko can only stare in a daze before finally deciding to speak.
“I’ve been a fucking neglectful brother.”
“It’s not your fault, it’s-”
“Our dad, I know, but that’s the thing! I was so busy thinking about my survival that I had no idea what kind of pain you were going through! Peko, Mahiru, and Mukuro are right. I need to be better.”
Natsumi puts her hands on her hips. “And you need to figure out what you feel about Peko. You have been closer to her than you have with me, and as your sister, that’s saying something.”
Fuyuhiko was flabbergasted. “W-wh-what I feel about her? She’s my…” Natsumi raised her eyebrow. “Fuck, I couldn’t say it.”
“Say what? That you two are “just friends”? If you can’t say that, then you should know that those two words are bullshit. Tell her how you feel, or you two will regret it later.”
Fuyuhiko sighs, “Ok, I’ll do it.”
“Good, because she’s right behind you.”
“What!?” Fuyuhiko turned around, but nobody was there.
“Hahahahahahahahahaha! You are so obvious, big bro.”
“Haha. Hahaha. Fuck you, sis” Natsumi stops laughing.
“Talking about that, what’s your answer?”
“answer?” Natsumi sends a look, and Fuyuhiko's eyes widen. “Oh…That. Sumi, don’t you realize what you’re asking? We’re still in highschool.”
“Have you forgotten about our national age requirement? Besides,” Natsumi clinched her fist with tears in her eyes, “I am not a breeder.”
Fuyuhiko went silent, and after a few seconds of thinking, he sighed, “Make sure that if she hurts you, Peko is going to come after her.”
“Peko?”
“Yeah, and another thing, if Peko still looks after me, she should be looking after you too. You’re not a breeder.”
The Kuzuryus hugged as tears flowed from their eyes. “Thanks, bro.” They departed to their respective crushes, unaware of two snouters following them.
Hope’s Peak Academy: Kyosuke’s classroom-2:00 PM
Sonia hums herself as she puts on makeup for her study date with Byakuya. Before she leaves, though, she sees Chiaki in a troubled state and walks up to her.
“You feeling ok, Chiaki?”
the gamer looks up and sees the princess’s concerned face. “Hey, hey Sonia, I’m…fine.”
Sonia shook her head. “Chiaki, you’re not fine. Something is troubling you.”
Chiaki takes a deep breath. “I think…I might be in love with Hajime.”
Sonia’s eyes sparkled. “That’s great news! So why are you not confessing?”
“I… overheard a conversation between Koizumi and Yasuda…”
March 1st 2011
Chiaki was walking down the hallway with the events in the classroom in mind. “ Class rep? I never thought I would earn such a title. I hope I do my very-”
“GOTT VERDAMMT!”
Chiaki’s train of thought was interrupted by yelling, “ That voice… belongs to Koizumi.”
She follows it until she reaches a corner where, on the other side, Sato is comforting Mahiru, who’s in tears. “This is my fault Mahiru, I started accusing first,”
“Yeah, but instead of hearing them out, I joined in. Heck, I was about to accuse them first!”
“She must be talking about Marome’s announcement,” Chiaki thought
“and I was stopped by Nanami, to boot.”
Chiaki rubs her hand in her hair. “All I did was prevent a delicate situation from getting out of hand.”
“It could have been worse; we didn’t get into trouble other than a scolding from Mrs. Gekkogahara.”
“Sato, I don’t think you understand. That display right there was the reason why Hajime rejected me.”
Chiaki’s widen “ Rejected? Koizumi had a crush on Hajime?”
“Honestly, I wish I was more like Nanami; she is more approachable than me, doesn’t have an unreasonable father as far as I can tell, and the less said about our size the better!”
Chiaki’s mind races “ I …I had no idea. When did this exactly happen? Back at the sports festival? The first day? Before then?” Tears started to swell in her eyes. “ Did I ruin a potential relationship?” Unable to cope with this newfound guilt, Chiaki ran.
Present
“I’ve been avoiding the two ever since, but somehow I felt even more alone than before. I thought it was because of the lack of multiplayer games lately,”
“but with that kind of logic, we wouldn’t have game night,” said Sonia
“Exactly, so after some deep thinking, I had a realization.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m class rep because I even attempted to socialize with Hajime. That Super Gala Omega session was my first multiplayer session with anyone. It gave me a newfound courage to actually put down my games and talk to people. Hanging out with Hajime felt natural after that, but now that I avoid him, I don’t even feel like gaming.” Chiaki starts to cry. “I miss him.”
Sonia placed her hand on Chiaki. “You should talk to him then. The more you avoid it, the more you feel hurt.”
“What about Koizumi?” “Talk to her as well. This is a conflict that cannot be unresolved.”
“*sniff* alright, I’ll do that. I’m going to start with Koizumi, though, because I want to be friends with all my classmates.”
“That’s the spirit; I must be off as well. Can’t be late for my study date.”
“I still can’t believe you’re dating the real Togami, especially since he was not as nice as Marome.”
“Well, that was then; this is now, and I can promise you that Byakuya has changed into a good man. Have a nice day, Chiaki.”
As Sonia leaves, one thought enters Chiaki’s mind: “ Something about it feels odd, though. Even if it’s true, I can’t help but wonder if there’s a cheat code involved in this.” Chiaki leaves, unaware of a Snouter in the vents
Hope’s Peak Academy alley-3:00 PM
Peko and Fuyuhiko are at an alley for their daily meeting. “It’s settled then; I will look out for both of you and Natsumi. I won’t disappoint.”
“I-I know you won’t.”
The air got quiet as the two Yakuza kids stared into their familiar eyes, “Young Master ” / “ Peko. ”
“ Oh, sorry. You first.”
Peko takes a deep breath. “I am not a tool.” “Young master, no. Fuyuhiko, I have a confession to make”. Fuyuhiko’s face expresses curiosity. “You and I have known each other for a long time now, and There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. You were like a person when I was taught to be a tool. I’ve seen you put up a mask of toughness, only for you to take it off when it comes to me, revealing a side that shows how good and kind you are despite being a Yakuza heir, and because of that…I love you, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu.” Like a bullet to the chest, Fuyuhiko stares in shock while Peko continues with tears in her eyes, “I adore you. I care about you more than anyone on this planet. I would love to date you. And if the time ever comes, I would love to be your bride, but if you love someone else instead, I’ll accept the rejection.”
After a few seconds of silence, Fuyuhiko says, “Peko, I don’t just like you. ” Peko closed her eyes out of fear. “I love you. ” She opens them and sees Fuyhiko’s torn face. “Aside from my sister, I love you more than anything. More than my family business, my dad, and myself. You mean so much to me. I’ve loved you for as long as I can fucking remember, and I have a pretty good memory. You’re beautiful, smart, and powerful. You’re the most amazing person I have ever met. That is exactly why I want to become your boyfriend. I want to take you on dates, kiss you, and hug you. I want you to know just how much you mean to me. And maybe after we graduate, we can get married. It’s all I want. All I’ve ever wanted was you, Peko. ” Peko kisses Fuyuhiko, and the latter reciprocates. This lasts until it breaks, and Peko starts laughing. “What so funny? ”
“ I genuinely thought that you were interested in Mahiru. ”
“ Mahiru? You eavesdropped my conversations again, did you? ”
“ Regrettably, I did. ”
“ Damn, Peko, did I make you jealous?”
Peko nods. “This is why I don’t want you to be my “tool ”. ”
“ and I’m happy to hear that, Fuyu.”
“ FUYU!? ” Thought a blushing Fuyuhiko
“There’s no doubt that Natsumi would find this funny. ”
“ Not Mahiru, though. Come on, let’s get out of here so I can give you a proper date.”
Peko nods. “Speaking of which, when do you plan to announce Natsumi about us. ”
“ Later. Mainly because she has her confessions to make.”
As the two continued to talk, a punk with two hair horns listened to the entire thing. She smirks, “Ibuki’s ears are never wrong. Now, what lyrics would swoon Marome? ” Ibuki thinks as she continues to write in what seems to be a music spreadsheet. She wasn’t the only one snooping as a stouter left the area and headed to the girls’ dorm.
Hope’s Peak Hallway
“...Before I go, I could never thank you enough for the lessons.” “You’re welcome.”
Byakuya and Junko parted ways; however, someone else was hearing the conversation, Kyoko Kirigiri. “So Byakuya’s change in behavior was caused by Enoshima.” She walks down the hallway and goes over her notes.
“Juzo Sakakura, the former ultimate boxer, feared in the ring for being rough, aggressive, and prone to violence when he loses his short temper; can restrain himself if needed; loyal to Kyosuke Munakata to a loving degree; report to complete.”
“Sayaka Maizono: Ultimate Pop Sensation; Japan’s most famous pop idol; became successful through threats and intimidation of her competitors; detailed report. ”
“ Mukuro Ikusaba: Ultimate Soldier; formerly a part of the mercenary group ‘Fenrir ’ who has never lost in battle nor sustained a single scar; tortured enemies on the battlefield; sister to Junko Enoshima; attention potentially required around her; no secrets found; report to complete.”
“ Isshiki Madarai, the ultimate bodyguard; cautious and vigilant but very vengeful, cruel, and eager to harm their “prey, ” with a relentless predator-like personality; rumored to be able to change body mass; report to complete. ”
“ Leon Kuwata: Ultimate Baseball Star; future of Japanese baseball with the greatest potential of the 21st century; accused by some girls of ‘taking womanizing too far on occasion’; detailed report. ”
“ Chihiro Fujisaki: Ultimate Programmer; creates artificial intelligence to help society, though not much is known about her; report to complete. ”
“ Mondo Owada: Ultimate Biker Gang Leader; leader of Japan’s first biker gang; involved in gang wars and suspicious deaths of opposing gang members; detailed report. ”
“ Kiyotaka Ishimaru: Ultimate Moral Compass; former morals committee member at Kaiseidan middle School; grandson to disgraced Prime Minister Toranosuke Ishimaru, accused of corruption; detailed report. ”
“ Kohei Matsudaira; talentless student; an acquaintance from the St. John Warts case who was by Dr. John H. Watson so to speak; detailed report ”
“ Santa Shikiba, the ultimate botanist, another acquaintance from the St. John Warts case; he was the culprit, but his parents were the true masterminds; he’s been making up for it ever since, detailed report. ”
“ Hifumi Yamada: Ultimate Fanfic Creator; known for his work in the fanfiction field; accused to have sold mature stories featuring anime character’ Princess Piggles’ to young children for money; detailed report. ”
“ Celestia Ludenberg: Ultimate Gambler; undefeated gambler in all of Japan; ruined her opponents in illegal gambling games, and played against criminal organizations repeatedly; name so distinguish that it probably fake; report to complete. ”
“ Sakura Ogami: Ultimate Martial Artist; allegedly one of the strongest human beings on Earth, heir to her family’s dojo; no secrets found; report to complete. ”
“ Yasuhiro Hagakure: Ultimate Clairvoyant; a thief who tries to sell his ‘fortunes ’ to people; gives his ‘predictions ’ at extreme prices; not worthy of interest. ”
“ Toko Fukawa: Ultimate Writing Prodigy; famous novelist specialized in a tragic romance; not much is known about her, though she appears to have a masochist behavior and a lack of self-confidence; partially detailed report. ”
“ Aoi Asahina: Ultimate Swimming Pro; a world-class athlete who broke many records in the swimming world, Olympic cadet; detailed complete. ”
“Natsumi Kuzuryru; talentless; a self-proclaimed ultimate little sister; an actual little sister to the ultimate yakuza Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu; described as smug, mean, self-centered, selfish, arrogant, and egotistical, who would plant hatred towards someone she dislikes or envies; reason for not being the ultimate yakuza like her brother is currently unknown; report to complete.”
“ Byakuya Togami: Ultimate Affluent Progeny; heir to the Togami family, which controls the world from the shadows; plotted against the other heirs to his family name to be the last one remaining; most likely not a threat due to an overinflated ego; report to complete. ”
“ Makoto Naegi: Ultimate Lucky Student; a seemingly normal boy who enrolled Hope’s Peak Academy through a lottery; doesn’t have a talent; no secrets found; report to not just complete, but triple check as well.”
“ Junko Enoshima: Ultimate Fashionista; known for making magazine covers and being an international model; sister to Mukuro Ikusaba; no secrets found; not even her past; report to complete URGENTLY! ”
Kyoko is now updating them. “My data before enrollment used to match up, but now I have to reinvestigate a good chunk of the students all over again, and after hearing that conversation, I can no doubt pinpoint that the epicenter of this discourse is Enoshima. The fashionista’s behavior has gotten too unpredictable for my liking. It’s bad enough that she showed up as a confident but mysterious model without any history to her name, but when I first saw her in class, she seemed unfocused and neurotic. These traits don’t normally fit a fashionista, but then there were accounts that she befriended Kuzuryu and even changed her attitude. That would have been circumstantial if it weren’t for Togami’sweren’t behavior yesterday. Not that I’m upset that he is changing his ways, the heir is me without any empathy at the time, but that’s the thing, a person like Togami having a sudden change of heart would require assistance, and the assistant is Enoshima. However, the most bizarre fact about Enoshima is the type of attention she’s attracting, and this isn’t because she’s a model; Munakata was just now talking to her, sure. However, I know an interrogation whenever I hear one, no matter what. Mararame is just as guilty, as whenever he widens his eyes to scan the class, he always lingers on Enoshima and Ikusaba the longest, even if it’s quick; it’s almost like she’s being treated like a war criminal or a terrorist, and she wants to keep that treatment under wraps. Just who is she?”
*Ring, ring, ring!*
“Hm? ” the girl’s phone rang, and as she took it out, she realized it was her only contact calling her. She took the call quickly. “Hello, Grandfather.”
"Good afternoon, Kyoko." Fuhito Kirigiri greeted back on the other end of the line. “I trust everything in that school is going well? ”
“ Yes, it did, Grandfather. ” Kyoko replied calmly before adding, “Some of my classmates tried to talk to me, though I tend to avoid that before that could happen. ”
“ I see. Have you gone to see the Headmaster yet? ” the retired detective asked, and his granddaughter could almost see the expectant look on his face through the screen. “I visited him yesterday. I told him I wanted to cut all ties with him and that it was my reason for coming to this school,” she explained, emotionlessly narrating her visit to her father’s office.
“He takes the news well, but that is not my concern. I will limit my visit to the Headmaster to the bare minimum, likely only for my investigations. ”
“ Good; you did the right thing, Kyoko. This man is an insult to the Kirigiri line of detectives, and you should limit your interactions with him. ” Fuhito insisted. “And I doubt he will be useful during your investigations of Hope’s Peak Academy, either. ”
“ That remains to be seen. ” the Ultimate Detective said.
“Is there anything else you needed to ask of me, Grandfather? My time is precious as I need to settle down, and I have much work to do afterward. ”
“ Yes, yes, I will not be wasting your time, although there is something else I need to talk to you about. ” the old man said, and Kyoko already knew where this was headed. “Did you get a chance to learn more about your classmates after your preliminary investigations?”
“You need to learn to be less obvious with the questions you ask, Grandfather… You’re getting rusty as a detective.” She sighed before replying, “I did. I am comparing the information I had gathered to the first experience I had with them at the end of this month to list who could potentially be a threat. Right now, I believe there might be two students who fit the bill. ”
“ And who is that?”
“Makoto Niegi and Junko Enoshima”
“The lucky student and fashionista? ”
“ Niegi is an open book, so much so that it’s almost scary, but that’s nothing compared to Enoshima, who’s messing up my data on my class. ”
“ I see. I ask you to remain cautious, however. You know what happened the last time you got close to someone, don’t you, Kyoko? ” he asked assertively.
“Yes, I do, Grandfather.” “ Yui…” Flashbacks ran through Kyoko’s mind, but she made them go away quickly. “I will ensure absolute neutrality while investigating here, exactly as you taught me. Still, apart from maybe a couple of them, I doubt any of my classmates could be threats to me or my work. ”
“ Well, regardless of whether they seem dangerous, always remain on your guard. The pursuit of the truth can be costly for those who are inadequately prepared. ”
“ I will make sure to judge everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, Grandfather; you don’t need to worry about me. ” the Ultimate Detective assured him, as she wanted to get him off her back. He was telling her things he had taught her at a young age, and there wasn’t a single principle of the Kirigiri creed she was unaware of. “I was chosen as the Ultimate Detective, and I believe my level of preparation for any potential danger I might encounter in this school will ensure my safety. Is there something else you need to tell me again, or might I return to work? ”
“ Yes, I do , actually . Regarding the potential dangers between Niegi and Enoshima, it’s best if you don’t engage until you consult with me if you find anything. Besides that, you can spend the weekend on the school's campus if you need to work some more. With that being said, goodbye, Kyoko. ” Fuhito said goodbye to his granddaughter.
“Yes, goodbye, Grandfather. I will see you soon. ” the faintest trace of a smile appeared on her lips as she took the phone and hung up before sighing and placing it back inside her pocket. “Well, that looked like a total waste of time… Nothing I didn’t know already… Grandfather’s mind is in the right place, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without him, but he needs to realize I can understand things without being told ten times… I’ll try to adapt to this new environment while getting to learn more about this school and my classmates. The best idea… might be to get a social student to set up a daily routine for the class…”
“Hey Kirigiri, how was your last case? ” Kyoko turns and sees Makoto walking down the hallway
“Niegi, I’m not allowed to talk about confidential information, ” Kyoko said with her arms crossed.
“T-Th-That’s not what I meant! ”
“ But you still asked, didn’t you? ”
“ Yes, but I want a general answer, not an entire case file.”
Kyoko sighs. “It was alright, but that’s all I’m saying. ”
“That’s fine. I’m happy that you’re doing okay anyway.”
Kyoko raised her eyebrow. “ Excuse me? ”
“ Ever since the start of the year, you have been taking case after case after case. I understand that’s your talent, but I don’t want you to overwork yourself, you know? Just looking out for a classmate. ”
“ Looking out for a classmate…Tell me, Niegi. How have you been spending this month? ”
“ Not exactly; I usually try to make friends or hang out with them. For example, I wanted to hang out with Sayaka and Kuwata, but Mioda’s strict schedule put a stamp on that.”
Kyoko ponders it: “ Strict schedule from Mioda? One of the most hyperactive students here? That can’t be her doing. She hasn’t even interacted with any other upperclassmen aside from the Yakuza and photographers. What’s Kuwata even doing with Sayaka and Mioda that requires a schedule anyway? I could go over there and investigate myself, but maybe I don’t have to.”
“So you have no one to hang out with at the moment. Do you plan on asking me instead? ”
“ What!? How did you know? ”
“You’re an open person Niegi ; it’s almost foolish ”
“Foolish?” Makoto thought
“ Normally, I wouldn’t have time for stuff like that, but I’ll make an exception for you. ”
Makoto blushes. “ F-For me? ”
“ Of course. You’re one of the most tolerable students in our class, plus I’m also interested in how much you know about our classmates. ”
Makoto sweatdrop: “ Why do I feel I’m being used as an info broker?”
“Of course, you can decline; I’ll even return to what I was doing since the start of the year.” Kyoko walks away.
Makoto ponders Kyoko’s offer and starts following her. “ Kyoko, ” The detective stops and slowly turns to the lucky boy just as she reaches the door. “ Is there a place where you want us to go? ”
Kyoko smirks. “ Why yes. Yes, there is. ” The two students leave the school, unaware of a Snouter carefully following them from behind
Hope's peak talent lab: the Archery room-4:00 PM
*Thwack!*
Sato is mastering her archery skills; she aims to hit every target with a bullseye.
Another student walked up to her, holding a piece of paper. “Yasuda, you have a letter.”
Taking it, she read it. The letter is a request, a request for her to be in the sports closet by herself. So, an hour later, Sato arrived only to find that no one was around, and the door closed.
*Click*
Sato turns and sees a familiar green-eyed, pink-cheeked blonde. “Natsumi!?”
“We need to talk, Sato, and you know what I'm talking about.”
Sato's eyes widen. “Shit!”
“Look, it was an accident. I didn't mean to-”
Natsumi's hand raised. “I want to talk first,” Sato went silent. “There was another reason why I bullied Mahiru. Another, fucked up reason in hindsight.”
Sato starts to glare. “What?”
Natsumi nods in shame. “I’m…in love with you.”
Sato's glare turns into an expression of confusion. “What?”
“All my life, people feared me, not wanting to go near me because of my family. So I weaponized it, and it worked for everyone except for you. I'm excellent when it comes to picking up fear, and when I first saw you defending Mahiru after I became jealous of how lucky she was to be approachable, you weren't afraid of me. Still, you were more afraid of me hurting Mahiru than me hurting you. I could remember the defying look that you gave me. A look that I wanted to see again; however, after you had your arm scared, I stopped and never went near you two again. So when Junko helped me end the feud, I thought we could start over from scratch and be friends. Depending on your answer, maybe even more than that, but I understand if you never wanted to see my face again.”
Sato's face went dark after Natsumi was finished. “I have one question for you. Does Mahiru know about this?”
“Yes. I talked to her first before you.”
Hours ago
“That’s your other reason!?” Mahiru asked, bewildered.
“I was a petty ass bitch, I know. I wanted to tell you this first because I know that otherwise, Sato would be worried sick about you.”
“Sato…be worried about me?”
“Of course, she would. You were her first friend, her first crush. I could tell how much she wanted to protect you, and the fact that she was able to stand up against a Yakuza member is hot as fuck.”
“Now that I stop and think about it, Sato's crush on me wasn't hard to figure out.”
“I wanted what you had but stopped after the arm incident. Even though I'm innocent, the fact remains that Sato was willing to hurt me for you, and if that old man ever found out that his breeder was defective, he would command his man to do much more than the scarring, much worse than killing. I'll tell Sato, and neither of you will have to see me again.”
Natsumi turns to leave, but Mahiru stops her. “So you're telling me all this because you plan to confess?”
“Yes, and last week we kissed at the pool, and she's been avoiding me ever since.”
“I see. If she says yes,” Mahiru sends a smile. “Be a better girlfriend than me, okay?”
Present
“Our conversation ended there.”
*SLAM!*
Sato's hand hits the wall behind Natsumi with her palm, making contact and pinning Natsumi into the spot. She looked into the blonde’s emerald eyes with intensity. They were filled with regret, shame, and longing. Under normal circumstances, Sato would have been furious for such a reason, but the fact that Natsumi talked to Mahiru first means she knew it was petty. Plus, Natsumi was never a bad person; she was just an insecure girl with a rough and tough temper due to her awful family lifestyle, and that's before getting into the breeding angle, something that still disgusts Sato for so many reasons. Natsumi, on her part, started back at Sato's purple eyes. They were filled with judgment. Judgment over her actions, she knew that what she treated Mahiru wasn't warranted in the slightest, but if redemption meant staying away from the two, she would do it and go as far as to go into another school entirely. That's why the longer Sato starred, the more frustrated she gets
“How long are you going to stare at me!? I know I don't deserve your love, and if you tell me to fuck off here and now, I will! I'll make sure to do everything in my power to ensure that you or Mahiru would even have to see my stupid face aga-”
*SLAP!*
Sato slaps Natsumi across her cheek. “That was for Mahiru, wasn't it?”
Sato shakes her head. “Not just Mahiru, it was also for making me want to do this!”
Sato grabs Natsumi's shirt and kisses her. Natsumi reciprocates and follows through with the make-out session. In one swift movement, Sato had the two switched positions so she could have Natsumi lay on the mat. The kiss breaks into a spit trail, and the two girls are now panting. Sato's eyes swell in tears. “I fucking hate what you went through and how you handled it, Natsumi. Why didn't you talk to me about what you were feeling? I would have protected you from this loneliness a long time ago, but instead, I demonized you and attacked you after I received my scar. I only had a crush on Mahiru because she was the first girl to accept me for who I am. If I had known that you would have accepted me in the first place, I would have done this fucking sooner.”
Natsumi pulls Sato into a hug, causing the two to sit up. “So what does this make us now? In all honesty, I still want you.”
Natsumi had tears in her eyes. “I don't want to be a fucking breeder; I don't want any of those shallow boys to take my V-card. You were my first kiss, and I want you to be my first everything.”
Sato pulls her away. “Does your brother know about this? Because what you're asking for is-”
“I did. After I talked to Mahiru, I talked with bro, and he said that if you do anything to hurt me, Peko will come out for you.”
Sato giggles. “So once again, you threaten me with the Yakuza.”
“He’s my brother, Sato! It can’t be helped if he gives a bigger damn about me than my old sexist dad.”
“Oh, I know. I want to see you panic.”
Natsumi goes red in embarrassment. “Okay, I deserve that too.”
“That, and more.” Sato closed her mouth to Natsumi's ear, whispering and caressing, ‘I can show you exactly how fearless I could be, but I want to hear it from you, Sumi.’
“Sumi?” an aroused Natsumi thought.
‘Say you want me to love you, and I'll shower you with it.’ After the whispering, Sato begins to kiss Natsumi's flowing tears with soft tenderness.
With absolute resolve, Natsumi answered, ‘I want you to love me.’
Sato pins Natsumi back down onto the mat, resuming their make-out session. Only this time, they undress themselves. The scouter, who was watching the scene unfold, quickly leaves out of respect for the new couple.
Evening: Junko’s room
The snouters return to Junko after a long day of surveillance. <So, how did it go?> The Snouters told Junko everything via squeaking. <Ok, so in general, the school’s hope and harmony are still so-so. Maizono and the Casanova are going to be closer due to the lessons, the punk rocker Ibuki Mioda is crushing on Marome Mitari at this point, the president is gay and is crushing on the Yoichiro Saito lookalike, and the love triangle between Hinata, the gamer, and the photographer is reacting it’s apex. The biggest highlight is the Yakuza siblings FINALLY confessing to their crushes.> Junko sighs <Of course, some things were insignificant. The biggest, of course, is that the Ice Queen eavesdropped on me and is using her lucky chosen boyfriend as her info broker. The eavesdropping is something that I already knew, but it was something that I couldn’t prevent due to the situation. I’m going to have you all join the knight templar on his search and seizure to scope out any evidence of them trying to sniff me out; be sure to stay vigilant and hidden the next time you all do this, and please, if you things get too personal, private, and doesn’t even have any information that I should be worried about, don’t stick around. I do not need you to spy on Natsumi and Yasuda’s make-out session. The same thing applies to areas like bathrooms and locker rooms. Listen to the actual gossip, and that’s it. Even then, I would have you guys stop saying that in certain areas, depending on the data’s circumstances, you should get some rest; you all deserve it after a long day.> The snouters saluted and went back to their hiding places; Junko pulled out her notebook and started writing
April 26th 2011
10 Denizens of Hope found love:
Natsumi Kuzuryu/Sato Yasuda
Kyosuke Munakata/Chisa Yukizome
Sonia Nevermind/Byakuya Togami
Daisaku Bandai/Taurus “The Great Cow Head” Gozu
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu/Peko Pekoyama
Day one of the Kiss Note plan was a moderate success. One month down, 11 more to go.