Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wow... Hope's Peak Academy. It's really right there. Right there in front of me. And I'm going in. I'm going through this gate right here... Just as soon as I can feel my legs again.
Is this how Makoto felt last year? And I'm not even gonna be in the main course! Why am I so nervous?! I already know like half Makoto's class, it's not like I'm starting from nothing at this new school. But still... I can't even move. Will I be able to make friends in the reserve course? Aren't they mostly hoity-toity rich kids? Thank god I get in free for being a main course's sibling. Makoto likes to say he doesn't feel that much more lucky than the average person, but I think he's just modest. I mean, that lottery was one in several million! That's insane! And all because of that I get to go here too...

"Starstruck, huh?" some guy in a reserve course uniform walks up next to me. I turn and notice his eyes are two different colors. That's a real thing? I thought that just happened in manga.
"I mean... yeah! It's so weird that I'm actually here." I turn back and stare up at the tall main building.
"I remember that feeling. This school was everything I ever dreamed of my whole life." he speaks with a wistful nostalgia that I didn't expect from someone who only looked a year or two older than me.
"Yeah? And did it live up to those lofty expectations?" I question. His small smile falls.
"Does anything?" he questions back.
"Yeah, I get that... When my brother started going here last year I was soooo jealous he got to make friends with Sayaka Maizono and stuff so I talked my parents into letting me come this year, and boy did it take a lot to get them not to back out on it when that 'Kamukura Project' scandal dropped." I give that anecdote as an example of Hope's Peak being not as perfect as some think it is, and to talk a bit more about myself.
"That scandal... they never revealed the name of the student involved, did they?" he asks.
"I don't think so. I hope they're okay." I chew on my bottom lip. The man chuckles.
"You're gonna fit in here perfectly." he says out of nowhere. I can't decide whether it makes him sound weirder or cooler.
"Aw, thanks! So, you're in the reserve course too? I wonder if we'll see each other around. My name's Komaru Naegi, what's yours?" I finally ask. He smiles down at me. I'm definitely getting a 'wise beyond his years' vibe from him.
"Hajime Hinata." He introduces. "It's been nice talking to you Komaru, but I've gotta meet with someone soon. See you when I see you." He waves as he walks away in the opposite direction of the reserve course building..? Huh, mysterious.

The first few hours go by in a flash, all of a sudden I've got a lanyard with my school ID on it and I'm getting a full tour of the schoolgrounds. Apparently reserve students weren't even allowed on main course property until this year. I'm glad that changed, it'd be no fun never hanging with those zany ultimates.
"And here we approach our Hope's Peak Elementary division. It's a small building with only one classroom with students aged 9 to 12. May they be children of Hope's Peak Academy alumni or kids already showing promise of great talent, these little ones have the exclusive opportunity of getting their foot in the door with our talent scouts." the teacher explains. I've never heard of it before, but I guess it makes at least a little sense. "This also brings me to our next topic of discussion: the Mixed Works Program." She continues walking backwards while explaining things to the class, slowing approaching a track for running. "In another new feature meant to break down the walls between the reserve and main course, the Mixed Works Program gives you all a chance to attend elective classes co-attended and sometimes even hosted by those in the main course!" she announces. Half the crowd gasps. That's awesome! I had no clue! Did Makoto keep it a secret on purpose or did he just not know either?

My classmates in the crowd whisper to one another while the teacher calls out to someone running on the track.
"Akane Owari! I need you to talk to the first years about your class!" The runner stumbles at being yelled at, but quickly recovers by turning it into some kind of cool half-flip and changing her running direction towards us.
"Hey there newbies!" she yells before making a quick stop next to the teacher. This 'Akane' person has a sexy body and all around scruffy demeanor, probably a third year Ultimate.
"Akane, would you explain your new elective class?" the teacher offers. Akane flashes a huge grin.
"Sure thing! My epic training regimen is perfect for people who love running, jumping, doing tricks, sparring, swimming, and all around any kind of cardio!" she yells so that the whole crowd can hear (and me at the front of the crowd can wince). Probably not gonna pick this class, P.E. was always my worst subject.
"Thank you miss Owari, you can return to your practicing." the teacher says before turning back to the crowd. Akane gives a thumbs-up and runs off. "Along with this option there's volunteering at the Elementary school, Teruteru Hanamura's cooking class, history of animation, and many more." she explains before leading us off to the next part of the tour.

And finally after the end of the tour and returning to our homeroom classes we get our class schedules and are sent off to lunch. I immediately search the cafeteria for my best friend, hoping Toko also got Lunch A.
"Toki!!! I'm here!!! Can you believe it?!" I screech as I run up to her with open arms. She bristles so I drop them instead of giving her a hug, she was good at wordlessly expressing her boundaries like that.
"Not even a little." she deadpans.
"Ah, it's so cool we go to the same school now! Hope's Peak is so high tech!" I continue to yell, too excited to control my volume.
"Y-Yeah, that's kind of it's whole schtick. Mind quieting down? People are s-staring." Toko whispers that last sentence, eyeing the room and likely glaring at whoever decided to stare.
"Oh, no prob." I sit next to her at the circular table she was currently alone at and spin around my backpack to grab my lunch. I move my schedule papers out of the way, thinking about how odd it is they handed them out before we chose our electives. They must all happen at the same time.
"Thank god. I don't need more reasons for people to stare at me..." Toko pokes at her cafeteria food with a plastic fork.
"Oh, right, what are you choosing for the Mixed Works Program? Maybe we can take the same class!" I change the subject. Toko sighs.
"Jill got us in trouble with the principal so I'm being forced into one I don't care about because not enough main course students wanted to volunteer at that d-dumb daycare thing..." she grumbles. "None of the classes are writing based, so it's not like I had one in mind already, but who would want to spend their time doting on snotty little kids?"
"Well at least your punishment isn't too severe or anything, be glad for that." I look on the bright side. Toko's alter was capable of doing some very bad things so the fact that whatever she got caught doing was minor enough for such a small punishment was relieving.
"Isn't it? Any kid who gets called a 'lil ultimate' is gonna be the most obnoxious spoiled brat to live." Toko complains.
"Aw come on, kids are meant to be spoiled! You've just got a bad perspective cuz your parents suck so much. I can't wait to be a mom and spoil my kids to death!" I beam. Toko groans.
"M-Maybe literally to death, have you heard about childhood obesity rates lately?" she brings down the mood as I bite into my food. I frown as I chew and swallow.
"Wow, you really aren't gonna have a good time in that class, are you?" I leadingly question. Toko slumps and nods. I bring out my best smile. "Well good for you I've just decided I'll be volunteering too! I can't just leave you alone in there, can I?"
"You definitely could. Actually, you SHOULD." Toko meanly jokes.
"That was rhetorical, Toki, I'm not giving you a choice. I'm joining you in that class whether you want me to or not." I say, straight-faced.
"...th-thanks." Toko hides a small smile.

Chapter Text

The next day Komaru groggily rubs her eyes in her kitchen, maneuvering around her dad who was currently making a healthy breakfast. She had her own ideas for breakfast though, taking a box of sugary cereal and a bowl half filled with milk to the dining room table.
"Milk before the cereal. I knew it, you're adopted." Makoto jokes in classic big brotherly fashion. Komaru rolls her eyes as she sits across from him. Makoto was texting someone on his shiny new iphone, a gift he got from the rude rich kid in his class when Makoto dropped his flip phone down a sewer grate in front of him. It was either a 4 or 5, Komaru wasn't sure what number apple was on by now. All she knew is she got an iphone 2 from their uncle the christmas after it came out and she was going to use it until it crumbled in her hands.
"Who're ya texting?" she asks through spoonfuls of cereal.
"Chiaki Nanami, from the class above me. She's pretty chill. Apparently we both made it into the history of animation class." Makoto idly explains, not lifting his gaze from the screen in his hands.
"Oh, cool. What's she the ultimate of?" That's a phrase Komaru had gotten very used to asking over the past year.
"Gaming."
"Ooo, I see why you get along." Komaru teases. While she got the occasional expensive gift of a modern phone, Makoto was always gunning for the latest game console.

The day at school went like any other day in class 78, which was to say hectic. They had the same teacher as last year, apparently they move with the class instead of staying at the same grade level, but that didn't help soothe Taka's nerves about the rampant changes to student's schedules from the previous year. He apparently did not approve of the Mixed Works Program, stating students without the proper certification should never be the official teacher to their peers, only ever a tutor. Once Mondo chimed in about how interested he is in the cooking class despite it being run by 'that perv' (his words) Taka gave up his ranting.
But anyways, it was the final hour of school and Makoto had his first history of animation class to do. The guy running it was named Ryota Mitarai, and he was the Ultimate Animator in the 77th class. When he arrived to the classroom, he could tell Ryota was nervous. Makoto also idly thinks that he must have lost a concerning amount of weight if he was remembering the right person. The class seemed about full, only 3 chairs left empty in the small classroom. It looked like mostly reserve course students chose this one. The one main course person he couldn't recognize was a lady with long blue hair who seemed ecstatic to be there.
"Hey hey, over here" Chiaki speaks quietly as she always does but Makoto still somehow hears her over the chatter of a class yet to start. Next to her was another member of her class, the exchange student Princess Sonia. Makoto approaches and takes the seat on the other side, that was luckily one of the few still empty.

"It's official. I hate this school." Hajime says while stretching.
"Oh, so them turning you into a lab rat didn't do that for you but a bit of exercise did?" Kazuichi jokes.
"Quiet about that, I don't want anyone overhearing." Hajime chides.
"Yeah, you'd rather people assume you copied Gundham's weird 'I use a single red colored contact to look edgy and mysterious' thing" the mechanic teases. The only people who were supposed to know about Hajime's role in the cancelled Kamukura project were his closest friends, but it didn't help that his friends were assholes who'd never stop bringing it up so all of class 77 knew by now. At least that teacher lady is nice about it, simply including him in group activities without making a big deal since she heard.
"Hey, at least with this class people won't look at me weird for hanging with ultimates. Half of us are reserve here anyway." Hajime looks across the field to all the unique faces who chose Akane and Nekomaru's training program. This was probably the biggest of the mixed classes, with so many ultimates having to do with sports and athleticism and with reserve course students being able to get a P.E. credit from it along with the elective credit.
"Hajime! I didn't think I'd see you here!" Nekomaru boisterously announces his presence as he approaches the two doing their stretches alone.
"Hey, didn't you always say I had a sprinter's build? If there's one talent I can try and hone, it's running as fast as possible." Hajime half-lies. To be honest he was also here for the P.E. credit (he was too busy, y'know, being experimented on to attend his gym class last year) but he did like that he was gonna be able to attend the same class as Kazuichi, who from the start knew he wanted to attend whatever class meant he had the chance to see girls in swimsuits.
Speaking of, the ultimate swimmer jogged up to the group.
"Hey coach? Are we gonna start soon? Akane's just over there arm wrestling and I think we've had enough warm-up time." she asks Nekomaru. Looking over, Akane was indeed arm wrestling a guy with purple hair and a cocky smile. He was crushed immediately.
"Yeah, we should probably start. As soon as Akane finishes with her line of challengers." Nekomaru scratches the back of his head with a chuckle.

Chapter Text

Komaru takes a breath as she approaches the Hope's Peak Elementary building for her first day of her volunteering. Who knew what these kids were gonna be like? She opens the door to an unexpectedly serene scene. There were kids reading, some drawing, and some just chatting. A teacher notices her and gives a sigh of relief.
"Finally. I was almost convinced only one of the teenagers signed up to watch these troublemakers." The teacher says jokingly, no one in the vicinity making any trouble.
"Oh, is Toko here already?" Komaru asks. It'd be good to check in with her ASAP.
"No one by that name has stopped by, though I hope to see them soon!" he smiles. It made sense this teacher spent a lot of time around kids, he was good at convincingly being cheery.
"She'll be here." Komaru confirms. Given that it was technically a punishment there's no way Toko would be able to skip class and get away with it.
"Great! Though, only three volunteers..." The teacher puts a hand to his chin. "Well, let's be thankful this is a small class!" he chuckles. Komaru laughs along to be polite.

"Um... M-Mister Teacher?" a low-voiced blond boy in a brown apron approaches.
"Yes, Jataro?" The teacher turns to face him, looking down.
"Monaca is getting antsy without her snack. Not antsy in the way an ant would crawl onto food though, Monaca wouldn't eat something an ant crawled on." the boy speaks oddly slowly.
"Hm, that main course kid should be back with the snack box by now..." the teacher thinks aloud. "Alright!" He stands tall and turns to Komaru.
"Your first job is to find your classmate and bring back the pretzels and juice boxes we need for snack time. He should be somewhere between here and the cafeteria." the teacher orders. Komaru gives a hearty salute.
"Yes, sir!" she calls, before exiting the building to find this mystery student and his box of childhood treats.

And she does find him. Immediately in fact. By running straight into him.
"Woah!" she falls into the grass by the side of the pathway, making the person she ran into drop what he was holding.
"Ah- Are you okay?" she hears a male voice softly ask. She looks up to see a main course student with whispy white hair reaching down to help her up. This guy was super pretty, and the fact that he was helping her up after she knocked into him and fell made this feel like the perfect meet-cute. Shaking away any girly fantasies of living in a slice of life anime, Komaru takes his hand and pulls herself up.
"I'm good." Once she was steady, she shook the hand she was already holding. "I'm Komaru, what's your name?" she beams.
"Oh, my name is Nagito Komeada. Ultimate Lucky Student." he introduces, a little shyly. Komaru drops his hand in shock.
"No way! That's my brother's talent too!" she gasps. Nagito's eyes widen, then he smiles.
"Makoto's sister! I should've known. You have the same hair, only with a bit of a greener tint." he identifies. Komaru liked to think she kept her hair neater than Makoto's spikey mess, but after that tumble she just had she probably had enough stray hairs to look the part.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Komaru looks around the ground to find what Nagito dropped. She finds an upturned milk crate which was previously filled with the baggies of prefilled pretzels and little boxes of juice now littering the pavement. Bingo.
"Oh no... Knowing my luck they're all crushed, those young talented souls deserve much better than pretzel dust..." Nagito sighs.
"Don't be so dramatic, it was a fall of like 3 feet!" Komaru teases. She squats down to refill the box with the scattered goodies.
"Ah, maybe you're right." Nagito mumbles as he crouches to do the same. "You're quite the optimist. Just like your brother." he says without looking back at her.
"Heh, I guess so. Are you friends? I've never heard him mention you before other than that there was another lucky guy around." Komaru asks. Nagito makes an apprehensive face as he places some juice boxes into the crate.
"No, not particularly... N-Not that I wouldn't like to be! It's just..." Nagito scratches behind his neck and looks to the side. "People don't tend to like me around here. I mean, it makes sense, I'm not talented or anything and I'm still in the main course, but Makoto gets along with his whole class despite that. It's... a little disheartening if I'm honest." Nagito sighs and looks down sadly. Komaru gives a half-frown at that.
"Aw, come on! Have some hope! Makoto only got that far because he gave it effort! Just try and I'm sure someone in your class will give you a chance." she offers. Nagito's face goes blank, before smiling widely.
"'Have some hope', huh?" He chuckles like there was some inside joke she wasn't in on. "I like you, Komaru." She blushes a bit at the directness. "Now come on, let's go back to the kids."

Chapter Text

Jill is gonna be the death of me, I just know it. After escorting Byakuya to his class (he seemed... very relieved that we weren't in the same one. Th-That's fine, though! Distance makes the heart grow fonder!) I walk slowly to the small elementary school building. I'm gonna be late, I know that, but they're probably dreading my arrival anyways so who cares. Komaru's there... and that's about all I know. Some other main course kid was too at least, but I have no idea who other than that they aren't in my class.
Okay... take a deep breath... and open-
"Ah, you must be the famous Toko!" the teacher says immediately when I enter.
"F-Famous?" I nervously question. Oh no, Headmaster Kirigiri didn't explain why I'm volunteering, did he? Komaru walks up with a chuckle.
"Hi, sorry, I talked you up a bit while we were waiting." she admits. Oh. Well, that's slightly less embarrassing. I look around the room and see kids eating pretzels and/or drinking those little juice boxes that are objectively inferior to juice pouches. I also see the one other volunteer talking to a green-haired girl in a wheelchair.
"Is he the only other one?" I question, failing to hide the disappointment in my voice. I don't know much about him, not even his name, but what I do know is that he has a clumsy streak twice as long as Makoto's.
"Yes, I double checked the papers and unfortunately only three people decided to help out here for their elective class. I'll have to tell the teachers to better sell this class next year!" The teacher guy chuckles to himself. "Should I show you two around? Nagito's taken some initiative to do introductions on his own when he arrived first." Komaru jumps in before I get the chance to respond.
"Sure thing, give us the tour!"

After showing off the (honestly pretty bare-bones) facilities, we get introduced to a bunch of forgettable children with dumb titles like "li'l ultimate reading" and "li'l ultimate recess". We next approach a light blue-haired boy reading what looks like a middle school history textbook with a serious expression.
"Nagisa, would you like to say hello to our helpers?" The teacher asks. The boy doesn't look up from his book.
"Why? They're not even trained, they won't be able to teach me anything." he grumbles. The teacher holds back a sigh as he turns to us.
"Well, I'll just say it for you. This is Nagisa, our li'l ultimate social studies. He says hi."
"Hi Nagisa!" Komaru says back. Nagisa doesn't respond. The teacher clears his throat.
"Well then, why don't we move on to these two over here..." he gestures to a blond and red-haired drawing duo.
"It's you again! You look a lot like the main character in a show my mom watches, I forget what it's called." the blond boy says as he spots Komaru, speaking insufferably slowly. What this boy is drawing actually looks good, like something an adult would make. The other one, however, was doing childish scribbles of kids playing soccer. He looks up at us then pouts.
"Aw, come on! I thought we were soooo lucky to have only guy teachers, and now there are TWO weinerless women around!" the weird sexist kid yells. One of the forgettable children giggles when he says 'weiner' and I'm reminded that I'm surrounded by dumb kids.
"Be nice, Masaru. Would you like to introduce yourselves?" the teacher offers. The red haired one stops pouting the moment he has the opportunity to brag.
"I'm Masaru Daimon! The li'l ultimate P.E., and I'd bet my whole piggy bank I can run faster than you!" He puffs out his chest and I roll my eyes. Komaru giggles.
"Well you better show me that speed some time!" she goads.
"Your turn, Jataro!" Masaru yells. The blond boy blushes at the amount of eyes on him.
"Oh. U-Um, hi, I'm Jataro... people call me the li'l ultimate art because I'm a good drawer and like making dioramas..." he shyly explains, ending off by raising his picture to show it off and also cover his face.
"Woah, that's amazing!" Komaru praises. She's actually really good with the kids, I'm noticing.
"Quite amazing!" a new male voice calls. I turn to see the white-haired main course guy wheeling in the wheelchair girl. "I'm fully expecting Jataro to be one of the few that Hope's Peak chooses to hone the talent of when he's older." Kind of a dick move to mention that only some of these kids will be chosen, isn't it? "Monaca here is another I believe will be picked, her talent with robotics is truely outstanding." The girl, Monaca as I've just learned, shines by the praise with a sweet smile. "She even designed and built this very wheelchair!"
"Thank you big brother Nagito! Monaca couldn't have introduced herself better! Though you forgot my title." She turns to us. "Monaca is the li'l ultimate homeroom, and this class is truely my home." she says sweetly.
"Aww!" Komaru croons.
"And now, the best for last!" a girl's voice calls. In runs in a girl in all pink, including her very long pigtails. "Duh-da-da-dah! It is I, Kotoko Utsugi, the li'l ultimate drama!" She poses with a fake pink wand prop next to Monaca and her wheelchair. "I love pink, peeled chestnuts, and anything totally adorbs!" She twirls as she finishes her list her favorite things. She's definitely the kind of kid who'd bully me if we were the same age.

So that's everyone, huh? Most the kids weren't exactly what I'd expected but the last five certainly were. Let's just hope they don't give me too many headaches in this next year...

Chapter Text

As class wraps up for the day and the children are collected by parents or butlers (man, these kids ARE rich) me, Toko, and Nagito are left to clean. Toko's grumbling to herself, wiping down tables and seats with antibacterial wipes. I can't hear what she's saying as I dig in a closet for a vacuum, but I hear Nagito's response as I return with the needed tool.
"I personally very much enjoy cleaning." he says with a smile. Toko rolls her eyes.
"Hey, Nagito" I start, he looks over to me politely. "Why didn't Monaca stay behind to get picked up with you? You're both going to the same place, right?" I question, remembering her calling him her big brother. He looks at me quizzically for a moment, before shaking his head with a chuckle.
"Oh, no, I'm not actually her sibling. She just calls older kids that she likes that. Who knows, maybe one day you'll be her big sisters!"
"And is that s-supposed to be a good thing?" Toko cynically asks.
"So says the only child." I retort.
"Alright, everyone's been sent away with their approved pick-up person, and now because of your cleaning all that needs to be done is putting the chairs on the tables and vacuuming-" the teacher enters and announces. He notices me with the vacuum. "Ah! And you've already found it! Thank you Komaru. Since there's only one vacuum and it'd be unfair to make one of you do work while the others watch, I'll be the one to do this final step." I move the handle over to him after he explains that and he grabs it. He then looks each of us in the eyes and nods. "With that I'd say class is over. See you tomorrow!"

"So was that so bad?" I teasingly ask Toko as we exit the building.
"I-I guess not... B-But don't think you're getting out of staying with me in this dumb v-volenteering gig!" She points at me accusingly.
"Did you forget that I actually want to be here?" I chuckle.
"The children deserve good role models." Nagito adds. Toko literally jumps with surprise when he talks.
"God, you're still here!? Wh-Why are you following us! G-Go be creepy elsewhere!" She redirects her accusing finger to him. I sigh.
"Toki, I thought you'd gotten better at this." I say disappointedly. "Sorry about her, she's not the best with guys." I excuse. Nagito makes a face I can't tell the meaning of.
"Ah, there's no need to apologize. It's not the first time I've been called creepy. I didn't mean to intrude, I just stupidly assumed I was part of the conversation. If you'd like I could walk a little farther away?" he offers. How on earth could people find this guy creepy? He's been nothing but polite since the moment I met him, if a bit self-conscious.
"Aw, you don't have to do that! I hereby invite you to the conversation." I say with a smile. Toko angles her shoulders in together and looks to the side. She seems like she doesn't want to talk to him, but we have to be on good terms if we're gonna be spending the whole year together. I'll just make up for her shyness.
"Thank you very much, Komaru." He places a hand on his chest and goes a small bow of the head towards me and then shifts his gaze to Toko. "Miss Toko Fukawa, I'd just like to say it's an honor to finally properly meet you. I didn't get the chance to mention it before, but I'm a huge fan of your work. I've reread 'Blue Thread from the Scarred Mountain' five times by now, it's truely your magnum opus!" He raves about Toko's books, voice raising in excitement. Toko looks back up at him cautiously.
"You've... read my work?" she questions. Nagito brings both his hands to his chest now and links them together.
"Yes! You're my favorite fiction author. 'The Family From the Day Before Yesterday' really spoke to me as a fellow sufferer of chronic illness, Homura is an amazing protagonist, and that's not even to mention your most popular work 'So Lingers The Ocean'!" As Nagito becomes more and more excited about Toko's writing, Toko's stance becomes a little more confident. She's... actually smiling..!
"Heh, finally someone who doesn't shorten the titles of my books. Y-You said 'Blue Thread from the Scarred Mountain' was your favorite, right? That's a little surprising, my male fans usually don't like it as much because it's more of a f-female-gaze kind of thing." It's so nice to see Toko talking to someone else like this! ...though I'm a little lost, I've only read 'So Lingers'.
"Ah, that's disappointing to hear. More people should give it a try even if they may not be attracted to the love interest. Even if you skip the romance, it's amazing as a cultural piece-" Nagito raises his palms as he seemingly catches himself saying something wrong. "N-Not that the romance is something that ever should be skipped! It's the main appeal, after all."
"Romance is her specialty." I chime in. Toko chews on her thumb as she ponders something.
"What did you think of 'So Lingers The Ocean' then, as a fan of the not romantic parts of my work, h-how do you feel about something that's nothing but romantic?" she asks. Nagito lowers his arms thoughtfully.
"It's like nothing I've ever read before. The use of first person, the abundance of metaphor, how you kept the characters nameless, it's all truely stunning. I'm sure 'me' not having a name did wonders for why it became so popular, women were able to insert themselves into the story freely. Though, with the way 'me' describes herself in such feminine terms..." Nagito's smile falls for a moment, before he plasters it back on. "Have you ever thought about writing a romance from a male or gender neutral point of view? I'm sure there are other readers such as myself who would want that." he offers, cleverly not saying that he specifically wants it.
"N-Not really, my protagonists are almost always an e-extension of myself. I don't write from the perspective of men because that's a perspective I've never had." Toko explains.
"Isn't that a little close-minded?" I ask. "You'll never learn how to write in other styles from other perspectives until you try."
"I-I don't know..." Toko becomes apprehensive again at the idea. Nagito gives her a wide smile.
"Ah, I'm sure such a challenge would be nothing to the Ultimate Writing Prodigy! It's good to know your niche, but after writing so many critically acclaimed stories perhaps it's time to exit your comfort zone!" Seeing Nagito's eyes as he talks so highly of Toko... maybe I'm starting to get why some people could see him as creepy, he really looks up to the ultimates. It's almost obsessive.
"W-Well, I have been toying around with the idea of a psychological horror... m-maybe I could use a male protagonist in that? Different genders experience love differently, but fear is the same no matter what. I can still project myself onto th-that kind of protagonist." she thinks aloud. Nagito passionately nods along.
"I'm eager to read whatever your next work ends up being, even if you completely disregard my input! There's also nothing wrong with playing to your existing audience." Toko smirks at Nagito walking back his words.
"Takes you that quick to give up on your criticism? Heh, y-you might have even less of a backbone than I do..."

Chapter Text

Toko took any opportunity to stay at the Naegi household, probably just to run away from her terrible home life, but luckily that meant her and Komaru got to spend a lot of time together.
"Okay, so who's your favorite of the kids?" Komaru questions. Toko groans and slumps back on the couch.
"Can I say none of them? I kinda hate them all, kids suck."
"Nope, which do you dislike the least?" Komaru pushes.
"Fiiiine." Toko sighs. "I guess that Nagisa kid isn't bad? He has sense."
"Of course you'd choose the least childish child." Komaru teases. "I think Monaca, Kotoko, and Jataro are probably the best." She says. Toko rolls her eyes.
"So you choose the perfect angel, the future mean girl, and the special ed? Great." Komaru gasps and hits her arm.
"Toki! I know you like being rude but that crosses the line!" she scolds.
"W-What, that I called him special ed? Doesn't that whole class technically count as a form of special education? Training future ultimates sure isn't normal." Toko reasons.
"By that logic the main course is special ed too." Komaru points out. In the background the front door can be heard opening.
"...honestly? That tracks." Toko admits.

"Um, hey guys?" Makoto unconfidently greets as he walks in.
"Makoto, would you call our class special ed?" Toko directly asks. He startles by the words as he's taking his shoes off, causing him to faceplant onto the floor.
"Ouch." Komaru sympathizes.
"Ouch indeed." Makoto rubs his head as he sits up to continue taking off his shoes. "Toko, why the heck is this even a topic of conversation?" he questions.
"Think about it. Ultimate students honing their talents isn't a regular class environment. Literally the reserve course are the only regular classes in this school." Toko explains. Makoto sighs as he stands up now, shoeless.
"I mean, I guess?? But our class is structured nothing like an actual special education class. I would know, I've been in them." he says. Toko's eyes go wide.
"Oh, c-crap, really?" Komaru chuckles at Toko's response.
"Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn't know." She scoots over on the couch when she sees Makoto approaching. Makoto sits next to her, opposite of Toko.
"It's not like, some big thing, I was in regular classes too." Makoto supplies. "Plus, it meant people were too scared to bully me cuz our elementary school cracked down real hard on supposed 'ableism'."
"Wow, I was not expecting Makoto lore tonight." Toko jokes.

"Wow, it's already night, huh? Where have you been?" Komaru turns back to Makoto to ask.
"Chiaki invited me to play party games with some of her classmates. Man, and I thought my class was wild." He chuckles.
"'Insane' more like it. Speaking of ins-sane upperclassmen, Komaru had the honor of meeting Nagito today. He's literally the only other person volunteering for the daycare." Toko reveals. Makoto blinks.
"Oh, uh... How'd that go?" he asks apprehensively.
"Is someone gonna fill me in on why everyone apparently hates this guy?" Komaru asks. "He's just this cute shy dude who loves Hope's Peak, am I missing some giant red flag or something?" She crosses her arms and looks back and forth between her brother and best friend, waiting for a response.
"...um, it's nothing in particular, he's just kinda... intense?" Makoto answers after a while. "Like, when we met and he found out there was another Ultimate Lucky Student he got all in my face asking about what lucky and unlucky things have happened in my life. I explained that I'm not really that lucky, but that didn't stop him. Apparently his luck his like a full-on superpower or curse or something and he just started casually dumping all this crazy traumatic stuff he's been through on me." he explains.
"A-And if you go through enough crazy trauma, you end up crazy. I know that far too well." Toko mumbles.
"Yeah, well, have you ever considered that maybe he just needs a friend to help him through it?" Komaru huffs. "Like you and me?" she says pointedly to Toko.
"So what, you befriend me and all of a sudden you're thirsting for every maniac you meet?" Toko shoots back. Makoto chuckles awkwardly.
"Thiiis is getting to a topic I don't wanna be here for." He stands up off the couch to walk away. "I'll be in my room if you need me." Neither of the girls comment on his leaving.
"I-I'm not 'thirsting' for him!" Komaru defends through a blush. "Though, um, if I was, do you think he'd be into me?"
"Girl." Toko deadpans. "That boy is about as straight as a silly straw."

Chapter Text

It's the second day of volunteering and today the class is doing art projects. Toko's helping one of the kids one-on-one make Macaroni art and doing an okay job of masking her discomfort while Nagito and I are at a table with Jataro, Monaca, and two other kids I forgot the names of. (Maybe I should suggest we make labels for their seats? I had that in my elementary school.)
I look over at Monaca's drawing and she's making multiple doodles of the same black and white bear.
"What's that character from?" I ask.
"Monaca made him! His name is Monokuma! Monaca's designing a robot of him on the computer at home, one day they'll be one in every house!" She joyously announces. Nagito did mention she was a robotics expert before.
"What does he do?" I ask as a follow up question. It's important that kids feel listened to.
"Monokuma does everything! He builds, he cleans, he tells jokes! Maids will be a thing of the past!" She beams.
"I'm not sure the Ultimate Maid would appreciate that." Nagito comments.
"Hmm... Well, she can stay. There are a few things that only humans can do." Monaca hums.
"Yeah... like poop and puke." Jataro chuckles to himself.
"You probably shouldn't talk about that at school." I patiently chastise.
"Why not? They're normal things your body does, just like bleeding and crying and-" he drones on and on in his monotone. Instead of letting him continue, I place my hand next to his drawing and distract him.
"Tell me about your art." I say. He nods and starts pointing at different pieces of the beautiful drawing of a train.
"I'm using little line scratches with my pencil to show that it's going fast, and you see how it's kinda warped at the front? That shows that it's coming towards you. Purse-effective." He explains.
"It's 'Perspective'" another one of the kids at the table corrects. Jataro nods at the correction.
"Right. Perspective." He repeats.

The teacher claps his hands at the front of the class to get everyone's attention. The chatter quickly dies down.
"Now, I hope everyone is close to finished with their projects, because we have ten minutes before your guardians come to pick you up!" He says. I can hear Kotoko dramatically sigh from her seat not too far. The teacher makes a small motion with his hands to silently communicate that he was done talking and the chatter starts up again.
"Ten more minutes of hell..." Toko mumbles as she walks up. I raise my eyebrow and she understands my confusion enough to immediately explain. "Aoi's done with his pasta and glue so I thought I'd l-leave him to talking with his friends."
"Isn't Aoi the name of one of your classmates?" Toko scrunches her face up at my question.
"Y-Yeah..? M-Multiple people can have the same name, plus that idiot swimmer girl goes by the nickname 'Hina' from her last name." she explains, seemingly very confused. I shrug.
"No need to get defensive, I was just making an observation." I say with a bit of a sarcastic tone in my voice.
"You sound like that lady from my mom's show when you bring down your voice like that. I already talked about how you look like her, right? And by 'her' I mean the character in the show, not my mom." Jataro explains slowly. Is there a way to encourage him to talk faster without being rude?

Later, the last kid is exiting the door with their butler and I hear Nagito mumble to himself.
"What was that?" I ask. He turns to me sheepishly.
"Oh, ignore me, I was just thinking aloud." He says. I look at him for another moment and he relents, continuing. "I was wondering why the Ultimate Child Caregiver didn't sign up with us."
"Probably has enough of annoying kids at home or work or wherever they got the experience to be called that." Toko says before turning around to find the cleaning products. Nagito hums and crosses his arms, unsatisfied with the answer.
"Is that Ultimate part of your class?" I ask. I already know who's all in Makoto's class but I'm not sure who the first and third years all are.
"No, she's apart of the class who started three days ago." He starts, then blinks like he just remembered something. "Oh, you're also new, right?" He turns to me. "Gosh, I haven't even asked! How are you enjoying Hope's Peak? Three days isn't a long time, but you must have some opinions by now." He questions. I quickly grin.
"I am LOVING it so far, everything's either so futuristic or so historic! I'm in the reserve course, so obviously I haven't seen too incredibly much of the main building but I'm so glad I joined when we were given free reign, I can't imagine being stuck in only one of these cool buildings all year, wondering what's in the others." I ramble. He smiles softly at me.
"Sacrifices were certainly made to give you that right." He says ominously. Before I can ask, Toko's back with the cleaning supplies.
We clean the room like we did yesterday and I try to question Nagito a few times but he brushes it off.

Once we're all done I spot Makoto outside.
"Hey, Makoto!" I call out. He seemed to have just ended a conversation with his friend with the big pompadour so he runs right up.
"Hey, guys!" He greets. He turns to Nagito specifically. "Hey Nagito, I heard you were making friends with my sister." He isn't as open with it as he was last night but there's a tiny bit of unease in his eyes that I probably wouldn't have caught if I hadn't known him all my life. Nagito raises his hands sheepishly.
"Friends? I-I wouldn't quite say that-"
"I would say that." I interrupt. I turn my head to look back at my fellow volunteers and Toko standing behind Nagito has literally facepalmed. Too strong? Nagito chuckles, continuing the sheepish tone, but the way his smile grows betrays how happy he is to hear it.
"I stand corrected then." He says. Makoto scratches the back of his neck awkwardly watching this interaction.
"Cool." Is all he says.
"Oooh, we should all do something this weekend!" I announce. Everyone seems surprised. After a moment, Nagito snaps his fingers without it making an actual sound.
"Ibuki is doing a show in Tokyo on Saturday and there's plenty of empty seats left, I'd be thrilled to buy tickets for you three!" He suggests.
"O-O-Oh, I'm a-actually busy that day..." Toko shrinks. It's a lie, I know it is, but I let her make the excuse. I know my best friend well enough to know a concert would completely drain her energy.
"Then you two" Nagito corrects himself and turns to face just me and Makoto.
"That sounds fun, I'll have to double check I'm not doing anything-" Makoto pulls out his phone and looks in his calendar app. "-Nope! Count me in, then!" He smiles.
"Me too, obviously." I chime in. Nagito looks over-the-moon delighted.
"What's your number so I can add it to my contacts? You can text me the address then." Makoto says. Nagito's smile falters.
"Ah, I don't have a cellphone. I can write out my home phone number and and the name of the place it's happening though?" He offers, opening his book bag to take out paper and pen. Makoto blinks, surprised at Nagito. I am too. What teenager doesn't have a phone nowadays? Is his parents super strict or something?
"Uh, yeah, that'll work." Makoto confirms. Nagito writes it down and hands Makoto the note.
"Alright, it's a date!" I chirp.

Chapter Text

Makoto and I walk off the train and to the nearby club, which apparently lets in teenagers?? It sounded off to me but if Nagito's classmate is performing here it can't be too bad. We approach and are greeted by a long brown haired girl who looks oddly familiar.
"Makoto!" she calls. It hits me when I hear her voice.
"Sayaka?!" I yell. She shushes me but her smile doesn't leave her face.
"Shhh, I'm in my civilian disguise." She leans in and explains. I look her over and other than the wig she also has a fake beauty mark on her cheek and her bra is stuffed (not that I have her boob size memorized or anything! It just comes with being a Sayaker!) "Makoto told me about this show and I wanted to see Ibuki's new stuff in person! It's been a while since she left Black Cherry, and honestly you can kind of see where their records stopped and my group's skyrocketed right after that. I have her to thank for us not having to worry about one our early competitors!" She giggles.
"I haven't actually listened to any of Ibuki's music. What is it like?" Makoto asks. Sayaka lets out a single chagrined vocalization.
"It's certainly an acquired taste, but she is an ultimate for a reason. If you can feel your way through the chaos it's really good!" She explains.
"So, is it like... heavy metal or something?" I ask, trying to read between the lines.
"It's certainly something!" She chirps, not answering.

"COMING THROUGH!" a scratchy male voice yells from inside and I turn and scurry away from the door. I see a guy with bright pink hair and a neon yellow-green jumpsuit exiting the building with a piece of machinery that was definitely on fire. He drops it in the gutter and a similarly flashily-dressed girl follows with a fire extinguisher, successfully putting out the fire. She wipes her brow and lowers her head so I get a good look at her... hair horns?
"Ibuki, shouldn't you be getting ready for the show?" Sayaka asks, seemingly unmoved by the flaming piece of machinery that was just ran by.
"This WAS me getting ready for the show." She overdramatically sighs. She turns and takes a moment to inspect Sayaka, then winks. "But don't worry, you perfect stranger, it'll still go without a hitch even with no fog machine!"
"Kazuichi, could you please give me a warning next time you run by me with something that might explode?" An exasperated voice calls from the door of the venue and- hey! I know that guy!
"You!" I point. He blinks his two different colored eyes at me. "I met you on Monday!" The gears quickly turn in his brain and he steps forward.
"Right, you're Komaru. Guess I was right that you'd fit in if you've found your way to an Ibuki show." He says knowingly.
"Oh, a reserve course friend of your's?" Makoto asks.
"You could say that. You could also say I'm the 'honorary seventeenth member of class 77'" Hajime shrugs and uses air-quotes for that last bit, clearly something someone else has called him.
"I'm not sure that math works out." Sayaka places a finger on her chin.
"Anyways. My name's Hajime Hinata. Nice to formally meet you, Makoto." He extends a hand. Makoto looks confused, like he doesn't know why he'd know him.
"Yeah, nice to meet you too... How do you..?" He slowly shakes his hand.
"I'm probably the most knowledgeable person about Hope's Peak at this point, I know about everyone." he explains.
"Oh, is Hajime trying to steal my title as the Ultimate Ultimate Fanatic?" a voice calls from a yard behind me and I turn to see Nagito approaching. Everybody knows each other here, huh?
"Wow, for once Nagito's here AFTER something catches fire." The pink haired one from before (Kazuichi I think?) comments. Hajime shakes his head and rolls his eyes before walking to meet Nagito halfway.
"No one has you beat on fanaticism, but I almost certainly have more practical knowledge." Hajime taps his temple. Nagito gets a playfulness in his eyes I hadn't seen from him yet.
"Well we'll just have to see then! Is a quiz in order? I'm sure a certain imposter could write one up for us-" he starts. He's interrupted by a beeping on Ibuki's watch.
"Show's on in 15 minutes! Wish I could stay, but we've still got set-up to do!" She pushes Kazuichi back in and Hajime follows without a goodbye.
"Well that was eventful. Now, shall we check in?" Sayaka says to the remaining group.

Inside teens and twenty-somethings are bustling and excited, it's a smaller crowd than I'd expect from an ultimate but if Sayaka's to believed that her music's an 'acquired taste' maybe that's why. Something niche enough for the fans to feel like they're part of an exclusive club but popular enough to have enough fellow fans to enjoy it with.
A bass riff with some kind of metallic distortion fills the room and a hush falls over the crowd. The flashily-dressed girl from before runs on stage and flashes those 'rock-on' hands to uproarious applause. The lights flash blue and pink and the first song starts without introduction. Ibuki grabs the microphone and screams the first lyrics at what must be the top of her lungs. I can see Makoto wincing out of the corner of my eye but I honestly expected something like this from Sayaka's description. The next lyrics are sung very softly at almost a whisper and from what I can understand over the crowd it sounds like a love song from an old man's perspective. I wish I knew more music terminology so I could find the words to describe what I'm hearing. My best description would be that it's two songs at once, switching between the two's lyrics and vocal energies but with the same mismatched overlapping instrumental. I wonder if she recorded all these instruments herself. I'm absolutely hypnotized trying to decipher it... it's not bad in any way, just confusing and chaotic.
Nagito peeks out around the other side of Makoto and flashes me the kind of smile that asks 'so, what do you think?'. I grin and give a thumbs-up. It's not something I'd listen to usually but there's no denying the talent that went into it. I can tell already that I'll be looking up Ibuki's solo discography once I get home.