Farewell to Thee, Normality
Summary: He was too plain, too average for Hope's Peak Academy to...
Summary: He was too plain, too average for Hope's Peak Academy to...
Farewell to Thee, Normality (Talentswap AU)
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Chapter 1
- Location
- Nothing too important, really
Farewell to Thee, Normality
Summary: He was too plain, too average for Hope's Peak Academy to ever see any potential in him, Hajime Hinata always knew that. But, what if he was proven wrong? What if he isn't as talentless as he originally believed himself to be?
The envelope tucked between his fingers felt unreal.
Hajime will have to admit it; when the envelope first arrived to his residence with a rather familiar insignia stamped on the front, he might have rubbed his eyes a bit too much. There is no way that Hope's Peak Academy, the best school in the country, would actually send a letter to him, right? Logically speaking, there was nothing remotely special or noteworthy about him that will convince the school to bother taking a look at him. He was plain in appearance, his grades were average, and as far as he knew, he didn't have any talents.
It's only after holding the envelope while simultaneously pinching the crook of his arm a couple of times he then realized he wasn't dreaming. This was reality.
His hands shakily opened the envelope, like it might suddenly disintegrate at the wrong touch. Reaching his hand inside, he managed to pull out two items: a booklet with the picture of Hope's Peak and a piece of paper. He tucked the booklet away into his pocket, reminding himself to check it out later, and then he unfolded the piece of paper. As he thought, it turned out to be a letter addressed to him. Unsure whether that was a good thing or not, he began to read it.
Mr. Hinata Hajime
We would like to inform you that you are one of the students observed by our scout. As a result, you have been selected, and we would like to invite you to join us as the Ultimate Counselor.
Included is an orientation guide for Hope's Peak Academy.
He read the whole thing, word for word a few more times, all while wondering if this is some sort of sick joke, and if it weren't for the orientation guide, he'll be convinced that it was just an elaborate prank. Since when was he the 'Ultimate Counselor'?
Now that he thought about it, he did remember attending a class or two in giving advice, and as his former middle school classmates attested, he supposed that he is good at speaking with others, but that's about it. The best he did was making his schoolmates feel better by listening to them, and even then it's not very impressive; anyone can do that.
'The school didn't make a mistake, right?' Hajime thought to himself, turning the letter over. 'I mean, mix-ups don't happen very often, but it's not impossible. This has to be a fluke-'
'No, that's not it.' He sighed as he cut any similar thoughts off, allowing his arm, still clutching the invitation letter, to fall limp. "I'm just making excuses up, aren't I?"
It's really funny, isn't it? He spent years of admiring Hope's Peak Academy, wishing that he can walk its halls as one of their proud students one day; this is the very moment he's always been dreaming of. He should be happy and grateful for the fact that the school scouted him of all people, and really, he is.
But, if that's the case, then why isn't he feeling as excited as he should have been? He'd always imagine that when this day came, he'll be jumping around in joy and not care if he woke his parents and neighbors up from all his yelling, but now that it actually happened?
Here he is, standing still and remaining unsure of what to make out of this.
"Hajime, is something the matter?"
As though to help him with his dilemma, the voice of his mother snapped the boy back to reality; turning around, he saw that his parents, his father especially, were now staring at him.
'Just how long have I been standing here like an idiot?' He berated himself as he turned to face his parents. He can't exactly tell how his mother is feeling right now by her expression, but he can feel the stern gaze coming from his father.
"I...Well...it's just that..." The glare from his father grew.
'Great, I can't even say anything without blubbering like one too.' Against his better judgement, Hajime held the letter out; he didn't even flinch when he felt his father snatch it out of his hand.
The man's eyes scanned over its contents, the features around his face growing dim as he finished. Without any warning, the older man placed a hand on his shoulder, and Hajime swore that he saw him crack a smile for a split second. "Don't let this opportunity be wasted."
Hajime readjusted his tie as he got off to his destination. As soon as he accepted the invitation, for the first time in years his mother fussed over him; she wanted him to look his best when he got in Hope's Peak, and downright refused to let him wear only his plain white shirt and pants, not when she wanted him to make a good first impression. Which is why alongside his casual clothes, he had a brown button-up vest over his shirt. It wasn't that much different compared to what he's accustomed to.
At least his parents let him wear his favorite tie, especially now that he's actually attending as an Ultimate.
If he's going to be honest here, this isn't the first time he's seen the school building; he's seen plenty of pictures about the prestigious school before (who hasn't?), and even the orientation guide given to him alongside his letter has shown a good picture of Hope's Peak.
But, now that he's here at the school gates, all those pictures of the school simply don't...they just can't do it justice. Hajime lifted his head up; the academy felt quite intimidating now that he's seeing it in person. With the way it towered over its surroundings, its size made him feel like an ant in comparison. Who knows, that might have been the intention.
'So this is it.'
Hope's Peak Academy.
Can he really live up to the school's high standards?
This is his last chance to back out if he wished to, he now realized; the boy paused in his tracks, thinking for a moment. To go back to living in normalcy with only the simplest problems to worry about, or to go forward and spend the rest of his school years among the best of the best?
Hajime shook his head with a smile passing over his face. "Well, what do I have to lose?" With his eyes closed, he took a deep breath, before stepping onto the grounds of the academy.
He can only hope his time at Hope's Peak will be different from how his time was like in his last high school.
..
…
….
…
….
Hajime trudged his steps along the way to his classroom.
Looking back on it, it didn't take too long before he got used to walking along the pristine halls of the academy. The school gave him a few surprises which defied his expectations (for one, classes were only optional, and for two, their homeroom teacher isn't in the best shape for teaching), no doubt about that. With that said, it only meant that Hope's Peak wasn't as completely flawless as much as he believed in the past.
Speaking of that…
Before he can even reach the door, a few voices managed to reach within his hearing; he managed to recognize one voice with a particularly harsh tone as Koizumi.
"I swear, if it's what I think it is…" He gave the door a light push, confirming his suspicions as he placed a palm over his face.
Mr. Kizakura, the man responsible for scouting potential Ultimate students as well as serving as their homeroom teacher, was there in all his glory. By glory, he actually meant heavily drunk and slumped over the teacher's table, with Saionji deciding to literally poke fun at him while Koizumi continued to grumble at her teacher's conduct. It was only resolved after Pekoyama was ordered to haul the drunk scout out of the classroom to…somewhere, he can guess.
At this point, Hajime isn't even surprised anymore, not after the fourth time it happened this week. In a row.
"About time you showed up." He turned towards the direction of that voice, and he was greeted with Kuzuryu casually leaning on the wall a few feet away from him. "I was honestly thinking you're about to bail on us."
"Well, I can't exactly leave you alone with Saionji, not after what happened during the first day." Hajime replied as he closed the door behind him.
From what he can recall, Saionji Hiyoko, the Ultimate Nurse, found out that Kuzuryu Natsumi once bullied Koizumi Mahiru, the Ultimate Artist and her best friend in class. Even though Saionji's hopelessly outclassed because of the fact that Kuzuryu is the Ultimate Yakuza, somehow she found it in her life's goal to be as unpleasant to the heiress as possible, whether it be through annoying her to death to making not-so-subtle threats to putting her through her infamous treatments. Since then, they've been at each other's throats, forcing him and Koizumi to alternate as mediators between the two.
She grumbled, crossing her arms in response. "Don't remind me."
Hajime lightly chuckled at that. Now with that out of the way, he made a quick investigation inside the classroom. So far, there weren't any signs of struggle or damage; thankfully, nothing was out of place. As for his classmates, it's usually just the five of them not counting him.
'Let's see if everyone's here. Pekoyama left for a while to get our drunk teacher out.' He looked back at a certain blonde. 'Kuzuryu got here before I did.' His attention turned to the two girls now conversing with each other. 'And Koizumi and Saionji are right there.'
'Pekoyama, Kuzuryu, Koizumi, and Saionji.'
Taking another look at their classmates made him realize something. "Hm, now that I think about it, where's Tsumiki?" His eyes darted around to find any sort of clue to the whereabouts of the currently absent classmate. Knowing her talent, the fact that she isn't here yet made him a little concerned; hers is dangerously unpredictable compared to the rest.
His reaction wasn't mutual with Kuzuryu's, however, as her eyes widened in panic.
"Hinata, don't jinx-"
Kuzuryu found herself interrupted by a frightened scream which, she now realized with dread, slowly made its way towards her. She tried pushing herself out of the way, but by then it was already too late.
*CRASH*
Since the crashing noises came from their class, it ended up catching the attention of the other two. Koizumi cautiously made her way towards the mess their classmates made, her friend tagging alongside her.
When the debris cleared, the end result was that somehow, the walls managed to leave a hole in the shape of a person with their limbs as they collided. Poor Kuzuryu had the wind knocked out of her, eyes comically dazed with swirls, with the now-present Tsumiki Mikan lying on top of her, a bit dazed herself and her face buried in the other girl's chest.
Hajime inwardly grimaced. 'That answers my question a little too well.'
He immediately helped his nurse classmate pull the lucky student off the unconscious yakuza and had her sit down, leaning against the wall. After that, Saionji did a quick examination on Tsumiki, checking her classmate's arms and legs for any signs of injuries. "Only a few bruises here and there, so you'll probably live." She scowled, turning to look at her classmate in the eye. "Do you enjoy being my patient that much, you masochist?!"
"I'm s-sorry! I-I didn't mean to-" Tsumiki cried. "I-I got hit by a t-truck along the way, h-honest!"
"How the hell can someone as skinny as you get hit by a truck, then get flung all the way here, made a goddamn hole in the wall, which I need to remind you, is made of concrete, and only got a few bruises?!"
Sighing, Hajime focused his attention towards his downed yakuza classmate, helping her in a more comfortable position. It'll take a while before she can completely recover.
'Oh boy, this is going to be a long, long year ahead for me.'
A week had passed. Throughout that time, the school's headmaster finally decided to look at the current problem in a certain class.
Inside his office, Jin Kirigiri skimmed over the many, many reports on his desk, signs of weariness and unamusement slowly coming over his features. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shot a not-so subtle look towards the subject of the papers' ire. "Koichi, this is exactly why I've told you to not bring your alcohol to class."
Said scout, who is currently (somewhat) comfortably seated on a chair next to his desk still recovering from the influence of alcohol he had the previous day, grimaced. "What can I say, I've told you before, Jin; the life of a teacher just isn't suited for me." Koichi replied with a slightly slurred chuckle.
"Either way, at this rate we'll be forced to find a replacement for you. At best, it will only take a few days before we can find someone suitable and have you moved afterwards." Jin said with a stern tone in his voice.
His friend only shrugged at that. "That's fine by me. As long as it gets me off teaching duty, I'm good."
'He's never going to learn, is he?' The headmaster opted to turn his attention back to his paperwork, until he heard his friend hum in thought.
"Now that you've mentioned it," The scout straightened himself in his seat, grabbing the stack of reports. "Jin, you won't mind if I take a look at these reports, right? I'm curious on what kind of stuff they said about me-oh." He squinted.
As expected, most of them consisted of, to put in more pleasant terms, 'criticisms' towards the scout's conduct. One particular report about him wasn't in any way flattering, to say the least.
"Huh, guess that Koizumi girl doesn't really like me, then." Koichi commented.
Just as he set the papers down, another one caught his attention. With a thoughtful "Hmm?" he glanced at the student's file, picking it up in his fingers to give it a closer look. He gave careful attention towards the student's photo, studying their features, but what drew his attention the most was their name. "Oh, so this is who they are."
This, too, caught the headmaster's attention, causing him to set the rest of his paperwork aside. "I take it that you've spoken with them before?" He asked, a brow raised.
Koichi shook his head. "I've seen her name a couple of times while scouting, but no, I never talked to her; never really had the chance to after I scouted Hinata Hajime." The scout set the student's file back on the desk, deep in thought.
"I guess that in a way, it's ironic she ended up attending Hope's Peak after all. Even if it is at the reserve course department."
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Chapter 2
- Location
- Nothing too important, really
It's all too easy to remember.
Life was so simple back then. For most of the middle schoolers, there's nothing that helped their repetitive days better than waiting for sweet release at the end of the classes. No more of those headache-inducing quizzes and stress-inducing activities for the rest of their time later at night.
If only the same can be said for a certain boy, Hajime, who was washing his hands after a long day of school. Unlike most of his schoolmates (but like a few others), the fifteen-year-old boy still had to attend a tutorial session after classes. It's something he's not looking forward to that much. Mr. Koda's lesson plans were exhausting in the weird sort of way. Which now that he thought about it, isn't surprising at all when he remembers what kind of person his tutor is: an eccentric, mischievous troll who isn't very popular with fellow teachers.
He turned the faucet grip on its side, the single stream of water immediately reduced to a droplet. Quickly patting his hands dry, he turned his way outside of the bathroom. It won't take long for him to get back to the classroom; if he's lucky, he might even get there before his tutor can.
If it weren't for the sounds of crying that caught his attention, that is.
That made him stop his way for a moment or so to listen in. The sobs weren't that loud, meaning that the person behind it probably didn't want to be found out. With that assumption, curiosity guided his way towards the sobbing's source. When he got there and heard them grow in volume, the sobbing's source of origin was from the bathrooms, the place he was in not too long ago.
On one hand, the more sensible part of him wanted him to not stick his nose in other people's business, otherwise, he might be considered as a rude guy who unnecessarily disturbs someone's peace and quiet. Not to mention, he still has his tutor to worry about.
On the other hand, however, he wondered, what if it's someone who really needs help, but can't do anything about it for several reasons beyond their control? A part of him can't help but want to investigate further, find out the situation behind it, and if it's that serious, maybe give some much-needed help.
After considering his options for a while, he made his decision.
"It's none of my business." He turned away, figuring that he'd already wasted enough of his time on this. There are more important things for him to do, after all.
Just as he decided to step forward, at the last second, what's best described as a sense of something overcame him.
Was it concern? Guilt, even? Whatever it was, it only resulted in one thing:
He turned around and immediately stepped back.
The afternoon sun's warmth outside did well in distracting him from his surroundings. A bit too well, someone might even say. Remembering how things used to be, it makes you think about how different today is compared to it, which is why it can be a shame if the past and the present are barely distinguishable from each other.
It's really funny now that he looked back on it. Who knew that it wasn't any sort of extraordinary talent or heritage, but one simple act of decency, the one that earned the annoyance but also the understanding of his old tutor, was all what he really needed?
Sure, it got him a bit of pseudo-popularity for a while, but never did he know about the way it'll pay out in the end.
If anyone had told him two years ago that he'd become a student of Hope's Peak Academy, he'd rightfully think that whoever told him that BS had gone nuts. But here he is, having spent at least a month now on the school's grounds, alongside other proud Ultimate students, which also includes the same kids he's been stuck with since day one.
Well, discounting the majority whose names or talents he couldn't recall that much, no thanks to the fact he's seen them exactly only once.
Speaking of his classmates...
He might have spent at least a whole month with these people, but he won't be lying at all if he said that he barely knew any of them, including the ones he actually sat down in class with.
Yes, they're classmates and all, but from what he's seen, no one made any sort of effort to try and get to know everyone better. There are some who did, that's true, but it's mainly limited to just one or two acquaintances. No more, no less. If that wasn't enough to make him lose interest in knowing them better, then maybe the fact that at least more than a half of them don't even bother to attend classes, isn't going to convince him to change his mind anytime soon.
And so, he thought that, if no one's really interested in at least trying to talking to their classmates, then why bother?
Which brings him to his current situation. Mr. Kizakura hadn't been present around on class this morning. His only classmates who bothered to attend class up to that point decided to ditch their daily routine for once; they've figured that without a teacher to pity, then they might as well have a day off today too. But not before the yakuza classmate decided to have some shred of decency.
And by that, it actually meant leaving a small note to inform him instead of telling him in person.
Yeah, he can already hear the yakuza heiress's voice in his head as he skimmed over the brief note. For all her talk of him bailing on their class one day, his classmates were the ones to end up bailing first.
'And I might have laughed it off, if that didn't make the rest of this day feel worse than it should be.' His eyes shut, his frustration only increasing. He'd been walking outside for a good while now, maybe even getting a bit farther than he should be, but not that it matters. It got rid of some stress.
Aside from lunch break, most of his time was spent exploring and revisiting a few places within the school grounds, but they eventually grew tiring; not really in the physical sense, but rather leaning more on...
To be honest, he isn't sure at all.
'To think that I hoped school life here will at least be an improvement from my last one. I guess I shouldn't have expected too much.'
That didn't sound right...
His fists clenched tighter.
'Snap out of it, Hajime. There are so many who deserved a spot in Hope's Peak Academy better, and out of all those potential Ultimates, they picked someone like you. You got what you wanted and you didn't even do anything to deserve it. You should be grateful.'
He gritted his teeth.
A bump to his chest; it didn't hurt or feel heavy in any way, but it did its job in snapping him out of those doubts. He opened his eyes, not prepared for another person, a stranger to add at that, to be so up close to to the point he might as well use their head as a chin-rest. He was in the process of telling them a word or two about personal space, only for the words to stay inside when he realized,
'Oh you've got to be kidding me' Said person whom he's currently stuck with isn't even acknowledging his presence in any way, having been way too absorbed in some sort of game they're playing. The handheld console is that of an old model, which tells him that either this person is a fan of the classics or the modern consoles were too expensive, in either case, he can sympathize with.
Eventually, that person then realized that yes, they've bumped into someone and it took them a minute to figure that out. That person made a quiet noise in surprise, tilting their head up, which also allowed Hajime to have a better look at their face.
A girl who is more or less around his age; her facial features are nothing too special, just a bit round and soft-looking; her hair looks to be a blend of light cream brown or dusty pink depending on the lighting, and its tips curled up in some way. Her uniform appeared to be a bit different from the standard one that Ultimate students wear; it's a bit hard to make out its exact features or even tell whether it was customized or not from this angle.
Those wide pink eyes stared back at his narrowed green ones, which only mirrored the awkwardness of their current situation. Neither of them tried to speak up or made ways to break the ice once.
It felt like a minute, but after a few seconds passed, the silent tension was broken when that girl got the message. She stepped back, giving back much of his personal space, and quietly left him be, immersing herself again in the game she was playing as a way of forgetting the chance encounter that happened only a moment ago.
He supposed he should do the same as well. He wouldn't mind forgetting about this odd encounter soon, except that something about the game she was playing that stirred up a memory or two. Maybe even a dozen.
Those were memories he held on so fondly. Nostalgic times flooded back in his mind as he immediately recalled the game's name. It was unmistakable.
"Gala Omega, huh?" Hajime let the edge of his lips curve upward for a bit. Those lovely 8-bit noises as the enemy AIs are shot down were a dead giveaway. "It's been a while since I last played that."
The girl who by complete accident, got too close within his personal space, the same one who was also more than willing to forget their encounter shot right back towards him. Excitement and joy were evident in her voice as she spoke to him.
"You played Gala Omega too?" Hajime wanted to answer her question, but thanks to her overwhelming enthusiasm, he's only able to reply with an "Uh..." And immediately after that, he's bombarded another question before he even managed to think of a proper answer for the first one. "It's a classic, don't you think!?"
Once again, she clearly has never heard of the concept of personal space as she was meeting and talking him up almost literally face-to-face.
He defensively placed his hands in front of him. "Yeah, yeah. I think I remember beating my high score a few times. Five times or so, actually."
"Really, you did?!" She actually looked surprised for a second there, backing up a bit and giving him space. "I've never met anyone who played that game as much I did before."
He inwardly shrugged. "To be fair, I haven't met a huge Gala Omega fan in a while either. I mean, the game's pretty old and obscure nowadays."
"I guess you're right about that last one." She admitted, her stance relaxed as she went back to her game. The game's high-pitched sound effects played in the background served in the form of white noise. "It's simple in graphics and gameplay, so of course it's going to fall out when newer and more advanced games come out after it."
"But at the same time, even when it isn't as popular as it used to be, I'm sure there are still people who appreciate Gala Omega for what it is: a fun shooter game of its time. Even now, that game still holds a special place in my heart."
He swore he saw a small smile on her face.
He isn't sure what to say now after hearing such a heartfelt thought, so he kept quiet for a while, using a bit of that moment to investigate his surroundings. As he'd suspected, he did end up wandering further than he noticed, and when he looked up, he saw a building that might've been just as big as the main building of Hope's Peak.
His attention returned to the girl with him, now having a better sight on her uniform. White, long-sleeved blouse, red ribbon at the collar, and grayish black skirt. In addition to that, she also had a relatively simple, if a bit childish cat schoolbag with her. Aside from the difference in the outer uniform's fabric color, there's an uncanny resemblance to that of the Ultimates' style in uniforms.
"Hey," He called her attention, to which she responded with a "hm?" and turned to face him back, pausing her game. "If you don't mind me asking, are you a student from here?"
Her shoulders shrugged in response. "I've been here for a month now, so I guess so."
"Then, can you tell me; are we near the Reserve Course Department?" When those words came out, the girl who'd been somewhat neutral up to that point froze up on the spot, something that wasn't lost on him. It only lasted for a second or so.
After that, she sighed in resignation and nodded. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me."
Hajime immediately realized the mistake he made. He knew of how the reserve course classes were unlike that of the Ultimates'; of how they were all basically glorified ordinary kids who paid a huge sum of money just to get in without the need for being invited. Because of that, however, they don't have the same privileges as the Ultimates do.
He also knew how some reserve course students came to resent the Ultimate students for that.
'Shit, I must've hit something too close to home.'
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way." He lightly bowed his head in apology.
She didn't look too upset about that, and he doesn't know if that made things better or worse. "It's fine, I got that a lot." She replied rather neutrally. "I'll get used to it, I think."
The girl he's with decided to take a seat on the nearby public bench that's in front of a fountain, opting to resume her game once again. At this point, his legs were a bit stiff and weary from walking and standing for hours now. "Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind if I take a seat there?"
"Sure, go ahead." was her simple reply. Hajime quietly thanked her and then occupied the vacant spot on the public bench, relaxing his stiff legs at last.
A minute of silence passed by. Neither made any sort of contact towards the other, aside from acknowledging the other's presence. The silence broke when the girl beside him asked, rather bluntly and suddenly,
"You're an Ultimate student, right?"
Hajime hesitated to answer at first; he doesn't know how she might react if he told her the truth, or if he can make a convincing lie to someone's who's been civil up to now. It not for his uniform, then his favorite tie with Hope's Peak Academy's insignia on it won't help to cover him up, anyway.
He eventually gave in to the first option. "Yeah, you're right about that. I am from the main course."
"What's it like?"
He isn't sure exactly what that question meant; it could mean anything from the privileges to just what it's like in general. As if reading his expression, she then clarified, "Your classes, I mean."
It's tempting to laugh bitterly at that thought. "They're not as special as you think. I mean sure, having no mandatory classes at all is sweet, but on the other hand, our teacher's a useless drunk idiot, there's nothing much to do aside from that whole 'honing and bettering your talent better' bullshit, and my classmates..."
He took a deep breath. "To be honest, I...I don't even know most of them. Plenty decided to do exactly that talent enhancing stuff. And the few who stuck around in classes, well, I know their names and talents and we get along for the most part, so I guess it's somewhat of an improvement. Until they decided to ditch class today before I got there, and, well...I guess I just went on my own."
"Was it really that bad? I can't imagine having friends do that to you."
"They're not my friends." He corrected in a tone lower than usual. He didn't have the heart to add 'Not even close.'
She stopped pressing more on that topic, something he's grateful for. His head shaking, he then said, "You don't have to worry about it. As a whole, I can say they're still better compared to my old classmates."
"I'm guessing you don't want me to ask you about them?"
"Eh, there's nothing much to be talked about them." A low growl formed from his throat. "Of course, if you ignore the fact that for all the times they've called me a friend, they only really talk to me if they have a problem and want someone to hear them, but God forbid I ask the same from them."
She paused her game, tucking it away in her bag as she realized the seriousness of this conversation.
"In other words, you're less of a true friend for those people, and more of a venting machine to make them feel better about themselves."
He chuckled bitterly. "I'm thinking more on the terms of 'emotional dumpster'. But hey, that works too!" He knows that he's slipping out more bitterness than he should, but he doesn't care anymore. All those bullshit he had to put up with had been repressed in for too long; it felt great to let out how he's really feeling. It's always, always, always all about putting others first. What about him? Who cares about the way he feels?
It's only until after he took several deep breaths that the realization sank in.
"And here I am," Hajime slumped over, shame slowly making its way to him. "venting out my frustrations to someone who barely knows me." He placed a palm over the side of his head. "Isn't that great? It makes me a goddamned hypocrite right now."
She replied in the firmest tone she can muster, "No, I don't think it does."
That simple platitude wasn't enough to convince him. "Yeah right, what makes you say that?"
"I think it just means after listening to other people's burdens, you couldn't find someone who'd do the same for you. It's understandable to feel frustrated about it, especially after what you've been doing for them. I think."
He paused. He can't deny the sincerity in her words, no matter how hopelessly naive it sounded.
Allowing himself to relax with a small smile, he then said to her with a hand stretched out for a handshake, "In that case, then I should thank you..."
'Crap, I forgot to ask her name earlier. Damn it, why did I forget something as important as that?!'
While he was mulling over it inside, thankfully the girl finished his sentence for him, her hand placed in his stretched out one. "Nanami Chiaki, just a simple reserve course student. And you're..."
"Hinata Hajime, the Ultimate Counselor." He introduced himself, taking her hand and gently shaking it. He noticed Nanami's look of bewilderment and placed a free hand at the back of his head. "Yeah, I know, it's really ironic. You can laugh if you want to."
She adamantly declined that offer. "I don't want to."
He let out a laugh of relief. "That's great; if I'll be honest here, I don't want that either. Anyways, nice to meet you, Nanami."
"Nice to meet you too, Hinata."
The counselor caught uncertainty in her voice but decided to let that go. After that handshake, their hands departed from each other.
Hajime can definitely say that he's in a much, much better mood now. It helps that along with having a decent conversation that ended better than expected for the first time in a month, years of repressed resentment were let out of his chest. Nothing can ruin all the great feelings he has at the moment.
"Wait," Nanami suspiciously glanced over their surroundings. "Did you hear anyone screaming?"
That made him check the area as well, but there's doubt the back of his mind. "Screaming? No offense, but I'm sure it's just you-"
"Mitarai, please get back here!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PSYCHO"
...And he's swiftly proven wrong by a chubby Ultimate student running in between him and the reserve course student in a flash. He's not sure which one's more ridiculous; the fact that the good mood he had just for a few moments at best was immediately ruined within less than a second or the fact that someone that heavy managed to give Olympic runners a literal run for their money. As if to rub salt in, not even a millisecond in, trailing up after the boy was a woman who's somewhere in her 20s he hadn't seen before, at least not around from here.
The woman only had an "Excuse me!" to say to him, sidetracking him as quickly as the student she'd been chasing. The force alone was enough to make Hajime fall forward from the bench. He was thankfully pulled up by Nanami before he can kiss the cold hard ground. He's close to cursing a thought out loud.
As the two remained standing, they weren't even given any time to recover from that trippy scene they've witnessed. The same woman from earlier came back with an exhausted but beaming grin on her face, dragging along the now bound and gagged student by a rope on his feet, all while playing deaf to his muffled protests. "Whew, fourteen rotten oranges down, just one more rotten orange to go and I'll be-"
And then her eyes went over the duo, abruptly cutting herself off and pausing as if to recompose herself. She said while laughing awkwardly, "Oh, wow. That's awfully convenient!"
Freaky the way this lady's acting, there's something about this woman that's familiar, like he saw her face from somewhere before. It didn't stop Hajime's internal debate on whether he should call the police or not.
"Rotten...oranges?" Nanami lightly tilted her head.
"That's right!" The weirdly kind of creepy lady replied affirmatively. "The students I've been assigned to are a whole bunch of them; no one was even present in class to say hi to me." She muttered that last part, her eyes shaded while a menacing aura formed around her, unnerving the present students with her. Her cheery disposition returned not long after. "That being said, with enough rotten oranges, we can still make a big and nice youth jam, no matter how rotten they are!"
"Okay, first of all, I don't think that's how jams work." The counselor deadpanned. "And second of all, what do you mean by 'students you've been assigned to'?"
She bumped a hand at the back of her head. "Oops, I almost forgot about that one. How silly of me." She cleared her throat and placed a fist on her chest, introducing herself. "My name is Yukizome Chisa, but you can call me Ms. Yukizome. And, as of today, I'm your new homeroom teacher!"
"....."
"....."
"...mmrrph..?"
Ms. Yukizome's once cheerful exterior got flattened by the students' lack of a reaction. "...Was it something I said?"
It's most definitely the case for those two.
In Hajime's case though, his lack of a reaction is less because of the weird introduction and more on the fact that something about this lady's appearance is nagging on him, the said introduction only added more fuel onto it. There's the long auburn hair tied in a ponytail, the precise movements while running, the no doubt insane amount of strength appropriate for subduing and then dragging someone that heavy without breaking a sweat, her name being Yukizome Chisa...
It clicked.
"Wait a minute, I've seen you on TV before." He ignored the look of incoming nervousness from his presumed new teacher. Said teacher looked like she's a second away from yelling when he asked her, "You're the former Ultimate Boxer, Chisa 'Spike the Tyke' Yukizome, right?"
And yelled she did.
"EEEEHHH! People still call me by that RIDICULOUS TITLE!?" Miss Yukizome, who's also embarrassingly known as 'Spike the Tyke' in the ring, as well as the former Ultimate Boxer of Class 74, screeched with a high pitch in indignation. If life were like an anime or manga, he and the other students present would have a sweatdrop popping on the side of their heads right now.
"It's not really a big deal."
"That actually sounds neat, I think."
"Yes, it is! And NO, it's not! Please, no more talking about it!"
The topic was then dropped, partly because it'll get nowhere if it's kept up, and partly because offending someone who's not only a former boxer, but the former Ultimate Boxer is a universally agreed Bad Idea. She thanked them for that and exhaled in relief.
"Now that I've introduced myself," Ms. Yukizome moved over to the male student. "You must be Hinata Hajime, right?"
"That's me."
Ms. Yukizome momentarily laid her focus on the other one, taking notice of her different uniform. "And your friend here is..?"
In contrast with Hajime who replied almost immediately, it took her a moment to do the same. When she did reply, she avoided meeting the adult's gaze. "Nanami Chiaki. I'm...I'm from the reserve course."
The teacher regarded her with a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Nanami." The reserve course student didn't return it.
Refocusing on her targeted student, she then told them both, "Anyways, I'd hate to cut your meeting short but I need to get Hinata back to class, okay?" She tapped a finger at her right wrist. "We can't keep everyone back in class waiting for too long, you know."
Ms. Yukizome expectantly looked over the two students once more, patiently waiting.
"I guess this is goodbye, then." Nanami didn't face anyone in particular, absentmindedly staring on the pavement.
Hajime had a feeling there's more to those words. His mind went back to the conversation they had earlier. Short as it was, it did more than enough easing up both parties. He won't mind talking with her again; she's nice enough and actually willing to hear him out.
"Even if it is, I don't think it has to stay that way if you don't want it to." He faced towards her direction and told her with the utmost sincerity, "I mean, I can go and see you here again, right?"
Though not returning eye contact, she replied with a simple, but perhaps a bit hopeful "Maybe."
"Then it's settled. I'll see you tomorrow."
Hajime turned to leave; Ms. Yukizome raised an arm in a way which suggested she'll carry him over her shoulder, only for him to hastily put her arm down with both of his hands, right before she can make any attempts to do so. "Thanks, but I can walk."
"That's fine with me." The teacher then grabbed hold of his hand like that of a parent to a child, gently dragging him along with Mitarai, the round student now silent as he was dragged ungraciously over the ground.
After they were at least a meter away, Hajime looked back to see Nanami staring back at him.
She lightly raised a hand, slightly higher above the level of her shoulder, shyly waving at him.
Her eyes widened when he waved back at her.
"Didn't think you'd actually bail on us one day, but here you are." Kuzuryu grumbled, arms crossed. Hajime didn't even bother to make a smart retort towards his classmate when he got back inside with Ms. Yukizome in tow.
At the same time, he noticed the dirty look Kuzuryu directed towards not him, but the adult; he should probably ask her what he missed later. Also, was it just him, or did the classroom looked ten times cleaner than it was during the past month? Suddenly Kuzuryu's moodiness became a whole lot clearer.
He wasted no time taking a spot on one of the vacant seats; the seat is at the last row on his left side with a window facing that same side. This seat also happened to be the same one he'd grown accustomed with since the first day. During that time period, Kuzuryu poked fun at him a few times for that. ("You thinking of yourself as the main character of a light novel?" She once told him with a snicker.)
The counselor saw that compared to the past month he'd spent in here, the classroom is unbelievably filled to the brim with various Ultimate students. There are those, of course, he'd already been in presence with, others whom he only faintly remembered after seeing them in person again, and a few whom he didn't recall at all.
Their new teacher stood in front behind her desk. "Alright, everyone. I know that you've all-" The students only heard "Blah blah blah rotten oranges blah blah blah wasting your youth blah blah blah spending time together blah blah blah blah-"
After they've mentally skimmed over most the speech directed towards them, Ms. Yukizome concluded it with a cheerful, "Now with all of that out of the way, why don't we all start over and re-introduce ourselves to make everyone more familiar with each other?"
A collective set of groans resonated within the class.
"Hey, don't give me that! Show me some more enthusiasm, everyone! Come on, where's your spirit of youth?"
In the end, everyone, a few reluctant, complied with their teacher's pestering and introduced themselves for the second time. Hajime tuned out the introductions of those whom he already knew but he did pay a bit more attention to others he didn't. If Ms. Yukizome is serious about her goal, then it's a good idea for him to remember his classmates' names and talents.
When his turn came, he stood up, walked to the front facing his classmates, and said for the second time this month,
"My name is Hinata Hajime, and I'm the Ultimate Counselor."
'I know it's not much, but here's to hoping we get along a bit better. At the same time, I'll be lying if I said my fingers aren't crossed.'
Life was so simple back then. For most of the middle schoolers, there's nothing that helped their repetitive days better than waiting for sweet release at the end of the classes. No more of those headache-inducing quizzes and stress-inducing activities for the rest of their time later at night.
If only the same can be said for a certain boy, Hajime, who was washing his hands after a long day of school. Unlike most of his schoolmates (but like a few others), the fifteen-year-old boy still had to attend a tutorial session after classes. It's something he's not looking forward to that much. Mr. Koda's lesson plans were exhausting in the weird sort of way. Which now that he thought about it, isn't surprising at all when he remembers what kind of person his tutor is: an eccentric, mischievous troll who isn't very popular with fellow teachers.
He turned the faucet grip on its side, the single stream of water immediately reduced to a droplet. Quickly patting his hands dry, he turned his way outside of the bathroom. It won't take long for him to get back to the classroom; if he's lucky, he might even get there before his tutor can.
If it weren't for the sounds of crying that caught his attention, that is.
That made him stop his way for a moment or so to listen in. The sobs weren't that loud, meaning that the person behind it probably didn't want to be found out. With that assumption, curiosity guided his way towards the sobbing's source. When he got there and heard them grow in volume, the sobbing's source of origin was from the bathrooms, the place he was in not too long ago.
On one hand, the more sensible part of him wanted him to not stick his nose in other people's business, otherwise, he might be considered as a rude guy who unnecessarily disturbs someone's peace and quiet. Not to mention, he still has his tutor to worry about.
On the other hand, however, he wondered, what if it's someone who really needs help, but can't do anything about it for several reasons beyond their control? A part of him can't help but want to investigate further, find out the situation behind it, and if it's that serious, maybe give some much-needed help.
After considering his options for a while, he made his decision.
"It's none of my business." He turned away, figuring that he'd already wasted enough of his time on this. There are more important things for him to do, after all.
Perhaps, in a different world, he continued on his way, arriving just in time for his afterschool tutor lessons.
But the reality is, this isn't that world.
But the reality is, this isn't that world.
Just as he decided to step forward, at the last second, what's best described as a sense of something overcame him.
Was it concern? Guilt, even? Whatever it was, it only resulted in one thing:
He turned around and immediately stepped back.
The afternoon sun's warmth outside did well in distracting him from his surroundings. A bit too well, someone might even say. Remembering how things used to be, it makes you think about how different today is compared to it, which is why it can be a shame if the past and the present are barely distinguishable from each other.
'Funny how one simple thing led to this, huh?'
It's really funny now that he looked back on it. Who knew that it wasn't any sort of extraordinary talent or heritage, but one simple act of decency, the one that earned the annoyance but also the understanding of his old tutor, was all what he really needed?
Sure, it got him a bit of pseudo-popularity for a while, but never did he know about the way it'll pay out in the end.
If anyone had told him two years ago that he'd become a student of Hope's Peak Academy, he'd rightfully think that whoever told him that BS had gone nuts. But here he is, having spent at least a month now on the school's grounds, alongside other proud Ultimate students, which also includes the same kids he's been stuck with since day one.
Well, discounting the majority whose names or talents he couldn't recall that much, no thanks to the fact he's seen them exactly only once.
Speaking of his classmates...
He might have spent at least a whole month with these people, but he won't be lying at all if he said that he barely knew any of them, including the ones he actually sat down in class with.
Yes, they're classmates and all, but from what he's seen, no one made any sort of effort to try and get to know everyone better. There are some who did, that's true, but it's mainly limited to just one or two acquaintances. No more, no less. If that wasn't enough to make him lose interest in knowing them better, then maybe the fact that at least more than a half of them don't even bother to attend classes, isn't going to convince him to change his mind anytime soon.
And so, he thought that, if no one's really interested in at least trying to talking to their classmates, then why bother?
Which brings him to his current situation. Mr. Kizakura hadn't been present around on class this morning. His only classmates who bothered to attend class up to that point decided to ditch their daily routine for once; they've figured that without a teacher to pity, then they might as well have a day off today too. But not before the yakuza classmate decided to have some shred of decency.
And by that, it actually meant leaving a small note to inform him instead of telling him in person.
Don't bother coming in. Our useless drunkard of a teacher isn't going to show his face anytime soon.
You might as well have better use for your time other than just waiting for us to show up. Which we won't.
You might as well have better use for your time other than just waiting for us to show up. Which we won't.
Yeah, he can already hear the yakuza heiress's voice in his head as he skimmed over the brief note. For all her talk of him bailing on their class one day, his classmates were the ones to end up bailing first.
'And I might have laughed it off, if that didn't make the rest of this day feel worse than it should be.' His eyes shut, his frustration only increasing. He'd been walking outside for a good while now, maybe even getting a bit farther than he should be, but not that it matters. It got rid of some stress.
Aside from lunch break, most of his time was spent exploring and revisiting a few places within the school grounds, but they eventually grew tiring; not really in the physical sense, but rather leaning more on...
To be honest, he isn't sure at all.
'To think that I hoped school life here will at least be an improvement from my last one. I guess I shouldn't have expected too much.'
That didn't sound right...
His fists clenched tighter.
'Snap out of it, Hajime. There are so many who deserved a spot in Hope's Peak Academy better, and out of all those potential Ultimates, they picked someone like you. You got what you wanted and you didn't even do anything to deserve it. You should be grateful.'
'You should've been grateful.'
He gritted his teeth.
'You should've been grateful.'
'You should've been grateful.'
'You should've been grateful.'
'You should've been grateful.'
'You should've been-'
'You should've been grateful.'
'You should've been grateful.'
'You should've been grateful.'
'You should've been-'
A bump to his chest; it didn't hurt or feel heavy in any way, but it did its job in snapping him out of those doubts. He opened his eyes, not prepared for another person, a stranger to add at that, to be so up close to to the point he might as well use their head as a chin-rest. He was in the process of telling them a word or two about personal space, only for the words to stay inside when he realized,
'Oh you've got to be kidding me' Said person whom he's currently stuck with isn't even acknowledging his presence in any way, having been way too absorbed in some sort of game they're playing. The handheld console is that of an old model, which tells him that either this person is a fan of the classics or the modern consoles were too expensive, in either case, he can sympathize with.
Eventually, that person then realized that yes, they've bumped into someone and it took them a minute to figure that out. That person made a quiet noise in surprise, tilting their head up, which also allowed Hajime to have a better look at their face.
A girl who is more or less around his age; her facial features are nothing too special, just a bit round and soft-looking; her hair looks to be a blend of light cream brown or dusty pink depending on the lighting, and its tips curled up in some way. Her uniform appeared to be a bit different from the standard one that Ultimate students wear; it's a bit hard to make out its exact features or even tell whether it was customized or not from this angle.
Those wide pink eyes stared back at his narrowed green ones, which only mirrored the awkwardness of their current situation. Neither of them tried to speak up or made ways to break the ice once.
It felt like a minute, but after a few seconds passed, the silent tension was broken when that girl got the message. She stepped back, giving back much of his personal space, and quietly left him be, immersing herself again in the game she was playing as a way of forgetting the chance encounter that happened only a moment ago.
He supposed he should do the same as well. He wouldn't mind forgetting about this odd encounter soon, except that something about the game she was playing that stirred up a memory or two. Maybe even a dozen.
Those were memories he held on so fondly. Nostalgic times flooded back in his mind as he immediately recalled the game's name. It was unmistakable.
"Gala Omega, huh?" Hajime let the edge of his lips curve upward for a bit. Those lovely 8-bit noises as the enemy AIs are shot down were a dead giveaway. "It's been a while since I last played that."
The girl who by complete accident, got too close within his personal space, the same one who was also more than willing to forget their encounter shot right back towards him. Excitement and joy were evident in her voice as she spoke to him.
"You played Gala Omega too?" Hajime wanted to answer her question, but thanks to her overwhelming enthusiasm, he's only able to reply with an "Uh..." And immediately after that, he's bombarded another question before he even managed to think of a proper answer for the first one. "It's a classic, don't you think!?"
Once again, she clearly has never heard of the concept of personal space as she was meeting and talking him up almost literally face-to-face.
He defensively placed his hands in front of him. "Yeah, yeah. I think I remember beating my high score a few times. Five times or so, actually."
"Really, you did?!" She actually looked surprised for a second there, backing up a bit and giving him space. "I've never met anyone who played that game as much I did before."
He inwardly shrugged. "To be fair, I haven't met a huge Gala Omega fan in a while either. I mean, the game's pretty old and obscure nowadays."
"I guess you're right about that last one." She admitted, her stance relaxed as she went back to her game. The game's high-pitched sound effects played in the background served in the form of white noise. "It's simple in graphics and gameplay, so of course it's going to fall out when newer and more advanced games come out after it."
"But at the same time, even when it isn't as popular as it used to be, I'm sure there are still people who appreciate Gala Omega for what it is: a fun shooter game of its time. Even now, that game still holds a special place in my heart."
He swore he saw a small smile on her face.
He isn't sure what to say now after hearing such a heartfelt thought, so he kept quiet for a while, using a bit of that moment to investigate his surroundings. As he'd suspected, he did end up wandering further than he noticed, and when he looked up, he saw a building that might've been just as big as the main building of Hope's Peak.
His attention returned to the girl with him, now having a better sight on her uniform. White, long-sleeved blouse, red ribbon at the collar, and grayish black skirt. In addition to that, she also had a relatively simple, if a bit childish cat schoolbag with her. Aside from the difference in the outer uniform's fabric color, there's an uncanny resemblance to that of the Ultimates' style in uniforms.
"Hey," He called her attention, to which she responded with a "hm?" and turned to face him back, pausing her game. "If you don't mind me asking, are you a student from here?"
Her shoulders shrugged in response. "I've been here for a month now, so I guess so."
"Then, can you tell me; are we near the Reserve Course Department?" When those words came out, the girl who'd been somewhat neutral up to that point froze up on the spot, something that wasn't lost on him. It only lasted for a second or so.
After that, she sighed in resignation and nodded. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me."
Hajime immediately realized the mistake he made. He knew of how the reserve course classes were unlike that of the Ultimates'; of how they were all basically glorified ordinary kids who paid a huge sum of money just to get in without the need for being invited. Because of that, however, they don't have the same privileges as the Ultimates do.
He also knew how some reserve course students came to resent the Ultimate students for that.
'Shit, I must've hit something too close to home.'
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that in a bad way." He lightly bowed his head in apology.
She didn't look too upset about that, and he doesn't know if that made things better or worse. "It's fine, I got that a lot." She replied rather neutrally. "I'll get used to it, I think."
The girl he's with decided to take a seat on the nearby public bench that's in front of a fountain, opting to resume her game once again. At this point, his legs were a bit stiff and weary from walking and standing for hours now. "Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind if I take a seat there?"
"Sure, go ahead." was her simple reply. Hajime quietly thanked her and then occupied the vacant spot on the public bench, relaxing his stiff legs at last.
A minute of silence passed by. Neither made any sort of contact towards the other, aside from acknowledging the other's presence. The silence broke when the girl beside him asked, rather bluntly and suddenly,
"You're an Ultimate student, right?"
Hajime hesitated to answer at first; he doesn't know how she might react if he told her the truth, or if he can make a convincing lie to someone's who's been civil up to now. It not for his uniform, then his favorite tie with Hope's Peak Academy's insignia on it won't help to cover him up, anyway.
He eventually gave in to the first option. "Yeah, you're right about that. I am from the main course."
"What's it like?"
He isn't sure exactly what that question meant; it could mean anything from the privileges to just what it's like in general. As if reading his expression, she then clarified, "Your classes, I mean."
It's tempting to laugh bitterly at that thought. "They're not as special as you think. I mean sure, having no mandatory classes at all is sweet, but on the other hand, our teacher's a useless drunk idiot, there's nothing much to do aside from that whole 'honing and bettering your talent better' bullshit, and my classmates..."
He took a deep breath. "To be honest, I...I don't even know most of them. Plenty decided to do exactly that talent enhancing stuff. And the few who stuck around in classes, well, I know their names and talents and we get along for the most part, so I guess it's somewhat of an improvement. Until they decided to ditch class today before I got there, and, well...I guess I just went on my own."
"Was it really that bad? I can't imagine having friends do that to you."
"They're not my friends." He corrected in a tone lower than usual. He didn't have the heart to add 'Not even close.'
She stopped pressing more on that topic, something he's grateful for. His head shaking, he then said, "You don't have to worry about it. As a whole, I can say they're still better compared to my old classmates."
"I'm guessing you don't want me to ask you about them?"
"Eh, there's nothing much to be talked about them." A low growl formed from his throat. "Of course, if you ignore the fact that for all the times they've called me a friend, they only really talk to me if they have a problem and want someone to hear them, but God forbid I ask the same from them."
She paused her game, tucking it away in her bag as she realized the seriousness of this conversation.
"In other words, you're less of a true friend for those people, and more of a venting machine to make them feel better about themselves."
He chuckled bitterly. "I'm thinking more on the terms of 'emotional dumpster'. But hey, that works too!" He knows that he's slipping out more bitterness than he should, but he doesn't care anymore. All those bullshit he had to put up with had been repressed in for too long; it felt great to let out how he's really feeling. It's always, always, always all about putting others first. What about him? Who cares about the way he feels?
It's only until after he took several deep breaths that the realization sank in.
"And here I am," Hajime slumped over, shame slowly making its way to him. "venting out my frustrations to someone who barely knows me." He placed a palm over the side of his head. "Isn't that great? It makes me a goddamned hypocrite right now."
She replied in the firmest tone she can muster, "No, I don't think it does."
That simple platitude wasn't enough to convince him. "Yeah right, what makes you say that?"
"I think it just means after listening to other people's burdens, you couldn't find someone who'd do the same for you. It's understandable to feel frustrated about it, especially after what you've been doing for them. I think."
He paused. He can't deny the sincerity in her words, no matter how hopelessly naive it sounded.
Allowing himself to relax with a small smile, he then said to her with a hand stretched out for a handshake, "In that case, then I should thank you..."
'Crap, I forgot to ask her name earlier. Damn it, why did I forget something as important as that?!'
While he was mulling over it inside, thankfully the girl finished his sentence for him, her hand placed in his stretched out one. "Nanami Chiaki, just a simple reserve course student. And you're..."
"Hinata Hajime, the Ultimate Counselor." He introduced himself, taking her hand and gently shaking it. He noticed Nanami's look of bewilderment and placed a free hand at the back of his head. "Yeah, I know, it's really ironic. You can laugh if you want to."
She adamantly declined that offer. "I don't want to."
He let out a laugh of relief. "That's great; if I'll be honest here, I don't want that either. Anyways, nice to meet you, Nanami."
"Nice to meet you too, Hinata."
The counselor caught uncertainty in her voice but decided to let that go. After that handshake, their hands departed from each other.
Hajime can definitely say that he's in a much, much better mood now. It helps that along with having a decent conversation that ended better than expected for the first time in a month, years of repressed resentment were let out of his chest. Nothing can ruin all the great feelings he has at the moment.
"Wait," Nanami suspiciously glanced over their surroundings. "Did you hear anyone screaming?"
That made him check the area as well, but there's doubt the back of his mind. "Screaming? No offense, but I'm sure it's just you-"
"Mitarai, please get back here!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PSYCHO"
...And he's swiftly proven wrong by a chubby Ultimate student running in between him and the reserve course student in a flash. He's not sure which one's more ridiculous; the fact that the good mood he had just for a few moments at best was immediately ruined within less than a second or the fact that someone that heavy managed to give Olympic runners a literal run for their money. As if to rub salt in, not even a millisecond in, trailing up after the boy was a woman who's somewhere in her 20s he hadn't seen before, at least not around from here.
The woman only had an "Excuse me!" to say to him, sidetracking him as quickly as the student she'd been chasing. The force alone was enough to make Hajime fall forward from the bench. He was thankfully pulled up by Nanami before he can kiss the cold hard ground. He's close to cursing a thought out loud.
As the two remained standing, they weren't even given any time to recover from that trippy scene they've witnessed. The same woman from earlier came back with an exhausted but beaming grin on her face, dragging along the now bound and gagged student by a rope on his feet, all while playing deaf to his muffled protests. "Whew, fourteen rotten oranges down, just one more rotten orange to go and I'll be-"
And then her eyes went over the duo, abruptly cutting herself off and pausing as if to recompose herself. She said while laughing awkwardly, "Oh, wow. That's awfully convenient!"
Freaky the way this lady's acting, there's something about this woman that's familiar, like he saw her face from somewhere before. It didn't stop Hajime's internal debate on whether he should call the police or not.
"Rotten...oranges?" Nanami lightly tilted her head.
"That's right!" The weirdly kind of creepy lady replied affirmatively. "The students I've been assigned to are a whole bunch of them; no one was even present in class to say hi to me." She muttered that last part, her eyes shaded while a menacing aura formed around her, unnerving the present students with her. Her cheery disposition returned not long after. "That being said, with enough rotten oranges, we can still make a big and nice youth jam, no matter how rotten they are!"
"Okay, first of all, I don't think that's how jams work." The counselor deadpanned. "And second of all, what do you mean by 'students you've been assigned to'?"
She bumped a hand at the back of her head. "Oops, I almost forgot about that one. How silly of me." She cleared her throat and placed a fist on her chest, introducing herself. "My name is Yukizome Chisa, but you can call me Ms. Yukizome. And, as of today, I'm your new homeroom teacher!"
"....."
"....."
"...mmrrph..?"
Ms. Yukizome's once cheerful exterior got flattened by the students' lack of a reaction. "...Was it something I said?"
It's most definitely the case for those two.
In Hajime's case though, his lack of a reaction is less because of the weird introduction and more on the fact that something about this lady's appearance is nagging on him, the said introduction only added more fuel onto it. There's the long auburn hair tied in a ponytail, the precise movements while running, the no doubt insane amount of strength appropriate for subduing and then dragging someone that heavy without breaking a sweat, her name being Yukizome Chisa...
It clicked.
"Wait a minute, I've seen you on TV before." He ignored the look of incoming nervousness from his presumed new teacher. Said teacher looked like she's a second away from yelling when he asked her, "You're the former Ultimate Boxer, Chisa 'Spike the Tyke' Yukizome, right?"
And yelled she did.
"EEEEHHH! People still call me by that RIDICULOUS TITLE!?" Miss Yukizome, who's also embarrassingly known as 'Spike the Tyke' in the ring, as well as the former Ultimate Boxer of Class 74, screeched with a high pitch in indignation. If life were like an anime or manga, he and the other students present would have a sweatdrop popping on the side of their heads right now.
"It's not really a big deal."
"That actually sounds neat, I think."
"Yes, it is! And NO, it's not! Please, no more talking about it!"
The topic was then dropped, partly because it'll get nowhere if it's kept up, and partly because offending someone who's not only a former boxer, but the former Ultimate Boxer is a universally agreed Bad Idea. She thanked them for that and exhaled in relief.
"Now that I've introduced myself," Ms. Yukizome moved over to the male student. "You must be Hinata Hajime, right?"
"That's me."
Ms. Yukizome momentarily laid her focus on the other one, taking notice of her different uniform. "And your friend here is..?"
In contrast with Hajime who replied almost immediately, it took her a moment to do the same. When she did reply, she avoided meeting the adult's gaze. "Nanami Chiaki. I'm...I'm from the reserve course."
The teacher regarded her with a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Nanami." The reserve course student didn't return it.
Refocusing on her targeted student, she then told them both, "Anyways, I'd hate to cut your meeting short but I need to get Hinata back to class, okay?" She tapped a finger at her right wrist. "We can't keep everyone back in class waiting for too long, you know."
Ms. Yukizome expectantly looked over the two students once more, patiently waiting.
"I guess this is goodbye, then." Nanami didn't face anyone in particular, absentmindedly staring on the pavement.
Hajime had a feeling there's more to those words. His mind went back to the conversation they had earlier. Short as it was, it did more than enough easing up both parties. He won't mind talking with her again; she's nice enough and actually willing to hear him out.
"Even if it is, I don't think it has to stay that way if you don't want it to." He faced towards her direction and told her with the utmost sincerity, "I mean, I can go and see you here again, right?"
Though not returning eye contact, she replied with a simple, but perhaps a bit hopeful "Maybe."
"Then it's settled. I'll see you tomorrow."
Hajime turned to leave; Ms. Yukizome raised an arm in a way which suggested she'll carry him over her shoulder, only for him to hastily put her arm down with both of his hands, right before she can make any attempts to do so. "Thanks, but I can walk."
"That's fine with me." The teacher then grabbed hold of his hand like that of a parent to a child, gently dragging him along with Mitarai, the round student now silent as he was dragged ungraciously over the ground.
After they were at least a meter away, Hajime looked back to see Nanami staring back at him.
She lightly raised a hand, slightly higher above the level of her shoulder, shyly waving at him.
Her eyes widened when he waved back at her.
"Didn't think you'd actually bail on us one day, but here you are." Kuzuryu grumbled, arms crossed. Hajime didn't even bother to make a smart retort towards his classmate when he got back inside with Ms. Yukizome in tow.
At the same time, he noticed the dirty look Kuzuryu directed towards not him, but the adult; he should probably ask her what he missed later. Also, was it just him, or did the classroom looked ten times cleaner than it was during the past month? Suddenly Kuzuryu's moodiness became a whole lot clearer.
He wasted no time taking a spot on one of the vacant seats; the seat is at the last row on his left side with a window facing that same side. This seat also happened to be the same one he'd grown accustomed with since the first day. During that time period, Kuzuryu poked fun at him a few times for that. ("You thinking of yourself as the main character of a light novel?" She once told him with a snicker.)
The counselor saw that compared to the past month he'd spent in here, the classroom is unbelievably filled to the brim with various Ultimate students. There are those, of course, he'd already been in presence with, others whom he only faintly remembered after seeing them in person again, and a few whom he didn't recall at all.
Their new teacher stood in front behind her desk. "Alright, everyone. I know that you've all-" The students only heard "Blah blah blah rotten oranges blah blah blah wasting your youth blah blah blah spending time together blah blah blah blah-"
After they've mentally skimmed over most the speech directed towards them, Ms. Yukizome concluded it with a cheerful, "Now with all of that out of the way, why don't we all start over and re-introduce ourselves to make everyone more familiar with each other?"
A collective set of groans resonated within the class.
"Hey, don't give me that! Show me some more enthusiasm, everyone! Come on, where's your spirit of youth?"
In the end, everyone, a few reluctant, complied with their teacher's pestering and introduced themselves for the second time. Hajime tuned out the introductions of those whom he already knew but he did pay a bit more attention to others he didn't. If Ms. Yukizome is serious about her goal, then it's a good idea for him to remember his classmates' names and talents.
When his turn came, he stood up, walked to the front facing his classmates, and said for the second time this month,
"My name is Hinata Hajime, and I'm the Ultimate Counselor."
'I know it's not much, but here's to hoping we get along a bit better. At the same time, I'll be lying if I said my fingers aren't crossed.'
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