123Chapter 20: L'il Ultimate Problem Children
Hope's Peak Academy
Elementary School Division
September 13th, 2010
Morning
Hajime glanced to his left and right as he stood where he was. This was not a typical monday morning for him. As a result, he was trying to get used to the new environment that he had found himself in.
It had all started last Friday. During lunch period, he had been called to Mister Kirigiri's office. In the simplest of terms, the headmaster revealed something surprising: Hope's Peak Academy had an Elementary School Division. The Reserve Course student expressed he had not known about it, to which the man in charge of the academy commented that it was intentionally unknown to most of the public. The reason for its relative secrecy was because there were concerns that outside influences would affect talent growth as most of the students at the Elementary School Division eventually found their way to Hope's Peak Academy.
Also, being wealthy and knowing the right people didn't hurt, which may as well be an admission to the fact that this division was mostly for the benefit of prominent figures in society.
Regardless, Hajime was requested to make a trip to the elementary school in order to help out with some troublesome children. Apparently, there were a group of kids that were separated from most other classes due to behavior that wasn't ideal in relation to other students. From the sound of things, it seemed like nobody got along with them, not even the teachers that were assigned to them. That made the brunette boy wonder why he was being asked to help them at all, to which Mister Kirigiri simply explained that with the help of an outside influence which wasn't connected to Hope's Peak in a traditional sense, these children might be able to become more cooperative.
Personally, the Reserve Course student didn't understand why he was chosen specifically. If there were an Ultimate Psychologist within the Main Course or even a professional to reach out to, it would make more sense to have them come and help, but considering that it was a personal request from the headmaster, it was hard to say no.
Getting out of classes for the day was also a nice incentive.
Plus, Hajime suspected that it was due to his connection with the Hope Cultivation Project that he was being asked to do this. Speaking of the project, he had been informed that the project was delayed due to some new data being added in, so his decision would have been put on hold. He was still the sole candidate for the project and his status as such would remain that way. This bit of news brought a sort of relief, but also a sense of disappointment.
In any case, the first-year sat perfectly upright in the waiting chair he was currently sitting on. As he looked around the building, he couldn't help but admire that even the Elementary School Division had nice digs, almost as nice as the Main Course. That must mean that a lot of effort was put into developing the talents of the children that attended.
"Mister Hinata." The principal returned from her office with some paperwork in her hands. "The children are ready. I'll take you to them."
"Alright." Hajime said, following her lead.
"As I briefly explained when you came in, these children are difficult to fully grasp." Miss Aikawa. "They're most definitely talented, that much we can be sure of. They might just be some of the best students that we've ever seen here. The problem is that their personalities and behaviors aren't ideal."
Hajime regarded the woman. "In what way are they not ideal?"
"Without diving into their personal history, I will say this." The head of the Elementary School Division gave him a sad look. "Because of their talents, certain expectations have been placed on them. As you've no doubt seen with the Ultimates at Hope's Peak Academy, a lot is invested into their personal success."
"I've noticed that." Hajime nodded. "In relation to the Reserve Course, there aren't that many students in the Main Course."
"Well, if you consider that and apply it to these children, you'll begin to get an understanding of what is expected from them here." Miss Aikawa explained. "Every student here is treated as if they could be the future of Japan. Thus, we set high standards for them and expect them to meet and hopefully exceed those expectations. To say that it is easy for the children would be a lie and in all honesty, some handle the pressure better than others, and that doesn't take into account their personal lives."
"I see." Hajime formulated an image with what she said, then a question popped into his mind. "Is there anything I should know about these students specifically? Anything like noticeable patterns? Quirks? Anything outstanding?"
"The only thing I can say is that each of these five students have highly volatile personalities." The black-haired principle seemed almost confused by what she was saying. "I've spent a bit of time with them and even on a good day, they're incredibly hard to interact with in any meaningful way. I think it has to do with how they each see adults, male or female."
"Do they have trouble with authority figures?" Hajime asked.
"Not necessarily." Miss Aikawa answered. "Although their track record with the teachers is spotty at best. I believe it would be more accurate to say that certain events in their life had led them to view adults in a… complicated way."
The Reserve Course student caught onto her momentary pause. Unless he was mishearing what she was saying, she seemed to be implying that the home situation with these kids may not be the best, which was manifesting in the way they were behaving at school. This made his mind introduce doubt as to whether or not he was really cut out for this.
"And do you really believe that I can do anything about this?" Hajime had to question the logic behind his being here. "I'm just a normal kid. You have to know that."
"Mister Kirigiri said as much." Miss Aikawa stopped walking and faced him. "And you seem to fit the description, but that's exactly why I think you'll work. It also helps that you're not quite an adult, but from what Jin tells me, you've got a good head on your shoulders, so talking to them might be easier for you than for any of the faculty."
It was such a cryptic answer and she didn't offer any further explanations, merely leading him down the hallways, up some stairs, and through more hallways until they reached a classroom marked as 5-F. Whatever was going on, he would probably find out more about either on his own or through someone else.
"This is as far as I will go. The five are inside." Miss Aikawa gestured to the door. "They don't know you're coming specifically, so you're going to have to be a little creative."
"Is this a test?" Hajime gave her a look.
"In a way, yes." The black-haired woman nodded her head. "If this is going to be a recurring thing, we need to make sure that you fit the bill."
"Right." Hajime took a deep breath in. "I can do this. I'll be fine."
"If you're having some issues if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask." Miss Aikawa gave him a bemused look. "There's no shame in admitting that you need help, especially when it comes to problem children like these five."
"I'll see what I can do before that." Hajime acknowledged. "I'd rather go in giving it my all."
"Well, you have my number if anything comes up." The division head began to walk back to her office. "Good luck."
This felt kind of cold to him. Hope's Peak was literally dropping him into the fray and expecting him to solve a problem that he had next to no experience in, but he only had himself to blame for getting here. He had agreed to do this and he was made aware of what it would entail. It was just that hearing the rough summary from Mister Kirigiri and hearing it from Miss Aikawa in detail really made him come to terms with his decision.
Well, no time like the present.
Hajime took a deep breath and did a final check on his clothing. Although he was a student in the Reserve Course, he was granted permission to wear whatever he deemed fit. Unfortunately, the only thing that wasn't his current uniform and that was clean was his uniform from Kodaka High School. In hindsight, it was probably the right choice to make. The less he seemed connected to Hope's Peak Academy, the better chances he would have of being able to have a meaningful dialogue with these kids.
When he was sure that he had done everything he could to look presentable, he slid the door open in one move and he gazed inside.
Five children were assembled towards the front of the room. They were each distinct physically speaking. There was no way to mistake one for the other.
Hope - - - Despair
Hope's Peak Academy
Elementary School Division
September 13th, 2010
Morning
Monaca Towa was a genius, that much she did know for sure. After all, how many eleven-year old girls could claim that they were a chief executive of the robotics branch of her family's company? Only the best and brightest could ever hope to reach high-level positions within any major corporate business entity. Naturally, this made her skilled at picking out details about things and people
So the first thing that she noted about the newest arrival was that he was a student. His outfit said as much, but it clearly wasn't a Hope's Peak Academy uniform, Reserve Course or Main Course, but he had to be affiliated with the academy in some way because it seemed highly unlikely he would have been able to enter her school otherwise.
The second thing of note was that while he was not an adult, he was older than them. If she had to take a guess, he was in high school, maybe a first-year. If that was the case, then he was just teetering on the edge of the innocence of childhood and getting much closer to the legal adult age.
The next thing was that he had possessed a conflicting image. While his physical appearance denoted him as an average boy, the way he carried himself suggested that he was anything but average. There were hints of tensions and uneasiness, but the more prominent feeling was confidence, not too much, but it was there.
Monaca took her observations of the high schooler and began to speculate as to the reason he was here. Surely, he had a specific purpose in visiting them. Nobody came to see this class, teachers and parents aside. The rest of the kids in the school didn't like them. The teachers that weren't directly involved in their studies avoided them like plague. It was only to be expected seeing as the five of them were branded as uncontrollable. It was much easier to place them here and pretend they didn't exist. The fact that someone was even bothering to come meant that something was going on.
As for the reason why, the girl with green hair and matching green eyes could only imagine. Hope's Peak might have found someone they thought could help bring her and her classmates in line. If that was the case, then they seemed to have picked poorly. A more suited individual would be needed in order to control any of them. Frankly speaking, they all had problems, although the Towa girl would never admit it. Whatever the higher ups were thinking, it didn't make any logical sense.
The genius girl reconsidered for a moment. The big wigs were many things, but she knew that they weren't stupid. They had something in mind, something they wanted to accomplish with all of this. Why else would they go out of their way to try and fix the five of them now when their lackluster efforts in the past were all they had to show?
"Monaca doesn't recognize you." Monaca decided for a professional approach. "Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Hajime Hinata." The teenage boy identified himself. "I'm from Hope's Peak Academy."
"You're one of the Ultimates?" Monaca probed. "You came to see us?"
"Not quite." Hajime gave her a look as if he was analyzing her as well. "Let's just say I'm different from everyone else there."
His answer was vague, guarded. There was no doubt that he knew things, but he wasn't telling.
Interesting.
"That cowlick is simply adorbs!" To the left, Kotoko spoke up next. "Is that natural or do you make it stay up?!"
"Um, it's naturally like that." Hajime frowned at her question. "Why?"
"I just like talking about things that are adorbs." Kotoko sighed in contentment. "Can I touch it?"
"Maybe another time." Hajime softly rejected her.
"It's rude to ask a stranger a question like that." From behind, Nagisa scolded the pink-haired girl. "You haven't even introduced yourself."
"I would like to introduce myself, but I can't do it." Jataro communicated like he always did. "I'm so ugly that I would be better if I didn't introduce myself to anyone."
"Shut your ugly mug." Kotoko immediately insulted the masked boy. "Nobody wants to meet you.:
"See? Even Kotoko wishes she hadn't been introduced to me." Jataro continued to mouth off. "I'm the most useless person in the world."
"Are we doing introductions!?" Masaru was naturally the most energetic. "Then I'm going first! I'm Masaru Daimon. I'm called the Li'l Ultimate P.E.! If it's physical, I can do it! Plus, I'm a leader!"
"A leader?" Hajime inquired with a confused look. "Of what, exactly?"
"Us, of course!" Masaru really liked to style himself as the head of this group. "I'm the hero who will lead this group to awesomeness!"
"Huh." Hajime looked like he didn't believe it, but he didn't comment on it.
"Well anyway, I'll go next." Nagisa stepped up. "I'm Nagisa Shingetsu. They call me Li'l Ultimate Social Studies. Of course, that's not the only subject that I excel in. I excel academically overall. I'm also the only rational one here."
The blue-haired boy was highly rational and very responsible. In fact, it was so easy to twist his sense of responsibility to serve others. All one needed to do was to place some pretty high expectations on his shoulders and just keep doing so with a friendly disposition and a smile.
"Good to know." Hajime said. "So, who's next. How about you?"
"M-me?" Jataro cowered slightly under the gaze of the high school student. "L-like I said, I don't think that's a good idea."
"You only have to tell me your name." Hajime smiled. "How hard is that?"
"I… guess you have a point." Jataro might just be the most mentally questionable one here, and that was saying something. "I guess I'll introduce myself. Um… give me a moment. I need to practice."
A minute ticked by as the boy with a mask covering his face seemed really deep in thought. The silence was kind of overwhelming, although not oppressive, but everyone waited for the self-depreciating student.
"Okay, so, um, my name is Jataro Kemuri." The boy with grey eyes finally spoke. "I'm good at arts and crafts and stuff like that, so they call me Li'l Ultimate Art. By the way, snakes can be used to predict earthquakes."
"Right." Hajime nodded automatically.
Monaca could only sigh. Her masked classmate had this tendency to spout out random facts that had no relevance to what he said prior. Honestly, it made it hard to talk to him because he was inconsistent at best. Insulting him wouldn't shut him up because he apparently loved to be insulted.
"I'm up next." Kotoko stepped up, displaying her best smile and getting into a pose. "My name is Kotoko Utsugi, and I'm the Li'l Ultimate Drama. I love girly things and chestnuts. Plus, adorbs things are a-okay in my book. Your cowlick is uber adorbs, so you are adorbs too!"
"...thanks?" Hajime appeared really uneasy about that declaration.
At times, Kotoko was highly energetic and it was hard to say for sure what would make her happy and what would set her off. Monaca learned to merely stick to a more conseravtive schtick when it came to the drama girl. It certainly saved her quite a bit of headache.
Well, it looked like she was the last one for introductions. Again, she would play this like a business transaction. She didn't know enough about this Hajime boy, but her initial impression was pretty middle of the road.
"Monaca's name is Monaca Towa." She flashed her best smile. "I'm the Li'l Ultimate Homeroom. My talent is all about getting people to help me."
"Towa." Hajime recognized that name. "As in, the Towa Group?"
"That's the one right there." Monaca nodded her head. "Monaca's futures lies with the family company."
"Cool." Hajime offered her a simple answer. "I can't say I would know anything about Corporate Japan."
"Hey, hey hey!" Masaru pointed at the taller boy. "So what's your deal? Do you have a talent? What is it?"
"Sorry, guys." Hajime laughed weakly. "I've been told by the headmaster not to talk about it. It's real hush-hush. I can't tell anyone about it."
"Wow, it's that secret?" Kotoko seemed excited. "Now I want to know more about it!"
"You won't hear a peep from me." Hajime shook his head. "Sorry, but that's a no-go."
"Aw, now we gotta know!" Masaru stomped his foot on the floor. "Tell us!"
"Still can't." Hajime deflected the demand.
"I would ask, but I don't know how to ask questions." Jataro chimed in with his own two cents. "Bleach does not taste good at all."
Despite the somewhat perplexed state of their guest, it seemed that he was capable of taking in their unusual personalities in stride. If anything, he seemed like he had experience with this sort of thing.
It did make Monaca wonder: what sort of people did he know?
Despair - - - Hope
Hope's Peak Academy
Reserve Course Campus
September 13th, 2010
Late Afternoon
Hajime spent the rest of the day with the children and during that time, some things came to his attention, many of them concerning.
Firstly, Masaru Daimon was perhaps the most normal out of all of the students here, but that wasn't saying much considering the others. His normality wouldn't be so much of a problem if not for the fact that he had high amounts of energy. Those two seemed an unusual combination, or at least it felt off in a way.
There were also the various bruises and bandaids on his legs that didn't just seem to be there for no reason. Hajime had an idea or two in mind about what those were and he hoped that he was wrong.
Second, Nagisa Shingetsu was highly advanced for a child his age. Give him an older body and he would seem like a normal adult. While such qualities were outstanding, the problem was that it didn't seem right for an elementary school kid to have that mentality so young. What caused him to be like this?
Additionally, there were slash marks on the Li'l Ultimate Social Studies' wrist, almost unnoticeable, but Hajime saw them and he sort of wished he hadn't.
Third and perhaps the most concerning was Jataro Kemuri. The way he talked alone was highly disturbing. It almost sounded like he was drunk or taking drugs. A conversation with him wasn't guaranteed to last more than several sentences. Another point of worry was his acceptance of any sort of insult, peripheral or internal without so much as a whine.
Somehow, Hajime had a bad feeling about what sort of home life that the Li'l Ultimate Art had, especially if his mask was any indication.
Fourth, Kotako Utsugi was strange. She seemed to be trying too hard to make herself look happy and "adorbs" as she always said. Her insistence on maintaining positivity didn't feel natural at all. Her entire spiel didn't seem completely her own, more like a construct she made for reasons unknown to him.
Plus, the way she looked at Hajime made him feel uncomfortable, like she was expecting something from him, something not necessarily good or right. That feeling put him ill at ease.
Finally, there was Monaca Towa, Her behavior was polite and nice enough, yet it didn't feel right for a child. If anything, it came off less like a child's behavior and more like an adult looking to do a business transaction. That didn't make much sense, but that was the feeling which was most prevalent.
Hajime took note of how she was perhaps the most in-control out of all the students here. Not once had she broken out of her calm and composed demeanor. Again, this felt just as unnatural as her professional behavior.
Somehow from spending time with all of them, The Reserve Course student got the idea that he was being given some sort of test. Perhaps it pertained to the Hope Cultivation Project, but if it did, then the connection wasn't easy to discern.
These were surface-level observations and he only had his gut feeling to guide him in regards to what he saw and heard.
As he returned to the Reserve Course campus grounds, he also pondered if he wanted to move forward with visiting these kids. If he did, then he would be undertaking a serious commitment. Clearly, these kids were far different than their peers. Their distinctive personalities, traits, and quirks demanded a more personal approach rather than the systematic one that Hope's Peak had going on. That felt strange to say considering that the school dedicated to nurturing and developing talent was designed specifically for individuals to hone themselves the way they saw fit.
Hajime wasn't sure if he was the right person for the job, but he was chosen out of all the people that could have done this, so clearly someone thought highly enough of him to assign him this important task. Of course, he would never display his doubts on his face, merely take what he was assigned with his best attitude. No other response seemed adequate. After all, he was involved in Hope's Peak Academy in a way that no one else was. He couldn't afford to be flippant about his choice.
So there was only one question he had to ask himself: what was he willing to do to achieve his hopes and dreams?
This question was made harder by the fact that there was no one he could talk to directly about this short of the people involved in the Hope Cultivation Project, but he had a feeling that the advice they would give him would result in him agreeing. If he was going to make a choice, he wanted to be fully aware of all known potential outcomes. If that wasn't possible, then there may yet be a reason not to go through with this.
Funny, the idea that the Reserve Course student didn't want to go through with this was now starting to sound like an appealing proposition. While logic partially drove his viewpoint, there was also something more instinctual that was guiding his path. More specifically, he had this nagging feeling at the back of his mind that maybe there was a more pressing reason why all of this was happening. Becoming the Ultimate Hope via this Hope Cultivation Project was a great idea on paper, but what about the unintended side effects? Were there things about this entire process that were being made unaware to himself?
Hajime passed through the gates of the academy and automatically made his way to his dorm room. The moment he was inside, he kicked off his shoes, placed them neatly by the wall, placed his miscellaneous belongings. He sat down at his desk, grabbed his phone and began to make a call.
"Hello? Hinata residence." That was his mother, Yui Hinata.
"Hi, mom." Hajime smiled when he heard her voice. "Do you have time to talk?"
"Hajime! Honey, why don't you call more often?" She sounded really happy to hear him. "Of course I have time to talk to you. I always have time for my baby boy."
"Thanks, mom." Hajime laughed a bit at her enthusiasm. "I, uh, wanted to talk to you about some personal stuff. It has to do with school."
"Is everything okay?" Now she sounded a bit worried.
"Yeah, everything's fine." Hajime assured her. "It's nothing bad. You know how I talked about this thing that the headmaster was talking to me about? Well, things have changed. I've been getting a lot busier with other stuff. Making friends with the Ultimate students, doing more recreational stuff, that sort of thing."
"You are?" The Hinata matriarch sounded surprised. "I've never known you to be so active with other people. What caused this change of heart?"
"A lot of things." Hajime, in the past, would have been more sensitive about this issue. "But mostly, it's just the people who I end up with have lots of motivation and self-discipline to do things. They don't necessarily care about what everyone thinks. They just do what they think is right for them."
"It takes a certain amount of courage to be like that." His mom's reply came almost immediately. "But I believe that everyone in the world has a talent for something. Whether or not it comes out is sometimes a matter of where we find ourselves in life. That and a bit of luck at the right times doesn't hurt."
"Maybe." Hajime wasn't sure if he could believe that fully. "I guess."
"Is something bothering you, Hajime?" She could sense his discomfort.
"It's just that… I've been asked to help some kids at a local elementary school." Hajime elaborated without saying too much. "And I went today to see them as a test run of sorts. I think it went well, but honestly, I'm not sure if I'm the right guy for the job. I mean, they picked me, so someone has to trust me, but I don't know. I have some concerns."
"I think everyone's afraid of something, Hajime." His mother's wisdom once again sounded off. "I'd be willing to bet money that your Ultimate friends are probably afraid of something. The point is what are you afraid of happening?"
"...I'm afraid of failing." Hajime didn't need to think about it for too long. "I've always been afraid of failing and everyone keeps telling me that I will, at least that's what happened at Kodaka. I'm afraid that the next time I fail, I won't be able to fix it."
"But you'll never know if you will fail unless you put the effort forward." She didn't miss a beat. "And even if you failed and lost everything, what exactly do you have to lose when you have nothing? The only other place to go is up."
And that was a truth that was hard to conceptualize let alone put into practice, but there was no denying it.
"I'll… work on it." Hajime amended. "So how're you and dad doing?"
"You're dad's fine. We're both fine."
At least some things were still fine.
Hope - - - Despair
Hope's Peak Academy
Main Course Teacher Lounge
September 13th, 2010
Evening
Chisa found Mondays to be among the best days of the working week. While many would groan at the prospect of getting back to school or work, she found joy in what she did. After all, she was training the next generation of hope that would be spread to the world. What part about that wouldn't be exciting.
Every time she saw her students smiling and laughing and making memories, that was one more win in her book. It meant that she was doing her job well. By actively engaging each and every one of her students, she was going to ultimately inspire them in ways that they probably wouldn't have been otherwise. Her job filled her with pride and that was why she looked forward to the beginning of each week.
But in order for her to be able to continue enjoying her job as a future nurturer of talent for this school, she had her part to play. Kyousuke and Juzo had their parts to play. Together, the three of them were going to evolve Hope's Peak Academy into something much greater than it was now. As wonderful as the school was, there was a dark side that was the source of many unsavory rumors. Their alma mater was in danger despite public appearances saying otherwise.
And recently, it had come to Chisa's attention that perhaps one of those pieces connected to the unseen face of Hope's Peak was shifting in a new direction. Hajime had been personally requested to assist with some troubled children in the Elementary School Division, a highly unusual move from Headmaster Kirigiri. What the man was thinking with this move was anyone's guess. It seemed to make more sense to send a qualified student from the main course, so this was a clear deliberate move.
The only reason that the former Ultimate Housekeeper even knew about any of this was due to her reaching the end of her abilities as an undercover teacher. She had to resort to the card key courtesy of Juzo's efforts. Even then, she dared not search for information deep within Hope's Peak's databases. She honestly was afraid of what she might find there and she had no doubt that all access to the most top secret of information was being carefully monitored. If she went too deep, she could be compromised and then Kyosuke's plan would be all for nothing in the end.
It sounded like a cowardly thing coming from the homeroom teacher and she honestly felt so guilty about what she was doing. She could just get the information she needed and be done with it and now she was dilly-dallying because of a fear that could happen?
What was she even afraid of in the first place?
The woman regarded a framed photo sitting on her desk of all the students who were doing their best and presenting their smiles. Some were better than others, but each expression was charming in its own way.
I'm afraid of letting this go to ruin. Chisa brought the photo up closer. I'm afraid that what I'll find will destroy these smiles.
Because the feeling that something terrible was going on was only getting stronger.
Danganronpa has never really made a lot of sense when you look deeply into its details, but there are some things that have truly baffled me. For example, when Chisa was able to so easily obtain information without even being suspected. The card key she got from Juzo was lifted from one of the board members, so surely they had to realize it was missing and probably block access to information from that specific key hard.
In any case, I don't intend to make it that easy for her to get to the heart of the matter. In fact, even though everyone knows how it went down in canon, it won't be the same here. I've got BIG plans.
And concerning the Li'l Ultimates, they're incredible hard to pin down personality wise. I haven't fully played through Ultra Despair Girls, so I'm learning about them as I go along. Bear with me if my portrayals are incorrect. I'll be sure to fix them up as I get more information and relevant details about them.
Thoughts? Feedback? Reviews are always appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
"Beware how you can take away hope from another human being."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
