11Hello there everybody! Not much to say for this, apart from the fact that though names used are based off real people, the fictional characters bear no resemblance to their real life counterparts. Any similarities are pure coincidence. Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Hajime: ...
Harry: Shall we make something special? Some snacks for while you're playing.
Hajime: Even if we're friends, she deserves my all. That's what a challenge is, right?
Harry: Okay, serious time I see. Perhaps another time.
H + H: Never lose hope! With a magic touch!
"So, did you send the letter?" the man remarked as he sat down, the last to arrive at the meeting.
Taking his rightful position at the head of the table, he looked around the gathered men and women. The individuals who had given birth to something incredible, or at least, something that would become incredible if given the right… motivation. Fortunately for them, the subject was all too willing to participate in the project to say no. it wasn't as if they could take anything back at this point anyway.
"Yes, the subject has received the letter and is preparing for the first testing phase. Currently, he has been found on the company of the Super High School Level Gamer." One of the figures to his right declared, the man giving a slow shake of his head. "I assume there will be no issues with non-attendance?"
"Has there ever been an issue?" the man scoffed in return. It wasn't as if it was anything new with Hope's Peak and with all that was planned for the subject, the poor education that was being provided by the staff wasn't going to change a thing. "No. So long as the subject continues his interactions with the various talents of Hope's Peak, we are operating at a reasonable pace."
Additionally, it was the perfect way to test the subject's ability to comprehend and adapt; while there had been much that they were able to integrate into the subject's mind, the human brain could only hold so much information in such an unnatural manner. Should the subject demonstrate the ability to properly attain new talents by themselves, there would be less pressure on advancing their medical techniques.
"Are there any major issues with the subjects that need to be brought up?"
"We have three who are currently being prepared for disposal. While they are theoretically capable of fulfilling their purposes, the deformities they have developed are too significant to be considered successful." The single woman who chose not to sit at the table said, barely even looking to her superior as she gazed out through the window. "Otherwise, they are either not through the transition process far enough to make comment on or are relatively functional, as expected."
"I suppose we have Doctor Cottam to thank for that." another member remarked, the head rolling his eyes as he looked to his watch.
With almost perfect timing, a pencil flew through the air and slammed into the member's forehead, a low groan escaping their mouth as they slumped down in their seat. How the woman managed to perfectly throw her little tantrum exactly one second after a comment was made each time was something the head would forever question.
"I was almost there! It would've been me who made the breakthrough if that idiot hadn't interfered!" the woman growled out, only a cough from her superior temporarily quelling her anger. No doubt she would be fuming for the rest of the day and they would have to suffer her poor temper. "But yes, Doctor Cottam's subjects have been showing minor advancements in comparison to the other subjects."
The head let a moment of silence pass over the room as he pondered the very strange bald man who acted as one of their 'carers'.
The scientist was a wildcard by any definition, completely unrepentant as he advanced and destroyed several different experiments with his tinkering. Though his co-workers may not have been willing to admit it, they had truly been stuck during their portion of the experiment and it was only thanks to the eccentric doctor that they managed to produce half as many successful subjects as they did. It was just as shame that they had to dispose of several completely broken subjects as well.
It wasn't as if they couldn't afford the losses though, not at the speed they were moving. He had to give their suppliers a pay rise or something soon; they had been able to acquire numerous fresh specimens and there hadn't even been a hint in the news about any disappearances. They never would've survived Doctor Cottam's interference without them.
"That's fortunate then. Considering our recent obstacles, we should be able to reach our projected schedule." The head said, rubbing his chin with his hand. "Does anyone else have any comments about their divisions? No? Then I see no reason to draw out this meeting. Let us return to what we were doing before and for goodness sake, tell that man not to anger her again!"
The head let out a weary sigh as people began to filter out, the quiet sound of whispered complaints filling his ears. That was the issue with having such diverse business ventures happening under a single banner; for the more mundane side of business, there was very little to comment on and they were forced to listen to stuff they might not entirely… agree with. Fortunately, they were being paid too much to care about blabbing.
Everything was going right up until this point, so all they could do was place faith in the main subject and hope that their predictions would come to fruition. So long as he kept getting good reports, maybe he could stay away from the drinks cabinet this time. Then, when the time was right…
"Excuse me sir? You've been requested by some guests." A voice spoke up from the doorway, jolting the head out of his musings.
"Are you sure? I shouldn't have any personal guests for the rest of the day?" he asked in return, his secretary awkwardly shuffling in place as she spoke.
"Well, they said that you would give them priority so long as I told you… 'We want something at least broadly like harmony.'"
The head froze; those were the words he hadn't been expecting to hear for a long time, maybe ever. Feeling a cold rush down his spine, his fist tightening against his side, there was only one thing he could do lest he wished to lose all that he had.
"Fine. I shall see to them in my office."
As the sound of a hundred rhythm games, violent shooters, racers and far more combined in his ears, Hajime couldn't help but look around the game centre with a small feeling of awe. It wasn't as if he didn't know what one was, he hadn't been that isolated as a child, but it was a different thing entirely to actually enter one. The sheer noise was enough to make him stumble slightly, shaking his head with a silent groan.
"Over here Hajime." Chiaki called, the brunette looking to his side to see the pink hared gamer stepping into the game centre, a smile blossoming upon her face. "I heard the tournament is being held on the third floor. We should move now and make sure we're signed in early."
"Right, following." Hajime answered, watching with a smirk as the girl found a new energy the moment she passed through the door, eagerly passing her eyes over the various machines set up and blaring their music.
Compared to the somewhat empathetic girl who had accidentally tripped over his feet, Chiaki had almost become a completely different persona. The way that she gazed upon the arcade machines with a fond sense of familiarity, the way that she led Hajime through the various pathways as if she knew them off by heart, it was clear that she was in her element. For the Super High School Level Gamer, the game centre might as well be the same as a church.
Despite Chiaki's gentle enthusiasm however, Hajime couldn't help the small amount of trepidation that welled in his core as he looked to the various screens and controllers around him. The whole environment was something completely foreign to the boy, nothing like the oppressive silence he had gotten used to working with at home or during his sessions. Even if the faces around him were smiling as they played, he simply couldn't muster up the same amount of enthusiasm.
"Hajime, over here!" Chiaki's yell had Hajime startle slightly, looking around as discretely as possible. In his thoughts, he hadn't realised that they had already managed to reach the third floor and the pink haired girl was waiting alongside one of the workers for him to sign up. "Are you okay? You kind of blanked out for a moment."
"…Don't worry about me. I'm just not used to this kind of thing." Hajime answered, absently signing the given piece of paper and filling in the necessary details, returning the bow of the worker as he sat down next to Chiaki. "You never did tell me what we're actually playing. Is it going to be easy for someone new like me?"
"Did you say you don't know what you're playing? Wait, did you say you're new? As in new to games?" the worker suddenly piped up, Hajime cautiously nodding his head to the shock of the man. "Are you kidding me? You just signed up to a Wonder Vs Hatcom 3 tournament as a newb?"
"…Wonder Vs Hatcom?" was the only answer Hajime could give, a scoff coming from the worker as he plucked Hajime's entry form out of the pile.
"Right. I'll just get rid of this for you." The worker dismissed, ready to throw the paper in the nearby bin. "You're way out of your league kid. We've got some of the best here, there's money on the line. A newb like you might as well just quit while you still have your pride."
Before the arm could move any further however, an iron grip held the worker in place, the man letting out a small whimper. Hajime's hold was surprisingly strong, almost as if the brunette was trying to break the worker's arm.
The grasp did its job however, making the worker drop the paper, conveniently allowing it to drop down onto the pile once more as the worker met Hajime's eyes. Hajime would never realise it, but the worker was one step away from relieving himself as he saw those brown orbs turn crimson for a microsecond.
"I may be new to games… but I don't think you should underestimate me like that." Hajime warned, his voice jovial, yet still cutting deep into the soul of the worker. "Besides, you know who this girl is right? Do you really think someone like the Super High School Level Gamer would allow someone to enter a tournament without having some faith in their abilities? After all, she was one kind enough to pay both of our entry fees."
The man didn't have any response to that as Hajime let go of him, the worker quickly scrambling back with as many feverish bows he could give. With a sigh, Hajime turned to Chiaki, giving the girl a bow of his own.
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make a scene, but I can't help myself sometimes." Hajime sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And thanks again for paying. It's not as if I don't have any money."
"I make a lot from competitions like this. I can afford it." Chiaki dismissed with a shake of her head.
She had seen far worse reactions from people who didn't show as much gaming potential as Hajime. If he hadn't have stepped up for himself, Chiaki would've done it for him. Besides, she couldn't say she hadn't reacted badly when people underestimated her before she started getting known…
"I have faith in you. After all, you're my gaming disciple!"
"When did I become your disciple?"
"That doesn't matter. Let's get ready! You can learn the controls before it starts." at Chiaki's answer, Hajime let out a small amount of laughter. Yep, he really did have some very interesting classmates.
Rolling his neck and looking to the small stage where the set up was being constructed, Hajime gave a hum. This was the first time outside of his training where he was actually going to be using his skills in a competitive format. Considering that he had only played Gala Omega barely an hour ago and hadn't even touched the game they were going to play against trained veterans of the gaming world, it was certainly going to be an interesting experience.
Now if only the commentators had decided to keep that little fact a secret. Instead, they decided that it was the perfect way to introduce Hajime the moment that it was his turn to take to the stage, his competitors barely able to believe their words until the brunette confirmed it himself. As soon as he did, they simply broke down into laughter and prepared to kick Hajime out as soon as possible so they could focus on his friend.
What a basic mistake to make.
Never mind having been under the tutelage of the greatest gamer of their generation, Hajime took to the fighting game like a fish to water. It was like a monster on the battlefield. The moment that the controller entered his hands, it was as if the jovial boy that looked as if he had wandered into the wrong area disappeared and was replaced by an experienced master gamer.
The characters that Hajime was controlling flowed from attack to attack without any issue, barely any opportunity to block or counter unless they wanted to sacrifice precious meter that could be used for other purposes. The combo counter was beginning to reach crazy levels and before anything more than a single complaint from his opponent could be heard, Hajime had already eliminated one out of three in their team.
It wasn't even as if Hajime had chosen the characters for being particularly good either. Chiaki had spent a good chunk of time explaining the various pros and cons of the different characters, culminating in several different choices that would maximise the potential of a team Hajime could pick. While that was perfectly fine, the brunette had simply chosen the characters that looked coolest to him, some of which Chiaki had actively advised against.
Not that it mattered though, for even with the rather awkward damage values, strange attacks and lack of synergy with any of the other characters Hajime chosen, the way that he used them was moving towards a landslide victory for Hajime.
His opponent couldn't understand it. The moment that she knew the Super High School Level Gamer would be joining in, it was clear that she wouldn't be taking home the crown, but she at least expected to reach second place from the way that the competitors were arranged. Now that dream was draining away almost as fast as her health bars were.
With her second character down for the count, there was practically no way she could ever hope to win against a full trio being used so skilfully. One glance to the health bars showed that all she had manage to do was chip a trivial amount of health from a single character, and that was only when she was able to force her way out of Hajime's seemingly endless combo with a combo breaker. It meant that when she tried to push the advantage, she never had any meter to do anything crazy, eventually finding herself locked against a wall once again.
KO!
PLAYER 1 WINS!
Nobody expected it from the stunned silence that quickly devolved into incredibly loud applause from those listening. The moment that Hajime heard the announcement, a startled look came over his face before he tried to reach round and shake his opponent's hand. Perhaps it was just him, but the shake he received was rather bitter.
The path of destruction did not stop there; any opponent that Hajime met was faced with an insurmountable wall, easily crushed beneath the weight of Hajime's prowess born from only perhaps twenty minutes with the game. The same occurred with Chiaki, except nobody had ever expected anything different from her; the Super High School Level Gamer completely demolished her foes with a small frown and a surprisingly effect combination of the game's cutest characters.
In seemingly no time at all, player after player had been eliminated with unrivalled speed until only two remained, Chiaki giving Hajime and competitive smile as they sat down. It was a match up nobody could've expected at the start of the competition; to have a completely unknown name fighting against the greatest player was something unheard of, something that people were just as eager to see as they were disgruntled by it.
"This has been fun. More fun than usual." Chiaki commented, half to herself, a little smile appearing on her face as the match was set up before them. "I don't usually have someone I know playing with me and watching."
"It's been interesting, once you get past the glares." Hajime commented, looking over his shoulder. Yep, the other players were still there, reputations in tatters as they watched someone sitting where they should've been. It wasn't something unexpected, you got those kinds of people at any competition, but the sheer number were somewhat concerning. "I wouldn't be against doing this again sometime."
"Yes!" Chiaki emphatically replied before a pout took its place on her face. "But don't think I'm going to go easy on you because you're my gaming disciple. I've spent ages learning everything about Wonder vs Hatcom 3. You're a hundred years too early to defeat me!"
"Still don't know when I became your disciple… I'm not going to back down from a challenge though."
"Test? I don't remember there being anything about a test going on soon." Mahiru said as she placed her hands upon her hips, Sonia giving a small hum of disappointment. "I'm fairly certain you can find a schedule somewhere if you asked Sonia, but we've essentially only started. What's got you worried about tests?"
"Ah, my apologies. I simply… let myself get alarmed for no reason." The blonde princess answered, shaking her head before her disappointment was replaced by her usual royal serenity. "As I am obviously unfamiliar with the practices of Japanese education, I had been led to believe that there were more testing periods than there truly are. Forgive me for my ignorance."
"Well, I guess you could say that Hope's Peak Academy is a special situation…" Mahiru answered, giving an awkward chuckle.
Weird as it was considering the academy was trying to find the best of the best, Mahiru couldn't help but feel pretty happy with the test situation. After all, while she wasn't exactly the worst of students, learning that there far less tests to study for was always going to be welcome news.
But that wasn't what the Super High School Level photographer was focusing on at the moment. Instead, Mahiru was trying to make sure her suspicion didn't show on her face as she observed Sonia and the slight discomfort the princess was displaying.
While her excuse was acceptable considering how little she knew about Japan or really much of the world other than her homeland, Sonia had clearly been trying to come up with a reasonable explanation when she paused. Something about that didn't seem to sit right with Mahiru.
"Is there something else? You seem a little uncomfortable." The redhead questioned, watching with a bead of sweat rolling down her face as Sonia seemed to jump in place before her figure grew just a tiny bit more nervous.
"Oh, not at all! I'm simply wondering what our fellow classmates could be like." The blonde was quick to answer, pointedly staring out of the window rather than Mahiru. "Though attendance is not necessary I do believe it a true shame they chose not to interact with us. All we have are a few words to know them by."
Mahiru's eyes narrowed almost instantly, an act that only made Sonia even more uncomfortable. Let it be known, though the Super High School Level Princess was incredibly skilled at reading obscured emotions and hidden thoughts, she wasn't actually any good at hiding her own emotions.
"Come on, let it out. We're classmates, right? We have to support each other." Mahiru sighed. "After dealing with Hiyoko, it seems like this is going to be a common thing anyway…"
"Ah, I wouldn't wish to burden you with such a simplistic matter." Sonia began, hesitating slightly. "But then again, I suppose that it isn't so bad a situation as to be sensitive. Very well, allow me to explain…"
And so she did. The small snippet of the letter she was able to read, how Hajime reacted to the words he read, the strange manner in which he tried to keep it secret; everything that she could possibly think of, Sonia told Mahiru, the redhead's expression unsure as the tale continued.
"I did not mean to pry into personal business, but the face that Hajime pulled and tried so hard to hide… I could not help but feel concerned for what this test could potentially entail." Sonia said, her face falling. "In the years where I was allowed to sit in on certain meetings and conversations, I've seen men pull a similar expression and it never ended well. Am I so wrong to be worried for him?"
"No, I guess it's fair enough. I really don't think we should just be sneaking about trying to learn more though when he obviously wants to keep it a secret." Mahiru reasoned before a smirk appeared on her face. "Unless you have a plan to ask him and get him to not be defensive about it, I don't see what we could do. I don't even know where he is right now."
"You talking about Hajime?" a growl came from the side, Mahiru and Sonia surprised to see Fuyuhiko leaning against the doorframe with his jacket in hand. "Saw the guy headin' off down the arcade with some chick. What you care about that for?"
"Nothing important. Just wondering." Mahiru answered, only to find Fuyuhiko far too close for the photographer's comfort. "H-hey, back off! I'm telling the truth!"
"You think my title's just a cute nickname or something? Stop tryin' to shit me." The boy brutally retorted, swinging his jacket over his shoulders. "I don't care what the hell you guys are doing with the guy, I just want to know what has you so interested in him. He's skippin' class to hang out with girls, so what?"
"I simply had a few concerns about Hajime I'd like to have answered. That's really all." Sonia quickly interrupted, a resolute expression appearing on the princess' face. "You are the heir of the famous Kuzuryu Yakuza clan, correct? If I were to ask, would you be able to find information upon Hajime's history and current circumstances? I would rather not immediately, but I will not dismiss such an option."
"Wh-what!? Sonia, are you asking the Yakuza to investigate one of our classmates!?" Mahiru yelled, barely keeping herself from shaking the idiocy out of Sonia. Sure, the Super High School Level Princess wasn't exactly the most socially adept people, but surely even she would know how stupid that idea sounded?
"I am simply utilising the resources at my disposal Mahiru. Though I would appreciate it if you didn't allow such information to spread, I shall let you in on a certain secret." Sonia explained, her voice suddenly growing deathly low as an unreadable light entered the blonde's eyes. "The royals of Novoselic have a strong relationship with what I suppose you could consider the Yakuza equivalent. I would be a fool not to establish a similar connection here in Japan."
"…You're kiddin' me right? You really think I'm gonna waste family resources just cause you asked me? For a guy I don't give a shit about?" Fuyuhiko scoffed, at least until he saw Sonia lightly tapping the top of a card with her fingertip. "…Tch, I think I'm starting to like you. You're either a complete idiot or you've got way more guts than I expected."
"As I said, we had a strong relationship with our equivalent. It's only natural that I learn how such negotiations are made."
"Um, guys…? Can we not try to use dangerous underground clans to try and coax information on our classmates?" Mahiru weakly asked, rolling her eyes at the expression that Fuyuhiko gave her. "Are you going to try and deny that the Kuzuryu aren't a dangerous underground clan? The only reason people know about you is because your family lets them."
"Of course. As I said before, I would rather not turn to it as the first option. I'm sure if we ask nicely, Hajime will answer our questions!" Sonia replied, pumping her arms as she started to charge forward. "You said he is at the arcade, did you not? We shall go first and then use the Yakuza should he not agree!"
"Can we not!?"
Fuyuhiko let the smirk on his face fade away as he watched the two girls go. It was clear that they weren't telling him the full story, but it wasn't as if he was going to get it out of them without making his life way harder than he would've liked.
Whether it was a story he actually wanted to know was one thing, but Fuyuhiko couldn't deny that he was also intrigued by Hajime Hinata. Who wouldn't be? It was a guy who was boasting about having a whole bunch of talents in a place where the greatest are gathered. Either he was an absolute lunatic or something was going weird with Hope's Peak and from the sounds of things, Hajime wasn't entirely bluffing.
The Yakuza heir wasn't particularly fond about the lack of information about the guy either. Even he had a full profile set out with the others and that was despite the attempts to obfuscate and hide as much as possible. It couldn't have been a coincidence that Hajime just so happened to have most of his details left out.
He wasn't called the Super High School Level Yakuza for nothing however. When he wanted to know something or get something, Fuyuhiko didn't just sit on his ass all day.
Pulling out his phone, Fuyuhiko dialled the first contact in his list, looking to his watch. If she answered like every other time, then it should take…
"Young Master. What do you require of me?"
Huh. Barely even a second. Was it just Fuyuhiko, or was she getting faster?
"Peko. I need you to keep an eye on a couple of our classmates. Redhead and blonde, Mahiru Koizumi and Sonia Nevermind." Fuyuhiko ordered down the phone, slumping in one of the nearby seats.
"The Super High School Level Photographer and Princess, am I correct?" the voice replied, tone unwavering.
No doubt she was already moving to find the desired targets, if she hadn't already found them already. Though she may not have a titled talent for it, Peko could sneak around and find targets with an almost unnatural ability. Then again, with the amount of times she had to do it, there was a fair amount of experience beneath her belt.
"Yep. Stick to the shadows, but keep a track on everything they and Hajime Hinata say. They might spill somethin' interesting and I want to know." Fuyuhiko said.
"Hajime Hinata… I'm afraid I know little about him." Peko replied after a moment's pause. "The profiles have little on him, even in the private documents that I've managed to come across."
"That's exactly the problem. Once school's over, meet me down the alley."
"Understood, Young Master."
Fuyuhiko sighed, rolling his neck. Great, all he had to do now was sit around and wait for the shitshow known as school to end. Skipping one day was acceptable, but his parents would be on his ass if he missed anything more.
Mahiru tried to hold back her sigh. She really did, but when she was around such an energetic princess, it was kind of hard to keep her exasperation from breaking through.
She shouldn't have expected anything different. This was just what happened when you placed a Japanophile in such a drastically different place; they were bound to get a little overloaded. It did mean their initial aims, an aim that Mahiru mentally noted was Sonia's idea, were being forced to the side though.
Then again, a game centre wasn't exactly Mahiru's preferred area. All of the lights messed with her shots after all and she had never taken a real interest in the games.
"Wonder Vs Hatcom Tournament?" Mahiru read aloud, pulling the poster off the wall. Well, if Sonia was too busy gawking at the various games on offer, she would just have to carry on herself. "It's not as if I've seen him anywhere else…a tournament should give some decent photos as well. Sonia, over here! Big audience event, so a fair chance we'll find Hajime there."
"Right!" Sonia called back, rushing over with a positively glowing expression upon her face. "So many titles completely unheard of in my kingdom, and presented in such a radical manner! I could scarcely imagine what an event a tournament would be!"
"You'll see it in a minute, come on. Focus." Mahiru said, walking through a door only to nearly stumble back at the sheer noise she was met with. "Sonia… I think we found Hajime."
The two girls could feel the intensity radiating off both their target and his friend from the moment they stepped through. To the sound of a raucous audience cheering, Hajime and the girl Fuyuhiko had indicated were battling like mad, their controllers practically brutalised as their characters fought like gods.
If it weren't for the smile upon the pink haired girl's face, you would be forgiven for thinking the duelling gamers were mortal enemies. They barely spoke as they battled; there was no room for banter when one wrong move could spell utter defeat. It was an entrancing scene to watch.
Gradually, the noise began to die down, sheer excitement changing for anticipation as the health bars began to shrink further and further, the two fighters almost locked in a dead heat. The smile upon the girl's face morphed into a confused frown, her tongue sticking out as she tried to keep up with her opponent.
Hajime was not to be so easily beaten however, his face stoic as his hands began to somehow miraculously move even faster. Soon, the difference between the two fighters began to grow more and more noticeable, the disbelief in the audience's eyes growing in equal measure.
Seeing as she wouldn't have been able to talk until the end of his match, Mahiru had been searching for the perfect image. As soon as the loud announcement was screamed by the screen, the redhead took the shot.
With the word K.O emblazoned clearly on the screen, Hajime stood proud while Chiaki stared in disbelief, alongside almost the entire audience. Not a single smile in sight. Needless to say, it wasn't even close to one of Mahiru's best.
Chiaki couldn't believe her eyes. A lifelong streak of perfect wins, a streak that had made the nation recognise her as the greatest gamer in the entirety of Japan, had been broken by someone who barely even knew what a games console was that morning. She had every right to be furious.
And yet, there was an inexplicable feeling within her chest, a burning sensation that didn't actually hurt. When the Super High School Level Gamer looked to the screen declaring her loss and to Hajime, who was now awkwardly being paraded as the winner, she couldn't muster up any outrage.
Losing to someone like Hajime… perhaps that was different from losing to just anyone.
"Hey, Chiaki. Are you okay?" the pink haired girl was jolted out of her musings when the brunette made his enquiry, looking down to her with concern. "Sorry. I guess as the Super High School Gamer, this is really awkward, huh? Damn it, I've done it again…"
"No, it's fine." Chiaki quickly replied, mentally filing his last remark in the back of her mind. That would be something to pursue at a different time, not quite yet. "It's a new experience but… if it's with you, then it's not that bad."
"I'm glad. I didn't expect the disciple to surpass the master so quickly though." Hajime said with a sigh of relief, helping Chiaki out of her seat as they descended from the stage. Now that everything was over, no need to keep standing under the spotlight.
"…You may have beat me once, but I'm still your gaming master." Chiaki quickly retorted with her cheeks poked out, stabbing her finger into Hajime's chest and letting her smile return only when the boy began to dramatically fall to the ground. "There's still so much I have left to show you. Now that there's someone who's as good at games as me, I can show you all of my favourites!"
"Sounds nice, but I kind of also need to attend class as well, it's an agreement with my parents." Hajime muttered. "Not that there's anything wrong with lessons, but it's kind of weird entering a classroom and only seeing five people."
"Really?" Chiaki moaned, folding her arms as she looked to the ground. That would take up most of the day then and even if she had trained herself to survive nights with very little sleep, she doubted that Hajime could achieve the same feat. "Then… Do you have to listen to the lessons?"
"…Um, kind of? Isn't that what lessons are for?" Hajime answered haphazardly, backing away slightly when a mischievous glint entered into Chiaki's eyes as she pushed forward.
"But what about if you were there and just played games with me? Then that would be you attending lessons." Chiaki reasoned. "It's not as if you couldn't listen to them if you wanted to. It's not like they're any good either."
"I guess that makes sense… but you really should come to the lessons for the lessons, you know? It's still good to know this kind of stuff after all." Hajime pointed out with a drop of sweat rolling down his face. From the looks of things though, it didn't seem to get through to the pink haired girl, a strange scheme already flowing through her head. "Well, looks like lessons are going to be more interesting at least."
"Ah, Hajime! There you are!" a familiar royal voice called, Hajime jumping slightly when Mahiru and Sonia approached.
"Sonia? Mahiru? I thought you guys were still at Hope's Peak."
"Well, Sonia wanted to ask you about something, but we couldn't find you anywhere on campus. We were lucky that Fuyuhiko saw where you went." Mahiru explained glancing to the side. "Care to introduce us Hajime?"
"Huh? Oh, this is Chiaki. She's the Super High School Level Gamer, so a member of our class." The brunette said, Chiaki giving a brief nod with little else. "…Okay then, so, what did you guys want to ask me?"
"Ah, about that… We were actually hoping we could do that in a more private area. I fear too many ears would be detrimental." Sonia quickly added. "You wouldn't happen to know if there are any quieter sections? I'm sure you are more familiar with the area than I am."
"…There's a café nearby." Chiaki pointed out, her whispery voice perhaps just a little bit quieter than it had been before. Was it because the girls were there?
"Perfect! Shall we move there to have our discussions then?"
"…Sure. Can't say I can answer everything you want to know, but I can try." Hajime said hesitantly. From the way the princess had phrased things, something told the brunette that there was something strange going on. Still, they were classmates; the least he could do was at least hear them out. "Let's go."
Unbeknownst to them all, a pair of shadows followed quickly after, each perfectly unaware of the other.
And that's it for this chapter. Thank you for reading. I'm not too sure when the next chapter will come out, but hopefully it will bring a couple of... fun discussions. What does that mean? Please, look forward to the future to find out!
Super hero time! See you next time!
