Riposa In Pace

01. Rondo di Depistaggio

Hajime frowns at the memory of one of the most unpleasant first meetings of his life. Right when the ship docked, the students opted for drawing straws to see who'd carry the bags. It was just a fun game that turned sour when somebody took it to another level.

"I don't see the point of this game. If you ultimates are searching for a loser amongst us, then the outcome was already decided before playing." The white-haired bastard looked him in the eyes. Hajime's body was wracked by a cold sweat, a prelude to the sort of hazing he received in his old school. Why did he think that things would be different here? Hope's Peak is made up of geniuses who were set for life after graduation. Assholes like him were everywhere- "So why don't you enjoy yourselves while Mr. Hajime Hinata and I take care of everything."

...

At least Chiaki's friends had the courtesy to be angry in his place and dropped the game altogether.

Chiaki groaned. "Maybe I should skip dinner and nap while I can."

"You sure you want to miss out on the ultimate chef's cooking?" Hajime asked.

The gamer sighed. "Probably for the best. I hear Teruteru's been working on another one of his 'love potions'. If he picks today to unveil it, I'll be glad to sit dinner out." She said wearily.

"Pulled an all-nighter again?" He snickered.

"It's not what you're thinking." Chiaki pouted. "One of the upperclassmen kept me busy."

"You have friends over there?"

"Sort of. She's private so...I don't talk about her...much."

The third yawn was the cue to put the girl in bed. He'd tell the teacher that Chiaki couldn't make it. She'd probably understand.

﹝•••﹞

The class of Hope's Peak Academy circled the campfire by the Jabberwock statue. Not to say they were bunched up together. Everyone was sort of doing their own thing.

Hifumi patiently (and happily?) attended to Celes. It was impressive how he didn't look winded in this heat, especially after running to the store and back, bringing a folding table and chair for the Ultimate Gambler's pleasure alone.

Byakuya leaned by the statue, doing his very best to ignore his long-term stalker. At this point, Makoto didn't think Toko was even trying to hide. What a strange relationship.

Mondo, Ishimaru, and Chihiro were huddled together in what the former two refer to as, a broship session.

Kyoko and Sayaka were nearest to the fireplace together, speaking too lowly for the luckster to make out what they were saying. He stared a little too long though. Blue and purple caught him, hook-line-sinker.

He looked to the side, trying to ignore the nearby teasing. That led him over to Aoi and Sakura – the sports junkies, as termed by one of his best friends. It'd be more surprising if a day went past where those two weren't together.

With kilometers of sand, woodlands, attractions, and water...scratch that, the real surprise would if he'd catch them anywhere except for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

As for himself – Well, Makoto took some pride in being an accessory to the reason they were all here. The academy ran into some financial problems over the last few years. Renting out Jabberwock had been the once-in-a-lifetime 'generosity' of the Togami heir. After quite a bit of cajoling from everyone, Makoto included.