Tuesday afternoon, you walked with Hajime through the city.
"Look," Hajime said as he pointed to a towering billboard. "Another play is released. It's apparently really iconic, especially in the West."
You read the massive sign. A Streetcar Named Desire. Opening at the Setagaya Public Theatre.
"I haven't heard of it before," you commented.
"My literature teacher talks about it a lot. He's really into plays and such."
"I see. Maybe we could go see it sometime."
"Only if you'd want to! I wouldn't want you to get bored over some contemporary play." Hajime was hesitant at the thought.
"I doubt I would, as long as you like it too. I wouldn't want the reverse to happen either."
"Alright," Hajime laughed. "I'll look into getting tickets if you're interested."
"Sure thing! Let me know if you want me to pay. I've got a pretty decent financial standing." Commissions certainly aren't cheap, especially now that I'm an Ultimate.
"Yeah? I'm sure your work would be pretty expensive to afford." Hajime more or less echoed your thoughts.
"I guess so." You couldn't humble yourself any farther.
"Anyways, it might be a bit before we can do something big. The Reserve Course has physical evaluations this week, and it's more time consuming than expected."
"We've got them too, in the Main Course. Our upperclassmen had theirs Monday and Tuesday, and we go tomorrow."
"You only take three days? For us, it's taking all week."
"Well, it is only three classes of about 16 students versus however many are in the Reserve."
"Yeah, you're right."
The conversation ended and you continued your walk in silence. The smaller streets you walked on were less populated than the bustling main roads, but unfortunately more eerie. The city you lived in was clean in terms of cities, but still held its creepy nooks and frightful crannies. Walking with a partner was enough reassurance of safety for you.
Once you made it back to the academy, the sun was just touching the horizon, turning the sky a deep indigo.
"Look, the stars are already showing up." You looked up at the glimmering pinpricks in the sky.
"Can hardly see them through the trees," Hajime said. "Let's go somewhere higher."
"Where?"
Hajime took your wrist, tugging it lightly. "We'll go to the roof of the dorms. Follow me."
You let Hajime lead you to the Reserve Course area of the campus, taking the branch off of the fountain, passing through a small courtyard and turning away from the school building and heading to the dorm building instead.
Inside the dorms, you passed students lounging in the lobby and moving through the halls. Everybody was in civilian clothes and you didn't stand out. No security was around to stop you, either. At an elevator lobby, Hajime called an elevator and you both entered the first available one, finding it empty.
"Can you just go all the way to the top? We can't even access the roof in the main academy."
"We can go to the top floor and then take stairs to the roof. It's technically off-limits, but nobody checks."
You leaned against the elevator wall, watching Hajime select the button for the top floor. Once completed, Hajime stood next to you. The elevator ascended a bit quicker than you expected and your balance was temporarily thrown off. Your knees buckled and you grasped on to the railing running the perimeter of the box.
"You okay?" Hajime held your upper arm, stabilizing you. He was clearly used to the speed of the ascent.
"Yeah, sorry." You held onto him, standing straight again.
"That's alright." Hajime took your other arm too, looking at you tenderly for a bit longer than expected.
On the roof, the lack of people gave the two of you complete privacy. Several exhaust units and fans dotted the roof, but it was otherwise bare. A short stone wall lined the edge of the roof.
"Wow, you're right. The stars are a lot better up here." Your eyes instantly looked to the heavens.
"Yeah. You can see the whole campus from here, too," Hajime said. You looked down upon his suggestion, scanning the lush campus beneath you. The dorm building was the third tallest building on campus, beneath the Reserve Course school building and the new Main Course building. It towered above the ocean of trees sprawled across the campus. Light posts were dispersed along the paths below, creating patches of lights under the trees. All the campus buildings were visible, the old Main Course school building being the shortest of all of them.
"Crazy," you breathed.
"It's pretty nice up here." Hajime approached the edge of the roof, sitting on the short wall and swinging his legs over the edge of the building.
"Hey, careful." You hurried to be next to him, worried about his precarious position.
"It's alright. I do it all the time, and there's no wind right now. I won't fall."
"If you're sure." You stood behind him.
"Do you want to join me?" Hajime patted the area next to him. "Oh! Unless you're worried about the height. I understand if you don't want to."
"No, I don't mind." You copied Hajime's previous actions and sat next to him, your legs dangling freely. A bit of vertigo struck you when you looked directly down, but you overcame it quickly. You kept your eyes up to keep it from happening again.
"Thanks for staying with me. It's really nice to have you as a friend." Hajime smiled as he spoke.
"Of course, Hajime. I enjoy being with you, too."
"You've made this school year a lot better than I was expecting it to be. I appreciate it."
"Geez, where'd this sappiness come from?" You laughed, nudging his shoulder with your own.
"Sorry, you're right." Hajime shook his head softly. "I'm not very good at showing my appreciation. I'd like to do something for you."
"You don't have to! Being your friend isn't some obligation that I expect payment for. I'm just as happy to be here as you are."
"Still, your gratitude means a lot to me. More than you realize. I was under the impression that no Ultimate would want anything to do with me until I met you."
"Ha, your philosophies are way too similar to Nagito's. Cheer up! You don't want to be like him, right?"
"Uh, I guess not."
"Exactly. Don't have that mentality. There's so many people that would want to be with you, talented or not."
"Maybe..."
"I'm here, aren't I? And I don't plan on leaving."
"Good." Hajime leaned your direction, tilting his head and touching it to yours. "That makes me happy." He almost immediately withdrew.
The familiar pounding of your heart returned paired with the rush of heat burning through your body. You breathed deeply, trying to keep your sudden excitement hidden. "That's good."
"Let me take you out to dinner sometime," Hajime offered.
Initially, your reaction was to protest out of guilt, but you relaxed. "I would like that."
"Awesome. How about this Friday?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Alright."
You gripped the wall, looking back down at the trees. Beneath you was the courtyard between the two Reserve Course buildings, relatively empty. A familiar head of white hair passed through the courtyard, heading to the Reserve Course school building.
Nagito?
He disappeared under a tree. You thought it was probably somebody else, but the possibility that it was your classmate stuck in your mind.
Wednesday morning, you and your classmates, minus Mikan and Hiyoko, went to the nurse's office instead of your classroom. Chisa was waiting outside the office.
"Good morning, everyone. We'll do three at a time. Gundham, Nekomaru, and Fuyuhiko, go ahead and go in first. Everyone else will wait out here."
Mikan opened the door and called the three men in. You slumped against the wall, taking out your phone and messing around until it was your turn.
Several minutes later, you entered along with Peko and Kazuichi. "Please t-take a seat at one of the three beds," Mikan requested. You took the middle bed, sitting upright. Several other staff members were in the room, taking notes and helping Mikan.
The three students were each examined simultaneously, rotating through different stations. First, your standing height and sitting height were taken, then your weight. Next, a hearing and vision test. You were finally seated back on the bed for the last portion.
"I'm going to t-test your reflexes." Mikan gripped held the small hammer. Despite her trembling voice, she moved and operated with the grace of an angel of medicine. It was clear she was in her right environment.
Your shin jolted forward in reaction to the light tap. The other shin did the same. "Wonderful." Mikan wrote the results on a clipboard, then exchanged tools. She held an otoscope, asking you to turn your head to the side. She laced a lock of your hair behind your ear before lightly inserting the tool into your ear, checking it briefly before removing it. The other ear was examined before Mikan placed down the tool, discarding the plastic cover on the tip.
"You're looking great. Very healthy." Mikan was focused on her writing. "We're all finished with the exam, so once we do the swabbing, you'll be all done."
"Sounds good." The current events were neither boring nor exciting to you.
Mikan took a jar of tongue depressors off of a shelf and opened a drawer to retrieve a case of elongated cotton swabs. She took one of the wooden sticks and one of the swabs before putting the two containers back. She turned to you steadily.
"This will be a little uncomfortable, so I-I'm sorry."
"No worries, Mikan."
"If you'd please open your mouth..." Mikan leaned forward, urging you to comply.
When the wooden stick pressed into your tongue, you noticed an odd bitter taste on it. You didn't have time to think about it, however, as the cotton swab brushed against the back of your throat, forcing you to gag. It was uncomfortable, definitely, but you knew it was necessary. Having obtained a sufficient sample, Mikan removed the two sticks, throwing away the depressor. "I'll get this analyzed. You're all finished."
"Thank you." You hopped off the bed and left the infirmary.
With no classes, you spent the day traveling to the post office to pick up more supplies before returning to your dorm and continuing to work. You stopped your sewing a bit earlier than you normally would, finding yourself extremely tired. Laying in bed, you checked your phone.
"Hey, how were evals?" Hajime had texted you.
"They were good. I'm exhausted for some reason, tho."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Did I keep you up too late last night?"
"Not at all lol. Idk but i'll probably be okay by tomorrow."
"Okay, take care of yourself. Lmk if you need anything."
"I will. Thank you for worrying."
"Yeah ofc. I'll let you rest now."
"Okay. Text you later."
You put your phone down, sighing. It was mid-evening, but you were already drowsy and ready to fall asleep. The comfort of the bed was too inviting and you didn't even get up to change clothes or get ready for bed, instead falling asleep almost immediately.
There was a desert. You were in the blistering heat, turning round and round looking for something or someone. Nobody was in sight. Nothing was in sight, not even the horizon. The beating sun was your only companion in this desolate land.
It's...really hot.
You heard a voice call your name. It was the soft, welcoming voice of Hajime Hinata. You repeated your scan of the area, searching for the owner of the voice. The scenery didn't change.
Hajime?
Your thoughts felt scattered and disconnected. You couldn't focus on any one objective.
The sand beneath you gave way, causing you to begin sinking. You gave little effort to resist, instead letting the earth swallow you. Your body became buried in the ground and the density began crushing your body, suffocating you slowly. The sand was just as hot as the world above it, adding to the deep pain terrorizing your body. Now fully consumed, you shut your eyes and screamed, sand filling your mouth rapidly.
Your eyes shot open as you awoke, drenched in sweat. Your chest heaved as your breathing was forced and tight. Your clothes and sheets were damp and thick beads of sweat rolled off your forehead and cheeks.
I feel terrible. Your vision was blurry as you tried to focus on the ceiling light above you. What time is it?
Your hand struggled to grab your phone next to you. Your muscles were heavy and slow. The phone read 7:30 AM.
I slept all evening and night?
Putting your phone down, you blinked away your dreariness and sighed. Class will start soon. I've got to get up and get ready. You built up the strength to push yourself up into a sitting position. Your own neck couldn't hold the weight of your head and you hung limp. Your cheeks flushed with heat and your head throbbed painfully.
I won't be able to make it today. I can hardly move. You grabbed your phone again, deciding to text one of your classmates. Opening your phone, you found multiple messages from them already. One text from Sonia asking you to tell Chisa that she won't make it to class today. Another from Ryota, apologizing for asking you to please bring him something to eat as he can't leave his room. A third from Kazuichi, requesting that you send him the homework for today. I'm feeling pretty sick, they all concurred.
The hell? Did we all come down with something? What's going on?