(Me: Says I'll update on Friday
Also me: Updates on Saturday night 🥲👍)
Katsumi sat at her desk, typing on her laptop, the sound of ever-increasing destruction getting louder around her.
The left wall of the classroom was completely gone, with desks and chairs pushed to the side and some of them, broken.
The only ones still at their desks besides Katsumi were Chiaki, playing video games on her game console, Ryota, drawing on his tablet and Nagito, sitting in place while watching the spectacle take place with a passive smile.
For the most part, she managed to block the noise out of her head but it was getting harder and harder to do so, as Akane and especially Nekomaru's war cries got crazier and crazier.
If the PE teacher passed out from that, then what am I supposed to do?
Katsumi suddenly heard the aggressive sliding of the classroom door, then Chisa's panicked voice. "Hey! What are you doing—"
Her words were quickly cut off by the sound of Akane's body, getting flung against the front chalkboard, crashing in, eliciting a grunt of pain on Akane's part.
"What's wrong?!" Katsumi heard Nekomaru shout.
In her peripheral vision, she noticed Akane stand up. "I'm not done yet!"
"My classroom is literally falling apart..." Chisa muttered, quietly facepalming.
"What do we do about this?" Fuyuhiko asked.
He, along with Gundham, Kazuichi, Mahiru and Hiyoko, had been up against the wall, watching the events unfold.
The PE teacher was passed out on the ground, with Sonia leaning down next to her and Mikan tending to her.
"The teacher who came to class fainted, too," Sonia said concerningly.
"Enough!" Chisa yelled. "Nidai-kun, destruction of the classroom is a matter of serious concern!"
"Hm? What did you say?!" Nekomaru shouted. "We're training in realistic combat conditions!"
"Well, it's okay then." Chisa's change of tone was way too fast to be normal and Katsumi heard her footsteps walking away.
"It's okay?" Fuyuhiko said, clearly weirded out.
"Such is the fate of this globe, is it?" Gundham said.
"Damn it!" Akane yelled. "How am I supposed to beat him?"
Katsumi's concentration was really starting to ebb away as she noticed Teruteru step over to Akane. "Would you like me to give you something nice?" he offered, approaching her with a white case. "I worked on this with the Super High School-Level Pharmacist, our upperclassman." He opened the case, holding up a glass jar of green liquid. "If you drink our special soup..."
"Oh! That smells delish!" Akane said excitedly, grabbing it. "Thank you!" She downed it all just in a few seconds. "Ah!"
Suddenly, her muscles expanded as they steamed, glowing red. She shouted, giving a battle cry.
"Wh-What?" Nekomaru said in surprise, backing away.
At this point in time, Katsumi saw Ryota leaving the classroom with his things.
"She's at 100% of 100%!" Kazuichi shrieked.
"How do you like my Doping Corn Soup?" Teruteru happily asked.
"I feel incredible power coursing through my body," Akane said, clenching her fist with a confident smile. "With this... Here I come, old man!"
She charged forward, the two exchanging heavy blows and the shockwaves started to crack the windows. Desks and chairs and other objects were flying everywhere, one of which distracted Chiaki from her game screen for a second as it missed her, making her frown slightly. She stood up and left the classroom.
Katsumi covered her mouth as a yawn escaped. She rubbed her tired eyes.
This week's really gotten to me.
More objects were flying around, each narrowly dodging Nagito as he continued staring with an unbothered smile. Since Katsumi was right behind him, the objects flung in their direction were also missing her.
The louder the crashes got, the more annoyed she felt as she continued to stare at her laptop, tapping away.
Maybe peace was never an option...
All of a sudden, a book came whizzing right at her from her left, which she nonchalantly raised her hand to catch. She finally looked up completely, taking in the scene in front of her in its full glory.
An exasperated sigh was let out. "For goodness sake..." She looked at Nagito. "I'm going outside, Komaeda-kun. Are you sure you want to stay in the classroom?"
"Ah... I'm fine."
"...Okay." She placed her laptop into her bag and walked out of the classroom.
As she stepped out into the hallway, closing the door and muffling the crashing noises behind her, she saw Ryota, sitting at a desk outside, drawing on his tablet. Chiaki was also there, standing in the hallway, playing video games on her game console.
"Did you run away too?" Ryota asked, not peeling his eyes away from his drawing tablet.
Katsumi sat down against the wall, taking out her laptop. "Sure... you could say it like that."
"Everyone's crazy." Chiaki frowned. "They don't come together as a group at all.
"Hmph... Well, people like us don't need to group together, anyway," Ryota said matter-of-factly. "If you have talent, your future is peachy. We're a bunch of elite kids, gathered from across Japan, with that motto. If we graduate, we're set for life. We have no trials we need to overcome by uniting. No reason to make friends, either."
Friends...
That word momentarily struck Katsumi before receding just as quickly.
Then again... I doubt it'd be worth it, would it?
Katsumi opened her laptop and started typing away again. "Yeah... making friends... It's a real hassle, too..."
Chiaki continued staring at her game console, looking slightly sad. "Either way, my gaming talent won't earn me any friends."
"That's totally untrue!" Chisa's voice came out of nowhere, momentarily startling Katsumi. "You shouldn't just say you can't make friends!" She placed her hands on Chiaki's shoulders. "You can't make friends through gaming?" She moved closer, seemingly challenging her with her smug smile. "The games you love are so worthless?"
"They're not!" Chiaki blurted.
Chisa looked at her blankly for a moment before letting out a smile. "If games are fun to play alone then they'll be even more fun to play with everyone."
"Play with everyone..." Chiaki repeated those words as she held her game console closer.
Video games?
Katsumi stared, a slight feeling of general contempt and disapproval washing over her, though only on the surface of her mind. Right underneath was a slight longing and excitement that she desperately tried to snuff out.
No, they're just a waste of time, right? Especially now. They don't help me with doing anything useful so why should I bother...?
Chisa's eyes suddenly fell on Katsumi, seemingly reading her mind. "Hirata-san! You mustn't underestimate the power of games!"
"Huh? I didn't say anything..."
"...It's good to indulge yourself a little, you know!"
Indulge...
"...And video games are a perfect way to make friends, especially if it's multiplayer! Even so, just watching can do a lot, too. It's not a hassle at all!"
"Friends..." Katsumi quietly repeated.
"The more friends, the merrier. If the entire class could be friends with each other, it'd be great, don't you think?" Chisa smiled.
After she left, Katsumi looked over at Chiaki, who was still lost in thought.
An idea came to light but she wasn't sure what to say. Katsumi had barely ever talked to Chiaki and since she was the quiet type, she never approached her either.
Katsumi had to force the words out of her mouth to finally say it. "Hey, Nanami-san—"
Chiaki's eyes suddenly lit up. "We'll get everyone to play games together! You were thinking the same thing too, right?"
Katsumi blinked a few times, surprised by how excited she got. "Um... yes, you're right. I was thinking about that."
We'll need to plan it out, though. I doubt it'll be that simple.
Chiaki's expression quickly reverted back to normal. "I have quite a few multiplayer games so I could pick any of those... We don't have a large enough gaming monitor in the school, though..."
"I see..." Katsumi crossed her arms in thought. "Do you think it'd be good to get Soda-kun to build one? It probably won't be too much of an issue for him."
"Okay, that sounds good, I think. Doing this all together during lunch would be the best time, too." Her tone shifted, sounding unnaturally serious. "Once Owari-san and Nidai-kun stop fighting, there should be a high probability that we'll all have to repair the classroom. Having something to serve as a placating reward will help lower the class's out-of-control energy."
She sounds like she's explaining a game strategy or something...
Her expression went back to normal. "Well, since we're going to spend the most part trying to fix the classroom, we probably won't get to eat, so I was thinking we could have something together as a group."
"Like... Hanamura-kun's cooking?" Katsumi suggested.
Chiaki nodded. "I was thinking that that would be a good idea after we're done playing." She redirected her gaze back to the classroom door. "We should get started with preparing all of this, I think. We'll have to tell the class..."
Her voice fell off at that statement.
"What's wrong?"
She frowned a little. "That's... kind of hard. If it's one person, that's fine, but if it's the entire class... I'd say... it'd be more difficult than a three-stage boss fight on extreme mode."
I... think I understand? If that's the case, I'm not better off, either, though.
"U-Um... how about we do it together?" Katsumi proposed.
"Hm?"
"Well, if we say it together, it should be easier, right? At least... in theory."
"Ah, I see..." Chiaki gave a nod. "If that's the case, we should go ahead and try that strategy."
"Oh, hold on..." A thought surfaced in Katsumi's mind. "Could... Could we test out the games first?"
"Huh?" Chiaki tilted her head. "Oh, don't worry." She took off her backpack, opened it and pulled out a humongous stack of game cases. "I've tested all of them and they work fine. Soda-kun's monitor probably won't have any issues when he builds it."
"No, I mean..." Katsumi averted her gaze slightly. "I'd like to see them first and try them out for myself, that's all. And... just in case something might've happened. It'll spare us some time if something malfunctions later on."
...Is that how you say it?
"Hm... I guess it wouldn't hurt, then." Chiaki put her game cases back in her backpack. "This can help pass some time too until the fight is over."
Katsumi let out a mental sigh of relief.
This'll be less embarrassing, but still... Well, if it works, it'll be worth it, probably.
Chiaki led her to the rec room, where, on a table in the back, was a small gaming monitor.
"I brought it here at the start of the year," Chiaki explained as she walked over and took out her game cases. "Let's see... We'll start with this one."
She inserted the disk and Katsumi watched the game boot up on-screen. Her eyes sparkled in amazement for a brief moment before immediately hiding it when Chiaki turned her head.
"Here." She handed her a controller.
Katsumi carefully took it, then proceeded to inspect every single inch of it, her heart jumping with excitement.
It seems even cooler up close.
"Ah, Hirata-san..." Chiaki's words snapped her out of it. "I finished choosing my character. You can go ahead now."
"Oh... um..." The anxiety started creeping up on her. "S-Sorry. I've never actually played this game before so I don't know the controls..." Her voice was more of a half mumble.
"Ah, okay. Don't worry. The select button is the same as always for these controls."
"..." Katsumi's eyes darted around. None of the buttons seemed obvious as a select button to her.
Chiaki looked over at Katsumi with a confused look. "Hirata-san?"
I'm going to have to say it...
"...Sorry, I've never held a controller before," Katsumi admitted outright.
"Eh?" That was the first Katsumi had ever seen Chiaki so dumbstruck.
I regret everything...
"W-Well, it's, um..." Katsumi wasn't sure what she was trying to say.
Chiaki's surprised look suddenly disappeared. "Oh, I see... A lot of people only stick to PC gaming because they think buying game consoles is inconvenient. If you're that type of person, then that's understandable."
"Huh? Oh, right..." Katsumi slowly mumbled.
...Definitely.
Well, this works too. I guess I don't have to actually say it.
Chiaki leaned over to point at Katsumi's controller. "Here, I can teach you all the basic controls. We can practice this too if you want."
The anxiety quickly went away from Katsumi as she gave a slight nod. "Yeah, okay."
I'll be fine. I'm fine.
—
...No, I'm not.
Katsumi was gripping the controller as hard as she could while shaking, trying her best to keep a calm face. Practicing with Chiaki was okay, but playing in front of everyone was way more stressful than anticipated.
Beside her were Gundham and Nekomaru, with extreme looks of pure concentration and Chiaki, with a flat expression.
Hirata-san, you'll be alright," Chiaki reassured in a whisper. "We practiced the moves a ton, so try to remember."
Katsumi gave a shaky nod and took a deep breath, staring at her character on the monitor screen again.
"Yeah, go for it, Katsumi-chan!" Ibuki yelled ecstatically behind her, making her jump.
That was when she heard the door slide open.
"Nanami-san, the enemy forces are nearly defeated!" Sonia cheered behind Chiaki.
Katsumi heard Chisa's voice from behind the crowd of students. "What are you doing?"
"It may not look like it..." Ibuki held up a hand dramatically. "But video games!"
Hiyoko narrowed her eyes in contempt. "Anybody could see that..."
"Surprised?" Kazuichi grinned proudly. "I built this monitor as a request from Hirata! It's this big, with 16K resolution!"
"The games all came from Nanami-san!" Sonia said.
"She and Hirata-san suddenly came up to us today and suggested we all play," Teruteru explained. "Nanami-san even brought games she recommended."
"Those two?" Chisa said.
Nekomaru started yelling as he rammed his character into Gundham's, ready to push him off.
"Unhand me!" Gundham demanded. "We shall both fall to the depths of the abyss like this!"
"Bring it on!" Nekomaru shouted, both of them inching their heads closer to the screen.
The shouts got louder and louder. Katsumi stared intently at her controller, mashing away at the buttons, until...
"...Ah—!" Her hand slipped, hitting the wrong button.
When she looked at the screen, however, to her surprise, her character had kicked both Gundham and Nekomaru's characters off the platform.
A few people cheered behind her. Both Nekomaru and Gundham had disappointed looks.
"Ah!" Chiaki beamed. "Wow, Hirata-san, good job! That move's super hard to pull off."
"Oh, uh... yeah." Chiaki held up a hand to which Katsumi gave an awkward high-five. Even though it was accidental, she felt slightly proud.
I might be able to do this.
"Sensei," Chiaki said, sounding elated as she looked back at Chisa. "You can make friends with games!"
Katsumi looked back as well, giving Chisa a faint appreciative smile. "...Somehow, it worked out."
Following her advice...
Chisa looked at them in surprise, before letting out a smile in return.
—
The next group was Nagito, Fuyuhiko, Katsumi and Kazuichi with a virtual board game. After that first game, Katsumi had finally managed to calm down.
It might be easier if it's less action-oriented, maybe.
"Oh!" Kazuichi grinned excitedly. "I've never done multiplayer before!
According to the screen, he was currently at 280,000,000 yen and had two spaces left.
"Yeah!" he cheered. "I'm two spaces from the goal!"
Katsumi stared at him blankly.
...I'm still not winning, though.
Fuyuhiko was probably in the same boat since he had a scowl. "Tch."
"Haha!" Kazuichi looked over haughtily at Nagito. "You have a poverty god haunting you. Weren't you supposed to be lucky?"
The screen currently showed him with 12,000,000 yen and 60 spaces left.
"Ahaha... Maybe my luck's ran out," Nagito said, sounding completely unbothered.
No, just wait a little bit longer...
An odd noise suddenly rang out. Katsumi stared at the screen, all of the ten dice landing on six.
"Ah... That takes me to the goal," Nagito said.
"Ah... Komaeda-kun, good job," Katsumi said, her tone flat.
Finally happened.
"You jerk!" Fuyuhiko shouted. "Is that really allowed?!"
"Aha, sorry," Nagito apologized. "Luck is the only thing I have going for me."
"He dropped the poverty god on Soda-kun and reached the goal..."
The debt numbers started increasing on-screen.
"My assets!" Kazuichi cried, grovelling at the floor.
—
The next game had Chisa, Ibuki, Chiaki and Hiyoko playing a racer game which resulted in a devastating loss on Ibuki's side.
Sonia, Mikan, Mahiru and Chiaki played the next and final game. The menu screen popped up with an automated voice announcing, "Bomber Guy!"
"But all the players are girls though..." Mahiru pointed out.
"It is what you call a 'girls'' night out," Sonia said.
"A girls' night out, where we all throw bombs?"
Katsumi watched from behind, noticing how much Mikan was spamming the bombs as she looked increasingly worried at herself.
The three other girls started staring in concern.
"Tsumiki-san, if you spread that many bombs around...!" Sonia said.
Mikan started dry sobbing, as the bomb explosions got louder and louder. "I'm soooorry! Forgive meeeee!"
The overlapping voices got louder and more chaotic.
"Tsumiki-san..." Katsumi went up behind her. "...Try taking a deep breath."
The dry sobbing lessened slightly. "I'm... I'm sorry!"
The door slid open and the waft of food overcame the air. Hiyoko and Teruteru were at the door, with a trolley, holding a giant metal pot.
"Everyone!" Teruteru announced. "You must be hungry!" He opened the lid of the pot, presenting the dish. "It's Versailles-style queue de bœuf, presented as meat and potato stew."
Mahiru turned around in confusion. "Versai... What?"
"Versailles-style—"
Hiyoko shoved Teruteru aside. "Basically, it's nikujaga, Big Sis Koizumi!" She happily pointed a finger at herself. "I helped a bit, too!"
"You only helped at the very end." Teruteru frowned.
"Wow..." Chisa leaned over the pot in amazement, staring at the food. "This certainly looks Super High School-Level."
"Chiaki-chan made the request to Teruteru-chan!" Ibuki exclaimed.
Peko walked up to Chisa. "We were all busy repairing the classroom, so we hadn't eaten properly yet, she said."
"Sometimes, I get so engrossed in games, I forget to eat..." Chiaki mumbled.
"Nanami-san happened to be thinking the same thing as me about what you said about video games, so we teamed up this once to plan all of this," Katsumi said to Chisa.
Chisa closed her eyes, giving a nod of approval until they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of loud rumbling.
I-It cannot be!" Gundham shouted melodramatically. "The unspeakable Demon King, who resides in the depths of the Nine Hells, has returned?!"
"It's her stomach rumbling," Nekomaru bluntly answered, holding up Akane by the back of her shirt collar like a dog. She was staring intensely at the stew while creating a puddle of drool on the floor. She slowly lifted her outstretched hands up.
"I made lots, so have as much as you like!" Teruteru said.
"Aw yeah!" she screamed, bursting out of Nekomaru's grip.
—
The class was kneeling on the ground in a circle, each with a plate of stew.
"Everyone has theirs now, right?" Chisa said. "Then, put your hands together, and..."
"Thanks for the food!" they all said in unison.
"I want seconds!" Akane held out her already-empty plate eagerly in front of Teruteru.
"That was fast!" Teruteru gawked at her.
Chiaki took a bite, her eyes immediately widening in shock, before...
"It's okay," she said, her voice monotone.
"But you looked so overwhelmed!" Teruteru shouted.
"I want thirds!" Akane held out her empty plate in front of Teruteru again.
"Couldn't you savour the food a little more?"
"It's lovely!" Sonia put a hand up to her ear. "My ears could just fall off."
"So close!" Kazuichi said. "A bit further forward on the face..."
Katsumi took a bite out of the stew on her plate, a sudden warmth rushing through her as the flavours hit her tongue.
Holy—
She kept up an unfazed look and looked over at Nagito. "Komaeda-kun, what do you think—"
She stopped herself when she noticed Nagito smiling. "Aha..." Tears started streaming down his face.
Ryota started looking at him weirdly. "Why are you crying?"
"I... finally may have found it." Nagito lifted his head up at the ceiling. "A fragment of hope."
Ryota "Uh, okay..."
"Oh, don't worry, he's just saying that again..." Katsumi said casually as she continued eating.
"...A-Again?"
"I have cold soup, too!" Teruteru announced, taking out a jar from his case.
"I don't want your sketchy soup," Ibuki said.
"Eh?"
"There's been enough doping today," Nekomaru added.
"No..." He turned around. "I have more than just Doping Corn Soup... huh?" He knelt down, holding open his case. "One of my soups is missing?!"
"Is this the one you mean?" Hiyoko asked maliciously, pulling out an empty jar.
"Ah! That's...!"
*Thump* Akane suddenly collapsed, everyone's eyes redirecting towards the scene. "What... is this?"
"What's wrong?" Nekomaru asked frantically, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"S-Stop," she stammered, breathing heavily as her cheeks started flushing red. "Don't touch me..."
"Huh?" He took his hands off. "Why is my... heart racing?"
"Nidai, old man..." They started staring deep into each other's eyes.
That was when a strange sensation overtook Katsumi's body, making her tense up in shock.
What the...?
"Wh-What is this?" Ryota stammered.
Ibuki stumbled around. "M-My body is burning up! My Love Heart is ready to charge!"
"No selfies..." Mahiru mumbled in between breaths, holding up her camera. "The focus will blur..."
"Saionji-san, what... is the meaning of this?" Chisa asked through heavy breaths.
"Oh, nooothing..." Hiyoko held up the empty glass jar, noticeably unaffected. "I just mixed the soup in this bottle with the nikujaga."
"O-O-Of all the options..." Teruteru stuttered. "You used my Sexy Sexy Soup, full of aphrodisiacs!"
Why does he have that lying around? And why did Kimura-senpai even let him have that?
"Oh?" Hiyoko smirked. "Did it hit you too hard, Big Bro Hanamura?"
Suddenly, he yelped as he collapsed, eliciting a snicker on Hiyoko's part.
"Th-This is a matter of serious concern..." Chisa breathed out before falling to the ground.
More things were taking place but Katsumi really couldn't pay attention anymore. Her entire face was burning up and the heat was stopping her from thinking correctly. Plus, the other feeling she had...
She covered her mouth with her hands and closed her eyes in concentration to try to steady her breathing. "Mmgh..."
All she did was tip over against Nagito's shoulder.
What... am I doing?
Nagito just sat there, smiling even more after she fell on his shoulder. "Aha... This hope feels amazing..."
Katsumi's insides felt all fluttery.
Is this...?
Hiyoko laughed at everything that was unfolding. "I'm glad I didn't eat that yucky-looking stew!"
"Then, would you like some daikon radish?" Teruteru suddenly stood up, looking furious.
"Huh? Big Bro Hanamura?" Hiyoko looked over in shock.
"Then, how would you like some daikon radish?!" he repeated, even angrier now.
Hiyoko's eyes widened and she quickly backed against the wall, practically squeaking in fear.
Katsumi saw Chiaki getting up and she soon realized what she was planning on doing when she slowly approached Teruteru. Katsumi herself got up sluggishly, though admittedly regretfully, from Nagito's shoulder, opening her bag.
I guess... after working together for this entire day... we should continue this.
"You have awakened a surge of lust within me. No one can stop me now!"
She took out a scalpel, readying it and taking the deepest breath she could to concentrate.
I can't believe I'm doing this.
"H-Help... you can lick the bottom of my shoes..."
"I'm going higher than that—"
*Shing*
A flash of light went by Teruteru's face, the scalpel blade embedding itself into the wall, making him freeze.
Katsumi's arm was still extended out from having thrown it. Her breaths got heavier and her mind was getting even more clouded.
Before Teruteru could react properly, he was met with an uppercut to the face by Chiaki, causing him to fly into the air.
"Heaven-slaying Dragon Fist!" she shouted.
"Taylor Swift!" Teruteru cried before falling onto the ground with a thud.
"Don't touch my classmate..."
"I'm your classmate, also..." Teruteru uttered weakly before passing out.
Katsumi's eyelids got even heavier and that point, realizing how tired she had gotten.
No, don't fall asleep... Open your eyes and... stay awake.
Just... Just... stay...
—
Katsumi's eyes fluttered open, making her jolt up from where she was lying. Soft sheets were covering her.
The infirmary?
Sure enough, she was on a bed. Disappointment washed over her.
"I... I fell asleep," she quietly muttered to herself in disapproval.
If I keep up like this, I won't get anything done.
Looking around, the rest of the class was there, too, with some others who had also passed out in beds.
Her gaze fell on Nagito, unconscious in the bed beside her, to the right. She stared at his face before suddenly remembering everything, causing her to violently jerk her head the other way in embarrassment. She wanted to hit her head against a wall or do something similar.
If what I think is true, I don't think I'll ever be able to look him in the eye again...
"Ah, Hirata-san, you're awake!" Chiaki was awake in the bed on her left. "Um, did something happen?"
"Happen? Uh..." Katsumi hesitated for a second. "No, it's nothing."
"...You and Hirata-san were amazing!" The excited voice came from Sonia, as she, Mahiru, Mikan and Hiyoko rushed over to their beds. "That team combo attack was like something from Jump Out! Youth."
"But I really thought Katsumi-chan was going to kill Hanamura with that scalpel..." Mahiru off-handedly muttered, awkwardly smiling.
"E-Even though I wouldn't really recommend scalpel usage like that, it was still really cool!" Mikan stammered.
"Where did you even learn something like that?"
"Um... from a colleague," Katsumi quietly confessed.
Out of curiosity, when I saw him do it.
"Maybe I shouldn't have asked..."
"Thanks, Hirata-san," Chiaki spoke up, turning to look in her direction. "Because of that distraction, I managed to land a clean hit on Hanamura-kun."
Somehow, the compliment made Katsumi feel a little bubbly inside.
"Ah, s-speaking of that, that was an amazing punch!" Mikan said.
Chiaki stared at the ceiling will a neutral expression. "The Heaven-slaying Dragon Fist. That attack is special to me."
Katsumi knitted her eyebrows in confusion.
What?
"A special attack?" Chisa said, watching the conversation from behind.
"Long ago, there was a gangster called Willy," Chiaki started. "A dangerous guy who'd fire his machine gun at anything."
"There was someone like that?" Mikan whimpered.
"He not only kidnapped a woman, he pumped her full of lead and killed her. The attack is the one I used when I finished Willy."
"So, those things, which happen in my country, occur here, too," Sonia commented.
"They do?" Mahiru questioned.
"That attack is the one I used when I finished off Willy," Chiaki continued.
"Amazing!" Mikan exclaimed.
"Nanami-san, you have that sort of past?" Chisa asked.
"It isn't my past," Chiaki answered bluntly. "You don't know it? It's the side-scrolling beat-'em-up masterpiece, Double Dragon II!"
"Technos?" Mikan and Sonia said in unison.
"You know it?" Mahiru asked.
"It's a total masterpiece!" Chiaki said. "The first game is a classic, of course! But I like the rebalanced, smoother gameplay of II! It had a great influence on later games, and..."
At this point, the conversation had completely lost Katsumi. She and Chisa exchanged similar glances.
Katsumi sighed. "Understanding this kind of talk might take longer than anticipated..."
Chisa's expression changed. It seemed like she was in deep thought, making Katsumi raise an eyebrow.
"Sensei, did something happen?"
"Huh? Oh..." She smiled at her. "You'll find out tomorrow."
—
The school bell rang, signalling the start of homeroom.
"Okay! Let's approach today with cheer, too!" Chisa exclaimed triumphantly.
There were collective hoarse groans from the class. Some hung their heads with sunken faces while others were lying on their desks.
Katsumi had never felt more dead in her life. Her limbs felt like lead, her head was throbbing and she had to constantly stop her eyelids from closing all the way. Every ounce of strength was being used to prevent herself from collapsing.
I completely forgot my work yesterday after all that...
"How are you so energetic?" Kazuichi groaned.
"Because I'm an adult," Chisa answered proudly. "It wasn't my first time with something like that."
"I see." Sonia put a hand to her chin. "So that is why I'm not exhausted either."
"Huh? Sonia-san, what does that mean? Did you—"
"Okay!" Chisa interrupted. "Let's start homeroom now! I could have taken volunteers for both, but I decided alone, based on my own prejudices."
"What are you talking about?" Nekomaru asked, his eyes lidded.
"My nomination for class rep is Nanami Chiaki-san and for vice class rep, Hirata Katsumi-san!"
Upon hearing her name, Katsumi's half-closed eyes snapped open as she jolted up in her seat.
R-Really?
"Huh?" Chiaki looked up from her game console. "I don't wanna."
"I'll decline, too," Katsumi said.
"You should both give everything a try," Chisa encouraged. "After all, it was your team efforts that helped organize everything yesterday!"
"That was a one-time thing," Katsumi tried refuting her. "It's not like I can do that regularly—"
"And that's where you're wrong, Hirata-san! These skills are exactly what our class needs!"
Katsumi and Chiaki looked each other in the eye, both still unwilling.
"Nanami-san has demonstrated herself excellently by creating a positive atmosphere in the class with her video games... and Hirata-san helped to work with Nanami-san to carry this all out! Also, Hirata-san, you're the leader of the biology department at Hope's Peak, so you'll already have some experience leading!"
"But that's an empty title," Katsumi said. "I don't really do anything with it and it hardly translates to leading a class..."
"So you should be comfortable with just being our vice class rep, right?"
"...Huh?" Katsumi wasn't sure how to counter that.
"If that's the case, then I'd be even less capable, then..." Chiaki mumbled.
"That's wrong, Nanami-san!" Chisa pointed a finger. "You may not think of yourself as a leader-type, but yesterday, you proved yourself more than capable!"
Chisa looked at the two girls, awaiting their answer.
Even so, there's no way...
"Both Nanami-san and Hirata-san would be perfect!" Sonia piped up.
What?
"I agree with Sonia-san!" Kazuichi added.
"Sounds fine to me." Akane grinned.
"I agree!" Nekomaru said.
Fuyuhiko leaned against his chair. "No problems here, either."
"I do not mind in the least," Peko formally stated.
Ibuki stood up from her chair. "I don't object!"
"Same here, I guess," Mahiru said.
"Why not?" Hiyoko said.
Teruteru put two fingers up. "Nice punch! And attempted murder..."
Katsumi's gaze anxiously darted around.
Why is everyone...? No... it's not just because I don't want to. This is also for Nanami-san...
"I'm also in favour," Nagito spoke up, removing any hope that Katsumi had that she could consult him.
"I-I'm okay with Nanami-san and Hirata-san," Mikan stuttered.
Tsumiki-san, not you too...
"Hmph," Gundham closed his eyes with a prideful smile. "So that is what the world has chosen."
"I think you're both suited for it, too," Ryota said.
"What do you say, Nanami-san, Hirata-san?" Chisa asked. "You heard everyone, so how about it?"
Both girls exchanged glances one more time. A feeling of acceptance of defeat washed over Katsumi. Judging from Chiaki's expression, the same had happened.
Both let out exasperated sighs, then simultaneous nods.
"Okay," Chiaki bluntly said.
"Fine," Katsumi finally answered.
"Good, it's decided, then!" Yukizome said before her attention was shifted to the sound of slow clapping.
Katsumi stared at Nagito, feeling slight second-hand embarrassment.
"How wonderfully beautiful," he said. "All of you, with Super High School-Level talent will bond more tightly with Nanami-san and Hirata-san's talents to lead you."
Everyone was staring at him with weird looks.
"Komaeda-kun?" Chisa said, smiling awkwardly.
Katsumi made eye contact with Chiaki, her gaze telling her, Don't worry, you'll get used to it.
He stared down at his open hand. "For as long as Nanami-san is our class rep and Hirata-san by her side, this class and its light will surely never end..."
Katsumi stared in slight awe before finally leaning forward to whisper in Nagito's ear, "Komaeda-kun, everyone's staring."
"Ah..." He looked around, noticing everyone's bewildered gazes. "Aha... sorry. Maybe I've said too much."
There were a lot of scattered noises of sighs and slight groans of annoyance. They didn't sit very well with Katsumi, but she never knew what to say to her class, so she quickly set that thought aside.
—
The last school bell of the day rang and the students started packing up and trickling out of the classroom.
"Komaeda-kun, could you go back on your own today?" Katsumi asked. "I, um... have a lot of other things going on after school this afternoon."
"Oh, okay then." He walked to the door, turning back to give a small wave and a smile. "See you later, then, Hirata-san."
Once he left the classroom, Katsumi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Great, he believed me.
Her face was heating up quite a bit.
No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe it's just a really strong feeling of friendship.
I mean... I don't even know what romantic love is supposed to look like, so how am I supposed to know what this is?
"Hirata-san!" Chiaki's voice made Katsumi jump out of her seat. She had walked over to her desk. "Are you free this afternoon?"
"Um... yes, mostly. What is it?"
"Well... yesterday was really fun, playing video games together, and I know you've only played PC games..."
"Oh... right."
She still believes that...
"If you expanded your horizon more, it'd be even better, right?" Her voice was getting more and more excited. "So I wanted to bring you to the game centre and we could buy some games together to play. Do you want to go?"
Katsumi went silent for a few moments.
"...It's good to indulge yourself a little, you know!"
Maybe just a little...
She gave a nod. "Sure, I'm okay with that."
Chiaki's eyes brightened. "Let's get going, then!"
—
Katsumi stared at where they were, tilting her head, slightly confused. "...Nanami-san, why are we at the Reserve Course building?"
They were standing by the entrance gate of the building as crowds of students were walking out. Chiaki had led her here and Katsumi was just blindly following her.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you...I'm meeting up with a friend. If you don't mind, we can all go together."
"Oh, um... I don't mind then."
Despite saying that, a bout of nervousness swept across Katsumi.
I had no idea Nanami-san had a friend in the Reserve Course. What are they like? How am I supposed to act? Am I going to be a nuisance? Will they think I'm annoying? Will they—
"Ah, Hinata-kun!" Chiaki's voice interrupted Katsumi's thought process.
Katsumi looked forward. A boy had stopped in front of Chiaki.
"A new fighting game came out," Chiaki said to him. "Want to go to the game center together? I brought a friend."
Friend...
"I'm no good at fighting games, though," he replied. "And..." He occasionally shot glances at Katsumi. "Well..."
Oh no, did I leave a bad impression already?
"It's fine!" Chiaki happily grabbed his hand.
"H-Hey..." he stammered a little upon getting his hand held.
"When you're with everyone, games are fun!" She looked at both him and Katsumi. "Anyways, you two should introduce yourselves."
The two stared at each other for a moment, the awkward tension building.
"N-Nice to meet you," he started, seeming even more nervous than Katsumi. "I'm... Hinata Hajime."