Himiko sighed contentedly as she laid her head down on the soft grass, and felt the warm, late-afternoon breeze gently caress her face. She looked up at the sky, where the cottony clouds glowed a golden yellow from the setting sun. Himiko smiled up at the sky. She loved her alone time. Sometimes, she'd spend it in her room, but with Tenko and the others around, she couldn't exactly get away. Whenever that happened, she'd make her way to the park and watch the sky turn from blue, to the evening's orange and pink, and then to the beautiful, starlit black of night. It was still bright outside, so Himiko used this time to get lost in her imagination and look at the different shapes of clouds, which was something she also enjoyed. She pointed to a cloud that seemed to have two bumps on top, and was pointed at the bottom.
"Nyeh...that looks like a heart," she said to nobody in particular. Then, she spied another cloud and pointed to that one, as well. "That one looks kinda like a hippopotamus. And *that* one over there looks like a, um...hmm...a flower, I guess?"
"Really? It looks like a beetle with its guts all squashed out to me," a voice came from next to her.
"WAAHHH!!!" Himiko cried out in horror as she bolted upwards. She looked beside her to see Kokichi lying in the grass next to her with a mischievous smirk on his face. "You...You idiot!" she cried. "What are you doing here?! You scared the life out of me!"
"Nee-heeheee...sorry, HimiCocoa Bean!" Kokichi replied, laughing. "I was bored, so I decided to see what you were up to."
"Nyeh...well, next time, don't sneak up on me like that," Himiko mumbled, sheepishly pulling the brim of her hat down over her face.
"Aww...but sneaking up on people is something that I'm really good at!" Kokichi said, giving her a cheeky grin. Himiko shot him an annoyed look. "Nee-heeheee...okay, Monkey Buns. I'm sorry."
"If you're going to stay here, you have to be quiet," Himiko said. "This is my relaxation time." Kokichi ran his thumb and forefinger across his lips like a zipper.
"My lips are sealed!" he said. Himiko eyed him skeptically, but laid her head back down onto the grass and sighed. Because Kokichi was there, she felt awkward pointing out cloud shapes to herself, so instead, she merely closed her eyes, and began to drift away into a silent reverie. "Hey, Himiko, remember when we first met?" Kokichi asked after a few minutes of silence. Himiko's eyes flew open, and she was about to scold Kokichi for talking until she thought about what he had asked.
"Nyeh...why did you bring *that* up?" she asked with curiosity.
"I dunno..." Kokichi replied, looking up at the sky. "It's just...something that I like looking back on every now and then." Himiko's eyes widened with surprise.
"R-Really?!" she said. Kokichi turned to smile at her.
"Yeah," he said. "I miss those days when you used to get flustered every time I teased you." Himiko blushed and smiled shyly.
"I mean...I still get kinda...flustered," she said as she bashfully traced the grass with her finger.
"Yeah, but back then, you would get *reaalllyyy* flustered!" Kokichi laughed. "Like, before we started dating, if I winked at you, you would scrunch up your face in a cute way, and pull the brim of your hat down over your face. And your face would turn totally red, like it's doing now, haha! And then you'd start stuttering before stomping off."
"You...noticed all that?!" Himiko asked, covering her face.
"Well, yeah! You kinda made it obvious that you had a crush on me, and it was fun flirting with you just to see your flustered face," Kokichi said. "Nee-heehee...good times!" He sighed and laid his head back down onto the grass. Himiko smiled to herself, remembering the feeling of having a crush on Kokichi, and trying to keep the warm and fuzzy feelings she'd harbored for him inside. She had to admit that it was fun having a crush on him, and trying to keep it a secret, but she was also glad to be his girlfriend, as Kokichi was super fun to be around...so long as she wasn't the target of his pranks.
"Um...what else do you remember from the first time we met?" Himiko asked shyly.
"Hahahahaaa...story time!" Kokichi said, sitting up. "Get your walking shoes on, HimiCocoa Bean, cuz we're gonna take a stroll down memory lane! It all started wheeen..."
...Himiko Yumeno, the new Ultimate Magician, nervously entered Hope's Peak Academy, wishing she was back at home as she made her way to the headmaster's office. She was scouted by the school after the previous Ultimate Magician was expelled for being too weird to the other students. Himiko didn't like to think of herself as a mere magician, because the truth was that she could wield real magic that she had to keep secret from everyone else. Nevertheless, she still preferred the title "Ultimate Mage," since it was more true to who she really was. Finally, she entered Headmaster Kirigiri's office, and immediately, she found herself wishing she had never set foot in it.
"*hiccup* Whaddya waaant?" he asked in a drunk, whiny voice.
"Nyeh...I'm Himiko Yumeno, um...the Ultimate Mage," Himiko replied in a small voice.
"Sssorry...we aren't expecting an...'Ultimate Mage,'" Headmaster Kirigiri replied in a rude, slurred voice. Himiko sighed in frustration.
"What a pain," she mumbled in annoyance to herself. "I'm the new Ultimate Magician."
"Ooohhhhhh..." Headmaster Kirigiri droned with realization. Then, he began to clap sarcastically. "Well, aren't we all lucky?" The bell then rang for 1st period to begin. Soon afterwards, the office door burst open to reveal a girl with a blue top with a blue skirt, and her midriff showing. She had two long pigtails, and a green bow on the back of her head. "Ohh, look who showed up," Headmaster Kirigiri droned on. He turned to Himiko. "This is my office assistant, or whatever, for 1st period, Tenko Chabashira, the Ultimate Aikido Master. She'll help you take a tour around our 'lovely' school, so you don't get lost, like an idiot! Here's your schedule!" He flung a piece of paper at Himiko. "Now, get outta my office! I got some *hiccup* work to do!" Tenko and Himiko quickly left the office.
"Nyeh...what's his problem?" Himiko muttered, mostly to herself.
"He's just a bitter, degenerate drunk because his daughter hates him," Tenko replied. Upon getting a better look at Himiko, Tenko began to squeal and gush with glee. "Eeeeeee...you look so cute! I love your outfit! Aaaaahhh, are you really a magician?! Can I see your tricks?! I can be your assistant, if you want!" Himiko backed away slowly from Tenko, but Tenko kept advancing towards as her excitement grew.
"They're not tricks! My magic is real!" Himiko said with offense. Then, she bit her lip in frustration at herself. She understood that her magic was supposed to be kept secret, but she hated whenever people diminished her powers to trickery and illusions. Tenko's eyes lit up like two orbs of electricity.
"Your magic is real?!" she exclaimed. "I wanna see! I wanna see!"
"Nyeh...can you just show me to my classes, please?" Himiko muttered, ready to be done with the school day, already.
"Okay!" Tenko said. "If you get lost, make sure to ask only *me* for help!"
"But...why would I get lost when I'll be following you the whole time?" Himiko said.
"Good point!" Tenko said. "Now I see why you're the Ultimate Mage! You're so wise beyond your years, Himiko!"
"Nyeeeh...whatever," Himiko mumbled, rolling her eyes. She had only known Tenko for five minutes, and she was already sick of her.
"Okay, Himiko! Follow me!" Tenko said. Tenko led Himiko through the halls of the school, showing her which sections all the classes were located, the cafeteria, the bathrooms, the library, the gym, and everywhere else that Himiko needed to know the whereabouts of. They spent the entirety of 1st period touring the school until the bell rang, signaling the end of 1st period, and the beginning of passing period before 2nd period began. Students came pouring out of their classrooms, and into the halls. Many students looked at Himiko with curiosity, while others snickered and whispered snide remarks amongst each other about her. Himiko lowered her head sheepishly, not wanting to look the callous students in the eye. "Well, since it's passing period, this is a good time to show you to your locker!" Tenko said. She looked at the locker number on Himiko's schedule, and led Himiko to a locker that looked run-down and broken; the paint was all chipped off, and the door was hanging off of its hinges. Himiko felt sick to her stomach.
"Please tell me that's not really my locker," she said.
"It belonged to Nori Nakagawa, the Ultimate Magician before you," Tenko explained. "That girl was too weird to be a girl. I wouldn't be surprised if she was a degenerate male disguised as a girl! Oh, I know! You can share *my* locker with me, if you want!"
"Um...I don't know..." Himiko said. Himiko appreciated Tenko's assistance, but if she was going to be this way *all* the time, Himiko didn't know if she could put up with her for too long.
"Hello, hello, hello!" chirped a cheerful voice from behind them. "I see we have a new student!" Himiko and Tenko turned to see a tanned-skin girl with white pigtails, and a long, yellow jacket over a bikini top, and a skirt with a belt to hold her paintbrushes.
"Hiiii, Angie," Tenko mumbled in annoyance. Tenko turned to Himiko and reluctantly introduced her to the other girl. "Himiko, this is Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Artist. Angie, this is Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Magician."
"Mage," Himiko corrected testily.
"OH, MY GOSH!!! I MEANT TO SAY 'MAGE!!' I SWEAR!! I TOTALLY SWEAR!!!" Tenko said. "PLEASE, FORGIVE ME, HIMIKO!!! PLEASE!! *PLEASE!!!*"
"Nyeh...okay, okay, I get it," Himiko mumbled.
"My, my, that is simply splendid!" Angie said. "Praise be to Atua! We have a new student!"
"Bless you," Himiko said to Angie.
"Hm? Hmm?? Whatever do you mean, Himiko?" Angie asked.
"You sneezed," Himiko said. "You said 'Atua,' and so I said 'bless you.' Nyeh...you're welcome."
"Nya-hahaha!! Oh, no, no, no! You misunderstand, Himiko!" Angie said. "Atua is the god of my island!"
"More like her imaginary friend," Tenko muttered quietly to Himiko.
"It would be wise not to mock Atua, Tenko," Angie said with a threatening smile.
"Screw Atua!" Tenko shot back. "Just admit it, Angie! He's just somebody you made up just so you could manipulate people to do what you want!"
"Is thaaaat what you really think, Tenko?" Angie asked.
"Thaaaat's what I really *know!*" Tenko replied, crossing her arms defiantly. Tenko and Angie began arguing back and forth, causing Himiko to roll her eyes and sigh.
"Nyeh...what a pain," she muttered to herself. "I knew I should have stayed-"
"Ooo, cool! A witch's hat!" a voice interrupted from behind her as she felt her hat being taken off. She whirled around angrily to tell whoever it was to give her her hat back, when she was met with the most beautiful, purple eyes that she had ever seen in her entire life that seemed to twinkle with both mischief and innocence.