Chapter Text
Izuru didn't receive a letter of acceptance from Hope's Peak Academy. He got a personal visit from a representative.
"Because of your numerous glowing achievements, we would like to admit you as the Ultimate Hope," the representative said after his preamble of the school. As if anyone needed such a thing. Someone would have to be living under a rock to not know what Hope's Peak Academy was. Although, if Izuru had his way, that could be possible.
The man smiled, his eyes glimmering with expectation as he turned his attention to their parents. "As you must already know, every one of our graduates lead successful lives and have become important members of society. With your son's overwhelming talent, he could be so much more. We, the staff of Hope's Peak Academy, wish to cultivate his abilities and have him become the best that he can be."
Rather than excitedly taking the offer on Izuru's behalf like how every parent would, their mother and father traded glances before looking at Izuru.
Izuru looked at Hajime.
"No," Hajime said.
Izuru looked back at the representative. "Then no."
Hajime threw his arms in the air.
After their parents had explained to the baffled man about how the Hinata twins were an all-or-nothing deal, the representative stopped looking at Izuru as though he was a god among men and more as though he was a space alien. He probably was. Hajime had often speculated that a bunch of aliens had abducted his real brother shortly after birth and had replaced him with a cryptid. That would explain so much.
The representative then pulled himself together and coughed into his fist. "Yes, well." A pause. "We do have the Reserve Course Department."
Apparently, Hope's Peak Academy had a division where untalented students could attend after paying a fee—and a hefty fee that it was. As their parents' eyes had popped out of their sockets at the long string of zeros that the representative had written down for them, Hajime watched with dread as Izuru calmly pulled a check from his pocket and delicately placed it on the coffee table.
"I'll be cashing in that prize money," Izuru said.
Of course the bastard had been prepared for this. He had known that this was going to happen.
"Wait, when did you buy a lottery ticket?" their dad asked.
With the issue of money out of the way, the only problem they had to face was convincing Hajime. Hajime, of course, wasn't going down without a fight. And so ensued the battle of willpower: Would Hajime concede and join Izuru to Hope's Peak? Or would Hajime stand his ground, not letting Izuru have his way? Their parents insisted (begged) that he would go; otherwise, Izuru wouldn't. The representative tried to sweeten the deal by giving them a two percent discount. Hajime, however, was nothing if not stubborn.
And then Hajime entered the boss level. Izuru smoothly interjected with his own argument, effectively lowering his HP. Hajime gritted his teeth and launched his own attack, a series of "No," "Don't care," and "I said no!" He then erected a shield of pure pigheadedness when Izuru retaliated. It was at that moment that Hajime thought he could see that shining light of hope. He knew that he had no way of beating Izuru in terms of persuasion or logic, but he could at least hold out on his own this way.
That was until Izuru decided to use his trump card.
"If you don't go, I'll use that."
Hajime narrowed his eyes. "You don't mean..."
"Yes."
"No."
"I swear I will. Would you like to test me, brother?"
"You—you promised that you wouldn't!"
"Desperate times, desperate measures."
Hajime couldn't believe this. The fiend was blackmailing him!
As their parents and the representative watched them in puzzlement, Hajime gripped his knees as a means of holding onto something, debating on what to do. Izuru had always carried through his threats, so he knew that his brother wasn't bluffing. But Hajime knew—or, at least, he thought he knew—that this was his final strike. If Hajime overcame that, then he would win. But... But was it worth the cost of his manly pride? Could he bring himself to look at anyone in the eye after having that divulged to the public?
No... No, he could not.
And with that, Hajime, with great reluctance and a baleful glower, backed down and complied.
By next spring, the Hinata twins would be attending Hope's Peak Academy.