Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Hinata Hajime voiced out his desire to leave this school, the brunette failed to take into account the school's control over his records. Since the Ultimate Photographer has connections to help him grab his documents and leave school, Hajime begrudgingly agrees to her deal and fetch Sato.

[8/15 Students of Class ███]

"Why did I wake her up? I should've carried her like a potato sack," Hajime muttered, having children trail behind him like ducklings. Hajime and Sato were halfway down the stairs when the latter demanded they salvage the situation. Hajime didn't care if Hope's Peak Academy fell to the ground, but Sato threatened to accuse him of being a spy from the Main Course department if he refused. 'It's not my fault if she brought sleeper agents into the Main building. Let Koizumi handle that BS.'

"Haji-nii... Over there," a small tug from his pants. Hajime glanced down at the male elementary student who had screamed for help for five minutes straight. This same child introduced himself as Saihara Shuichi, unknowingly saving his friend's life since Hajime found them before a crazed cult member. After pushing the cabinet to the side, Hajime patched up Shuichi's female friend Akamatsu Kaede. Kaede reminded Hajime of Natsumi, even asking if he could protect them while they search for their friends. "My friends must be inside."

"Sure. Just be careful," Hajime warned, staring at the entrance of the art club. While transversing the floors, Hajime listened to his peers about the present situation... Well, Hajime is referring to the current state of sanity of the students wandering the altered building.

"Oma-kun? Let's go!" Kaede called out before crawling the small space. Hajime leaned against the wall, slightly curious about where Oma Kokichi got those bruises and scratches before their meeting.

'Best not to think about it,' Hajime scanned the other children for any signs of anomaly. The usual signs he looked for would be red eyes, twitchy movement, thoughts involving despair, and any action that could potentially screw up their lives.

Most of the Reserve Course students are filled with resentment against the system, blaming Hope's Peak Academy for using them as cash cows to fulfill the needs of those with talent. Hajime can't pinpoint when the students leaked the information received by the mysterious informant, but the students are convinced of the explicit injustice served against them.

'Calling the demonstration a parade must be like rubbing salt on wounds,' Hajime theorized, trying not to think about the repercussions of teaching kids how to fight back. This is the third club room he visited, picking up weapons on the ground since Sato took his gun around the morning. He eventually gave his weapons to the kids to fend for themselves, but mostly to improve their confidence.

"I have Kuzuryu's secret baby twin Akamatsu, hat-lover Saihara, and the secretive gremlin Oma in the art's room..." Hajime mumbled to himself, preferring to say it aloud rather than to let his thoughts fester. Hajime didn't want to become part of the mob. He didn't want to drown in a sea of undistinguishable motives when there was an alternate path before him. "Class rep Momota is learning to use a knife from Harukawa, which I ship."

"Is it pedophilia if I ship kids together? I mean, I guess not, but they're not my kids and people would think I'm a creep for pushing two minors with no understanding of consent. Thank god I'm dumping them all to Nanami and running off before they question my life decisions," Hajime face palmed, and he swore he heard the laughter of the male student clinging onto the hems of his shirt. The child in question is Gokuhara Gonta, larger than most of his friends. Hajime thought the kid was a teenager until he started speaking in the third person.

"Hinata-san is funny," Gonta smiled, and Hajime couldn't help but remember finding this kid talking to roaches, centipedes, and spiders in the dark room. Fortunately, the only person who called Hajime brother is Shuichi, so Hajime doesn't feel the need to sacrifice his life for these kids.

"Will Hope's Peak let us out?" The other person with the most mature air above Kokichi would be Amami Rantaro. Despite being in the same class level, Hajime recognized Rantaro treating Kokichi like a brother and keeping the other kids in check. That other kid named Shinguji Korekiyo had witnessed the death of his sister some time ago, and Hajime would've let the kid continue mourning over the corpse if not for the other ducklings.

"..." Korekiyo continued to remain silent, traumatized or guilty for leaving his sister behind. Hajime wouldn't be surprised if the child blocked the memories later on, changing the narrative to minimize the pain and suffering.

"Will it be my fault if the kids I brought turn into killers?" Hajime pondered, placing his hand on Gonta when the sound of machine guns rattled the floors below them. "I wonder what's taking them so long?"

"What if we dig?" Gonta offered, but Hajime shook his head.

"Too dangerous. That's how the tenth floor collapsed," Hajime recalled his narrow escape from a group of students carrying bombs. "This building wasn't meant to weather warfare."

...

"Stop pushing!" Shuichi cried, making Hajime head over to help the kid wiggle out of the hole. Hajime removed a couple of the rocks, constantly checking the cracks in the wall and praying this floor didn't collapse either. Using one staircase for all floors is a sure ticket to death.

"Freedom!" A female with messy hair cheered, wearing a pair of fancy-looking brown goggles. However, there's a crack on the right lens. Hajime took a step back, seeing girls emerge from the supposed abandoned club room.

'So many kids...' Hajime suddenly thought of guilt-tripping the principal, probably going to show off Shuichi.

"Nyeh..." A young girl with a prop witch hat looks at Hajime in wonder. If Hajime were sleep-deprived, he would think the girl could pose as Mahiru's sister. Funnily enough, Hajime is indeed sleep-deprived. "Who are you?"

"A friend of Akamatsu and Saihara," Hajime explained, watching the rest of his kids talk among the scared students. Hajime will change the word kid to ward for the sake of his sanity. Mahiru's baby sister was covered by another student, an exchange student from the looks of it.

"Do you also pray to Atua?" The girl holding a chisel and hammer, blue eyes shimmering in anticipation. Hajime didn't get to say anything, but the girl continued ranting. "Of course you do! Everyone knows Atua is watching over us. That is why we perform blood rituals."

'Do I... Do I yeet her out of the window?' Hajime debated, unwilling to listen to the ramblings of a young cultist. Hajime knows three types of cultists wandering the school. The first type is the dangerous ones Hajime can knock out or kill, holding guns and weapons in hand. The second type is the ramblers, praising despair and attacking when provoked. The last type Hajime spotted would be those heading down the basement, embracing despair and wishing to change the world with said despair.

'Didn't someone say one of the Steering Committee members is down there?' Hajime had a sudden thought, thinking and quickly shooting down the idea. Not only was that place the base of the cult, but the risk of falling into despair became almost a certainty. 'It's not like Principal Kirigiri will believe me if I told him...'

"Hinata-san! Pay attention!" Kaede's cute voice made Hajime raise his hands out of guilt.

"Sorry," Hajime apologized, hoping she can forgive him. He can see three children standing behind Kaede, all females. "Can you repeat it for me?"

"Hmm... Ok!" Kaede smiled, and her personality was a deep contrast to Natsumi. A small bundle of joy with an addiction to humming classical tunes. "Everyone. This is our absent-minded onii-chan, Hinata Hajime. He will try to take care of us."

'I guess I'm adopting two kids now?' Hajime finally understood what it feels like to have cute siblings... 'Wait. Try? What do you mean try?!'

"Yumeno Himiko... When I grow up, I will be a famous mage that makes people smile." Mahiru's baby sister is surprisingly wholesome. Hajime also didn't notice he was covering his mouth at how adorable these guys were.

"My name is Yonaga Angie. My drawings and sculptures are all dedicated to Atua," the potential cultist has lowered her threat level but is now classified in the same threat category as Korekiyo. Hajime doesn't know what happened to the kid, but she needs help.

"Iruma Miu, the incoming Ultimate inventor of the century!" The messy-looking child has no idea how quickly reality will crush her dreams, but Hajime might as well passively play along. He did it once with Natsumi. There's no harm in doing it again.

"Four more to go! Let's go~!" Kaito finally noticed the successful rescue mission, marching in and confidently giving a thumbs up.

'Akamatsu has fifteen classmates...' Hajime made a head count, ignoring the children chatter amongst themselves.

[11/15 Students of Class ███]

Chapter Text

[11/15 Students of Class ███]

"We have two places to check before we're complete, the courtyard and the Otaku club," Shuichi explained while Hajime watched the children group into different clusters. Hajime already knows Rantaro is friends with Korekiyo and Kokichi. What he didn't expect was Kaede and Gonta attentively listening to Miu ramble about a device she'd yet to make.

'Maybe she is an inventor?' Hajime doesn't know, recalling the Ultimate mechanic building an engine one time by the courtyard of the Western district. He can see Angie chatting amicably with Himiko, which is somewhat parallel to Kaito marching too far ahead with Maki behind him. Shuichi is the only one glued to him, holding his pants as he scans their surroundings. "Best to check the Otaku club before heading out."

"Hn." Shuichi agreed. Everyone suddenly turned completely quiet when a random person with a bear head entered the scene.

"?" The man turns to face them, and Hajime almost breaks the tension when he reaches out to grab a nearby plank. Hajime switched his hand movement to a wave, offering a smile. The man raised his hand in return, jubilantly calling his name. "Oh! It's Hajime! How are you doing, man?"

"Escorting ducklings. I can't have anyone dying here," Hajime told the truth, curious why all the kids stopped talking when someone approached. Hajime also noticed all the children were fast enough to run for cover, using him as a shield. "What about you? Activity seems to be slow today."

"Listen. If you find the guy in the killing game video, you scream, okay?" The student with the bear head explained.

"Guy?" Hajime checked his memories about the supposed guy this person was talking about, remembering the murderer dubbed as the Ultimate Hope of Hope's Peak Academy. "Ah. You mean Kamukura Izuru?"

"That's right! We don't exactly know where he is, but we gotta crush him and show that bastard's corpse to the world how useless hope is in the face of despair! It's our way of getting back at this damn school and burn it all to the ground!" The guy clenched his fist, words becoming incomprehensible due to his thick tongue and fast-paced speech. Then again, Hajime was already dozing off with thoughts of different entry points to reaching Shuichi and Kaede's remaining classmates.

"There you go again, dozing off on the important stuff." The guy jokingly complained, tossing a large bag, which Kaito and Kokichi grabbed on time. Hajime glanced at the contents before fixing his gaze once more to the student. The bear helmet makes it difficult to decipher murderous intent, leaving no room for error. "You should hurry and get something to eat. Food might run out faster than yesterday."

"Pray tell?" Hajime remembered hearing the sound of stomach growling while walking along the hallways, checking and grabbing stuff these kids held dearly. They could head to the cafeteria, but Hajime preferred never to return to this building once they reached the ground floor.

"Weren't you paying attention? We're hunting down Ultimate Hope. If the first guy ain't talking, we grab another one." The man spoke as if the kidnapping was a chore. The funny part is how Hajime can understand this guy's logic, wanting Hope's Peak Academy down on their knees. "Wanna join? Someone gave us the coordinates for-"

"No thanks. Have fun," Hajime made a shooing motion, having too many hands tugging his pants to get the intruder away. Hajime grabbed onto a wall, trying not to step or kick someone. Watching the man walk away, Hajime checked the window to witness a bonfire in the courtyard. The event would have seemed festive if not for the students dragging several guards and teachers towards the fire. Hajime looked away, not wanting the kids to witness more bloodshed. "Let's head upstairs to the Otaku club. Maybe even get some props there for self-defense."

"Okay..." The kids speak in unison, moving away from Hajime with a couple of snacks. The bag has a lot of snacks - a handful of onigiri, melon pan bread, sandwiches, potato chip bags, fruits, different types of juice boxes, and water bottles.

"Where are we getting all the new food?" Hajime understood where the weapons could come from, especially when the students attacked the security team. Food should be scarce by this time, so certain items shouldn't be available. 'Unless they loot the buildings? The security team is few, so why not pillage and take the resources of other facilities?'

"We left you mochi," Shuichi is still here, holding the bag and offering packets of mochi of different varieties. Shifting the snacks around, Hajime managed to find his favorite snack. "I hope you like it."

"..." Hajime examined the kusamochi, pocketing the meal. Now, he has to make sure Shuichi survives the Parade. It doesn't matter if Shuichi intentionally wormed his way into Hajime's heart. The kid deserves that much for exerting effort on a nobody like him. "Just like Nanami..."

"Yes?" Shuichi tilted his head, and Hajime was about to tell him about the Ultimate Gamer if not for the kids screaming upstairs. Rushing to the stairs, the duo ran up to check what happened.

"Hajime! That's the guy! The killer!" Kaito pointed at a reserve student who had a terrible day. Hajime allowed Shuichi to gather information, scrutinizing the so-called killer. "What do we do?!"

"How about we all regroup first?" Hajime called out, watching the kids throw the last stuff they could find at the unfortunate guy. Black hair and red eyes are pretty familiar to someone he knows. However, the possibility of this controversial identity in this building should be nil.

"He's just standing there! Menacingly!" A new girl whispered loudly at Kaede, afraid of the foreigner. Hajime kept circumventing his logic, refusing to believe in the truth his mind was trying to tell him. "He's creepy. He deflected all my attacks! This is why men are bad!"

"I think he's a neat guy," another new girl is speaking up, probably brainwashed or accepting of the Killer Game Video. Everyone sane can feel the peculiarity of this silent figure. "Can I cosplay as him?"

"As long as you do proper research..." Hajime scans the room, thoughts crashing against each other to find the best way to escape this random encounter. First things first, he needs to stall time. "Who exactly are you?"

"I am called..." When the stranger spoke, Hajime wondered what psychological trauma destroyed the soul of this sorry victim. "Kamukura Izuru."

"I don't think he's lying," Shuichi murmured, convincing the crowd of kids to hide behind Hajime's back again.

"We screamed, but only you people heard our calls," Another new child spoke out, a female with knives in her hands. Hajime could call this new kid Maki two, but there's a sense of elegance in her movement. "Do you think he plans to kill us all?"

"He would've done it a long time ago with that speed," Rantaro still had a gun in his hand, being very responsible in its usage. Hajime gave Rantaro a gun with six bullets, so the gun had to have at least two or three bullets. Hajime gave each child a different gun model, distinctly recalling the noise accompanied by the screams and the glass shattering. He doesn't know the cause of the mini-tremor, but the kids probably picked up a bomb or other lethal substance, which explains the acid stains on the floor.

"Maybe they're all deaf with watching the video?" Kokichi suggested a silly idea but plausible in these trying times. Hajime really can't make a mistake now.

"What do we do? Keep screaming?" Kaito asked, and Hajime didn't like the words he said. "Guns didn't work. Knives didn't either."

"I threw the bombs right at him, but he was unscathed. He's probably a robot," Miu guessed, so they were back to step one. Sharp weapons led to usual close-range combat.

"..." Hajime could not deny the fight taking place on the floor they were on, judging from the bullet holes, broken pavement, and random projectiles scattering along the floor. Meeting a guy calling himself Kamukura Izuru, avoiding all the attacks of these kids, and being indifferent to the chaos inside the building could only mean one thing.

"No. He can't be Kamukura Izuru," Hajime declared, and the Kamukura wannabe blinked. Hajime explained, weaving his plan to escape this dangerous person. "Kamukura Izuru certainly wouldn't look like a sheep."

"...Sheep?" Gonta repeated. Hajime darted his eyes along the hallway, finding some items moving slightly to the right due to the chaos downstairs. "Like black sheep?"

"Yes," Hajime stomped on his common sense, needing to take note of the alterations. "If he truly was this Kamukura person, why would Hope's Peak Academy permit their precious hope to wander the halls? The only logical explanation is that this person is hungry and bored."

"That's not how logic works-" Shuichi noticed Hajime disconnected the story by stating a fact of the present situation.

"Kaede. Have you found all of your friends?" Hajime asked, pushing a mochi inside Shuichi's mouth. Hajime turned away from the cryptid, relieved the eyes gazing during his run with Natsumi were not the same.

"Uh..." Kaede counted her classmates, and Hajime leaned down to tap Rantaro's shoulder.

"?" Rantaro made eye contact, understanding the task of giving their guardian the gun. He moved his mouth - Four. How generous! The kids seem to be holding their breath, watching Hajime take the gun while Kaede pretends everything is okay. "We're still missing Ryoma-kun!"

[14/15 Students of Class ███]

"Where do you think he'll be?" Hajime weighed the gun in one hand while having the bag of food in the other. Hajime can't let this person follow them, even if he's correct in his presumption of this person's obedient nature.

"He knows," Maki whispered. Hajime doesn't know how she trained that specific sense, but Hajime learned it from constantly encountering the hope-loving Ultimate Lucky student.

"Run," Hajime told the kids while tossing the bag at the mysterious figure. Hajime raised his gun, using his other hand to gesture to the kids to leave as he shot at the undetonated bomb straight into the cracks of the floor. 'One.'

'Fast!' Hajime couldn't deny the speed of this weirdo, but the brunette specifically requested modifications on each floor out of sheer spite against security. He didn't want to use it to incriminate himself, but even the kids knew this person threatened their safety. 'Two.'

"Bad luck is a talent, right?" Hajime took steps back, hand scraping the wall until his nails felt an uneven surface. Hajime could still hear the kid's footsteps running down the stairs when he pressed the button, and the Otaku room exploded into a flurry of confetti, fireworks, and poles. Hajime could barely see the target, but he prepared his gun for the shot. 'Three.'

'Four.' Unable to detect his presence, Hajime used the last bullet to shoot on the other alternate path possible to escape the blast and remain on the floor level. The man managed to deflect the bullet with his arm, and Hajime kicked the thick fabric roll conveniently along his feet.

'Was it luck when the cloth semi-unravelled?' Hajime didn't have time to ponder, heading to the stairs as the floor continued to crumble.

Chapter Text

[14/15 Students of Class ███]

"How is everyone?!" Hajime asked the kids, running and triggering all the buttons to keep the threat out of all the hallways. Hajime knows he got the stranger smashed out of the building, but that was after the second attempt of triggering grade A traps destroying large sections of its respective floor.

'You got to be kidding me?' Reaching the fourth floor, Hajime swore he saw the stranger casually fall from the window. "How is that guy alive?"

"We're trapped!" Kokichi yelled out, and Hajime hoped the stranger danger didn't hear that.

"No such thing," Hajime reached the platform where his wards were, checking the decorations plastered along the walls. If Hajime were alone, he'd jump down the broken path. However, he wasn't sure what the stranger wanted with the kids. 'Even if I carry three kids at a time, we'll waste too much time.'

"I guess we're taking a shortcut," Hajime grabbed a rock on the ground to bash the emergency box panel, using his nail to scrap the sticker hiding the touch screen. Hajime thanked the heavens that he got children who stayed quiet, pressing a button hidden around the corner to activate the device.

"Oh~" Kaede cooed, and Hajime could feel their hands tugging his pants and shirt. The majority of the kids were looking at the flickering screen, their eyes twinkling in wonder, while Hajime typed the password. "Did the school make that?"

"Think of it as an abandoned project sponsored by rich kids," Hajime explained, surprised to see math problems before him. Initially, these secret routes were to dodge security patrols and reach the different floors without wasting time. However, the group handling the project got into a dispute, making most of the features hidden in various sceneries.

"This is going to take a while." Hajime tapped on the blank of the first question, ignoring the sound of people downstairs. "Your senior isn't good in math."

"We can help!" Miu argued, using the marker to vandalize the wall. Rantaro and Korekiyo are also pulling out stuff to solve the question. Hajime has no expectations of these kids, but he finds their attempts endearing. It's not every day you see kids willing to tackle university-level questions. "Word problems are easy."

"To avoid wasting time, we'll solve from bottom to top." The new girl grabbed the hem of her skirt and introduced herself. "I am Tojo Kirumi, nice to meet you. The girl close to the ledge is our classmate, Shirogane Tsumugi."

"Someone pull her away from death. Thanks," Hajime looked back to the screen to type his answer, hearing Kaede and Kaito tugging the curious girl. "Let me guess. Ryoma is a male student."

"Don't forget about me! I'm Chabashira Tenko!" The girl sounds like she's on the verge of tears if she didn't kick Hajime in the leg. "Meanie!"

"Don't harm, onii-chan!" Kaede yelled, and Hajime could feel his heartstrings tugged by the cuteness.

"What happens if you get the questions wrong?" Shuichi wondered, holding Hajime's pants. 

"I think we die-Ow!" Kokichi theorized but was hit by Maki. "Jeez. It was a lie!"

"From five, we have to answer ten. We can't make a mistake," Hajime filled up the second question, leaving three more.

"Something's happening downstairs," Angie hinted. "I think our new friend misses us!"

"That weirdo is not a friend!" Kaito denied it, while Hajime answered the third question. "He's a monster."

"Is it the usual violence?" Hajime asked, slightly sweating at the pressure. He could hear the reserve course students yelling at someone or something, detecting the same bad vibe his wards did. 'The video made everyone keen on detail. Ultimates themselves will have a hard time placating the mob of students.'

"No. It's that guy," Kokichi confirmed their suspicions. Hajime almost wished it was a lie.

"What does the worm mean?" Gonta asked while Hajime abstracted sub-structures as variables to shorten the equation.

"That's an integral. You'll learn these when you grow older," Hajime reassured, resting one hand on the wall and rechecking his solutions. Hajime answered the fourth question, having one last word question to his annoyance. "What are your answers, guys?"

"You answer fast," Himiko praised, but Hajime wished he could answer faster than usual. Above-average skills won't save anyone. "Like a wizard."

'... Am I praise starved?' Hajime pursed his lips, acknowledging his low immunity to praises. Hajime is growing attached to these kids in a matter of hours! Hajime closed his eyes. 'I don't remember being this innocent back in elementary!'

"We got it. The answer is fifteen, twenty, and eight!" Miu declared, and Hajime was debating whether to take the answer of the girl and risk losing the shortcut altogether. The last question was an age word problem, but each sentence interchanged Japanese and English, respectively, with three unknown variables.

"Trust us. We know what we're doing," Rantaro confirmed, and Hajime preferred to risk it rather than stay in the same area for two minutes. Hajime input the answers, hearing the screams below.

"Get on the elevator!" Hajime felt the platform tremble, quickly grabbing the arm of Angie and leading her away from the now collapsed edge. The building's structure is obviously compromised, but the activation of the secret route will seal the end of this gap.

"Did you kids do something to the guy, by the way?" Hajime finally had the time to check what was happening downstairs, seeing one of the reserve course karate chopped by the Kamukura wannabe. The kids are all rushing inside the elevator, trying to squeeze in an elevator that can only fit ten people. 'Maybe, he is Kamukura Izuru? He's fast.'

"I don't think so," Tsumugi huffed, pushing Gonta to the corner instead of crushing her side. "Are you sure we'll all fit?"

"No one gets left behind." Kaede declared, which sounds like a protagonist line if Hajime knew his Western movies.

"..." The anomalous danger probably heard her words because he looked at their area.

"More bad luck for you," Hajime used the empty gun to hit the stair rails, causing the floor connected to the stairs to collapse onto the floor beneath them.

'Convenient how this school didn't review their structural integrity,' Hajime turned to the elevator, bowing his head to enter the secret lift. They were cramped inside. Hajime held onto the railing to keep balance, lifting himself above the students and twisting his body to fit while one of the kids pressed the buttons to close the door. "What did you press?"

*thunk*

"Basement?" Shuichi whispered, which made today's event twice as chaotic. Only Hajime knew what laid underground, and those were the students obsessed to the video.

"This is so fun!" Tsumugi cheered, but Hajime shared the same sentiment as the dissatisfied noises from his wards. "It's like we're in a movie."

"What if that Kamukura guy pried the elevator open?" Kaito asked a very terrifying idea. However, the lights in the elevator were flickering and their area trembled because of something. "Would he come from above and jump on senior?"

"Unlikely." Hajime adjusted his grip, trying not to step on anyone. Since the elevator is a one-time use, Hajime needed to make a plan to ensure they all came out sane and with resources. "The threat might be strong enough to open the doors, but he will be forced to take another elevator that won't allow him to go to our destination."

"That's... Who designed this thing? That's like making a solution and problem at the same time." Miu frowned, but Hajime was just a user of the project.

"If it works, then we shouldn't complain." Korekiyo's voice was muffled, pressed against the wall as the elevator shook for the fifth time.

"Once we leave the elevator, you all stick close to me, okay?" Hajime came up with an idea, formulating a scheme to return to Natsumi's side and avoid bringing a threat to harm Chiaki. 'Hopefully, Sato doesn't complain.'

Chapter Text

*DING*

"Stay close," Hajime warned them, but Saihara Shuichi didn't see anything fancy in this bare room. Shuichi decided to cling close to his senior, letting his friends Kokichi, Kaito, Kirumi, and Kaede handle the rest of their classmates.

"What if Ryoma-kun is here?" Kaede whispered, and Hajime opened the door to reveal a new area. One thing Shuichi noticed was that everyone in the basement wore that creepy helmet. The right half was an ordinary white bear merging with a scary black bear on the left.

"Fair... Use my name and you grab whatever you can, okay?" Hajime relented, eventually facing a lady wearing a maid outfit. "Ah, ██████. It's been a while."

"How does he know everyone?" Kokichi seemed to dislike Hajime but agreed the latter was their ticket to safety. Shuichi blinked, seeing the wall at a side suddenly move. It was like they were in a movie, having secret passageways left and right.

"???" Shuichi noticed Hajime begin to move, trailing beside his savior to escape the blank hallway and enter a wide... Shuichi frowned, 'What is this place?'

...

"Mass production of Monokuma helmets and robots? Really?" Hajime chuckled, but the sheer thought that these students modified the basement into a strange facility was terrifying. The thing that Shuichi noticed the most were the monitors showcasing the Mutual Killing game video on loop.

'Monokuma...' Shuichi repeated the foreign term, seeing all the students wear helmets. The room was barely lit by the fluorescent lights, having school desks and chairs as furniture for the residents to use. Shuichi glanced to the side to see Kaede drag Kokichi and about half of their classmates along, leaving him and Kaito to watch over Gonta, Himiko, Angie, and Tenko.

"All voluntary," The maid explained while Tenko pulled Himiko away from staring at the monitor. None of the students moved, watching the video in anticipation. Based on the conversation with Hajime and the girl, the students here came together with mutual interests to create this 'secret society.' The group only allows reserve course students to join their ranks, but not everyone knows their existence. However, this society could explain why there are people with monobear helmets stalking the halls.

'Searching for likely candidates to join them?' Shuichi found that creepy. The elementary student knew the staff handling the West district had either fled before the student demonstration, died from oppressed students taking vengeance, or hidden somewhere awaiting rescue. The reserve course students were given club rooms to perform extracurricular activities, but the areas were merely the size of classrooms.

"I see you used the furniture of the mystery study group," Hajime gave a name to the area, the previous club assigned to the basement. Shuichi remembers Korekiyo and Himiko were past members of that club before moving on due to differences. "Anyways, are you all still in contact with those within the parade? I've noticed certain parts of the school activated their jammers."

'Parade?' Shuichi didn't ask many questions from the graduating student, but he could conclude that these people were referring to the student demonstrations outside. The maid is now spouting about revolution, wishing to kick Hope's Peak Academy out of the clouds and let those delusional people enter the harsh reality everyone is in. 'She's spouting about despair again.'

"How about we not go after the Ultimate Hope?" Hajime suggested, and Shuichi agreed with the sentiment. According to the lady, the Ultimate Hope is not just a monster, but a pinnacle of human evolution the school wishes to use for whatever purposes.

"NO!" The maid suddenly convulsed in rage, and Shuichi tugged Hajime to take a step back. Fingers twitching, the woman declared. "The research funding for that Ultimate Hope was from our precious budget, Hajime! It's not just our money, but our hope! Imagine waiting for months in this hellhole, doing everything we can to join those elitists, only to discover the damn school used us to create this damn hope?!"

"It's not fair! How the hell is that fair?! The hope those bastards praise so much is bullshit, and we're swimming in it! As if we're going to drown in the shit they've made, right?!" The girl screamed at Hajime with the rest hiding behind him. She took a deep breath and placed her hands behind her back. Her voice is back to her nice tone, " That's why we can't give up. We will give them a taste of their own medicine. Those fuckers had it coming."

"... Yeah," Hajime agreed, already walking down the hallway.

"Don't you want a map? We've changed the place quite a lot for the past month!" The maid told Hajime, but none wanted to see the girl enter another rage fit.

"I'm fine! Thanks," Hajime called out, scanning the area as they reached the other hall. They kept walking, observing the monitors. The people were sitting idle, eyes strained at the screens. They were muttering to themselves, something Shuichi couldn't comprehend, but the screen started flashing lights.

"The torture of a Board member," Hajime summarized, and Kaito dragged his friends to stop looking at the grotesque imageries. The screams of the man on the screen echoed the silence, blood-curdling wails of agony. As if the video wasn't a skit, Shuichi heard the familiar noise of people fighting. The sound of glass shattering and water splatters. His parents had frequently led him to the studio, to watch the action movies his mother had a role in. "And then, the creator of the video merged it with that video."

"2250 times..." Someone spoke to Hajime's remark. "Watching the video for that long, analyzing these ultimates symbolizing hope devolve into animals... Discarding hope just to save themselves?"

"Hope is nothing more than a trivial thing, right?" The student whispered, but Hajime didn't respond. The man didn't need a response as the video showed the tragic death of two couples. "False promise for the fools."

"Haji-nii!" Kaede called out, and everyone turned to see the group of kids carrying their unconscious friend. Shuichi could also see Maki, Miu, and Kokichi carrying bags of goodies. "We found Ryoma-kun."

[15/15 Students of Class ███]

"Good. Let's go," Hajime pet Shuichi's head, dragging his feet as the room echoed with the video's familiar screams. Shuichi scrutinized their friend, making a couple of speculations until Rantaro answered his confusion.

"He was watching the video. We had to knock him out."

"..." Shuichi wasn't sure what else to say but allowed Rantaro and Korekiyo to continue carrying their friend. Hajime didn't respond to the sentence, leading them back to the narrow hallways.

"██████ said they captured a bunch of adults to maintain the facility. I'm curious who they are," Hajime told the suspicious student guarding the area.

"Bad time, bro. We plan on torturing them tonight. You'll miss all the good stuff," The guy laughed but smacked Hajime's back to let him go forward. Hajime received a knife from the man snickering. "I got your back. Feel free to fuck them over!"

"Only a peek," Hajime told the group, reaching the end. He flung the door, showing a cell with two adults inside. None of them knew who those two were, but Hajime probably did. The brunette muttered, "Well if you look at that. Two of the members of the Steering Committee got captured by nobodies."

"Shouldn't we save them?" Kaito tried to whisper, but it was pretty loud. Maki looked ready to pull out her knife to stab the man if the stranger turned around to hunt them. "We're the good guys, right?"

"Pretty sure Hope's Peak sees us as the bad guys," Tsumugi shook her head.

"That's true. No one can leave to preserve the school's reputation," Hajime agreed with her, hinting that escape would be extremely difficult. Shuichi hoped Hajime would bring them along to the end.

"Wait!" One of them noticed their presence, immediately grabbing the iron bars and calling out. "HELP US! PLEASE! WE'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING!"

"Anything?" Hajime cupped his chin, and Shuichi could hear the guard's laughter. The guards watched them, testing their loyalty. Shuichi wasn't sure. Hajime didn't care, leaning against the door.

"YES! Just get us out here-!"

"No," Hajime interrupted the old man, barely shouting but his tone sent chills. Hajime's voice is low and dark, demanding people to listen to his words like a mean professor. "I would've accepted if it were the other person, but you... █████████. Aren't you known as the devil of contracts?"

"I... I won't.." The adult stuttered, and Shuichi glanced at the guards watching. Their guns are pointing at the floor.

"The reason why most of the participants of the Hope Cultivation Project either committed suicide or entered the experiment to die..." Hajime disclosed very sensitive information. His voice is dripping with venom more lethal than the maid they met. "If I weren't with the kids, maybe I would torture you myself."

"You're that kid-!" The man finally recognized Hajime, but his words were muffled by the guards goading the angry brunette. "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!"

"Onii-chan..." Shuichi and Kaede tugged Hajime's shirt, calling his attention. Hajime sighed, taking a step back.

"Very lucky," Hajime closed the door, ignoring the screams begging for forgiveness. A few steps along the hallway, the man is now belittling and vowing vengeance against their senior. Shuichi felt the man on the verge of a mental breakdown, believing he still had control over a past victim. "Keep walking up until you reach the end. Push the ceiling and we'll arrive in the kitchen."

"Boring~" One of the students called out as Hajime stopped in a random portion of the hallway. One of the guards is coming close to their direction, making a surprised tone when Hajime pushes a certain part of the walls to reveal a secret passage route.

"Are you sure you don't want to join? I'm sure Madam would love to meet you, " the guard said as Hajime let the kids head up first. The new route was dark except for the bottom steps, which probably led them back to the ground floor.

"Me? No way. Anything I can do, you guys can do it better." Hajime supported this guy's ego, and it worked. Hajime turned back to face them, smiling at the duo. "Waiting for me? That's nice of you."

Chapter Text

[15/15 Students of Class ███]

"Onii-chan..." Shuichi whispered, staring at the guy they were supposed to escape half an hour ago, a few feet away. "Aren't you going to tell her?"

"That would cause panic," Hajime sat at the edge of the trunk, recently receiving a lecture from an annoyed female classmate. Thankfully, Sato was focused on checking the rest of Shuichi's friends, believing Hajime to be a brute.

"Wouldn't it be bad if security saw us bring the guy to the Main Course building?" Shuichi asked, avoiding using the name and risking their safety. It's from the female student named Sato that Shuichi learned Hajime demanded to recruit students around the building, but the same female didn't expect Hajime to recruit an entire class section of kids.

"Koizumi's problem, not ours..." Hajime rested his arm on the side panel of the car. Shuichi learned Hajime drove this vehicle to reach the area in the morning. It was a huge car that could fit seven people. Sato recruited six students, expecting Hajime to convince one or no one to join the team. Apparently, Hajime dislikes the majority of the people in their department. It's opposite the information Shuichi gathered while staying close to his spiky-haired senior.

"I don't think we can all fit..." Miu bumped her head on the car, recently checking the car's engine. Miu seems to idolize the Ultimate Mechanic's work, but Hajime ruins her fervor by pointing out that the car is a prototype, something that has flaws. Souda Kazuichi also made it without following protocol. "Even if we all sit on each other's laps! It's too small."

"At least Ryoma-kun is awake," Kaede tried to offer, holding her right elbow at the possibility the duo would leave them behind. They don't have any idea how to get out of this place. Hajime also told them that security is keeping them locked inside, possibly going to beat them up like the people in the student demonstration.

"The road will be too bumpy, so some of us might fall off at the back," Rantaro is checking the exposed trunk of the car, glancing at the distance where they'll have to move to the forest parts to avoid wandering security. Speaking of the back of the trunk, there is a human-sized android Sato received from a professor. According to Sato, Professor Idabashi insists they take his masterpiece to safety. Its name is K1-B0.

"How about I drive the kids and you hike with our friends?" Sato suggested, making Hajime glance at the students the latter dragged along. There are three males and two females... And the guy Shuichi and his classmates believe to be Kamukura Izuru.

"First, you ask me to save lives. Then, you insult my actions for taking kids. Now, you're shoving your problem in my lap?" Hajime reached his limit, but Shuichi couldn't blame Sato's reasoning. While it's heroic of Hajime to save a bunch of grade schoolers, they're not exactly as capable as high school students. They were liabilities in a chaotic environment.

"Not so loud! Are you trying to pick a fight?" Sato hushed, but they were outside the school building and debating on their next move. One strange thing Maki noticed was how the other reserve course students weren't paying attention to them. Well, they are but they seem to recognize Hajime as a friend.

"Fight? I'm not the one who recruited ██████ wanting to rape ███ before you two. Don't get me started with ████████, who just cries and backstabs people, not like ███████ minds being a fucking masochist. Sure, I'm the unreasonable one.." Hajime spilled the tea, causing the high schoolers to look at each other. Distracting Sato's group, Hajime grabbed something from the sling bag Tsumugi gave him.

"Can't we see the good side of people? Just because you know their past doesn't mean they'll do it now. We're all in this together. We don't have time for these things. We have to survive this," Sato inadvertently points out that she got these guys because they specialize in something. Maybe? Shuichi only knows one of them looks like a good fighter.

"No. I'm only obligated to save you..." Hajime threw something at Sato, a revolver with six shots. He suggests another solution, drumming his fingers on the leg of the inactive android. "You take the car with your friends while I hike with the kids."

"That would be too much! Why would we let the kids walk?" Sato made a good point, but Shuichi's friends would walk rather than have the scary guy with them.

"We don't mind walking!" Kaede voiced out, complemented by Kirumi. "An afternoon walk will do good for our health!"

"Angie can gather wood for her creation~" Angie cheered, but Shuichi and Hajime focused on the android behind them. The young detective swore the robot twitched for a second. Himiko's yawn is audibly heard, the young mage leaning against Angie.

"Gonta has lots of friends. They will guide us to safety!" Gonta says with a large Rhinoceros Beetle crawling on his head. Korekiyo raised his hand, resisting the urge to flick the bug.

"I trust senior!" Kaito yelled, raising Maki's hand as well. "We've gone this far with him. We'll be fine!"

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm sticking with my friends," Hoshi Ryoma spoke up, flipping around his tennis racket as a new weapon in case of emergencies.

"If he does anything bad to us, we can all beat him up! I promise!" Tenko indirectly threatened the guy who saved them, and Tsumugi laughed at their friend's words.

"If luck is on our side, we can find another vehicle to hijack!" Miu fist pumped, which was supposedly better than Tenko's remark.

"I mean... That's democracy," One of the females told Sato. She was the same girl who made everyone notice Hajime's eyes were turning a murky brown compared to his usual dull green. Sato believes her words because the latter is one of the informants of the school, taking note of every single detail of the student body. That makes Shuichi wonder how no one noticed the strange presence of Kamukura Izuru... Maybe that guy isn't Kamukura Izuru after all? "Let them go, Sato-san."

"C-CAaAnn I-I-I Join Too?"

"..." Hajime didn't turn but Shuichi did. 

"Oh. K1-B0 is awake," Shuichi remarked, staring at a white-haired person with a huge ahoge like an antennae. The body looks like a school uniform, but it's a bulky robot with light buttons. This robot also looks like someone who can fit in his class. The eyelights were the best part, a secondary flashlight if night came.

"Eh.." Hajime shrugged, squinting at Sato pointing at his face. "What?"

[16/15 Students of Class ███]

"What did you press?! This shouldn't be happening! The professor told me he's undergoing system repairs!" Sato gave a very confusing statement. "If he breaks, it's on you."

"Why are you blaming me for something I can't control again? Blame Professor Idabashi instead," Hajime matched his words by rolling his eyes. Shuichi didn't focus much on his senior's talk, helping the curious robot to sit up and examine his... her... Their surroundings?

"Wow! A robot classmate!" Kokichi cheered, and Shuichi should make sure his friend did not bully their new friend. Shuichi stood up alongside Hajime, helping the robot leave the trunk. "If he's a guy, did the professor give him a di-?"

"Ouma-kun!" Kaede censored. "That's so mean!"

"I may have the appearance of a robot, but I am a student just like you..." K1-B0 spoke in a robotic voice. "... That is the directive my creator programmed in me."

Chapter Text

[16/15 Students of Class ███]

When Hajime told Sato and her team to go first, Shuichi thought it was creating distance from the threat... Until a random student gave Hajime a freebie. Sato agreed but told Hajime to hoard the stuff people gave him in case of emergencies. They spent about ten minutes lounging by the entrance, receiving bags. Ryoma ate a couple of snacks while Hajime distributed the goodie bags for everyone to carry.

Once everyone had bags of food and weapons, they set off on their pseudo-class trip to the forest. It's been twenty minutes since they last saw Sato when Hajime disclosed that the mechanic's car would combust upon reaching the first barrier separating the main building from the other facilities. It seems Hajime knew the students wandering outside their building had planted some intricate explosives onto the car.

"Sato better get out of the car after hearing the record on the phone I gave her. I don't know what Koizumi would do if I showed her Sato's corpse..." Hajime let K1-B0 lead, having the robot light their way. Shuichi continues to walk beside Hajime, making sure he can see all of his classmates. Their senior chose to stay at the back and told K1-B0 to alert everyone of any threat. "Sorry if you wanted to take a break, Saihara."

"It's okay..." Shuichi didn't mind having supplies dropped on them. It reminds him that there's still good in the world. "We do feel safe with you."

"..." Hajime looked constipated for some reason. Did he say something wrong?

"What's wrong? They're good bugs!" Gonta is scaring the girls at the distance. Shuichi can see Kokichi running to their side, slamming against Hajime's leg.

"Senior! I missed you~" Kokichi lied. "Are we there yet?"

"Ten more minutes since we're taking a shortcut," Hajime answered, checking the skies. "We'll arrive around dinner. I wonder what will happen once we get there?"

"Hopefully, we have somewhere to stay," Shuichi muttered, trying to deduce what could theoretically happen. "We need to plan an escape."

"Senior will bring us with him, right?" Kokichi swung his bags, observing Hajime's expressions.

"Hmm..." Hajime wasn't sure either. "If you're willing to take risks, why not?"

"Neh..." Himiko asked, stopping like everyone else when they saw a particular sight. Hajime eventually caught up to the group, making Shuichi take note of the corpses and destroyed remains of the car. "Is this normal?"

"The water is red... Therefore, people are dead." Korekiyo stated something everyone wanted to ignore. "Not sure how many. Some bodies don't float after death."

"I will pray their souls return to Atua," Angie placed her hands together, but Tenko crossed her arms.

"Wonder where security went?" Ryoma checked the area, but Hajime did say security was thin.

"Damn. Who knows how to swim-" Hajime grabbed the thrown projectile, turning his head to see the angry female soaked from head to foot. Shuichi can confirm Sato is alive with a gash wound on her leg. The car may have exploded, and the female jumped out directly to the artificial pond. Hajime congratulated. "You're alive."

"Yeah, and only two of our friends survived!" Sato was really mad, but no one seemed to care. The reason why they didn't see the three was because they changed in the nearby trees. The survivors were the guy Hajime dubbed to be a masochist and the female who backstabs people. Kamukura Izuru is nowhere to be found. "Why are you such an ass? You think getting out of this place is easy by yourself?"

"Yep," Hajime answered a rhetorical question. "Difficulty increases with the people I bring along."

"I sense no threat within our vicinity," K1-B0 told Hajime, sticking close to the brunette as the oldest parental authority.

"You mean active threat?" Hajime hinted, and K1-B0 started heating up. Shuichi continued to observe Kaede and Kirumi calming Sato down. It seems everyone figured out Sato trusts females more than males.

"Too much for you?" Hajime pats the robot, treating him like a kid. Shuichi noticed a tree on the verge of falling, slanting down and hovering before them. When will it fall? Shuichi wished it fell and caused no injuries. "That's okay. This can be a source of experience."

"Nothing's getting in that head of yours, huh?" Sato exhaled, disliking her classmate by the second. Shuichi wonders what happened between the two for Hajime to act rudely. Hajime didn't act this bad when they met. "Whatever. I get it. You're only doing this for Mahiru, you selfish piece of..."

"Wait." Hajime threw the thrown dagger, somehow cutting a tree down. It almost lands on Sato, crashing behind her and causing her skirt to flow.

*THUD* The two students stepped back, but Sato stood frozen in place.

*clap clap* Himiko clapped at the near-death performance, thinking Hajime had done a magic trick. The knife pierced the tree clean, making it look like Hajime did magic.

"You were saying?" Hajime cupped his chin, acting as if he had done nothing wrong. Everyone stopped speaking because of what Hajime did, destroying the friendly atmosphere.

"Sorry about that," Hajime apologized, but his voice lacked sincerity. "The tree was bothering Saihara and me for a while. It's a Chekhov's gun waiting to happen. I can't let anyone die from a tree. What a boring death if that happens..."

"Let's go." Sato turned away, but Shuichi could see her hands trembling. Why is she scared? Hajime gave a decent explanation of why he cut the tree. The tree is even somewhat burnt, probably from a firecracker.

Chapter Text

"Hinata-kun?" A concerned voice pierced through the white noise filling his mind.

"Huh?" Hajime blinked, finding himself in the Principal's office. The last thing he remembered was walking down the hallway, listening to a soft tune playing within the school.

'What happened?' Scanning the people within the room, Hajime concluded his classmate Natsumi caused enough ruckus to attract the attention. The brunette doesn't know the details, but that has to explain why Class 77-B is also inside the room alongside some alumni. 'I can't remember anything.'

"Come again?" Hajime asked, unconsciously raising his hand to cover his left eye. He theorized that music broadcasting in the school shouldn't be listened to by anyone.

"Don't you wish to talk about your side of the story, Hinata-kun?" Kirigiri Jin asked, polite and hopeful.

"Story..." Hajime guessed this adult listened to the words of Natsumi, Sato, and Shuichi about the current affairs of the Reserve Course department. He doesn't know what else to say.

"It's the same as the others," Hajime replied, and he noticed Kizakura Koichi spit out his alcohol. That flask has to contain alcohol based on the design.

"The same?" The headmaster stares at him, flabbergasted. The head of security seems to be glaring at him, probably aware of how Hajime has this urge to grab something and squeeze it so hard until-

"You're the primary reason your classmates are out of the area. You infiltrated the area twice," Principal Jin seems confused about his actions, fortunately dragging Hajime away from his thoughts. Hajime couldn't help but single out that faint trace of desperation in this adult's voice. The headmaster is searching for a solution to the chaos brought on by the school's actions. "You must have something to say. Something you've seen."

"I've seen what everyone else saw..." Hajime closed his eyes, recalling his objective. If Chiaki and Mahiru won't protect the kids, he'll bring them along if the principal refuses to let them go. Hajime wonders if his parents will let him sleep for a week. "That's it."