Chapter Text
The front gate of Hope's peak Academy stood before me, open wide, inviting me in to the road to my future.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?
My name is Chihiro Fujisaki, and I'm the Ultimate Programmer. I've been invited to attend Hope's Peak Academy, the top school in the nation for Ultimates such as myself. It's more than a bit of an honor, and, if I'm honest, I'm nervous. There's no telling what my fellow classmates will be like, nor what the school year will bring. But there's no turning back once I step into the building, I know that for sure. The path to my future, wherever it may go, starts here.
I enter the building, and darkness surrounds me. It's not scary, for some reason. It's normal. Comforting, almost. The doors behind me are gone, and all that's left is a door in front of me. My footsteps are silent, my movements as if I never existed, as I make my way over to the door. Sliding it open with ease, I enter the room.
It's a classroom, and other people; my classmates, I imagine; crowd around desks and the perimeter. There's not many of us, so maybe I'm not the last to arrive? I stand myself near one of the desks, and catch the attention of a boy. He's wearing a hoodie, and his hair is styled in such a way that one piece spikes up oddly.
"Hey, you're another of our classmates?" he asks, to which I nod. "Nice! I'm Makoto Naegi, what's your name?"
"I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, nice to meet you." I reply, my voice surprisingly confident for what I imagined I'd feel like. Something about this Makoto seems really approachable, really nice. "I'm the Ultimate Programmer, what's your talent?"
"Heh, that's the thing," Makoto says, seeming sheepish, "I wouldn't really call mine a talent, it's more of a chance thing. Apparently I was drawn in the school lottery, so they put me in as the Ultimate Lucky Student." He got in just by luck? That seemed more impressive than he was making it out to be...
"Well, you're here now, so it can't be that underwhelming, can it?"
"I guess you're right." He is about to say something more, but the door opens again, and another person enters. This girl has purple hair, long and straight, and she seems to have an aura of mystery. Makoto whips around to see, before turning back to me. "I kinda wanna go introduce myself, is it alright with you if I head over there?"
"Y-yeah, why not?" I say, and he walks over to the new girl. I'm now aware of the bustle and chatter around me, mixing hostility and friendliness depending on who interacts with who. I remember now that I did do a bit of research (not to mention hacking into a portion of the school's database), so I can, for the most part, identify some of my classmates. Some people I recognize, like the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata, as well as the Ultimate Swimmer, Aoi Asahina. Some people I more or less guess at, knowing name and talent, but not face. The girl with the long braids and circular glasses could be Touko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy; and the girl with the extravagant outfit and black drills is probably Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler.
That being said, while I know about people, I don't exactly know how to introduce myself... I'd probably end up making a fool of myself, and they might get angry with me... Makoto was nice enough, but the others probably aren't as welcoming...
My thoughts are interrupted as the door swings open yet again. This time, a rather dazed looking redhead steps in. Her eyes match her hair, and she's clutching a notebook tightly to her rather noticeable chest. She glances around, before opening said notebook and scribbling something in it. She looks up again, and her gaze lands on me, and I realize I'm the only one unoccupied with a conversation. She makes her way over to me, and smiles. I feel the same way I felt when talking to Makoto, like this person would welcome anything and everything that others were, without judgement or question.
"Hi! I'm..." she trails off, flipping through her notebook, "...Ryouko Otonashi, apparently! And I have severe short and long term memory loss, so..." she looks up at me and stops, her expression showing confusion. "What am I doing here? Who are you?"
"I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, we're in Hope's Peak Academy." I reply, seeing already the effects of Ryouko's condition.
"Right, okay, lemme write that down... also, apparently I'm Ryouko Otonashi! It's nice to meet you." She begins to wander off, around the room, and I'm almost thankful for it. However, it isn't long before something else disrupts the peace.
"Ahem, seeing as we're all here now..." A blonde teen says, raising his voice above the chatter. I vaguely recognize his face, but judging from the outfit, the glasses, and how he holds himself all high and mighty, he must be Byakuya Togami, heir to the Togami conglomerate. What a talent, Ultimate Heir... did he even have to do anything to get in?
"Wait, this is everyone?" Aoi, I'm sure that's her, speaks up.
"Of course. There are fifteen desks, and there are fifteen of us here including the new girl. It's obvious if you bother to think about it."
"Well, what now?" A big guy with an outrageous hairstyle (I can't decide if it looks like corn or a baguette) says, arms crossed. I read the words "Crazy Diamonds" on the back of his coat, and identify him. Mondo Oowada, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. He's more than a little intimidating, but he also looks so strong... if only I could be strong like that... I realize that Byakuya's started talking again, and tune back in to the conversation.
"-does anyone actually remember how they got into this classroom?" His question strikes me as odd, of course I remember... wait, what do I remember? I went into Hope's Peak, then... the darkness isn't just normal anymore, it's that I cannot remember walking to the classroom. The doors are all that I remember. It seems everyone else is thinking similar things, as no one answers the heir's question.
"In that case, everyone here is in the same, unnatural predicament. We're all here and we don't know why or how we got to this classroom, save stepping onto campus. I'm assuming that is what happened to all of you, correct?"
"So that wasn't just me?" A blue-haired girl (Sayaka Maizono, perhaps?) pipes up, obviously a little shaken.
"E-even if it's just a coincidence, it makes no sense..." The girl who I think is Touko Fukawa mutters.
"So, the only answer is that it isn't a coincidence." Byakuya says, "Meaning we can only speculate who is responsible for this phenomenon."
"W-well, that might not be our biggest issue-!" A rather large, tubby-looking guy starts, "I mean, we should probably focus on why we can't get out of here!" That's news to me, the doors were working just fine a minute ago...
"Whaddya mean, we can't leave?" Mondo says, stomping over to the door. He pulls on it with all his might, but it doesn't budge an inch. "It- it won't open!"
"Well, yeah, I wanted to check and see if anyone else was coming, but it was shut tight!" The other guy says.
"There's only one conclusion then!" Another guy; with a stark white uniform, clean cut black hair, and stern red eyes; declares, "We are locked in here!"
"L-locked in?" I stutter, before I can stop myself. "B-but, why?"
"Maybe it's some sort of entrance exam?" Makoto says.
"No, I've done extensive research on this school, and no such entrance exam exists." The purple haired girl says.
"We could be a special case," Makoto points out, "I mean, what other explanation is there?"
"That's wrong, this is not an entrance exam!" A new voice says. It's high and almost bubbly sweet, but I can't find where it's coming from.
"What was that just now?" Byakuya says, looking around. Everyone else is doing the same, searching for the source of the voice.
"Who said that?" Leon says. He turns to me. "Was it you?"
"N-no!" I sputter.
"Uhm, it was me!"
"Hey," Makoto says, "it's coming from behind the teacher's desk!"
"Alright! It seems everyone has arrived! So, it is time to begin!" With those words, a weird pink glow materializes on top of the desk. With a flash, suddenly there's a pink rabbit standing on top of the desk! Or rather, a cartoony rabbit, with a skirt, a wand, wings, and little pink bows.
"W-what is that?" Touko (I'm sure of it, that has to be her!) says.
"It looks like a stuffed animal..." The largest girl in the room says. I don't recognize her, but she's huge... looks strong, too.
"That's right!" The rabbit chirps, "I am a squeezably soft stuffed animal! I'm Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami, or just Usami! I may not look like it, but I am your squeezably soft teacher. Nice to meet you all!"
Things had just gone from strange to downright freaky. As the conversation and confusion continued, I could only attempt to process what exactly was happening. This was Hope's Peak Academy... supposedly, and I couldn't remember how I got into this classroom. There were fourteen other students, two of which I had met, and our teacher was a stuffed rabbit named Usami?
This didn't even feel real at this point... but of course, once I though things couldn't get any weirder...
"Your fun field trip starts now!" Usami said, raising her paws (and magic wand thing) into the air with glee.
The walls then proceeded to fall away, revealing a beach of all things!
Soft waves rolled onto the sand, and the sun shone brighter than I'd ever seen it before. Palm trees dotted the beach, and the air smelled both sweet and fresh. My cares seemed to wash away with the waves, as while things were still as strange as can be, I decided now wasn't the time to care. I could have fun, I could enjoy myself and not worry about school or other negativities that plagued me. Some of the others were freaking out, but some, such as Makoto and Aoi, were relishing in the new scenery. If I was honest, I felt like I was in some sort of dream, just floating along without rhyme or reason. That was the only reasonable explanation for something like this: it wasn't real. It just couldn't be.
Even as Usami announced the start of our "Heart-Throbbing Field Trip", I continued to deny the world's existence with every passing second. Paradise or not, there was no reason to believe it. After all, if reality and fantasy merged, there would be no point in enjoying it, and risking fear and despair slipping into an otherwise peaceful and fun experience...
...something within me felt like laughing at the idea.