Chapter Text
#01 YEAR 1 – April
Beginnings & Hajime's Resolve
That day... it wasn’t just a typical day for him.
It was a day that felt... truly significant.
When that long-awaited moment finally came, he felt proud in a way he couldn’t quite put into words.
It felt like... he had become part of something greater than himself. Did that even make sense?
Hope’s Peak Academy...
That place was so much more than just a school to him.
Hope’s Peak Academy was a government-funded institution for the privileged elite of society.
It recruited top students from every imaginable field to inspire hope—and in doing so, shape the future.
Whenever Hope’s Peak Academy was mentioned, it was only a matter of time before someone said, “If you come here and manage to graduate, you’ll be set for life.”
That wasn’t a joke or an exaggeration at all.
Many of the current leaders of various industries were alumni of this school...
It truly was the Academy of Hope.
He remembered there were two criteria you had to meet to attend this school...
One: you had to be a current high school student. Two: you had to be the very best at what you did.
Then the school would scout you itself...
That was how Hope’s Peak Academy usually operated, anyway.
And because of the talents of those who were chosen, the students of Hope’s Peak Academy were called Ultimates.
But even though he was finally going to the school he had desired more than anything else... he couldn’t shake a lingering sense of unease.
Hajime Hinata stood there, gazing wistfully at the main course building in front of him.
It was huge, clean, and somewhat imposing.
The walls were sleek and immaculate, the windows tall and polished, reflecting the light in a way that made the whole place seem almost distant.
There was a certain quiet dignity to it... but also something cold, as if it belonged to a completely different world.
Hajime slowly walked forward, approaching the main gates as though he were finally about to enter the academy itself.
But in the end, he never actually did.
Instead, he quietly turned away from the grand entrance and took a different path-one that led elsewhere, toward the place that had been meant for him from the very beginning.
The Reserve Course.
There weren’t any entrance exams at this academy for the Ultimates.
But for people like him, there were. And boy, had it been a struggle!
Hajime had originally attended Kodaka High School, a rather unremarkable place, fitting for someone like him. He still vividly remembered studying day and night for the entrance exams back in February, just for the chance to transfer to Hope’s Peak Academy. The anticipation of the results the following month had been... intense, to say the least.
But somehow, he had barely passed. Great! Nothing would stop him and his dream now, right?
Of course, there was a catch.
Reserve Course students were required to pay a rather hefty entrance fee and tuition to enroll in such an acclaimed, high-prestige school. His parents weren’t poor, per se, but they were far from rich. Hajime had been prepared to give up his one and only dream, but miraculously, his parents managed to cobble together enough money to grant him this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, at least for the foreseeable future.
It turned out they had used up all their personal savings, which made Hajime feel rather terrible. Deep down, he knew they hadn’t really expected him to make it this far-that a place like Hope’s Peak was far beyond someone like him, too difficult, too out of reach.
And yet, they had done it anyway.
His parents had simply reassured him that they were doing it out of love.
He didn’t fully understand it, but he couldn’t possibly let them down now, could he?
As he walked along the road, he began to worry about how they could realistically keep up with those fees. Would they have to work even more overtime? Hajime clenched his fist and closed his eyes, trying to stop that seed of worry from taking root in his mind, like it usually did.
When he reached the western side of campus, he could immediately tell the atmosphere was different.
The main building of the Reserve Course seemed much smaller and more meek than the grand structure of the Main Course he had stared at from afar. It was practically a sad imitation of the original building! Behind it stood a huge L-shaped dormitory building that could house hundreds of students.
Hajime sighed and made his way toward the dorms.
As he walked, he noticed a few fellow students passing by. He didn’t pay them much attention, because to him, they all blurred together into vague blue silhouettes, gossiping to one another as they went.
Was he the same? Just another unremarkable figure walking into this school, blending in and having no noteworthy reason to exist?
Who was he trying to deceive? Of course he was.
And yet, at this moment, even though he was no different from everybody else, he arguably felt more alone than ever before.
Still, there was a part of him that clung on desperately. Maybe if he attended this school and graduated, then perhaps he could become something of note. Perhaps he could be somebody after all.
He didn’t know what to call it.
But it felt like hope.
“Finally...” he muttered as he found his room.
The door was identical to all the others, the only way to differentiate them being the rather plain four-digit number displayed on each one.
Hajime took the keys given to him by the school staff and unlocked the door.
His room was rather small, but tidy and somewhat comfortable for what it was, at least.
He set his suitcases down and looked at himself in the mirror, his reflection’s green eyes seeming to pierce right through him.
“Look at you, gloomy as always. Brighten up a bit, will you? This is your big day,” he told himself in a slightly teasing tone.
Trying his best to curl his lips into a faint smile, he changed his clothes-away from the simple white shirt and green tie, along with his dark pants and red-and-white sneakers, and into the black Reserve Course uniform.
It looked... acceptable, though he wouldn’t call it very memorable.
He ran a comb through his somewhat spiky brown hair, sighed, and left his room, heading toward his unknown future.
The halls were beginning to fill up with more students by the time he arrived, though the atmosphere was nowhere near as polished as the grand impression Hope’s Peak tried to sell from the outside. The Reserve Course side of campus felt crowded, ordinary, and somehow more tired, like everyone here had already accepted that this was all they were getting.
Hajime couldn’t quite tell whether that made him feel better or worse...
Probably worse.
By the time he reached his homeroom class, the first bell had already nearly finished ringing. He slipped inside quietly, trying not to draw attention to himself.
Officially, school had started a few weeks earlier, but due to some complications, Hajime’s arrival had been delayed-leaving it late April already instead of the beginning of the month.
He doubted anyone would notice though...
The room was simple. Rows of desks. A chalkboard. A plain teacher’s desk at the front. No flashy displays and no high-tech equipment. Just paper, pens, notebooks, and the kind of old-fashioned classroom setup that made the whole place feel even more second-rate.
Not that he should have expected much more...
Still, seeing it in person made the difference sting a little.
The Ultimates had these so called e-Handbooks. They were sleek little devices that held their class schedules, maps, rules, profiles, and all sorts of convenient functions. Reserved Course students got none of that. Just standard books, standard pencils, standard... everything.
He couldn’t wait to memorize his new schedule. What a thrill!
Truly a fitting beginning to his school life, huh?
His homeroom teacher was already there.
And the moment Hajime saw him, he immediately understood that this was going to be a long year.
The man had a harsh face and an even harsher voice, the kind of teacher who looked as though he had entered the profession purely to make other people miserable. He glared at the class with open irritation, his arms folded, as if every student in the room had personally offended him just by existing.
“Sit down,” he barked. “Some of you might still think you’re special, I’d recommend getting over that delusion quickly.”
Wonderful.
Across the room, several students were already looking uncomfortable. Some stared at their desks. Others were pretending not to listen. One or two looked like they had already mentally checked out before the day had even begun.
Hajime did not blame them.
The teacher continued in the same flat, biting tone.
“Hope’s Peak Academy may have let you into the Reserve Course, but do not mistake that for any kind of achievement. You are here because your families paid for the privilege. That is all.”
Hajime lowered his eyes.
No argument there.
The teacher paced slowly at the front of the room.
“If you are lucky, perhaps you will manage to graduate with something resembling a future. If not, then try not to waste the school’s time pretending you matter.”
A few students shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
Hajime’s hands tightened around the edge of his notebook.
He should probably raise his hand at some point, right? Ask a question, make himself visible-act like a proper student…
He glanced at the teacher at the front of the room once more.
…Yeah. No thanks.
Hajime quickly lowered his head and decided that staying silent was the safer option.
Unfortunately, the teacher did not seem to care much for silence either.
“You,” he said abruptly, pointing at a boy in the front row who had been trying very hard to disappear into his own collar. “Read the passage.”
The boy flinched, scrambled for the textbook, and began reading... far too quickly.
The teacher clicked his tongue.
“Slower. Or do you plan on speaking like that forever?”
The class remained painfully still.
Hajime glanced around once, then back toward the front.
So this was going to be his life, then.
He glanced out the window and caught sight of the main campus in the distance. Even from here, it seemed completely untouched by all this-bright, pristine… and out of reach.
He wondered if the Ultimates were all laughing in their classrooms while the Reserve Course got humiliated with pencil shavings and chalk dust.
Probably.
It felt like they were part of two completely different worlds despite being on the same grounds.
He should have expected that.
Yet he still hated it.
The class dragged on.
And on.
And on.
By the time the first lesson ended, Hajime felt like all the energy had been drained out of him before noon.
The work was… tiring in a way he hadn’t expected. The teacher was relentless, the pace was unpleasant, and every time someone hesitated or answered incorrectly, there was a sharp remark waiting for them.
Hajime kept his mouth shut the entire time.
Not because he had no questions...
Because he had way too many.
A few seats away, he noticed a girl with long, wavy dark-green hair and violet eyes quietly packing up her things. She wore the standard Reserve Course uniform as everyone else: a long-sleeved dress shirt, red tie, black pleated skirt, brown shoes, and matching socks. Yet there was something deliberate about the way she carried herself, as if she’d made a conscious effort to appear put-together, even here.
Hajime vaguely remembered hearing that she had joined the Reserve Course because she had been friends with an Ultimate in middle school and wanted to follow her.
He wondered if she regretted it.
The girl glanced his way for a moment, then looked back down as she slid her notebook into her bag.
Sato, Hajime remembered vaguely.
He wasn’t sure why he remembered her name already...
Maybe because she looked like one of the few people in the room who actually had the energy to still care about something?
Or maybe because she looked like someone who had also made a choice she wasn’t entirely sure about.
Either way, he didn’t say anything.
But the room was dissolving into a dozen little conversations, and Hajime didn’t want to be the odd one out before he had even survived a full morning.
The cafeteria was somehow worse than he expected.
He had thought the food might at least be decent, given that Hope’s Peak was supposed to be a prestigious school with a grand reputation and all that nonsense.
Instead, the meal he got was bland, forgettable, and somehow managed to taste expensive and cheap at the same time.
How... did they even do that?
He stared at the tray for a moment before reluctantly taking a bite.
It tasted like boiled regret.
Okay, maybe that was too harsh...
No, actually, it was probably accurate.
The Reserve cafeteria was crowded, but far from friendly. People sat in clusters, clearly already familiar with each other, already part of their own little groups. Hajime saw the same kind of social divisions he had seen in ordinary schools, except here everything felt exaggerated by the looming fact that everyone had paid a ridiculous amount just to be put in this room.
He sat alone.
Not because anyone had told him to.
But rather because he felt like he belonged nowhere.
He looked around as he ate. Some students were laughing quietly. Some were complaining about the food. A few were discussing the possibility of transferring to the main campus, as if that were something easy to accomplish instead of an absurd fantasy...
Hajime sighed. What to do?
Back in his old school, he had often spent his free time alone.
He would play video games on his handheld when he could, usually some really old title he had managed to keep for years.
What had it been called again…?
Gala Omega?
Something like that...
The game had always been a good way to pass the time… Had he packed it with the rest of his things?
Maybe he should check once he got back to his room.
Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t help but feel a little ridiculous.
Even here, at Hope’s Peak Academy, he had still ended up alone-barely scraping by, frustrated with his life and yearning for something more.
What exactly had changed?
The rest of the day passed in a blur of classrooms, lectures, and the crushing awareness that he did not belong anywhere in particular.
He learned things he had already suspected: the Reserve Course did not exist to be admired. It existed because Hope’s Peak Academy liked the money. That was all.
Nobody said it that directly, of course.
But it hung in the air anyway.
The Reserve students were expected to do their work, pay their tuition, and stay out of the way.
He couldn’t help but wonder where all that money even went… because it clearly wasn’t the Reserve Course.
By the time the afternoon light started leaning gold across the windows, Hajime felt like his entire body had been turned into a stiff, tired complaint.
He just wanted to go back to his room.
Or maybe sit somewhere quiet.
Perhaps outright disappearing into the floor for a while wouldn't have hurt either...
Somehow, Hajime managed to push himself to his feet despite the exhaustion weighing him down. With no real direction in mind, he drifted out of the building, searching for somewhere quiet-somewhere he could just breathe for a while.
Eventually his feet carried him toward a fountain area near the edge of the campus.
The evening sun was low by the time he reached the fountain.
The water shimmered softly in the light, reflecting the campus around it in broken pieces. The main building stood in the distance, tall and distant and perfect-looking in exactly the same irritating way it always did.
Hajime stopped and stared, trying to remind himself why he came to this school in the first place.
That was the building he had always dreamed about.
That was the place that had been held up to him for years as proof that if he just worked hard enough, he might someday become someone worth noticing.
He had heard it all before.
That his dreams were unrealistic.
That Hope’s Peak was for geniuses.
That talent was what mattered.
That he was chasing... something impossible.
His face went a little pale as the memories came back.
People mocking him.
Teachers dismissing him.
Family members forcing awkward smiles while clearly worrying that he was trying too hard for something too far above him.
The feeling of being laughed at for wanting too much.
The feeling of being laughed at for... wanting anything at all.
He swallowed and stared harder at the school.
Maybe he shouldn’t have come.
Maybe that was stupid.
No-of course it was stupid!
But he had done it anyway.
A small movement at the edge of his vision made him blink, and then-
Someone bumped into him?
Hajime jolted.
The petite girl was hunched forward, fully absorbed in a handheld game and moving with such alarming lack of spatial awareness that it was almost impressive. She was completely focused on the screen, fingers moving with quick, practiced precision.
He watched in stunned silence as she played through some enemy pattern with almost unsettling concentration.
Then some tiny victory jingle played- and she looked up.
Hajime stared.
“...Are you okay?” he asked after a beat, still a little surprised.
She blinked, then gave a tiny nod.
“Yeah.”
She looked at him, then glanced around as if she were only now remembering that she had physically collided with another human being.
“Sorry,” she muttered quietly, though she didn’t seem especially distressed...
Then she started walking again.
Hajime watched her go for half a second, more because his brain was still catching up than because he meant to stare.
That was when he heard something unexpected.
That little jingle from her game...
His eyes widened.
He knew that sound...
He knew that game!
“Wait,” he blurted, before he could stop himself. “Is that Gala Omega?”
The girl stopped so abruptly that she almost dropped the console.
“Eh?”
She turned back around, staring at him with sudden, startled intensity.
In the evening sunlight, with the fountain’s gentle murmur and the sky turning gold above, she looked unreal...nearly divine.
Then the illusion broke instantly...
“Do you know it?!” she asked excitedly, practically bouncing on her toes as she hurried back toward him. “It’s such an old game!”
Hajime instinctively held his hands up a little, startled by how close and energetic she suddenly was.
“Y-Yeah...” he said. “I once played through it five times in a row.”
Her eyes widened.
“REALLY?!”
He blinked. “Yeah. It’s true...”
She looked down at her handheld, cheeks faintly pink now.
“Ten times is my limit,” she said quietly, almost as if that was a small confession.
Hajime stared at her.
“That’s even more impressive…”
He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to do next.
“I’ve never met anyone besides me who could play that much before. Hey, show me sometime. Promise?”
“Uh... s-sure...”
“Oh, there you are!”
A figure approached from a distance, waving.
It seemed to be a woman who looked composed and warm despite the long day. She carried the unmistakable air of a different kind of teacher-cheerful on the surface, and clearly the sort of person who made others feel safe simply by being around her.
Wait a second... Hajime thought.
Is she... dragging someone behind her?
“You must be Nanami!” the teacher said.
The girl looked confused.
“I’m Chisa Yukizome! Starting today, I’m your teacher.”
She made a sudden, determined gesture.
“Nice to meet you!”
Then Miss Yukizome seemed to notice Hajime standing next to the girl, apparently called Nanami.
“Huh? That uniform... Are you a student in the Reserve Course?”
Nanami opened her mouth, but said nothing. Instead, she stared up at the boy beside her with an expression that was rather difficult to read.
“Yes...” Hajime managed at last.
“Reserve Course?” Nanami repeated.
“You haven’t heard of it? It was introduced last year. They accept ordinary students. The student fees are high, though...”
They sure are... Hajime thought, grimacing slightly as he looked away at the ground.
“Hm...” Nanami hummed.
Eventually, Hajime noticed that the boy Miss Yukizome had been dragging along had tried to take the chance to sneak away.
Miss Yukizome quickly caught on.
“HOLD IT!” she shouted, chasing after him as he fled. To be honest, he seemed much faster than his physique would suggest... though Hajime felt slightly ashamed for even thinking that.
Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she disappeared into the distance, until it was gone.
Nanami had already sat down at the fountain’s edge and resumed playing her game with complete focus.
For the first time that day, Hajime found himself genuinely smiling.
“People in the Main Course are more ridiculous than I expected... I thought they’d be more like elites.”
Hajime clenched his fist.
“But... you all have incredible talents, don’t you?” he muttered.
Then he let out a weak, joyless chuckle and stared at his hand.
“If only I had a talent, too...”
“It doesn’t make a difference whether you have a talent or not.”
Hajime was taken aback by the sudden answer. The girl was still completely absorbed in her screen.
“Huh?”
“I mean, that isn’t the end goal.”
“But...”
“You have greater freedom than we do. All I have are games. But you can go anywhere and become anything.”
Hajime’s mind scrambled for an answer, but he was completely speechless...
“Sorry for the wait!”
Miss Yukizome cheerfully returned, with that poor student being dragged along behind her. She poked Nanami’s cheek.
“Come on now. We’re going.”
She turned toward Hajime.
“Sorry to drag Nanami off like this...”
Hajime put his hands up quickly.
“No... I don’t... mind...”
“Nanami’s already started another game. Up you go!”
She said as she lifted Nanami onto her shoulder. She remained glued to her game even as she hung there.
“Well, I’ll see you later,” Miss Yukizome said, glancing back at him.
“O-Okay...”
She seemed to beam as she muttered to herself, “Nice! That’s everyone now!” and started walking off toward the Main Course school building.
Hajime stood there for a moment, lost in his thoughts, until he realized that this odd Nanami girl had waved at him... while still playing the game with just one hand ...somehow.
He felt something warm stir in his chest for a brief moment, then laughed softly to himself.
“I have the greater freedom, huh?”
After standing there like an idiot for a little longer than he’d like to admit,
he eventually decided to head back to his room.
He fell onto his bed.
“I wonder... will I actually get the chance to talk to her again?”
He remembered what she had said to him... that he should show her how he played that game...
He sat up with arguably too much enthusiasm and reached for the suitcase under his bed.
Now where had he put that handheld again...?