Fandom Ultimate Despairbear

[KawaiiRose]

_Nagito Komaeda_
The day had arrived. He'd never dreamed of a brighter hope than being among the people that would bring paradise to the world one day. Stepping through the gates of Hopes Peak Academy almost felt unreal, bringing a large smile to Komaeda's face, his cheeks lightly flushed. His grayish-green eyes looked a bit watery, he could cry from the beauty of this school. As he walked along the path that led from the front gates of the school to the front gardens, he looked around in wonder. Everyone walking the same path looked stunning compared to him. While other students wore accessories, had dyed their hair, or even dropped the school uniform completely to dress up the way they wanted to, Komaeda was just wearing the school uniform plainly. And there wasn't anything else that made him pop out either, other than his ridiculously large, fluffy hair. But that was okay. He wasn't here to do anything great, after all, he was a nobody. He didn't even get into this school because he was special, he got in purely because of his luck. He wasn't destined to do anything great, instead, he was destined to stand by these ultimate students and help guide them to a bright future. He was ready to become a stepping stone to better the world, even if it killed him in the process.

As he entered the gorgeous gardens that decorated the front of the school, having paths that wound all around the school to lead to different places, another student waved at him in greetings. Komaeda waved back as he continued on his way, a warm feeling pounding in his chest. Yes, this was bliss. So many awful things had happened to him, his luck being a curse for most of his life. His family on the plane, his dog and the car, practically getting injured every 2 seconds, the illness that had turned his hair white and caused him to look pale and sickly. But for once, he had been given such an amazing opportunity. Perhaps this was going to be a turn of fate, surely nothing bad could happen as he attended this school. After all, it was a school catered to raising all the hope the world had for the future, maybe it cancelled out all of his awful luck. Well, he could only dream of such things. Komaeda had been so lost in his thoughts that he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. He had subconsciously made a turn down one of the paths, but even now as he noticed, he didn't mind. If this was where his new future at Hopes Peak took him, then so be it.

The path lead onto a bridge that overlooked a small pond. It looked lush, plants, flowers, and sea grass all around and inside of it, and the koi fish swimming in the pond were lovely. He took a moment to lean against the wooden railing, happily gazing at the pond. Of course Hopes Peak had such beautiful sights, and this was only one of many that he had yet to discover. For just a moment longer, he felt complete. If he were to get run over by a bus tomorrow and die - which was quite likely to happen with the way his luck was - he would die feeling complete inside. Nothing could ruin this feeling of hope and love. That was until -

"Hey cotton-hair, heads!" A loud, booming voice called out from somewhere nearby, and as soon as Komaeda turned his head to look at whoever was shouting, he was hit in the face with a ball. The impact was hard and completely caught him off guard, causing him to fall over the railing of the bridge. He landed in the pond, hitting his back on a rock at the bottom. Any koi fish in that area quickly swam off in fear, and the 'lucky' student sighed, rubbing his back as he stood up. His face was now red from the impact, and he had scratches on his left cheek and forehead, accompanied by a large bruise. And not to mention that his back felt sore and scratched from hitting the rock after he fell into the pond. Well, this is what he deserved for misunderstanding. He had to remind himself that he wasn't here to be happy, he was here to help his peers see an even brighter hope than they already did. Clearly, he had gotten too caught up in the moment. He shakily stood up, walking towards the cement path nearby him once he was steady. This path lead downwards in a slope towards another resting area. His usual smile once again resumed its position on his face, ready to continue on exploring the school. It was a pretty mild reaction, but he was used to this. After all, any time something good happened, something bad had to happen afterwards.

Before he began walking, he noticed two small objects on the ground. Curious, he picked them up. "Hearing aids?" He was about to walk forwards with them, but his luck decided to strike again. After taking a few more steps forward, Komaeda tripped over a crack in the ground, and once again fell. But this time, he went tumbling down the slope. Unlike how normal people would react to this though, he simply just said, "Ow" each time he hit a part of his body on his way down. And even with all of this happening, the hearing aids in his hands. Eventually, he reached the bottom of the slope, rolling on the concrete until a pair of feet stopped him. As he came to a stop, the hand holding the hearing aids opened, and they dropped onto the ground next to him. A small smile on his face still remained as he winced and opened his eyes to look up at whoever had stopped his tumble. He awkwardly chuckled, "This isn't a very good first impression, is it?"



_Yumi Taro_
So this was Hopes Peak. To be honest, she had never seen herself going to such a privileged school, but when a scout came to talk to her and her friends, it kind of felt like fate. And actually entering the front gates felt like a dream, they were so big and golden. And the front gardens were insanely gorgeous too! Bush wedges with flowers lined some of the paths that wrapped around the school, giving a pretty touch to the school's atmosphere. This really seemed like a great place to spend her school years with her best friends by her side. Fuyuhiko and Peko, the two people that she had been practically raised with. She was a lot closer to Fuyuhiko, someone who had managed to take his family's yakuza by lead at such a young age. But he was so cute and he always said such funny things when she teased him, for being someone with such a threatening aura, he was such a sweetheart, in her eyes at least. From a young age, Yumi had started teasing the yakuza, and they would always banter quite a bit afterwards. But in the midst of all their rather cutthroat remarks at one another, they were really just having fun. And while not as close to Peko, she still valued her friendship with the swordswoman as well. Peko was pretty opposite of her, more socially distant and committed to one steady goal, but it really balanced out their friendship dynamic. She even had nicknames for both of them, she called Fuyuhiko 'Fuyu-chan' and Peko 'Pek' or 'Pek-Pek'.

To be honest, she wouldn't have even gotten into this school without them. Fuyu and Pek were guaranteed to get in at some point, but Yumi hadn't done anything that made her a star in the public's eyes, so she figured that it was a longshot to join them. But her friends had pointed the scout in her direction as well, and now all 3 of them could attend here together. And how was she going to thank them for this opportunity? By harassing them on the first day of school, duh! Due to certain circumstances, she hadn't been placed in class 77 with them, but the school hardly had any rules. As long as you stayed on campus, passed all the tests, and honed the talent that had brought you to this school, you could do anything you wanted. So her skipping her own class to hang out with Fuyu and Pek was guaranteed to not be a big deal.

Yumi began adventuring the halls of the main school building to find class 77, having the time of her life as she did. Part of her being linked to the yakuza meant that she was protected, which gave her a lot of confidence to do anything. As she walked through the halls, her shoes clacked on the floor. She was wearing her usual dress shoes that had a slight heel to them, they looked rather old fashioned but still cute. She had also added her own touch to the school uniform. She'd ditched the brown coat and red tie, only wearing the white button up blazer and brown skirt. Along with it, she wore black stockings and a baggy jacket with blue stripes in some of the places. It wasn't like she had drastically altered the uniform, but it definitely looked better with her jacket and stockings instead of the school provided ones. since she had also removed the red tie from the blazer, the top of her shirt looked a bit messy, the first two buttons were undone and the lapels weren't tucked down all the way. And as always, Yumi had her large bag full of strange substances and toxicology tools slung over her shoulder.

It didn't take the blonde too long to find class 77, every hallway was labelled with what rooms were in it, so she just had to find the right hallway. However, she was a bit dissapointed that she hadn't stumbled upon the cafeteria on the way here, it was past the time she usually ate breakfast, so she was pretty hungry. But there was always lunch in a few hours, and Peko sometimes brought extra snacks when travelling, so she could probably just end up bothering her for some. As soon as she approached the classroom, Yumi didn't hesitate to swing open the door, calling out in a cheerful voice, "Fuyu-chan, Pek!" Due to her accent, the '-chan' bit was pronounced with more of an 'a' than 'ah' sound to it, but her Japanese pronunciation had gotten a lot better in general, it was hard to tell that she had an accent while speaking Japanese.

Yumi simply walked over to Fuyuhiko's desk, plopped her bag down next to it, and sat right down on his desk. Some of the other students in the classroom were quizzically looking at her, probably thinking that she was crazy for just sitting down on the yakuza boss' desk and striking up a conversation. "So, havin' fun here yet shortie?" She absolutely held the fact that she was 2 inches taller than him over him, never skipping an opportunity to make fun of his height or baby face. She had created a lot of nicknames to tease him about the small height difference, names like short-stack, shortie, 2-inch, she just enjoyed his reactions each time. The blonde was going to make another remark, but noticed some pork buns next to her on the desk, presumably his. "Oo, mine." She grabbed one of them and took a large bite, saying as she did, "Y'know, I actually couldn't find the cafeteria on my way here, this school is so big. Thanks for breakfast."

 

[nonbinaryhamster]

Clover Russo

Where are they? Where are they?!

Panic had long since set in. The anxiety of a first day at a new school coupled with losing something as important as their hearing aids had Clover on the verge of a breakdown. The students filing in all seemed so happy and carefree, mouths moving as they talked about how excited they were for the new school year, and Clover couldn't catch a word of it. Some Ultimate Linguist, huh? Maybe learning to read lips would do them some good, now that they would be in Japan long-term. They had gotten pretty good at reading lips in English, since their mother never bothered to learn ASL for them, but different languages had different movements to them, and without sound it was difficult to tell the difference.

They've got to be around here somewhere...

Just as the thought crossed their mind, a fast movement got their attention from the corner of their eye. Their head snapped up and they watched as a boy rolled down the hill towards them. He must have tripped. He was headed straight for them, so Clover crouched down and held out their hands, stopping him before he could hurt himself any further. His hand opened and, much to their surprise, their hearing aids plopped out onto the ground. Their eyes blew wide open and they clapped their hands together. Thank god, they would've been screwed if someone hadn't found them! The boy's mouth was moving, but they couldn't catch what he was saying. "S-sorry, hold on!" They spoke slowly, carefully, paying attention to the movement of their mouth since they wouldn't be able to hear if they were speaking clearly.

Snatching up their hearing aids, the blue dragonfly charms twinkling in the morning sunlight, they slid them on and flicked the power switches, flinching as the sheer noise of the crowd around them began to fade in. They were quick to shake it off though, returning their attention to the boy. "T-thank you! Without those, there's no way I would've survived my first day! A-are you alright? That fall looked like it hurt..."

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

So, this was class 77-B, huh? Well, not all of it. Some students still hadn't shown up, which he guessed made sense, since himself and Peko had shown up pretty early in order to get a feel for the building. He scanned the room for what must have been the billionth time. Again, he concluded that himself and his comrade were the only real threats in the room. Even the huge guy in the corner - one look told him that he was just a gentle giant, wouldn't hurt a fly unless provoked. He settled in his seat, just about to reach for one of his pork buns, when-

"Fuyu-chan! Pek!"

Ah, fuck. He would recognize that accent anywhere.

Before he could so much as open his mouth, Yumi had already descended upon him, swiping up one of the buns on his desk. This is why he brought extra. Something like this was bound to happen. He glanced around the room, at the sea of faces looking on in shock and awe. Shit. He couldn't let these low-lifes think he was gonna let just any rando waltz in and swipe his breakfast. He had to keep up appearances, to keep himself and her safe. He clicks his tongue, folding his arms over his chest with a roll of his golden eyes. "Whatever. You're lucky you're family, got that? That's the only reason I'm allowing this."

He didn't like having to put on such a tough face, but it was necessary if he was going to be the head of his clan. He couldn't act soft or sweet in public, couldn't risk showing any signs of weakness. Luckily, those closest to him like Peko and Yumi, understood this well and were long used to his behavior. At least, he would hope so by now.

 

[KawaiiRose]

_Nagito Komaeda_
As the student snatched up their hearing aids, Komaeda got a good look at who stopped his fall. Vibrant purple hair, bright yellow eyes, and a rather soft appearance after all. Just like everyone else he had seen at this school so far, they truly did look like a beacon of hope, he was sure that they would do wonderful things as life went on. He listened to their thanks, and his usual carefree smile resumed its position on his face as he replied, "I'm glad that I could be of help." As usual, his voice was more on the raspy and quiet side, "And there's no need to worry about me, this kind of thing happens a lot." His seemingly carefree attitude and smile was definitely out of place in this kind of situation. But he was used to reacting like this. After all, this was a lot less tragic than most of the things he'd underwent in life, falling down a slope and nearly breaking his neck was nothing compared to the things that usually happened to him. Komaeda slowly stood up, he definitely had more bruises on his body now, but it wasn't terrible.

Once he was all the way stood up, he realized that he hadn't apologized yet. He was sure that this was an inconvenience to them, having to put up with him in this type of situation. It was a burden for anyone to talk to him and have to worry about him, at least in his mind. "And apologies for almost knocking you over, it would have been awful if I injured an ultimate on their first day of school." The lucky student did feel bad for this situation. At least he had found their hearing aids, surely this interaction was forgivable since he had helped. And even if it wasn't, he'd still be able to go on with his day.

Komaeda had also taken notice of the fact that they were stuttering a bit while talking to him. At first, he almost thought that it was a lack of confidence, but his vision of the students at Hopes Peak overtook this thought. Everyone here was magnificent and confident in their capabilities (in his mind at least), which was why he looked up to them so much. Hopefully he'd get even more interactions like this with them and other students one day.



_Yumi Taro_
As Yumi took another bite of the pork bun she'd snatched from him, she had a difficult to decision to make: provoke him, or don't provoke him. Fuyuhiko was definitely trying to save his face as a scary guy here but where was the fun in just letting that happen? Plus, a little bantering between the two would probably scare anyone off, seeing as they could go pretty far with in sometimes. The toxicologist squinted her blue eyes in a playful manner, a tell that she was about to say some provoking things. Peko, who was seated at another desk nearby, sighed, probably noticing the fact that she was about to go on with her usual mannerisms. And of course if Fuyuhiko got heated and started jabbing back at her, Yumi would get deep into the bantering too.

"Aww, tryin' to seem all mean and evil little guy? How cute. ~ " Yumi knew that talking down on him like he was a cute child was one of the fastest ways to get him all hotheaded, from personal experience of course. Before he could get a jab back at her, she took another bite of the pork bun and said while chewing, "And ya know, that little frown isn't very scary when you have the face of a two year old, I'm just sayin'." Oh people were definitely looking at them now, but the toxicologist just didn't notice or care. And all the while she was just eating the pork bun she snagged. While it wasn't the main focus of attention in her mind, she did have to admit that it was really good. The fact that Fuyu had these pork buns on his desk was perfect for her, she was practically going to starve by lunch without it.

As Yumi ate and looked at the yakuza's "scary" expression, she couldn't help but think that it was adorable. In her eyes, he looked just like a tsundere that huffed and puffed whenever they got teased, who doesn't find that cute? Though she was also a little biased in this case, she thought that everything Fuyuhiko did was cute in some way, especially when he was all hotheaded from her teasing.

 

[nonbinaryhamster]

Clover Russo

They watched as the boy stood, eyes widening as they realized just how much taller he was. Usually, they would feel intimidated, but it's hard to feel intimidated by someone you just watched roll down a hill like a log. Besides, his smile was warm and friendly, and he'd been kind enough to return their hearing aids, so they let their nerves dissolve just a bit. They should be used to meeting new people by now, even if it could be uncomfortable at times, and they would have to get used to it if they were going to a new school. They blink in mild confusion when he apologizes to them, as if falling down a hill was somehow his fault. "D-don't say sorry! It's not your fault. Besides..."

Clover looks him over again, scrapes and bruises littering his pale skin, some new and some old. They believed him when he said this happens a lot. Even if his strangely calm demeanor didn't give it away, the fading scratches and bumps would do it easily. Maybe he's just very accident prone...? Hm. Either way, he got hurt trying to return something of theirs, so they figured the least they can do is make sure he's alright. "... You're pretty scratched up, huh? Are you bleeding anywhere? I've got Band-Aids, if you need one."

Reaching into their bag, they retrieve a small box of themed Band-Aids with various cute patterns. Hello Kitty, Doraemon, even a few characters from Western cartoons like Steven Universe or Bee and Puppycat. They fanned them out so he could look at them all and choose one, if he had a preference.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

Yup. That got him going. His face turned a soft shade of red, eyebrows folding together as his glare somehow got even more intense. He slammed a fist down on the desk, rattling it even with her weight on it as he stood up to be eye-level with her. "The fuck did you just say?!" He snaps, raising his voice so loud even students out in the hallway could probably hear. "Even if you are family, you can fuck off with that babyface shit! Just 'cause you're under the clan's protection doesn't mean shit to me!" It did. He was bluffing just to piss her off. He was long used to their spats and knew just about anything was fair game.

Gritting his teeth, his hands gripping the edges of the desk, he keeps his glare fixated on her, ignoring the rest of the room. Their spats were public more often than he liked to admit, so he'd long since learned to tune out strangers and focus on the matter at hand. He briefly considered swiping the pork bun back, but decided against it. He knew she didn't eat breakfast that morning, so there was no way he was taking it back. As infuriating as she could be sometimes, he wasn't about taking someone's meal away just because they pissed you off. That just wasn't right. Instead, he grabbed the other pork bun and tossed it at her with a huff.

"When I'm head of the clan, your days of talking trash to me are gonna be fuckin' over, I swear it." He growled.

 

[KawaiiRose]

_Nagito Komaeda_
At first, there was a look of surprise on his face, he was blinking in confusion. It'd been a while since someone offered him a band-aid for an injury, or even cared about his accidents. And not to mention that they had just met. Even after that awful first impression, they still wanted to help him? His smile returned to his face, the students at this school really were beacons of hope! To want to help someone like him after all of that, they had to be pure of heart to manage something like that. Komaeda chuckled a bit and gently pushed the other student's hands back towards them while saying, "I'm grateful for your compassion, but you don't need to waste these on me. You've already blessed me with your kindness, I would feel selfish to take anything else."

While his voice and facial expression was calm, Komaeda was freaking out happily on the inside. Not only did he get to meet and talk with an Ultimate on his first day here, it also felt like he'd been blessed by an angel. He was sure that his luck would take a turn for the worst any moment now, but for the time being he was pretty content. He realized as he retracted his hands that he hadn't asked for their name. He was sure that they would be weirded out by him asking but...

"On an unrelated note, could you tell me your name?" He lifted his hands up in front of him, palms out as he added on, "It's not for a weird reason, I'd just like to know who's saved me from my fall and was kind enough to be nice to me."


_Yumi Taro_
Fuyuhiko slamming his fist down on the table didn't make her jump, it was a pretty normal reaction from him. She was eating more of the pork bun when he said that her being under the clan's protection didn't mean anything to him, which automatically flipped a switch in her as well. Usually their arguments built up to this point a bit slower, but if he wanted to do it this way then she would one up him. Catching the other pork bun he'd tossed at her, Yumi still had a smile on her face, but this time it looked both teasing and filled with irritation, "Yeah? Well I don't think you'll ever become head of the clan when your face looks like it belongs on an advertisement for baby bottles. If ya want me to 'stop with the baby-face shit' then maybe you should hit puberty."

She spoke 'stop with the baby-face shit', with a mocking tone to her voice, trying to provoke him further. "And it's bold of you to assume that I'll stop talkin' shit once your head of the clan, I think you'd have to do a lot more to stop me, Kuzuryuu." She emphasized it when she called him by his surname instead. Yumi always called him by "Fuyu-chan," a sign of her respect and love towards him. With how close they were, she was sure that it'd piss him off even more.

The toxicologist took another bite of her pork bun, still staring down at him from the top of the desk with a smug look on her face. She was pretty confident in her ability to win this argument, mostly because the yakuza was a lot more fed up than she was. Though she was about to be right up there after that first comment he'd made, what a liar he cared more than anyone. She huffed as she continued to eat, ready to hear what else the little fucker had to say.

 

[nonbinaryhamster]

Clover Russo

The surprised look that overtook his face caught them slightly off-guard. It was just a Band-Aid. Why would that be shocking for someone? If he gets hurt like this a lot, does nobody bother helping him? How sad… and what he said next worried them even more. What did he mean, waste? If anything, putting them to use was the exact opposite of a waste. And if they offered him the Band-Aids, how could it be selfish to take one?

… New school, new country, new people. This was just culture shock, right? Maybe it was rude of them to offer in the first place, and he was just being really polite about it. Part of them wanted to insist he at least take one in case something happened later, since he said it happens a lot, but they bit their tongue. They didn’t want to be rude and make him hate them. They held the Band-Aids closer to their chest idly as he asked for their name.

They blinked, choosing not to question why he found asking for their name to be intrusive. Chalk it up to culture shock. “Oh! My name’s Clover Russo. It’s wonderful to meet you.” They smile, tilting their head slightly to the side. “What about you? Who do I get to thank for returning my hearing aids?”



Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

Maybe it was the new school, new faces, the added stress of an unfamiliar environment, but his already short fuse was even shorter this morning. He didn’t have time for this childish bullshit from Yumi. He had to cement himself as someone nobody here could fuck with. Not just for his reputation, but for his safety, and hers, too. Reputation mattered just as much as strength in places like these. Couldn’t she see that?

No. Of course she couldn’t. It wasn’t her job to think of stuff like that, so he couldn’t really blame her. As close as they were, this wasn’t a burden he wanted to share with her. This weight was for his shoulders and his alone. Even if it made him be kind of a dick sometimes.

Then, she hit him with the surname, and that shit stung. Sure, he hated that childish little nickname, but he understood its purpose. A sign of respect, of friendship, of closeness with her that he didn’t even have with Peko. Ripping it away over a dumb little argument felt like ripping off a bandage before it was ready, tugging out hairs along with it. He growled, low in his throat. “Y’know what? Just fuck off. Go find your classroom. I don’t wanna deal with your high-and-mighty bullshit today.”

 

[KawaiiRose]

_Nagito Komaeda_
Their name was Clover. Clover Russo, what a sweet name. However, it didn't sound like a Japanese name, perhaps they were from overseas? Komaeda lightly chuckled, "That's a nice name. Very suiting for such a kind individual such as yourself." Komaeda had a rather happy smile on his face as he introduced himself, cheery closed eyes complimenting it, "As for myself, I'm Nagito Komaeda." He once again chuckled, this time sounding more awkward, "Not a very fancy name, I know." His name did sound rather drab compared to many others here at this school, but it matched his drab appearance, and he wasn't exactly looking to stand out. The only thing that stood out about him was his luck. If he wasn't going through the shittiest time of his life, then he was stumbling across lottery tickets and winning millions of dollars.

That reminded him to also ask, "What brings you to this school? If you don't mind me bothering you with another question of course." Komaeda was really shooting his shot here to know about them, it was amazing to be able to hold a conversation with someone like Clover. He could tell that they were genuinely being kind at this point, and it was refreshing to be around that kind of energy. It made him feel very hopeful, and granted that was the purpose of this school, but he just loved it so much.



_Yumi Taro_
She definitely didn't understand how much hitting him with the surname had stung, which was obvious by how smug she looked. Though her expression soon became riddled with confusion once Fuyuhiko told her to just fuck off and go away. No more jabs? Or trying to get her to shut up? That was a first. Yumi arched an eyebrow at the yakuza, "Hah?" She didn't know that he was this pissed coming to school today. She had known that he wasn't excited about having to be with all of his new idiotic classmates, but even then she figured that he'd have room to banter with her today. Though now that she thought about it, they did have different ways of reacting to this. Yumi didn't want to deal with the stress of a new school or bother making new friends, so she was trying to get rid of that nervousness by having a banter. Fuyuhiko probably just wanted to lay low and wait for the day to be over. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to continue. So, as much as it pained her to do so, the toxicologist decided to back down for now.

Yumi looked away, rolling her eyes as she did, clearly irritated that she had to do this. "That's the stupidest thing I've heard you say in a while." She paused and sighed - though it sounded a lot more like a huff - before continuing, "I'm not excited to be around a bunch of idiots either, so drop the attitude, I was just tryin' to have some fun." This was probably the closest anyone had ever gotten her to apologize. Before anyone around them could pick up on the serious tone of the conversation if they were still listening, and before Fuyu could give another reason for her to leave, she changed the topic like nothing had happened.

"Y'know this pork bun would be a lot better with some soup, got any ramen packets in your bag?" Yumi had her normal smile back on her face as she asked this, hoping that her half-assed apology was good enough.

 

[nonbinaryhamster]

Clover Russo

“Komaeda-san!” They repeated his name, trying to commit it to memory. “I like it! It’s fun to say.”

Finally, they start to relax. Just a tiny bit. New places could be terrifying sometimes, especially when you’re going in alone, but now they had at least one person here with them. Coming to a new country so suddenly had been isolating, their last few weeks spent unpacking boxes and video calling their parents every night to reassure them. They hadn’t had time to get acquainted with anyone yet, and finally talking to someone felt freeing.

“Hm? Oh, Hope’s Peak brought me here as the Ultimate Linguist.” They explained, tucking the loose Band-Aids in their hand into their uniform jacket for safe keeping. “Uh, I’m from the US, so I’m sorry if I have an accent or if my Japanese is bad… I brushed up on it before I came, but…” They trailed off, shrinking slightly, yellow eyes lowering shyly to the ground. They were lucky they had learned Japanese in their first year of High School, so when they got the invitation they quickly refreshed themselves on it, as well as starting to learn Japanese Sign Language. Combined with moving out so suddenly and scrambling to finish their first year early, they weren’t confident in their ability to communicate with a native speaker just yet.



Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

Golden eyes flickered just behind Yumi, in Peko’s direction. She was looking back at him, her gaze as calm and steady as ever, but behind it he saw the strain, the silent request for him to back off. To take a deep breath. Today was going to suck no matter how he tried to cut it. He knew it, Peko knew it, and based on that almost-apology, Yumi knew it too. Inhaling deeply through his nose, he let out a sigh, plopping backwards back into his chair.

“No, I don’t have any ramen soup packets with me. Who just carries that stuff around?” All the anger disappeared from his voice, melting off his face in an instant. He leaned back, lifting his legs to rest them on the desk, angling them to avoid kicking Yumi by accident. “Hey, how come you didn’t grab breakfast before leaving this morning by the way? Do I need to get someone on your ass just to make sure you’re eating proper?”

He would do it. Hell, he already had someone in mind for the job, should she continue forgetting to eat like this. Sure, he could bring extra pork buns, but what if there came a day he wasn’t at school to do it? Nah, he’d need someone to keep an eye on her, make sure she takes care of herself. Knowing her, she’d probably faint every morning because she forgot breakfast.

 

[KawaiiRose]

_Nagito Komaeda_
Ah, so they were from overseas. As far as he knew, it was pretty rare for overseas students to get scouted, they must be impressive. Well, that fact was obvious from their pronunciation, Komaeda never would have guessed that their first language was English. The only thing that had given it away before they said it was their name. Speaking of, he had to think for a moment on how to address them. Overseas people used their first names casually, correct? So if he had to guess how they'd like to be addressed... first name with an honorific? It took a bit of brain-racking, but that's what he came up with. But this aside, he replied, "How impressive!" Komaeda still had a cheer-filled smile on his face, "You have a lot of talent, Clover-san. I couldn't even tell that you were from overseas, let alone a non-native speaker." His eyes almost seemed to sparkle as he said this, he was genuinely impressed by their talent. If they attended this school, then there was a good chance that their linguistic specialties included them speaking several languages, not just Japanese and English.

The lucky student still had sparkles in his eyes, and he had placed the palms of his hands together, something that he did when he was either excited or nervous. He used his hands quite a bit when talking now that he thought of it. Looking at the palm of his hand when he found it hard to keep eye contact, raising his hands up near his shoulders while explaining things. Hopefully it wasn't a very exaggerated thing for him to do while talking.



_Yumi Taro_
Thank god, he understood. Yumi finished chewing the first pork bun before replying, "Hah? You're acting like this happens everyday." Well, to be fair, it did happen quite a bit, she was almost always complaining about being hungry, and this definitely wasn't the first time she'd taken part of Fuyu's meals because of it. She rolled her blue eyes, "I don't need a damn babysitter." If they hadn't just had a banter session, she definitely would've started one over that. Seriously, if they weren't fighting then Fuyu was up her ass trying to get her to better herself. But, that was also his charm, so she couldn't get too mad.

"Plus, I can just munch off of your food each morning, it's fine." She smiled and took a large bite of the second pork bun. The toxicologist also leaned back a bit more, placing her right hand on the table so that she could lean back without laying on the desk. It was rare for her to sit correctly on something. At school, she sat on the tables and desks. In chairs, she turned them backwards and sat on them that way. On couches, she would lay down with her feet touching the wall and her head resting on the seat, upside down. Yumi swung her legs a bit, since she was sitting on the side of the desk, it wouldn't hurt anyone for her to do so, especially since people were too scared to sit next to the "scary" yakuza man.

 

[nonbinaryhamster]

Clover Russo

The tension quickly returned to their frame, cheeks flushing a soft pink color. They’d received a thousand compliments for their talent over the years. They were used to the same words, repeated over and over by countless faces in countless languages. But something about how he said it was different. They struggled for a long moment to put their finger on exactly what it was. Was it the words he chose? No, they were the same, they were generic, just like everyone else. Not that that’s a bad thing, it was just… hollow. Hollow. Their chest tightened as realization hit them - that’s it. When they were complimented on talk shows and TV sets, the compliments all felt hollow. Soulless. Something said for the sake of saying it, with no real meaning.

But Komaeda’s eyes sparkled when he said it. They glimmered with something, another thing Clover couldn’t place, too caught up in the whirlwind of gratitude, of embarrassment, of slight awe to dwell on it too long. They swallowed the lump in their throat, their voice coming out an octave higher when they finally stuttered out a reply.

“Th-thank you very much.” As it came out, their arms moved without them thinking - left arm parallel to the ground, palm facing down, they held their right hand vertically on the back of their hand before moving up. They blinked, pausing briefly as they processed the movement, awkwardly lowering their hands again. They had a tendency to sign when they got nervous. At least they used the JSL sign and not the ASL one. The pink on their face deepened in hue, and they cleared their throat, averting their eyes. “Um, what about you? Why did Hope’s Peak scout you for?”



Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

He watched her adjust her position, legs swinging out, nearly hitting the desk next to his. Missed by a fraction of an inch. Luckily, nobody bothered to try and sit next to him, so it wouldn’t have mattered really, anyway. Eyes rolling, he couldn’t help but smirk. He should’ve expected an answer like that coming from her, honestly. Didn’t matter, anyway. He’d keep bringing extra buns if it meant making sure she was decently fed. Peko had the same problem, though it usually only manifested when she was particularly stressed about something. Her appetite would just vanish into thin air, and Fuyuhiko would take it upon himself to make sure she cleared her plate at dinner. With Yumi though, it was a constant, and it looked like a new school was only going to make it worse.

“Tch, if I’m at home sick or somethin’, you’re gonna be shit outta luck, Yuu-chan.” He imitated the way she pronounced the ‘a’ in ‘chan’, mocking but still playful, following it up with a snicker. He’d amused himself with that one. “Then again, you’ll probably just yoink one from some other poor schmuck. As long as you don’t go hungry, I don’t give a shit.”

There was a genuineness to his tone, a rarity not many people got the chance to see. Despite all appearances, despite every venom-laced word he could spit at her, he didn’t ever want to make her feel like he didn’t value their relationship. There weren’t many people in his life he could depend on, let alone people that have stuck around him since childhood. Not a lot of consistency when murder and violence are a staple in your life, a key factor in your development. At least he had a few select people, ones he’d defend with his life. Ones he’d steal a thousand pork buns for. He guessed he should be grateful for that.

 

[KawaiiRose]

_Nagito Komaeda_
Hmm? They had a rather flushed expression on their face now, hopefully he hadn't said anything wrong. But they had still thanked him, so perhaps they were just happy to be complimented. He also noticed them saying something in sign language, but since he had never learned he didn't know what they were saying.

Komaeda's face switched up for a second, a mix of surprise and nervousness when Clover asked about his talent. Again, it'd been so nice to talk to someone so nice without something devastating happen to him in the process, he'd forgotten how ordinary he was. A nervous laugh escaped his mouth, and he looked to the side and down, almost in an ashamed way, "Ah.. I'm afraid that I didn't get in through an amazing talent like you." He fixed his expression, going back to his carefree smile as he looked at Clover again to explain, "You see, Hopes Peak holds a raffle to select one ordinary student to attend each year, and since they have to have amazing luck to be selected, they're rewarded the title of the Ultimate Lucky Student." He looked a bit awkward as he continued, "And that student this year was me. I know, not very exciting."

It felt like he was pretty unlucky though. Saying it out loud felt sad, he already knew how ordinary and strange he was, but to admit it to someone that had gotten into this school through pure skill and talent? He wondered how long it'd take them to feel dissapointed.


_Yumi Taro_
At first, the way he had pronounced the 'a' in chan slipped over her head, "Yeah, I can just - " she paused once she did realize though. Did she really pronounce it that weirdly? No, she'd been working on her accent for years! Yumi huffed, "I don't say it like that Fuyu-cha-" And in that instant, she realized that she was still British. For a small moment she just sat there in silence, blue eyes blinking in slight disbelief. Hell no, she couldn't let him have this! But she also couldn't start another banter. So, Yumi simply just went back to talking about breakfast and food like they were before.

Her large smile returned to her face, "Yeah, I can just swipe food off of some rando in the halls if I'm too hungry." She was trying so hard not to start something else, and the strain showed in her face. But she didn't cave, and just said what she was going to before, "Also, I don't think there'll be a day where you're gone, you'd miss us too much." Yumi took another large bite of the second pork bun after saying that. It was true, Yumi, Fuyuhiko, and Peko were pretty tight. If one of them ended up staying home sick or just felt like skipping, then Yumi would probably head back home just to check on them.

She was pretty glad that this school wasn't so uptight with rules, the fact that she could just waltz into another class and hang out with who she wanted to was the best, all she had to do was make sure that she stayed in her class during tests in the middle and at the end of each year. It honestly seemed pretty fun, other than the fact that many of the other students were annoying.

 

[nonbinaryhamster]

Clover Russo

The Ultimate Lucky Student? They thought they had heard of something like that, but they hadn’t had much time to look into it. He seemed a bit nervous talking about it, too. But why? If he got to attend through pure luck, wouldn’t he be happy about it instead of ashamed? This boy sure is confusing.

“I mean, I don’t think my ‘talent’ is all that exciting, either… All I can really do is, y’know… talk.” They laughed, sharing his slightly awkward tone, picking at their fingertips anxiously. “Sure, it comes in handy sometimes, but I’ve heard there are people here who can do some super crazy stuff. Like an Ultimate Gymnast, an Ultimate Gamer… they can actually do stuff and win awards for it. So if you’re worried about being boring, I promise you’re not the only boring one around.”

They smiled up at him, interlacing their fingers to stop their picking. “Besides,if you hadn’t won that drawing, we wouldn’t be talking right now! So your Ultimate Luck is already doing a lot more than I am.” They said cheerfully.



Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

He snickered to himself as she realized what she sounded like. She definitely had improved over the years, but her accent was still there, and it couldn’t hurt to give her shit now and then. “Ah, you’re right.” He waved a hand around in a slightly dismissive manner. “‘Sides, how could I ever leave the two of you alone? You’d tell Peko to burn down the school, and Hell, with enough pushing she might really do it.”

Red eyes bore into him a few rows ahead. He ignores them. “By the way, do you know what class you’re supposed to be in this year? I heard all the teachers are former Ultimates, so maybe you’ll get one who can do some crazy science-y shit like you.”

He’d been hoping he might get a cool teacher, too, but from what he saw on the roster, his teacher was going to be the former Ultimate Maid or something like that. Super boring, but at least there’s no way she would ever pose any sort of threat to him or anyone else.