The Marvelous Misadventures of Chihiro Fujisaki!

Chapter One: Why?

As I look up at the fortress-like school known as Hope's Peak Academy, I can only think one thing.

Why am I here again?

Why is it that I decided to move away from my home town and my father to come to the city? Why is it that I decided to come to this school where only the best of the best are invited to attend?

Because I wanted to change. I think.

I was invited here because of my skills in programming. I'm not even certain about how they found out about me… though I have a sneaking suspicion that one of the companies that contracted me in the past may have had something to do with it.

I received the invitation in the mail one day, but it was only by chance that I ended up seeing it. Most of the mail that comes by the house is junk, as my dad and I usually communicate with people over the computer or with other electronic devices. Just as I was about to toss the pile of junk into the trash, a gold trimmed envelope fell out of my hands. Seeing it was addressed to me, I opened it and quickly read it, almost fainting when I saw the contents.

When I had gone to show my father... he said I should probably turn them down.

"While it is an amazing school…" He told me. "I can't afford to move away from here right now, my job needs me. You'd be on your own if you chose to go there."

I almost listened to him too. I had gone and sat in my room for a couple of hours just re-reading the invitation over and over, memorizing every line.

Mister Chihiro Fujisaki,

On behalf of everyone here at Hope's Peak Academy, I'd like to congratulate you on being offered a full scholarship to our school!

We hope you'll join our prestigious school under the well-deserved title…

Super High School Level Programmer

It would be a great honor if you'd join our establishment! I wait for your response with great eagerness, and hope that you'll decide to take advantage of this opportunity!

Sincerely,

Headmaster Kirigiri

The invitation was hand-written in a very neat calligraphy- I couldn't help but feel like the headmaster actually wrote this invitation himself.

And that's what made me reconsider. Something handwritten, personalized just for me, made me think that this place wouldn't be like the other schools I've attended. Maybe I'd fit in a little more. Once this thought occurred to me, I rushed into my father's room and told him I was going.

And that was that.

Standing here now, I can already tell that this school is much different than all of the others. It's actually very intimidating, if I'm being completely honest. I grab my skirt out of nervousness and wring it in my hands. I had almost considered actually dressing like a boy… but my insecurities ended up getting the better of me. Again.

I sigh and shake my head. "Time to go in, I guess…" When I walk into the school, the halls are completely barren. Not surprising really, because the semester doesn't officially begin for another couple of days. I walk over to the office window where an older lady with kind eyes is sitting.

"U-uhm, excuse me miss?" I say, getting her attention. "Would you mind telling me where the headmaster's office is…?"

"Of course." She says, smiling. "Jin's office is up on the fourth floor. Would you like me to show you the way?"

"No thank you miss. I-I think I'll be able to find it on my own." I offer her a polite smile. "Have a nice day!"

"Oh, you too dear." She smiles in return. I turn and head for the staircase, but not before stealing a quick look at the school directory.

As I make my way up the stairs, I can't help but wonder what kind of person the headmaster is. He must be a very strong person to be able to run a school as incredible as this… From what I had learned in my research about the school, it's been equipped with the best facilities in the country, outclassing even some of the best colleges. The dorms aren't anything to sneeze at either; fresh food is supplied daily to the school, and it has some of the best recreational facilities anyone could possibly ask for.

At first I had only thought them to be bragging, but the fact of the matter is that it's true… a degree from here will set you up for life.

I clear the last flight of stairs and make my way down the long hallway to the headmaster's office. As I stand in front of the large doors, I take a deep breath and steel my will to knock on the door. Within a couple of seconds, I hear a muffled 'come in' through the doors, and I slowly push them open and peek in.

"Excuse me… I was supposed to meet with the headmaster?" I say meekly. The man looks up from his work and smiles at me.

"Ah, you must be Chihiro! I've been expecting you; please, come in." I quickly make my way in and close the door shut behind me, before walking and standing in front of his desk.

"I-it's very nice to meet you … My name is Chihiro Fujisaki." I say giving him a nervous smile. He only smiles wider at my words.

"No need to be so nervous, young man. I'm not nearly as scary as I look. Would you mind taking a seat?" He motions to the two plush looking chairs in front of his desk. I hurriedly comply.

"Right, I suppose a proper introduction on my end is necessary huh? My name is Jin Kirigiri, the headmaster of this school. It's a pleasure to meet you." Looking at the man, he appears to be an attractive man in his mid-thirties. He has a tall build, with short black hair and striking violet eyes. "You can call me Jin, or whatever suits your fancy, as long as it's not inappropriate." He writes a few things down and then turns back to me.

"Getting right down to business, I'm glad you've decided to take me up on my offer to join the school." He says, resting his head on his fist. "We only accept a select few students every year, so I'm glad to see that class number seventy-eight will have another friend in their midst."

"W-well," I start with a stutter. "I'm really happy to have been invited… the school does seem very nice so far! I came here with the hope that it'd be very different than the ones I've gone to previously."

He only smiles sadly at me. "I can only hope that as well. Your father has already filled me in about your previous experiences in school beforehand… and I must say that I'm truly sorry for what you've gone through."

"It's fine, really." I say, looking at him determined. "No matter what, I'm determined to make things different this time. I'm sure it'll be great!"

He gives me a firm nod at this, and proceeds to rummage around his desk, before pulling out a key and a flat screen device. Mr. Kirigiri hands both to me. "What I have here for you is your room key and your e-Handbook. That device is programmed with a map of the school, a copy of the school's regulations, and a handy tool that you can turn your homework in on. It can also access the internet, but I'd only recommend using that if you really had to. It's a little slow." He finishes with a laugh.

I eye the device with fascination as I examine it. It's clear with a blue tint, but I can tell right off the bat that it's a very complex piece of equipment. The programmer in me immediately starts running through possible coding setups, before I'm pulled out of my thoughts by his sharp voice.

"I'm going to warn you right now though; do not start tampering with the programming in that. It functions as your school ID as well, so you'd be in deep trouble if you end up busting into its software. Got it?" I figure he's only warning me as a precaution, but I give him a meek nod in response anyway. "Good. Another warning though, it is very sensitive to heat. Please be mindful of where you leave it."

He stretches his arms before he lets out a sigh. "I want to tell you right now, if anything is bothering you at all, you're free to come and speak with me about it at any time. If it's something I can help you with, I'll be sure to do so." He flashes me a small smile, and I smile back in return.

"I promise that I will, though I hope that it won't be necessary for anything too important." I let out a sigh and stay silent a moment, before something occurs to me. "When is everyone else due to arrive?" I ask, curious.

"Ah well, that's a bit of a tricky question." He says, putting his hand to his chin. "Some people arrive before school officially starts, like yourself, and some show up on the designated moving day… but most students here don't actually come here until the day classes are supposed to start."

I widen my eyes in response. "A-are you serious? Isn't this school full of elites though?"

"Oh yes, the very best in the country!" He says, cheerfully. "As it turns out though, most of them are extremely eccentric. Usually the first day of classes turns out to be a wash! That's why we have it set for a Friday, so it isn't too much of a loss."

He then props his feet up on the desk, still smiling at my bewildered expression. "Despite the formal introduction earlier, this school is very… unorthodox. While we pride ourselves in giving the best education possible to our students, the way we operate is entirely different from what most people would expect!"

I can't believe what I'm hearing. I thought this school was supposed to be extremely strict! And here's the headmaster, casually lazing around his desk, telling me it's not!? As if he's reading my thoughts, he suddenly speaks up again.

"That does not mean, however, that I'll tolerate any misconduct from any of my students." Mr. Kirigiri says airily. "As long as you follow the regulations as described, you're free to do anything else; breaking the rules will result in severe punishment, ranging from detention to expulsion, depending on the offense. Of course, I don't really think you'll have any issues with that." He finishes, kicking his feet off of his desk and standing.

"Your things are already in your room, waiting to be unpacked." He says, smiling down at me. "Your class got lucky this year, since you've been assigned the first floor of the dorms. It'll be really convenient living right next to all of the major facilities." He extends his hand to me. "I hope that your school life here will be fulfilling, Chihiro."

I give him a small smile, stand, and take his hand in my own, giving it a shake. "Thank you! I can't wait for my classes to begin… thank you so much for this opportunity!" I release his hand. "I suppose I'll go get settled in then, if you'll excuse me." He nods and waves me off, telling me that the kitchen is open if I want to make anything.

As I exit his office, I let out a sigh. That was intense! He went from intimidating to friendly so quickly, it was amazing… I pull the e-Handbook out of my skirt pocket and start it up. The screen flashes my name before opening up to a set of menus that are able to be selected. As I make my way down the stairs, I decide to go over the school regulations. In total, there are eleven:

1. When attending classes, please be sure to wear the proper attire. It is preferred that you wear your school uniform. Do not show up to class wearing pajamas, swimsuits, nothing, only underwear, only socks, wrestling onsies, or anything else distracting.

2. Do not destroy school property without proper reason.

3. Do not assault other students or faculty without proper reason.

4. Do not sleep in class without proper reason.

5. Don't get caught cheating. What we don't know won't hurt us, but what we do will hurt you.

6. There is no alcohol or drugs permitted on campus, period. If you come back to the campus drunk, try not to break anything and return to your room. Police will be called if you're found to be on drugs.

7. Do not bring large or wild animals to class.

8. Do not bring guns to class. If you're going to practice shooting, please leave your guns in the target practice area or leave them in your room to retrieve after class.

9. Do not eat in class, unless given permission to do so by your teacher. You don't have to share if you don't want to, though people would probably appreciate it if you did.

10. No lewd behavior will be tolerated in school. The dorms are free game.

11. More rules will be added as needed.

As I finish reading the rules, I scan over them again to see that yes- these are actually the rules! I smack my hand to my forehead. Nothing about this is normal...! "I was expecting things about conduct and respectfulness, but wild animals…? I guess that the eleventh rule has already been used several times, by the looks of it!"

I finally make it down to the first floor again, and I start to wonder what on earth I've gotten myself into. All of those regulations are way out of left field from the look of them. "What do they mean, "without proper reason?" What counts as a proper reason to beat up a teacher? And the tenth rule!" I feel my face go hot. "Do they really let people do that kind of thing here...?"

Shaking my head to dispel those thoughts, I pull up the map and make my way through the first floor. As I enter the large door the map changes from the first floor of the school to what appears to be the dorm area. How cool! Seeing the hallway that's on my map, I decide to close the e-Handbook down, figuring I could find my room without it.

As I walk through the large corridor, I see the dining hall, laundry room, and a… bath house? I walk over to peek in. "Yeah, that's a bath house alright…" I think amazed. They weren't kidding when they said the dorms had fabulous facilities.

Deciding to continue on, I make my way to a dimly lit hallway with rows of doors, which are what I assume to be the rooms. Most of them are blank right now, except for the second to last one on my right. I walk over to it and see that it has my name on it, with a little 8-bit sprite of me just above it. How cute!

I quickly fish the key out of my pocket and unlock the door, flipping on the lights as I enter. The sight that greets me is nothing short of amazing! "Oh my gosh! This is even bigger than my room back home!" I quickly take inventory of the room. There's a large queen size bed against the wall, with a row of drawers next to it, and a standing closet beside those. There is a counter-like area that can be seen from the doorway with a nice table sitting behind that. Plus plenty of room to spare!

I walk farther into the room and see that boxes are piled in the corner of the room, waiting to be unpacked. I then turn to the side and see that there's a bathroom of my very own, which is a huge weight off my shoulders. I don't know what I would have done if I had to use a communal wash room!

Stretching, I decide to go ahead and unpack my things for a lack of anything else to do. I put all of my clothes away in the drawers and closet and make the bed. Once it's done, I step back to admire my work. My bed sheets are dark green in color, and the comforter is a lighter shade of green with leaves embroidered into it. There are two light green plaid throw pillows sitting in front of my actual pillow, with my brown stuffed bunny nestled in-between them. It's a little old and tattered, but I love it anyway.

I finish admiring my work and turn to start the difficult task of trying to set up my computer hardware… but then my stomach growls. My hands fly to my stomach on reflex, and I giggle. "I suppose I ought to get something to eat before I do that." I exit the room and lock the door behind me, before trotting down the hall.

I notice another name plate has gone up, but I don't stop long enough to read the name. "Another person is here early huh…? I wonder what kind of person they are." Mr. Kirigiri had said all of the students are pretty eccentric, so I can't help but be nervous.

"Well… it doesn't matter too much anyway. It's not like I'm going to run into them right off the bat, so I have some time to steel my nerves." Thinking this, I make my way into the dining hall… and of course I spot the other person right away.

He's sitting with his back to me, head resting on the table. I start panicking. "Ahh! Why, why, why!? I wasn't ready to talk to anyone yet!" I wring my skirt in my hands, thinking that I might be able to sneak past them to the kitchen... but that wouldn't help my trying to change.

I decide to go up and introduce myself to this person… albeit a little reluctantly. I walk behind him, and upon closer inspection, he looks like he's only a few inches taller than me. He has light brown hair with a gravity-defying antenna sticking up from his head. I tap his shoulder to try and get his attention.

"U-uhm… excuse me?" No response. I try shaking his shoulder. "H-hey, are you alright?" This seems to get a response from him, as he suddenly jerks to life and sputters a little. I move over to his side and see that he must have fallen asleep… right into a bowl of oatmeal.

That explains the sputtering at least.

"Ah man, did I seriously fall asleep here!?" He asks in disbelief. He stretches his hands behind his head and looks my way, finally noticing me. "Oh hey!" He says, smiling at me through the food. "I didn't know anyone else was actually here yet. What's your name?"

But I can't bring myself to speak. Not because of my shyness this time, oh no. It's because of the simple look on his face. He…he doesn't even seem to notice the oatmeal! My hand flies to my mouth to stifle a laugh, but I already know it's futile. My shoulders start to shake with suppressed laughter, and I can already feel the end approaching.

He looks at me, with what I assume is concern... It's hard to tell through the mess on his face. "Uh… hey, are you okay?" Unfortunately, this only fuels my urge to laugh, and before I know it I've flown into a full blown giggling fit.

"H-hey!" He says indignantly. "What are you laughing about? All I did was ask for your name!"

"I-I'm so sorry!" I manage to squeak through my giggles. "I-I don't mean to be rude when I d-don't even know your name but… I can't help it! Y-you have food all over your face!" By this time I've doubled over with laughter. He lifts a finger to his face, scraping off some of the gooey mess. His face goes pink.

My laugher subsides and I stand, quickly handing him some napkins. He takes them, still flushed, and wipes off the mess. He sighs and scratches his head. "Whelp, since I've already ruined all my chances of being cool, I guess I'll just introduce myself. My name's Makoto Naegi, class number seventy-eight." He says, smiling. "Nice to meet ya!"

I smile back at this strange boy. "I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, same class as you. It's nice to meet you Makoto! If you don't mind me asking though…" I say, trailing off. "Why did you fall asleep here of all places?"

He blushes again and looks off to the side. "Well, it's sorta embarrassing but… I was so nervous about coming here that I didn't sleep at all last night!" He gives me a sheepish look, and I can't help but feel like Mr. Kirigiri was exaggerating about the students here. He seems completely normal!

"I wouldn't feel too bad about it, I didn't really sleep much either." I say brushing off of my skirt. "It's a really big transition!"

"It really is!" He says, nodding. "It's completely different from my old school… I'm so lucky that I got invited to go here!"

"Oh, if you don't mind me asking Makoto," I say, tilting my head. "What's your talent? Everyone here's been assigned a title based off of it, so I'm a little curious." I start suddenly. "O-oh, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to though, I don't mean to be nosy."

"Nah, its fine! But… I don't actually have a talent." Makoto smiles and scratches the back of his head. "When I said I was lucky, I really did mean it! My title is Ultimate Luckster… I only got in because the randomly selected me."

"Really?" I say, eyes wide. "I didn't know they did something like that…! You must have been surprised!"

"Oh I was! I almost didn't come because I was afraid to go to a school with so many elite people… but they say a degree from here will set you for life. I couldn't pass that up!" With a sheepish grin, he continues. "What's your title, Chihiro?"

I start playing with the hem of my skirt, looking down. "W-Well… It's actually Super High School Level Programmer." I glance up to gauge his reaction.

He looks amazed. "That's so cool! You must be really smart, I could never possibly do anything like that!"

"Its really nothing special!" I say, waving him off. "You'd be really good at something too if you were doing it since you were little..."

"No no, you've gotta be more than really good to get into here for it! You must be the modest type, Chihiro." Makoto hits his palm with his fist. "Hey! Wanna go grab something to eat? I'm guessing that's probably what ya came in here for anyway, and my food… well you know."

"Oh sure, but… are you sure you want to eat with me?" I ask, nervous. He's probably just being polite.

"Of course! Might as well get to know my new friend, right? You seem like a cool person." Part of me wants to doubt his words but… somehow I think they're genuine. That he isn't just asking for courtesy's sake.

"Alright… What all do they have in the kitchen?" I ask, as we make our way there. "I can't really cook too well, so hopefully a lot of things with instructions."

He laughs at this. "Don't worry about it. They have tons and tons of food in there! Besides, my mom gave me a crash course in cooking before she let me leave, so we should be good." He winks at me, and I can't help but laugh.

"If you say so, Makoto!"

Cooking… sorta turned out to be a disaster. It really must have been a crash course, because not five minutes before he got started, the food caught on fire. Thankfully we were able to put it out, but I decided to take over from there and just make some pasta. Thank god for box spaghetti and marinara sauce jars.

"I'm so sorry." He says over our meal. "I guess I should have paid more attention…"

He seems absolutely crestfallen.

I laugh, still remembering the exploding hamburger meat. "It's fine Makoto. We still got food, right?"

"Yeah, only cause you pulled it off." He responds with a laugh of his own. "I'm never gonna cook anything serious again! I'll stick to cup noodles and sandwiches, thank you very much."

While we eat, we joke around and ask general questions about each other. Makoto has a pretty normal life: he has a sister, gets average grades, and sorta just goes with the flow from what I've gathered. The one really remarkable thing about him is his optimism. He seems to find a positive in almost everything, which is something I really wish I could do.

"So, Chihiro." He starts. "What was your old school like?"

"Oh… well... I haven't actually gone to a traditional school in a while." I say, looking off to the side. "I was bullied a lot the last several places I attended, so..."

"Awh, that sucks. Why would people bother you? You're so nice!" Makoto pauses a moment, tilting his head to the side in thought. "Well… learning at home wouldn't be all bad I think. You wouldn't need to leave your house for anything!"

I giggle at his thinking. "It definitely lonely at times, but I guess it gave me a lot of time to work on my programs."

"Is that why you decided to come here? So you could make friends?" He asks, tone sobering a bit.

I put my finger to my lips in thought. "Well… that's part of it! But mostly... I did it because I wanted to change myself. I need to get better with people… get some confidence, you know? I'm not great at talking, if you haven't noticed."

"Really? You seemed just fine with me earlier when you were laughing at me." He retorts with a grin. "I didn't think you seemed awkward at all."

I only shake my head. "Well that was one thing, but I nearly had a panic attack when I saw you in here! I wasn't expecting to see anyone so soon; I was going to take these extra days to prepare myself for this..."

"I wouldn't worry about it so much, Chihiro." He says, reaching over and patting my shoulder. "You were fine with me! I'm sure the others won't be so bad either!"

"I hope you're right. The headmaster told me that most of the students are pretty… unique. That didn't help my anxiety much." I finish, yawning.

Makoto checks his watch. "Holy crap! It's already 9:45!" He says, standing. "I gotta take a shower before the water cuts off for the night. I'll see you tomorrow, Chihiro!" He runs out of the dining room.

Smiling in the direction he went, I go to put our plates in the dishwasher, before walking back to my room.

I walk in the door and close it firmly shut behind me, locking it. I take a quick shower, and change into my pjs, before I flop noiselessly onto my bed. I glance over and see that my computers aren't set up yet. "It doesn't really matter though." I mutter with a smile.

Why?

"Because my worst fear about this place has already been dispelled… Things are already turning out better than I had hoped for! I'm… confident, that I can have a good life here, if I try hard enough!"

Why?

"Because I made a friend today."