Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.

AN: I meant to answer this like two chapters ago, but it sort of slipped my mind. Someone asked me which characters from V3 I actually liked since I don't like the game all that much.

If you're still reading, imma be real with you, chief. I only liked three characters from that game. Kokichi, Miu, and Gonta. You can probably guess that the 4th trial is my favorite trial in V3. Even though my precious Miu got done so dirty.

Apart from them, I'm neutral on the rest. Apart from Tenko. I don't like her, period. She's basically a worse version of Mahiru. All of her negative traits ramped up to the max. And I'm aware she's supposed to be a joke character, but like with Teruteru if the joke doesn't land then you're only left with a bad taste in your mouth. Oh, and I'm on the fence when it comes to Himiko. I can't say I like her, but I don't exactly dislike her either. Her magic gimmick is just irritating. It was cute and funny at first, but I started to get tired of the whole thing during the second trial when she was willing to let everyone die just to keep up the facade. No one in the previous games was that bad. Not even Hiro, which is saying something.

My opinion has softened on the game and characters overall, probably because I'm not being called an idiot for not liking certain characters. I think we've all been there before. The Danganronpa fandom is great, but with like any other fandom it has its bad apples. V3 is still my least favorite of the games, though, and I doubt that will change.

So yeah, hopefully that answers that.

On to the story.

Chapter 31:
Welcome back!

Everything hurt.

She wanted to give up.

She wanted to give in to her despair.

Or maybe she already had?

Why was she still standing then? Why go through all of this? It almost seemed pointless. Like there was no end goal in sight. Like there was no way to escape from this…..this hell.

They were her precious students, you see. That's why she had come this far. Pushed her body to its absolute limits. Just to get to this point. If there was one thing she wanted people to understand, it's that she had done her absolute best. Even if she did give in to despair, hopefully people wouldn't forget everything that came before.

Everything had come crashing down. It all happened so quickly too, but that was only from their perspective. It had taken a couple of years of planning to get to this point. For that one high school girl to get this far.

She herself had arrived into the story close to the beginning. You could almost say everything before that had only been a preface. The prologue. She didn't mean this to say that she was the main character or anything. Far from it. She was merely a side character, but a side character who was going to see this through to the end.

Because they were her precious students.

Well, she said that, but she was still powerless. She couldn't end this, no matter how much she struggled.

But he was different.

Even now, he was still facing this crisis head on. This overwhelming despair. She didn't know what decision he had arrived at. How he would try to stop this despair from taking shape. It was always like this. His mind was always hard to read during crucial moments like this. However, she could have faith in him. During their time together in Hope's Peak Academy, he always made sure to come to the rescue of those who needed it. It was just the kind of person that he was.

But then, what had this story been about? In the beginning, it was meant to be a story about hope. Perhaps not simple, but certainly very straightforward. They were all supposed to lead happy lives, to try and shape a better future. Not just for Japan, but for the whole world! That's what they had decided on. It was a goal worth pursuing, right?

Now? Now, she couldn't say for certain.

One thing was clear. Hope's Peak Academy was no more. What was could no longer be.

So maybe this story was about despair, after all?

Again, she didn't know. But maybe she could say this. This story did lead to the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History. That awful moment when everything came to a head.

Did it mean the end of the world as they knew it?

Was there still hope left to be found here?

Or were they only deceiving themselves?

The true beginning was about to commence. All the pieces were now on the board. That's probably where she should start all of this.

So by this point you might be asking yourself this critical question: does this story have a bad ending then?

Hmm.

"I wonder about that."

Jin wasn't so easily surprised these days. He had seen many things in his life. The life of a detective could be an exciting one, after all. After becoming headmaster, he had to admit that he had been expecting his life to become more dull, or predictable. He didn't mean that in a bad sense. In fact, he was looking forward to finally having some peace and quiet in his life. That's part of the reason why he abandoned his family legacy in the first place.

At first, the over-the-top personalities from the Ultimates certainly kept things interesting. It was like they were all the protagonists of their own stories without even trying to be. Like they had the world in the palm of their hands, and nothing could stop them. That was the path walked by these young prodigies.

However, things quickly fell into a pattern for Jin. He saw firsthand just how broken the system was in Hope's Peak Academy. How empty the lives of the Ultimates were, for a lack of a better term. They did nothing but focus on themselves, not relying on others unless it was completely necessary. And even then, it was to a minimum. It was lonely. Worse still, the school encouraged this type of behavior. They didn't mandate classes, or any other type of school event. Everything was left at the discretion of the students.

Jin disagreed with this policy wholeheartedly. There was no doubt that the Ultimates were special. Whether that was a bad thing was up for interpretation. Jin would never openly state his point of view on that matter, but what he would protest was giving them too much special treatment. They all had incredible skills and would no doubt change the world in whatever field they decided to go into. But at the end of the day, they were still kids. They weren't perfect. They needed to be looked after, to be taught and nurtured. They needed to be raised like any other high school student.

The board that ran the school saw things differently, and by the point Jin ascended to the position of headmaster there was little he could do in the way of reforms. That was the one thing Jin hated the most about his position. He was more like a figurehead than anything else. The true power laid with the board of trustees. The ones who truly ran this school. One of the few reasons Jin stuck around was to make sure that the school wasn't tainted further. It wasn't much by any means, but at least he could provide some protection to these kids as headmaster.

Yes, Jin definitely felt like he had seen it all here in Hope's Peak Academy. But as it turns out, he was dead wrong!

It all started when he got a call from Tengan to meet him at a police station. In the middle of the night no less! Jin still couldn't fathom the circumstances in which Uzumaki Naruto had been enrolled into the school. It was probably something he would never be able to comprehend for as long as he lived.

He was still glad it had happened. And he didn't just mean that because the boy had done a great deed for him. Helping his daughter in her latest case certainly helped, but that was only icing on the cake.

No, Jin was more focused on what was happening at Hope's Peak Academy.

'This is something else.'

Jin had arrived to work that morning like he always did, early in the day and ready to go through his morning paperwork. It was one of the more tedious aspects of his work, but it was something that needed to be done.

He had been a lot more chirpy than usual. Why? Well, because his daughter was safe of course! News about the Akira case being solved traveled fast, but then Kyoko decided to go dark for a whole week! It was almost enough to give Jin a heart attack. The only reason he didn't go down there himself to see if everything was alright was because Hayama had contacted him and told him everything that had happened, including his daughter's involvement in the whole thing.

So she hadn't been killed. What a relief! Jin was still worried. In a surprising move, it was his father who had gotten tired of waiting and went to check on the girl himself. That morning he had called and told Jin that everything was fine. Kyoko had only played a little prank on them.

But was it just a prank? Really? Jin wasn't convinced. He hadn't spoken to his daughter in a long time, but he still knew that she never acted without good reason.

It wasn't his place to meddle, sadly, so Jin had left it at that. As long as Kyoko was safe, he was happy. He was going to have to personally thank Naruto when he came back.

It was soon after he started on his paperwork that his office was invaded. He meant that in a playful sense of course. It wasn't like Hope's Peak Academy was suddenly overrun by a hostile group wanting to usurp the school for nefarious purposes.

Good plot for a story, though.

No, when he said "invaded," he was talking about a group of students suddenly barging into his office. At least they had the decency to knock before entering. Not that they waited for his approval to enter, but hey. At least it was something.

He was going to have a quick chat with his secretary about standing her ground, but when he saw who was part of the group he couldn't really blame her for letting them through.

The Ultimate Yakuza and the Ultimate Princess were in the lead, with the Ultimate Gamer and the Ultimate Lucky Student following after them. Jin also noticed the Ultimate Mechanic poking his head in the background, almost like he was scared to get too involved in what was going to happen.

Or maybe that was just his imagination.

Jin greeted them with a neutral expression. They had been quite rude with their entrance, after all.

"Good morning, students. I see you've made yourselves comfortable."

"Ah." It was Chiaki who reacted first. Her face was calm, but she looked determined like the others. "Good morning."

"You can dispense with the pleasantries, headmaster-san!" Sonia quickly took over, her voice firm as she raised her arm. Her entire body language demanded respect and obedience. If Jin were a lesser person, he would already be bowing to the girl. Hell, a part of him was still tempted to do just that!

Quite the powerful aura she had. Not bad.

"We are here to discuss a most urgent matter!"

"T'ch, dumbass." Fuyuhiko shook his head. He had both hands in his pockets. "You're already causing a scene. The reason we told the others we would handle this was to avoid that."

"But Kuzuryu-kun, weren't you the one who kicked open the door just now?" The smiling Nagito raised a very good point. "Not just that, but you also threatened the secretary outside if she tried to stop us."

The luckster had him there.

Fuyuhiko's eye twitched. "Whose side are you on, Komaeda!?"

Why, theirs of course!

"And besides, I only did that to get in here as quickly as possible! The less time we spend in here the better!"

"Yeah!" Kazuichi cheered to this from the background. It would have been more impactful if he only didn't look so afraid. But it was totally justified! They were demanding something from the goddamn headmaster of the school! Something like this could totally get them kicked out, right? Kazuichi couldn't risk that!

Thankfully for Kazuichi, Jin wasn't the kind of headmaster that would expel students over something like that. It was the opposite really. He was amused by their presence here.

"Alright, so you want to discuss something with me." Jin decided to make himself more comfortable in his chair as he gestured for Sonia to continue. "What is this 'urgent matter' that you speak of?"

"It is about our classmate! Uzumaki Naruto! The one you assigned a mission to!"

Oh?

Jin was now more amused. "What about him?"

"It has been over a week since he has been gone on this…...assignment!" Sonia tried to find the right words while also keeping her firm look. "We must know if he is alright! And when he finally intends to return."

"Ah." Chiaki tilted her head. "Please?"

Pfft, well at least someone had some manners around here.

"I still believe we are going too far," Nagito said while shaking his head. He didn't mean to disagree with the Ultimates, but he felt like this concern was unnecessary. "This is Uzumaki-kun we are talking about. He cannot be beaten."

The trust Nagito had in Naruto was unshakable, born from the belief that the blond was the one he had been searching for all these years. The thought of Naruto perishing on a simple mission was unthinkable. There was no way such a talented person could be defeated in such a way!

Sonia wasn't satisfied, though. She was prepared to fire more questions at the headmaster but stopped when the man raised his hand.

"I see. You're worried about your friend. I can understand your concern."

"He can?" Kazuichi looked baffled as he slowly walked into the office to join the others. "I thought for sure he was gonna kick us out!"

"The thought did cross my mind," Jin joked. "However, if you were brave enough to invade my office like this, then I know you're serious. I can't let such feelings go answered."

Sonia, who had been expecting more of a resistance from the man, didn't know what to say for a moment before she settled for a nod.

"Then we are in agreement! Negotiations have come to a close!"

Negotiations?

"What negotiations?" It was Fuyuhiko who asked.

Sonia ignored the question. "Then tell us. When is Naruto going to return? Is he safe? Does he need our help?"

Jin took a second to take in each of their faces again. They all seemed ready to support Naruto if he needed it. Even Kazuichi was no longer looking scared but now shared the same determination as the others.

'Hm. How very interesting.'

Jin would file this for later. For now, he gave them the answer they were looking for.

"There is nothing to worry about. Uzumaki Naruto will be arriving today, safe and sound. He accomplished his mission, so you can expect him sometime in the afternoon."

If his flight wasn't delayed.

Looks of relief and excitement spread among the Ultimates. They never thought they were going to hear such a favorable answer. Really, it couldn't be better.

Fuyuhiko smirked. "So the idiot is coming back, huh."

It was about time.

"Hmm." Humming, Chiaki smiled. "It looks that way."

Sonia clapped in excitement. "Then we cannot waste anytime! We must tell the others as soon as possible!"

"I totally agree, Miss Sonia!" And Kazuichi wasn't just saying that because of his love toward the princess.

Nagito kept quiet, but from the look on his face he was just as happy as the others were.

Jin watched the teens take off without even bothering to excuse themselves. Manners were in short supplies these days, weren't they?

'I suppose they're just that excited to see him return.'

Jin hid a smile as his secretary tenderly closed the door to his office. He made a point to ignore the embarrassment on the woman's face. He wasn't going to blame her for this.

The headmaster was then turning toward the window just behind him, which gave him the perfect view of the surrounding area around the main school building. In the distance he could see where the construction of the new school building was taking place.

Hope's Peak Academy was advancing just fine.

But the encounter just now. This was the first time Jin had gone through such an event. No student had ever dared to barge into his office like that, and about a fellow student no less. It was a bit difficult to explain what he was feeling right now.

'I thought Kizakura-kun had been exaggerating when he mentioned this, but…..'

It would appear that Jin had been the one who had underestimated the cheeky blond all this time. That was his mistake. The festival last month should have been all the proof he needed that there was something different happening with class 77-B.

'It looks like you might be onto something, after all, Tengan-san.'

When the former headmaster had shared his plan with Jin, he had just about shrugged it off. It was just too surreal. It's why he had been initially opposed to the idea of the man taking Naruto in. Now….it was like Jin was being exposed. Perhaps he should have trusted Tengan more.

'I still can't say I agree with it fully, but….'

Let's just say Jin was starting to become more open to the idea. Naruto had done him a huge favor, after all. The least he could do was start to have more faith in the boy.

'But why stop there?'

Jin could offer some support from the shadows, if need be.

With a little luck, this could turn out to be really beneficial for him and Naruto. No, for the whole school.

'Let's just hope.'

Hope indeed.

When Koichi got to the classroom that morning, he immediately could tell that there was something different going on. All his adorable students had gotten there before him, and they were huddled together in the middle of the room like they were plotting to destroy the world or something.

'I gotta start coming here drunk more often.'

You might say he already did, but Koichi had been more diligent with his work in the past week. He had only shown up hung over twice. Twice! Could you believe that? Koichi wanted to say he was really settling into the job, but that wasn't entirely true. He just wanted to make these next several days memorable and all.

So yeah, there had been some normalcy in class lately. As normal as a group of Ultimates could be anyway. But today, it seemed like something interesting was going down.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Koichi made his presence known as he joined his adorable students in their group huddle. Whatever was happening, he wanted to be a part of it.

"We are discussing our plans for today!" Sonia couldn't contain her excitement. "For you see, sensei, Naruto is finally coming back today!"

Oh, so that's what this was all about.

"So the brat finally completed his mission, huh." Koichi smirked. He had already heard from Jin about the Akira case being solved. Why Naruto hadn't returned immediately after was a mystery to him. But who cares about the little stuff! He was finally returning. The brat couldn't stay away forever.

"Hah, well it's only obvious he would be coming back now." Hiyoko had the smuggest look Koichi had ever seen, which was saying something as the blonde was always acting smug. "My show is in less than a week. He can't miss that, you know. I bet he's looking forward to it the most. Hehehe, what an idiot."

Teruteru whistled. "When you put it like that, Miss Hiyoko, it almost sounds like you're giving him a special something for this show. Is that why he can't help himself? Please tell us!"

The tone in the cook's voice made it pretty clear what he was referring to.

It took Mahiru and Peko combined to stop Hiyoko from strangling the laughing Teruteru.

"Stop making those jokes dammit!" Kazuichi wasn't going to stand for it. "I don't appreciate the 'Uzumaki-bastard harem having' moments! It's not fair."

Mahiru was really ashamed to know these two. Worse that she even considered them her friends. "I think you two need to get your heads checked over."

Koichi shook with laughter. "Ahahaha that kid is popular, ain't he?"

He sure was.

Fuyuhiko scowled. "Enough with the damn jokes. Weren't we in the middle of something?"

"Hmm, yes. Indeed." Crossing his massive arms, Nekomaru nodded. "Sonia wanted to have a party, did she not?"

"With lots of food!" Akane was practically salivating at the thought.

It made Teruteru shudder, and it wasn't in pleasure like normal. It was one of the few moments where he actually felt genuine fear. Akane was that terrifying of a beast. One of the few things in this world he could not defeat with his lust.

How scary.

Mikan poked her fingers together. "D-Do you really think he'd enjoy a party?"

Maybe Naruto would be too tired? Or maybe she was just making an excuse to get some alone time with him. But not for the reasons you might think! Mikan just wanted to be sure Naruto was safe and healthy. The last thing she wanted was to see him injured in any way.

"Are you kidding?" Fuyuhiko scoffed. "The idiot never runs out of energy. Just put some ramen out and he'll come to us."

"Hehe, is that our plan then?" Ibuki winked. "Because Ibuki can totally dress up as ramen and lure him out!"

Was that meant to be some kind of raunchy joke?

Mikan blushed. "Y-You shouldn't say such things!"

"Awe, Mikan-chan, you're so adorable!"

"E-Eep!"

Watching Mikan squeak as Ibuki hugged her made the others chuckle.

And unfortunately it also excited Teruteru. "Oh my. Two beautiful girls are hugging one another so passionately. It's almost enough for me to-!"

To everyone's horror, it looked like the cook was about to unzip his pants. But then, coming to the rescue, Peko quickly dispatched of the short cook with her bamboo blade. She practically swatted him through the wall like an annoying fly, a total repeat of last month's incident when he had tried to get her and Mikan to dress up in some disgusting cosplay.

"Ooooohhh…..the pain is delicious!"

Peko felt her composure be tested to its limit as Teruteru moaned from the hole he was now in. There was really no way to win with this guy.

Scratching his head, Koichi had to sigh. "Not another bill."

It was a miracle the building was still standing after all these years.

"Can we get past the peanut gallery already?" It was Mahiru who brought the conversation back to focus. Her face was already exasperated from all these shenanigans. "Just what do you have in mind, Sonia?"

The princess had yet to explain her plan to the others.

With a bright smile, Sonia answered. "I was thinking something of a sleepover! I have read that close friends do that all the time! And it has been over a week since we have all been together. Spending the night would be a great way to catch up, don't you think?"

"BEST IDEA EVER!" Kazuichi didn't waste a moment jumping in to agree with Sonia's suggestion. How could he not? He would be sleeping in the same room as Sonia! And six other girls who were also hot! What could possibly go wrong!?

It was bound to be the best night ever!

And yeah, he still didn't count Hiyoko.

"Eeeehhhh, your face is, like, totally suspicious right now, Kazuichi-chan~" Ibuki pointed out.

Ryota only shook his head at this. "You should stop right there, Mioda-san. This guy already has the wrong idea."

Wrong idea!?

Kazuichi felt insulted. "I'll have you know I only have the right idea!"

Nagito chuckled. "You should at least try to deny the obvious, Soda-kun."

Maybe he would succeed then.

"Oh, but Soda-kun understands the situation well!" Unsurprisingly, Teruteru emerged from his hole unharmed and in high spirits. It was like his perversion was giving him vitality. "But ladies, I must admit that you have to try harder for this event!"

"Hm?" Chiaki was curious. "What does that mean?"

Frowning, Mahiru glared at the cook. "You're just thinking something perverted again, aren't you?"

Well yes, but actually no!

"I'm just trying to give out some sagely advice, for those who need it~" Teruteru looked positively devious right about now. It was like his aura was trying to spread to the others, to infect them so that they would listen to what he had to say.

It made him all the more untrustworthy.

"So speak then." Gundham was still willing to listen. "But be warned. Do not waste our time with more trivial talk!"

Isn't that what this was all about?

"Oh, there's no need to worry. I'm sure you'll like this too, Tanaka-kun." Gundham doubted this very much. Teruteru continued. "We need to greet Uzumaki-kun with the warmest of regards. So how do you think we can accomplish this? Hmm?"

"Food!" That was only you, Akane.

"She does have a point." Fuyuhiko thought otherwise. "Like I said, ramen will do the trick."

Teruteru begrudgingly agreed with this point. "Okay, you have me there. But! There's still much more we can do! Think about it!"

Mahiru was losing her patience. "Just get to the point already."

Smirking, Teruteru pointed at the girls. "There's only one way to make this party more exciting! And that's for all of you, my cute little bunnies, to serve his every whim! You must become…..his maids! I have all the outfits ready and everything! Truly, this will make Uzumaki-kun the happiest!"

Oh yeah, the idea was as stupid as they thought it was going to be. Listening to him had been a waste of time.

"Give me a break." Not even Kazuichi was buying into it. "There's no way those kinds of maids exist anymore. And if there was an honest to goodness maid, she would never pick someone like Uzumaki to serve."

She would pick someone more dignified! That's how it was supposed to go, right?

"Let's just ignore these two." Great idea, Mahiru!

Kazuichi and Teruteru almost fell into despair right then and there.

"U-Um." Mikan was a bit confused. "So we're doing the sleepover then….?"

She wanted to make that clear. It did sound like a good idea to her. She had never been to a sleepover before. It was one of her small time dreams. Yes, a high school student could have such dreams!

"T'ch, it's better than what Hanamura came up with at least." Fuyuhiko's statement only made Teruteru sink to his knees.

And here he thought it was going to work! Dammit it all.

"And where shall we host such an event?" Gundham asked.

Ryota knew the dorms wouldn't do. The rooms could never hold sixteen people.

"Are we going to rent a hotel?"

That would be the most sensible course of action, right?

"Oh, but there's no need for that." Sonia slapped one of the desks, like she was leading a group of soldiers into their next battle. "My hotel has enough room for everyone here!"

She practically had a whole floor to herself, after all.

Mahiru nodded. "If we're not intruding, that can work."

"It is no problem at all, gal pal!"

Again with the weird slang. Was Sonia trying to act all hood now?

"Oh riiiiiiiightttt!" Ibuki jumped in excitement. "Then we just have to get ready now and surprise Naruto-chan!"

"Yes, but we don't know the exact time of his arrival," Nagito said. "How can we be sure?"

"Don't worry, Nagito-chan!" Ibuki gave the luckster a good slap on the back. "Ibuki will make sure to camp at Naruto-chan's house and wait for him! He won't see it coming!"

Could they really leave this to Ibuki? Subtly wasn't her strong point, after all.

Hiyoko crossed her arms and huffed. "Oh, fine. I'll go along with her. We know we can't leave her alone. She would mess this up somehow."

"Ahahahaha! Your trust in Ibuki is impeccable!"

It wasn't, though? Or it kind of was? Maybe. Only not the good kind of trust.

"I suppose it cannot be helped then." Grinning, Ryota gestured to himself. "For this special occasion, I'll make sure to shower you all with the best snacks there are."

Teruteru didn't look happy about that. "Don't bother. I refuse to accept such trash at one of our events! My cooking will be more than enough."

"Trash!?" Anger flashed in Ryota's face. "Your cooking may be good, but I won't stand by this blatant disrespect!"

Oh boy, they were getting into this again.

"Stop bickering like a bunch of pussies." Fuyuhiko scowled as he glared at them both. "You can both bring what you want."

The more food the better, right?

"I totally agree!" Again, Akane had to salivate. While she would take Teruteru's cooking over any junk food any day of the week, that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy both at the same time. She was an equal opportunist like that.

"Hah, so in the end it's Owari who comes out as the winner in all of this, huh," Nekomaru said in a dry tone.

As long as it kept the peace, Fuyuhiko didn't care who won. It was childish anyway.

"You're such a good leader, Kuzuryu." Koichi had to hold back his fake tears. "I'm almost tempted to make you the teacher instead."

Don't bother. The last thing Fuyuhiko wanted was to be in charge of this group of lunatics. It was just too tiring.

Or so his tsundere side thought.

"We should get started." Chiaki now took control as she looked at the others. "We don't know when Uzumaki-kun will be here. It's better if we have everything prepared before then."

"Of course!" Sonia smiled widely. "I will make sure to text everyone the address of my hotel."

That would be helpful indeed.

Kazuichi had to make sure he didn't burst into tears as they got ready to set out.

"A sleepover with Miss Sonia! It's actually coming true! I love this school so much!"

"Yeah, yeah." Fuyuhiko just about kicked him out the classroom. "Just get a fucking move on already. You can dream later."

And dream Kazuichi would.

Not all were ready to leave just yet, though. For example, Mikan hung back to speak to Koichi for a moment. She did it mostly because she felt guilty about all of this, namely making plans without including him in them.

"U-Um, sensei. I don't mean to intrude, but-"

"You can stop right there." Trying his best to look as laid back as possible, Koichi lowered his hat just enough to cover his eyes from view. "I know I'm charming, but there is no way I could ever date a student."

Say what now!?

Blushing hard, Mikan stuttered. "T-T-That's not what this is about! What are you even saying!?"

Oh, was she mad? Koichi might have breached a sensitive topic here. It was still worth it.

"Heh, relax. I already know you kids have your own thing going on."

He did? Wait, what thing was he speaking about exactly?

Actually, on second thought, Mikan didn't want to know. She was already regretting feeling bad for the man, but there was no turning back now.

"Are you not going to join us today? I'm sure Sonia-san wouldn't-"

"You're kind, Tsumiki-chan." Koichi almost ruffled her hair, but he held himself back. "You don't have to worry about that. As a teacher, I probably shouldn't meddle so much. It could lead to some problems, ya know?"

Problems?

Mikan didn't understand, but Koichi continued regardless.

"Besides, most of you probably wouldn't feel comfortable with it. You want this to be about yourselves, right?"

Well….yes. Their class was going to be complete again. After more than a week of not having Naruto around, they were excited to be together again.

"So just have fun and enjoy yourselves, alright?" Walking past her, Koichi took out his flask from his pocket. "I have more important things to do than hang out with high school students anyway."

Is that how it was?

Mikan couldn't say she was satisfied with this, but there wasn't anything she can do about it. If Koichi said it was fine, then it was, right?

'I need to get ready too…'

With her heart fluttering at the thought of seeing Naruto again, the nurse just about ran out of the classroom.

It didn't mean the classroom was fully empty yet, though. For another group had stayed behind. Or more like, one of them was forced to stay behind while the other two kept him there.

"What is this?" Teruteru was bemused by what was happening right now. He never would have expected this juicy turn of events! "Are you two ganging up on me? I never would have imagined a threesome, but I'm all for it! My buddy is already excited, you see!"

Hiyoko was disgusted. "Could you just shut up? Or do I have to sew your mouth together? Is that it?"

"T-That's a bit too far, don't you think?"

Hiyoko didn't think so. In fact, she was sure it would save all of humanity if she did!

"We're not here to make jokes!" Ibuki stepped in between the two. "We need a favor!"

"What's this 'we' stuff?" Hiyoko looked like she wanted to hurl. "You're the one who told me to wait. You know we're wasting time, right?"

What if Naruto got back to his house before they did?

Ibuki almost laughed at this. "Hiyoko-chan, I know you really want to see him again, but trust me! Follow Ibuki, and you'll see Naruto-chan's jaw drop!"

What the heck was she talking about?

Teruteru was just as lost as Hiyoko.

"What is this all about really?"

Ibuki turned to him with one of the widest grins ever. Her eyes promised that her plan was going to make someone squirm, and that someone was definitely Naruto.

If only he knew what he was walking into.

An excited Mikan was getting ready to enter her dorm room in order to prepare for the sleepover. They hadn't planned an event together since the festival, so she was looking forward to this. Like, really looking forward to it. It was also going to be her first sleepover ever, so that kinda helped with her excitement.

Maybe she would get lucky enough to sleep next to Naruto?

No! What was she thinking!? That would be totally shameless, wouldn't it? Like, what if she accidentally rolled over into his futon and started to cuddle with him!?

Mikan could never handle such embarrassment!

No, no. No more of those thoughts. She needed to focus on having a good time and nothing else!

Sadly, the universe wasn't going to grant her wishes as the path to her room was blocked by a very short figure. Mikan thought it was Teruteru at first, but then she took in the boy's plain features.

Why did she feel like she had met this boy before?

"So we meet again." The boy happily chewed on his pastries. "I've been looking for you. Or that friend of yours. We need to talk."

They did?

"Um." Mikan was hesitant to say anything, mostly because she didn't know who this boy was and she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Too late for that, as he could sense her hesitation a mile away.

"You don't remember me, do you?" His shoulders slumped. "No, don't answer. I can already see it. Is that why you forgot all about my offer too? Dammit! This is too cruel. Why was I born with this face? It totally backfires when it matters most! No, I can't let it stop me. I have more than one dream to fulfill!"

This guy….he was kind of a chatterbox, wasn't he?

"I was sure things were going to work out, you know! But then one of your classmates declared war on me. Did you know I've had to watch my back for the past week? All because I caught her doing something risqué. How cruel is that? Blaming me for her mistake. I even offered to help! Although I don't really understand her ramen fetish. But with how crazy she is, I guess I should have expected a weird fetish. I'm only lucky my talent has kept me safe so far!"

Okay, this guy was really a motormouth.

"E-Excuse me." Mikan didn't have the time to listen to his rant, though. Whatever that was about. "I don't really mean to intrude, but you see-"

"Yes, yes. You need to be somewhere. I know." He knows? "But when I saw you running down the hall with such a lustful look, I couldn't help but stop and talk to you!"

L-Lustful look!?

Mikan was embarrassed beyond belief. "I-I did not have such a look!"

The boy grinned. "My eyes do not lie, big sis. I know what I saw! Were you thinking about your crush? Is that why you rejected me? Is that why your two friends rejected me too?"

He wasn't listening to her. He was already moving along with the conversation.

"I've been doing some investigating, you see. Because something fishy is going on here! I believe there's a plot in the works. A plot to take over the school!"

Mikan could be slow sometimes She knew that. So if she was misunderstanding this then pardon her. But based on what she was hearing…..this guy thought there was a nefarious plot in the making because he was rejected by three different people?

"I-I don't even remember you!" Mikan blurted this out. She didn't mean to say this, she really didn't. However, she was starting to get frustrated with this guy.

"Hmm, yes. I get that a lot." He didn't seem to mind, as opposed to earlier. "Regardless, I wish to help you!"

Help her?

"You want to ensnare someone, don't you?"

Ensnare!?

The implication of those words made Mikan's whole body turn red. Just what was this guy saying? How could he possibly know something like that!?

"So I am right." He was nodding to himself. "Alright, don't worry! After my tutelage, you'll be able to get this guy no problem! You can count on Kamishiro Yūto! Then, you'll have to help me get one of your friends. Deal?"

Mikan was going to refuse for a number of reasons, but Yūto was already leading her to their "war room," where they were going to plan their strategy.

Their team up was going to be legendary!

Hours passed as the day went on. The preparations for the sleepover were quickly finalized among the Ultimates. Thankfully, a sleepover was easier to organize than an entire festival.

All that was left was for Naruto to show up. Which he eventually did, landing back at the airport just a little over 2 in the afternoon. With his cast and suitcase in hand, the blond emerged from the private jet. He was in his usual sweats with a simple green t-shirt go along with it.

The trip back had been a quiet one. Naruto was the only passenger this time, after all. Well, it was quiet on the outside.

On the inside, Naruto was plagued with soooooo many questions, all of which he still had no good answers for.

Like, why the heck had Kirumi kissed him like that!?

'I don't get girls at all.'

Not that he was complaining mind you. It definitely felt….nice. It was the first kiss he had gotten from a girl, so there's that. It had been soothing, if that was even the right word to use. There was no doubt that Kirumi was cute, and he could still feel the sensation of her lips on his.

No, the kiss itself wasn't the issue.

He just didn't understand why. What was he missing here?

He needed to think more on this.

He was supposed to have a ride waiting for him when he arrived, but he never would have guessed that Jin of all people was the one giving him that ride.

The headmaster cocked his head in respect.

"Welcome back, Uzumaki-kun. It's been a week since we last saw each other."

More or less.

Sheepishly, Naruto said, "I would shake your hand, but…."

One was holding on to his stuff and the other was still in a cast.

"Don't worry about it." Jin gestured to the trunk. "Put your stuff in. We have a long way back. The traffic is terrible at this hour."

Traffic, huh. The bane of human existence.

Even with only one functional arm, Naruto didn't have too much trouble dumping his bags in the trunk. He had one extra bag with him than when he set off. It was a backpack, which contained Hayama's payment to him. Naruto had yet to count the exact amount, but with how heavy the backpack was he was worried Hayama had gone a bit overboard.

But money was money.

After everything was in, Naruto got in the car along with Jin, and the two were off.

The headmaster hadn't been lying about the traffic. What should have been a simple thirty minute trip was turning into a fifty minute one.

How tedious.

Naruto didn't mind this too much. He was just happy to be back. He couldn't wait to see the others.

'They're probably still at school.'

After he dropped off his stuff, he was going to have to head to Hope's Peak. Hopefully Kurama was there too!

"That cast is new." Naruto's attention shifted to the headmaster as he spoke. "A memento for a job well done?"

Naruto looked down at said cast. Kirumi had been insistent that he keep it on for another week or two. It didn't feel necessary, but the girl was nothing if not firm. He was going to have to ask Mikan's opinion on the matter. As the Ultimate Nurse, she would know best.

The blond ran his other hand over the cast.

"It's more like a reminder of my failure."

Kirumi's unexpected kiss wasn't the only thing he had been thinking about on his way back. His inability to convince Sae to stop with her revenge was still haunting him.

"Failure?" Jin's tone was incredulous. "You helped to solve a very major case. From what Hayama-san told me, things could have gone worse if you weren't there."

Naruto's eyes held a defeated light to them. "Yeah, the case was solved. But I feel like something more important was left unresolved."

Jin could not understand what the boy was talking about. It was like during their first meeting. Just when Jin thought he was getting close to the truth, he realized there was another layer that he had yet to uncover.

"Hm. Personal feelings aside, I still believe you did a great job. You kept your promise to me. And for that, I am thankful."

The headmaster's gratitude did make Naruto feel better.

"Although, I can't help but feel conflicted about you telling my daughter your connection to me."

Ah. That.

"Cut me some slack," Naruto defended himself. "Kyoko has like creepy mind reading abilities. She knew I was there for a different reason! She forced it out of me!"

What an exaggeration.

Jin's hand twitched a little, but he made sure to keep his grip steady on the steering wheel.

"Kyoko, huh?"

Hmmm…..why did his voice darken just now? Was there something wrong with what Naruto had said? Maybe he didn't buy his excuse!?

This father and daughter duo were very similar, as troublesome as it was.

Jin on the other hand decided to leave that little detail be, for his own sake.

"It was still a job well done. You should be proud, Uzumaki-kun. You even managed to earn a powerful ally. That's something you shouldn't underestimate."

An ally. Hayama said something like that, about being a sponsor. Whatever that meant.

"Are you talking about him being my sponsor?"

"So he told you." Jin wasn't surprised. "Yes. Whether you know it or not, until recently Hope's Peak Academy's main source of revenue was through donations. These come in all different forms, but it's possible for an Ultimate to have a sponsor all to themselves. Basically, a sponsor is someone who donates to the school, but only to help that specific Ultimate in furthering their talent."

"Like what?"

"It depends on the Ultimate. Some could get a lab, or a whole building. It's on a case-by-case basis."

Naruto had seen one example of this already, with Jun. The guy had a whole lab to himself!

'So he has a sponsor too?'

Wait, didn't the school itself provide the lab to the boy? Naruto was having trouble remembering. Oh well. He could ask the guy later.

The rest of the trip was made in relative silence. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means. Naruto couldn't be sure, but it was almost as if the man was more relaxed in his presence now.

Had he earned the headmaster's trust?

'This mission really opened up a lot of doors for me.'

Not bad, not bad at all.

Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw Tengan's house come into view. Well, it was also his house now. Technically.

'Feels good to be home.'

Yeah, at first he never would have imagined feeling this way toward this place, but the feeling was there now.

Naruto could almost picture Tengan's smug face leering at him.

'Stupid old man.'

Jin stopped the car by the driveway, and then helped the Uzumaki get his bags out from the trunk before handing him an envelope.

"What's this?"

"My payment to you." Jin was already walking back to the driver's seat. "It probably isn't anywhere near the amount that Hayama-san paid you, but I hope it's still satisfactory."

Huh. He was just rolling in money now, wasn't he?

"I hope to see you at school tomorrow, Uzumaki-kun."

With those parting words, Jin got back into his car and drove off.

Naruto watched him go before looking back at the envelope. He was really going to have to count all this money later. Maybe he should open a bank account?

Mulling this over a bit more, Naruto fumbled his way to the front door. Having a cast was really bothersome sometimes.

'Can't wait till this damn thing comes off.'

That would be amazing.

As he tried to find his key, Naruto's ears twitched. He picked up the sound of whispering coming from the side of the house.

What the hell?

Feeling nosy, Naruto tiptoed his way to where the whispering was coming from. As he got closer, he started to make out voices. There were two of them.

"-is a nice fit!"

"Nice fit my butt. How did that pervert know our measurements!?"

"Ssshhhhh. Quiet now, Hiyoko-chan! We don't want Naruto-chan to hear us! We gotta wait until he gets in, remember?"

"I don't want him to see me dressed like this! Why did I let you talk me into this!"

"It's too late to back out now, Hiyoko-chan! Everything is in place. Besides, you look really adorable!"

"Why does that matter!?"

Naruto felt like shaking his head in exasperation. He already knew exactly who was hiding back there. Did they really think he wasn't going to hear them when they were being so loud?

'Man, I've missed them.'

It was great to hear their voices again. But what in the world were they talking about? What were they even doing out here in the first place?

'Trying to prank me?'

Bad choice. Time to show them why no one messed with Uzumaki Naruto!

Sure enough, it was Hiyoko and Ibuki who were hiding by the side of the house. Out of view from the driveway but still close enough for them to see when Naruto finally returned.

They weren't in normal attires, though. Those outfits Teruteru had prepared for the girls? Ibuki had decided to use them. Not for the pervert's benefit, but in order to surprise their blond friend. At first, it was meant to be a solo mission, but Ibuki was more than happy to drag Hiyoko into it. And oh boy was Ibuki satisfied with the results! She got to see the adorable Hiyoko in a maid outfit!

A 10/10 moment!

"Ibuki's heart can't take this amount of moe!"

Hiyoko was getting ready to explode. Her face was both full of embarrassment and displeasure. "You-!"

She never got to finish as she was suddenly hoisted up. The only thing she saw in that moment was Ibuki's flabbergasted face.

What was happening right now!?

Hiyoko did feel an arm around her, and for a split second she was almost scared that she was getting kidnapped or something of the sort. Flashbacks of other similar attempts in the past flashed in her mind. But all that fear vanished when her "attacker" spoke.

"Looks like I caught myself a little chick!"

Now, this joke was actually pretty smart coming from Naruto. After all, one of the meanings of Hiyoko's name was literally chick, as in a baby bird. The fact that he picked up on that was pretty sweet.

The startled look on Hiyoko's and Ibuki's faces just made it more worth it. Heck, Ibuki almost fell back in surprise.

"Uwah!" The Ultimate Musician still shrieked. "It's Naruto-chan!"

She didn't even hear him approach! And her phenomenal hearing were supposed to be one of her best qualities! It wasn't everyday one got the drop on her like this.

Naruto would take that achievement with pride.

As for Hiyoko, it took her a moment to process what was happening. Namely that Naruto was hugging her.

"Eek!" In a very uncharacteristic fashion, Hiyoko squeaked. It was like she was copying Mikan. It was a good thing the others weren't around, or she never would have lived it down.

Naruto still found it adorable. "Thought you could sneak on me, huh? Think again!"

Hiyoko's brain was still too fried to answer, and Ibuki simply squealed in excitement.

"Oh, oh! Let Ibuki join in the hug!"

"Wait-!"

Naruto's warning went unfinished as the girl practically tackled him and Hiyoko. How that was supposed to be a hug Naruto didn't know, but it didn't stop Ibuki from laughing. Even as they fell to the ground, she still laughed.

"Hehe, it's a group hug!" Ibuki just about nuzzled into Naruto's chest while Hiyoko still couldn't move. "It's the Ibuki special harem moment!"

She was still on that?

Naruto just resigned to his fate. "It's good to see you again, Ibuki. Hiyoko."

Hiyoko forced herself to nod, but she didn't trust herself enough to speak. Even the tip of her ears were red, but nevertheless she still enjoyed the unexpected hug.

The "Ibuki Harem" was back together again!

After things settled down and Naruto was able to get into the house, he had many questions for the two girls. Namely one.

"Why are you two dressed like that?"

Hiyoko tried to cover herself when she saw Naruto's eyes on her. "D-Don't look!"

A bit too late for that.

"That's not the line, Hiyoko-chan!" Ibuki nudged the blonde loli. "Come on, do it like how we practiced."

Practiced?

Naruto deadpanned. This was still not making any sense to him. "What are you two-?"

If there was such a thing as different timelines, then Naruto must have landed in the luckiest one of all. Why? Because in this specific timeline, with the probability being less than one percent, Hiyoko actually went along with Ibuki's crazy suggestion. You'd be right to ask yet again: why? Hiyoko didn't know herself. Maybe she just wanted to get this over with, to stop Ibuki from bothering her. Or maybe a part of her wanted to see what Naruto's reaction would be.

Maybe it was a combination of both! Or a different reason entirely. Reasons aside, she still complied.

"W-Welcome back, m-m-my m-m-mast-ter…" Hiyoko fiddled with her skirt as her face was burning hot. "I-I hope y-you enjoy y-y-y-yourself tonight."

As embarrassing as it was, and as much as Hiyoko felt like dying at that moment, the look on Naruto's face definitely made up for it. He was like a deer in the headlights. He also felt a rush of excitement that wasn't normally there.

Maybe he was more perverted than he liked to admit.

Ibuki did not have such reservations. Instead, she let out a low whistle. "Woah. I might be in love."

At that moment, it was like Hiyoko was the cutest being in the world. Ibuki wanted to hug her and never let her go.

And Hiyoko….she tried to grin. "Tried' being the keyword, as her cheeks were still red and her eyes even got a little watery from all the embarrassment she was feeling.

But she also felt empowered.

"I-I win!"

Jin suppressed the urge to sigh when he returned to his office.

"What are you doing here again, Kizakura-kun?"

Koichi didn't even bother to come up with an excuse as he lazily lied on one of the sofa chairs with a drink in hand.

"I think we both understand the pattern by this point."

Jin did, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"You let them go off on their own."

Again.

It wasn't an accusation per se. More like an observation...spoken in an accusatory tone.

"They don't need me to butt in."

"That's not what this is about." Jin let his irritation show as he went over to his desk. "We've had this discussion before. Despite what you may think, they do require someone to look after them."

"That's just you being overprotective." Koichi took a sip from his drink. "Besides, I'm already being kicked to the curb."

"That doesn't mean you can take it easy." Jin folded his arms on the desk. Said desk was covered with a variety of paperwork. "You're still going to be their official homeroom teacher."

Now this surprised Koichi. "I thought I was getting fired!"

"Not exactly." Jin let his eyes wonder to the paperwork lying on the desk. "I can't say I'm comfortable with this, so I'm letting you keep your position. It's more like my hand is being forced. That's why I acted so quickly."

Whether he liked it or not, Koichi's talent was better suited elsewhere.

"So harsh~" Koichi knew what Jin was talking about. "It's only been a little over a month since school has started. I worked my butt off last year, you know? And you already want me scouting again."

"You know where to begin."

Koichi did. "I might have a couple in mind already." He shot his old friend a teasing grin. "Especially this one famous detective. Have you heard about her? She just solved a very important case!"

Jin didn't rise to the bait. "Then you can understand. I had to make this choice. This class is more active than the others. We can't let them be unsupervised forever."

"I still think you're wasting your time." Koichi didn't see the need for this, but his input mattered very little. "They can take care of themselves."

Jin wasn't going to be swayed. "They're just kids. It's up to us to help them." He picked up one of the files from his desk. "I just hope she can handle it."

The name Yukizome Chisa stared back at him.

"Naruto-chan, what happened! You can't keep ignoring us!"

"Yeah! Tell us about that arm! What happened to you!?"

"You're suddenly so forceful, Hiyoko…."

"What do you expect!? You're injured!"

"It's fine, I swear! I'm sure Mikan will back me up."

"That's not the point!"

Ibuki was more than a little amused as she watched Hiyoko scold Naruto for being so reckless. It was the total opposite of how she had been earlier. Noticing Naruto's injury had brought this on, and it was very cute in its own way. Ibuki was worried too of course, which is why she was helping Hiyoko hound Naruto for some answers.

The trio had left Naruto's house by this point and were on their way to Sonia's hotel, each with a bag in hand. The girls had discarded their maid cosplay and were now in their normal clothing, which they had hidden in one of the bushes outside along with the rest of their stuff. This was good, as Naruto was sure his heart couldn't take seeing another maid uniform for a while. Not after what Hiyoko had done.

She may have won this round, but Naruto promised retribution somehow!

"Look, I'll make sure to explain the cast okay?" Naruto said as they got into the elevator that would take them to Sonia's floor. If Naruto hadn't spent this past week with Hayama and Kirumi, he would have been wide eyed at seeing the hotel Sonia was staying at. It was beyond illustrious! He was sure Sonia's room was going to be even more incredible too, as this was only the lobby.

The Kingdom of Novoselic spared no expense it seemed.

"I have a lot of things to explain to you guys, so just be a little patient."

Naruto's voice was full of sincerity that it made Hiyoko and Ibuki look at one another. If he was being this serious, then they could take Naruto's word for it and wait.

But he was going to explain a lot of things, huh? The two girls were very curious as to what these "things" were.

'That's right.'

It was time, after all. It was time to keep his promise. While Naruto wasn't sure why they were meeting at Sonia's hotel since Hiyoko and Ibuki refused to reveal the surprise sleepover, it was still the perfect time to finally explain his past to everyone.

Yes, tonight was going to be a time of laughter and enjoyment.

And also a night of truth and hopefully acceptance.

At long last, he was going to tell the others everything.

The elevator doors opened.

Some people seem to have the wrong idea as to where I'm going to take this story. I'm sure the first part is only going to confuse them further, which is exactly what I'm hoping for.

I noticed that others were confused with the timeline, so it's basically like this. When Naruto left for his mission, there were two weeks until Hiyoko's show. It took Naruto and the others two days to solve the case, and then Naruto spent a full week with Kirumi just relaxing and taking it slow. Last chapter took place during that week. In short, it's been a week and two days since Naruto first accepted the mission, which means that Hiyoko's show is in about five days or so.

Hopefully that makes it clearer.

This sleepover should be interesting. I wonder what Mikan learned from Yūto….?

That's all from me.

Till next time.