The Ultimates

Six

The café closed at six, leaving us all alone to clean up our stations. It didn't take long for the Ultimates to finish up cleaning their stations and leave. Only Byakuya, Toko, Nagito, Makoto, and myself were left.

"Toko and I have to leave early. Nagito, will you be okay locking up?" Byakuya questioned as he tossed the key to him.

Nagito easily caught it and smiled. "No problem."

"Great." Byakuya swiftly left the café, Toko following close behind.

"Coming, Hajime?" Makoto questioned as he approached the exit.

Glancing back at Nagito, who continued to clean some of the tables, I shook my head. "You head home first. I'll see you tomorrow."

Makoto smirked and winked as he exited the café. I felt my cheeks heat up, but it was more in annoyance.

"Is everything okay, Hajime?" Nagito questioned.

"Yeah." I scratched the back of my neck. "I just feel bad leaving you to clean all alone."

"Oh, it's no problem, really. I'm used to it," he replied, carrying a bin of dishes into the kitchen.

"Still," I replied. "What can I do to help?"

"Well...if you want to sweep the floors, that'll be helpful."

Grabbing the broom and dustpan from the closet, I swept the floor, cleaning in quickly. When Nagito exited the kitchen, he put up the chairs on the table then grabbed his bag. "That's about it. Thanks for your help."

"Of course. It's rude that they left you to clean all by yourself."

"It really isn't a problem. I know my place here."

Quirking an eyebrow, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Oh," he laughed sheepishly, "it sounds worse than it is. You see, all of our servers are...I guess partnered up with someone in the host club? Peko's family has served Fuyuhiko's for years, so it makes sense she would be here as well. Although, it's also fairly obvious the two are in love but refuse to show it." He chuckled. "I bet when they get home, they're all passionate with each other."

"So are Byakuya and Toko dating?"

"Oh, no. Byakuya has a giant crush on Makoto, but you didn't hear it from me. It's very obvious that he does and acts like he doesn't to hide his true feelings. He knows Makoto isn't interested, so he's accepted friendship instead," he explained. "He and Toko grew up together. She's a writer, and she gets a lot of ideas from watching Byakuya's life, but she works as a waitress here to get that "normal girl" feeling for her protagonists. She wants people, regardless of class, to enjoy her books."

"Got it. What about Gundham?"

"He's with Sonia. Unless you know it, you wouldn't see it. They've known each other for a few years now, and when Gundham heard about her being an Ultimate, he instantly asked Byakuya to be a server so he could watch and protect her. With her status, she does get some weirdos, and Gundham is very protective of her. It's very sweet. He even calls her his Dark Queen."

"What about you, then? Are you here for Mahiru?"

"Oh, no. She doesn't need any protection. Never get on her bad side," Nagito demanded, and I help my hands up. "I guess, technically, I'm more assigned to Makoto and will be to you, but I'm just the café server. I serve everyone."

"So what made you decide to join the Ultimate Club?"

"Sonia," he replied. "We grew up together. My parents died saving her life-"

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," I rushed.

"It's okay, Hajime. It's just a fact of life at this point," he shrugged. "It happened when I was six. Anyway, Sonia's family thanked my parents by setting me up for life. I lived with a nanny for years, but when I turned ten, Sonia found out about what happened and decided to become a sort of older sister to me. She's the only person I consider family."

"Not even the nanny?"

"She was just a nanny. She never actually cared about me, just doing her job since the Nevermind's hired her. She wanted status more than anything, and when she finally got it, she left. I've been on my own ever since. Well, except Sonia. I wanted to make sure she was taken care of as well in the club, but I trust Gundham to take care of her, so I'm just here because it's better than being home alone."

Yet they left him alone anyway, leaving him to lock up the café and clean by himself. So long as I could help it, I didn't plan to leave him alone. I would stick around and help out as much as I could.

"What about you? What's your home life like?"

"Oh...average, I guess? I expected to go to the same high school as all my other friends. I didn't think I would win the lottery and be here, especially not as an Ultimate," I chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, I am happy to be here. My closest friends happen to be my neighbors. We all grew up together, and we all still hang out when we can, though it would have been nice to go to high school with some of them."

"It's always nice to have a lot of friends."

"Do...you have a lot? Of friends, I mean."

"I guess. I consider everyone in the Ultimate Club to be my friends, and I guess I get along with my classmates, but they're more acquaintances than actual friends, I guess."

"Well, you've got me, too," I smiled. Pulling out my phone, I held it out to him. "If you're cool with it, give me your number."

"Really?" Nagito awed as he took my phone.

"Yeah. Feel free to text me anytime."

After he inserted his number, I sent him a text letting him know it was me. "Thanks, Hajime."

"Seriously, text me whenever you want. I always text back the moment I can. So, if you ever get bored being home alone, know you can text me."

"Just like you can always look at me if you get nervous while hosting."

As we exited the school through the main entrance, I spotted Makoto's car parked out from. He honked his horn at me and waved through the window. "Aww, that's sweet of him to wait for you," Nagito said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You too."

As I climbed into the passenger seat, Makoto smirked as he drove off school grounds.

"What?" I groaned.

"Nothing. I think the two of you are very cute together."

"He's just my friend. That's it."

"That's exactly how it should begin," he sang, and I remained silent, knowing it was true.

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