~ Forgotten ~【Komahina】

Chapter 40 - Hope

This is a lot to take in. I'm going to Hope's Peak, but this time not as a reserve course student. I'll be attending as the Ultimate Hope.

New rules had been implemented at Hope's Peak due to the Tragedy, so classes would barely mix. This means I'll only be having classes with the other survivors of the killing game.

It feels slightly weird that Makoto is going to be my headmaster, but... I'll deal with it.

I get pulled out of my thoughts by a knock on my door. 'Come in.'

Nagito walks into the room and stares at the empty suitcase on the floor. 'Need help?'

'I don't know what to bring!' I say, 'I know that the school will supply most things, but I don't want to forget something...'

'Well, first you need clothes,' says Nagito, 'That's a good start.'

I reach over and grab my signature shirt and tie. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice something in the pile of clothes.

'Huh..? What's this?'

I pick it up. It's a neatly folded black suit. A strange wave of deja vu passes over me, and I instinctively place it in the suitcase.

'That's...' Nagito begins, 'Never mind...'

I look at Nagito, confused, but brush it off. 'What sort of talent is Ultimate Hope? What do I even do at Hope's Peak?'

'Well... There are the normal academic subjects,' Nagito explains, 'Then there's at least one hour a day where the Ultimates can practice their talents. Those with talents that can't be practiced, such as Ultimate Luck, I guess it's sort of a free period. Most people either hang out with their friends or try and join in their activities, even if they're not the best at it.'

'Ah, okay...'

'And about your talent... Ultimate Hope is basically... all the talents merged into one. You could either get a free period or choose one of your talents to practice, I guess...'

I nod. 'Now back to packing...'

*****

Everyone else is talking excitedly about Hope's Peak, but I'm silently staring out of the window. I'm not trying to be antisocial, I'm just deep in thought.

If you think about it, the world has changed so much. Before I left, Mikan returned some of my memories. I knew a rough outline of the Tragedy, but I have no idea what I was doing while it was happening.

It's taking time, but the world is slowly returning back to normal. Now that Junko, who I now know is the cause of all this, is gone, the despair is lessening.

The mass pollution is somehow being reduced. If I thought about it, I'd be able to understand it, but I'm not really in the mood right now...

Public transport is back on, buildings are being rebuilt and there are no longer corpses littering the streets.

People are no longer afraid to leave their houses, or send their children to school. Things are restricted, of course, but not much.

I have a feeling that in a year or so, it'll almost be as if the Tragedy never happened.

'GUYS! IBUKI THINKS THE TRAIN IS STOPPING!'

Everyone's head turns to the window, where the train was slowing down into the station.

'Last time I checked, Hope's Peak is only a few minute's walk away from here,' Bya- I mean Ryota replies.

'Ughhhhhh, I hate walking!' Hiyoko protests.

'It won't take long,' says Peko, who was already standing up, 'Like Ryota said.'

The sliding doors on the compartment open with a hiss. As I step out of the train, I notice two people wearing similar outfits step out onto the platform from a different compartment. They both had spiky-ish hair, but one was wearing a hat. The one without a hat was slightly shorter than the other. The taller one looked irritated.

As they walk away, I notice the shorter one skip around the other, giggling.

'Hey! Keebo! Keeboy! Keebi! K1B0? Ultimate Robot? Anyone in there? Are your batteries flat?'

I hear a quiet. 'That's robophobic!' before the two vanish from sight.

'So, are we gonna get going then?'

I turn to look at Mahiru, who was tapping her foot impatiently. 'Come on, we don't have all day!'

'Well, technically we do...' Nagito mutters quietly enough for me to hear. I stifle a laugh.

The 13 students gradually split into smaller groups, everyone walking at different speeds. Hiyoko was running ahead while Mahiru tries to catch her, while Fuyuhiko was trying to stay as far away from the others as possible. Of course, Peko is with him.

'H-Hey, Hajime?' Nagito asks.

'Yeah?'

'Well, you know in the killing game,' he says nervously, 'We w-were kind of... a thing...'

'O-Oh, y-yeah,' I stutter, my face heating up.

'W-Well... Do you want to... g-go back to that?'

'R-Really?' I say, relieved, 'Yeah, I'd like that...'

Nagito smiles softly and reaches out for my hand. I suddenly realise that the group had left us behind.

'Hurry up lovebirds!' Kazuichi shouts, 'We're nearly there!'

I laugh and start running, pulling Nagito along with me. The group turns a corner as the school comes into view. It looks similar to the old one, except there aren't thousands of people walking around. I'd guess that half the students haven't arrived yet, and I could see around 75 to 100 people outside. It feels nice, seeing Hope's Peak being remotely calm and quiet.

We stop walking and stare at the school in awe.

I'm here, surrounded by my friends, holding hands with Nagito...

So this is what hope feels like.