The Reader's Request Book [REQUESTS CLOSED]

A Trip Down Memory Lane - Part 1 of 2

At the internationally acclaimed Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, the sister school to the globally renowned Hope's Peak Academy, the summer and winter holidays worked differently compared to the many other colleges and universities around the world. The bulk of students had permanent residency within the dorms, meaning that they would remain on site for the majority, if not all, of the break. Due to the large amount of funding the academy received, the staff often ran events to help occupy and entertain the students remaining on campus. The school also offering equipment that could be hired for personal excursions, so that they could relax and have fun before returning to their academic lives in which they gained broad, transferrable skill sets in languages, mathematics, and other standard subjects; as well as gaining a unique degree that was tailored to their personal Ultimate Talent.

After hours of debating, Class 79, one of the most chaotic groups of mismatched personalities and abilities throughout the entirety of the school, had agreed on having a bonfire and barbeque party at a relatively nearby private beach. Together, they had split the cost of renting the beach for a few hours on a warm August evening, as well as hiring a variety of equipment from the Academy's storage including the use of a minibus to transport them to and from the beach.

The president of the sixteen strong class, Kirumi Tojo the Ultimate Maid, had a wide and versatile skill set due to the varying demands and requests of the countless clients she had worked for in the past. This skill set included a class two driver's licence which permitted vehicles with up to nine additional passengers. This was how the majority of the students would be getting to the beach party that was set to begin at 6PM. Three students agreed to arrive at the location an hour earlier via a taxi, in order to buy and set up the items that the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles couldn't provide, such as firewood for the bonfire.

With some miscellaneous equipment in their grasp, the remaining three students stepped inside of one of the many small, plainly decorated garage units that the academy offered to students, their pleasant conversation filling the room with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The three students in the garage were called Kaede Akamatsu, Rantaro Amami, and Shuichi Saihara.

The cuboid shaped room consisted of speckled, dark grey, semi-reflective epoxy flooring; light grey, interlocking acrylic panel walls; and a flat, whitewashed, and sanded ceiling that contained a large saucer light at its centre, which lit up the room with a pale blue glow. It illuminated a vehicle parked neatly in the centre of the garage, covered by a protective light beige plastic tarp.

Kaede Akamatsu was a five-foot eight-inch tall, nineteen-year-old young woman with a slight frame and warm ivory skin. The Ultimate Pianist had kind, Mountbatten pink eyes with minimal makeup; and medium length ash blonde hair with a right-side parting, which reached just below her shoulders. From out of the parting, there was an ahoge, which was a small clump of long hair that stuck upwards slightly, held in place due to hair spray. This hairstyle was originally the result of losing a challenge in which the forfeit resulted in the Ultimate Pianist having to let Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, dress Kaede as one of Tsumugi's favourite manga characters for twenty-four hours. Kaede ultimately decided that she liked the somewhat quirky, antenna like hairstyle, so decided to incorporate it into her everyday appearance.

Today, Kaede was wearing a pair of dark pastel pink sandals with faux rose gold beads and buckles; a bright pastel pink, high waisted, soft-pleated skirt that fell to just above the knee; and a pastel candy, off the shoulder, bell sleeved crop top. As usual, Kaede was also in possession of her white fabric backpack, that was decorated with dozens upon dozens of music themed decorations.

Kaede's supportive, optimistic, and energetic personality naturally orientated her towards the leadership positions within Class 79, gaining her the title of vice-president. She was able to mediate even the rowdiest of disputes between students, as well as uniting the entire class for school wide events. Many of the Ultimate Students within the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, as well as its sister school Hope's Peak Academy, had earnt their titles through natural talent, birthrights, or sheer luck. Kaede was a student who had earnt her title as the Ultimate Pianist through endless hours of practice, hard work, and dedication to the instrument she was most passionate about; it was a skill that seemed to verge on the supernatural, for her music could shift the emotions of even the most apathetic and reclusive audiences.