Heir & Heiress

Unexpected Face

Nagito held my hand tightly as he led me towards my first day at Hope's Peak Academy. "After the ceremony, I'll be your tour guide," he smiled, slowly our pace as we approached the iron gates. "Try not to be so nervous," he kissed my forehead, acknowledging the forceful grip I had on his hand.

My blonde, twin-tailed friend, Junko Enoshima, bounced her way over to us, dragging a reluctant girl along. Junko had always been a bit obnoxious, but I've lived through most of her high-pitched squealing. "Look who's joining us on our first day!" Junko wrapped her arms around the neck of a reluctant girl. "This is my older twin sister, Mukuro!"

"Fraternal twins, right?" I giggled. Mukuro and Nagito found it amusing, but Junko pouted. "I'm only kidding! Mostly...". I smiled, extending my hand out to her sister.

Hesitantly, Mukuro shook my hand. "You're Karen Billotte, then? Thank you for watching over Junko," she quickly pulled her hand back but smiled.

"I hate to interrupt, but we'll be late if we don't hurry," Nagito pointed at the school's clock tower. On cue, Junko scooped my free hand into hers, dragging me and Mukuro along, while I clung onto Nagito's hand.

Nagito joined the returning 77th class, while I joined the students of the 78th class. Headmaster Kirigiri began the commencement speech; I tried to focus and listen, but I was swept away by all the curious faces in my class. From what Junko said, we were classmates with the Ultimate Pop Idol, Baseball Star, Writer, and Gambler; just to name a few. The Headmaster's daughter, a girl with lilac hair, was the Ultimate Detective; I could barely see her expressionless face from the angle I sat from her. Glancing over, I spotted Nagito sitting among his classmates; the Ultimate Gamer sat to his left and the Ultimate Nurse sat to his right. He noticed my giddy staring, smiled and barely lifted his wrist to wave. I giggled and tried to focus for the remainder of the ceremony.

I didn't realize how expansive the campus was until my feet were aching before we had made our way to the dorms. Thankfully, the layout was reasonably easy to remember, so I wouldn't have to wander aimlessly to find everything. "I shouldn't have worn heels," I groaned.

Nagito chuckled and stopped walking to kneel in front of me. "Take off your shoes. I'll carry you to the dorms," he smiled, glancing over his shoulder.

"You really don't have to do this," I repeated myself, my words muffled by tufts of white hair. He shook his head, continuing to carry me on his back. I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck, closing my eyes until we arrived at my dorm room. I slid off Nagito's back, stepping barefoot onto the tiled floor. "So, I'll see you later?" I asked, twirling my fingers around my heel straps.

"At dinner. You remember where the dining hall is, right?" Nagito smirked, twisting a strand of my hair around his finger. As he closed the distance between us, my back pressed against the wall. "Dessert afterward?" His lips barely grazed mine when an assertive voice echoed down the corridor.

"Komaeda!" the young yakuza had his eyes locked on Nagito. "I don't give a shit what you do behind closed doors, but some of us don't want to know!" Fuyuhiko turned back to Pekoyama, shaking his head disapprovingly.

Although embarrassed, we laughed and said our temporary farewells. After sorting and arranging my new room, I quickly slipped into comfortable flats and grabbed my room key before swinging the door open. I jumped back; Junko and Mukuro were waiting on the other side and walked with me to the dining hall. Insisting that I eat with the entire class, my expectation to eat alone with my boyfriend flew out of the window. I apologized, glancing around the packed table, but Nagito didn't seem to mind much. "I'm more concerned about your other classmate, to be honest," he glanced behind me. "He seems interested in you," Nagito squeezed my hand, offering a weak smile.

Too curious for my own good, I glanced over my shoulder and caught the icy glare of my "admirer". Panic constricted my lungs, causing me to gasp and quickly look away. "Do you know him?" Nagito asked.

"What's wrong, Billotte?" Kirigiri asked; I had attracted a few eyes around the table.

"Junko, can I talk to you? In private?" I yanked us from our seats, feeling the icy gaze on me until we were finally out of sight. "Why didn't you tell me that Togami was also a student here?" Out of every student she mentioned, she conveniently forgot to name the esteemed heir.

"Why would I?" Junko re-applied her lip gloss in the bathroom mirror. "Oh! Whoops," she giggled, "I totally forgot about your connection".

I sighed, burying my face in my hands. "You suck at lying," I whined.

"Hey, I'm sure he barely remembers you," she patted my back. "Buuuuuut, the dramatic exit might jog his memory". Junko didn't wait for me to finish wallowing. Thankfully, when we returned to our table, Togami was nowhere to be seen.