PROLOGUE

GRAND CENTRAL STATION

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It was a cold and quiet morning in New York city. A light rain fell over the city, just strong enough to warrant the use of an umbrella. The fifteen passengers were scattered around the city at that time. But in just a few hours, they'd be getting on board Union Pacific Engine 4014, the largest steam locomotive ever built. Instructions had come in the mail from Headmaster Hajime Hinata: Arrive at Grand Central Station and await further instructions. 

Each student was aware that they were about to embark on a train that would likely take weeks to get to Japan. The passengers had also been asked to avoid packing any luggage, and that everything they needed would be taken care of on board. Any object taken aboard the train would be confiscated indefinitely. As each passenger arrived at the station over the course of the next few hours, one thing became certain: This was going to be one hell of a ride.

Grand Central Station’s main entrance could fit hundreds if not thousands of people. Today it was slightly quieter, perhaps due to the fact that it was so early in the morning. There were a lot of businessmen and businesswomen walking around on the polished tile floor. There were a few attendants manning a ticket booth in the center hall, along with a few that ringed the walls. 

There was also a large electronic board near the back of the station that held timetables for each train schedule. Arrival platform 9 was the only platform that didn’t have any arrivals planned, as if the railroad was undergoing repairs.

Enerugi Mayatto was the first to arrive. He wondered if there were other people accompanying him. 

“I wonder if anyone else here is going to Hope’s Peak?” he muttered to himself, as he headed toward the waiting area.

With that said, Tiba Gnus Mooh galloped into the station, holding a polished black-top hat above her head to protect herself from the rain outside. She set the hat on her head and used the inside of her cloak to dry it off, twisting it in circles, as she tried to reach. After several minutes of furiously wiping, she got impatient, and threw her hat and cloak into a garbage bin nearby. 

“Unsalvageable. Unforgivable!” She trotted further into the station. 

This place was neat. The blonde woman had always had a fascination with trains since she was a child. She bounced up and down in excitement, ignoring the strange looks from the average apes that surrounded her.

Mayoko Chika was next to arrive at the train station with an umbrella in his hand. He shook himself off like a dog, closed his umbrella, and glanced around the station. “Yeah, this is where I was told to come,” he muttered to himself.

Tadashi Kawasumi entered at the same time as Mayoko Chika, pulling a light suitcase behind him. 

“Well this should be the spot. I’m surprised I was able to navigate this colossal city,” Tadashi said to his traveling companion.

“Yeah. This place isn’t quite my cup of tea yet either,” Mayoko chuckled a bit in response.

“Ha ha ha!” Annie May cried out as she entered the station, laughing like an overly dramatic villain in a Shakespearean play. “Evil lives… because I am evil and I live! Kneel before me, mortals!”

Annie was dressed in as much black as her mother would let her get away with. The end result being her black tennis shoes, black jacket, and her black eyepatch. Her black jacket was unbuttoned, making her white undershirt easily viewable. Complementing this outfit was a pink bow tie, which matched her pink skirt. Home to three sewing pins was a light blue pincushion worn around her wrist. A teddy bear was carefully held with her left hand, and a bright yellow umbrella was in her right hand. 

Annie spent a few moments lingering at the entrance of the hall to continue her laugh until finally closing her umbrella and moving deeper into the area. The train wasn’t there yet, which was unfortunate since it meant that she would have to wait. Then again, that was all that the headmaster had instructed her to do. Just wait, and she got to go to a new school all the way in Japan. Annie stood as far away from other groups of people as she could, quietly talking to herself as she stared at her teddy bear.

Chihiro Fujisaki passed by everyone with a cup of coffee in her hand, and a suitcase in the other. She wore a brown t-shirt and black pants, which made her look simple, yet approachable. Her hair was tan and wavy, and her eyes were the same color as her hair.

She admired the train station for a moment. “Oh wow, I’ve never actually been in here.”

Mikolaj Kava soon arrived. He glanced at the schedule to see where the arrival platform was. He would rather be there than risk being late, so he quickly headed there. 

As more and more people started to arrive at the station, Kana Gushiken was amidst them. In a sea of business suits, the undershirt wearing backpacker stuck out like a sore thumb, but Kana didn’t care. She never really cared. She pushed past everyone in the sea of people, heading towards her new destination. Her new challenge in the strange world of society. Going to a University when she didn’t know things like non-basic math. She didn’t know why she was invited to Hope’s Peak particularly, nor how they even got ahold of her. Any normal person like her would have probably stayed far, far away due to that, but Kana liked danger. That was one of the few things she liked. She didn’t stop to talk to anyone on the way to the platform. Why would she? They wouldn’t be important to her most likely, and she wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk.

Entering and looking around, Misaki Asano checked a clock on the wall. Seeing as she was on time, she sighed in relief, and looked around. Seeing as she didn’t need to pack anything, she took a seat on a bench. She wasn’t sure who was going to be on this journey with her, but she felt deep down that it was going to be a good time.

Torii Harunobu had porcelain skin, white hair, and red eyes. She curled up in a dark corner of the station. She was shaking and tears were rolling down her face. It looked like the poor girl was going through withdrawals, since she wasn’t able to bring her tools with her. She had shipped her tools ahead since she was asked not to pack. She thought it would be fine. However without her tools to keep her busy, and her carvings to hide behind, the small girl was terrified. There were so many people. Luckily, her small presence made it so nobody noticed her in the corner, which was fine by her. So many voices. She could hear talking from all directions. It was overwhelming. She desperately tried to cover her ears as she sunk deeper into her cradle. Just a bit longer. She hoped the train wasn’t going to be so crowded either.

Next entered Siris McElvin, the bard of lightning and thunder. He checked the place out with a wicked grin on his face. He liked the cozy atmosphere. He grinned as he took a spot next to Torii. Her hair looked rad, but mainly, he was concerned because of the vibes she was giving off. One of the things he was good at was reading a crowd, and this one read loud and clear that she was nervous and anxious.

“Yo! What’s hanging my dude?” he flashed a white smile, which contrasted his black sunglasses.

“EEP!” Torii let out a fearful squeal, as she darted for a place to hide, which turned out to be a corner just a few feet away.

“Ah. She ran away.” He said, with a concerned smile. “Er, right. I suppose that wasn’t the best way to approach a frightened girl.”

After finding Grand Central Terminal, Derek Grey-Field had made his way into the building, where he periodically checked his wristwatch to make sure that he was fashionably on time. In one hand, he held a cup of coffee that he got at a small café in town, and in the other, he held a briefcase. It was mostly for aesthetics. The only thing the briefcase actually had in it were a few tuxedos, just in case he had to change before they arrived at Hope’s Peak. The other thing it contained was a small tin of instant coffee, which would only be used in the most dire of circumstances.

First thing Luka Subdonix did when he arrived was head straight to the snack bar. He at least had to treat himself a little, before this whole expense was to undergo and make way for what could, possibly be, one of the most exciting trips of his life. He saw no shame with the slightly hungry glances he had made, while looking at the different selections of snacks.

Chieko Nishioka was the last one to arrive. She didn’t talk to anyone, she just headed straight to the waiting area, and took a seat.

Enerugi, sick of being ignored, approached Mayoko and Tadashi. “Pardon me, but are you two students?”

Tadashi turned around, surprised. “What exactly do you mean by students?” He looked confused, not knowing what the young man meant.

Mayoko faced Enerugi as well. “Err, that depends on what you mean.”

“I’m Enerugi, I’m going to Hope’s Peak. I’m assuming that you’re here for that as well?”

Tadashi looked more surprised. “Why yes, we are indeed going to Hope’s Peak. I wasn’t expecting to meet other students here.”

Hope’s Peak University was located in central Tokyo. It towered over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It was as if the University stood at the center of the entire world. It brought in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege. They say if you went there and managed to graduate, you’d be set for life. With hundreds of years in tradition, it sent the cream of the crop into the workforce every year. It was built to raise hope in the nation’s future, which made Hope’s Peak a really fitting name.

There were two things you needed to attend this school. One, you already had to be attending a university. Two, you had to be the very best at what you did. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way was if you were scouted by the school itself.

This was where these students were heading to. From Grand Central Station, located in New York in the United States, all the way to Hope’s Peak University in Tokyo, Japan.

“It’s nice to not be the only one,” said Enerugi.

“Well if we are both going to Hope’s Peak, we should probably introduce ourselves to one another. I am Tadashi Kawasumi, the Ultimate Plague Doctor.” Tadashi proceeded to put one of his hands on the boy next to him. “And this is my close friend, Mayoko. Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

Mayoko nodded and stepped forward. “Yep. I’m Mayoko Chika! Err…” He stepped back and leaned a bit closer to Tadashi, dropping his voice to a whisper that only he and Tadashi could hear. “Should I tell him my ultimate talent? You know how a lot of people react to it at first.”

Tadashi kept his voice low and said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I won’t force your hand or anything.”

Enerugi decided to go ahead and introduce himself next, despite the hesitation of Mayoko. “I’m Enerugi Mayatto, the Ultimate Comedian. But you can call me En.”

  Tadashi raised his voice back to normal. “It’s good to meet you, En.” He held out his leather-covered hand and Enerugi shook it. 

As each of them exchanged handshakes, Tadashi quickly retracted his hand, and looked through his luggage to make sure he had everything. Mayako decided to help him.

Enerugi watched them and asked, “So are there more students here?”

After rummaging through a couple spots, Tadashi closed up his bag. “Phew, I have everything I need.” He then glanced back up to Enerugi. “Um, there probably are, I just haven’t noticed any yet.”

Mayoko nodded in response to Tadashi’s explanation. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were here already.”

“A typical class of about fifteen to sixteen students, right?”

Tadashi nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s the class size.”

“Let’s just hope that everyone shows up on time,” said Enerugi.

Tadashi turned to Mayoko. “Well, should we head over there now?”

“It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea,” chuckled Mayoko.

“Alright, let’s get going.” Tadashi pulled the suitcase behind him, heading towards the waiting area. Mayoko followed, along with Enerugi.

Chihiro looked over and saw Annie, who was talking to her teddy bear, and decided to approach her. “Very soon, my dear beast. Very soon will we depart for Japan and begin sowing the seeds of infinite destruction!” Annie plotted, as she spoke to her teddy bear. 

Chihiro took a sip of her coffee, leaning over, “Excuse me, but are you talking to a stuffed bear?”

Annie jumped in response to Chihiro’s sudden approach. “N-no! This is a devious creature that will soon have the blood of thousands— no, millions on its paws! What you see with your insignificant, little, mortal eyes is a mere façade, a cloak of good concealing what is, in truth, quite bad!”

Annie held up the teddy bear, showing it off. However, its blue bow tie and yellow umbrella didn’t make it look very intimidating. “He’s not ‘stuffed’. He is forged from shadows, from darkness, from EVIL! All that is inside him is sheer terror!” 

“Cool! What’s his name?” Chihiro didn’t question most of what Annie was spewing, but she didn’t mind people like this, and decided to play along.

“Reginald the Ruthless,” Annie remarked with a straight face.

“So intimidating! I’m sure he must be feared across the land! I bow before his power!” Chihiro took a small bow so as to not spill her coffee.

Annie smiled smugly. “As you should. Reginald appreciates recognition. He will remember this act during the cataclysmic war of ultimate destruction that will soon be waged by my forces.” 

“And may I get your name, young mage, if I am worthy of such an honor as to ask?” Chihiro didn’t know if this girl was pretending to be a mage, but she seemed the type to be that.

Annie scoffed. “Mage? Mages are humans that cannot begin to grasp the intricacies of the dark arts. No, I am an alchemist, the Ultimate Alchemist, as I have been recognized.” Identifying students as ‘ultimates’ only strengthened Annie's pride in her delusional persona. She dramatically flipped her ponytail before continuing.

“My name is beyond comprehension for the human tongue. It may be simplified as ‘die Schattenmeisterin von Hejj’, though even that is insufficient for describing my identity. When necessary, most have seen fit to identify me by the name bestowed upon this vessel by its creators... Annie May.”

Chihiro felt sorry for this poor girl who she assumed had to grow up in America with a name like that. “Ah! My apologies, Miss May! Of course you are an alchemist! I am a fool for not noticing sooner! Please, forgive me!”

Annie absentmindedly petted her teddy bear on the head, making a soft ‘hmm’ noise as she weighed whether or not to accept the apology. Reginald the Ruthless may be flattered, but would the demon empress, the Schattenmeisterin von Hejj, likewise, be so merciful? “Hmpf. Very well. I will forgive you... for now. There is no need for me to smite you just yet. There will be plenty of time for that during Armageddon. Your mortality will be prolonged until then. For as the demon empress, nothing is more soothing to my monstrous heart than sensing the continuous dread and anxiety of my victims, especially when it peaks at the climactic destruction of the human race.”

“Of course. Truly I am not worthy to be in your presence, my Empress. I am, but a ‘Technomancer’, specializing in creation. I am known as Chihiro Fujisaki. The Ultimate Programmer.”

“Ah, yes, a technomancer. You create creatures that inhabit cyber space, but even cyberspace is not free from the tyranny of my evil eye! Ah—” Annie suddenly dropped her umbrella and placed her hand over her eyepatch to cover her already-covered eye. “Nnngh! I can see it, my evil eye is showing me the future! A glimpse into the eternal darkness, following my triumph in the final war? Yes, I see it clearly. The fate of your ‘techno-creatures’... is pitch black! I will hit the delete key, destroying them all!”

Annie let her hand fall back to her side, as she leaned her head back to laugh maniacally. She clearly had zero understanding of what Chihiro was talking about beyond its involvement with computers. And if there was one thing Annie understood about computers, it was that the delete key deleted stuff.

“Ah! Please no, my Empress! Perhaps I can dedicate my services to you to spare me and my creations! I am more than just a mere ‘technomancer’! For you see... I was born with a powerful and useful ability! One that could be useful to you along with my technomancy!”

“What?! A powerful and useful ability?! Pray tell. Explain yourself, she of the brown shirt!”

Chihiro thought to herself for a moment. “You see… I have a special version of future sight. I can look at someone and tell their intentions, and their futures! For example, I have gazed into your glorious future, and I have seen it! You are… here to board a train… and not just anywhere… but to Hope’s Peak University, no less!” Not like it was hard to figure out for anyone. Chihiro was an Ultimate. And it was why she herself was here, call it a guess.

“Impossible! You can see the future?" Annie wondered aloud and a shocked expression formed on her face. She didn’t think it was fair. Annie's evil eye showed her the future. Chihiro can't have that power too, not unless Annie's was more powerful, which it was.

Annie’s expression swiftly returned to that of a smug, confident woman. “Very impressive, mortal. Your capabilities are atypical among your race. However, my evil eye's knowledge of the future peers far further into tomorrow than you can ever possibly conceive. Nevertheless, your power is quite admirable, particularly in the short-term.”

Annie knelt down to pick up her umbrella. She then spun around and stabbed it into the floor, like a pirate stabbing a knife into a treasure map in a cool movie. Except that the umbrella didn’t actually penetrate the floor.

“Of course. That is where I am inferior to you, my Empress. I can’t see far. And my psychic powers are unreliable at best. That is why I wish for you to spare me, and allow me to lend my services to you.” This entire conversation reminded her of her more… odd clients, not that she minded them. In fact she always enjoyed talking to them, and Annie was no different. And from her reaction, Annie was also going to Hope’s Peak. Perhaps Chihiro could make a new friend in the process, before she boarded the train.

“As a vassal?” Annie wondered aloud. “To waltz so carelessly towards a tornado as sinister as my own… no human has ever dared risk it. Very well, I shall reward your bravery by making you my personal vassal! With my shadow powers, I will allow you to grace the halls of Hope's Peak University by my side!” 

Annie clenched her fist and stared up at the ceiling. “Now, putrid soul of mine. I harness your strength to sever the strings of destiny, remaking reality in my image!” She screamed, “Chaotic Karma Crusher! Hiiiii-yah!” and threw a sluggish punch at the air above her head. “It is done. I have rewritten the code of the world’s DNA. You will now be welcomed into Hope’s Peak like me.”

Annie pointed at Chihiro's face, almost poking the girl in the nose. “You shall be known, henceforth, as the Ultimate Technomancer! A commendable talent, though falling short of creating life from nothing, like me, the Ultimate Alchemist.”

Annie had figured out that Chihiro was going to become a student at Hope’s Peak. This made the subject a wonderful excuse for her to show off her ‘powers’, mainly since she knew that she couldn’t be wrong. If she couldn’t be proven wrong, then Chihiro couldn’t deny the legitimacy of Annie’s powers.

“Of course!” exclaimed Chihiro. “I could never compare to your talents. But as your vassal, I will never let you down regardless, my Empress! As the Ultimate Technomancer I will give everything I am to you!” She casually took a sip from her coffee, while going through this act. She was actually having a lot of fun with it. “And thank you for allowing me to join you on this journey!”

“Is this… friendship?” Annie thought to herself, a human thought breaking through the chuunibyou soul. Whatever it was, she liked it. This was much more desirable than the cold indifference shown to Annie by her classmates in high school.

Chihiro checked her phone. “It seems we still have some time before our ride arrives, my empress. Would you permit me to ask you a few questions?”

“Oh? So long as your brain does not short circuit from the overwhelming information that makes up my past… yes.”

“I shall try my best. May I know what land you hail from?”

“Ke ke ke! You are not fluent in Germanic tongue, I see,” Annie remarked.

Chihiro was a bit perplexed. “Well, I don’t speak like this on a regular basis. I may be a little rusty.”

“I already explained this. The ‘von’ in die Schattenmeisterin von Hejj denotes nobility from the place to the right of ‘von’,” Annie explained, flexing her superb knowledge of Google Translate. “I am from Hejj!”

Chihiro didn’t seem to understand much of what Annie was saying. All  that she seemed to understand was that she was from Germany. “I see, I see. And when did you first discover your supreme latent power, that being… your skill in alchemy?”

“Thousands upon thousands of years ago. You are familiar with Stonehenge, correct?”

“Of course!”

“I created that using only a fraction of my power. This is why your scientists cannot explain its origin. They know nothing of my magical prowess. To answer the question, I acquired my power so long ago that it escapes me as to when that precise date was. My memories that lack value are discarded. Otherwise my soul would be weighed down with irrelevant information, such as the weather on December 2nd, 666 B.C.”

Chihiro nodded. “Of course. Remembering the entirety of human history and then some would obviously be hard even for one such as you. Remembering only the useful information is expected for someone like you! May I know how you and Sir Reginald became acquainted?"

“The same way that humans became acquainted with God. I created Reginald, just as I created countless other creatures of the night. They are concealed in these unsuspicious forms, but when the time comes, they will reveal their true shapes!” Annie explained.

“Of course. I have never stayed close to one of my own creations, I only make them for others. But you are truly a kind leader! Are you excited to go to such a high class school?”

“Yes. I am eager to explore the land of the rising sun, particularly its vibrant, distinct, unique, glorious... cultural products.” Basically, it seemed like Annie just wanted to see anime, but in real life.

“Oh, right! I didn’t even think that we were going to Japan!” Chihiro looked surprised, she was so excited about the school that she didn’t think about the land surrounding it, and in her surprise, she accidentally dropped the act she had for Annie. “Hm. There is probably some nice tech there. Very good game companies as well. I wonder if any of them are looking for a freelance coder.” She took another sip of her coffee to keep herself going.

Annie’s smug aura persisted. “Yes, there are many merchants there with considerable products. Much of the appeal of those islands lay in its famous goods. However, there is another purpose for my attendance at a Japanese school: I wish to assess the damage from my previous war against humanity.”

Chihiro was a bit worried that Annie was about to take credit for World War 2. “Are you talking about…?”

“But of course. You didn't think that Japan was always made up of multiple islands, did you? No. When I defeated the human race millennia ago, I split the island of Japan into numerous smaller islands.”

A small sigh of relief left Chihiro. “Oh right, of course! That makes sense. I’m sure you would like to see how such a land could recover after doing such a big thing to it.”  Chihiro noticed Annie didn’t mind her speaking more casually, so she decided to do so, while of course mixing in a few phrases she might like. “Despite my dad being from Japan, I've never been quite interested in the place, myself.”

“You travel to the nation your father fled? How bold of you.”

“Well, he didn’t really— yeah, I guess he did flee it.” Chihiro looked down sadly, wanting to move on to the next topic.

“Err, well, uh—” Annie wondered what she did wrong. “Um, look!” She pointed behind Chihiro.

“Hm?” Chihiro turned around.

“You have already missed it,” Annie relayed. “How regretful.” There wasn’t actually anything there. This was Annie’s idea to divert Chihiro’s attention away from any sad feeling she had.

“Oh? What was it?" Chihiro asked a follow up question, as she looked back at Annie, confused. She took another sip from her coffee. She seemed to do that periodically and it was quite a large cup. One would think she ran on the stuff.

“If it wished for you to know, then it would have informed you itself,” Annie mused philosophically, having no actual answer to this question. “Reginald agrees, like all faithful servants should.”

“I guess that makes sense. What do you think Hope’s Peak is gonna be like?” It seemed as if Chihiro had already forgotten about being sad.

“It will be grandiose, truly awe-inspiring! At least, it will be once I mold it to my liking. A suitable incubator from which I can grow numerous beasts like Reginald.”

“How long did it take you to create Reginald?” Chihiro asked, hinting to the teddy bear in Annie’s hands.

“Two days. Weaving life out of my shadow may take shorter or longer depending on what abilities I wish to implant. For instance, Reginald the Ruthless is particularly special given his fierce pursuit of any goal. He is more aggressive than most, and will stubbornly chase his objective to the end of the earth. His weapon, the Clobberkanabo, required additional work. Had I the desire to create numerous small, weak creatures, I could easily do so. However, it would hurt my pride as the demon empress to allow pitiful pests to serve in my name as opposed to ferocious monstrosities. A debate that ants like you may think of as ‘quality versus quantity’. I opt for the former.”

Chihiro smiled. “Well, I’m glad that you care about him this much!” Chihiro noticed a few other students heading towards the waiting area. “Oh! Seems like we should get going, Ann— my empress!”

“Yes,” Annie started to say, dragging her gaze away from Chihiro so that she could make eye contact with Reginald. “However, we must now part ways.” A hint of sadness was evident in Annie’s voice, betraying her chuubyou persona. She swiftly corrected this, however, bursting into maniacal laughter.

Chihiro thought to herself. “You know… I’m gonna try to sneak my phone on.”

Annie’s eyes darted around the entrance hall of the train station, before settling on a child sitting alone. Target spotted! “Go, technomancer! We will meet again in due time.” With that, Annie walked away from Chihiro, making her way towards the child.

Chihiro watched as Annie handed her stuffed bear to the child. “Huh. Well, up to her, I guess.” She headed towards the waiting area.

Enerugi, Tadashi, Mayoko, Tibia, Derek, Torii, and Siris were already in the waiting area. Luka was in the snack bar, and Kana decided to go there as well. The rest, Mikolaj, Misaki, and Chieko had already gone to the arrival platform. All of them were soon going to be students of Hope’s Peak University.

Tadashi looked excited. “Japan, here we come!”

Enerugi was a little less enthusiastic. “Guess so.”

It was impossible for Tibia to make it past the waiting area without getting distracted by the fancy, flashing television screens that hung around the room. She scuttled up to one of the chairs and curled up, watching the pretty lights with interest. Thoughts of her family came to her mind, as she idled in her seat. She imagined them scolding her for being different from the other kids. Her own brother would tease and harass her more than anyone.

“Rrrgghh, uncomfy,” she muttered, getting up out of her seat to move her body more, so that she might get her mind off of her scarring past. 

After having scared her away once already, Siris decided to approach Torii in a different way. “Let’s see… maybe it’s the shades?” He decided to remove his shades, revealing his sky blue eyes. He then turned to Torii. “Hey, I don’t bite, I promise. The name’s Siris McElvin, it’s nice to meet you.”

Without peeking around the corner, a quiet, labored, and terrified voice barely reached Siris’s ears. “N-n-nice... meet you.” It was clear from her voice that she was still crying, and had been for a while. The Japanese accent didn’t help with understanding her. “T-t-torii,” She managed to get out, but realized that may not be enough. “I’m T-t-torii Harunobu.” Behind the corner her hands were fighting. Like they wanted to gasp for something that wasn’t there. Try as she might, her tools weren’t there, and she still didn’t have her carvings to hide behind. So the wall was going to have to work.

Siris gave her a warm smile. “That’s a very nice name, Torii. Are you from Japan? Your kimono is pretty rockin’.”

“Th... you. I-I am f-from Japan.” The voice attempted to make its way to Siris’s ears, only partially effectively.

Luckily, Siris’s ears were fine-tuned for sound, so he got the gist of it. “Tell me then Torii, do you like music? Idol songs... Aimer... American music... traditional Japanese?”

“O-old Japanese m-music.” She wasn’t sure if that was what traditional music was, so she just used her own descriptor. She had no idea what the other ones were.

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He nodded and pulled out his guitar from his case. He made sure it was properly tuned before playing some peaceful Japanese folklore music. He began to sing softly about Kaguya and the moon. He sang in Japanese, believing that it might be more comforting for the girl. Torii listened respectfully. The anxiety didn’t leave her, but she stifled her crying, as she didn’t want to disturb the musician.

He continued to play, changing the song to sound like a Japanese version of Take Me Home, Country Roads. Torii wasn’t sure how to feel about that one, as the sounds were foreign to her, but in the process of trying to figure that out, she calmed down a little.

Assuming Siris had eventually ended his little concert at some point, Torii piped up from around the corner, “Th-th-thanks for that. You have a nice voice.”

Siris had stopped playing and gave her a smile. “Thanks, Torii. It makes a rocker like me happy to hear that!”

“S-s-so… are you doing here?” Words from her quiet voice were still getting lost, even though she was just a few feet away. Again, that didn’t seem to bother Siris all that much. 

“Me? I’m headed off to school actually! I got invited to this fancy school in Japan!” Siris replied.

“I-I see… Hope’s Peak?”

“Yeah, that’s the one! Don’t tell me… are you headed there also?”

“Un.” Just a sound that indicated confirmation came in response.

“Well, awesome! Guess that makes us classmates then! What’s your ultimate talent?”

“Ukiyo-e.”

“Er, Yugioh? That card game? I mean, I know the basic rules and everything but—”

“N-no,” Torii said weakly. “T-the art.” A sleeve popped out from behind the wall, showing the art on the sleeve, as if that explained anything. On the sleeve of her kimono was a depiction of an old Japanese village. But instead of people living in the village there seemed to be cute red pandas, dressed as people, going about their day. 

“Oh, that art form! Sorry about that. My knowledge of Japanese culture is pretty minimal despite being about half Japanese myself. You made the kimono then? I think it’s really rad! The red pandas are super cool dude!” He flashed another grin that she obviously couldn’t see.

Torii shrank at the assault of words. “T-thanks.”

Siris realized that his tone may have been a bit loud, so he cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “So, do you only make kimonos or other things as well?”

“Kimonos a-are just the c-canvas. I-I make wood blocks for prints. A-and the silk f-for the Kimonos.”

“Oh... huh, that's really cool then! That’s way more than what I do. Not only do you make the art, but you also make the canvas! That's like if I both made guitars, and played them!”

“S-so are you an Ultimate Guitarist?”

“Nah, nah.” Siris waved his hand. “I’m the Ultimate Solo-Rocker. I mostly play the guitar and piano, playing anything from Piano Man to Dragon Force.”

Torii didn’t know what any of those words meant, but she went along with it. “C-cool. That sounds like fun.”

“There’s nothing better! Well, to me at least. It fuels my heart and soul. Each day I play is the best day of my life.”

“That's really cool. So, um... if you'll excuse me I um, I have to use the little girls room.” Torii ran out of her hiding space to go find a bathroom. She didn’t need to use it, but she really didn’t want to keep crying in front of the man who was trying to cheer her up. Siris frowned as Torii left, and went on to play sad songs.

A lithe blue haired man dressed in a suit and tie was attending the snack bar, reading a book while he sat bored behind the cash register. 

Kana walked past the cash register and rustled around in her homemade bear-fur wallet that she had made when she decided to try society out for a change. Well, there was a leaf in here. She didn’t expect the snack bar to take leaves, so she didn’t even try to buy a snack. She didn’t feel like shoplifting today, though she would consider it on most days. The rush of stealing something from an enemy stronghold was tempting, but there wasn’t any time right now. 

Kana was too busy thinking of the next stage of her life, Hope’s Peak University. It was supposed to hone her talent as a survivalist, but what could they teach her that she didn’t already know from her own personal experiences? Why should she practice there outside of being out there in the field? Why her? Why pick some random redhead from the wilderness with nothing to her name? One that shouldn’t have even been traceable. 

It was important to Kana to consider these questions, and not drop them off. Finding questions and answering them was a key part of assessing any situation, and if she ignored half the questions she asked herself, she’d probably be dead by now. But it didn’t seem like there was any way to answer these questions but going herself and seeing what exactly Hope’s Peak was. Hope’s Peak what a stupid name for a school. 

She left the snack bar after accepting it was useless to her for now. Maybe if someone tried to assault her and she managed to steal their wallet.

Luka was still searching for a snack. There were so many good picks, from names he had heard before, to some that weren’t all that well-known to him. Such a variety. This, however, made Luka’s hunger become more prominent, even though he just had something to eat earlier. Was he really that desperate for a snack, or did he just need something salty to satisfy his excitement? Both, unfortunately, applied here, whether he liked that or not.

The Ultimate Lawyer walked closer to the bar, scanning more and more of what was available, mostly to pick out the snack that would be perfect just for him. He wasn’t too picky when it came to this sort of thing, usually settling with just a regular bag of potato chips if need be, but this was different. Instead of chips, what if he went for something like... a small but excited gasp escaped him as he eyed a bag of pretzels. It wasn’t the most out of this world pick, or even the most creative, but he didn’t care much. Out of all of his options, a train-like setting could call for some pretzels, or the setting beforehand.

Luka took the small bag of pretzels and sat down somewhere, quickly opening the bag and popping a few of them into his mouth. A chuckle somewhat escaped him, as he enjoyed the salty taste. Too bad his mind had been situated back to the reason why he was here in the first place. The whole train ride to begin with. Seeing that he hadn’t been on a train that ran for this long in his life, of course he got the right to feel as much excitement as he did. Perhaps the others did, too.

The thought of the others coming along with him felt like a punch in the gut. The Lawyer was so caught up in everything else that he had forgotten the most important part about this. Talking with everyone else and just... getting along. Really, that was the most important part to these sort of trips, whether one liked it or not. You simply couldn’t have a nice experience if that were not the case, no?

He let out a sigh. He was yet to meet anybody, and still was waiting to see if someone would approach him. It wasn’t that he was nervous, by all means, but he didn’t know how to open up to such a big group of people this quickly. Maybe someone would come in and secretly help him along with this? For now, he was content with himself and his bag of pretzels.

The person manning the cash register, named Grover Chaulli, silently observed the lawyer from his position behind the snack bar. Though, he didn't say a word. Instead, he simply tended the counter, doing whatever it was he could to pass the time.

Luka glanced off to the side, only to see Grover looking over at him, too. He tilted his head a bit, in a silent question. Maybe he could interact with him? Wouldn’t cause any pain on his part. After all, any sort of interaction would be nice every once in a while, especially here, no matter who the other may be. Clearing his throat a little, Luka dusted off his shirt and stood up, looking back at the table with the pretzels, before walking over to Grover.

This gentleman seemed nice enough from his looks, so perhaps this wouldn’t be all that bad in the grand scheme of things, which was definitely a good thing, for sure. Well, it wasn’t like he had a choice in the matter at that rate anyways, seeing how he was already so close to the other.

“Hello there, sir! A wonderful day we both seem to be having, no?” Luka spoke, his neutral, yet calm look, which was present on his features.

It wasn’t often the customers started up a friendly chat with the man, so Grover was admittedly taken by surprise for a few moments. But he managed to reply with a simple nod and smile. He paused for a moment, as if considering something. Then:

[Do you know sign language?] Grover moved his hands through the air, using sign language to communicate this question in the first place. He was unsure if the man would know sign language, but it was worth a shot to start.

Luka watched the man move his hands weirdly in the air, trying to piece together what exactly it was meaning. Was this some weird tradition he usually was able to do? Some sort of way to speak of a secret prophecy? Reality struck him too hard in the head as he finally realized what was going on. This man could not speak, could he? A frown formed on Luka’s face because of this. Oh dear, this was probably going to end up being a bad rough start, wasn’t it? Luka had always been an honest man, but was always scared to admit it when it came to situations like these.

Though, Luka kept hopeful as he was able to put his warm smile back on. “Oh, I am terribly sorry, sir. I’m afraid I do not speak sign language. If there is any other way you could communicate, however, by all means, go ahead! Err, if that seems a bit too direct for your liking or not.” A nervous chuckle escaped him, as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand, looking away slightly.

Grover cleared his throat. “It’s usually easier for me to communicate in sign language, since I don’t have to use my real voice.” However, this wasn’t Grover's voice that Luka had heard. Instead, Grover sounded exactly like Luka did. The same tone of voice, inflection… it was all the same. “I am also terribly sorry. I prefer not to borrow voices when it is unnecessary.”

It didn’t take a lot to scare him, but this was not one of them. In fact, Luka found himself more curious about Grover than he previously did. He was able to copy other’s voices? As unnerving to some that may have been, Luka was quite fond of such a unique characteristic. It also showed that he was a bit scared to use his real voice, too, but this could work out just fine. The Lawyer was sure it wouldn’t take him long to get used to it.

“Oh, no no! There is no need to apologize! That’s actually really cool, being able to copy someone else’s voice and all. It... gives a new sense of self for you, new voice or old voice. It’s quite a creative trait, if I do say so myself.”

The blueberry haired boy exhaled. “Thank goodness. There are a lot of people kinda freaked out by my talent, but I’m always happy to meet someone who finds it at least a little amusing.” Even his laugh sounded like how Luka’s might have been. “But it’s definitely a good day! Our boss told us we’d have some important guests coming by today and that we should be extra nice to everyone who comes by. He said something about going to some university in Japan. I don’t know how they’re planning to get from New York to Japan, but we were told not to question it too much.”

Luka’s eyes widened. He must’ve been referring to the other students coming along for the trip, which also included him. This somewhat lifted his spirits up, even if it wasn’t by a whole lot, considering the fact that they were probably too high up as it was. Though, what did he mean by this boss? The one running the station, or someone else entirely? He was sure he would be able to figure this out soon enough.

Luka shrugged, giving a goofy smile. “I don’t question it, either. One way to get there, eh? Quite a fun way, too!”

Grover was skeptical. “Trains are pretty cramped, so I dunno if I would find that fun myself. But I bet the students are ‘over the moon’ about such a journey.” 

The blue-haired man glanced at one of the televisions hanging over the snack bar. It was muted, but it was showing a program on television: Channel 12 news. It was a weird news channel based in Japan that was broadcasted worldwide. The subtitles flashing on the screen let him see what was going on. It seemed some rich guy was on with that red-haired anchor.

News Channel 12 was one of the most popular news stations in Japan. The channel provided daily news broadcasts to the people of Japan, giving them the most popular news of the day as soon as humanly possible. The head anchor, Mahiru Koizumi, was the most frequent person on the show, and had almost become the face for the channel itself. In the off-hours that the channel wasn’t live, the popular station “Jet Set Radio” would broadcast some funky tunes across the airwaves in place of the news. For some reason, the news station’s motto was “working 4 you”, which was a lot cooler back in the days that they were called Channel 4. But recently, they switched over to broadcasting to Channel 12, and the motto was one of the many things that still had yet to be converted.

It was a less than average day at Channel 12 news. Mahiru Koizumi rushed around the set, getting everything she needed together. “Come on, people! We need to hurry it up!” She called as the make-up crew worked like lightning. After they had finished, she jumped out of her chair and grabbed the pile of papers on one of the desks nearby that was her script. It was a formality to have, of course; she had memorized everything she was going to ask beforehand. It wasn’t often that the great Byakuya Togami visited for an interview, of course.

Luckily, that other upstart reporter was nowhere to be found. If she knew that the head of the Togami clan was here, it would be impossible to drag her off set without her own story on the matter. But everything had gone smoothly thus far, and Mahiru planned to keep it that way.   

“We’re on, in five! Four!” The director began counting down as Mahiru took a seat on set, putting on a big smile for the camera. 

“Good morning, good afternoon, or good night, folks! My name is Mahiru Koizumi, and thank you for welcoming the crew here at Channel 12 back into your homes,” she winked at the camera before continuing, “And to start off the day, we have a very special guest joining us. Head of the Togami conglomerate, it’s Mr. Byakuya Togami himself!” 

The camera panned to Byakuya as he walked on set. He gave the cameras a stout wave before taking a seat next to Mahiru. His expression was one of discomfort. “Thank you for having me, Mahiru. Might I add that it’s wonderful to be here,” He gave a cool smile to one of the cameras. 

“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Togami” The red-headed anchor exclaimed, excitedly. “There’s one question I want to ask you right off the bat. Rumor has been going around that the Togami family has had some sort of... secret project in the works for years now. And recently, you said in another online interview that it was close to completion. Perhaps you could finally spill the beans?”

Byakuya shifted in his seat, as he glanced at the cameras in the room. “I suppose it's about time I let the world come to witness my greatest plan yet. Are you familiar with Hope’s Peak University, Mahiru?” The reporter grinned. “Of course, Mr. Togami. I studied there for four years as the Ultimate Photographer. It was quite the experience! I don’t know where I would be today without Hope’s Peak.” Byakuya leaned back in his chair and said his next words loud and clear. “I am transporting fifteen new Ultimate students across the globe as we speak.”

“Fifteen Ultimates, you say?” Mahiru raised an eyebrow. “Pray tell how you’ll accomplish such a goal? 

“How will it be done? By train, of course.” 

“Interesting.” 

“You do not sound impressed. Very well, I’ll tell you the reason why this feat is something special. The Ultimate students were all scouted in America, instead of Japan. Today, they leave from New York’s Grand Central Station to make the journey to Japan. All on board the same train.”

Mahiru held a hand up to her chest to feign shock. “Is that so? Does this mean—” 

Byakuya interrupted. “There has been another secret project the Togami clan has worked on for the past several months. A bridge that links Alaska and Russia, going across the Bering Strait. This is indeed how they will cross continents.”

The red-headed anchor was a bit peeved that he butted in, but she hid that emotion for now. “What an amazing feat. And these students will be travelling all the way to Hope’s Peak from New York?” 

“That is exactly what I just said. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to get done. Now that I've stated my purpose of being on this show, it’s about time I get back to more important matters.” Without another word, Byakuya got up and left the set. Even Mahiru was too surprised by the suddenness to react. 

Finally, she spoke again. “W-Well, folks, there you have it. Mr. Togami said his plan was already underway, so to all those future Ultimates out there, if you’re listening... all of us here at Channel 12 wish you a safe and fun trip!” 

The news continued as normal beyond this point for the rest of the day, with Mahiru reporting on most things with the occasional guest showing up.

Both Luka and Grover were silently watching the television. In fact, most of the students were interested in what this news channel had to say, so they were listening in as well. 

At the arrival platform, Siris could be found playing his guitar. He had his guitar case laid out in front of him. Mikolaj had entered, just as Siris was in the middle of a Michael Jackson song, Billie Jean to be specific. He lit a cigarette in his mouth and went over to Siris to listen. Mikolaj enjoyed classics, so he decided to be nice, putting two dollars in the guitar case. Siris gave a nod of thanks to him and a wicked smile that oozed intensity. 

Siris eventually finished the song. “Thanks my dude! This should help buy some snacks on the train!” He gave a grin. He then knelt down to remove the two dollars from the suitcase, replaced them with his guitar, shut the case, and finally placed the two dollars in his wallet. Said wallet, could’ve looked worse for wear in terms of cash for a musician. He slung the guitar case over his shoulder and stood up to face Mikolaj. Although, it was hard to see his eyes under the sunglasses, which he always wore.

“I don’t mind helping a starving artist. I understood your predicament when I was child. I would give more, but I only use my card for any purchases. If you really want, I can buy you something like chips.” 

“Eh, starving? No way! Music feeds my heart and soul plenty!” Siris said with a laugh. “I couldn’t be more full if I tried! But, if you're talking food for the muse, then I suppose I could abide by that. What kind of chips are we talking about here?”

Mikolaj shrugged. “I don’t know, original store brand? If you have a favorite, I don’t mind getting it.” Mikolaj felt bad for this homeless singer, trying to say music was feeding him to escape the reality he lived in. Poor guy, indeed.

“Eh, I dunno. I usually buy whatever I'm feeling that day. I guess... Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips are my favorite,” Siris said with a beaming smile. “They fill my mouth with that electric cheesy flavor that sends my taste buds to Coachella.” He did an air guitar solo despite having an actual guitar on his back.

Mikolaj took a long drag on his cigarette, and nodded. “You do have a very effective way to explain taste. Be interested in seeing your descriptions on drinks I would have made. But sadly that would be a long time before you could try one.”

“Eh? Why's that?” Siris said, smiling with a puzzled look on his face.

“Well I make drinks. Sadly I can’t for a while, since I am going on a trip apparently.”

“Oh hey, really? That’s dope! I'm going on one myself!”

Mikolaj nodded. “That’s good for you. Going to see family?”

“Nope! I got invited to a fancy school in Japan!”

Mikolaj’s face fell for a second, as he thought to himself. “Huh. Any reason for you going on it? Like you got anything special about you?”

“Uh, well yeah.” He puffed up his chest in pride. “I’m the ultimate Solo-rocker! They recognized my skills and invited me to come study there!”

Mikolaj nodded, pulled out his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it. “Uhh… yeah same. But I am a different ultimate, Ultimate Mixologist.”

“That’s so rad dude! Congrats!” Siris slapped him on the back and gave a laugh. “Guess that means we’re gonna be classmates!”

Mikolaj nodded. “Seems so. So are you someone who plays rock but solo? Don’t see why they don’t just give you Ultimate Rocker or Ultimate Musician.”

“Er, dunno. A rocker typically has a band though, and a musician is really talented with a lot of instruments. So maybe that’s why?” He wondered and shrugged it off.

Mikolaj shrugged. “I guess that makes sense. Well still, good job on your talent.”

“And to you!”

“If the train allows it, I can make drinks for everyone. I’d rather it be non-alcoholic just to make sure I don’t get in trouble.”

“Ah, good. I don’t drink alcohol after all.”

“So since we both are going to be classmates, what about telling me about yourself?” Mikolaj asked. Part of my job… or well ultimate now, is listening to people’s life stories and problems.”

“Ah, yeah! I suppose that makes sense for a bartender. Well, music captivated me from a young age. All I wanted to do was play, play, and play some more! Not much else really caught my attention. My parents said I should focus on my studies, but when you know what you wanna do, you chase after it with all you’ve got!” He explained enthusiastically.

“Have you tried any other instruments? Like Bass Guitar or Drums?”

“No, I can’t say I’ve tried more than the electric guitar or piano.”

“The piano? That is good to know and something I love a lot, though I only listen to it while working. How good are you at it?”

At this point, Enerugi had already walked in, and headed over to Mikolaj and Siris.

“How are y’all?” Enerugi asked.

Siris waved to Enerugi and then turned back to Mikolaj. “I’d like to think I’m pretty good. I can play through the Fire and Flames on it, as well as the classics like Flight of the Bumblebee! Not that I play much of the classics, when rock is an option.”

Enerugi butted in. “That’s nice. Oh right, I’m Enerugi. Nice to meet ya!”

Mikolaj waved at Enerugi, who just joined in. “Nice to meet you. I’m Mikolaj, or Miko for short.”

“Are y’all students of Hope’s Peak too?” asked Enerugi.

Mikolaj nodded. “Yeah. So I assume you are too?”

Enerugi nodded. “Yep, the Ultimate Comedian!”

Siris gave a nod. “I’m gonna go check out the waiting area. Need some food before I go. Catch you dudes later!” Enerugi and Mikolaj waved him off.

“I just hope this train serves us food, at least I brought snacks,” said Enerugi.

“It should serve us food, right?” Mikolaj hoped. “We’ll be on it for weeks. I rather not buy food from train stations for weeks.”

“I kinda wish I could cook.”

“I can cook… at a very novice level. I am more about making drinks taste good, not food.”

“I’m the complete opposite.” 

A clattering of footsteps could be heard as Tibia scuttled into the room. She came to a stop next to Kana and began to sniff the air. “Mgghm,” she gurgled incoherently. “Mfeergrgiignnagh.”

Mikolaj decided to ignore Tibia. “Well hopefully they will allow you to cook some of the food. The people who work with the food would probably love to do less work and have more free time.”

“I can cook for y’all if you want, for funsies.” Enerugi said, as he headed over to Tibia out of curiosity.

Kana had been listening in on their conversation for quite some time now. She was now looking over to Tibia, which reminded her of a wild animal. Therefore, she decided not to pay her any mind, or even judge her. Maybe she wasn’t the only person from the wilderness after all. Kana was the Ultimate Survivalist and she had grown up in the wilderness, providing for herself, and learned how to survive. Hence how she obtained her ultimate talent.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” Enerugi asked Tibia.

“No. Looking for something. The encased insect. Cursed creature. Doomed to live forever in amber! Cannot find. Cannot find. Need to find it.” Tibia spun around in a circle three times, jumped up and down, and then fell backwards, flopping onto the floor.

“What are you looking for?” Enerugi asked.

“The undying one!” She sat bolt upright. “Encased in a sugary coat of dyed amber. The one that stings like a bee and pinches like a crab. Fated to be devoured by the maw of darkness, trapped on the stick of deceit.”

“A scorpion.” Kana didn’t even really need her animal knowledge to solve that mystery. The animal girl was looking for one of those tacky scorpion lollipops.

“I’m Enerugi, are you a student?” Enerugi asked out of fear of being murdered.

“Yes!” Tibia scrambled up to Kana. “You have knowledge, then? You know where it is? Tell me! I beg!”

“Haven’t seen it.” Kana continued to focus on her leaves, speaking with a tone of disinterest. But, the fact she was talking at all was mainly due to the familiarity with Tibia’s type of behavior, though the ones with that behavior she knew didn’t exactly speak English.

“Do you require medical attention?” Enerugi asked Tibia.

Tibia hissed. “Sad. Sad sad sad sad…” She glared at Enerugi. “Insulting is not fun! You do not make Tibia smile with your insult. Tibia is fine!”

“I wasn’t insulting, I just wanted to help.”

“Ggggmhmhmhhghm.” Tibia turned away from Enerugi, though she didn't look as annoyed as she had a moment ago. “Busy looking for the encased creature. Need to get one before train arrives... train take me far away from here, to the land of the rising sun! Must find before then!”

Enerugi was a bit confused, so he decided to change the topic. “Do you go to Hope’s Peak?”

“Pinnacle of Hope, yes! Center of the universe tree!” Tibia gave him a toothy grin.

“What’s your talent?”

“Tibia knows how to do much things. Mostly with computers.” The girl began to chew on her bangs. “But invited me as Cybernetic Organism. Lame title. Should have been Ultimate Roboticist, or Ultimate Engineer. But my parts... they said I would be more suited to the Ultimate Cybernetic Organism.” She sounded more normal towards the end of her sentence. Her sorrowful tone hung in the air like a cold morning’s mist. “But still, Tibia more useful than that! Can fix, destroy, make stuff!”

“I’m a comedian,” said Enerugi.

Cybernetic Organism? That was unique. Kana didn’t know that much about technology, and didn’t care at this point in time. But, it was clear that Hope’s Peak had some special alumni.

Tibia’s face scrunched up like she had just smelled a batch of rotten eggs. “You are not very funny for comedy man. Get better jokes. Laughier ones. When Tibia laughs, you will be good comedy ha-ha man!”

“Understood,” Enerugi chuckled.

“Understanding is very good!” She poked a thumb at Enerugi’s cheek, before leaning towards Kana to whisper. “Psst... psstspspsptsptpssst! You knew about the imprisoned arachnid. You very impressive!”

Kana nodded. “Thanks.” She didn’t know what to really say in response besides that. It wasn’t often she was called impressive. So much so that she didn’t really know how to take it.

The intercom eventually crackled to life and a robotic voice began to speak, “Attention: Will the following passengers please report to arrival platform nine: Annie May. Chieko Nishioka. Chihiro Fujisaki. Derek Grey-Field. Enerugi Mayatto. K1-B0. Kana Gushiken. Luka Subdonix. Mayoko Chika. Mikolaj Kava. Misaki Asano. Siris McElvin. Tadashi Kawasumi. Tibia Mooh. Torii Harunobu. I repeat. If your name was called, please report to arrival platform nine. Your train will arrive in approximately one hour.”

Kana had decided to catch a few z’s while waiting for the train. However, her eyes never shut. Kana had learned to sleep with her eyes open, so that any predators that tried to sneak up on her would have less of a chance to strike without her waking up and noticing. It was a useful tool in the wilderness, but in society it was pretty useless.

Enerugi tried to stay quiet and let Kana sleep, he wanted to talk to her but he decided against it. He looked at his locket that was given to him by his father. “Hey dad, looks like I’ve made it.”

Siris made his way back here and began to rock out to some Twisted Sister. Then Torii arrived, followed by Tadashi and Mayoko.

“It’s almost time, Not gonna lie, I’m pretty nervous,” said Mayoko.

Tadashi put his hand on Mayoko’s shoulder. “Don’t be nervous, I’m pretty sure everything will be fine.”

Kana had eventually woken up, as more and more students started to arrive. 

“Is everyone excited?” Enerugi asked.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Very excited!” Tibia bounced up and down on all fours. “Finally go to school. Finally be accepted. Nice people. Good people. Not alone! Friends!”

“I can be your friend,” said Enerugi.

“Hmghhh? Funny boy… Tibia accepts that. But must be funnier! Get better joker!”

Mikolaj decided to take a few steps away from Tibia.

Chieko then walked in, followed by Chihiro, Annie, Misaki, and Mayoko.

Enerugi walked over to Annie. “Hello new friend!”

“Friend?” Annie scoffed. “I am not your ‘friend’! I am the demon empress, the one that will bring about true chaos! I have no use for ‘friends’.”

Chihiro just sat in silence.

Kana internally sighed. Was she excited? She didn’t know. While being in University was certainly a change of pace, and she might learn a bit more about being a survivalist, she didn't know how University would threaten her in any way, and that was the big problem for Kana. Kana had lived a life of danger, and she liked it that way. Replacing that life with school books and... people that wanted to be her friend just sounded miserable.

“I look forward to talking to you all!” exclaimed Enerugi.

Annie didn't respond. Instead, she took a few steps away from Enerugi, making no effort to conceal her attempt to put distance between herself and him.

Derek finally made his way over to the arrival platform. He would have been here right after the announcement was made, but he needed to get a refill on coffee first.

Tadashi tapped Mayoko’s shoulder, and put his voice down to a whisper. “Are you still nervous?”

Mayoko just nodded lightly, also bringing his voice down to a whisper. “A little, yeah.”

He tried to reassure Mayoko with a smile. “We should be among future friends here. I don’t think things will go wrong.”

Mayoko just nodded, and smiled in reply.

Once people had started arriving, Torii went and hid in between all the bikes, which seemed like people had parked near the platform. She was so small that she was hardly visible. Why were there so many people here? Is this what class sizes are like? Torii thought back to when it was only her and her younger brother being taught by their parents. She just assumed all classes were that size. She was no longer crying like she was earlier, but her fear of the large group nearby still kept her at bay.

A train whistle could be heard in the distance.

Thank god. Standing there awkwardly with her ‘classmates’ was starting to tire out Kana. She needed an excuse to change the scene.

Annie straightened her posture, and was getting much more excited. The train was coming. Soon she was going to be in Japan.

Mikolaj took one last puff of his smoke, and made sure to kill the flame, as he threw it away.

Mayoko sighed. “Here we go.”

The sound of pistons pumping and chugging soon followed the whistle, as an enormous steam locomotive rolled into Grand Central Station. The tender attached to the locomotive read ‘Union Pacific 4014.’ The train also pulled a long line of cars behind it, though they all varied in shapes and sizes for some reason.

Tadashi stood at the ready. Enerugi looked excited. Chihiro had been spacing out, but on seeing the train, snapped out of her trance, and stood up. Misaki became more excited as the train arrived, and looked it over.

The thing was enormous for a steam engine, but it still looked rather old. Smoke billowed from the front of the locomotive, and geysers of steam shot from the sides, covering the entire arrival platform in a thin veil of fog. The whistle sounded again; a loud, deep bellowing sound.

Annie frowned at the sight of the smoke, unhappy at the train being environmentally unfriendly. It’d suck for her to defeat humanity only to inherit a polluted world.

Kana took it all in. So, this was the train that would take them across the Bering Strait, as the news had told her. She hoped the Togami Corporation knew how to make a proper bridge.

All of the students had covered their faces from the smoke for a few seconds, as Engine 4014 came to a slow stop in the center of the station, where it lay stationery for a short while.

Everyone was silent for a long time, until one of the cars had opened, and out rolled a shiny, red-velvet carpet. It had rolled out, close to where everybody was waiting. A single, high heel was revealed… and then another. And soon, the face of a beautiful, young woman stepped out onto the carpet with astonishing elegance in every stride, as she made her way down the carpet.

Kana watched the woman, not recognizing her. She certainly wasn’t that “Byakuya Togami” from the news. Probably his wife or something. Everyone showed a face of utter confusion. This certainly wasn’t something that anyone was expecting at all.

Enerugi was the first to approach the lady. “Salutations, fair maiden!”

 Instead of reacting to Enerugi’s greeting, the woman glanced around at every student and smiled. Her voice was enthusiastic, yet professional. “So, you must be the passengers that I was informed about! It is nice to meet you all! My name is Shubora Shakashi!”

Mikolaj continued his bewilderment, along with all the rest of the students. “Nice to meet you? Sorry for being rude, but who are you?”

Annie was losing her patience, as she wanted to skip the introductions, and hop right into the train.

“My name is Shubora Shakashi, and I am here to serve and be your host for the duration of this train ride, until we arrive at Hope’s Peak University!”

“Ah, the train… stewardess? Attendant?” Kana wasn’t familiar with the proper word title, thinking more of airplanes.

Chieko nodded with a smile. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Shakashi.”

“I wonder. She have parts?” Tibia muttered.

“Yes, that is correct, I am the stewardess! Pleased to meet you all as well! I am so excited for all of us to get along!”

Mikolaj just shrugged. “Nice to meet you, but can we have this conversation on the train?” Mikolaj could feel the tense air of people, waiting to get on.

“He is correct, my patience grows thin, mortal!” Annie exclaimed.

“Wanna get on train… go choo-choo!” Tibia swooned.

Chihiro decided to be silent for now,

“All in good time, my darlings! Before you all step onto the train, I need all of you to put all of your personal belongings into this basket!” Shubora grabbed a basket from out of the train and held it out to everyone.

“Including our phones?” Enerugi asked.

“No, you may keep your phones. Those were my instructions.”

Mikolaj shrugged and put his personal lighter into the basket. “Only thing I really needed to bring with me.”

Enerugi put his belongings in the basket after Mikolaj.

“Tch, very well.” Annie approached the basket and slowly raised her clenched fist, dropping... nothing into the basket. However, Annie made a show out of this, loudly asking, “Must I cede you even more of my energy? Your wicker basket is on its last legs! One more fragment of my power and it will shatter like glass!”

Shubora smiled brightly at everyone, with much enthusiasm, as they each dropped their belongings into the basket. Tadashi left his suitcase, then dug through his pockets, and left three scalpels in the basket. Kana didn’t have a phone on her, but she did have her backpack with her survival gear. She spent quite a bit of time scavenging it all, along with her collection of leaves. But, if she had to part with them, that wasn’t going to be too bad. She could scavenge them again later, if she never got her backpack back. She put everything in her backpack, and put it in the basket. Chieko thought this to be a safety precaution. Plus, this had happened to her before. She put her personal things in there as well.

Mikolaj added, “Also I assume we don’t need to put wallets in there right? Since… I would rather not find out in three weeks someone stole my cards and I am in massive debt.”

Shubora replied enthusiastically, “Yes, you must put your wallets in there, but don't worry, they’ll be safe and sound with me!”

Mikolaj heavily sighed. “Well I trust you since you don’t seem like a con man.” Mikolaj also put down his wallet in the basket.

Chihiro had nothing, except for her coffee, which she obviously wasn’t going to put in there. Torii had nothing on her either, as well as Luka. Mayoko walked over, and set multiple odd dolls and a needle into the basket. Misaki also complied, walking up and putting everything she had in the basket. Derek relinquished his briefcase and downed the last of his coffee, before throwing the cup in a nearby trash can. Tibia growled and crawled over to the weird lady. She took her wallet out of her pocket. She also took a fat wad of cash out of her sweater. And then another. And put them in the basket. 

The train whistled, which caught Shubora’s attention. “Oh, that’s my cue. Everyone, please follow me into this car that is opened up, right here!”

Everyone followed, except for Siris who still hadn’t yet put his belongings in the basket. As everyone went ahead, Shubora stopped and glanced back, but not at Siris. She noticed a strange, mechanical-looking suitcase lying on the ground. She wondered what it was, but brought it onto the train anyway.

Siris was left all alone in the train station. He was hoping he didn’t have to part with his ‘precious partner’. He then  immediately began to have second thoughts and stood outside the train, debating to himself. The basket lay on the ground, as if it were waiting for Siris’s personal belongings to be added. He tapped his foot nervously, and ran his hand through his hair multiple times. He was beginning to get anxious. He had already tossed in everything else and now he was met with his final hurdle. He took some time to think by himself, until he finally took the guitar off his shoulders and lightly placed it in the box. He then ran inside to catch up.

Shubora walked back outside, one final time, and picked up the basket. “I hope that’s everything.” She went to catch up with everyone else.