🖋️:: Come Back || 1st part.

Today is the day when Hajime is going to participate in a special program that will help him grant the Ultimate Title. The day was nice, as always. Sunny, the sky is clear, and Hinata's mind was filled with excitement, anticipation and thoughts about that experiment. The desire to share it with Nanami is very big. It was worth the wait. He was sitting on the bench next to the fountain, where they usually sit together, inhaling a fresh breeze and feeling little drops from fountain dropping on his back… 

And, soon, a familiar silhouette was moving closer from afar. Chiaki was coming over to Hajime, her walk is calm and slow, and she was holding her phone, playing RPG video game with a great interest. As she saw him, she looked up and smiled.

— Hey, Hinata.. Can I sit next to you?

Hajime's eyes lit up the second he saw his friend. He nodded eagerly, shifting over to let her sit next to him.

— Of course you can! — He replied, his expression softening as he speaks to her. The desire to fill her in with information about the project is growing even more as he watched her sit next to him and play her game, while quiet relaxing music was coming out of her phone.

— How've you been? — The Ultimate Gamer spoke up, her voice was soft as usual. Maybe that's something that relaxes Hajime and makes it even easier to share his thoughts and secrets with her.

— I've been doing alright, I guess. Just nervous about this whole Hope's Peak thing... — Hajime sighed, looking away but returning his gaze to her eyes soon enough.

— Hope's Peak thing?.. — Confusement was written on her face, mixed with curiosity. Only a yawn made those emotions vanish from her expression. Hinata sighed again, looking back at her. 'Damnit, I don't want to tell her yet I'm so excited and that's what I came for...' he thought with an awkward smile on his face. 

— Well, I signed up to the surgery so I could become an Ultimate talent. 

— Oh.. I see.. — Chiaki's gaze went back to the screen, but.. her senses were telling her that things wouldn't end up well. Her eyebrows knitted in concern, as she couldn't help but turn her game off. she couldn't play, her stomach was slightly hurting from concern and anxiety. She couldn't help it, this was new to her. She did not know that she had such a strong intuition, although her concern in this case was absolutely normal. Of course, Hajime was taken back by her sudden shift in demeanor. 

— Uh, are… are you alright? — His concern grew as he looked her in the eyes for a second, then his gaze lowering to her hands, which were fidgeting with the phone case.

— Hm?.. Yeah... I just get a feeling that all this thing isn't going to end well... — Chiaki's words were filled with uncertainty and the expectation of the unpredictable and wrong result from the program.

— What makes you say that? — The brunette's heartbeat quickened. This whole thing does have a bad vibe to it. Though he still has a lingering hope that it’ll be okay. ‘She’s right…’ he thought grimly, his optimism finally giving way. — I’m already too far in… they already have me scheduled to take the treatment at like, noon today. It’s not like I can back out now. Plus, even if there is something wrong, I don’t have much to lose, do I? Not like most of us who were assigned as Reserve Course students have a real future anyway…

Hajime's words were followed by silence from Nanami. 

— ... — 'So, he didn't think about me, after all...' she thought and looked down. — But I hope... That we still can communicate and that it doesn't leave any big downsides...

Hajime froze the minute he saw this expression on Chiaki’s face, hearing her voice crack when she finished.

— Hey! Chiaki… I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I promise you I’ll be fine no matter what it is. I’ll still be the guy sitting here with you…

— You.. Think so?.. — She asked genuinely, looking in his eyes and clenching her hands in small fists.

— I know so! A talent’s just one aspect of you, right? Doesn’t define you at all. Don’t worry about me.

— Okay... Then, I wish you luck, I think..!

Hajime feels a slight sense of relief, seeing her bright and cheery look again. ‘At least she’s not thinking about the worst case scenarios anymore.’

—You wanna know what’ll be the biggest challenge for me after this? I’ll have to get used to the attention.— He joked, nudging her slightly and smiling at her giggle. — Can you imagine, me, an ultimate talent? I bet reporters and paparazzi and fans will be mobbing me for interviews and autograph signings!.. Seriously though, you know what I’m most excited for?

— What is it? — She smiled and her lips curled in "o" shape. Hajime's face brightened, a cheesy grin formed on his face.

— I can’t wait to tell you how it feels, being an Ultimate. I’ll make sure to give you a rundown of every part of it. Even the bad parts. — He laughs at the idea. It’s hard to believe he’ll be an ultimate soon. If only he could get rid of the slight uneasiness he’s felt ever since the morning…

— I'll buy a new game on this occasion so that we can play with you together...

— Really? That’d be fun! Which game were you thinking of getting?

— Hmm... Maybe, "Super Mario Bros. Wonder"? — She put her index finger on her lips in thought. Hajime nods and smiles at his friend’s chosen game.

. . . . .

— I think it's time for me to go. Wish me luck? — He asked, a bit of nervousness creeping into his voice.

— Good luck! — The girl stood up, smiled and bowed a little excitedly, waving her hand with a smile. Although, her awkward smile and slightly sad expression gave her worry away. Watching him walk away, Nanami sat back on the bench, pulled her phone back out and started playing to relax and settle her feelings and nerves. No matter how positive they both tried to stay, the feeling of something wrong coming their way haven't left her.

Meanwhile, Hajime is slowly making his way to the front of the line. When he finally reached the front, his hands started to visibly shake. ‘What if this is the worst possible decision I’ve ever made…’ He thought to himself for a moment. Still, he tried to relax himself and calm down. The time passed, Chiaki has been sitting on the bench all the time, sometimes standing up and walking around because of numb feeling in her body, the gnawing feeling in her stomach remained. She couldn't help it... She had to talk to him more, to say things she had to say. What if the experiment really brings no good?..

. . . . .

— ... Wait!..

Hajime’s head immediately whipped around to see Chiaki running up to him from behind. His stomach dropped the moment she starts calling him. ‘Does she know something I don’t? Does she know what’s going to happen?’ — Chiaki?? Are you okay?... 

— ... Sorry... I can't help but feel that it's going to lead to something awful... Hajime-kun... You said that there's no future for us anyway, right?.. You said that you have nothing to lose, but... I have a lot. — She looked up at him, catching her breath and resting her hands on her lap in a slightly crouched position. — The feeling that something goes wrong can't leave me... Talent is just a title. We have no guarantee that everything will end well. You have to appreciate yourself even without a title and talent, because you may not be the best in one area, but you can be good at everything a little bit...

Hajime’s expression softened as his friend talked to him. He didn't want this to end in a tragedy, either. The way he was seeing a scared look in her eyes was breaking his heart.

— Chiaki… that’s exactly why I want to take this chance, right? My life is going nowhere, and I thought this would be a big step in the direction. I want to give myself a chance to become special…

— ... But what if it becomes worse? — Nanami whispered, feeling her throat getting tight. Hajime’s heart sinks when she points it out. ‘What if my life gets even more meaningless, what if my talent turns out to be stupid?’

— But what if it’s not? What if I become the Ultimate Talent in something I actually enjoy doing…

— ... What if it brings you pain? Isn't it better to... Cherish what you already have - peace..?

— I don’t think you’re wrong… But isn't it still worth taking a risk for a brighter future, though? Wouldn’t you take that chance, if you were in my shoes?

— ... To be honest, no... How do you know it's going to be a bright future?.. What if it's not?..

Hinata paused for another moment, unable to answer her. Why would it be the bright future? The thought was already starting to get to him, though he forced himself not to admit that it was already happening.

— But isn’t taking a risk better than being stuck as a plain nobody?

— You're not a nobody. — She frowned and put her hands on her hips, sounding stern this time. — After all, there are many people who also don't have a talent. who don't study at the Hope's Peak... And they still live their life... Nothing changes.

— Isn’t there something that keeps you going? Something that makes it all feel worth it to you?

— Just because you don't have talent doesn't mean you're a nobody. You're chasing talent, and you're leaving behind everything you've achieved without a title... If i didn't have talent, my life wouldn't be any more boring. There is always a way out, priorities, ways to brighten up your life... It's like donating in a game... A beautiful gift card that costs real money, but the game is also interesting without it, isn't it? 

Her friend can’t help but give her a bit of a relieved smile at that last line. She was right. Maybe he was making a big deal out of all this, just for the sake of a title.

— But isn’t that just because you’re talented? Maybe your talent makes it easy to feel satisfied with what you have. For me, since I’m not talented, the drive to get some sort of talent feels kind of like… like a necessity, you know? And this is kind of my only chance…

— Let's imagine that you get all the talents in the world... Then, what's the point in living, when you have everything and have nothing to work and try for? 

Hajime freezed at that thought for a moment. His friend had a point. ‘If I became the Ultimate Everything, there’d be no purpose to my existence. I’d just go through life not enjoying a thing, because I’ve already accomplished everything there is to do.’ He was beginning to regret his choice more and more with each second.

— Even if you signed up there, you can always cancel. — Nanami continued. — I don't want to risk you. 

Hajime’s expression slowly changed from relief at her words to fear as he looked back down his fingers, which were tightly grasping each other. They were already waiting for him upstairs, and this choice is a huge decision. Will the staff even let him back out now that they’ve taken his application? He would have to think this carefully. Because no matter how small it is, he does actually want a talent. He didn’t want to be stuck as a boring plain nobody all year.

— You… really don’t want me to do this?

— There may be side effects... You can forget who you are and who you were before... you can forget everything you had before... Maybe it will take a few years of your life? Or maybe it won't go well at all? 

— You… you really think that's gonna happen? I mean, it'd make all this even more pointless, right? Not even remembering my old life, and being stuck with a talent I hate... — He trails off, looking away in a state of panic.

— You know... I like you the way you are. Talentless. Mysterious to me. Unlike me, all of us in Hope's Peak. We can try to look for talent. We can enjoy the search and this game together, you know? We still... Can find fun in living. Please, think about it... — Nanami looked down and spoke the last phrase in a quieter tone. Hajime’s face softened a bit as she says this. His friend’s words felt sincere, and they were touching. The thought of just sticking together and enjoying life with no more worries was tempting. But he still couldn’t shake the doubt and uncertainty creeping into his mind. Could he really risk missing out on something great?

He glances down again, starting to doubt himself. Maybe Chiaki’s right… but that’s just what maybe it will be. Nothing could guarantee he won’t get a great talent, right? The thought of not getting the treatment makes his heart sink even more. But it could be the safer option, and a few of her points have gotten through to him… what would be better; trying the treatment and risking the chance of it going wrong, or taking the safe route? Chiaki had said it herself, after all. No.. He has been hoping and waiting. 

— I wanna go through with it. — He stated, looking at her with a stern and stubborn face expression.

Chiaki looked up, you could see her eyes are full of worry and slight disappointment. She tried everything she could. The tugging feeling in her stomach grew again, but... She read him a whole paragraph, but there was no stopping him. All she had to do is nod and go with it. Hajime took a moment to notice that she was tearing up. He feels his own heart sinking. She cares about him so much, and he wasn’t listening.

But… No. He wanted this treatment. If it went wrong, so be it. Whatever she said, this was his choice. He couldn’t see another option, and was now fully convinced that he was going to get the Ultimate Talent and that his life was going to change for the better, no matter what.

But Chiaki? Chiaki couldn't say anything. She just whispered.

— I will be waiting for you...

As she said everything, she walked away slowly, looking down as she moved farther and farther from him. Leaving him right now was painful and making her feel paranoid... 

. . . . .