New Friends and Old Enemies

One day after the events of Chapter 6…

Hope's Peak Academy, 9:00 AM - Class 76's Homeroom

The school day is currently in session. You are sitting at your desk, rummaging through your materials, preparing to get out your recent homework for the "chemistry" section. On your own, you probably would've had to work on this for much longer, but Seiko was able to help you get it done in just slightly over an hour. She was able to give you a lot of helpful tips and information for understanding chemistry equations, like different reactions, chemical compounds, the list goes on.

You still didn't completely understand what had happened on Saturday a few days ago. You remembered everything with your hangout with Sonosuke, Ruruka and Seiko, up until you took a bite from that peppermint bark. After that, your memory started to get very hazy. You had no idea what happened afterwards, or why you found yourself back in your dorm room with Seiko watching over you at 8:30 in the evening. From what she told you, she didn't understand it either, but she told you there was an "accident" that occurred. She told you it confused her, too.

It wasn't that big an of issue, though. For the most part, you were still happy that you got to spend Saturday with her, and got to learn more from her. In the days that followed, you and her decided to help each other out with homework. While she gave you some tips on how to understand chemistry, you gave her instructions and explained the early 1800s in Japanese and American history. And it turned out to be successful, because both of you were improving.

At the moment, the homeroom Class 76 teacher, Dr. Katashi Ezura, was out dealing with an important issue. He told the class earlier that he would probably be back within forty-five minutes, so for the meantime, the class has been doing their own thing for now. You noticed Ruruka and Sonosuke were reading a book together, while Seiko was in the back, working yet again. I wonder if she's doing alright, you wondered. She looks like she's kind of stressed out right now.

"So, since when did you take an interest in the quiet girl?", said the student next to you. This was Taro Rutamai. Taro's is a bit more athletic and stronger than some of your classmates, which allowed him to be somewhat of a good fighter, with excellent reflexes. He was wearing a standard brown Hope's Peak Academy male uniform, and had semi-bulky body type. He had thick, neatly-combed black hair, and deep aquamarine eyes.

The thing about his talent was that...he didn't really have an official talent title. Yet. He turned out to be the best in two different fields, so for now, he has yet to choose which Ultimate title he wants: the Ultimate Archer or the Ultimate Historian. He can't choose both, because dual talent wielders weren't permitted in Hope's Peak's guidelines.

"Uh...what? Oh, sorry, I was looking after her," you told him. You turned around to face Taro yourself.

"I never knew you preferred the "shy antisocial girl" type, Y/N", Taro said.

"She has a name, you know. And she's not antisocial, okay? She just has a hard time opening up to people," you told him in a more aggressive tone. You didn't want Taro to think about Seiko like that.

"Of course I know she has a name! It's...uh, Saro, right?", he asked you.

Y/N: "Ugh...no, it's Seiko."

Taro: "Hey, at least I was close. But how come you've been hanging out with her all of a sudden?"

Y/N: "What? Is it a crime that I want to spend time with her?"

"No, not at all. Don't get the wrong impression, Y/N. It's just that I've never seen you hanging around her before in the school year. What happened?", Taro asked.

"I got to know her better, that's what happened. And she's my friend now," you sternly told him.

"Oh. I see. Well, good for you, then. Look, I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, man. I was curious, that's all," Taro replied.

You would've talked with him a little bit longer, but your conversation was shortly cut off once you heard the door to the classroom open. You saw Mr. Ezura walk into the classroom, with a charismatic look on his face. Katashi Ezura was the Former Ultimate Scientist from one of the 60s Classes (as in, for example, Class 67, NOT from the 1960s, just to clarify). The former scientist wore a dark purple tuxedo with a white undershirt, and a red tie. He had long, wavy black hair as well as a full beard, blue eyes, and a pair of metallic glasses.

Everyone in class quickly hurried back to their spots and waited for the teacher to speak.

"Class, thank you for your patience. Now then, students, before we resume the session, there is something that must be addressed. In other words, I have an announcement to make," Mr. Ezura spoke.

Everyone went silent as they listened carefully.

"Today, we have another student joining our class. One I'm pretty sure you haven't seen in quite some time," he said, with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "I reckon you know who I'm talking about, right?"

You hadn't the faintest clue what he was talking about. Taro, however, gasped in surprise and enthusiastically screamed out, "WAIIIIT, are you serious?!"

"Please tell me this is some kind of out-of-season April Fools joke," Sonosuke said out loud.

You looked back towards Seiko, and to your surprise, she looked anxious. No, not anxious. More like...dreadful. You could tell because her eyes were wide open, and she was as still as stone. "There's no way...", you heard her whisper under her breath.

"Without further ado, please make sure to give him a warm welcome home," Mr. Ezura said, before opening the class door. Right as the door opened, a student that you didn't recognize walked through into class, with an odd look of happiness across his face.

The student was wearing a red Hawaiian Aloha buttoned-up shirt, covered with a white hibiscus flower-like pattern over it, and he wore a pair of khaki pants, with a black belt around them. He had light brown hair, in the form of a "messy spikes" hairstyle, with dark blue eyes and a narrow chin. He seemed to be at least a good-looking boy, too, as he seemed to have a somewhat-fit posture.

"Oh for fuck's sake...", Seiko cursed, under her breath. Of course, you were the only one who her say that.

"Hahaha! It's good to be back, everyone! Hope you didn't miss me too much while I was gone," the new guy yelled out.

"Vincey, great to see you, man! It's been too long!" Taro cried out, as he rushed over to the new student. The two of them greeted each other immensely. Well, those two seem to get along nicely, you thought.

"You know it, Taro! Man, I missed you so much. You're more entertaining than most of those other kids I had to stick around with back in America," Vince told him.

"Well then, thank God you're back!", Taro said, with a big smile. Seems like those two go way back, you wondered.

"Much appreciated, old friend. Much appreciated," Vince said.

After they shook hands, the new student turned towards Ruruka and Sonosuke's gaze. Ruruka didn't seem to be too phased to him again, but Sonosuke looked very precautious. There was something about Vince that he didn't trust. That friendly attitude wasn't fooling him just yet. He made sure to be prepared to pull out a kunai, just in case. Vince headed over to Ruruka and spoke to her.

"Gingerella, it is - good - to - see you! How's it been lately?", he said eagerly. You and Sonosuke visibly cringed at the word "Gingerella".

"About as fun as a hangover, I suppose. Say, I don't remember you being this easy-going before," Ruruka responded.

"A lot can happen in seven months, Gingerella. And a LOT did happen, believe me. I'm disciplined now. Legit," Vince told her.

She laughed out loud when she heard that part. "Oh please, you've never been disciplined before, Vince." She let out a smirk smile.

"Ah, still the same old Gingerella, aren't you? Good to know you haven't changed a bit!", he replied. Vince then turned over to Sonosuke and continued.

"Hey, Izayoi! You've gotten taller since the last I saw you, haven't you?"

"I'm not in the mood for talking. Especially not to you," Sonosuke coldly told him.

"Well, that's understandable, big guy." However, once the student turned towards you, the friendly demeanor vanished from his face. He was much more suspicious of you, mainly because he didn't recognize you, either.

"Who the hell are you?", he asked you.

"I was about to ask you the same question," you replied, trying to come up with a snarky comeback.

Vince: "I'm sorry, have I seen you around here before, or is it just me?"

"Nope. I don't recognize you at all," you told him.

"Well then, where are my manners?", the student said in a dramatic tone. "The name's Vincetti Fiore. I'm the Ultimate Multiculturalist. But you can just call me Vince."

"I'm Y/N L/N, Ultimate Marine Biologist. So, are you Italian or something? Because your name doesn't exactly sound Japanese to me," you told him.

"Y/N? What is that, some kind of self-insert name? Oh forget it, it don't matter. And yeah, I'm from Italian descent, but I come from America, I'll have you know that," Vince replied with a sense of pride.

"We don't get many of those around here these days. So, what do you do with your talent?" you said to him.

"I spend time studying other countries and their cultures. Not just folklore or religion or history, but modern culture. Like, I study their different food types, their traditions, you know. That's partially the reason I came here to Hope's Peak. I was hoping to get to learn more about Japan's culture," Vince said. "Say, when did you enroll here at Hope's Peak, exactly?"

"What's it to you?"

"I was just thinking that if you're here and I've never seen you before, that I can recall, then maybe-"

"Fiore, there is an explanation to all of this," Mr. Ezura explained. "Y/N here was admitted into Class 76 shortly after your suspension. Afterwards, the school allowed for an extra spot in this class to be open after Kizakura saw his talent potential. Make no mistake: neither of you are being replaced. You're both here to stay."

That explains why I don't recognize this guy, you wondered. He was here even before I got into this place.

"So you came here...right after I got suspended? Huh? Ain't that interesting," Vince said, this time with much more suspicion in his voice.

Y/N: "Well, that's one way of looking at it."

Vince: "You got any other way of looking at it? Because I sure don't."

Y/N: "Not really, no."

"Well then, uh...g-good to meet you, Y/N. I'll stay in touch," Vince told you with uncertainty. He didn't really know what to think of you, and honestly, you weren't too sure what to think of him at the moment, either.

It was when Vince finally saw Seiko that he froze right where he stood. Seiko immediately stood up from her chair and turned to face him. An awkward tension of silence was kept between the two of them. His expression seemed to grow quite pale and anxious at the sight of her. From what you could tell, Seiko's eyebrows were giving off furious vibes. One thing was perfectly clear: whoever the new student was, Seiko was NOT happy to see him.

"Doc...", Vince faintly spoke.

"Vincetti...", Seiko said, in a surprisingly aggressive tone.

"So... how's it been with you, Doc? Been making new chemicals and whatnot?", Vince awkwardly said, desperately trying to find some way to avoid bringing up the past.

"You could say that, I guess. Not that you care to know, anyway," she said lightly.

Vince: "Hey, getting a little a-abrasive, aren't you, Doc?"

"You know damn well what you did. Now get away from me." You could tell she was being dead serious.

Vince: "Yeah well...I-I know it was a bit of an... awkward situation."

With that, Seiko marched towards him much closer, with a much colder stare than before. Vince was starting to get slightly intimidated.

"Of course you would say that. 'Awkward situation'. Way to sugarcoat it, Vince. Don't think for a second that I'm fooled by your little act. I know who you really are, and I know you'll do anything as long as it benefits yourself. So don't bother, because I don't want to waste my time or patience with your bullshit." With that, she turned her back on him and went directly back to her seat. Vince noticed his cell phone was vibrating in his back-pocket, and went to the back of the class to answer his call.

???: "A little birdie told me that you were back in town. Don't tell me you've forgotten about me, have you?"

Vince instantly got scared once he recognized the voice of the caller.

Vince: "How could I have forgotten? You reminded me so often that I still have trouble sleeping at night."

???: "You're gonna have a LOT more than sleep loss to worry about if you don't get your debt paid back to me soon. Besides, you're lucky that I was patient enough to wait for you to get back to inform you."

Vince: "Look, this is a bad time right now. Can't we talk about this sometime later? Maybe at the back of the Reserve Course Building at the end of the day?"

???: "...Sure, that works out. Be there by no later than 5:00. See you around, Fiore."

------------------------------ One Hour Later... ---------------------------------

By now, Vince's reunion with the class was already finished. The class resumed like any other usual day, as you looked at your classmates around you, writing down the notes on the board. You tried to do your best to write down the material, but you couldn't help but think about Seiko. The way she was so hostile at Vince confused you. You didn't think that he seemed to be too bad of a guy, but then again, appearances can always be deceiving. Maybe something happened between them while I wasn't here, you wondered.

"Alright class, we'll cover the rest of the material tomorrow," Mr. Ezura announced, clearing his throat. "For now, there's another important thing I would like to announce. As you all know, the midterm exams are coming up soon. So, to prepare all of you for that day, I'll be assigning you to work in groups on a project together."

A few collective groans could be heard from Ruruka and Taro. Seiko didn't seem to mind too much, and neither did you. You were expecting something like this to happen soon enough.

"You will all be working in either groups of two or three for this project. This assignment requires that all groups members present something to the class that reflects your group's talents. The good part about this is that you can take a lot of creative liberties with this one. If you figure out how to make something that incorporates your group member's talent, that's enough for me. You've got three weeks to work on this together, so use your time wisely," Mr. Ezura said.

Ruruka raised her hand. "Uh, Mr. Ezura? Can we choose our partners or are you assigning them to us?"

"For this, you are free to choose your partners," the teacher said shortly. "So choose wisely. If you can't find a partner, you're more than welcome to make a group of three."

Ruruka breathed out a sigh of relief. Good! That means I can work with Yoi-Yoi and Seiko, she thought.

Mr. Ezura gave the class about half an hour to find our group partners. Ruruka joined up with Sonosuke immediately (of course), while Vince and Taro were more than happy to team up. Seiko, of course, was still having trouble finding a partner. Meanwhile, Taro was trying to convince you to join his group.

"Hey, Y/N, wanna work with Vince and I? I'm sure you could be pretty useful to us," Taro told you. Vince didn't really know what to think. "Sure, I'm fine he joins us. The more the merrier," Vince said.

"Hey Seiko, come with us. They said we could work in threes, remember? We'd be more than happy to work with you! After all, your talent is really incredible! I'm sure we could knock this out of the park!", Ruruka told her. Seiko hesitated for a moment at the offer.

"I-I'm not sure, Ruruka. I mean, I already help you out a lot-"

"Please, Seiko? It would mean a lot to me," Ruruka said.

Right before Seiko could answer, you decided to go over to her. You felt bad that Seiko didn't have a partner, and frankly, you didn't really want to work with Taro or the new guy, either. But Seiko? And her incredible knowledge of medication? You were confident you two could come with something great if you worked together. And besides, you already got along with her, so you figured the two of you would probably cooperate during work time. Unlike Taro, who tended to argue even at the slightest changes.

"Seiko, would you like to work with me? I'm looking for a partner, but I can't find any. I was wondering if I could work with you on this project," you told her.

Seiko stopped to think about it for a few moments. Sure, she felt kind of conflicted, since she wouldn't be working with Ruruka or Sonosuke, but then again... this was an opportunity to spend more time with Y/N. Besides, she was getting kind of bored making drug-enhanced sweets for Ruruka. She did want to help her friend, but she also wanted to step out of her comfort circle, too. This project could be the perfect chance to hang out with Y/N more. In the end, she got straight to the point.

"Wha-? Oh, really? S-Sure, I'd be more than happy to work with you, Y/N", Seiko said, with a smile forming under her mask.

That certainly got a surprising reaction out of both Ruruka and Taro. For Taro, he was surprised Y/N turned down his offer, since he helped him with past assignments. For Ruruka...she looked absolutely insulted, offended even. Is he...is he trying to drag Seiko away from me, Ruruka thought. The more she thought about it, the more she despised the idea of that boy trying to steal Seiko from her. Plus, she always a great help to her, and she was beginning to worry that this project might not go as well without her.

To be continued...