(A/N: I don't know who's been looking forward to this chapter more, Setsubou or me).

(CA/N: Me.)

Third Day of Hope's Peak Academy

You know, there's stupidity and then there's plain insensitivity. And even though he's my friend, Alex is continuing to annoy me without trying to. There's a reason romance in anime does not include house visits: it is not culturally sound. What made him think it was a good idea to invite a girl to his house. I don't know what I'm more flabbergasted by, the fact that he invited her or the fact that she said yes!

Okay, getting angry about it wasn't going to solve anything. I made it very clear to him why what he did was inappropriate. Hopefully he's learned his lesson. Otherwise, next time, I may actually physically hurt him. Right then, I've wasted enough time on him this morning. What should I do now?

FREE TIME

I couldn't help but be at least a bit intrigued by the girl I met yesterday at breakfast. Being the Ultimate Musician, I figured she'd be in the music room. When I entered, I was completely overpowered by the sound of screaming and guitar playing. It was an unholy tragedy, like I'd walked into the gates of hell itself.

Th-this is music, right?

The player of both the guitar and screaming was none other than Ibuki, but I couldn't be sure. She said she was the ultimate musician, so what was up with this haunting song.

With one final scream, Ibuki finished playing. "Oh, I have an audience."

"My ears…" I groaned, feeling dizzy.

"Aha! Lookie! Lookie! It's Miaka-chan! Miaka-chan, did you come to see Ibuki perform?"

"Is that what you were doing?" I asked, still out of it. "Wait, how do you know it's me?"

Ibuki folded her arms and grinned, sounding amazingly confident. "Ibuki never forgets a voice." She smiled brightly. "So no matter how much your appearance changes, Ibuki will always know it's Miaka-chan."

That's some amazing hearing, I thought.

"So, what did you think, Miaka-chan? That was Ibuki's self-written song. It's called From Me to You Too."

"Well, I'm sure fans of the genre will love it."

"Huh? You say that like you didn't like it," Ibuki said, managing to look confused and upset at the same time.

"Um, well…I'm sure it would make for great boss battle music," I said, trying to think of any way to compliment the utter assault of my ears just now.

"Boss battle…oh you mean like in videogames?" Ibuki asked looking excited. "But…" Ibuki looked confused. "This is supposed to be a love song."

Not with that tempo! I thought.

Ibuki sighed, scratched her head and looked down to the side. "Ibuki should've known a solo career was a tough gig. It's just not the same without a band."

"You used to play in a band?" I asked.

"Yup, Ibuki was the lead guitarist and singer in Black Cherry!" Ibuki exclaimed, winking and sticking her tongue out.

"I see…Black Cherry," I said nodding my head. My eyes then bugged out. "Wait! You're that Ibuki Mioda?"

Ibuki laughed happily. "Ibuki's the only Ibuki she knows."

I should've expected it, but this was something else. Ibuki was practically a living legend in Japan. Black Cherry was at the very top of the charts before the band broke up. It was the only time idol singer group, Pink Energy, lead singer Sayaka Maizono, was ever beaten by anything. Fans of the group thought Black Cherry would dominate the charts until Pink Energy faded into obscurity, but the band broke up at the height of their popularity. And the reason for that breakup: the person standing in front of me.

I get it, creative differences can drive a band to tear itself in half. Alex has shared some stories with some of his favorite American bands, but at the height of popularity? Still…that was the furthest thing from my mind right now.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed without thinking. "I-I'm not worthy!" I shouted, bowing low. Forget my fan base, Ibuki's had to be like several hundred times that.

"Huh? What are you saying Miaka-chan, worthy of what?" she laughed. "You're bowing pretty low to Ibuki when she's not royalty or important."

"Not important my ass! You have a huge, screaming fan base that still supports you even though you broke up the band!" I exclaimed.

"Aww, c'mon, you're gonna embarrass Ibuki," she said, pushing her index fingers against each other. "She doesn't like being put on a pedestal."

"Neither do I, but that doesn't change reality," I said.

Ibuki laughed. "Are Miaka-chan's fans as supportive as Ibuki's?"

"Supportive is…one way of putting it," I said. "So, I want to hear it straight from you, did you not like working with Black Cherry? Why'd you break up the band? You were great."

"What?" Ibuki looked disappointed. "Miaka-chan's performed with other people, right? She should know the answer to that."

Do I? Hmmm, lemme think about this for a second. "…Is it because you and your band members didn't get along off stage?"

"Well…yeah," Ibuki said super seriously, which was kind of unnerving. "You can't hear it without super sharp ears like Ibuki's, but we were always trying to outperform each other. It was our greatest strength, but also our greatest weakness." She then laughed. "Of course, nobody could compare to Ibuki on guitar."

"Of course," I said, smiling a bit.

"That's why Ibuki wants to start a new band here at Hope's Peak, you know. Being the Ultimate Musician is one thing, but Ibuki's dream is to start a band she really connects with. I mean," Ibuki scratched her head, "Even though I don't regret leaving the band, to tell you the truth, Ibuki's kind of lonely." Ibuki looked at me with almost pleading eyes. "Miaka-chan understands, right, right?"

"Of course I understand," I said, without really thinking about the words coming out of my mouth.

Ibuki's mood changed on a dime. "Yahooooo!" Ibuki exclaimed, looking happy as a cat. "Then from here on out, the two of us are part of a sisterhood. Ah, but we should decide what instrument you're best at first." Ibuki's mood got really intense, she even held her pointer finger straight towards the sky. "But Ibuki's the guitarist, so you can't!"

"C-can't I just be a backup singer?" I asked. It sounded like she wanted me to be part of her new band. I wasn't sure I was cut out for that.

"What?" Ibuki asked. "And hide a cute face like that? You should be upfront on the piano right next to Ibuki." Ibuki's face lit up. "In fact, I bet you have pretty nimble fingers."

Well…she's not wrong. "I'll think about it," I said. "I'll have an answer for you next time."

"Awww, are you leaving? Ibuki was gonna give you a private concert." She looked so disappointed.

"I can't be here all day," I said. "But I promise to listen to you play more next time."

"Sure, it's a date!" Ibuki exclaimed, ecstatically.

After that, I left the music room and looked at my phone. Yup, definitely lunch time. I headed for the mess hall.

After loading up my plate, I tried to figure out where to sit. As I looked around at the tables and chairs in the room, I spotted a small girl way in the back by the window. She wasn't just sitting alone by herself, she was sitting isolated from everyone else in the room. She was wearing a kimono and had blonde hair and pigtails. She looked kind of lonely. Curious, I walked over towards her.

"Hey," I said when I was close enough. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"I'd honestly prefer you didn't," she snapped.

I took a long look at her. Wait, pigtails…short…oh this is the girl Alex was telling me about. The one he doesn't like. …There's no way she's as bad as he says. "I'm not hearing a no," I said. I knew I was tiptoeing around a landmine, but I wanted to see where this led.

"Do what you want," the girl retorted still sounding irritated.

I looked left and right and then promptly sat down in the closest chair. I started eating. She did too. The air between us was silent and rather charged like an unstable electric socket. Realizing she wasn't going to say anything unless I did, I said, "S-so, u-um, what's your name?"

She looked at me, cheeks swollen with food in her mouth. She swallowed, drank water, glared and then said, "Hiyoko Saionji, Ultimate Traditional Dancer. Let me guess, you're the Ultimate Nosy body."

Cute, I thought sarcastically. "Miaka Senri, the Ultimate Cosplayer."

"Cosplayer, huh? Yeah, I suppose cheap garbage clothes like that counts as cosplay."

How dare she! I paid good money and a lot of sewing hours to put this costume together! I calmed myself down before I objected out loud though. No, no. Making an outburst is what she wants. I sighed. Besides, I can take a bit of negging. I do it to Alex often enough. I kept telling myself she couldn't be that bad and continued. "Well excuse me for not having authentic metal armor," I said. The "armor" I made for the suit was actually carefully crafted plastic and rubber. "I don't exactly have access to an anvil and forge."

"You know the school has an Ultimate Blacksmith, he could probably fix you up with that," Saionji speculated.

Did she just…

"Then I can push you into the pool and try to see if you can swim!" Saionji exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.

…backhanded or not, she legitimately gave good advice. I didn't know the school had an Ultimate Blacksmith. He must be an upperclassman.

Saionji had a mischievous look on her face as she said, "So did you dye your hair like a delinquent or do the curtains match the carpet?"

"Actually, it's a wig," I said. In one swift motion, I removed my hairband and wig, exposing my natural green hair to Saionji. "See?"

She only laughed. "Oh my god, that thing on your forehead looks ridiculous."

She couldn't have meant my glasses. I wasn't wearing them at the moment. Wait…did she mean my…?

"So, does it do tricks or is that thing alive?" Saionji asked, continuing to laugh at what I could now presume was my hair.

"Don't make fun of my ahoge. I've had this thing since I was in diapers. It's like a birth mark. I take pride in it," I remarked.

Saionji continued to laugh. "How can you take pride in something that looks so stupid?" she asked snidely.

"You say that like big poofy pigtails are much better," I said, returning the snark. Finally, a worthy adversary, I thought. It'd been a while since I found someone I could have snark to snark combat with.

However, I didn't get the reaction I expected. Instead, Saionji looked almost defensive. "Wh-what's wrong with my pigtails? I'll have you know my fan base loves my pigtails, you nasty pig barf!"

I backed off on the snark and tried to level the situation. "Nothing's wrong as long as there's nothing wrong with having a stubborn cowlick," I said, flicking it with my thumb and forefinger.

"I still think your hair looks stupid!" Saionji almost shouted.

"Why are you getting so angry?" I asked, now legitimately confused by Saionji's behavior.

"I am not angry!" Saionji shouted, standing up, but not loud enough that the noisy mess hall was gonna look at us.

"Look, I'm sorry I insulted your pigtails. Calm down, will you? They're nice pigtails," I said, hoping it would calm her down. I considered myself a very non-confrontational person. There was a possibility there was more going on with this girl than Alex gave her credit for. I made a special note: insulting Saionji's pigtails equals not a good idea.

Saionji sat down. "Hmph," she said, pouting. "You're just saying that."

"No, really. They make you look cute," I said.

"Hmph, now I know you're just blowing smoke up my ass," Saionji harrumphed.

"Look, I didn't think you'd cave in like that. I honestly thought we could have some friendly witty banter. You know...like friends."

"I-I didn't cave in! Shut up!" Saionji shouted nastily. "B-besides, why would I want to be friends with a cosplaying pig barf like you?" she asked, glaring at me.

Okay, starting to see why Alex doesn't like her. Totally get it. She's super bitchy and he's never liked tsunderes with extra tsun. Still… "You don't want to?" I asked, deliberately giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Eew! The pleading eyes thing, gross," she retorted. "What is that supposed to make me feel pity for you, or something? You must have me confused with someone that actually cares."

"Damn, that usually works," I said.

"Your attempts at manipulation won't work on me, you trashy skank," Saionji retorted.

I jumped a little. "Whoops, did I say that out loud?"

"Keep your internal monologues internal. That's what they're for, stupid! I can't believe I let you sit with me."

"Hey, you could've told me to leave the table at any time you know."

"Would you have? You seem pretty damn persistent, just like a fly that won't die no matter how much you swat it," Saionji retorted rudely.

"Yes," I said sincerely.

"Hmph. Well…whatever. It's not like letting you sit with me was a waste of time or anything. Although, I would've preferred to eat alone."

"Sometimes a change of pace isn't so bad," I said.

"Hmph, I'm only eating alone because the person I've been sitting with was busy and I got hungry now. Don't get any funny ideas," Saionji pouted. And then she retorted. "And this doesn't make us friends! So don't get any funny ideas!"

"Hadn't crossed my mind," I said with a smile.

"Fine, whatever." She then grumbled incoherently, but it sounded like she said, "Like I care."

After that we ate in silence. I could totally see why people might not like this tiny little blonde, but you don't become an Ultimate Cosplayer without being a good actor and getting a good read on people. And I was pretty sure Saionji's attitude was being used to mask a far more tender side to her that she didn't want anyone to see. I caught a glimpse when she caved in to my insults. It's unfortunately not an…unfamiliar feeling. But I had to get closer to her if I wanted to truly understand her. You know, maybe I would, for her sake.

After lunch, I parted from Saionji and tried to figure out what to do next. Well…after I properly reaffixed my wig and hairband in the bathroom of course. After leaving, I decided that it might be nice to spend a little time with Alex. Strange, I know, right? But, other than lunch on the first day, me scolding him this morning, and running into each other in passing, we hadn't spent much time together. If he wasn't going to remedy that—probably because he was too busy ogling a large pair of breasts—then I was.

Oddly enough, I found him walking around outside with a notebook, scribbling in it.

"Well this is odd, you outside," I said. "I thought you were a vampire."

"Oh you're so funny," He said sarcastically. "Couple of upperclassmen were working on a project from class 75. Couldn't concentrate on my work. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I do," I said. "So, wanna hang out?"

He shut the notebook. "Sure."

The two of us then walked around the fountain area for a bit, eventually coming to rest by the bench in front of it. "So, this is rare, you coming to me just to hang out for a bit," he said.

"Eh, figured what's the harm," I said.

"None," he responded eagerly to my rhetorical question. "And as long as you're here, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Just how big of a name are you in this country?"

"Pardon?"

"Well…it's just…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You always tried to avoid the subject when we chatted online, said it wasn't terribly important that I know. I get that you didn't want to chase me away and I kind of just stopped asking." He gave me a serious look. "But now we're both standing here on Hope's Peak Academy soil and I think it would be good if I know. I consider us pretty close and I'd hate for your fans to see us and think something weird or for me to screw up and ruin your reputation. Or, perhaps, maybe we should drift apart a little just to take the edge off."

"Don't be stupid. I always have time for you. We're friends."

"Oh? Really?" he asked me.

"I've posed with fans and chatted with some on occasion. No one's gonna bat an eyelash just cause you're from overseas. Besides, if I put you in costume people may not know the difference. Spike your hair a little and you'd make a convincing Cloud Strife."

He laughed. "Well, it's good to know nothing's gonna change between us."

"Why would it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Dunno. Always that feeling of doubt in the back of my mind, you know."

"Well tell that feeling to go away," I said.

"I will. And thanks."

"No problem."

Alex and I chatted for a little longer about our experiences at Hope's Peak Academy over the last couple of days and our goals and expectations with the school. Then he said he had a little more work to do before going home and I headed back into the school to maybe go to the computer lab for a bit. However, as I wandered the halls, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Say cheese!"

I turned and a flash of light blinded me. As my vision returned to normal, I found Koizumi standing in front of me again. And she wasn't alone. Saionji and Ibuki were with her. "O-oh…h-h-hi!" I exclaimed.

"Hey," Koizumi said with a smile. "Say, listen. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. I was going to go up to the music room with Hiyoko and Ibuki to take photos. Wanna bring some outfits? We could have a group photo session."

I froze solid. I didn't know what to say. It's not like I hadn't been in photo shoots before, but a group session? And what would she do with the pictures? Would she join us? What would Koizumi look like in some of my more…interesting outfits. Ack! No! Bad Miaka! Don't think about stuff like that.

As my mind drifted back to reality. Ibuki exclaimed. "Oooh! Oooh! Do you have anything that resembles that red and blue haired chick from that anime with the living clothes? I could totally rock that," Ibuki winked and stuck her tongue out.

As I pictured Ibuki dressed as Ryuko Matoi, which wasn't that hard to do, I could feel my face growing hot and subsequently fluid dribbled down it. It was warm and red. Oh…crap.

"Ah! Here," Koizumi said and handed me a tissue. "Pinch it. It'll stop bleeding."

"Th-thanks," I said. I tilted my head back and held the tissue to my nose.

"No," she said calmly. "Don't tilt your head back, you're supposed to tip it forward. Come on, let's go to the bathroom. You can get it under control in there."

I wasn't prepared when Koizumi got behind me and put her hand flush against my back…my bare back. I was dressed as Cherche so my back as completely exposed. Usually, that was not a problem, but I had a girl…a really cute girl with her bare hand against my unclothed back. I…I just…oh god. I tilted my head forward as more blood started to gush out.

"Here," Koizumi said, "Take the whole pack."

I grabbed it without saying a word and replaced the one in my hand, balling it up and quickly switching it out. It got worse when Koizumi pushed her hand against my back.

"H-hey, u-um…are you coming or what? We can't have you bleeding in the middle of the hallway." She pushed harder, which only made my legs lock up tighter. "Ummmm…"

"Maybe Ibuki should carry her!" Ibuki exclaimed.

"Please, her legs are working just fine. She's just a perverted dyke skank having perverted dyke fantasies," Saionji snapped, glaring at me.

…She's on to me, I thought.

"It's okay, Miaka-chan, Ibuki's a huge pervert too," Ibuki stated.

Wait, what? No, stop. That's not inspiring confidence, Ibuki, I thought in a panic.

"Jeeeeez," Koizumi said, letting out a big groan. "It almost makes me wish we had a boy here with stronger muscles so we could get you into the bathroom easier."

"N-no…I-I can walk," I said, finally finding my voice. "Left foot, right foot, right?"

Koizumi looked at me confused. "Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm totally fine. Aside from a little nosebleed, I'm perfect! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed fakely and loudly.

"Right, let's get you into the bathroom," Koizumi said. She refused to take her hand off my back the entire trip down the hall. She had her other hand on my arm. It was comforting and at the same time a nightmare.

Now I know what it feels like to be Soleil, I thought.

In the bathroom, with me hunched over a toilet, it didn't take long for my nose to stop bleeding. I flushed all the tissues and toilet paper down the toilet and then stood up and faced the girls. "S-so…ph-photoshoot…" I said.

Koizumi's face lit up. "We were gonna have it in the music room. Gather up some outfits and meet us there, okay?"

"Bring at least something I can wear," Saionji snapped. "Cause I'm not gonna wear anything that's showing my stomach."

Not like you could show off your chest, I thought.

"Ibuki will wear anything as long as it fits."

"Oh, I'm sure I've got a Ryuko Matoi cosplay around here somewhere, even though my chest can't exactly fill out that top," I said.

"Great, like I said, meet us there," Koizumi told me.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered.

The girls left the bathroom, and I proceeded to raid my secret stash that I kept hidden. I also grabbed the costumes I left hidden in my classroom and grabbed a few more that I kept tucked in odds and ends on my way up to the fourth floor. I was carrying about fifty costumes by the time I made it to the fourth floor.

"Will this do?" I asked, with a hanger in my mouth upon entering the music room.

"All right, Miaka-chan! You don't hold back."

"Want me to take that?" Koizumi offered standing in front of the hangers I was holding in my mouth.

I nodded. She accepted them from me and laid them out on the piano so that they were nice and flat.

"Right, everyone get into a costume and I'll start snapping photographs. This is gonna turn out great, I just know it."

We spent a good few hours posing in costume, though Mahiru didn't partake so she could snap photos. Ibuki did put on the Ryuko Matoi outfit I had on me. I also managed to get Hiyoko to look like a blonde Anise Tatlin. I thought the photo shoot went really well. Like I said, it wasn't the first time I'd been through this.

However…

"What's wrong with you?" Saionji snapped as Koizumi plugged her camera into her laptop and looked at the photos she took. "Do you not know how to smile? And you were so stiff throughout everything. Did you spend the night locked in a freezer?" She grew more hostile. "Or maybe you're a perverted masochist and you wanted Ibuki touching places other than your arms and legs!"

Ibuki winked. "I would have if she asked."

Again, not helping, Ibuki, I thought.

"Yeah, seriously. You've been awfully quiet," Koizumi said, clutching her head and looking concerned. "I heard from some people that were in masquerades with you that you're quite the chatterbox. Are you sure you're all right?"

"I…er…that is…I…gotta go!" In a flash, I swept up my costumes and fled the music room like an Olympic track star.

When everything was put back I made a direct bee line for my dorm room, slammed the door shut and locked it. I blushed hard and tapped my fingers together as I stood there wigless and without a cosplay on. Koizumi was just being nice…but that's not how I looked at her. If she knew what I thought, she'd hate me. It'd never work out between us, just like how it had never worked out before. Well…I mean…it's not like I've ever confessed to a girl before.

I slunk down to the floor and brought my knees up to my chin.

I don't know how Alex managed to get the courage to confess to ten different girls. I can barely hold my own trying to talk to one that I like. I put my head in my knees. I was so embarrassed. I needed to find the courage to be able to talk to Koizumi without freezing up like that. Just as I thought I was about to cry, I heard a knock on my door.

"Oi, Senri, are you in there?"

My head picked up. Koizumi?

I stood up and, without thinking, opened the door. Koizumi was a little out of breath as she stood in front of my door. "Good, I got the right dorm room," she said with a smile. Both Saionji and Ibuki were standing on either side of her.

"Miaka-chan, are you okay? Ibuki was really worried about you."

"We were all worried, Ibuki," Koizumi said.

"Worried?" I asked.

"Yeah," Koizumi said, looking nervous. "I mean, the three of us are already friends and well…we got concerned when you just ran off like that, you know."

Saionji looked to the side and pursued her lips, "D-don't get the wrong idea. I just followed them. I don't care one bit about a pervert like you."

"Look, I guess I was a bit overzealous in my actions. I didn't mean to frighten you." Koizumi blushed. "I-I wasn't thinking of your feelings…and I'm sorry. I just…when I heard you were the Ultimate Cosplayer…the photographer in me just loved the idea of taking pictures of you." She smiled. "But what I really want to do is be your friend, Miaka."

"Ah…"

"So, whatdya say?"

I bowed low, "Th-thank you very much!" I leaned up a little, but didn't rise all the way, blushing as I spoke to Koizumi. "A-are you sure y-you want to be friends…with me?"

"Why not?"

My head lowered again, "Thank you, Koizumi."

"Please, call me Mahiru."

"And you can call me Hiyoko," Saionji said. "I absolutely hate my last name."

"Fair enough," I said trying to smile.

"So, wanna head to the mall. I have a bit of shopping to do so…"

"Which mall? The close one? The big one? Right now. Um…m-mabye…n-not definitely another time! I…DINNER'S BURNING!" I shouted and slammed the door.

"Well that was a waste of time," I heard Hiyoko say from the other side of the door.

"No it wasn't. Come on, girls. She needs space. We'll likely see her tomorrow."

"Awwww, and Ibuki was really looking forward to a girl's night out as the four of us."

I could only smile and blush as I sat down on the ground. Among my crushes, none of them had ever been my friend before. Perhaps there was hope for this one after all.

End of Chapter 7

(A/N: A bit short, but I have to change chapters when the POV switches. I used to do that with my earlier fanfics and it looked god awful. So you know what that means? Next chapter is me again! And the next two chapters I've been looking forward to for quite a while. Until then, as always, from all of me to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)