It was a typical morning for the Reserve Course students. People were chatting with each other, talking about the same thing they discussed every day.

Although, Hajime was an exception from this. He appeared to be happy, which was odd, considering that Reserve Course students hated being here and also because they were not allowed to go to the Main Course building.

One person was not fond of this.

"What's with that fuckin' smile on your damn face?!"

He turned his towards the source of the voice.

Natsumi Kuzuryu had a pissed look on her face as she glared at Hajime.

"Can I help you….?," he asked.

"Yeah. You can start by wiping that stupid smile off your face," she angrily stated.

"Is that a problem?"

"Of course it is! This is the Reserve Course!

He looked at her confused. "What does that to do with anything?"

"Everyone here is a talentless piece of trash, well, everyone except me of course."

She continued to rant as Hinata listened to her.

"I'm the Ultimate Little Sister, I'll eventually get into the Main Course."

"Is the Ultimate Little Sister even a real talent?," he asked.

"The academy accepts luck as a talent , so why not?"

"If that was an actual talent, you would be out of here."

"Oh shut up! What do you know anyway?," she snapped at him.

Natsumi walked away and returned to her desk before he could respond.

"What is her deal?"

He returned to his original position and faced the broad again. "Besides, I need to make my decision before the deadline arrives."

He sighed.

Meanwhile, in the Main Course.

"Since you now understand the requirements to complete the assignment, I hope all of you do your best on it," Chisa said to her class.

She received nods and responses from some of the students. The school bell rings, signaling lunch time.

After her students exit the classroom and head to the cafeteria, Chisa leaves the room and enters the hallway.

"Where should I begin?" She walks off in a random direction as she starts her investigation.

While this was going on, Hajime decided to spend the entire lunch period sitting on the bench outside since he had no friends in the Reserve Course and he wasn't really hungry anyway.

"Everyone here is a worthless piece of talentless trash." He replayed his encounter with Natsumi from earlier.

"Talentless trash…"

He looked at the Main Course building. "If I accept the offer, then I can actually achieve my dream of attending Hope's Peak, as an Ultimate this time."

"Ah, Hinata-kun, what wonderful timing," a voice called out.

Hajime turned to face the source of the voice.

An elderly man with silvery upswept hair and orange eyes was standing to him.

" ?"

The man smiled. "I was looking for you. I was hoping that I could talk to you for a moment."

"Is it alright if I sit to next to you?"

"Of course sir."

Tengan sat down next to him.

"Now, I want you to listen to me. Since I am an advisor to this academy, I shouldn't say this, but I do not support the Hope Cultivation Project. In fact, I am against it."

"Why is that?," Hajime was greatly confused about his opinion.

"Hope should come from within a person, not from their talent. This very school is meant to provide society with people that can bring a promising future, not tools.

"It's your decision to make. I just want to you to be aware of what you are getting yourself involved in," Tengan explained to him.

Hajime curled his right hand into a fist. "If I don't agree this to this, I'll have to go back to my old high school, since my family won't be able to pay for my tuition here for much longer."

He felt his pride rise as he spoke. "I want to finally be able to accomplish my dream. Attending Hope's Peak as an actually student… has been my lifelong dream."

"If I don't accept it, I'll never get a chance to be who I really want."

Tengan softly smiled at his explanation.

"There is nothing wrong with who you are right now. You can live on as yourself. Do not fear normalcy."

"However," he stated, "The choice is yours. You can choose between returning to your old school or participate in the Hope Cultivation Project."

The old man stood up. "You decide your future and the paths that you take. Just be aware of the potential risks involved and what defines you as a person."

"Mr. Tengan…"

"Now then, I must head off. Enjoy the rest of your day, Hinata-kun."

The academy's advisor walked away, leaving Hajime alone in his thoughts. "Just when I made up my mind, this happens."

He sighs. "Is this what I really want?"

He stands up, noticing that the lunch period was coming to a close.

"Hopefully, I make the right choice."

He began walking back to the Reserve Course building.

A/N: That's it for this chapter. I'm sorry if it seemed rushed. It's all I could think of at the moment. Anyway, feel free to comment your thoughts on it. Also, if you have a suggestion(s) for future chapters, don't hesitate to share them and I might consider them. Later!