A/N So, it's been a while since I've last updated and I'm sorry about that. It's hard juggling two multi-chapter fics with both your school life and work life. I'll try to update as much as possible but I cannot promise anything.

This is a little shorter than some of my other chapters but I will make up for it with time. Personally, I'm happy with how it turned out but I will leave it up to you guys on what you think of this chapter.

Not much else to say here except we finally get to see Munakata in the Reserve Course, so I hope you enjoy it~!

For such a prestigious school like Hope's Peak, the architectural layout was always a sight to behold. Of course, this included the newly constructed Reserve Course buildings, because it was still a part of Hope's Peak Academy. However, as I stood outside the entrance gates on my first day as a Reserve Course teacher, the building looked rather dull and lifeless compared to the rest of the buildings on campus. I took a deep breath and made my way to the front entrance.

I scanned the hallways looking for Classroom 1-B. When I found it, I slid open the door and stepped inside. Sure enough, there were students scattered around the classroom dressed in the standard black uniform and the white dress shirt. As I approached the front podium, the classroom chatter faded and I felt many pairs of eyes latching onto me. "Hello, my name is Mr. Munakata. I will be your teacher for the next semester. I hope we get along in the weeks to come."

A hand shot up in the middle of the room and I gestured for them to speak. "We already know who you are," The guy said, "You're Kyosuke Munakata, the Ultimate Student Council president. Also, you were the former teacher of that kid who blew up a gymnasium during the Main Course's exams. What are you doing here?"

"Did I not make myself clear?" I raised an eyebrow. "I am here as your new teacher."

A girl in the front raised her hand and I nodded at her. "He's asking why a former Ultimate is here to teach us. Usually the Reserve Course teachers are just regular people with teaching degrees. What is someone like you doing here?"

"All I can say is," I began cautiously, knowing that it could be bad if I said too much. "This is where I will be teaching."

"So they forced you to teach us as punishment," A guy in the back blurted out without raising his hand, "just because you let that one guy blow up part of the school? Must not be that good of a teacher."

A few of the kids snickered while I kept my face neutral. As the laughter died down, I exhaled slowly. "I think we should move on to the lesson plan for now. You come to a school to learn, after all. First, let's take attendance."

"Do the Main Course students also come here to learn?" A girl asked timidly, somewhere in the middle of the classroom.

"Of course," I replied, nonchalantly searching for the attendance sheet. It was scattered somewhere in the notes the previous teacher gave me… hopefully. "Although their curriculum may be different from yours, they still have to follow the basic learning principles."

"I thought Main Course students didn't have to attend class." A guy in the front said.

"While that may be true, I made sure all of my students attended class every day." Finally finding the attendance sheet, I placed it on the podium and looked out into the sea of blue faces. "And I will be holding each of you to that same standard. Now then, let's get attendance out of the way."

"After doing the necessary roll call, I pulled out one of the textbooks the previous teacher left behind and started flipping through it. "Everybody, please turn to page 67 in your textbook. We will be together as a class. If you do not have your book with you today, scoot next to someone who has one."

A girl sitting in the back by the windows raised her hand. After calling on her, she asked, "Did the Main Course ever have to read books like this, even if their talent didn't pertain to reading?"

"Occasionally, yes," I glanced at the teacher's side notes. "Your previous teacher wrote that you guys stopped at line 33, so that is where we will-"

"What do you mean by occasionally?" A guy sitting next to the girl interrupted.

I frowned at him as I answered his question. "To put it simply, we did not read every day, so we read occasionally. However, please refrain from interrupting class again. I would like to start the reading now, if you don't mind."

"But, we have so many questions!" A girl sitting by the door whined.

"I'm afraid they will have to wait. Now, starting at line 33, I will need a volunteer to start reading." A girl in the front raised her hand. "Go for it."

"Actually, I had a quick question before we begin!" I fought the urge to sigh as she continued. "If we get done with all of our reading today, will you tell us more about the Main Course?"

I glanced at the clock. Already, we had lost a lot of class time because of the Reserve Course's relentless questioning. However, there was still enough time to finish the reading. I turned back to the class and saw their expectant faces of anticipation, and I knew this was going to be a long semester. "If we have time left before class ends, I may answer a few more questions. But that means you have to stay focused until then. Is that understood?"

The silent nods of agreements looked more like energetic bobble heads.

"Hey," Yukizome called me after I was finished with classes. "How was your first day in the Reserve Course?"

I sighed. "I hope their behavior today does not become an everyday thing."

Yukizome let out a tiny chuckle, "That bad, huh?"

"It was nothing I couldn't handle, but…" I ran my hands through my bangs, "they had a lot of questions about the Main Course. I should have expected it."

"What kind of questions were they asking?"

"Basic questions, all of which involved the Main Course," I told her. "What are they like? What do they do? How does the staff treat them? It was like they were compiling their own research on the subject. Many of the students most likely never had any interaction with the Main Course until I came along. Even some of the teachers had the same inquiries as the students."

"I can see how that could be exhausting." Yukizome agreed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, it's alright. Like I said, it is nothing I can't handle." I yawned. "Though, I would rather talk about something else if that's okay with you. How is Kimura doing?"

The last time I had talked with her was when she was sitting on that bench after being expelled. I was curious to see how she was doing at her new job. And of course, Yukizome was the only person who could tell me that

"She's fantastic!" Yukizome beamed. "That was a good idea, giving her an internship here. The drugs that she creates have really boosted the morale of the workers. They have a lot more energy than before, and it's showing in their work. Who knows? The new overseas expansion might be done sooner than you think."

I sighed in relief. "I'm glad to hear it. Does Kimura like it over there?"

"Uh-huh, I think she's more relaxed now that she's working in her element again. All of the employees love having her around. Not a single person has had a problem with her since she came here." Yukizome paused and I could hear the fondness in her voice. "It was really nice of you to give her this chance."

I smiled. "She deserves it."

Weeks went by in the Reserve Course, and the behavior was no different from the first day. Question after question I would have to answer. Boring person after boring person I would have to talk to. The Reserve Course people were all the same, with hardly any stand-alone traits. Yet, only two types of Reserve Course people existed. There were the quieter ones who were so enamored with Hope's Peak that they would ogle any Main Course person with sickening admiration. Then, there were the louder ones who let everyone know how unhappy they were being treated like crap trailing behind a goldfish. Despite the minor differences, both types got on my nerves pretty easily as time went on.

You would think hiding in the teacher's lounge on break would be a relief, but the teachers were just as bad as the students. Worse even, when you consider that teachers have authority over students but not over other teachers.

Luckily, the teacher's lounge was empty today, so I could eat my food in peace. And it was very peaceful. The hum of the air conditioner was much more soothing than the grating voices I was more accustomed to. It was all going well until the door opened and another teacher walked in.

"Finally got some peace and quiet, huh?"

"I looked up to see a man close the door behind him and open one of the cabinets hanging on the wall. Sighing, I put down my chopsticks, "It was peaceful and quiet."

"Sorry, I can't help it." The teacher chuckled, taking out a mug from the cabinet and setting it on the counter. "Even if you are desperately avoiding every human being in this building, I still need to grab a quick bite to eat."

I blinked. "Who said I was avoiding anyone?"

He shrugged, "No one, but I can tell how unhappy you are here. I imagine the relentless pestering of questions gets annoying."

At least someone in this building gets it. Returning back to my food, I let out a mirthless chuckle. "You have no idea."

"Honestly, I understand more than you think." He gave me a thin smile over his shoulder before turning on the coffee maker and filling his mug. "A lot of people kept pestering me whenever one of my students died, but they eventually stopped once you came along. I guess I should thank you for that."

"Hold on," I set down my chopsticks once more. "You wouldn't happen to be Natsumi Kuzuryu's teacher, would you?"

"I am… or rather, I was." The teacher responded, turning back to me with his mug in hand. "I'm the teacher of Classroom 1-A. You teach right across the hall, right?"

"1-B," I replied. If I had known that Kuzuryu's former class was right down the hall, I would have introduced myself to the teacher sooner. "Her brother was in my class at the Main Course. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." The teacher nodded, deep in thought. "She may not have been here more than a week, but it's still heartbreaking when something happens to your students."

"I imagine you had to go through the same thing when Sato died not long after."

"Huh, so you heard about her too." The teacher took a quick sip of his mug before continuing. "It amazes me how people from the Main Course can still remember the names of the people below them. U-Uh, no offense…"

"None taken," I told him, waving it off. "The only reason I remember their names was because of who they knew. Obviously, Kuzuryu had an older brother in the Main Course. Sato was friends with one of my other students, and I even ran into her once."

"Is that so?" The teacher blinked. He walked over to my table and sat down. "Why would you take notice of a Reserve Course student you only met once?"

"Because she knew one of my students; she wasn't the only Reserve Course student who mingled with the Main Course." I answered, taking a sip from my own mug. "Do you happen to know a student by the name of Hajime Hinata?"

"Yes, Hinata was classmates with Sato and Kuzuryu." The teacher gripped his mug tighter and pulled it closer to him. "He also disappeared not long after their deaths."

I nearly dropped my mug after hearing that. "Hinata disappeared?"

"I'm afraid so," He bowed his head. "Two days after Sato's death, Hinata just stopped coming to class. There was no reason behind it for a long time until about a couple weeks ago. I got an email from the committee saying that Hinata was expelled. It didn't specify why, but it just seems odd for them to say that after he stopped coming to class. I just assumed he dropped out." The teacher shuddered. "I can only hope that they don't find his body like they did with the other two."

This newly discovered news makes me think about Nanami. She never said anything about Hinata's leaving, but she would always sit by the fountain where they used to play. I noticed that Hinata was not always with her, but I wish I would have given it more thought. If only Nanami told me about it before it was too late…

"You knew Hinata pretty well, didn't you?" The teacher asked, gazing at me a little sheepishly. "I can tell by the look on your face. You can't fake that kind of sadness."

"I…" I had only talked to him twice, was what I was going to say. But, in some strange way, I felt like I knew him longer than that. Even if there were only two conversations, both of them meant something. Part of that had to do with my investigation, of course, but there was more to it than that. In a way, I guess I felt responsible for him… as if he were one of my own students.

"He was a good kid." I said simply.

After speaking with the teacher about his students, I did some research on the Reserve Course. There had to be another reason why Hinata went missing. The Reserve Course was getting more and more interesting by the moment.

Searching the databases provided to the Reserve Course, I found basic information about their finances. It turns out that their funding was not going towards school renovations or club funding. In reality, the funds were put towards the research efforts of something called the "Kamukura Project." The articles never went further into what kind of research project it was, but it had to be important. They wouldn't name any ordinary project after the founder of Hope's Peak, Izuru Kamukura.

There was no way for me to find out more about the Kamukura Project on these computers. They wouldn't leave such valuable information on a Reserve Course teacher's desktop. Still, gaining access to the Kamukura Project would not be easy. The only people who had access to the research project would be the board of trustees and Principal Kirigiri. In order to investigate this peculiar project, I had to obtain a trustee's ID.

It was harder getting back to the Main Course building, so I never really saw Sakakura that much. Fortunately, I did run into him one day and ordered him to find me one of the trustee's ID. He would have a better chance of finding one, given that he is head of security. He was a little reluctant to agree but, after some careful consideration, he punched the inside of his palm and said, "Leave it to me."

My time in the Reserve Course was the same boring thing every day, but it soon came to an end. The last day of the semester finally came and I had my final class. The students were the same as usual up until the last few minutes.

"This is our final day together, it seems." I addressed them, glancing around the classroom with a thin smile. "Next year, you will be second year students at Hope's Peak. You have survived a year at this school, which is something that your friends back home will never be able to take away from you."

"Yeah, but we're still Reserve Course nobodies," Groaned a guy in the front row.

"Focus on the positive." I told him and the rest of the class. "You are a part of the Hope's Peak alumni; even as a Reserve Course student, that title still has notoriety to it. It may not be as much as the Main Course, but it still holds value."

A girl raised her hand and I called on her. "What will happen to you Mr. Munakata? Are you going to stay in the Reserve Course or are you going to head back to the Main Course?"

"Well," I took a deep breath, "I will have to wait until Principal Kirigiri makes a decision. Until then, I cannot give you a clearer answer."

"If you come back, will you teach us?" A guy towards the back asked.

"Dumbass, he just said he won't know until the principal says so!" Said a guy next to him, disapprovingly. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"S-Sorry," The guy started to shrink in his seat. For a brief second, I was reminded of Tsumiki and her constant self-deprecation.

I guess I really missed the Main Course that much.

As the bell rang, the students got up from their desks and exited the classroom, biding me farewells along the way. I waved to them as I gathered my notes, but did not pay them any more attention than that. In the process of gathering my stuff, a girl stopped by my desk and waited for me to address her.

I looked up. Her face is very unfamiliar, and I do not remember her ever speaking up in class. Or maybe I just never really noticed. Like Sakakura said after running into Hinata, the Reserve Course students really do look alike. "Yes?"

"Um, I'm very sorry to bother you on your last day," The girl began, "but I just want to say thank you for putting up with us for the semester. It must have been very difficult."

"Not at all," I shook my head, "being a former Student Council president helps prepare you for many different types of people." I paused, realizing that maybe that was a bit harsh. "What I mean by this is that I am prepared for any group of people that I have to lead." The girl kept staring at me. I was probably still too harsh. "Compared to the Main Course, you guys were a lot easier to handle. I'm proud of all of you for putting up with me for the semester."

"Really?" The girl beamed, before letting out an embarrassed sigh. "It's just that… I feel like we're boring in comparison to them."

She's not wrong, but I can't say that. "There's nothing wrong with being boring or normal."

The girl raised an eyebrow in confusion, "How?"

"In the case of the Main Course, if you have that many eccentric personalities in one room… it can be challenging. They all have different viewpoints about how things should be handled." A flashback of Mioda and Kuzuryu arguing over how to solve a math problem came to mind. Kuzuryu argued that they should solve for X first while Mioda suggested writing a song about the imaginary number's feelings. It was a fifteen minute argument that got resolved by Pekoyama running to the board and finishing the problem herself.

"And when something does not go their way or how they think it should go," I continued, "they get really stubborn. So much that they ignore the ideas of others for what they think is best."

"I see," The girl nodded, "I can understand how difficult that must be."

I gave her a small smile. "But that's what's different about the Reserve Course. It's easier for you to accept your strengths and weaknesses, which makes it easier to work together as a team. When put in a group, everyone gets the chance to shine even if it is not what you are destined to do in life. People have a lot of respect for that."

"So, it's important to be able to work with others as opposed to working by one's self." She summarized, taking it in. Then, she tilted her head to the side. "What about the Main Course? I-I mean, I'm sorry to ask about them, but how can they work with others if they're always so stubborn?"

"They just need to be reminded of what their goal is." I replied. "Any group working together always has a goal that they need to reach. Arguments can help people lose sight of that sometimes. But if everyone is motivated and determined to reach that goal, then the job will get done in the end."

"Then it sounds like they need you to help them with that." The girl grinned. She bowed at a 90 degree angle. "Thank you so much for being our teacher. I hope the Main Course gives you a warm welcome when you get back."

"Principal Kirigiri has not confirmed-"

"He will. At least, I think he should." The girl returned to a normal standing position and started walking towards the door. "As much fun as it was to have you with us, you belong over there. We will miss you, Mr. Munakata."

Before I could say anything, she gave me a quick smile before walking out of the classroom. After that, the room was completely silent. I thought about what she had said, and I part of me hoped it would be true. I meant what I said about the Reserve Course being easier to teach than the Main Course. While teaching the Reserve Course was a vacation, the Main Course was my true home.

The Reserve Course girl was right about one thing. Kirigiri called me into his office and allowed me to go back to teaching with the Main Course students.

"With your talent, I can't leave you playing around in the Reserve Course forever." Kirigiri gave me a small smile. "From today on, you are their official homeroom teacher. See to it that your students don't cause any other problems."

"My chest became light as I was overcome with joy. Answering the constantly irritating questions of the Reserve Course really takes its toll on a person's mental health, and I couldn't wait to get out of there and see the Main Course students again.

I practically, no, literally ran across campus to the classroom. Sliding open the classroom door, I was greeted with multi-colored confetti, the smell of fresh food, and cheerful faces.

"Welcome back, Mr. Munakata!"

Yes, it was good to be back.

A/N I took the liberty of using some of the lines from the episode to stay i character but the rest of the lines, and especially Munakata's lines, I created.

Okay, so not a whole lot changed this chapter, but at least Munakata had a few bittersweet moments of normalcy before Junko gets involved with the plot line. Yep, that's right, the despair train is chugging along and will be making its first stop on the next chapter.

Feel free to follow/favorite or review below. You don't have to, of course, but it provides motivation and happiness when you do. Until next time