Chapter Text
Chapter Sixteen: Worn Lucky Shoes
13th of March, 2011
Makoto had not planned to head out again before dinner in the evening, but a message received on his e-handbook pretty much forced his hand. It was a few minutes past 2:30 in the afternoon, and luckily, the weather on campus was particularly lovely.
I wonder why Yoshida-sensei called me to the classroom... The Ultimate Lucky Student thought, walking outside with the tiniest bit of confusion. I don't think I did anything bad, so it's probably nothing to worry about, but still...
"Hey, Naegi-kun!"
The boy stopped in his tracks and noticed a familiar face approaching him. Hina walked with a friendly smile plastered on her face, speeding up slightly to catch up to him. They had only met the day prior, but the swimmer was someone Makoto knew he would befriend before long.
"What's up, Hina?" he asked, noticing the girl seemed even more passionate than he realized she usually was. "You're almost oozing with energy."
"That's because I'm getting totally fired up!" she replied, and her voice matched her excitement levels. She, too, Makoto realized, could be loud.
I guess some people are more thrilled to be here than others. It's not Togami-kun who I'd hear say something like that... "How come, Hina?"
The Ultimate Swimming Pro's grin did nothing but broaden at the question. "How come doesn't matter, Naegi-kun!" she told him assertively. "Now that I'm revved up, I must get it all out! You up for a race?"
Makoto's hazel eyes widened slightly. This was not exactly what he had expected. "I, uh... don't think that's a good idea, Hina. It's not like I would stand a chance against you..."
She seemed somewhat bummed, but not enough to take away her good mood. "Really? Well, I don't mind going solo, but it would have been more fun running with someone!"
I think you ought to go ask someone like Ogami-san or Kuwata-kun for that... "I can see you're quite excited about this, Hina." He said this with a gentle tone, but his smile could easily be mistaken for a smirk.
"Huh?" Confusion quickly turned into more passion. "Hey, are you making fun of me, Naegi-kun?!"
"N-No, not at all!" Geez, way to give off the wrong impression... He thought with a sigh. "I'm just impressed. You never seem to run out of excitement."
For some reason, that comment made Hina blush. Her blue eyes darted away, avoiding Makoto's. "Really...?" she asked, not sounding that convinced. "I used to know this one guy who was always like, 'Hina, you're like, a super spaz!'"
That... doesn't sound very nice... "A... super spaz...?"
"Yeah! Like, he would see me wearing shorts in the winter and then tell me stuff like that!" That did not appear to bother her as much as the Luckster thought it probably should. He knew he would have been offended at being called something like that. "But I'm thinking that if you lose to the cold like that, it means you weren't dedicated enough!"
Makoto struggled to hide his amazement. "Wow, you did stuff like that and never got sick?" Couldn't be me. "I would have frozen to death, honestly."
"Oh, come on, Naegi-kun!" Hina seemed disappointed, somehow. "Getting sick is for the weak! You should be wearing even lighter clothes than usual in winter! It's a part of training!"
I'm not exactly the type to train, but I don't think Hina realized that... For all her energy and friendliness, the athlete didn't look the kind to put two and two together very quickly. After all, Makoto knew that just about anyone could see he wasn't the sporty type.
"But no worries!" she continued, pumping her fists. "I've got the perfect remedy for you, Naegi-kun! I'll get you fit in no time!"
Uh-oh, sounds bad... To say he had a bad feeling would be putting it lightly. "I'm a little afraid to ask, but what kind of remedy are we dealing with here...?"
"No worries, it's nothing bad!" That only scared him even more. "It's something I do every morning! You strip down to your waist and rub down your bare skin with a dry towel! It's called..."
Seeing she didn't remember, Makoto found himself forced to help. I'm just taking a shot in the dark here, but that sounds familiar... "Towel treatment...?"
"Yeah, that's it! I have a balcony at home, and I love standing there and simply stripping down to enjoy the wind on my skin..." She sighed softly, causing Makoto to freak out a little. "I never let a morning pass without getting in a good rubdown!"
Wait, so you get on your balcony... and GET NAKED?! For all her qualities, Hina could be a strange girl. Makoto obviously did not say that, but he thought it very hard. "I... see."
"You should give it a try, Naegi-kun!" the tan-skinned girl suggested. "I'm sure your health will improve!" She scratched her temple. "Well, maybe don't do it here at Hope's Peak, but whenever you return to your parents' place."
The Ultimate Lucky Student rolled his eyes.
I, indeed, did not intend to strip down naked at Hope's Peak Academy; I can tell you that much... But hey, perhaps I should try it one of these days. With some luck, maybe it works... For now, though, I need to hurry if I don't wanna be late for Yoshida-sensei's meeting...
13th of March, 2011
The door was slightly ajar, allowing Makoto to see the young woman sitting at her desk, staring and scrolling on her phone, visibly wholly absorbed by the small device. He knocked shyly.
"Come in!"
Doing as he was told, the Ultimate Lucky Student entered the classroom and was greeted by his new homeroom teacher's smile as she put down her phone. "Good afternoon, Yoshida-sensei," he said, giving a polite bow.
"Good afternoon, Naegi-kun," Yuki replied, gesturing to the seat before her desk. "Thank you for coming, and please, have a seat." As he fidgeted from the stress, the teacher laughed. "You can lose the nerves, Naegi-kun. I told you this morning that I wouldn't eat you, and I stand by that." She giggled again. "Nor am I going to run into you and knock over your tray."
Makoto, who was about to sit down, froze for a moment. "Y-You remember that?! I... I thought for sure that you had forgotten! It was months ago!"
"It would seem I have a better memory than you think, Naegi-kun," she told him, giving him a playful smirk. "More seriously, I was stunned when Headmaster Kirigiri handed me the list of my students for the year. I didn't expect the Ultimate Lucky Student to be someone I had already encountered."
Well, there goes my theory about the school sending someone to meet me after drawing my name in the lottery... Thought the boy, sweatdropping. I... wasn't worth the resources, it would seem. "I-I see... W-Well, that's certainly an unlikely coincidence..."
"No objections there," Yuki said as Makoto finally sat. "Let me apologize again, Naegi-kun. I've been trying to work on this habit of mine, but old habits die hard, as they say."
Yeah, you were totally on your phone when I entered, so I guess they die *really* hard. "N-No worries, Yoshida-sensei. My hoodie was as good as new after a trip inside the washing machine."
She seemed relieved. "That's good to hear. One less thing on my conscience." Makoto figured she was probably exaggerating. Hopefully. "Anyway, that's not what I called you here for, as you probably guessed. I make it a rule to always chat with my new students to know more about them and ease their potential worries. And considering that you are the Ultimate Lucky Student, I find it even more necessary. So tell me, Naegi-kun, how do you feel about being a Hope's Peak Academy student?"
Hm, that's a tough one... Makoto brought his hand to his chin in thought. He had plenty of things to say. The issue was not knowing where to begin. "Well, I'm happy about it. I mean, it's a sort of dream come true. But I'm also... a little nervous, to be honest..."
Yuki rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know, Naegi-kun." Seeing her student's confusion, she added, "Not only can I tell how nervous you are, but I also know how it is. I studied here, you know?"
"Y-You did?" Well, I guess I should have expected that... I mean, Hope's Peak Academy isn't going to recruit just anyone to teach...
"You bet I did. I was shaking in my boots on my first day, too. But hey, I'm still there to talk about it, so it wasn't so bad after all." She sent him a reassuring smile. "My classmates were mostly very kind, and I got comfortable around them quickly. I'm sure it will be the same for you, Naegi-kun."
"I... I hope so..." he said, his voice going down a few tones. "It's just that... without an Ultimate talent, I feel slightly out-of-place here. The others are all so talented... I'm kinda pathetic next to them, Yoshida-sensei."
The look in the young teacher's eyes became more severe. "You're wrong, Naegi-kun," Yuki stated assertively. "You have a talent – Ultimate Luck – which is worth as much as any other. I will not stand to hear you slander your own abilities."
"B-But-"
"There's no 'but,' Naegi-kun," she cut, her voice sharp. "Perhaps it is harder to grasp than other, more common talents, but Hope's Peak Academy selects an Ultimate Lucky Student every year for a reason."
Except that I've never had much luck before that lottery... I mean, Yoshida-sensei herself bumped into me on the very day I got the luckiest in my all life... "I'm also slightly worried about the Practical Exam, even if that's still very far into the future."
The brunette waved her hand with an easygoing look. "You don't need to worry about this, trust me. If you pulled off a one in five hundred thousand to get here, it won't be a problem."
"With all due respect, you sound very confident, Yoshida-sensei." More than myself... That part was one Makoto kept to himself.
"Hey, as I said before, I was in your shoes once, Naegi-kun." She paused and locked her brown eyes with his hazel ones. "The exact same shoes."
It was at this moment that realization struck him.
"W-Wait, you don't mean that...!"
A smile quickly returned to Yuki's face. She saluted playfully. "Yuki Yoshida, Class 73rd's Ultimate Lucky Student, at your service!"
"W-Wow..." After breathing this out, the short boy was unsure of what to add. Encountering his future homeroom teacher at the restaurant on the day he received his acceptance letter in a city like Tokyo was highly improbable. That said future homeroom teacher also happened to be a Former Ultimate Lucky Student was a downright miracle.
"I understand your surprise," Yuki carried on. "But I take it you can put a little more stock in my words now?" Seeing Makoto nod, she smiled contently. "I cannot promise you that our experiences will be totally similar, though I wish you just that." A sudden blush graced her cheeks. Makoto wondered why. "But in any case, I'll be here to advise if you ever need it. Both as your homeroom teacher and as a fellow Ultimate Lucky Student."
"Thank you, Yoshida-sensei." He bowed respectfully. "I truly appreciate that. To tell you the truth... I already feel somewhat relieved to know I have someone who can sympathize with me."
Yuki chuckled sweetly and ruffled Makoto's hair, making his face turn pink. "You're welcome, Naegi-kun. For your sake, though, I don't recommend asking the Ultimate Lucky Student in Class 77-B for advice. He's kind of a nutcase."
"I-I'll be sure to keep that in mind..."
Makoto doubted this was something a teacher was supposed to say about a student. Still, he took the tip to heart. He wasn't sure how accurate his first impressions were, but he could tell Yuki was a terrific teacher. Given the class she had been in, they were only a few years apart, but the Luckster could tell she possessed a great deal of wisdom.
"Well, if you have no further questions, you're free to go, Naegi-kun. I'll welcome your next classmate after that."
Oh right, I'm not the only one she's interviewing like this... Better not hog Yoshida-sensei... "Thank you, Yoshida-sensei. Have a good day."
He bowed once more and headed out of the classroom. Having entered with enough nerves to make his hands tremble, Makoto exited more confidently. He didn't doubt it would take him time to adjust to his new life, but having such an ally on his side was heartening.
"Oh, and one last thing, Naegi-kun." He turned around and noticed his teacher smiling at him, her phone back in her hand. "I believe in you."
The words never came, so Makoto merely gave a nod of appreciation. A few people had told him that before, and it touched him. Perhaps it had never touched him as much as it did now.
To be continued...