Chapter Text
The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in the bustling suburban area. It’s like the school stands in the centre of the entire world…
Akademi of Hope: it brings in students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege, of which it is said that, if you come here and manage to graduate, you are practically set for life. It was built to raise hope in the nation’s future—so its name is very fitting.
Akademi isn’t like any other schools—they seek you out themselves if you are the best in your field. In other words, you can’t apply yourself. Which I suppose should bring me to my introduction.
My name is Riku Somai. Akademi has given me the title of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. To others, it’s a very imposing and intimidating title. Whenever they hear of it, they… tend to run away. I intend to not bring up my Ultimate unless absolutely necessary. After all, I want to make a good first impression on my classmates, and the last thing I want them to think is that I am bragging about my social status.
To be totally honest, I can’t believe I am standing here, in front of my dream school. It feels unreal. Yes, they scouted me out, but… still. How can I be so lucky?
Last night, I did some final research on my fellow classmates, which only gave me more anxiety. There are so many good titles here…
The Ultimate Essayist is a boy who was clubless at his previous school. Due to not fitting in anywhere, he began to journal as a hobby to take out his frustrations about his unclearness regarding the future. Slowly, he began to write with more and more passion, until finally he decided to write poems and essays. He was the best in his field in no time.
The Ultimate Fashionista is allegedly the most beautiful girl in Japan. You know, the walking cliché of ‘every boy wants her, every girl wants to be her’ you see in movies from the early 2000s? She’s been on every fashion magazine cover for a few years now. I suppose she’s pretty popular.
The Ultimate Scientist and the Ultimate Chemist were apparently in the same club at their previous school, with the former leading it, and the latter always setting up explosions. The two are rumoured to be a chaotic duo who could have only been kept in a check by a member of the student council…
The Ultimate Professional Athlete is talked of with more fear than the Ultimate Delinquent Gang Leader herself! Both of them are intimidating, and I would think the latter would be much worse, but apparently, the first one lets nobody gets close to him, and is as tough and fierce-looking as they come. I’m less excited about the delinquent, though… How could I get along with somebody like that?
Most peculiar to me is the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator. It’s definitely a long title, about as long as mine, so, for short, people merely call him the Ultimate Occultist. I’m intrigued to get to know him.
More than that, there’s the Ultimate Trend-Setter, the Ultimate Abstract Artist, the Ultimate Painter (yes, somehow, those are two different things), the Ultimate Culinary Expert, the Ultimate Martial Artist… you get the gist of it. There will be so many people here! I wonder how I can fit in with people as talented as that, when all I am distinguished by is money…
Well, no matter! I’m sure I can make the most of my school life, just like everybody else here!
Standing in front of the gate with my acceptance letter in hand, I looked it over one last time. There was a meeting for all the incoming students scheduled for 8 AM. Reading that again filled me with more determination.
“Okay…” I let out a small breath. “Let’s do this!”
With new-found hope, I walked inside of the school. I got to the main hall in no time, but there was nobody there. It seemed as though I was the first to arrive. I checked my watch—a whole fifty minutes left to wait.
“Hm…”
Perhaps I should take a walk around the school—that would help to clear my mind and get to know my surroundings better.
“Yeah… Yeah, let’s do that.”
But, as soon as I took the first step…
“H-huh?”
…a strange dizziness suddenly took over me.
“Wh-what?”
I couldn’t move. My vision started to swirl and blur at the same time.
“Wh-what is happening?…”
Suddenly, everything went black…
…and that’s how it all began.
My journey at Akademi of Hope ended my life as I knew it…
The reason I had been brought to Akademi wasn’t because I was excellent in my field.
It was to experience ultimate despair.