A Gathering of Ultimates

“Hello everyone, my name is Takagi Masahiko… It’s a pleasure to meet you all…”

Takagi introduced himself to us, a hint of awkwardness in his voice.

Gender: Male

Name: Takagi Masahiko

Birthday: October 9

Height: 176cm

Weight: 58kg

Talent: Ultimate Lucky Student

****

“Takagi-kun, is it? Haha, what a wonderful name! I’m Ishii Yoshimi, the Ultimate Shot Putter. It’s great to meet you!” the lively girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin responded.

Gender: Female

Name: Ishii Yoshimi

Birthday: May 12

Height: 170cm

Weight: 55kg

Bust: 83cm

Talent: Ultimate Shot Putter

****

“I’m Katagiri Mimi, hello! I’m the Ultimate Cosplayer!”

She wore a green and white school uniform dress, accented with a red bow at the collar, her deep blue hair framing striking aqua eyes.

Gender: Female

Name: Katagiri Mimi

Birthday: March 11

Height: 165cm

Weight: 49kg

Bust: 84cm

Talent: Ultimate Cosplayer

****

“Hey, Takagi-kun, guess who I’m cosplaying?”

“Hmm… Is it Kokomi Teruhashi?” Takagi replied cautiously.

“Bingo! I never expected Takagi-kun to be an otaku too~ How’s my cosplay? Is the resemblance one hundred percent?”

“Yes, it’s quite similar, haha… If I’m really bored, I sometimes watch anime.”

“Hello, Takagi-kun, I’m Takahashi Aki, the Ultimate Dancer. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gender: Female

Name: Takahashi Aki

Birthday: September 26

Height: 168cm

Weight: 46kg

Bust: 81cm

Talent: Ultimate Dancer

****

A silver-haired girl responded with a smile, her pleasant voice possessing a healing quality, and her inherent elegance left a lasting impression.

The red-haired young man beside her stepped forward with an air of exuberance to introduce himself: “Oh! Hello, Masahiko, I’m Akahira Yuusuke, the Ultimate Rocker. You can just call me Yuusuke!”

Gender: Male

Name: Akahira Yuusuke

Birthday: July 29

Height: 172cm

Weight: 54kg

Talent: Ultimate Rocker

****

He wore a black T-shirt and tight jeans; I noticed metal adornments embedded in both his earlobes, and the wound on his right arm seemed to have stopped bleeding.

“Ah… Yuusuke, are you alright with that injury?” Takagi asked, his face etched with worry.

“Tch, what kind of big brother would be bothered by a mere scratch? I told you there’s no need to worry.”

“Akahira-kun, I believe even a minor injury shouldn’t be underestimated. It would be best to clean, disinfect, and bandage it.”

The one expressing concern for Yuusuke was a short, white-haired girl in a waitress uniform.

“Hello everyone, I’m Chisaka Erin, the Ultimate Waitress. From now on, I’ll be preparing everyone’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” She clasped her hands over her stomach and bowed politely.

Gender: Female

Name: Chisaka Erin

Birthday: December 25

Height: 169cm

Weight: 48kg

Bust: 81cm

Talent: Ultimate Waitress

****

“Are you… are you really sure, Chisaka-kun? Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you…”

“No, as the Ultimate Waitress, I am honored to fulfill my duty to serve all of you.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Chisaka-kun! Now we won’t have to worry about delicious meals!” A slightly plump, brown-haired girl exclaimed happily.

“Ah… I’m Arisumi Momoko, and if there’s any delicious food, please, please call me! I’ll be eternally grateful!” Her eyes sparkled, gleaming with enthusiasm, and her blatant drooling left Takagi slightly stunned.

Gender: Female

Name: Arisumi Momoko

Birthday: February 17

Height: 160cm

Weight: 64kg

Bust: 90cm

Talent: Ultimate Gourmet

****

“Your drool! Arisumi-kun, your drool is going to drip onto the floor!”

“What an utterly hopeless glutton. What else can you do besides eat?”

“Hey! How can you talk about someone like that! Besides eating, I… I can do chores too!” Arisumi protested indignantly.

“A glutton is a glutton; what’s there to explain? Honestly… Since I’m forced to live with you all in this godforsaken place, introducing myself is a necessary evil. So, prick up your ears and listen carefully, because I am Amemiya Wakaba, the Ultimate Linguist. I possess the ability to master thirty languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, German, Spanish, and French. I doubt any of you commoners could ever achieve such a feat, could you?”

The pink-haired girl spoke without a hint of politeness, causing everyone to fall silent, and an awkward atmosphere imperceptibly settled around them.

Gender: Female

Name: Amemiya Wakaba

Birthday: August 28

Height: 164cm

Weight: 45kg

Bust: 80cm

Talent: Ultimate Linguist

****

“What’s wrong with this girl… Is she suffering from an advanced case of princess syndrome?” Katagiri muttered, clearly displeased.

“You… who are you calling a princess?!”

“Ah, now she’s lashing out in anger.”

“You!”

“Both of you, calm down! Since we’re all classmates, we should get along well and be friendly with each other.” The boy in the school uniform quickly stepped forward to mediate.

“Ah, I’m Habara Kazuhiro, the Ultimate Moral Committee Member. If there are any conflicts between classmates, I’ll be the first to step in and resolve them!”

Gender: Male

Name: Habara Kazuhiro

Birthday: January 10

Height: 175cm

Weight: 66kg

Talent: Ultimate Moral Committee Member

****

“Tch, busybody,” Amemiya retorted, still unconvinced.

“Speaking of which, the basketball court here is quite spacious. My body is practically itching to play some hoops again.” The tall boy in a basketball uniform gazed at the court with fervent eyes.

“My apologies… I was so caught up thinking about basketball that I forgot to introduce myself…” He offered Takagi a wry smile.

“It’s alright.”

“I’m Kitajima Kazumitsu, the Ultimate Basketball Player! If you ever want to play, feel free to find me!” His radiant smile exuded an incredibly sunny disposition.

Gender: Male

Name: Kitajima Kazumitsu

Birthday: November 24

Height: 186cm

Weight: 74kg

Talent: Ultimate Basketball Player

****

“Good idea, Kitajima-kun, but you’ll have to go easy on me then.”

“Hahaha! Absolutely, absolutely.”

Takagi noticed a chubby boy with glasses. I could feel his fervent gaze fixed on the girls, including… including me… A shiver ran down my spine, raising goosebumps.

“Um… Classmate… May I ask your name? Classmate?”

“Huh?! I-I’ve been discovered! What, it’s a boy after all.”

“You were just… doing what?”

“Shh! I was just looking for inspiration for a new manga… I was admiring the girls, you see! Not peeping like some pervert!” he whispered in response.

“…”

“Alright, then what’s your name?”

“I’m Akino Atsushi, the Ultimate Manga Artist.”

Gender: Male

Name: Akino Atsushi

Birthday: June 30

Height: 170cm

Weight: 78kg

Talent: Ultimate Manga Artist

****

“A manga artist?! Do you have any passionate, ‘hot-blooded’ works?” Takagi seemed to have a particular fondness for manga.

“Oh~ Are you talking about erotic manga or doujinshi? I certainly have some comics that will make your blood boil~”

“Uh… you might have some misunderstanding about ‘hot-blooded’ manga…”

“What?! You’re not interested in that? Could it be, Takagi-kun, that you prefer bestiality…”

“Enough, that’s enough! Don’t say another word!” The manga artist before him seemed to be shaking Takagi’s love for manga to its core.

“You, you all, you won’t even spare animals! What a terrifying thing!” The young man nearby, having overheard, also blanched, a cute owl perched on his shoulder.

“It’s a misunderstanding! That’s not what I meant!” Takagi rushed to explain to him.

“Haha, I was just kidding. I’m Amagasa Gen, the Ultimate Ornithologist. This is my partner, and his name is Guuguu.”

Gender: Male

Name: Amagasa Gen

Birthday: November 1

Height: 171cm

Weight: 57kg

Talent: Ultimate Ornithologist

****

“Guuguu~” Guuguu responded with an intuitive hoot.

“Hello, Guuguu.”

“Guuguu~” Guuguu flew to Takagi’s shoulder, tilted its head to look at him, then returned to its original spot.

“It looks like Guuguu really likes you.”

“Hehe, I didn’t expect it to take a liking to me.” Takagi thought of the kitten he kept at home, often clinging to him and meowing for attention, wondering how it was doing now…

“T-Takagi-kun… hello.” A soft, faint voice reached his ear; the petite girl seemed incredibly shy.

“Hello.”

“I-I’m Osakabe Nanase… I’m the Ultimate… a Fortune Teller… Th-that…” she stammered.

Gender: Female

Name: Osakabe Nanase

Birthday: March 5

Height: 155cm

Weight: 41kg

Bust: 78cm

Talent: Ultimate Fortune Teller

****

“Please take care of me from now on!” Her face flushed crimson, her shy demeanor appearing incredibly endearing.

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Osakabe-kun.” Takagi felt a touch of unconscious shyness himself, observing her.

Had he not looked carefully, Takagi truly wouldn’t have noticed a small boy standing behind them, his presence remarkably faint within the crowd.

“Hello, my name is Takagi Masahiko.”

“I’m Furuhata Jun, the Ultimate Historian.” His voice carried a feminine softness, and his black hair, which obscured his eyebrows, combined with his thick-rimmed glasses, gave him an air of gloominess.

Gender: Male

Name: Furuhata Jun

Birthday: May 3

Height: 169cm

Weight: 51kg

Talent: Ultimate Historian

****

After becoming acquainted with most of his classmates, Takagi seemed to want to confirm something, and he walked towards me.

“You’re… Kamimura-kun, right?” Takagi asked me cautiously.

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Takagi-kun,” I replied calmly.

“By the way, what is Kamimura-kun’s talent?”

‘My talent,’ I mused. ‘My student ID lists my talent as Ultimate ???, which means I am indeed an Ultimate student, possessing some kind of Ultimate talent. But why isn’t it displayed? Does Monokuma not know, or is it intentionally hidden?’

“Um… Kamimura-kun?”

“What reason do I have to tell you my talent, Takagi-kun?”

“Eh… eh?”

“Even her talent is unknown—what a mysterious girl!”

Suzuki had appeared beside Takagi at some point.

“You’re Suzuki Minoru-kun, right?”

“Indeed, young man. Although you appear rather unremarkable from head to toe, gaining admission to Hope’s Peak Academy requires an exceptional talent. I’m quite curious about yours.”

“Actually, I don’t really have any outstanding talent… I just got lucky and was chosen by the academy.”

“Luck, you say… Luck is also a part of one’s ability. But what impact will your luck ultimately bring? I truly look forward to seeing your performance…” A smile of ambiguous meaning curved on his lips, complemented by slightly upturned eyes, creating a performer’s elegant demeanor. Yet, if one were to analyze his features separately, each one betrayed a hint of ill intent.

‘It seems that to better integrate into this social circle of fifteen high school students, I’ll need to spend more time with them…’