Chapter 42. Komaeda Nagito is in a good mood. ...
Komaeda Nagito has been in a good mood lately.
It's been less than a month since he entered Hope's Peak Academy as the "Ultimate Lucky Student." Everything here fills him with immense joy, far from the point where he'd get tired of it... No, he wouldn't get tired of it even if he stayed at Hope's Peak for another hundred years!
How could he possibly get tired of it? This is Hope's Peak Academy, the place he's always dreamed of! It's a cradle of hope! Countless Ultimate Talented Individuals gather here, and the hopes of each of them shine brightly!
Ah... he is indeed very lucky to have been able to enroll here.
Just as he thought, the students in his class were all very remarkable people.
Of course, as someone with an extraordinary passion for "hope," Komaeda Nagito had carefully read through the list of "Ultimate" students published on the official website before enrolling and memorized it. However, the feeling of reading cold words on the information was still not as shocking as witnessing the talents of his classmates in person.
Most students' talents are easily apparent.
For example, Hanamura's cooking skills, Koizumi's photography skills, Tanaka and the animals he takes such good care of... and so on.
However, some people's talents are not so easily witnessed.
And if we're talking about the most mysterious one among these people, it has to be that person, right?
The ultimate leader...
The very title of "Ultimate Talent" speaks volumes about his exceptional abilities. According to Ohma himself, he is the leader of an evil secret society with over ten thousand members, making him an extremely dangerous entity.
However, considering that Wang Ma has a penchant for lying, it remains highly questionable whether what he said about evil societies is actually true.
Komaeda Nagito tried many methods to investigate the organization that Ohma Kichichi mentioned... but found nothing.
Of course, Komaeda Nagito didn't doubt Ouma Shokichi's dazzling talent. It's just... even a piece of trash like him has curiosity.
Although he could somewhat sense that Wang Ma was unwilling to reveal his personal matters, he still couldn't help but feel concerned.
Speaking of which... he hasn't seen Wang Ma much lately.
This is normal. Unlike other schools' teaching systems, Hope Peak's undergraduate program has a very relaxed management system for students. It's perfectly fine if you don't attend classes, as long as you pass the practical skills assessment that tests your abilities.
However, how should I put it... even so, the probability of him running into Wang Ma in class was actually quite high? But you never know, after all, it hasn't been long since the start of the semester, maybe Wang Ma is already tired of it and doesn't plan to show up in class anymore.
Hmm, I guess I still care a little bit...
Despite being in the same class as Wang Ma Xiaoji, he and Wang Ma Xiaoji didn't interact much due to some subtle differences in their personalities, and they only met a handful of times.
However... it's impossible to say that Komaeda Nagito isn't interested in the talent of the "Ultimate Mastermind".
In a sense, that must be the most mysterious, subtle, and difficult-to-see talent in the class, right?
Holding a drink that had been given away as a freebie at a supermarket promotion not long ago, Komaeda Nagito, who was casually strolling around the campus and feeling the warm sunshine, stopped.
Huh?
The one sitting on that bench over there... it really is Ohma, right?
Oh dear, I had just been thinking about Wang Ma, and then I actually ran into the mysterious Wang Ma in real life. He's really lucky.
From where Komaeda Nagito is now, he can only see a purple-haired boy wearing what looks like a straitjacket making a phone call from afar.
Hmm... Although meeting Ouma Kokichi wasn't part of his original plan for today, since he's run into him, he might as well go and say hello to Ouma-kun.
After all... from suddenly thinking of Wang Ma to actually meeting Wang Ma, this development might also be guided by his innate "luck".
Nagito Komaeda didn't bother to conceal his footsteps—after all, he had no intention of startling Kichiro Ohma. Well, if it were the other way around, Kichiro Ohma might take this opportunity to play a prank.
It just feels a little strange.
"...Really?...So...it means..."
"…What?……"
"……Fool……"
Because he was approaching from behind, Komaeda Nagito couldn't see Ouma Kōkichi's expression. However, unlike his usual cheerful, leisurely, and composed demeanor, the purple-haired boy sounded unusually calm compared to his usual attitude.
As the distance gradually decreased, Ouma Kokichi's voice became clearer. However, because his voice was already quite soft, Komaeda Nagito could only catch a word or two occasionally without deliberately eavesdropping.
That's really strange.
As Komaeda Nagito suspected, the highly perceptive Ohma Kichichi should have noticed his movements as soon as he approached. But like this... was he perhaps too focused on the content of the phone call?
Nagito Komaeda didn't want to bother Ohma, who seemed to be dealing with important matters, because of his own insignificance. While he could simply wait for Ohma to finish his call before greeting him, it seemed likely that might lead to some misunderstandings…
It's only natural that a scumbag like him would be misunderstood for standing here so shamelessly, but if possible, it's best to avoid such situations altogether.
After finally stopping at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, Komaeda Nagito coughed lightly after making his judgment.
"..." Wang Ma Xiaoji seemed unchanged, still talking to the person on the other end of the phone.
Finally, with a clear "See you later," Wang Ma Xiaoji hung up the phone.
The purple-haired boy turned his head, and upon seeing Komaeda, his expression showed no surprise: "Yo, isn't this little Komaeda? What's up? Did you come here specifically to play with me?"
"Hahaha, although I am very interested in becoming the playmate of the 'Ultimate Leader,' it is not actually like that."
Komaeda Nagito explained.
"I just happened to be passing by when I ran into Wang Ma, who was on the phone, so I thought I'd say hello."
"Hey—you ran into the leader of an evil secret society on the roadside and actually came to say hello instead of just running away. Komaeda, you've got guts. Aren't you afraid I'll do something terrible to you?"
The mischievous purple-haired boy revealed a sly smile, his naturally cute baby face exuding an innocent charm, everything seemed normal... as if the odd thing Komaeda had sensed earlier was just a misunderstanding.
"Oh? A punishment personally overseen by the Ultimate School Leader? Hmm... While I do really want to witness Ohma's talent shine, even if it's a bit presumptuous, I still want to say... you can't completely trust Ohma's words. It would be a loss if I suffered torture only to be fooled away by Ohma with 'the matter isn't over yet.'"
Komaeda Nagito considered it seriously, but ultimately regretfully declined.
However, although it's a bit of a pity to have missed such an opportunity, there are other things he might still be able to do.
"By the way, Wang Ma, please forgive me for being so presumptuous and meddling in other people's business..."
"Judging from your appearance just now, I guessed you might have run into some trouble? Ah, I didn't mean to offend Wang Ma, it's just..."
If that's really the case, then once we overcome the unknown obstacles and resolve the troubles, Wang Ma's identity will surely reveal even more wonderful hope!
"I just feel... if that's really the case, then how can someone as insignificant as me offer any help to Ohma-kun?"
*******
"...Is that so? So you mean...it was a deliberate massacre, right?"
That's what I heard from the other end of the phone.
"Not strange, not monster, just human?"
"Hmm... While it's not entirely certain yet, it's probably true."
Tsukino and Chiya carefully considered their words as they held their phones close to their ears.
"As far as I know, strange creatures wouldn't cause such a commotion during the day. And monsters... the one currently in control of Tokyo is a powerful female fox spirit. It's unlikely that any foolish monster would openly provoke her like this on her territory. Although that fox spirit is unscrupulous, at least for now, she wouldn't do something that would become so widely known... probably."
The one who committed the heinous act of massacring an entire school... must have been a human.
Such an incident, with an entire school as victims, made it impossible to conceal. This only happened today, yet it has already been widely reported by various media outlets, and due to its extremely serious nature, it has immediately become a trending topic on social media.
That being said, the truly crucial information about this school massacre naturally lies with the special investigation unit that the police will inevitably set up for this matter. Someone like him, without any connections within the Metropolitan Police Department, will likely be unable to obtain more inside information for the time being.
“Regardless, to massacre the entire school in one fell swoop… the perpetrator must have planned this all along.” Tsukino and Chiya’s usually calm voices seemed even colder now. “So I suspect the school’s surveillance cameras might also…”
Even the night before last, when Shinjiro and Ouma Kokichi sneaked into the school, Tsukino and Chiya asked Shinmura Kou to help them tamper with the surveillance footage. The premeditated murderers... naturally thought of this as well. Unless he or they wanted to die, they would definitely try to avoid or modify the surveillance footage.
This means that "the culprit is not easy to find".
It's really...frustrating.
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