Chapter 1
The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It’s like the school stands at the center of the entire world. It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege. They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you’ll be set for life. With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year. It was built to raise hope for the nation’s future. Which makes Hope’s Peak a pretty fitting name.
There are two things you need to attend this school... One, you have to already be attending high school. Two, you have to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you’re scouted by the school itself. And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with the ultimate students...was me.
Before we go any further, I guess I should introduce myself. My name’s Soyokaze Hirori. I’m the Ultimate Actress. I really don’t have much going for me when it comes to grades other than a few A’s here and there, but I’m not saying I have anything lower than a C either. People have always told me I have a glowing personality that just speaks to people and makes them want to listen . . . but they can’t or quickly lose interest because of the way I talk. I talk like the Old English folk did. Example: “I still can’t believeth I’m standing hither. I wonder if ’t be true that one such as I can survive in a lodging like this.” But I make no effort to change. That’s just who I am. Anyway, I figure it’s always good to introduce yourself right off the bat.
And now, here I am, standing in front of the all-desired Hope’s Peak Academy. It’s got this overwhelming presence...like it’s trying to swallow me whole. But it’s no wonder I would feel that way. This is like a stage. The biggest in the world. The stage everyone I’ve ever known has ever wanted to cross. So now, here I am about to glide across the stage from the wings and into center stage.
You see, Hope’s Peak only invites those students who are truly elite in their field. It’s such a popular topic, there are threads online dedicated to talking about the school’s attendees. So to prepare, I looked up some of those threads. And all I saw was talk about ultimate students, who were way beyond your average high schooler.
For example, one incoming student is the Ultimate Baker. She’s a high school girl famous for her treats all over the country. There’s also the Ultimate Fantasy Novelist. A closed-off girl who’s got a most wondrous imagination. Also the Ultimate Thief, famous for all her successful break-in attempts at banks and important buildings I don’t care to remember. There’s also the Ultimate Daredevilthe scary thing is, he’s the “gang leader” of every teenage boy stupidity party in what seems like all of Japan. People all over the country love the guy for his outstanding stunts, going viral in what seems like seconds of the videos being posted.
Then there’s the Ultimate Death Investigatorknown for always clearing a death case. He’s a high schooler sure, but he’s already been scouted by many investigation agencies. On top of that, there’s the Ultimate Pyromancer, the Ultimate Candy Maker, the Ultimate Hairstylist, The Ultimate Spy, the Ultimate Tech, the Ultimate Aromatherapist, and then some. The country’s finest, top to bottom.
Some of them make me feel like some tame house cat who belonged in the reserve course. I mean, was acting even a talent? Of course, t is thee blinking idiot! Acting is a talent. I can lie. I have poker faces up the block. I can fake any emotion and pretend to be literally anyone! Try telling me that isn’t talent.
But now, actually standing here in front of the school... I start to feel lost like I didn’t belong here like I forgot my line - which never happens. I could feel myself losing my nerve. Nay! I’ve got this! My cue . . . my cue. . . has yet to come. My acceptance letter said there’s to be a meeting for all incoming students in the main hall at 8 a.m. Oh, who cares? This play will never start if I don’t step out onto the stage.
I square my shoulders and lift my chin as if I had done this a million times, putting on my stage face, clear of all other emotions other than a blank expression. When I step into the main hall, I realize I’m the first one here. There’s a really elegant clock over in the corner. It says it’s 7:10 a.m. The meeting doesn’t start until 8 o’clock. So there’s still a full 50 minutes left. It makes sense nobody else would be here yet... I guess I just got so wound up I arrived way too early. Well, better to be-est early, I suppose.
Given that I have plenty of time to myself, I pace the Main hall, reciting lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, calming myself. These are my first steps into a new life at a new school. My father can’t touch me here. Nor my mother, or my brother. Nor the jocks at my school. No, My old school. No, they can touch me naught. Or at least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
The instant my feet cross the exact middle line of the hall, my view becomes warped and twisted, and I let out an audible gasp. It’s like some kind of delusion, melting away and mixing together into something else. Spinning, mixing, melting away, then spinning again... And the next moment... all I see is black.
That’s how it all began... And how life as I knew it came to an end. At that point, I should have realized... The reason I was brought to Hope’s Peak Academy wasn’t that I’m the ultimate actress, it was so I could experience ultimate despair.
