A Reason to Care

Chapter 5: Conversations With People You Dislike

It was no surprise that Byakuya would consider murdering someone to win this 'game'. Not to Chihime at least. For one thing, he's a prick. And also, his journey to becoming the Ultimate Progeny did give him a certain narrow way of thinking that he's the best.

....Not that she would know anything.

Still, she had to be cautious. If he decided to kill, she will be the first target as Monokuma had pointed out before. Well, she will be the first target to anyone who decided to murder, but only a few people would have the guts to commit the crime, let alone the wits to conceal the fact that they did it.

For now, the only thing Chihime wants to conceal is her faint dislike of the boy showing her around the school currently. Look, Taka isn't that bad, but she sometimes wished he would stop shouting so much.

Not only that, but other than a few words exchanged from now and then, they had been going around the school in complete silence.

Well, there's no harm in trying to start a conversation, right?

"You seem to be enthusiastic about everything you blurt out. Do you ever realize that?"

Ah, that's a very bad conversation topic to start off with, Chihime cringed inwardly.

"As the Ultimate Moral Compass, it has become quite a habit of mine to say what I believe it's right. It is my duty to point others to the correct path after all." Taka answered.

"Oh, so that's your motivation?" They have reached the main hall. Chihime wheeled herself to a corner to examine a mailbox. "Is your talent all you live for?"

"That's not true! I don't work hard just to live up to my talent!"

"Then? To prove something?" She opened it and found three E-Handbooks, and started to turn them on one by one. "Do you want to show that you're better than everyone, that you're right all the time?"

"I'm not better than anyone! I'm a normal person, just anyone else.

I'm from a middle-class family, you know? Actually, they're not even middle-class..."

"That's why I have to push hard!" Chihime slipped one of the tablets into her pocket while Taka continued to rant. "I have to knock down that wall! It's ordinary people who make every effort they can. And to prove that, I have to keep on making effort after effort after effort!"

"Hmm...you're related to Toranosuke Ishimaru, former Prime Minister of Japan, right? Oh, don't look so frantic!" Chihime smiled awkwardly at his distraught face, as to assure him, "I won't judge you for whatever he did!"

"Well, yes. He was my grandfather. He was a genius. He'd never known failure. Everything he did, he did without effort. But because of that..."

"...He was careless and failed to see the consequences of not looking ahead. Therefore, he fell from his position almost as quickly as he had risen to it," she finished his sentence thoughtfully, oblivious to Taka bowing down his head in shame, a few tears leaking through his eyes.

"You learned about him?"

"Well, I did some research on Hope's Peak Academy students, including those that already graduated. Your grandfather had enrolled as the Ultimate Manager back then."

"Even back in his school years, he was able to pass all his exams with flying colors. However, what you said is right. Talent is worthless if you don't cultivate it well. I guess I understand why you appreciate 'effort' that much now."

"But even if you are that passionate about it, that doesn't give you an excuse to speak loudly every time." She frowned at Taka, who was nodding to her statement previously. He stopped moving his head to look at her sheepishly.