Combined Universe - Post Academy - Chiaki Nanami

Hope's Peak Academy: the learning institution responsible for the development of the talents of Ultimates, identified throughout the world for their unique skills. While the young minds at that Academy were still in development, everyone believed its graduates would go on to be the movers and shakers in their fields and, indeed, throughout the world.

The institution always had its closely guarded secrets. Some conspiracy theorists had a field day with it, claiming there were murderers among the students, that the Foundation behind the school had much more terrifying designs than just developing young talents, and even that experiments were being carried out to create a being with multiple Ultimate talents in one mind. Even without imagining a grand conspiracy, some couldn't help but be alarmed that the development of such secret incredible talents by means shielded from the public eye might lead to some catastrophic event, giving the wrong push to the wrong Ultimate...

This is not that story. At least so far, in terms of Hope and Despair, no Ultimates that stood above other Ultimates were created and no horrible tragedies occurred. No one died, most everyone graduated, and most everyone lived exciting but predictable lives.

Except for one, whose unusually boring life after graduation led to a strange turn of fate no one could have predicted...

Chiaki Nanami had been her class's president from her acceptance into Hope's Peak until her eventual graduation. She was recognized and admitted as the Ultimate Gamer, a title which, even to her, still felt unreal when she saw it on her school diploma. While she was a quiet person herself, she had a natural friendliness and likability that seemed to draw people to her. In school, she was always surrounded by others. It was, certainly, the most fun time of her life, and gaming with friends was a nearly daily activity.

After graduation, nearly all of Chiaki's friends had gone on to further hone their potential. For some, that meant higher education at a prestigious university; for some, that meant moving into a junior leadership position at some big company; for some, that even meant retiring from civilization to train their martial arts in the wilderness. Up until the very end of her time at Hope's Peak, Chiaki had been sure that going with the flow would naturally take her the same way: she didn't know how, but somehow her famed gaming skill was going to lead her to be recruited by a big developer, or some competitive esports team... She wasn't sure how to feel about it, but rather than focus on it, she chose to enjoy her last days to the fullest.

As it turned out, her future didn't exactly click into place. She wasn't all that interested in making games. She wasn't all that interested in competing on a stage in front of others. All she was really interested in was having more gaming experiences, preferably with her friends, and sleeping whatever hours of the day she wanted.

Her talent as the Ultimate Gamer was enough to facilitate this, and when she'd come to be an adult, without anyone urging her in another direction, it was where she comfortably settled. Recruitment letters came and went unanswered; still, opportunities came Chiaki's way. Since people knew she was a living encyclopedia of game knowledge with a unique perspective on video games, she often got paid offers to try them out. People sought her out for bug testing, feedback, or positive reviews. It wasn't lucrative at all for a Hope's Peak student, but it was very lucrative compared to what anyone else would make doing the same work. She lived a comfortable life, with enough to afford a cozy apartment, a flexible schedule, and, truly, more games than she would ever have time to play.

The young woman sighed and shut her mailbox. It was on a wall with others serving the apartment complex where she lived. As usual, her mailbox was stuffed full of games, free samples she was offered the chance to play for payment. Not just video games (most of those would be uploaded to a private online server for her, anyway), but tabletop RPG books, virtual pet toys, even things like balls for yard sports and knickknacks for toddlers frequently came to her mailbox. If it could be loosely referred to as a "game," she had the chance to play it (or play with it), usually for a good payout.

So, unusual, unexpected, and unexplained packages were nothing strange for Chiaki. Today, however, something special had arrived. When she realized just what she was looking at, she made a point to hide it behind the other mail she was carrying, wrapping it all in her arms as best she could as she ascended the stairs to her apartment.

The complex was nothing fancy, but it was perfectly well-maintained. The metal didn't creak, the roof didn't leak, and the walls kept sound out. She hadn't been able to connect with her neighbors well, finding them mostly to be elderly or families, except for one... And, as much as she regularly hoped to catch him on her way home, on this special day, she was really hoping she could reach her door without encountering him-

"Hajime!" she exclaimed. The packages she'd been carrying were almost stacked to her eyes, and she'd almost bumped straight into him leaving the apartment next to hers. As a result, she dropped everything she was holding in a pile around his feet. With her packages out of the way, the young woman found herself looking into the eyes of her next door neighbor.

Though both of them were young adults now, these two had changed perhaps the least of nearly anyone in their time since graduation. Chiaki still wore her pale mauve hair short, although her curls were a bit more wild now, as she put in even less effort to keep her bedhead styled. She even wore the same Galaga-like hairpin, tall dark stockings, pink Mary Janes, and dark hoodie she'd worn in the Academy. She no longer wore a student's uniform or regularly carried a backpack, but her long white tee and short beige skirt gave her a more relaxed version of the same look she'd had at the academy. The offbeat cat-like ears and details on the hood of her jacket, along with the depiction of the main characters in a **** mystery genre anime game on her tee, very much gave the look of someone who hadn't stepped into responsible adulthood with both feet. Her large, pale eyes and head-turning figure, with nice curves throughout but especially at her thighs, gave her an undeniable appeal... That said, although she didn't seem aware of it, Hajime always noticed her eyes seemed more tired these days, in spite of all the rest she seemed to get.

Hajime Hinata, meanwhile, was even more similar to his school days: a handsome (if plain) young man, fit but not built, with short brown hair bearing a single sharp cowlick. He wore a white button-up shirt, dark pants, and dark tie. The reason his outfit was nearly unchanged from his school days was that he was still a student. Hajime had never attended Hope's Peak and had no Ultimate talent. Still, by some twist of fate, he had become one of Chiaki's gaming buddies despite never attending a class with her. The Reserve Course he attended held class in the building next to hers, and they'd formed a friendship around campus. Other than his days chit-chatting and gaming with her, along with his very standard education, that Reserve Course had failed to pay off for Hajime in any meaningful way. He was never accepted into Hope's Peak at any year. Instead, he could be said to have been thrown into a hard modern grind directly after graduating, with night university classes he attended and part time jobs to make ends meet during the day.

Chiaki had been glad there was at least one friend she'd made in her school days she could easily keep up with, but since moving into the apartment next to his, she'd realized the sad reality: Hajime was out nearly every hour of the day, and when he wasn't, he was asleep. In the early days of this arrangement, Chiaki had invited him over for nightly gaming sessions, but when he'd fallen asleep in the middle of a puzzle game, she'd been **** to admit it wasn't healthy for him.

Even though he lived right next door, Hajime felt as inaccessible as a gaming buddy as all of her other friends from her time at Hope's Peak. She had to settle for greeting him when she happened to bump into him, days like today. Only, today...

Hajime couldn't see that special package!

The young man had started apologizing and picking up packages. He didn't see the box that had slid behind him, with its evocative packaging the people shipping hadn't even behind kind enough to cover... What Chiaki had to do wasn't subtle, but it was the only chance she had. In one quick motion, Chiaki brushed past him and swiped the package off the staircase, gathering as many envelopes as she could cover it up. It was enough, just barely...

Because she was holding her own packages so carefully and particularly now, she wasn't able to gather up anything else, and it was up to Hajime to gather the rest. The young man didn't appear to understand why Chiaki was acting funny, but he was polite enough to comply and do his part. As he did so, he kept his eyes responsibly away from Chiaki's plump thighs, which he'd ended up in close proximity to. For her part, Chiaki politely avoided eye contact, hoping that doing so hid the fact that she had anything unusual on her mind.

Finally, every envelope was gathered. Hajime handed them to her carefully, and began trying to make small talk only once he was sure they were all secured. "Sorry I was in such a rush. Hey, did you get anything interesting in the mail this time?"

Ordinarily, that'd be recognized as an attempt at friendly small talk. In this situation, however, Chiaki had to be sure. "Hajime... About that. Did you see anything that looked... interesting, maybe?"

"Well... not really. I mean, I'm sure all of that stuff's really interesting, but uh, nothing special?"

Chiaki let out a breath of relief. "I see... Sorry I don't have more time to talk tonight. I need to put this stuff down, then cook dinner, then I have a deadline for testing a game-"

"Testing!" Hajime slapped his forehead with an expression of panic. "Dammit, I forgot for a sec. Looks like we'll have to catch up later, bye Chiaki!" Grabbing up a black bookbag from where he dropped it, the young man shouldered past her and began to wave goodbye, before stopping and turning, practically jogging in place. "You got the door?!"

"I'll manage, thanks. You do what you need to do," Chiaki shouted back to him, peering over her mountain of packages.

He flashed her a thumbs up, then turned and hurried off. Chiaki watched him go, peering down from the walkway all the way until he reached the base of the stairs. If he'd turned back to see her, she'd have quickly turned back to the door to hide she'd still been watching him. When he didn't, she let out a sigh without realizing it, then turned back to her door. Carefully, she balanced her stack and managed to get the key in the door, pressing her face against the side of her pile at one point to keep it pinned stably between herself and the wall.

Finally, she was back inside. Home sweet home. Chiaki dumped all of the packages in a basket by the door, a pile so big it was now in danger of toppling over.

She glanced at the mess around her. She only cleaned up for company, and the last company she'd had was Hajime. She kept telling herself she'd clean again when she invited him over for another game night... A few weeks had passed since then. Chiaki didn't consider herself a slob, so she didn't let trash gather. That said, piles of games she "was eventually going to get around to," along with the consoles to play them, littered the floor. Paperwork for the product deals, along with paperwork for the apartment and other bills, were in unsorted stacks together.

All of that could wait. Chiaki had been thinking about the special thing she'd received, and as she slumped into a beanbag chair near her television set, she put the slick black box containing it in front of her. She still couldn't believe they hadn't wrapped it in any way: its purpose would be plain to anyone looking at the packaging.

She was trying to decide how she felt about it... If it was something she needed after all, and if she'd wait until after dinner to use it.