[A/N] Apologies for how long this one wound up. I have zero restraint. Additionally, for this chapter to make sense, you need to know that in this universe, the survivors were able to recover their original memories of Hope's Peak. It follows the same timeline as Before I'd Met You All, but that's not SUPER relevant for this so that's just in case I do more with that.

An interesting little quirk that Komaru developed during the Tragedy is a love of shooting. I don't blame her— she became quite the badass back in her hacking gun days. But since then, she's been totally enamored by the adrenaline of wielding gun-like weapons. Aside from her habit of going to actual shooting ranges, there's also the paintball, and, more relevantly, laser tag.

"C'mon, Eiko! You love games! Pleaaaase?" she begs, grasping my hands.

"I-I've never really been good at it. I don't want little kids to wind up kicking my ass."

"You're not as bad as you think, I swear! It's just that, last time I took you, one of the local pro teams was practicing! But I swear that won't happen this time! There's gonna be a tournament going on at a different venue, so it'll be clear of hardcore players!"

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. In fact, I can invite Byakuya! I know you'll have fun if he's there." She gives my hands a little squeeze.

"Wh-What? But this is our g-girl time, or whatever! We h-haven't really gotten to hang out just the two of us in a l-long time!" I exclaim.

"So you DON'T want me to invite him?" she asks, quirking up an eyebrow.

"Um, no! Don't do that!" I panic.

"Don't worry. I'll be a great wingwoman!" she winks.

"I guess I c-can't stop you. But if you do, you h-have to invite your brother, too. Th-That's my condition. We go alone or the four of us," I insist.

"Works for me!" She perks up and beams at me. "Makooooootoooooo!"

"You don't have to scream from across the house! I literally work in the next room!" he shouts back, poking his head in through the door.

"Aww, Big Mac's gwumpy today! Are your wittle students bothewing you?" I tease him.

"Were we this bratty when we went to school?"

I laugh wistfully. "You're asking one of the brattiest ones. Yes, most of us were b-bratty as hell. But... we were the best."

"We were, weren't we? But anyway, what did you want me for?"

"Laser tag tomorrow at two? Eiko and me. Byakuya, too, if he says yes," Komaru offers.

He flashes me a nervous expression while she isn't looking. I give a timid shrug and then mouth, "Please!"

"You know what? Yeah. That sounds perfect."

"H-Honestly, I doubt Byakuya would come. He's k-kind of a stick in the mud when it comes to g-games," I say aloud, mostly to myself.

"Bet," Komaru grins. She presses the button to call him.

"What are you doing?! You can't just—!" I lunge for the phone. She shushes me lightly and gently pushes my face away as she turns it onto speakerphone. It rings for a little while.

"Hello?"

"Helllloooo? Byakuya? It's me, Komaru!"

"I know that. I can see your name on the screen," he states matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I know that, you jerk! So anyway, Eiko, Makoto, and I are gonna do some laser tag tomorrow. Wanna come?" There's an uncanny amount of silence on the other end. "D-Did this thing hang up?" Komaru murmurs.

"What time were you planning on doing this?" he asks instantly upon hearing that.

"Two."

"I'll absolutely come. In fact, I'll carpool all of you. Your houses are on the way there," he responds. His tone is perhaps more earnest than I've ever heard it, and it startles me. Actually, that's not true. He used that voice when he was helping me at the beach. But I was too scared to pay attention. Now, though, I soak it in. It has the resolute, unwavering determination that he speaks with all the time, but with a softer, kinder resonance. It's like... nectar. I have to suppress a sigh so that he doesn't know I'm listening in.

"Great! Can't wait! See you then!" Komaru winks, pinching my cheek as she hangs up.

"Oh my God. This is actually gonna happen."

"I had a feeling he'd come," Makoto admits, giving me a smile that's both knowing and a bit sad.

"I never p-pinned him as the n-nostalgic type."

"What's going on? I feel left out of the loop!" Komaru pleads.

"Don't worry about it."

We eat dinner together and then they drive me home.

The next day, Byakuya rings the bell. I open the door. "Your hair," he notices instantly.

"Yeah. The c-classic style felt right for this. Even if my hair's a little shorter," I look at him bashfully, stroking one of my two braids.

He looks slightly troubled. "Makoto's in his old hoodie. Now I feel out of place because I didn't do anything in particular." When he says this, I immediately remember something. Oh shit. Do I bring it up?

"P-Please don't think I'm a f-freak because of this. I did it back before I i-integrated."

"What did you do?" he asks, not spiteful, but concerned.

"I have your old glasses. When you b-bought your new frames, you left the old ones at Future Foundation HQ. They sh-showed up in the Lost and Found, and when you didn't come back for them for a few days... Toko took them. And I forgot I had them." Why am I doing this? Why am I admitting to this? He's gonna be so creeped out!

To my surprise, he laughs. It starts out quiet but gets more boisterous and emotive as he goes. I can't help but join in the hilarity. "My God! Your old stalkerish tendencies actually pulled through! Now give those back. Now."

I'm flooded with relief. Enough relief to even get snarky. "Yes, your highness," I roll my eyes. It takes me a minute to recall where I put them. But my thoughts eventually land on this box I have under my bed full of important things related to important people. Because apparently I have important people. And I slip out the white, rectangular frames. I rush back over to Byakuya, handing them to him. In an instant, it's as though his old intimidating aura has returned. But, noticing my mild discomfort, he smiles to reassure me.

"Now come on. We've left the Naegis waiting long enough." We walk to his car— Makoto left shotgun free for me— and start the drive. For a long while, it's solemn and silent. Komaru fidgets in her seat, antsy.

"Okay, what is going ON?!" she asks finally.

"We m-may as well tell her. She's d-definitely one of us now. Talent or not, Hope's Peak or not, sh-she's a member of Class 78," I argue.

"Aww, that's really sweet!" she smiles.

Byakuya glances at Makoto through the rear-view mirror. Makoto hesitantly nods, so Byakuya does, as well. So I take a deep breath. "W-We used to play laser tag with our class o-once every two weeks during our second year. It was Hifumi and Celeste's suggestion," I admit.

"What?! How have you never told me this before?!"

"You enjoy laser tag so much. We didn't want to inhibit your fun with so much pain," Makoto explains, "But when you invited Byakuya, it kind of became a memorial type thing. Sorry, Komaru."

"Why are you apologizing? Today will absolutely be about the class. I'm just glad I started to like laser tag on my own; it really is just like I spent those years with you guys."

Jeez, you're so nice. It makes life so much easier. And better.

We pull into the entertainment center. The second we get there, someone slams their hands on the hood of the car. Byakuya rolls down the window. "Hey, did I give you permission to touch that?" he snaps. But then he takes a breath. "Glad you could make it."

"YOU!" Hiro bellows, pointing at me, "You were just gonna let this happen without us!"

"Yeah! We want to play laser tag, too!" Hina squeals, eyes red from nearly crying.

"She probably figured a smaller group would be more convenient," Kyoko nods subtly.

"K-Komaru knows what this is now. So you d-don't have to hide it. And Kyoko's right; I figured it wouldn't be so obviously depressing if it was just the four of us. But n-now that she gets it, I'm happy you're here."

We get out of the car to join the rest of our friends, and the seven of us enter the building. "So. If we're doing teams of two like we used to, we need to figure out how many games we're going to play and who's sitting out each game," Kyoko takes the lead.

"I'll sit out. I never really actually played during our school years. I just sat back and watched the screens," Byakuya volunteers. Junko was the same, but none of us find it wise to bring that up.

"But that's all the more reason you SHOULD play! This... this is your guys' thing. I can watch you," Komaru offers.

Kyoko, strict, interjects, sharply articulating every syllable. "Perhaps. But you're the one who made this possible. You will absolutely play at least three games. I will sit out for however many other rounds we wind up playing. This is not up for debate."

"O-Okay. Thank you."

"Let's play... five games? Six? Yeah, six. That way, Komaru can sit out for three games, and Kyoko can sit out for three," Makoto proposes. We all agree, so Komaru chooses to sit out the first three games. Kyoko teams with me, Byakuya with Hina, and Makoto with Hiro.

The first three games are remarkably nostalgic. There are some tears shed among us, but they're tears of joyful remembrance. Strangely, we seem to adapt our play styles to incorporate the way we remember our classmates playing. Byakuya plays a lot more reckless than I expected he would, and it's reminiscent of Leon. Makoto and Hiro focus primarily on defending each other, like Mondo and Taka always did. Hina, of course, plays like Sakura, using her more enthusiastic partner (who, by the way, was usually Hina herself) as a distraction so that she can snipe points quickly and effectively. Our team dynamic is somewhat similar. Kyoko dances and plays around, teasing everyone and playing mind games like Celeste. She's the frontman. And me? I'm just better built for Chihiro's way. Slipping around, hiding, getting cheap pot shots while avoiding detection. Unfortunately for me, I'm not particularly GOOD at this game— I never have been. I miss my target and wind up blowing my cover quite a few times. But it's too much fun for me to really care at all. Even so, I do wish I could win a round. I think I only ever won once or twice during school. And one of those was because my partner was Mukuro, an actual soldier.

After the third round, Kyoko graciously bows out, and Komaru takes over. "Ready to go?" she asks as she clips her vest closed.

"I'm sorry. I'm not great at this. You're kind of handicapped."

"Don't even worry about that, Eiko! You're gonna do awesome and we're gonna kick butt! Just like we always do!" She puts a hand to her heart before taking the gun into her arms.

I take a breath as the seconds count down. And we go. The past is fueling me: all those feelings of friendship that I thought I'd never get. But right here, right now, I'm entirely in the moment. Since we played with everyone on a regular basis, so much has happened. The tragedy has come and gone. We all undeniably chose hope. I managed to make a friend in Komaru. I learned how to deal with my problems effectively. I even integrated. I think they'd all be proud of me. I think I'M proud of me. And because of those feelings, I'm going to win a round. No doubt about it. The first round with Komaru doesn't do great. Her being my partner is already a big help, but I keep getting caught. I'm frazzled. Too hyped up. The second round goes a bit smoother. I keep a level head. Move swiftly but not so quick that I can't stop exactly where intended. Komaru gets most of the points, but she also gets hit more. It's a good balance. We beat Makoto and Hiro, but Byakuya and Hina barely inch us out.

We can do it this time. I know we can.

We throw ourselves into the fray; we know the right way to play off each other now. Komaru and Byakuya form an unspoken pseudo-alliance to physically overwhelm Makoto and Hiro. I lurk around and try to hide, but Hina is well-aware that the only worthwhile way to spend this time is to seek me out. I make my way far from the center, towards the edge but definitely not the corner. The place is full of walls and obstacles, providing any number of hiding spots for me to duck around and evade Hina. The only problem is that I can't see her. I just know she's looking for me. Ultimately, unless Komaru or the boys target Hina, we might both wind up not getting hit at all, which would mean it all relies on our partners. Maybe I should try and get Hina or one of the others! It's risky, but—

I turn around just in time to notice Hina trying to snipe at me. I practically topple over avoiding it, and then take off running through various paths. The problem is... even if I have the energy and stamina that Jill once did, Hina is a pro athlete. She's FAST. I quickly turn around to see how close she is.

And then Byakuya slams his hand onto the wall to block my way. "Well, hello there. I seem to have caught my prey," he smiles cockily. He has me backed up against a wall. Now is not the time to get flustered. Even if he is cute. With the two of them practically on top of me, there's no way I'll be able to evade them. I fire at point-blank into Byakuya's stomach several times in a fit of desperation as they wail on me. But after a few seconds, he suddenly seems frazzled.

The Naegi siblings are pouncing on Hina out of nowhere, and it's distracted him. So I duck out of the way and book it. I find Yasuhiro a few paces away, ready to close in on Hina from the other side. I take a few potshots at him, and he considers chasing me, but ultimately decides keeping his part of the plan was more important. The timer blares and the game is over. We all swivel our heads to check the scoreboard.

We did it. We actually freaking did it! I start to look for Komaru to celebrate with her. On my way there, however, Byakuya catches me and restrains me. "Damn you. You did a number on me. And now I, Byakuya Togami, heir to the Togami clan, have been utterly defeated. And that defeat is bitter," he rants playfully. I can't help but giggle as I thrash around in his arms.

"How does loss taste, sucker?! Eiko Fukawa, c-comeback kid of the month!" I squeal.

"I'm gonna get you back for this," he threatens. But it makes me feel warm; he's saying there's going to be a next time.

"Not if I w-win again!"

"Like that'll happen!"

With that, he lets me go, and I run to squish Komaru in a giant hug. "Thank you! Thank you for h-helping me win a game! And... thank you for instigating all of this. You d-don't even understand how much it means to all of us."

"Anything for you guys. Because, well, you're my class. It brought everyone even closer. I think it's important to remember to mourn, but also to celebrate their lives. And you guys did both! Aaaaannnnd, it got you the bonus of some sweet flirting!"

"Sh-Shut up," I push her slightly in the shoulder, and she snickers.

"Seriously, though. I love you all. You deserved this."

We rejoin the rest of the group and chat about some of our favorite laser tag stories. And not a moment too soon, it's time to go. Byakuya drops me off at my house, even going so far as to walk me to my doorstep. Before I can seriously wonder why, he takes off his glasses.

"Here. You can have them for real this time."

"R-Really?"

"Why not? I have a better pair anyway. You may as well do what you will with the old one."

"Thanks. I'll... see you next time?"

"I will see you again soon, Eiko."

Once he's gone, I set the glasses back into the box. I actually earned them now. I, Eiko Fukawa, am blissful.