Your name is EDWIN. You are a perfectly ordinary STUDENT, except for the part where you are a PRODIGY. Your ULTIMATE TALENT is MATHEMATICS. The AUTHOR is writing this INTRO TEXT in the style of HOMESTUCK because she knows VERY LITTLE about DANGANRONPA and is thus ANCHORING on the NEAREST available piece of MEDIA she knows ANYTHING about.

For a while now, you've been hearing rumors about an ACADEMY. "Hope's Peak Academy" is what it is apparently CALLED. An ACADEMY, that is, a place of LEARNING, except this ACADEMY is one that is for people who are SPECIAL. SPECIAL people with SPECIAL, or rather ULTIMATE TALENTS, such as ROBOT or MULTIPLE BIRTH SIBLING. Or MATHEMATICS, which you are, as previously mentioned, a PRODIGY at.

FLASHBACK TIME!

Edwin is in the 8th grade. He's gathered here with his team of classmates, the best and brightest, for the Gold Dragon contest, an interdisciplinary event bringing together students of various fields together to solve challenging problems, while racing against both the clock and the other teams. They are judged on SPEED, ACCURACY, and STYLE.

So far, they've blazed through most of the contest, knocking out teams left and right, but the problems have only gotten more and more challenging. They narrowly avoided a knockout a few rounds ago, passing by a hair. Now, they're on the final challenge.

Behind him, the head of his school's math department, Mr. Moore watches him quietly. Edwin isn't quite sure what he's here for, but he's been spectating throughout the entire tournament.

The display screen flickers. He sees, in front of them, the final question.

Is the number 445709132505 prime? Y/N

His team bursts into action. Everybody looks to Alice, the obvious candidate for solving such a problem, who quickly bashes together a script. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, the opposing team matches them in fervor and intensity.

Alice finishes up her script in less than half a minute, and hits Run. Numbers fly by on her screen.

Seconds pass by, one after the other, and it still hasn't finished executing.

"What's happening!" yells Edwin to Alice, who is typing furiously on her keyboard.

"The script isn't executing fast enough! I'm doing my best to hurry it up but we're running out of time," responds Alice as she types away. Another wave of text flies by on her screen. She groans.

"Implementing water cooling procedures, patching up system inefficiencies, it's not enough!"

excuse me

Edwin can feel the eyes of the judging panel boring into them. He thinks. What are they going to do? If Alice can't solve it in time...

Suddenly, a quote from a mathematics textbook he read as a child comes to him.

"The essence of mathematics is in eliminating wasted computation."

And so he sits. And thinks. A meditative calm fills him as he stares at the problem. 445709132505... What does he know about that number?

Mathematical symbols fill his vision. 20 seconds pass. And then-

"No," he answers confidently.

The room falls silent. The judge stares at him, incredulous.

"How did you-"

"445709132505 is a composite number. Its prime factorization is 3^2 * 5 * 7^3 * 13^2 * 17 * 19 * 23^2."

There's no disputing their victory, after that. They get full marks on all three metrics.

As his team collects their trophy, he sees Mr. Moore, again, staring straight at him.

The Next Day.

Edwin knocks on Mr. Moore's door nervously. 

"Enter," he hears through the door. He opens it.

"Sir? You asked to see me?"

"Ah, Mr. Hines. Take a seat."

He waits for Edwin to close the door behind him and sit down.

"Quite the trick you pulled back there the other day. I must say, I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Sir."

"You know, prime factorization is one of the most challenging problems in all of mathematics. And yet... from the moment you started putting your mind to it, it only took you 20 seconds before you could solve it. From my recollection, there hasn't been a student your age who solved that problem quicker than you in the last 50 years. I believe we may have a Prodigy on our hands."

Edwin opens his mouth to speak, taken aback, but Mr. Moore continues before he has a chance to say anything.

"But! You still have much to learn, which is why I will be personally taking over your math education from now on. For example.... tell me the square root of 362873."

Edwin thinks quickly. He's learned to work under time pressure. "602, sir."

"To 6 decimal places."

Edwin grins internally. He knows Mr. Moore thinks that he's gotten him with that one, but Edwin has spent several years playing Quake III and mastering the ability to perform square roots in his head. It's only 8 more seconds before he answers, "Point 389409, Sir."

"...I fear I may be out of my depth, here."

(Meanwhile, in another office, a voice can be heard)

"SO, YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU WANT TO BE A FAMOUS AUTHOR? THEN PROVE TO ME THAT YOU'RE WORTHY! WHAT'S THE THIRD LINE ON PAGE 27 OF TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD BY HARPER LEE? YOU MUST ANSWER THIS BEFORE YOU WRITE A SINGLE LINE TO PAPER"

...Well, Hope's Peak is filtering hard for Ultimate Talent, which will tend to correspond with deficits in some other areas. Such as genre savviness. It will do.

Dear Edward Hines,

It is with great pleasure that we extend to you an invitation to join the incoming class at Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Mathematician. Your exceptional talent and remarkable achievements in the field of mathematics have captured our attention and admiration.

You first caught the attention of our scouting team due to your performance at the Gold Dragon contest, where you demonstrated an extraordinary ability to solve complex mathematical problems with unparalleled speed and accuracy. Your intuitive grasp of prime factorization and mental calculation skills are truly exceptional for someone of your age.

At Hope's Peak Academy, we are committed to nurturing and developing the unique talents of prodigies like yourself. Our institution prides itself on providing an unparalleled educational experience tailored to each student's specific abilities and potential. As the Ultimate Mathematician, you will have access to advanced resources, mentorship from leading experts in the field, and opportunities to push the boundaries of mathematical knowledge.

We believe that your presence at Hope's Peak Academy will not only benefit your personal growth but also contribute significantly to our academic community. Your enrollment would mark the beginning of an exciting journey towards becoming the absolute best in your field.

Please find enclosed additional information about our academy, including details about our facilities, curriculum, and the exceptional opportunities we offer to our students.

We eagerly await your response and look forward to welcoming you to Hope's Peak Academy.

Sincerely,
Headmaster Makoto Naegi
Hope's Peak Academy

Huh. 

Well, the fact that he received a letter isn't that surprising. He had been training hard under Mr. Moore's tutelage, and he claimed Edwin was a prodigy, after all. The language used is.... rather strange, though. "ULTIMATE MATHEMATICIAN?" In all capital letters? Is this supposed to imply that there's only one person studying mathematics there? Or are there multiple ULTIMATE MATHEMATICIANS?

...Also, his name isn't Edward.

Well, regardless. Probably he should read the "enclosed additional INFORMATION about the ACADEMY, with details about the FACILITIES, CURRICULUM, and EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES"

Edwar- Edwin looks at the enclosed information within.

We didn't write it in all cap—oh, whatever.

There's a pamphlet, as a university or fancy high school might have, giving basic information about the school. Hope's Peak Academy was founded by Izuru Kamukura to research how to best nurture students with Ultimate Talents, in order to foster hope in a society that had (in his eyes) a desperate need for it.

It's a live-in school, with room, board, and tuition covered for anyone invited. There's some pictures of the dorms and classrooms, which are very well-maintained. They have basically any resource you might hope a school to have, and will find a way to provide anything you need that they don't already have.

Hope's Peak has high expectations that you will continue to perform well in your field, though they do understand that "exceptional talent" and "rigid standards" don't always mesh. Your curriculum is custom fit to your needs—there's a few descriptions of what some previous students' schedules ended up looking like, to give an idea of how this works in practice.

Yes, there's only going to be one student whose destiny is to be the Ultimate Mathematician. It's likely that others will have some interest—mathematics is the kind of thing where experts in many fields might want a solid grasp of it—but it won't be their first passion.

How is need defined?

Ok, probably they have some standard of reasonableness, such as what is within the realm of possibility.

Anyways.

Edwin notes: The founder of Hope's Peak Academy is not the same as the current headmaster. That is not surprising.

Tuition, room, and board are all free. That's a pleasant surprise. He does have to wonder how the school makes money, though. It can't all be through alumni donations. Perhaps through some sort of charitable trust?

Edwin has no idea what "high expectations" are supposed to imply. He's a little surprised there's no one else is studying to be the ULTIMATE MATHEMATICIAN, and also still finds the language a bit strange, but regardless, let's write a response letter.

Dear Headmaster Naegi,

I am honored to accept your invitation to Hope's Peak Academy. 
I hope I can live up to your high expectations of me and look forward to learning together with your student body and faculty.

Best regards,
Edwin Hines.

He prints out the short letter and puts it in an envelope.

Did the letter he received have a return address, or is Edwin going to have to go outside, wave around his envelope, shout "Letter for Hope's Peak Academy" into the air and hope an owl comes and grabs it?

Well, there isn't a return address exactly, though the address is given in the pamphlet if he'd think to check there?

Oh, excellent. Well, he'll write the address down on the envelope and drop it off at the mail collection box, then.

And the letter will be delivered to Hope's Peak Academy in 1-2 business days.

(The scouting team had been paying enough attention to Edwin that they were actually prepared for the "trying to call an owl" possibility, had it come up. If anyone was wondering.)

BUT NOT ENOUGH TO KNOW HIS NAME?

...We'll have to follow up with Makoto on that one?

EARLIER

Before she can attempt her main project of convincing her mother to give her more freedom, she needs a new source of passive income. If it fails at first–or if she has an easy success–her mother might find it difficult to earn enough money. As one of the few people on this planet who use more than 5% of their brains, she sho–aha! She knows exactly what to do! Since everyone else isn't using most of their brainpower anyways, she just needs to tap into their collective unused brainpower. This should give enough her power to generate Bitcoin to support herself indefinitely!

She quickly edits the DNA of a virus she has lying around and booby-traps it in an envelope. She addresses the envelope to a random person, some Satoshi Nakamoto in Japan.

PRESENT DAY.

Alicia turns her head as her mothe–butler pokes its head into her room.

    There's a letter for you, it communicates.

Hope's Peak, as a matter of policy, does not shy from those talented youngsters whose methods some might find... concerning. It's not like they'd be any better off unsupervised. And it's undeniable that this girl has talent.

Dear Alicia,

We at Hope's Peak Academy are excited to extend this invitation for you to join our incoming class as the Ultimate Biologist. Your innovative approach to virology and unique perspective on utilizing human cognitive resources have not gone unnoticed.

Your recent project involving the modification of viral DNA and its creative distribution method has caught our attention. While we are obliged to stress that Hope's Peak Academy does not condone the unauthorized use of biological agents or the exploitation of unwitting subjects, we cannot deny the ingenuity and advanced understanding of biology demonstrated in your work.

At Hope's Peak Academy, we believe in nurturing exceptional talents, even when they manifest in unconventional ways. Our institution is equipped to channel your remarkable abilities into pursuits that could revolutionize the field of biology. We offer state-of-the-art laboratories, access to cutting-edge research, and mentorship from leading experts who can guide your brilliant mind toward groundbreaking discoveries. We are particularly impressed by your ability to conceptualize and execute complex biological processes, as well as your ambitious goal of tapping into collective brainpower. These skills, when properly directed, could lead to significant advancements in neurobiology and cognitive science.

Our curriculum is designed to challenge and stimulate minds like yours, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in biology. We believe that under our guidance, you could become a pioneering force in biological research, potentially developing revolutionary methods to enhance human cognitive capabilities. We are confident that the resources and opportunities at Hope's Peak Academy will provide ample stimulation for your extraordinary intellect.

Enclosed, please find additional information about our academy, including details about our advanced biology program. We eagerly await your response, which we kindly request not include any biological agents.

Sincerely,
Headmaster Makoto Naegi
Hope's Peak Academy

Alicia has, in fact, heard of the Hope's Peak Academy. It is said to be incredibly selective and offer much more freedom to its students than her old school used to. She thinks about it for a moment. She has finally–finally!–managed to convince her mother to let her do what she wants, and going to a school would probably mean needing to listen to the teachers however permissive the rumors describe it to be. On the other hand, the teachers at her old school mostly let her alone after she got through them and she doubts doing that in a new school would be much harder. And the resources described in the letter are tempting...

She takes a bird and rewrites its DNA to make it fly to the Academy and convey her acceptance.

Monokuma does not understand why students keep sending their registration letters via bird. It makes logistics difficult, that they need to be prepared for 2-3 letters to be delivered by bird each school year.

But they do, of course, receive the letter.

What to expect from your Hope's Peak Orientation

Welcome, Hope's Peak freshmen! As a former alumni of Hope's Peak, I just want to take this opportunity to assist upcoming students in the onboarding process. 

Orientation day starts early, at 9 AM. Plan on attending everything, including the opening speech delivered by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster, Makoto Naegi, the campus tour guided by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi, the question and answer periods led by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi, the guide to campus traditions explained by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi, and the social events facilitated by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi.

Here are a few tips for a successful Hope's Peak Orientation:

- Don't be afraid to ask questions! The knowledgeable Makoto Naegi (who is my close personal friend) will be sure to answer them for you.

- Take care to meet your new professors! My close personal friend, the excellent Makoto Naegi, will introduce you to the faculty. And make sure to talk with your soon-to-be fellow classmates, at the meet-and-greet directed by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi.

- If you're feeling famished, stop by the cafeteria! Hope's Peak Cafeteria serves delicious food every day, prepared and served by our wonderful headmaster Makoto Naegi, who just so happens to be my close personal friend! While we of course encourage you to bring your own water bottles, which you can refill at the many water bottle refill stations around campus (our reliable plumbing was installed after my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi negotiated a deal with a local water supply company, Makoto Naegi Water Bureau), if you forgot, you can purchase one at one of the campus convenience stores, staffed by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi.

- Do not mind the bear. He is, of course, our mascot, and is completely friendly and not at all dangerous.

Well, that's it!

I hope you all have a successful education at Hope's Peak!

- Not Makoto Naegi

Edwin does not trust the accuracy of this information, but, unfortunately, it's the only guide to preparing for orientation day he could find.

It also happens to be worse than useless! Probably!

So he's essentially going in blind. The starting time does happen to match up with what he was told by official Hope's Peak communication, however.

Anyways!

Edwin checks his watch. It's 11 AM, the train should be arriving any moment now.

Aha! Right on schedule. He boards the train and settles in for a long trip.

His car is empty, at least for now. Does anyone join him?

A man walks in and sits next to him.

"Hello. I take it you're Edwin?"

...Interesting. Edwin has, ever, been in the news, but isn't popular enough that it's likely someone would just casually recognize him? Perhaps this random stranger saw his name on his ticket, when he scanned it? What kind of person would go to the trouble of sneaking up behind him and carefully scrutinizing his ticket?

Maybe they were planning on meeting someone else named Edwin, here? He doesn't have the most common name, but.

Mostly he just has no idea.

"Yes, although, perhaps, not the Edwin you are looking for."

He chuckles.

"No, I'm sure you are. I have some math questions for you."

He places a sheet of paper down on the table and slides it over to Edwin.

Makoto Naegi Water Bureau

Quarterly Performance Report

Q3 2024

"What do you make of this?"

1. What?

Is this someone from Hope's Peak Academy????

Makoto Naegi actually owns a water supply company?????

2. Obviously this person knows who he is.

3. What?

4. This report is dated 1.5 months in the future? It makes predictions about things that haven't happened yet???

5. 2345678?

6. Why is the peak usage (if sustained for an hour) HALF OF THE DAILY USAGE?

....ok, actually, Edwin thinks he has an explanation for this. He knows that- Wait, no, Hope's Peak Academy's existence would only explain central district's usage.

So does everyone in this city turn on their taps at the same time every day for some reason??? On the other hand, given this data is dated in the future these statistics are probably made up.

7. Cubic meters is the unit for volume here????

8. This is not a math question! Edwin doesn't particularly have expertise in business, or, perhaps, water treatment logistics. Honestly, he suspects that the person in front of him has a profound misunderstanding of what mathematics is. It's a shame, really, that the inaccurate depiction of mathematics in pop culture has led many to believe that mathematics is about... crunching numbers together for business expenditures, or something.

Anyways.

Edwin stares at the stranger suspiciously. 

"This... appears to be a fictional business report for a water utility company? Who are you? How do you know me? Is Makoto Naegi Water Bureau a real company????"

"It's been managing the water for Hope's City for a whole four years now, allegedly. There's news articles on a few nepotism controversies and environmental issues. But when I looked into it deeper... this is the report I found. Full of suspicious numbers."

"Perhaps it's a template? It's dated in the future, after all."

"That would be a reasonable conclusion. But... were you watching the news last Friday, on the 15th?"

"Not that I can remember."

"There was an inexplicable glowing blue light emanating from a Hope's Peak-affiliated research facility. I later heard whispers of an anonymous researcher leaking that there was an experiment involving manipulating water molecules using quantum entanglement. Something's up."

"This is why I ultimately decided to attend Hope's Peak Academy. I must know what has become of Makoto Naegi and his associates."

"Do you have any guesses about what might be coming on the 2nd?"

Ah. This must be the ULTIMATE SCHIZOPHRENIC.

(Or, perhaps, the ULTIMATE DETECTIVE, or something along these lines. It's possible they're just leaving out a bunch of information that they think is too obvious to mention. It's not like Edwin can be said to never have done the same thing)

It's not schizophrenia if they're really out to get you.

"Well, presumably we're not going to get mauled by a bear."

"But, in any case, I don't really know as much about Hope's Peak as, it seems, does you. Really, the only information I have is this weird document I found that I... was pretty sure was a joke, but if the Water Bureau is real..."

He pulls out his laptop and opens up hopespeaks.ppt, then turns the screen so his new classmate(?) can see.

The screen flickers.

What to expect from your̻̾̋̌̓ ⱧØ₱ヨ'己 {ēⱥҟ 𝐎⃥⃒̸𝐫⃥⃒̸𝐢⃥⃒̸𝐞⃥⃒̸𝐧⃥⃒̸

...

The laptop's camera turns on, the red light glaringly bright.

Welcome, Hope's Peak freshmenMaxwell! As a former alumni of ⱧØ₱Ɇ'₴ ₱Ɇ₳₭, I'm so very happglad to have this opportunity to assist an [upcoming student] in the onboarding process. If you like p͛⦚u͛⦚z͛⦚z͛⦚=

-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝-̥̊⃝

the resources and opportunities at Hope's Peak Academy will provide ₳₥₱ⱠɆ ₴₮ł₥ɄⱠ₳₮łØ₦ for your extraordinary intellect.

Yeah that seems about right.

The thing is, for almost any other organization, Maxwell stares at news articles and maybe talks to a carefully chosen employee or two if he has to and it's pretty obvious what must be going on behind the scenes. With Hope's Peak... he has some CLUES that sure LOOK connected, and which suggest that it's unusually bizarre, but that's about it.

Will the screen like, change, or anything, if he waits a few seconds or taps at it?

As soon as his eyes reach the end of the message, a cheesy Cube Transition plays.

As the ultimate detective investigator schizophrenic shaman extrapolator mystic high priest you may occasionally experience intuit sense cognize divine decipher visions glimpses connections lights hints which will lead you to truth revelation ideation prophecy ⌌Ⓢ̙⌏⌌Ⓗ̙⌏⌌Ⓐ̙⌏⌌Ⓡ̙⌏⌌Ⓓ̙⌏⌌Ⓢ̙⌏

reach out and grasp and pull at the threads

you may enquire for assistance from our excellent headmaster and my close personal friend, Makoto Naegi

sit tight.

What to expect from your Hope's Peak Orientation

Welcome, Hope's Peak freshmen! As a former alumni of Hope's Peak, I just want to take this opportunity to assist upcoming students in the onboarding process. 

Orientation day starts early, at 9 AM. Plan on attending everything, including the opening speech delivered by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster, Makoto Naegi, the campus tour guided by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi, the question and answer periods led by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi, the guide to campus traditions explained by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi, and the social events facilitated by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi.

Here are a few tips for a successful Hope's Peak Orientation:

- Don't be afraid to ask questions! The knowledgeable Makoto Naegi (who is my close personal friend) will be sure to answer them for you.

- Take care to meet your new professors! My close personal friend, the excellent Makoto Naegi, will introduce you to the faculty. And make sure to talk with your soon-to-be fellow classmates, at the meet-and-greet directed by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi.

- If you're feeling famished, stop by the cafeteria! Hope's Peak Cafeteria serves delicious food every day, prepared and served by our wonderful headmaster Makoto Naegi, who just so happens to be my close personal friend! While we of course encourage you to bring your own water bottles, which you can refill at the many water bottle refill stations around campus (our reliable plumbing was installed after my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi negotiated a deal with a local water supply company, Makoto Naegi Water Bureau), if you forgot, you can purchase one at one of the campus convenience stores, staffed by my close personal friend and our excellent headmaster Makoto Naegi.

- Do not mind the bear. He is, of course, our mascot, and is completely friendly and not at all dangerous.

Well, that's it!

I hope you all have a successful education at Hope's Peak!

- Not Makoto Naegi

"Did you catch any of that."

"Yeah. Rather strange message, isn't it? That's why I dismissed it as probably a joke."

"But what if that's just what they want you to think?"

"I... what would be the purpose of putting out a message that is not a joke, and then disguising it as one? Especially one like that? I suppose it could be like, a coded message of some sort, but then why not just use encryption? Are you saying that it's supposed to be a puzzle of some sort, and it operates on the basis that if you're smart enough to solve it, you're allowed to know its contents?"

"Do you have any particular reason to doubt that Hope's Peak might do such a thing?"

"Most people don't! Although, I suppose maybe everyone does and I'm just not smart enough to figure it out. But that seems unlikely."

"Hope's Peak is obviously an outlier. Regardless, it's not necessarily the case that they're trying to do anything other than mislead us. But still, which deceptions they attempt would contain some information."

"I just assumed that it was made by someone unaffiliated with them?"

"In that case, I would want to deduce the motives and capabilities of whatever unaffiliated party did produce the message."

"Shouldn't be that much. They'd just have to know some basic information about Hope's Peak, like, when orientation takes place, and while they do keep their cards close to their chest it's probably not that difficult to find out. You'd just have to talk to an actual alumni. Or, perhaps, be one."

"The question isn't about what someone would absolutely have to know, in order to avoid putting incorrect facts. That's merely a lower bound... but really, this is just too little data, even for me."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow at orientation."

After the train arrives in Hope City, Edwin disembarks and checks into his inn. Maxwell follows him, checking into the same inn, having... already booked a room there as well?

Edwin doesn't try to figure out whether Maxwell went to the same inn as him deliberately. He collapses into bed.

Orientation day! 

The gates to Hope's Peak Academy are still barred (She checked! Of course she did!). Which means she's got about—let's see, 2 hours to burn before orientation begins.

Eden wanders for a bit, circumnavigating around campus outskirts and meandering through the local shops. After all, since she'll be living here for a while, it's only proper that she familiarize herself with the community. She purchases a few trinkets here and there—Ooh, a pack of scented candles!—as well as a pastrami sandwich from a deli. She chats up the clerk for a while, before heading back towards Hope's Peak entrance.

She spots another prospective student sitting at a table outside the academy, gazing at some sort of notebook. She sidles up to him and sits next to him.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, numbers, numbers, numbers."

"What sorts of numbers?"

Didn't get the joke, it seems. That's ok.

"Mm, just working on one of my side projects."

Edwin sighs, and launches into a rehearsed explanation.

"Pi is infinitely long, which means it must necessarily contain every possible sequence of numbers. These numbers can then be translated, using a simple function, into text. This would contain everything ever written in human history: the full works of William Shakespeare," ("such as Hamlet," he resists the urge to say), "Fermat's original proof of his last theorem, the lost works of Homer, or even things yet to be written, future scientific discoveries, great works of literature, and so on."

He pauses for breath.

"I'm looking into tapping the potential knowledge contained within pi, although I haven't been seeing much hope: the most promising avenue of research are probabilistic tests for discernment, but progress on that has been slow, and the disjunctivity proofs have been eluding me as well..."

She blinks.

"Well, I didn't quite catch all that, but it sounds rather interesting, and the best of luck to you. 

So you're also a student at Hope's Peak? I take it you're the Ultimate Mathematician, or something of that sort, then?"

While she's talking, she takes a pastry out of her bag and offers it to him.

"Scone?"

"...is it poisoned?"

...it's possible Maxwell is rubbing off too much on him. 

"Never mind." He takes the scone and bites into it.

"Yes, I am the ULTIMATE MATHEMATICIAN. Edwin."

...

He takes another bite

"This scone is incredible."

"Lots of butter, that's the secret. Oh, and, moving quickly.

Eden Baker, pleased to meet you. Ultimate Baker."

"Appropriate name."

"You know, they say your family name used to come from what you did. I like to think I have some of that Baker blood in me."

While most of each cohort is filled by students who are scouted out by direct observation of their skills, there is one particular Ultimate Talent which Hope's Peak identifies with a different method.

Each year, the Ultimate Lucky Student is selected by lottery. In a way, it's the most pure test possible: you become the Ultimate Lucky Student if and only if you're lucky enough to be the Ultimate Lucky Student.

Gustavo is not himself the Ultimate Lucky Student, but he is looking for the Ultimate Lucky Student. While the list of Ultimate Talents for this year hasn't been publicized yet, there's almost always an Ultimate Lucky Student. And, as the Ultimate Forecaster, Gustavo bets he can identify them in advance.

Gustavo leans against a wall, listening closely to all students who pass by. There's still a couple hours before they're due to meet for orientation.

There are many keys to being a successful forecaster. But the most important one, Gustavo knows, is to always stay ahead of the competition. You can't be satisfied with one successful forecast: as soon as you make one prediction, you have to be ready to extrapolate and answer the next question. And luck, Gustavo predicts with 95% credence, will be a key contributing factor to many further questions. In the past, he's almost never found luck to be a very helpful consideration—but events at Hope's Peak are a different distribution, and it would be beneath Gustavo's pride to stick to old methods in a new situation.

Footsteps. He begins internally weighing the counterfactual odds from the scenario where he hadn't just observed strong evidence that this person would be attending Hope's Peak. There was... about a 40% chance they'd be chosen. Not the Ultimate Lucky Student. Hope's Peak hadn't ever explained precisely how they determined the random pool, but they do always say that the Ultimate Lucky Student is selected from a group of over a million candidates. So Gustavo's looking for someone who had a one-in-a-million or lower probability of being selected to attend Hope's Peak.

Gustavo continues waiting.

After a few minutes, another student walks by. Once again, nowhere near the one-in-a-million odds he was looking for.

There's not really that much point in narrowing in on a number, here, when it's about a counterfactual situation anyways and he can't check his calibration later. But he doesn't have anything better to do. He's feeling... 95%?

He tosses it around in his head a little longer. Isn't 95% kind of high? Is that really the number he'd've gone with, if he'd gotten the chance to consider it in advance?

...What do you mean, 100%?

Emma takes a deep breath. Ok, it's 9 AM, so she steps out to the gates, and, yeah, they're open now. They were closed when she got there, so she just... skulked around awkwardly near a building, trying her best not to look out of place and like she was doing something. (A task she likely failed at, but, anyways. Not that it matters.)

What does she see?

There's a sign directing her to an auditorium for the beginning of orientation.

Ah.

Well, alright then. She navigates over to the auditorium, enters, and... takes a seat? Grabs a pamphlet, if that's available? Schools really like giving out pamphlets at orientation.

Sure, why not, you can have a pamphlet. Mostly it's a map of the school:

Over the course of about the next fifteen minutes or so, the rest of the students file in, and then eventually...

Monokuma takes the stage.

"Welcome, class, to Hope's Peak Academy! Unfortunately, my close personal friend Headmaster Makoto Naegi couldn't be here today. I know you all were hoping to meet him, but I'll be standing in—your lovable mascot, Monokuma!" 

Edwin hears these words and it hits him like a truck.

Close personal friend.

Maxwell merely raises an eyebrow. Edwin must be new to this: Meaningful Words pop up constantly if you're looking for them!

Ok, but it is still a bit suspicious, isn't it?

Although, that does mean the presentation was wrong about the orientation speech being delivered by their close personal friend Makoto Naegi, so,

"All of you, except Hubert, have been hand-selected for your stand-out performance in your field of choice! You should be proud of yourselves: no other school has students even a bit as special as you all are."

Who is Hubert??? Why is, uh... Momokuna, maybe? Edwin forgot his name—why is the bear throwing shade at him?

Did the bear write the orientation guide???

Does that mean he's actually dangerous and doesn't want us to know???

Then why would it be so obvious?

Why in a random orientation guide on the internet???

"If you open up your pamphlets..." Monokuma pauses to give the students a chance to do so, "you'll see a map of our lovely campus. My personal favorite location is the Monokuma-themed elevator, right next to the A/V Room! Unfortunately, it cannot fit an entire class at once, so please plan accordingly once you're dismissed."

He looks out at the students. They all seem to be following along with his introduction, just as expected.

"Now," he reaches down and pulls out a clipboard, "I'll read a message for you from Headmaster Naegi."

Dear Class of 2024,

Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy! I deeply regret that I cannot be present today as you delve into a new stage of your lives, but urgent matters at Makoto Naegi Water Bureau unfortunately require my immediate attention. As you step into the spotlight at Hope's Peak Academy, I want each and every one of you to remember that you were chosen not only for your talent, but also for your potential to inspire hope in others. While your talents make you exceptional, it is how you use them that will truly reveal your character. During your stay at Hope's Peak Academy, I encourage you to support and learn from each other, challenge yourselves to grow beyond your current abilities, and remember that hope comes from working together.

The bonds you forge here will become part of your personal narrative long after graduation. While some may see Hope's Peak as merely a setting for academic achievement, I believe it's where you'll discover the themes that will define your future. Monokuma, our lovable mascot, stands ready to help you navigate these waters.

In times of uncertainty, remember that even the smallest seed of hope can blossom into something extraordinary. Your predecessors have left quite a legacy to live up to, but I have no doubt that you'll rise to the occasion. After all, the brightest futures often emerge from the darkest of times – though I sincerely hope your school life will be considerably less dramatic than mine was.

The path ahead may seem daunting, but remember: every mystery has its solution, every puzzle its answer, and every student their moment to shine. Your time at Hope's Peak isn't just about developing your talents – it's about discovering the strength that lies within collaboration, the wisdom found in trust, and yes, the power of hope itself.

While I may, at the moment, not be physically present, my thoughts are, as always, with you, the stars of Hope's Peak Academy, as you begin this exciting new chapter. I look forward to meeting each of you personally upon my return.

With hope for the future,
Headmaster Makoto Naegi
Hope's Peak Academy

P.S. Be careful around the water fountains for the next few days. They should be fixed shortly, but better safe than sorry.

What a touching speech! Eden applauds lightly.

Does the prohibition on water fountains extend to tap water in the dorms? She's fixing to install a water filter, would that be enough?

Well, the speech only said anything about water fountains.

(pun not intended)

The Ultimate Volleyball Player has been sitting to the side, not really paying much attention or interacting with anyone. She's mostly impatient to head over to the gymnasium and practice volleyball.

...Wouldn't you need at least one practice partner to do that?

...No, why would she need that?

Monokuma tosses the clipboard behind him, letting it clank against the back wall. "Now that that's over with... it's time for an icebreaker activity!" He grins at the students. Everybody loves icebreaker activities. "Divide yourselves into four groups of three."

Emma looks around in a pani— oh, who is she kidding, she's just going to wait until everyone else forms into groups and then join the last remaining group of 2.

Maxwell's observing and carefully noting everyone's reactions. Who would be valuable to get to know? He already knows Edwin, he sees a few of the girls being shy...

...Wait, is that the girl he tracked down as being the one who made the Bitcoin virus? He's going to go talk to her.

Eden wants to talk to someone she hasn't met yet! What are her options...

1. Edwin, who she already talked to.

2. The recluse with white hair scanning everyone for information

3. The antsy purple haired Japanese girl

4. The... three different people who reacted when Monokuma mentioned Hubert, one of which was Edwin, so he isn't Hubert, and she can't quite figure which one is Hubert.

Ok! She'll go talk to one of the two and then find the third member as they go.

It's Hubert! He is very confused by the pamphlet.

Oh. He was holding it upside down.

Sure, she'll join the two of them. They look naïve.

Alicia smiles at the scruffy white-haired boy walking towards her.

"Hi! I am Alicia! Do you have naturally white hair? Do you know why that is? Do you have a deficiency? Or is it genetic? Can I have a bit of your blood?"

"...Maxwell. What, exactly, would you be interested in doing with a bit of my blood?"

"I want to figure out why your hair has that color! There are simply too many things that can cause it to find out without running tests on your blood"

"Is that... all you plan to do with it? Just that?"

"Well, if there are other interesting things about your blood, I might try to find out about those. If I have blood left over after the tests, I'll add it to my blood bank."

"Your blood bank."

He already knew this girl would be the kinda girl who makes a wetware botnet mine Bitcoin, but this is still disconcerting.

"Well, you know how it is, right. You are working on a project and need some blood but all the shops are closed. Just all around better to keep some blood with you."

"...Let me get back to you on the blood sample then."

"Sure! Do you wanna make a group together?"

"Let's."

Hmm.

Oh hey, Maxwell's apparently forming a group with someone wearing a lab coat.

...he should probably go talk to someone new, instead of wandering over to him like some sort of lost puppy.

Anyways, he wanders over to Maxwell's group, in a manner that does not at all resemble a lost puppy!

"Hello," he says casually. "What do you think the icebreaker is going to be?"