Welcome to Despair - Dangan Ronpa AU | Abe and Mihashi
Hope's Peak Academy. Just like the name would suggest it was a school to gather promising youngsters in various fields, pillars of society and work with these young hopes, strengthen and perfecting them. It was said that graduating from this academy would be sure to bring you success in anything you would do in life afterwards. Admittance was purely by acceptance; the school would sent letters only to people of high school age super-excelling at their respective area of expertise and hence only carrying the best of the best. To some this great honour of being admitted into one of the most prestigious schools in the whole world only came as natural, but to others it was almost too overwhelming. Mihashi Ren was one such person.
It wasn't as much as he was feeling the pressure of such an impressive title - rather he was convinced that there was no way it could be the truth. For someone like him, someone who could only rely on the strength of others to show the least amount of worth to be summoned as Super High School Level Pitcher... either there had been a grave mistake in the administration or this was someone's attempt at a bad joke. A very bad joke. After all without Abe-kun's pitch reading and the strength of his team mates he was nothing but a lousy pitcher whose skills amounted to nothing when it came to practical use.
Some part of him however had wanted to believe it. Wanted to feel at least a little proud about such an extravagant title, even if it would only too quickly become obvious how hopeless he was. Just a peek was all he intended, not able to still his curiosity. A peek at these facilities only available to the very best of the best. Of course he had no way of knowing what that 'peek' was going to result in - how could anyone have expected for a place like Hope's Peak to fall victim to the circumstances at hand?
As if having found himself locked up with no way out, only accompanied by all of these impressive people whom he did not deserve to be amongst wasn't enough there was also the concept of mutual killing, something that seemed completely absurd to the young boy. These kinds of high levelled schools were not something he could handle and he just wanted to go home. Back to his parents, back to the rest of the guys from Nishiura. Maybe they would forgive him if he apologised enough, for leaving them behind and going off on his own, drawn in by sweet words. He didn't expect them to after he had become a deserter but maybe, just maybe, they would accept him as their ace and let him stand on the mound again.
Prior to, during, and straight after having a most macabre demand shoved down over his head Mihashi had been too scared to even notice his surroundings let alone the people in it. At the first given chance he had retreated as fast as possible, run around in a futile attempt to find an exit until his legs had finally given out under him and miserably let himself drop against a wall curling up and burying his face in his knees, tears streaming down his face and small hiccups leaving him. Only when the sound of approaching footsteps filled the hall did Mihashi revert his gaze back up, body tense and eyes wide in fear, only to spot a familiar face. "A... A... A..." he began stuttering, not able to form the words.
His body was fighting the mixed emotions of relief at having someone he knew around and fear for the actual person, until it finally decided on the latter and the boy scurried away, putting a few metres distance more between them before continuing his low stutters. "A... be... kun...?" the pitcher finally managed to call the name in barely audible sounds, voice full of disbelief and wonder if he was actually seeing right. "W... What...?" What was he doing here? Had he come to scold him for leaving? Or maybe to tell him how great they were doing without him and that they don't needed him back? With every thought that passed through his mind the colour from Mihashi's face only disappeared even more.