Chapter Text
Komaru tapped her feet on the floor, wondering where her Onii-chan was. She has been calling for her brother for the past 10 minutes or so, and he still hasn't come down to eat! She wasn't happy with him right now. She cooked him the perfect breakfast and he was treating her efforts like this!? She'll have a word or two with him... if he ever decides to come down and actually eat breakfast. This was her best effort so far, too! Man, her brother can be such a meanie...
She then heard footsteps slowly going down the flights of steps in their household. Unless there was an intruder who wanted to eat breakfast, she knew damn well that it couldn't have been anyone else other than her brother. Hmm, she'll definitely have a word with him! To be treating her breakfast like this—like it's just some regular meal—is not a tolerable offense! Who does he think he is? Her brother!? Well, uh, yeah, he is, but that's not the problem—she won't tolerate this! Just he waits... when she gets a hold of him, she'll—!
...Eh?
"Good morning, Komaru. What's for breakfast today...?"
She expected her brother to be the one who came downstairs, and well... he did came down, but... actually, who was she kidding—WHO THE HELL WAS THIS SUPERMODEL WHO LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE HER BROTHER, BUT GIGACHADIFIED, WALKING DOWN THE STEPS OF HER HOUSE LIKE HE OWNS THE PLACE!?
"Makoto" walked down the stairs (yes, his name is in quotation marks because who the hell is this guy), jawline chiseled to perfection, hair looking like he just stepped out of bed but somehow still magically attractive, and his shirt was barely holding back his buff ass physique. If Komaru didn't know any better, she'd think that this person killed Makoto and replaced him, but she knew beyond any doubt that it was Makoto himself. There was nobody else in the world with an ahoge like that.
Komaru's mouth was agape. She barely had anything in mind to say—mostly because she was admiring this supermodel in front of her—and she was speechless, so it was a double knock-out. Makoto had the nerve to just casually sit down, murmur 'oh, mango juice, that's new,' poured himself a cup of it and drank it like he was in a damn commercial meant to arouse the girls. This was insanity, and you wanna know the worst part?
SHE STILL HASN'T ASKED WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HIM!
"Onii-chan... what... what happened...?"
Makoto glanced at her. "Hm? What do you mean, Komaru?"
Komaru's eyes twitched. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHAT DO I MEAN!? YOU! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU!" She yelled as she pointed at him, as if she was accusing him of witchcraft or something that would've gotten him lynched a few hundred years ago. He then had the NERVE to raise an eyebrow at her like she's the weird one! "YOU WEREN'T LIKE... THIS! NOT YESTERDAY, SO WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO YOU!?"
The girl didn't mean to shout so loud, but she could be forgiven for doing so. It's not everyday that people wake up, make breakfast, and realize they have a damn candidate for the next cover of Vogue magazine in their house—ESPECIALLY their own brother! This was BEYOND INSANITY. Is she dreaming? She is, isn't she? This was just a dream that she had because the hot summer weather got to her brain and decided to play tricks on her.
Makoto stayed silent. The moment was intense—she didn't even know if she wanted to hear what he had to say, because how could you explain such growth and change overnight? Sure, she knew that—despite all of his attempts at saying otherwise—her brother, while not necessarily eye-catching at first glance, had the potential to be handsome if he improved various things about himself. With this? This new version of himself? He took his limits, said 'fuck you' to it, smashed it on the floor and just became someone who looked like he gets paid hundreds of millions of yen—just because he's a very, VERY handsome looking boy. What is THIS?
After all of that, he just looked at her and said: "...Metamorphosis."
...That's... it? Metamorphosis? That's his explanation for his superhuman overnight transformation into becoming a Shounen MC who gets all the girls? GIVE ME A BREAK!
"...Metamorphosis? What, are you an insect or something?" Komaru asked, unamused by his answer. "Well, you do have that piece of hair sticking out the top of your head like it's an antenna, so... maybe you are an insect."
"Perhaps I am an insect, in the sense that I am always here, yet never noticed until I bloom to become something far greater than I am..." He deadpanned as she stayed silent, wondering if he stayed up watching villain monologues instead of sleeping. She stared at her brother like he just grew a second and third head, or like he just became an overnight supermodel... oh, wait. "...I'm kidding. Don't take it too serious. I just... eh, put some work into myself."
"Right... some work into yourself... yep... not suspicious at all."
Makoto shrugged. "You either believe it or you don't."
"I don't, but seeing as you clearly aren't going to answer my question, I'll just... let it slide." Komaru says, shaking her head in disbelief. "So... uh... breakfast is... um..."
"Yes...?"
"...Can you not give me the light-skin stare?"
"Sorry. Carry on."
She sighed once again. "Breakfast is... the usual, with a bit more effort put into it."
Makoto nods. "Sounds good. Thank you for the food, Komaru."
Yeah, she did hyped up her breakfast, but after seeing what her brother had to offer, she suddenly thought that her breakfast wasn't anything special anymore. She still can't believe he just went downstairs like it's nobody's business, but then again, maybe he was already used to his looks already? That's another mystery: he just got too handsome, too buff, and too interesting to look at all of a sudden. She swears that he wasn't like this yesterday, but was she wrong? Did he actually looked like this yesterday and she wasn't paying attention? Ugh, her own brother was indirectly causing her to gaslight her own damn self.
Those muscles... they aren't just for show. Onii-chan looks like someone who can handle himself... speaking of which, did he get taller also? Great, another mystery in the mystery package I never pre-ordered that came from my very own brother. He just randomly gets tall, handsome, and buff? I still can't believe it...
Komaru cleared her throat as she took a sip of her juice before saying, "Okay... now, are you gonna spill it, or...?"
Makoto glanced at her as he continued eating. "Spill? No, I'm not a messy eater, Komaru. You know that."
She rolled her eyes. "Not that, but your entire transformation. You got a growth spurt, I see. You're almost as tall as Dad is. Certainly taller than both Mom and I." The younger Naegi sibling stated, trying to fish for more information. "That's... really impressive, actually. I'm quite certain that Dad—for all his strengths—isn't as ripped as you are, so what happened? Did you perform some weird ritual? Like a 'you drink my blood, I drink your blood; you scratch my back, I scratch yours,' type of deal?"
Makoto is now the one to roll his eyes. "If you're implying I sold my soul or became an active participant in some cult ritual in exchange for my looks, then you must be watching too much anime. Probably my own damn anime that you watched while I bought that broomstick last night."
Komaru scratched her head. "Sorry... it's just strange. I mean, you're CLEARLY my brother, but... how? You've acknowledged that your looks have changed, so what happened?" She asks out of genuine curiosity and worry. Her shock was reasonably valid, but beneath the sarcasm and humor, she was actually worried about her brother. "Did you... uh, I don't know, get Isekai'd into another world, lived a lifetime there after upgrading yourself, and then came back?"
Makoto shook his head in amusement. "Like I said: too much anime."
Komaru threw her hands in the air out of exasperation. "Well, then, WHAT IS IT!?"
He winked. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out... if you even can."
"...You're insufferable. I want my old Onii-chan back!"
"I'm the upgraded version! The 2.0! The 3.0! 10.0! Better!"
"No!"
If he was being honest, he genuinely had no idea how or why he was speaking to her like a damn anime protagonist who magically earned powers overnight—all he knew was that he wanted to tell her the truth, but his mouth, brain and body went into autopilot, and he just gave some answers that oozes "Anime MC" energy.
Deep down, he was just as confused and scared as Komaru, but he didn't showed it. Not because he didn't want to, but because he can't. For some reason, when he's alone, he can lose his mind and freak out over his new self, but when around other people, his bravado and braggadocious seemed to just take control over his behaviour, and all of a sudden, he's just a 5'8, Japanese Casanova with a smile to melt your hearts.
He had to admit: although he's still confused and dreading the possibility of messing up by saying or doing the wrong thing, he is... kind of liking the fact that he's just being effortlessly cool. It's like a power fantasy coming to life... except that's exactly what it is. Unless this is a dream (it isn't), he'd be lying if he said that he didn't look forward to actually possibly doing something worthwhile with his new physical improvements. His new body made him literally feel as if he can do anything. Whether it'd be a backflip, ragdolling someone with one arm, carrying Sakura bridal style—you name it, he felt as if he could actually do it.
But... that just means that he still doesn't know the true limits and capabilities of his new body, and to be honest? He's not really sure if he wants to go out of his way to find out by getting himself into trouble. Just the fact that he looks like this would bring him unwanted attention already—let alone going out of his way to physically test himself and possibly earning more attention in the process. Maybe he should try by applying for a gym membership or asking either Hina, Sakura, Mukuro or even Junko to actually help... him... test his new limits... oh, shit.
How did he forget again? Of course, he was too caught up with his new transformation—how the hell was he going to explain this to the rest of his classmates and friends!? He was thrown a bone by the fact that the first person who saw him in his recently-transformed state was Komaru, who—although she kept pushing and was clearly alarmed—knew when to not push his boundaries or ask too many questions. Someone like Junko? Yeah, no. He loves her, but that girl can actually be a huge pain in the ass for him.
...Did I just say I love Junko? Even to myself?
Brushing the odd thought aside, he finished his meal and thanked Komaru for it as he grabbed all of the dishes and balanced them by stacking them all. It sort of reminded him of Jenga, but far more crucial in damages if he messed up and slipped, or if it just fell down to the floor like a sack of glass potatoes. Komaru seemed impressed, but she merely raised an eyebrow at him in wonder.
"I'm gonna go ahead and do the dishes."
She nodded. "Sure. Put those muscles to good use."
He nearly contemplated flexing in front of her just for that comment, but alas, Makoto Naegi was a boy (or man? Gigachad.) of self-control and restraint. He made his way to the kitchen from the dinner table and carefully balanced the plates and cups in his hands like it was nothing. It was... oddly easy for him. If this was him from a day ago, he'd actually need to take two trips to get all the dishes back to the sink. Now? It's as easy as carrying paper bags for him. Maybe he can even carry all the groceries in one go without having his parents actually help him or anything.
"...ONII-CHAN, WATCH OUT!"
Wait, WHAT? WHO? HUH? WHY?
Before he knew it, he saw a puddle of water on the floor as he was already near the sink. He slipped and tried to control himself in the air before he can crack his head and die, but instinctively, his right leg kicked backward as he was slipping while the other one extended forward and he landed in a perfect split... while still holding the dishes in one hand. He didn't feel anything—it was just... natural to him, as if he has already done this for years and could easily pull it off without warming up. He just remained in that split position for a moment, wondering how in the world this happened, and how he pulled off something that would've had the previous version of him hospitalized so easily.
How many people did he knew can do a split? A handful, and even then, they were all females. Mukuro, Junko, Hina, Sakura and Sayaka could do splits easily. Kyoko and Toko, although they rarely did it, were capable of doing it also if they had to do it. Even his own mother—bless her soul—can actually do a split, and she was nearing her 40s already. Komaru? Probably not, but she can get there if she tries. So how in the world did he actually managed to pull off something like this? The only explanation he had: the transformation was doing this to him. Occam's Razor.
He then gradually got himself into a standing position—face as calm and composed as ever, plates and cups still in one hand—before he puts all of the dishes in the sink and starts washing away. It was just dead silent. He wanted to say something, but for some reason, his mouth wouldn't comply with what he wanted to say. So, he just stood there near the sink, washing and drying every dishes as he could feel Komaru's gaze burning a hole through his back.
Once he's done, he just dries his hands with a cloth and looked at Komaru. "...Thanks for the heads up."
After that, he walks past her and heads back upstairs, trying his best to avoid his sister crashing out and actually losing her mind further. He made sure to actually put some pep in his steps as he surpressed a wince internally when he heard his sister finally screaming after some time.
"....HOLY SHIT!"
A couple of hours passed by and he was just laying down on his bed as the sun infiltrated his room through the curtains and windows. He laid there with a hand on his head, staring at the ceiling in wonder. That split was probably the most physically impressive thing he has ever done in his life, and yet, his natural instincts were overridden by some sort of weird mental block that just... forced him to stay silent and refraining from commenting about the moment before he just thanked Komaru for it.
Why? Was this a side effect of the transformation? He just... can't speak what's truly on his mind? He just drops cool lines and walks away like nothing bothers him after he just had a moment so cool that most people would kill to have for themselves even once in their lifetimes? Yeah, something was off, but what the hell can he even do? Nothing. Not now, at least. He'll try to find ways around it, see if anything happens, but for now, he's just going to assume that the transformation automatically makes him say the "right words" and "right ways to act" in any situation.
Although he did liked the transformation—to a certain extent—it won't matter much if what he wants to say is automatically thrown out the window and replaced with "cool lines" as if he was an anime character... yeah, he really should stop making that comparison, but still, that's the closest comparison he could make at this moment. He's not exactly an action movie hero—although he was certainly built like one—and to be honest? Action movie heroes do action movie stuff. That entails violence and danger: two things he'd rather stay away from completely.
He sighed to himself, trying to make sense of it all, only to hear the sound of a car entering his family's house's driveway. The teenage boy got up and peeked through the curtain, ignoring the way the sun glared into his eyes, and saw his parents' car. Looks like they were back from their anniversary vacation! That was great, but now he had to face his mom and dad, and not be coddled by them when they see his transformation. His father would probably just say something like, "Wow, you've grown up, son!" whereas his mother would squeeze him until his new muscles became deflated and pamper him like a baby, asking where did the years go by and how he became a man so soon.
Makoto decided to make his way downstairs and greet his parents. As he made his way down the steps, he could see Komaru hugging their parents in the doorway as they hugged her back. He could plenty of bags from behind them, along with some MORE bags that were definitely souvenirs or snacks from the country they visited. Although he was interested in what they brought back, he was more grateful that they made it back safely and happily.
Komaru squealed. "Kyaaa! You two brought so much back! How was the trip? Any fun dates? Cool moments?"
His father smiled. "Plenty, but that's for another time."
His mother then looked around. "Where's Makoto?"
Komaru blinked before she scratched the back of her head. "Ah... Onii-chan... he's... um..."
"Right here."
He blurted out before his mind knew what he even spoke. The boy—now nearly as tall as his dad, but far more muscular—made his way towards his parents as they turned to look at him with a smile, only for their smiles to turn into shock, awe and disbelief as they saw his new looks. The confusion and skepticism on their faces was clear as day for anyone to see: they didn't know who exactly this boy right in front of them was, but... everything seemed to point towards the fact that this gorgeous boy in front of them was actually their very own son, Makoto Naegi.
His mother was the first to speak, mouth covered with her hands. "M-Makoto...?"
He nods. "That's me, Mom."
His dad then looked at him in shock. "Son...?"
"That is also me, yes."
Komaru scoffed from behind. "Tch... smartass."
His mom slowly moved to him, reaching out and touching his face. She pinched his cheek; no visible reaction other than a quirky smile. She then traced her finger along his chiseled jawline and looked him up and down, wondering how in the hell did her beloved son became this specimen who could probably seduce her own friends. His entire body had changed from top to bottom, and if she was being honest? It was... extremely surreal to see him like this. She can't be faulted for being very confused, can she?
"...Is this really you, Makoto?"
Makoto nods. "Yes... unless that was rhetorical?"
His mother blinked. "That's your voice... but it sounds far deeper and more mature than before. Your body, your face, your complexion, your behavior—it all changed... what happened since we were gone?"
Komaru clapped from behind. "That's a DAMN good question!"
His father glanced at her. "Language." He then turned towards Makoto once again before he spoke. "But I'd like to know as well. You look like if an action figure came to life."
Makoto grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment, Dad."
His mother then crossed her arms in concern. "Well...?"
"Well what?"
"What do you mean 'what?' Don't get smart with me, Makoto Naegi." She said, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently as she puffed her cheeks. Oh, shit—if his full name was being used, he's moments away from being obliterated. As much as these powers could help, there's nothing scarier than a mother demanding answers. "You cannot tell me that something hasn't happened to you since we were gone. You DIDN'T looked like this before we left for our vacation!"
His father stepped forward. "I think an answer to your mother is required, son. Otherwise, I can't help you with her wrath."
She glanced at him. "You couldn't help regardless, darling."
"Yes, my queen."
Komaru clicked her tongue. "Somebody's whipped."
Makoto scratched his head. "...I ate my vegetables, drank my milk, got the best proteins and carbs in, took multi-vitamins, and slaved away at the gym."
"That's a DAMN LIE! You didn't say that when I asked!"
His father glances at Komaru again. "Language."
His mother was clearly not buying it. "If you're doing all of that, then yes, it WOULD lead to growth... but not to this extent. Growing like this is a slow process—not something to be achieved in one week." She narrowed her eyes and bore a hole through him. If he didn't have his transformation powers, he'd be dead a million times. "We left for like... what, a week or two? Not a year or two. You're almost as tall as your dad, and you're completely JACKED too!"
Makoto had to fight back an amused smile from reaching his face at the thought of his own mother saying that he's 'jacked' because it was too funny. "Believe what you believe, Mom. I'm still your son. Still Makoto Naegi." He had hoped that those lines would help ease the pressure off, and it sort of worked as she was starting to calm down a little at being reminded of the fact that he is still her son. "Anyway, we've been standing here at the front door for too long. Why not have this conversation once we've settled in?"
His mother nodded. "Alright... but I'm expecting answers!"
His father sweat-dropped. "Yes, yes, my dear—Makoto, why don't you help your not-so-old man carry the luggage and bags into the house?" He asks his son for help, to which the younger Naegi male nodded in acceptance. "It's too hot outside and I might pass out if I go back and forth trying to carry everything, so help me out real quick."
Makoto agreed. "Sure, Dad. Actually, why don't you stay in the house? I'll take care of it all."
"Uh... are you sure?" His father raised an eyebrow while his mother and sister looked at him in horror and morbid curiosity. "I mean, those muscles look good on you, but there's some heavy stuff out there. You'd struggle trying to carry it all, even if you took multiple trips."
The boy just smiled. "Watch this."
He moved past his parents as he exited the house and is immediately graced with the sun's golden, beaming rays that seemed to be intentionally trying to turn his newfound complexion into pure ash. Summer heat, huh? Well, he's used to it already. If anything, it was kind of refreshing for him to get out and get some sunlight in. Vitamin D and all that. The car was parked directly on their driveway, but the trunk was opened already. If he had to guess, his father probably thought that he could take everything out, only to end up saying 'Hell no' and just take some light stuff, along with their luggages to go inside the house ASAP.
He moved forward—ignoring the scorching heat that's trying to make him live through hell on earth—and went around the car to see what's in the trunk. From what he saw, there were plenty, and he meant PLENTY, of bags filled with a bunch of souvenirs, gifts, food, clothes, and other cool things. His parents really went all out, huh? If he had to guess, these are all the equivalent of... 35 kilograms of weight? That's just for the bags only. Not including their luggages and backpack. Each luggage, he'd guess, had about 30 kilograms of weight in them. The backpack—there was only one, surprisingly—probably weighed about... 10 kilograms? Huh, okay... yep, that's not heavy at all.
Lifting and carrying all of it in one go would be straining and painful—borderline impossible—for his dad, especially considering the fact that there were so many. But if he did it one-by-one, or did multiple trips, then it's understandable how he could've brought all of these things to the trunk of the car. However, he noticed that one of the luggages' wheels were popped off and had broken away from the bottom. This was his mother's luggage, he was sure. Why did it popped off? Knowing his mother, it's probably becau—
"Oh, and Makoto, the wheels for my luggage broke!"
He glanced around the corner to look at his mother. "Why's that, Mom?"
She had a sheepish look on her face whereas his father chuckled and spoke for her. "It's because she insisted on bringing nearly everything from her closet for our vacation. I told her that even though we had first-class tickets, it doesn't mean that her luggage can handle all of the continuous weight." He said while his mother looked like she wanted to disappear at first sight from the sheer embarrassment. "So, yeah, if you need help with that, I'll come out. There's too much in the trunk, anyway!"
"No need! I'll be there in a moment."
Makoto wasn't sure if he could actually carry all of these in one go, but if there was a good time to test out his new powers and strength, it was now. All he needed to do was figure out which one to carry first. He identified the one that made the most sense: the backpack. He grabbed it and strapped it to his back as he carried it. Then, he grabbed the near-countless bags from the trunk and wrapped them around his shoulders. He then gently dragged his father's luggage from the trunk to the ground before he tried to do the same for his mother's luggage, only to see that it was sort of stuck inside of there. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed her luggage with both hands as he just pulled and dragged it outside before he gently closes the trunk.
Seeing as his mother's luggage's wheels were broken, he made the instinctive decision to just... carry the luggage instead. He then did the same for his dad's luggage, even though his dad's luggage was fine. He felt the strain, but it was barely anything compared to if he were to actually carry all of this while still in his pre-transformation stage. He genuinely felt surprised at his own self, but his face wouldn't show how impressed he was that his new strengths gave him superior physical abilities and prowess.
Holy...! I'm actually doing it!
And so, he carried everything like he was Arnold carrying the tree log from the opening scene of Commando.
His vision was interrupted by the fact that the sun's glare kept trying to penetrate his eye sockets, but for some reason, he could see clearly when he focused a bit more by squinting and narrowing his eyes. From there, he saw that his family was actually staring at him, wide-eyed, mouth agaped, in complete shock and disbelief that he managed to carry everything, like it was nothing, in one go. His father had a look of genuine respect whereas his sister and mother flashed him looks that told him they were in a state of mixed emotions: ranging from awe, disbelief, shock, confusion, curiosity, wonder and admiration. Man... it actually feels good to have an ego boost for once.
He entered the house and gently laid down his mother's luggage before he did the same for his father as well. The backpack was next as he shrugged it off and placed it down on the ground before the countless bags strapped to his shoulders were next. Usually, he'd stretch to to relieve soreness, but for some reason, the soreness he expected to overwhelm him was just... not present. It was gone the moment he let go of all the bags. That's probably another thing that he could attribute to the transformation, huh?
Makoto turned and closed the door, gently locking it as his muscles flexed with veins popping out like they were trying to break free from his biceps. The shirt he was wearing was too small for his own good—it literally showed the outline of his muscular body like he was a stripper or something. He wouldn't lie and said that he didn't feel embarrassed, but again, he didn't showed a single hint of embarrassment on his face. Completely composed like nothing ever happened. He then turned to his family and calmly tilted his head as he offered some more help.
"...Need any more help?"
"ONII-CHAN, WHAT THE HELL!?"
"DAMN, SON!"
"MAKOTO NAEGI, YOU'D BETTER EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW!"
His ears bled afterwards... but again, no reaction from him.
After a few action-packed days of entertaining interrogations from his entire family, giving bullshit answers and more bullshit excuses, cleaning the house, helping out with carrying anything his mother or sister needed him to carry, arm-wrestling his dad and completely destroying his old man, giving everyone a massage, and literally everything else, it was time to go back to Hope's Peak Academy. Summer vacation has ended, and although he spent most of it doing absolutely nothing, he earned something very valuable in exchange for his initial boredom.
In his spare time, he suddenly developed the urge to actually work out and become extremely productive. Reading books, exercising, mentally training himself, indulging in his hobbies to a healthy degree, learning more about what his powers can do, what effects it may have on him and the people surrounding him, buying new clothes that would fit him without showing the outline of his abs or ass, and literally anything else. The routine worked for him, and it was very odd as he'd never thought that he'd ever be so rigid in his life, but times were changing quickly.
He has changed a lot, but deep inside, he was still the same person: Makoto Naegi. Still, not everyone would see it like that, and honestly? That was fair enough. If you asked him to look in the mirror and tell you what he saw, he'd honestly say that the person in the mirror was someone whom he had never seen before. He was nearly being literal here, but not quite. Everything was just so... different to him now—it was as if he now sees the world in a completely different way than he used to. Despite his internal self still hoping that maybe there'll be more control over his powers, his current self was still reigning supreme over his true thoughts. For now, at the very least.
The taxi driver stayed silent; didn't say anything. That was good. Honestly, he just wanted some peace of mind right now. That homeless man who gave him these powers... there was something odd with him. That may sound obvious, considering what he's capable of, but he just couldn't help but wonder what it was about the homeless man that made him so intrigued. What did he even do to deserve the blessings the man gave him? Rescue him from a bunch of punks? A lot of other people would've done that for him as well—they just weren't given the chance to do so.
...Was that even true? He didn't know. He used to think that people were good and that they'd help out anyone in need, but after seeing the homeless man get harassed like that and seeing nobody come to his aid, that really did a number on him mentally. He knew the world could be cruel, but that was a bit too much for him. Perhaps that was why the homeless man gave him the blessings? Did the man see something in him that he himself couldn't understand or know about just yet? He had no idea. And for now, that's probably how it was going to stay as—unless he encountered the homeless man once again.
The taxi came to a stop and he thanked the driver before paying him and exiting the car. He went around the back to reach for his bags in the trunk and tapped on the car to let the driver know he can drive away. Makoto then stepped forward as he carried his bags and walked towards the front entrance gates of Hope's Peak Academy, looking at it in wonder. It never fails to amazes him how gigantic this damn academy was, and he couldn't help but feel pride in himself for somehow being able to get enroll here—even if it was just for being the Ultimate Lucky Student.
He took a deep breath before he closed his eyes and opened them again in determination and resolve. He felt a heavy feeling on his chest, but he was going to get through it. Maybe... maybe he can actually be someone special now that he's back as a new person... sort of. It was a bit of a selfish desire, but perhaps it can be justified by the fact that if he didn't used his new transformation powers—which he STILL didn't know the full extent of, by the way—then he might just go autopilot and do whatever the powers wanted to do. Someone's gotta be the vessel for hope...
Alright, Hope's Peak... let's see what happens now.