Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Do you believe in destiny?

For Maizono Sayaka, that answer would have been a no. After all, being the top idol had nothing to do with chance, luck, or destiny. It was about hard work, connections, and being willing to do what was needed to reach the top.

However, right now, she was questioning her thoughts on the subject as the last of her classmates stood to introduce himself.

"My name is Naegi Makoto! I'm the, um, ultimate luckster. I hope we can all get along."

Naegi Makoto. A name Sayaka knew and had even asked about when she was in middle school. The boy may not have realized it, but he had done something to immortalize himself in her heart. She had never gotten the chance to talk to him, thought she never would, but now it felt like the world had given her the perfect opportunity to do so.

What were even the chances that they would be classmates in Hope's Peak of all places? Impossible. As if they were Orihime and Hikoboshi reuniting at their starry river once a year.

When the teacher called for a break, Sayaka allowed a smile to grace her face as she got up to talk to the boy. She could easily tell from his posture that he was nervous, most likely from how famous and talented all the people around them were. However, even though he looked nervous, the idol could also tell he was excited to talk to everyone in the room, he just didn't know who to approach first.

"You want to talk to me?"

"Woah!" Sayaka giggled as the boy slightly jumped on his seat before turning to her. His eyes then widened in recognition. "Y-you're-!"

"I'm Maizono Sayaka, the Ultimate Idol. Nice to meet you, Naegi-kun!"

"Y-yeah." Settling down, Naegi's expression changed from surprise to a genuine welcoming smile. "Nice to meet you too. How did you know, I wanted to talk to someone?"

Sayaka just gave him one of her trademark winks. "I'm an Esper!"

"What?"

"Just kidding!" Sayaka giggled once again at how the boy's expression fluidly changed on his face. He didn't seem to hide what he was feeling in the slightest. It was honestly cute. Now, she just had to get to her original purpose.

"Naegi-kun. This may surprise you but I actually used to-"

"Makoto, my man!"

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a red-haired boy with piercings who she recalled to be Kuwata Leon. And from the way he had addressed the luckster, it seemed like he knew the boy.

"Oh, Kuwata-san?" And it seemed like Naegi knew him back as the two then shared a fist bump.

"Dude, I can't believe you're already talking to Sayaka Maizono. As expected of my best rival, both in baseball and love!"

Sayaka blinked. 'Rival?' Was Naegi equal to the Ultimate Baseball Player?

"No way. I'm not even close to you at baseball." Naegi waved off Leon's address.

"Nah man, it's the truth!" Leon shook his fist, still insistent. "Don't you remember when your team battled against mine?"

"We lost really badly though." Naegi pointed out. Lost wasn't even the best word for it. Game's against Kuwata's team usually ended up as a one-sided massacre.

"That's true, but you didn't give up. Every time I play baseball, I end up owning everyone anyways so usually by the halfway point the team stops caring. Really, I wanted to give up on baseball due to the sheer boredom." Leon smiled in remembrance. "But it was you and your team that had to be the assholes to not give up even in the last inning. Remember how long that last foul ball streak went? I'm pretty sure it went to 50."

"Yeah, I couldn't feel my arms by then." Naegi emphasized this by weakly lifting his arms even if they looked surprisingly toned. Sayaka did remember hearing about some legendary baseball game happening but had missed it out due to her work as an idol.

"Well, hope you still got it. I'd better be seeing you on the field later! And maybe you too Mai-chan." With one wink, Kuwata left them both to talk to someone else. Sayaka was speechless for a moment, still a bit off from the interruption.

However, now, she can continue-

"So I see you're still training…" A deep yet oddly feminine voice spoke up. Both fo them turned then looked up to the Oogami Sakura, the Ultimate Fighter. While Sayaka felt slight fear from how large the woman was, Naegi was all smiles.

"Oogami-san? Oogami-san, it's you! You look so different." Naegi approached the fighter. "How's Ken-san?"

"Kenshiro is fine." Oogami nodded. "I should thank you for keeping him company at the hospital."

"It was nothing. He's one of my dad's patients anyways. And a friend." Naegi rubbed the back of his head. "I'm just happy you both taught me some martial arts while you were there. I still try to keep up those forms you guys taught me."

"Huhu. Are you finally taking up Kenshiro offer to become his disciple?"

"There's no way I'd survive," laughed off Naegi. "I just know he's going to be even worse after the surgery."

Oogami's eyes widened slightly. "Really? Did they find something?"

"Well, I haven't heard anything conclusive…" Naegi bowed his head, his tone slightly frustrated. But he then raised it once more, with a sincere hardness in his eyes. "But I won't believe that Ken-san would ever lose. Not him."

Oogami's face went from frustrated, scrunched up in anger, to relief, as if all her tension left her body only to be left with a gentle smile.

"Of course. You're right there. We just have to be patient. Let's also continue your training as the school year goes by." For a moment the giant paused before continuing in a softer voice. "Did Kenshiro say anything about me recently? I haven't visited in a few months."

"You should ask him yourself next time. I'll go with you," offered Naegi which got the fighter to silently nod before moving away. Sayaka even thought she saw a blush. Could she have been embarrassed?

When she left, Sayaka turned to ask Naegi, or rather confirm her thoughts.

"So your father's a doctor, Naegi-kun?"

Naegi turned back to her, his mouth ready to answer before he was pulled back by a tall guy with one of the craziest hairdo's Sayaka had seen.

"Naegi-chi! I knew you'd be here! I told you I got my predictions, right"

If Oogami got a nostalgic smile from Naegi, Hagakure Yasuhiro got a tired one. "Hagakure-san?"

"Listen man, I need some organs. Fast. Can you help me out?"

"You know, I can't do that." Naegi sighed. While he wouldn't exactly call the Ultimate Clairvoyant a friend, he couldn't get himself to hate the older boy. "Besides, your mom would kill me if she found out. Didn't she just get promoted to head nurse?"

However, the fortune teller didn't look like he'd back down. "C'mon man! If you don't want to help me with that then at least-"

"Hey, is this guy bugging you, Naegi?"

A large boy with a gruff tone pulled back the dreadlock student. He was much larger and built than Hagakure but his hair was just as ridiculous, a large corncob of a pompadour. Everything about him screamed dangerous and not to be messed with but surprisingly Naegi actually looked relieved to see him.

"Oowada-kun!"

"No! I'm cool! I'm just about leaving anyways!" With those last words, Hagakure scuttered off. Oowada watched with a scowl before his face morphed to a smile as he turned back to the Luckster.

"Naegi, my man!" He raised a large fist which Naegi bumped with a smaller one. "Nice to finally see someone who won't glare at me."

"Good to see you too." Naegi nodded, in turn. "How's Daiaya?"

"Oh you know, Aniki." Oowada snorted, a smirk on his face. "I keep telling him to stay on his wheelchair but the guy keeps insisting to use his bike. I swear, he should just add an engine to that thing though he says he likes to push it himself. His arms are huge, man!"

"That's great! You're here as the Ultimate Carpenter?"

"The Ultimate, Gang Leader, asshole!" Mondo punched Naegi's shoulder in jest. Sayaka who was just watching thought he'd fall over but the boy surprisingly took the heavy blow. "You know I'm still studying up for that. I heard there was this amazing Ultimate Blacksmith guy and was hoping I could get an apprenticeship or something."

"I'm sure he'd help you out. Who wouldn't when you want to specialize in making more buildings disabled-friendly?"

"Hah! You're way too optimistic about things, little dude." With one large hand, Oowada ruffled Naegi's hair. He then patted him on the back.

"And remember, if you need anything the Diamonds got your back."

His words got a frown from the shorter boy. Not the punches or the roughhousing but it was Mondo's promise that made Naegi stop.

"Oowada-kun. I told you I just wanted to help. I didn't expect anything back."

"Look man. If you hadn't convinced those guys to take us in, Daiya would've been a goner. I owe yah a life debt. Just take it." With one last heavy pat on the shoulder, the delinquent left to get to his seat.

"I'm guessing you own a hospital?"

Naegi almost jumped at the sudden voice. To his horror, Maizono-san was still there. He had ignored and forgotten about her!

"I-I'm sorry, Maizono-san! I didn't mean to ignore you! "

"It's fine, Naegi-kun." The idol giggled. "It's fun watching everyone go up to you like they knew you."

"Uh, yeah." Naegi blushed at how melodic her giggle was. "And you're sort of right. My family doesn't really own any hospitals though. It's more-"

"The doctors." Suddenly, there was another interloper although he didn't look bothered stepping into the conversation at all. In fact, he looked bothered to, as it was their fault he had spoken up.

Seeing the blonde, only got Naegi's face pale. "T-togami-kun…you're here, too?"

"Hmph. Of course." The Ultimate Scion adjusted his glasses as he glared at Naegi. "I'm more surprised a peasant like you was able to get in."

"Um, what do you mean by that?" Sayaka spoke up which caused Togami to give a quick glance at her before he turned to Naegi and just sort of stared. If Sayaka was psychic, she was sure she'd hear him yell in his mind "Tell her, Naegi!"

Naegi, seemingly used to it, explained what he was going to before his interruption. "My family's a bunch of famous doctors. Dad's the current head and helps out in various hospitals in Japan so we move around a lot. I know Uncle Black Jack goes around the world while my Aunt Fran stays in Germany. The rest just go where they want."

"Some have claimed they're good enough to raise the dead or keep someone alive for generations. And yet, they refuse to work exclusively for the Togami Corporation." Byakura scoffed as he folded his arms. "It's an chance many would kill and grovel for and yet your lot still won't accept our offer."

Naegi only shrank from the blonde's icy glare. "W-well, I thought dad offered…"

"Hmph. As if that would ever happen. Why would I ever choose to give up the Togami name and marry your sister." Togami turned around and left but not before leaving a few words behind. "The Togami family always gets what it wants."

While Naegi and Sayaka watched the Ultimate Scion leave, a nearby Ultimate writer was bust chewing one hand's nails while the other furiously texted her best friend.

How dare that Komaru have such a hot fiancé! She had thought the girl had claimed she didn't know a thing about romance and yet she had a White Knight right then and there! She must have been making fun of her this whole time! She could easily imagine the girl sitting on the lap of the Ultimate Scion, laughing at her!

She would get to the bottom of this!

This was all ignored by everyone else in the room.

"That's amazing!" Maizono clapped her hands together. "So, you could have been the Ultimate Doctor, Naegi-kun?"

"N-not really." Naegi bowed his head, feeling his cheeks heat up. Both from the praise and, at the same time, slight embarrassment that Sayaka was off. "Dad said my sister and I aren't allowed to get training until we're older. He doesn't want to pressure us to join the family business. I know as much about doctor stuff than any other average person."

"But I think it's still great you have that opportunity!" Maizono continued. "You're already great at caring for animals."

"What do you mean?"

Before Sayaka could finally tell him about how she knew about him, a familiar ringtone interrupted her. One Sayaka knew all too well.

Her manager's.

Willing herself to calm the annoyance building within her, she closed her mouth and took a breath, before opening it once more.

"Naegi-kun, can I take this call? It's my manager so it's most likely important."

"Sure, sure. Take as much time as you need."

"Thanks. I'll be right back and we'll continue our conversation from there, okay?"

The idol gave one last apologetic glance at him before turning and taking out a phone from her pocket and stepping outside the room.

Naegi watched her go, waiting for Maizono to leave before releasing a sigh. He sure was lucky to be able to talk to an idol. And not just an idol but one he was a big fan of. He was more surprised on how she seemed to want to talk to him though.

He scanned the room for someone he hadn't talked to yet. There had been a surprising amount of people he had known even before Hope's Peak but there was sure to be someone he didn't know.

Immediately, he spotted one. A girl with a ridiculous hairdo of two large curled twintails. She also looked to be wearing some sort of Lolita get-up with black fabric and white frills.

He moved closer to introduce himself but at that moment the girl also turned around and their gazes met.

Red met green.

They both stared at each other silently, both looking to be frozen in shock. The girl recovered first, a pleasant smile, on her face as she reached out a manicured hand.

"Pleasure to meet you. I am Celestia Ludenburg, the Ultimate Gambler. It seems that we'll be classmates for the next two years."

"…What are you wearing, Taeko-chan?"

"…"

Befitting of the Ultimate Gambler, her face betrayed no change. However, if one were to have recorded her face and zoomed and enhanced the footage, one would have been able to fine a very very small twitch of her lips.

"I'm sorry but did you perhaps mishear me? I said my name is Celestia Lundenburg."

"You've got that wrong. We grew up together before I had to move away. Aren't you-"

Before Naegi could say any further, his mouth was covered with Celes' pale hand. More worrying was that one finger had a sharp edge at the end which threatened to scrape Naegi's cheek. Celes' smiling face hadn't changed at all since her introduction yet somehow it felt more menacing.

"Naegi Makoto-kun was it? Why don't we have a few choice words over there…"

LINE

When Sayaka got back, Naegi was talking to a boy with short black hair and red eyes. For some reason, they were shaking hands.

"Thanks for saving me from Tae-uh-Celes-san, Ishimaru-kun."

"It is no problem, Naegi-kun! Your family has given support when we are at our lowest so it is only proper I return the favor. We owe you a blood debt, one that we will definitely pay back."

"Haha. You're sounding just like Oowada-kun."

"Oowada? You mean that delinquent?! Apologies, Naegi-kun but I just remembered that I had to warn him about his improper use of ."

"If you're sure."

Watching the boy walk away from Naegi, Sayaka saw her chance to naturally move in. She could finally, tell him about their connection!

She walked over her hand already raised to wave when she suddenly had a feeling to move back. She gracefully backtracked right as a large boulder of a student made his way past her and to the Luckster.

"Naegi Makoto-dono! It is a pleasure to finally meet you!"

Naegi blinked in confusion at the large boy's words and smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry but…"

"Do not worry! I understand your confusion! I am Yamada Hifumi, the Ultimate Doujin Artist however you may know me as the username Pudgyhime!"

That got Naegi's eyes to widen in recognition. "W-Really? But I thought-"

"Yes, yes. I know I was using a female avatar. However, it is only because I like looking at the designs of the female armors! Nothing else, alright? I have no doubts what I am attracted by and that is simply by the beauty of 2D."

"But what about…"

"Voice Modulator."

"I…I see…" Naegi shook his head. Pudgyhime was one of his closest online friends. They had gotten acquainted in an old MMO and now played every game together.

"Well, it's great that I'm finally able to meet you in real life."

"Indeed. Although, this was only possible because you used your in real life name as your Username in every game." Yamada rubbed his chin. "Now if only, Alter was here."

Naegi nodded, aggreging with the otaku. Alter was the third of their group. He'd often choose the bulkiest armors of the manliest classes and was insanely good at gaming. Probably the best among the three of them.

"Um, excuse me."

Yamada and Naegi turned to the source of the new voice. The short and cute Fujisaki Chihiro stood close, shyly shuffling her feet. Yamada made an exaggerated recoil from the 3D girl.

"F-Fujisaki Chihiro-dono!" He coughed into his hand as he steadied his large body. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"W-well, I heard what you guys were talking about. This should be proof, right?" The Ultimate Programmer looked to the side and brought up her phone to show them its screen.

Sayaka patiently watched from the sidelines, not really sure when she could step in or not. The three of them were talking excitedly. When she had first seen Fujisaki Chihiro, she had thought the girl was shy as she could barely look anyone in the eye and yet she looked comfortable talking to Yamada Hifumi, a person possibly triple the programmer's size and weight. The Doujin Artist then said something which made Naegi laugh and Fujisaki giggle.

She patiently waited for ten minutes before she decided to step in. With the grace only a dancer and the charm of an actress, the idol moved in and grabbed the luckster's arm. To add to the effect, she sent a wink to the other two.

"Excuse me, but can I borrow Naegi-kun for a while?"

Naegi's face erupted in light pink. For a second, Yamada looked like he wanted Naegi to explode with only his glare but Sayaka's wink made him shyly look away. Fujisaki just averted her gaze, a small blush on her face.

Without waiting for their answer, Sayaka dragged the shorter boy away from her classmates. All she wanted to do was to tell him of their past connection, was that so hard? Why did it feel like everyone in her class knew him? Was he the Ultimate Childhood Friend or something?

Well, no matter, she had him now.

"Um, Maizono-san?"

"Yes, Naegi-kun?"

"I…I can move on my own."

Sayaka giggled a how flustered he got. His cheeks were still dusted light pink as he tried not to look her direction. It was pretty cute, adorable even.

With one arm wrapped around his, she dragged him outside the classroom. The hallway was rather empty save for a few students. One of them, a girl with brown hair hand blue eyes, noticed them and waved. Sayaka recalled her as another of their classmate, Asahina Aoi, the Ultimate Swimmer.

"Ah, Naegi-kun!"

Nope.

Sayaka wasn't going through this again. The apologetic smile on her face was mismatched by the way she violently dragged the luckster away before he could say anything else.

Watching the two of them, Asahina could only pout. With how much that Naegi guy was talking to everyone, she thought he'd be interesting to talk too. Oh well, there was plenty of time within the year for them to get to know each other.

Meanwhile, the idol had finally dragged them both to what looked to her a secluded classroom. There was also no one around that had followed them and Sayaka was used to hearing for stalkers. Finally, now she could tell him that she knew him before.

It may have seemed a tad excessive but she was Maizono frikkin' Sayaka! She would get her way even if she had to tie the boy up to do that. It's not like she hasn't done any worse.

"Maizono-san, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Naegi-kun."

"Alright then." While Naegi appreciated all the attention she was giving him, there was something off about the girl in front of him. Maybe, it was how she had basically trapped him against the wall, his body sandwiched between her two arms. Maybe, it was how heavy she was breathing although they had walked a bit to find an empty room. Or maybe, it was the way her left eye was slightly twitching.

Whatever the case, she seemed a bit too…high-strung right now.

"There's been something I wanted to tell you, Naegi-kun." Sayaka started and Naegi tried to keep his gaze with those burning blue eyes for more than five seconds. "But didn't we go to the same high school?"

"Yeah, yeah we did. I knew all about you." Admitted the Luckster. He almost released a sigh of relief when he saw how a little tension left her. "I never got a change to talk to you though. You were really popular though I'm sure you didn't know me."

Sayaka's smile grew predatory. It was so nice of him to even set her up with it. "You've got that wrong. I've actually known who you were back then too."

She noticed how the boy's stopped shifting around at her words and widening in shock. His mouth even opened in a small "o", just the reaction Sayaka wanted. Heck, even the tiny stray piece of hair on his head went rigid stiff.

The whole thing was quite an adorable sight. Like an adorable little mouse that was trapped under a cat's paw. So much so, that Sayaka found herself leaning forward. It would be a bad idea tp go through with it so maybe just on the nose for a tease.

Or perhaps she could stop herself when she got too close.

She totally could, of course. She's done it perfectly numerous times in her jobs. Just a few centimeters away, enough to exchange breaths

However, she had been though a trying day. Even idols could screw up when they're tired, right? Yes, that was right. Even she had her faults.

Even Naegi-kun looked to be closing his eyes.

No one would even-

"What do you think you're doing."

Whatever possible scandals Sayaka was about to unleash was prevented by a hand grabbing her shoulder and pushing her away. In another time, Sayaka would've thanked the offender if she wasn't pushed away so harshly.

It was only with her years of training was Sayaka able to easily catch her balance and not tumble over from the harsh push. She was about to demand, not ask, who dared push her when Naegi did it for her.

It was with the soft shaky voice of a man that knew he was on death row did Naegi Makoto stutter out, "Ki-Kirigiri-san…"

The named Kirigiri had silver hair and lavender eyes that looked like they would shoot lightning if it was possible. If the girl was angry at Sayaka, she didn't show it as alll her attention and ire was directed at the boy who was still up against the wall without any escape. Roughly, a gloved hand grabbed an arm and started to pull the shorter boy out of the classroom.

"I leave you alone for thirty minutes on the first day of this school and you're already-"

The girl's speech stopped as she felt resistance followed by a yelp. She turned to see Sayaka grabbing onto Naegi's other hand. She wasn't even trying to hide how forced the smile on her face as.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes.

"Maizono Sayaka."

"Actually, I was having a polite discussion with Naegi-kun over here." Sayaka met the glare with her own. "One, I still plan on finishing."

"You looked plenty finished to me."

Pull.

"No, you see we were just getting started."

Pull. Pull.

"Let go."

Pull. Pull. Pull.

"You let go."

Pull. Pull. Pull. Pull. Pull.

"That's enough!" With one harsh yank, Naegi forced both his arms out of the girls' clutches. He immediately frowned when he looked at his wrists. That was going to take a while to fade. Sighing, he dared to turn to Sayaka first.

"I'm sorry, Maizono-san but I did promise to help Kirigiri-san with something. Maybe, we can take a rain check." From over Naegi's shoulder, The idol could spot the cocky smirk on Kirigiri's face. It took most of Sayaka not to grind her teeth, knowing how important it was to her work. The rest was used to give him an understanding smile that wouldn't have fooled anyone but Naegi Makoto.

"It's fine Naegi-kun. But I wonder if that's an invitation to a date?" One blue orb winked with such charm a heart could have easily flied out. She didn't even need her remaining eye to see resulting Naegi's flustter and Kirigiri's glare. "I'm sorry but you'll have to schedule that with my manager first."

"Let's go, Naegi-kun." Grabbing ahold of the boy's elbow once more she pulled him away this time ignoring his cries of pain. Sayaka just smiled and stood in place as she patiently waited for the two of them to leave. With one last backward wave from Naegi which got another pull from the silver-haired girl, the two exited the classroom.

The idol waited a few more moments to make sure they left as well as listen for any other nearby footsteps with her heightened hearing. Knowing the coast was clear, she released a very un-idol like slam to a nearby table. The force tore the table in two while her dainty arm remained unscathed. Blowing away a stray strand of hair that came close to her mouth, Sayaka decided just go home and try again the next day.

Tomorrow, she would definitely do it. Or, so help her, she would…

Crash!

Right as Sayaka left the room, two figures crashed through the nearby window. One had short black hair and eyes that desperately scanned the room. The other had a long red ponytail who really just looked confused about the whole thing.

After a moment of searching, the short haired brunette cursed. "Fuck. Where did that bitch take him?"

The red head answered but not before checking a notebook she had been keeping with her.

"Hmm, probably to the headmaster's office. Probably being around 99% with the remaining percent being between a love hotel or their dormitory room. I wish Matsuda-kun would do the same…"

"We can't take that chance. Not with Mako-kun's purity on the line."

"You know, you really should use a different name seeing as that could refer to Makoto-san and Matsuda-kun, right?"

A gun was cocked.

"Don't worry, Makkun. Onee-chan's coming."

Ikusaba Mukuro never liked that Kirigiri girl.

Speaking of which,

"Ow, Kirigiri-san, that really hurt, you know?"

"You're a boy. Deal with it."

"Man, you're really angry today. Don't tell me, you already went to talk to him?"

"Imagine if a certain person had insisted for months that I'd talk to a man I despise. The very same person then said to wait for him after class so he could accompany me when I did so. And that very same cheeky person had the gall to stand me up to go have his way with-

"W-wait a sec! Nothing like that happened! Besides, it was Maizono-san who dragged me there. There's no way someone like her would be into me. I mean, I'm just a normal guy. We've never even talked before.'

"…perhaps you're right. Someone like you should be off her radar and not have a even a remote chance." 'Should be…'

"Gee, thanks. So, are you still angry?"

"I never was angry. However, my dorm room is fairly bare at the moment. On the weekend, I plan to go out and buy a year's worth of supplies. Perhaps even two years' worth."

"…I'm sure all of that is going to be heavy."

"Of course. I'll also by buying appliances and other furniture. Preferably, large-sized models."

"Hahaha...haaaah…Can I come along, Kirigiri-san?"

"You've grown much sharper since we've last met, Naegi-kun."

"I'm guessing I'll also be buying lunch?"

"We'll make an assistant detective of you yet."

"Yeah, yeah. You really haven't changed, Kirigiri-san. Oh, new gloves?"

"…yes. The old one's were getting tight and these are custom-made."

"Well, I did give them to you all those years ago. I'm surprised you've held onto them for so long. Can I feel your new ones? They look so sleek."

"We're in a hurry, Naegi-kun. Here, you can just hold my hand until we get close to the headmaster's office…"

"Wait, I think I see it now! C'mon, let's go before he leaves. It's already getting pretty late."

"..."

"..."

"…idiot."

Chapter Text

OMAKE

Full backstories:

This is mainly for myself. I'll probably make full chapters for each of these but if anyone wants one specifically, I can do that first.

Makoto: The son of the head of a clan of famous doctors. His mother and father however didn't want to pressure their kids into succeeding the business so they raised them normally. After a certain point (when he was 10?), his family started to move around Japan a lot because of various patients. Eventually, they settled somewhere so Naegi could attend high school at Dusk before being he was accepted in Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Luckster.

Sayaka: Went to the same high school, initially. Saw him help a crane. That's it lol. I kinda want to start writing her like Teruhashi from Saiki.

Leon: They had a baseball game between their two schools. Compared to all the other schools that just rolled over and died, Naegi's didn't give up till the end. Naegi was able to get 22 foul balls in a row before he was struck out. This reignited Leon's excitement in baseball. Naegi is his self-proclaimed rival.

Mondo: On the day Mondo did a race with his brother, his brother pushed him out of the way of a car. Mondo was able to bring him to a hospital but as they were a known biker gang but it was hard to get security to accept Daiya. Luckily, Naegi had so happened to be there and with his name was able to get Daiya help even if he was now paralyzed to the waist down. Noticing how hard it was for his brother to move around, Mondo became inspired to try to become a carpenter/architect that built places for the disabled.

Chihiro: One half of Naegi's gaming buddies. Chihiro uses the alias Alter in all of his games. To feel better about himself, he always uses the manliest looking class and armor. His complex is still a thing, of course so he tries to compensate through his avatar and playstyle online.

Hifumi: The other half of Naegi's gaming buddies. Hifumi uses the alias Pudgyhime in reference to his favorite anime. He only uses female avatars and prefers style and over abilities. Can surprisingly act as a girl using a voice modulator surprisingly well. I think Hifumi and Chihiro make an interesting pair as Hifumi's not ashamed at all on who he is even if his hobby is looked down upon and gets him ridiculed. There's strength there while Chihiro could ground the guy down.

Kiyotaka: When his grandfather was disgraced, the Naegi's used some of their clout to help lessen the debt due to being old family friends. He and Naegi haven't actually met previously but he feels it is his duty to help him out or be friends with him. Seeing as Kiyotaka hasn't had a single friend before, I find it interesting for someone like him to assume he should be someone's friend due to a family debt instead of how most people normally do it. There's some character growth there.

Celes/Taeko: Naegi and her used to be childhood friends before he started moving around. Still unsure on the age. (Maybe 10 to 13?). She probably developed her liking for card games by playing with Naegi a lot. I like the idea that Celes developed her abilities as a gambler as that was the only way to beat Naegi's luck. It's also just fun for her façade to be brought down by her childhood friend.

Sakura: Knew Sakura before she went full buff. His dad helped with Kenshiro's treatment so Naegi got to hang out with the guy. Sometimes Sakura would pop-in and that's how they became friends. They've taught Naegi some stuff but just enough that's he's relatively fit for his age as he doesn't want to get into the fight for the title of World's Strongest Human. He did promise Kenshiro he'd be his disciple when he'd get better but that was more for morale.

Hagakure: A family friend. His mom is close friends with Naegi's and even went to the same med school. So, he and Naegi have hung out more times than Naegi would have liked to admit.

Aoi: Nothing. I couldn't think of anything interesting and it works for jokes. This just clearly means Asahina is perfect the way she is lol. Maybe, they swam together in the same baby pool.

Byakuya: As the Naegi clan has famous doctors that are said to be able to cure anything, of course the Togami's would want them for themselves or at least preferred treatment. The only one who gets that is family so Naegi's dad offered to agree if anyone was willing to marry into the family knowing no true Togami would give up their name. Byakuya has met Naegi and Komaru a few times and found them just as boring as every other peasant. He finds Naegi "almost not a waste of time" but doesn't get along with Komaru.

Toko: Like Ishimaru, she's never actually met Makoto but knows of him as she's already best friends with his sister, Komaru. They met at a book signing and hit it off from there. Mistakenly thinks Togami and Komaru are engaged. Is into the idea of cucking her best friend's fiancé from her and they're in this dramatic love triangle which couldn't be further than reality. Jack's still the same.

Kyoko: When she gained the burns on her hands (I think she was either 13 to 14?) and stayed at the hospital, her only visitor was an equally young Naegi who often stayed there because his father was busy with another patient. It took a while but Naegi eventually warmed her heart and became a trusted (only?) confidante. When she had to move abroad, he gifted her a pair of gloves to cover her scars. She replaced them when she arrived in Hope's Peak for custom-made ones but still keeps the original pair with her. They still kept in touch even though Naegi was never entirely sure how Kyoko is always able to find out where he lives. Whenever Kyoko has a rare case in Japan, it's almost guaranteed she'd run into Makoto who'd then be the prime suspect for the murder which they'd have to clear.

Matsuda: In the past, Matsuda's mother was cured by one of Naegi's uncle where they then got married. Matsuda also convinced them to adopt Junko and Mukuro who he was close friends with at the time. Sensing talent within the boy, he was taken up and trained as an apprentice which allowed him to better his abilities. So, Naegi's cousin-in-law. He and Komaru get along rather well over manga and their dislike for Byakuya.

Ryoko: Is Matsuda's sister only in name. Has most of her analytical abilities sealed however the more she tries to pull out the more she reverts. She can remember things up to one week but still keeps her journal just in case. Byakura wouldn't have minded marrying her as she often beats him in chess but the way she always forgets who he is incises him greatly.

Mukuro: Is Matsuda's sister only in name. Knew Naegi and Komaru since childhood and is their onee-chan. She still joined Fenrir but at least kept in contact with Ryoko, Matsuda, and the Naegi's. She's a bit more expressive this time around but that's the fun of it. Can be a bit overprotective. Has cockblocked Kyoko approximately 397 times and counting.

Junko: [REDACTED, BITCHES]

Hajime Hinata: With the power of the Naegis, the Kamakura Izuru project was [REDACTED].

TIMELINE:

Naegi at:

Two years old

-Swam together in the same Baby Pool as Asahina

Five years old

-Befriends Taeko

Seven years old

-Mukuro/Junko/Yasuke becomes part of the family

Thirteen years old

-Befriends Kirigiri

-Family starts moving around.

Fourteen years old

-Becomes friends with Pudgyhime and Alter

-Komaru meets Toko

Fifteen years old

--Befriends Sakura and Kenshiro

-Befriends Hagakure

-Meets Byakuya

Sixteen years old

--Helps Oowada save Daiya

-Attends Dusk with Maizono

-Plays against Leon

Seventeen years old

-Hope's Peak

-Meets Aoi, Ishimaru, and Toko