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Kamukura doesn’t understand the purpose of their “school trip,” and it frustrates him that he doesn’t know. He’s always prided himself on being clever enough to figure these sorts of things out. But the fact that he doesn’t know, while frustrating, is a bit exciting as well. There isn’t much that he can’t figure out.
The goal of this “trip” is to spend time with his classmates, something that he’s really not very interested in at all. Kamukura is not a people-person; it’s not as though he doesn’t know how to interact with others, but he doesn’t see any benefit in it. For someone with as many talents as him, everyone else is boring in comparison. There isn’t a single person here whose talent he could not match.
Well, that isn’t entirely true.
Izuru Kamukura possesses the enigmatic talent of good luck, but he certainly doesn’t possess it in the same way as Nagito Komaeda does. From the amount of time he has spent with Komaeda, he knows exactly how extreme and turbulent Komaeda’s luck cycle is. Kamukura doesn’t have to worry about backlashes of bad luck—something that Komaeda constantly fusses over—but he also doesn’t benefit from such powerful good luck.
As much as Komaeda hates his luck cycle, Kamukura can’t help but be drawn to the unpredictability of it. Things that are unpredictable are the only things that are really worth his time, after all, and they’re so few and far between. Most of the time, things are so very boring.
But while Komaeda’s talent and strange personality set him apart from the rest of their classmates, it’s difficult to spend time with him, even if Kamukura wanted to. Once they first arrived at the island and Kamukura decided to indulge in this little experiment by spending time with all of his classmates individually, he found that Komaeda’s worries over his bad luck make it almost impossible for him to enjoy any free time.
The more callous part of him wants to say that it’s a little pathetic, but he knows that isn’t really fair. He actually can’t help but feel a bit bad for the boy.
So maybe it’s for this reason, pity or interest in his unique talent, that causes Kamukura to continue to approach Komaeda to spend time together.
“Would you like to come to the beach with me?” he asks Komaeda one day.
He picks the beach for a reason. Something like the library might be a better choice, since it’s quiet and uneventful. But he wants to choose something that will hopefully lead Komaeda to confront some of his worries.
Komaeda blinks rapidly at him, as though he’s still trying to process what Kamukura said.
“Are you unwell?” Kamukura asks as he continues to stare without any response. He means for it to come off as somewhat concerned, but he’s pretty sure his facial expression and tone don’t change.
“Ah!” Komaeda starts as though broken from a trance. “I’m sorry, Kamukura-kun. I was just startled that someone like you is actually willing to spend time with someone like me. Not only that, but to actually go out of your way to ask me…! I can’t help but wonder what sort of bad luck could come out of such an amazing situation…”
There’s a wild grin on his face, despite his pessimistic words. Kamukura starts to wonder if this was a good idea after all.
“Are you coming or not?” is all Kamukura can really ask, unsure of what else to say.
Komaeda laughs. “I could hardly pass up the opportunity to spend time with Super High School Level Hope, regardless of the consequences.”
“Right,” Kamukura says flatly.
He doesn’t have much fondness for that title. In fact, he thinks it’s ridiculous. And Komaeda’s constant admiration and borderline devotion to him for having that title is…vexing, to say the least. But he supposes it’s a better reaction than the bitter jealousy he receives from others.
Nagito Komaeda really is a difficult person to spend time with, but at least he’s marginally more interesting than most other people.
When they go to the beach, it’s past midday, the sun just beginning its descent in the sky. Kamukura prefers spending time out here later in the day, for many reasons, one of which being how easily he burns when the sun is shining its brightest upon the shore.
He can imagine someone like Komaeda would burn easily, as well. His complexion is so pale it’s almost worrying.
“Perhaps we should take our clothes off,” Kamukura suggests, after a few moments where they do no more than stand there on the sand, looking out at the ocean.
Komaeda immediately looks apprehensive. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to go in the ocean together. There’s no telling what my luck could do to make things dangerous.”
Kamukura opens his mouth to argue the point, when Komaeda keeps talking.
“Ah, but if you just meant you want to see me naked, then I don’t mind!”
He’s brightened up considerably at this prospect. Kamukura is stunned into silence for a moment. He’s horrified to realize that his face suddenly feels warm.
“You…don’t mind?” is what leaves his mouth, even though those are definitely not the words he should be saying.
“Not at all!” Komaeda’s cheerful attitude is back. “I don’t know why you’d want to look at someone as ugly as me, but I’ll gladly strip if you want me to.”
There’s a lot to dissect there, and Kamukura doesn’t know where to begin. He is quiet for another few moments as he considers. Hanging out with Komaeda is certainly strange so far, but at least he can’t say he’s bored.
“I meant that I wanted to go in the ocean,” he clarifies.
Komaeda frowns, his earlier wariness returning. “I’m sorry, but like I said, I don’t think we should…”
“I possess good luck as well,” Kamukura retorts. “Are you saying you don’t believe my good luck is enough to cancel out your bad luck?”
Komaeda looks nervous at his words, even a bit panicked. “Ah, I mean…I wouldn’t presume to say your talents aren’t amazing in every way, and far superior to mine!” he says. “But…I just don’t know…”
Maybe it was a little cruel to use Komaeda’s admiration of Kamukura’s talents against him. He’s clearly still uncomfortable with the idea, but doesn’t want to tell Kamukura that he’s wrong.
Of course, Kamukura doesn’t think he is wrong. But Komaeda’s constant paranoia may not be that easy to fix.
“A compromise, then,” he suggests, cutting off Komaeda’s anxious rambling. Komaeda watches him curiously as he removes his shoes and rolls up the legs of his pants to his knees. After only a beat of hesitation, Komaeda follows suit.
Kamukura walks into the shallow water. It’s surprisingly warm, though he knows it will cool with the setting sun. He looks out at the waves, fascinated with the roiling motions, incalculable in their randomness.
Whenever he finds something that piques his interest, it isn’t long before he grows bored once again. This will probably happen with Nagito Komaeda, as well, as it does with all things. But then he has to wonder, as Komaeda steps up beside him in the water, why he’s bothering to try to help him.
He wants Komaeda to get over the fear caused by his luck cycle, to the point where he wants to ease him into being comfortable doing these things. There isn’t any rationality behind why he feels this way, but he feels it all the same.
“This is nice,” Komaeda says. Kamukura looks at him, but his eyes are fixed on the orange horizon.
“The water is too shallow here for any potential danger to occur,” Kamukura explains. “Perhaps next time we can try going deeper.”
Komaeda smiles, turning to look at him. “Next time?”
He’s so excited by the idea, he doesn’t even look frightened at the suggestion that they go farther in. Kamukura decides that he prefers Komaeda being excited about ridiculous things to being afraid, so he says “Next time,” like a promise.
When Komaeda turns away from him again, he looks contemplative. Kamukura waits him out until he speaks again.
“You know, today is my birthday.”
Kamukura blinks. “Is it?”
Komaeda starts, like he doesn’t realize he just said that aloud. “Ah, I mean…not that it really matters! It’s just something that I just happened to remember.”
Even if he doesn’t think the birthday of someone like him matters, it’s clear that the detail is significant to Komaeda on some level. Kamukura can’t exactly relate to placing any particular importance on any particular day, but he knows what other people do.
“People are supposed to have fun on their birthdays,” he says, ignoring Komaeda’s self-deprecation. “Are you having fun?”
“Of course I am!” Komaeda assures him immediately. “Spending time with someone like you is the most fun I could have. It’s so amazing, I don’t care if it causes me to die a horrible death!”
There’s that again. He’s so sincere it’s disturbing. “That’s not going to happen,” Kamukura says definitively.
“Ah, but I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Komaeda continues as though he hasn’t spoken. “Maybe we should head back after all.”
Unthinkingly, Kamukura reaches out and takes one of Komaeda’s hands in his own, preventing him from leaving. Komaeda’s eyes widen at the contact, but he’s doesn’t move.
“Stay,” Kamukura orders him. “At least until the sun goes down.”
He does, and they watch the sunset in silence. The sensation of a hand in Kamukura’s own is entirely foreign to him and his skin buzzes at all the points of contact, but he doesn’t let go, even when it’s obvious that Komaeda isn’t going to leave.
Only when night falls and they head their separate ways does he release Komaeda’s hand, and just before he goes he says, like an afterthought, “Happy birthday.”
Komaeda’s answering grin makes something unfamiliar flutter in his chest, and he wonders if maybe this won’t become boring, after all.