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Every single person goes through hard times. Heartbreak, loss, fear, and so many other emotions can cause even the most hopeful of people to fall into despair. Even so, it was shocking for Nagito Komaeda to find out that Makoto Naegi could be sad. The Makoto Naegi, the one who has shared his talent of ultimate luck. The one who was able to always inspire hope into people around him. Nagito had always looked up to him more than anyone else. Somehow, they had formed a friendship over the school year. Naegi was one of the only people that could understand what Nagito was going through. Seeing him sad felt off for Nagito, and he wanted to find a way for him to cheer up.
Naegi had been battling through some of his own stuff. Homesickness and feeling like he didn't belong. Nagito could understand those feelings more than anyone. The problem was, how was Nagito going to find a way to cheer up the oh so extraordinary Makoto Naegi. How could someone like him cheer up such a beacon of hope. Yet, it was his duty. His duty as a fellow “ultimate luck,” his duty as a stepping stool, and his duty as a friend. yes… his duty as a friend.
He spent the whole day brainstorming what he could do. He knew Makoto liked trendy things. So, what things were trendy? he sat in class thinking when he glanced over at one of his classmates. She was about as cool and trendy as they came, taking the world at her own pace, breezing through it like a sea of music. That classmate had caught him staring and waved a welcoming hand.
“What do you want Komaeda?” the friendly voice of the Ultimate Musician asked.
“Oh, I was just thinking. You’re a trendy person aren't you?”
“Trendy? Well they don’t call me Ibuki “Trendy” Mioda for nothing!” she says leaning cockily back on her seat
“No one calls you that.” the Ultimate Traditional Dancer chimed in.
“Well, I was going to ask, what is something you do to cheer yourself up when you are feeling down?”
“When Ibuki feels sad, which she rarely does, Ibuki does many things to make herself feel better! she writes songs, dyes her hair, plays games, listens to music, takes naps, and-”
“That’s enough, thank you.”
“No problemo! But, why are you asking? Do you need some cheering up, because Ibuki has just the song to do that!”
“No, I'm good,” he says laughing shakily. Ibuki was a wild one, but she, much like Makoto was happy all the time. Her advice was very useful. Nagito wasn't very good at writing songs, but her other suggestions were doable. One, in particular, seemed to interest Nagito. Hair dyeing. He had seen many people at their school with colored hair such as Ibuki and his other classmate, the ultimate mechanic, Kazuichi Souda. That was perfect for Makoto! M change to his look would pull him out of his slump. Tonight Nagito will help Makoto dye his hair!
The rest of the day dragged on. Nagito wanted to head over to Makoto's dorm right away. Makoto was a grade level below him, so he didn't get to see him around school today. He headed for his dorm room after classes were over and started his homework. While working, he thought over his plans again. For once, maybe his ultimate talent would come in handy for making someone smile. He smiled at the thought of that. Nagito wasn't known for making people smile, usually his attempts brought a rather negative reaction. For some reason he felt like, for once, this could be different. With Makoto, his luck was countered and he could live almost normally. Almost.
Sitting patiently, a notification rings off of Nagito's phone. It's from Makoto.
“Hey, I can't come over this afternoon. I'm swamped with homework.”
Nagito knew this was an excuse. He'd been making lots of excuses recently. If only he’d just be open with him about what's been keeping him down. Nagito debated what he should do. should he just stay in, complete some homework and get a good night's rest? Or should he head over to Makoto’s room? Usually, he’d just trust his luck on this one, and hold on to hope for this to blow over, but he didn't want to do that this time. Taking action was something he usually failed at, but he prided himself for at least trying. Trying to make use of his useless life. He pondered his thoughts for a while and drifted off to sleep.
He woke up suddenly, realizing he had fallen asleep at such a crucial moment. What type of person does that? Only one as lowly as himself. He turned over slowly and checked the time. 7:30 PM. How did he sleep for that long? Why would he do such a thing? He sprung up out of his bed and before he could think, he was putting on his jacket and heading out the door.
Each step he took closer to Makoto's room he got more excited. When he finally arrived he knocked on the door. He didn't care how late it was, or the fact that Makoto wouldn't want his company, He wanted to see his idol, his friend, smile. He wanted to make sure he did, who cares what time it is.
“Who is i- oh! Nagito?” Makoto said opening the door and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“I'm sorry, did I wake you?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. Is everything alright?”
Without answering Makoto's question, Nagito waltzed into the room and turned the light on. he took a seat on the edge of Makoto’s bed.
“Everything is perfect, that’s why I'm here.”
“What?” Makoto explains, scared.
“We are going out tonight!”
“It’s a school night. I have class at 8 tomorrow morning.”
“And? You’ve been feeling down recently so tonight, we are going out!” he smiled
“Oh,” Makoto paused. the look on his face softened and he laughed. “You've been worried for me, huh?” he said rubbing his neck. “I guess, we can go somewhere for a little bit.”
Nagito's face lit up.
“Perfect!” he jumped to his feet.
Dragging Makoto out of the room, they walked out of the dorm areas and down towards town.
“Where exactly are we going?” Makoto asked while being dragged by hand.
“You’ll see. Trust me on this one thing.”
So, Makoto trusted him. It seemed like Makoto was the only one that would trust him. As they walked, a meteor shower flew from above, causing Makoto to stare in awe, and Nagito to scoff. Those things seemed to always happen if he was outside, what is the point of finding something like that amazing? They continued to walk forward until they were in front of the 24/7 drug store.
“This is where you wanted to take me?” Makoto asks, puzzled.
They walk into the store and end up among the hair dye section.
“Pick a color.”
“W-what?”
“Ibuki said that dyeing her hair is something that makes her happy. I think it’ll be fun to change up your look.”
Makoto laughed and looked around. Nagito could tell that he was hesitant. but, all of this was not a bad idea. He knew it.
“I don't know how good I’ll look with dyed hair, but maybe you’re right. That Kazuichi kid in your class’s hair is very cool. and so is Ibuki’s. I've always hated my basic brown hair, so maybe it is time for a change.” Makoto's whole demeanor changed. He seemed more eager than ever to go through with this. He scoured the shelves of the limited colors to dye his hair. He ended up settling for purple.
“Maybe I can match with Kiri!” he smiled.
Nagito smiled, fought Makoto on who got to pay, resulting in Nagito paying because he found a hundred dollar bill on the ground, and went on his way back. he felt accomplished. Makoto Naegi, the ultimate luck, one of the most hopeful people Nagito knew, was using him as a stepping stool to find happiness, and hope again. What a wonderful feeling, something someone like him didn't deserve, but alas, it was there.
Returning to the school grounds, the boys were met with a harsh reality neither of them had considered. It was well past curfew. The school guards were blocking every entranceway to the school. There was no way to go back to the dorms without getting caught. Panic flashed Makoto's face, but for Nagito, he had a plan. If his luck was good for anything, it would be this. He just had to wait for the right moment. Not even a second could pass before a loud noise disturbed the guards, and Makoto.
“IIIT'S IBUKI'S FREE CONCERT TIME!” a microphone booms from somewhere in the schoolyard. The guards turned their heads towards the sound and two stepped off into the schoolyard, making an opening and a distraction. Makoto and Nagito snuck quickly past the guards and made a run for it. Obviously they didn't get caught because, you know, luck and all.
After the run, they finally ended up back at Makoto’s dorm, ready to dye his hair.
Getting his bathroom ready, Nagito mixed the bleach and set up the dye while Makoto read the instructions aloud. There was an inevitable anxiety in his voice, but also excitement. Good for him, feeling hope with all the despair he had fallen victim to in the past couple of weeks.
“Let’s do this,” Makoto says as Nagito starts to apply bleach to his hair. Makoto squirmed nervously. The smell of the bleach was causing both of their eyes to sting. The fumes were just too strong, so they opened the window. With the bleach all put in, the two boys decided to sit on Makoto's bed and watch some TV until it was time to wash it out. Nagito popped popcorn and they waited. Nagito had never had this feeling before. He felt happy, safe, and not no lonely. Staying out past curfew, making dumb decisions, and eating popcorn in someone’s room. Is this what it felt like to have a friend? If it was, then it felt amazing.
The night went on and they washed the bleach out of Makoto’s hair and moved on to the dye. It was a messy process but they were able to manage. Makoto's final hair was a dark purple, and was very different from his normal look. The two boys laughed, seeing how different he looked.
“Don’t worry, it’ll wash out eventually and you can dye it back to normal, but for now, I hope this hairdo fills you with hope and happiness.!”
After that, Nagito snuck back into his room. as he laid in bed he recounted the events of the day. Was he successful in restoring hope into Makoto? Only time can tell. He drifted asleep with these thoughts in his head, feeling satisfied for the time being.