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I’ll definitely hear it when someone is at the door.
And so Naegi did.
He did hear when the door creaked open and close again, when there was the sound of hesitant footsteps not shortly after, and he also most certainly heard the sound of someone sitting down on the floor and that of a zipper being opened.
He never expected this to happen, truth to be told.
This wasn’t something that he could have planned about. He also never thought that Hinata would do something like that. Naegi briefly remembers Enoshima saying something about how ‘people in despair are capable of lots and lots and lots of unbelievable things! Did you know that, Naegi-kun?’
He also wonders if Hinata already is in despair and how long it would be until he finally decides to get rid of himself to be someone better.
Naegi really can’t wait.
Whenever he thinks about having that talented version of Hinata on his side, he can’t help but feel excited about the possibilities. Not to mention, with Komaeda’s luck and his own luck, he can’t think of anything that they won’t be able to do.
He can feel it’s soon.
--
“…A-Ah, Naegi-kun, look.” Komaeda’s eyes slightly widen as soon as the two of them exit the bathroom. The both of them just finished taking a shower (and doing some other things too), and they were covered with nothing but a towel each around their waist. Their used clothes were neatly folded and placed on Komaeda’s bed, and next to them are the ones that Komaeda plan to use for sleeping. Naegi wasn’t really planning to stay the night, so he intends to just use his previous clothes and get changed in his own dorm room…
His train of thoughts gets interrupted when he realizes that Komaeda is currently pointing him something, and he should direct his attention there quickly.
Though, truth to be told, he already has a good clue what it is.
Hinata was already on his bed, the upper bunk, fast asleep. Naegi was actually able to hear the exact moment Hinata arrived, but Komaeda didn’t, so he understands Komaeda’s current surprise. He decides to act a little bit shocked anyway.
“…It seems Hinata-kun arrived already.” Komaeda lightly colors as he continues speaking, his blushing made even more visible by the fact that he's currently half-bare. “Naegi-kun, do you think he… you know… heard us?”
“I don’t think so.” Naegi softly replies, lightly tapping Komaeda on the shoulder as a way to be reassuring. “If he did, I'm pretty sure that he would leave. Right?”
“Well, you have a point…” Komaeda says, though Naegi can notice that he still looks embarrassed. “I’ll get dressed fast so I can walk Naegi-kun to his room. Please wait for a while, alright?”
“You don’t have to.” Naegi lets out a small smile. “You can stay here and rest for the day already, Komaeda-kun. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“If Naegi-kun says so...” Naegi is starting to get used to those words. If anything, they're actually getting quite old already. Komaeda walks over to his bed and takes Naegi’s clothes in his arms before promptly handing it to him. “You should get dressed fast then, Naegi-kun. So that you can return earlier and have a longer sleep.”
“Alright.” Naegi smiles again as he takes his own clothes from Komaeda’s grasp. Komaeda’s cheeks lightly redden as he manages a smile back. “Thank you so much for always taking care of me, Komaeda-kun.”
“You shouldn’t be thanking me, you know, Naegi-kun.” Komaeda’s smile was so bright that it was almost funny. “It’s my pleasure to be of use to you.”
That statement actually sounded lovely.
Naegi smiles even more just because of that.
--
“Naegi-kun!” Komaeda happily greets him the next day they see each other. He's usually smiling anyway, but today, he seems especially energetic. Naegi flashes him a small smile, one of those usual smiles that have the perfect morph of friendliness and respect. “Hello, Naegi-kun. Sorry if I startled you. Is Fujisaki-san still in the classroom?”
Naegi was genuinely curious why Komaeda was asking, but his not-yet-spoken question was shortly answered when the fact that Komaeda currently has a companion showed itself. There was a pink-haired guy wearing a yellow jumpsuit, and he flashed a toothy grin upon seeing Naegi.
“Hey, you're Komaeda’s boyfriend.” The guy greets with a small wave. Naegi promptly returns it. “I'm Souda Kazuichi, Komaeda’s classmate.”
Naegi actually has a clue on who he is. He was able to familiarize himself with everyone’s faces and talents, though he admittedly doesn’t remember everyone’s names. This person was the Super High School Level Mechanic, and just by seeing him, Naegi already has a rough idea of what they're going to do today.
“Nice to meet you, Souda-kun.” Naegi offers him a hand. Souda firmly shakes it. “I'm Naegi Makoto. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise!” Souda nods, still with that toothy grin. “So Komaeda here said that he’ll introduce me to a cute chick. He doesn’t mean you, right? Just getting things straight here.”
Naegi forces a chuckle. “Silly Souda-kun. Of course it’s not me! I think Komaeda-kun was pertaining to Fujisaki-san. You guys are in luck since she is still inside. Let me call her for you two.”
Naegi hears a chirpy ‘thank you, Naegi-kun’ from Komaeda before entering the classroom again. Not all of his classmates are inside for the reason that some of them already left to grab food as soon as they were allowed to exit. Naegi usually is one of those who leave early because he had to meet up with Komaeda in the latter’s classroom. In fact, he was about to leave already earlier, but Komaeda seems to have beaten him to fetching him today.
Naegi promptly remembers the time when he specifically requested Komaeda not to go to his classroom in hopes of minimizing his interaction with Enoshima.
Naegi also promptly wonders if Komaeda completely forgot about that request (order) and consciously chose to defy Naegi.
He knows that Komaeda won’t do something like that (not now, at least, who knew when things would change), but he can’t deny that he felt a slight twinge of annoyance for some reason.
His annoyance gets even more alleviated when he sees that Enoshima directed a look at him as soon as she saw him. He does his best to keep calm and just ignore it, and instead, he scans the room for Fujisaki.
Right now, in their room, the only ones present are Asahina, Oogami, Enoshima, Ikusaba, Fujisaki, Oowada, Ishimaru, and Hagakure. Asahina looks likes she was trying to solidify her focus—Naegi doesn’t really understand, but from what he can currently hear, she seems to be doing something that can strengthen her stamina even more. Oogami was saying polite encouragement, though Naegi can observe that she's trying to be silent enough to not ruin Asahina’s concentration.
Enoshima, not looking at him anymore much to his relief, seems to be saying something to Ikusaba with the latter just nodding here and there. He wonders what she's telling Ikusaba—when it comes to Enoshima, Naegi just automatically questions everything. He wonders if it is paranoia, but then again, the paranoid are never really entirely mistaken anyway, are they?
Putting Enoshima away from his thoughts for a while, he finally spots Fujisaki in one corner of the room, and he was conversing with both Oowada and Ishimaru. Naegi makes his way towards them, and they turn to greet him as soon as they notice that he was headed to their direction.
“Hey, Naegi!” It was Oowada who first greeted him, giving him a rough pat on the back. “The three of us are planning to work out tonight. Wanna come with us?”
“Ah, I’ll pass for now, Oowada-kun.” Naegi smiles a bit. “I'm just here to excuse Fujisaki-san for a while. Is that okay?”
“Sure thing!” Oowada gives Fujisaki a pat on the back too before lightly pushing him to Naegi’s direction. “Return the kid to us quickly!”
“I will.” Naegi lightly bows his head, and he turns to Fujisaki afterwards as they walk away from Oowada and Ishimaru. “Komaeda-kun and Souda-kun—he's the Super High School Level Mechanic—are actually here to see you. From what I can see, they seem eager to help you with your invention.”
“O-Oh…” Fujisaki blinks, looking flattered. “Komaeda-kun’s really nice… Souda-kun’s really nice as well… And you too, Naegi-kun. Thank you so much for being supportive.”
“Oh, come on now, Fujisaki-san.” Naegi smiles. “It was my request that you're working on, right? The least I can do is to be as supportive as I can. I already feel really bad for taking so much of your time, after all…”
“You shouldn’t feel bad, Naegi-kun.” Fujisaki warmly returns his smile. “I'm having fun working on it anyway, and you already are a dear friend to me. I know you guys are trying to help me achieve my dream of being stronger too, so I wouldn’t mind doing what I can to help Naegi-kun achieve his.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me, Fujisaki-san. Thank you.”
The two of them reach the outside of the classroom after that, and Souda and Komaeda face them almost as soon as they did. Souda give Fujisaki a curious glance for a while, and his facial expression quickly goes back to that toothy grin that he had earlier.
“Yo! You must be Fujisaki-san.” Naegi can tell that he was trying to look smooth (and failing at it). “I'm Souda. Souda Kazuichi. Nice to meet’cha.”
“Oh…” Fujisaki nods, reluctantly offering him a hand. “Fujisaki Chihiro… It’s nice to meet you too, Souda-kun.”
Souda shakes Fujisaki’s hand the way he did to Naegi’s earlier. “So… Komaeda mentioned to me that you need my assistance regarding something mechanical. Well, you can totally count on me! What is it?”
“Oh, well, I don’t know if I can discuss it right now…I have the blueprints back at home, so I guess I should bring it some other time…? I have a design for the hardware, but what I'm really working on generally is the software…”
As Souda and Fujisaki continue their conversation peppered with technical jargon, Komaeda transfers beside Naegi. Naegi immediately smiles at him, a gesture that Komaeda almost immediately returns. “You seem really happy today, Komaeda-kun. Did something happen?”
“Well, not really…” Komaeda replies, his smile still on his face. “I'm just really, really happy that I was able to help Fujisaki-san. Helping out everyone just always sends me in a good mood, see.”
Naegi nods. “That sounds just like you, Komaeda-kun. Always so kind and helpful.”
Komaeda visibly blushes at that comment. “That means a lot… especially coming from you of all people, Naegi-kun. I think that you're a really kind person, so you thinking that I am, too… it’s such an honor!”
“Anyway,” Naegi attempts to change the topic as kindly as he can. “Do you think the two of them would mind if we go on ahead?”
“Well, as far as I know, Souda-kun won’t…” Komaeda replies, looking at Souda and Fujisaki who are still conversing. “Earlier when you guys went out the door, he told me that Fujisaki-san was cute, so…”
“I can see what Souda-kun means.” Naegi nods, letting out a forced chuckle. “Fujisaki-san can get a bit shy, but right now, I think she's comfortable, talking about the thing that she's passionate about the most. So I guess she wouldn’t mind if we go.”
“Alright then.” Komaeda smiles. “Let’s go, Naegi-kun. Where do you want to eat today?”
They say a fast goodbye to both Souda and Fujisaki, the latter two waving at them, and as they walk away, Naegi replies. “Anywhere is fine with me. Is there something particular that Komaeda-kun would want to eat today?”
Before Komaeda can reply to Naegi’s delivered query, their conversation was interrupted before it even really began by a high-pitched ‘Komaeda-kun!’ Naegi instantly recognized the voice, and he does his best to keep his facial expression from souring.
It was Enoshima, closely tailed by Ikusaba on the side, waving at the two of them. They look like they just exited the classroom, Naegi can infer, since Souda and Fujisaki momentarily look at them before proceeding with what they're talking about.
Naegi closely observes that Komaeda’s eyes slightly widen. If he were to take a wild guess, he’d say that Komaeda probably remembered Naegi’s request of him refraining from going to this area.
“My, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you around these parts, Komaeda-kun.” Enoshima loudly observes. Naegi almost grits his teeth because he doesn’t really comprehend why she's doing this. To get on his nerves, maybe? That sounds like something that she can think of. “Did Naegi-kun finally allow you to go here?”
“Um—” Komaeda starts, but Enoshima quickly interrupts his attempt to reply.
“Oh, wait, sorry! I only assumed that Naegi-kun told you to avoid this place. But did he, really? Did he, really?” Naegi almost imagines Enoshima leaning forward to invade their personal spaces. “Oh, wait, that might be wrong again! That doesn’t sound like something that Naegi-kun here would do. Or does it?”
“Excuse me, Enoshima-san,” Naegi speaks. Komaeda beside him is starting to look increasingly uncomfortable. “Sorry if I'm being rude, but what are you trying to do?”
“Aw, sorry, Naegi-kun.” She pouts. “I'm just trying to start a conversation with Komaeda-kun! It really has been a while since we last saw each other around here, after all. Right, Komaeda-kun?”
“Well, that’s true…” Komaeda replies. Naegi feels Komaeda’s hand lightly tugging on his jacket. His upset must have been a little visible if Komaeda found the need to do that. Naegi quickly corrects himself and tries to look impassive at least. “It really is great seeing you again, Enoshima-san.”
Komaeda slightly bows his head, and his hand finds its way to Naegi’s. Naegi feels compelled to bow his head as well and maybe squeeze Komaeda’s hand back because he needs something to buffer his annoyance… not because of intimacy or comfort or something stupid like that.
They both leave, ignoring Enoshima’s comments about how ‘cute’ and ‘sickeningly hopeful’ they look.
--
It was raining outside, so they couldn’t hang out in their usual spot at the rooftop or in the courtyard under their favorite tree. They settled for an empty classroom somewhere near Komaeda’s classroom because they don’t really want to go anywhere Naegi’s for a while.
None of them talked and only the sound of the pitter-patter on the roof can be heard. The sound of the rain drowns out even their breathing and occasional chewing of food that if Naegi doesn’t pay enough attention, the room will feel like it’s empty.
“Naegi-kun.” Komaeda finally speaks. The rain chooses that moment to get stronger. “I'm so sorry.”
The drops of the rain now sound like they're fiercely tapping against the closed window of the classroom. “What do you mean? That wasn’t your fault. It’s all Enoshima-san. I'm going to talk to her sometime later.”
“Not that…” Komaeda’s voice sounded timid, though Naegi wonders if that’s only because the rain is drowning it with its force. “I completely forgot about your previous request… about me not going to your classroom, I mean. Today, I remembered again why it’s been a while since I have gone to your area… I was so focused on helping other people that I have forgotten about you. I'm so sorry.”
“It’s alright.” Naegi speaks as gently as he can. “I understand. I know Komaeda-kun is just being kind.”
“It’s not kindness at all because I have disregarded you.” Komaeda bites his lower lip. “You were only looking out for me… You just didn’t want Enoshima-san to make me uncomfortable again… yet I completely ignored your intentions… I really am too despicable. I don’t deserve you at all, Naegi-kun.”
“Don’t be like that now, Komaeda-kun.” Naegi softly places his hand on Komaeda’s. “If anything, I'm actually worried about Enoshima-san’s words. Do you think I'm being too controlling telling you not to go to our classroom?”
“Not at all!” Komaeda frantically shakes his head. “I understand why Naegi-kun told me not to. Actually, I understand it even more now! You were just looking out for me. That’s all. There's nothing bad about that…”
“I'm glad you understand.” Naegi smiles, softly squeezing Komaeda’s hand underneath his. “Komaeda-kun knows, right? That for everything I do, it’s all because I love you… you know that, right?”
Komaeda lightly blushes. “I do know that… I'm flattered… so flattered. I don’t deserve something like that.”
“You deserve all the kindness in the world, Komaeda-kun.” Naegi smiles and leans closer.
As they kiss, the rain gets even stronger, and a crash of thunder is heard.
--
It’s still raining that afternoon. Naegi asked Komaeda to go home without him because that’s the best in this current situation. Not only does Komaeda’s class have a quiz the next day, but Naegi also has a… business to tend to.
His current agenda came in the form of the Super High School Level Fashionista who was looking out of the window when Naegi entered the classroom. The place was empty except for the two of them, and any sound of the persevering track team who refused to stop practice despite the weather cannot be clearly heard because of the rain.
It’s almost as if the rain is creating an illusion that the two of them are completely secluded from the outside world.
“Hey, Naegi-kun.” Enoshima finally turns around, that familiar all-aware expression on her face. “I figured you'd want to talk this afternoon. My, you're so predictable sometimes it’s almost despair-inducing.”
“Since I'm so predictable,” Naegi keeps up his smile. “I'm pretty sure you already know then what I want to talk about right now, Enoshima-san.”
“Mhm.” She nods. Naegi could have sworn that she rolled her eyes in the process too. “You and Komaeda-kun make such a lovely couple. If I don’t know any better, I’d say that you're already falling for him!”
“I'm not.” Naegi promptly replies. “See, luck is very unpredictable. It’s a valuable asset as long as it will work for our favor. I'm just making sure that Komaeda-kun will be on our side no matter what.”
“Awww! That’s so romantic!” Enoshima coos. “Komaeda-kun will just fall for you all over again if he hears that!”
“Enough with that. While what I want to talk about at the moment does involve Komaeda-kun, he isn’t really the pressing issue here.” Naegi straightens himself. “What were you trying to do earlier?”
She pouts. “Naegi-kun is still upset about that, huh… How despair-inducing!”
“You're not answering my question, Enoshima-san.”
“Is there really something bad with what I did…?” She clasps her hands together, looking down on the floor. If Naegi were to choose which personality of Enoshima he hates the most, this one might be it. “I just thought that it would be fun… There's nothing wrong with talking with Komaeda-kun for a short while… is there…?”
“It’s not talking to him per se.” Naegi does his best to fight his growing exasperation. “It’s what you're saying. Why do you keep on hinting things to him?”
“Hinting…?” She timidly repeats. She looks so forlorn that Naegi can almost see mushrooms growing on her head. “I didn’t hint anything… It’s true that Naegi-kun asked him not to go near our classroom, right…?”
“It is, but with the way you're saying it, it’s almost as if you want him to find out about my plans.”
“Komaeda-kun is just truly hopeful, that is why.” Enoshima straightens her posture, propping up a pair of imaginary glasses on the bridge of her nose. “What would be better than seeing an individual who believes in hope so much disintegrate upon realizing that the person that he trusts the most turn out to be the reverse of what he believes in?”
“So you don’t deny it.” Naegi allows the slightest hint of a frown to his features. “You don’t deny that you want him to find out about my plans.”
“Does that really sound so much like an awful thought?” Enoshima crosses her arms. “Knowing you, you are sufficiently competent to twist your statements and make your objective sound like heaven’s work. And as it is you, I do not imagine that Komaeda-kun will have a difficult time believing.”
“Of course I know and can do that. And of course he is bound to know sometime.” Naegi keeps himself from snapping. “But I'm going to do it at my pace. With the way you're doing it, you're just rushing in and risking the possibility of him defecting. Why do you think I keep on building him up? Complimenting him, kissing him, even sleeping with him—it’s all because of that. Just stop meddling with my affairs.”
Enoshima lets out a loud laugh, and almost as if the weather is sympathizing with them, there was another roar of thunder. “That might be the most fucking romantic thing that I have ever heard, damn!”
There's something wrong with Enoshima’s perception of romantic, but it’s not like Naegi is in the position to say that. “So do you understand now? Stop rushing me. Everything will fall to place soon. And when it’s finally done, it’s going to be perfect.”
“Hahaaa! So damn terrifying I'm gonna fucking wet myself!” She practically yells. “Just so you know, I really can’t wait any damn longer! If I get fucking impatient enough, I might do some things… just a warning!”
“I'm not gonna let you anyway.” Naegi replies.
Or at least that’s what he wants to reply, but he chose to say nothing.
Because he knows that like Komaeda, Enoshima too is a valuable ally despite herself and he must control his rage or else.
--
“It’s raining again, huh…” Komaeda muses as he stares at the sky. “Seems we can’t go to the roof today too… Does Naegi-kun want to spend time in that empty classroom again?”
“I don’t really mind.” Naegi smiles. “Unless there's somewhere else that Komaeda-kun prefers, then I'm okay with that too.”
“Now I feel really pressured to pick a good place!” Komaeda lets out an airy chuckle. “I really can’t think of any though…”
“Well, as I said, I don’t really mind the classroom.” He takes Komaeda’s hand in his. “To be honest, it doesn’t really matter where we go, right? What matters is that we’re together.”
Komaeda looks too bright with that cheery expression of his. It almost seems like he glowed when he heard what Naegi said. “I agree… Naegi-kun, you really are pampering me too much. I'm feeling guilty because I feel like I don’t really do anything for you… I want to do something helpful. Is there something that you'd like to request?”
“Now, now, you're speaking like my pampering of you has to have something in return, Komaeda-kun.” Naegi tightens his hold on Komaeda’s hand as the rain gets even stronger. “I don’t need anything in return… I feel happy just seeing Komaeda-kun happy. That’s enough reward, right?”
“W-Well…” Komaeda’s cheeks color. “You know, Naegi-kun… It might be pathetic of me to say, but… I’ve never really been treated this nicely before. T-Thank you.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, you know.” He kisses Komaeda lightly on the jaw. “I love you.”
--
The words ‘I love you’ don’t really mean anything to Naegi. He found it easy to throw those words around because he doesn’t really care. People treat love as if it were such a sacred and magical thing, and if he were to be honest, he’d say that the way people allow themselves to be controlled by it is disgusting.
And stupid. Mostly stupid.
Komaeda is stupid. Hinata is stupid too. Everyone is.
If there's anyone who views this concept the way Naegi does, it’s probably Enoshima, and he can give her credit for that, at least. Enoshima may be annoying and certainly has the knack to piss him off, but he knows that she isn’t a fool.
If anything, that might be one of the reasons why she feels like such a threat.
Naegi wonders if he should do some countermeasures too to make sure that she doesn’t do anything that will be problematic for him in the future.
--
“It’s a good thing that we’re staying at the dorms, isn’t it?” Komaeda says one time as he's looking out the window again. The rain seems to be worsening with each day, so they chose to spend their time at Naegi’s dorm room that lunch time. They can’t really relax in the rooftop like they usually do, and if Naegi would be forced to admit, he actually misses that place.
There's just something about seeing everything that makes him feel like he can do anything.
“It is.” Naegi agrees, looking out of the window as well. “Why say that all of a sudden, Komaeda-kun?”
“Well, it will be just troublesome if we walk home every single day with this kind of weather, won’t it?” Komaeda turns to Naegi with a smile. “It puts me at ease too… knowing that Naegi-kun won’t have to take too long to be in the safety of the place that he's staying at.”
“You're right.” Naegi nods, returning Komaeda’s smile. “I can say the same about Komaeda-kun too. Accidents usually happen when there's a storm because the roads are slippery. It’s great to know that you'll just have to walk in a few corridors, and you'll be home.”
“Exactly.” Komaeda giggles. “Naegi-kun really understands me well.”
Naegi echoes his giggle. “You give me too much credit.”
“Oh, right.” Komaeda pauses for a while as if remembering something. “Hope’s Peak’s Foundation Day is soon. Has Naegi-kun heard of the tradition that everyone does for that?”
“Tradition?” Naegi repeats. “No, I haven’t heard anything yet… Can you tell me?”
“Oh…” Komaeda blinks. “Well, I'm sure that your homeroom adviser will orient you guys very soon, but who am I to refuse? It will be an honor to be the one to explain to Naegi-kun…”
“I'm listening, Komaeda-kun.”
“It’s just that, annually, we are to give at least a simple gift of gratitude for the people who give us hope…” Naegi notices that Komaeda started to look just a tad embarrassed halfway speaking. “So I wanted to ask… if there's something in particular that Naegi-kun would want to receive…”
“Oh.” Naegi decides to look as flattered as he can. This situation is way too funny. “This means… that I'm one of the people who give Komaeda-kun hope?”
“Of course…” Komaeda gently smiles at him. “I thought it’d be obvious by now, but Naegi-kun is the person that I value the most.”
“That means a lot to me.” Naegi lightly pecks Komaeda on the cheek. “Komaeda-kun is the person that I value the most too.”
That is actually a bit true in some aspects.
“Thank you…” Komaeda says, as if in a daze, as he slowly brings up a hand to touch his own cheek. “S-So… about the gift… what would you want to receive?”
“To be honest, I don’t really care.” If only Naegi could just cut his statement there. “I mean, I think the important thing is that it was from you, Komaeda-kun. Anything you give me is something that I’ll like, for sure.”
Komaeda lets out a chuckle. “Naegi-kun saying it like that… now I really want to give you something nice.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.” Naegi smiles. “How about you, Komaeda-kun? What would you want to get?”
“Ah…” Komaeda pauses. “Oh, no, me telling Naegi-kun about this tradition… That was bad, wasn’t it? It’s like I'm compelling you to give me a gift in return! It’s okay, Naegi-kun. You shouldn’t give me anything.”
“Why not?” Naegi frowns. “You did say that the tradition is to give gifts to the people that give you hope… It’s just obvious that I’ll give you one, right?”
“O-Oh…” Color spreads across Komaeda’s face. “So that’s it… I… give Naegi-kun hope?”
“Is that really so hard to believe?” Naegi reaches out to firmly hold his hand. “I did say that you're the most important person for me too, after all.”
“T-Thank you once again…” Komaeda looks down the floor, embarrassed. “I feel like… I have to say this right now…”
“What is it, Komaeda-kun?”
“I-I love you.” Komaeda wills himself to look Naegi in the eyes despite his obvious embarrassment. It’s almost admirable. “I know you’ve heard that a lot of times from me already, but whenever I do, I feel like I never really successfully describe how much I actually care about you… Someone like me has subpar vocabulary, so with my poor words, I hope that you can understand at least… that I love you so much, that I really will do anything for you…”
Naegi hasn’t even reacted yet, but Komaeda’s expression suddenly turns to that of an alarmed one. “This is really embarrassing and stupid of me, isn’t it? I mean, it’s Naegi-kun, so of course, even if I'm poor at expressing myself, he’ll effectively understand me no matter what! I'm getting ahead of myself again—”
Naegi squeezes his hand to make him stop, and he luckily does. “It’s okay, Komaeda-kun. It’s not stupid. It’s not embarrassing either… I'm actually really touched, you know? To think that someone great like Komaeda-kun will care for me this much… thank you. I'm just so happy right now.”
“S-So…” Komaeda clears his throat. His blush was still evident. “…To answer Naegi-kun’s question, I also don’t mind what gift I’ll receive. I know I’ll treasure it even if it’s trash or leftover food…”
“I’ll make sure to give you something great then.” Naegi smiles. “Just you wait, Komaeda-kun.”
--
Naegi might not mean the other words he said, but what's part of both of their realities is that Komaeda will receive a gift from him once that day arrives. Maybe he should settle for trash or leftover food, after all, just like Komaeda himself stated, but where's the fun in that? Naegi knows anyway that if Komaeda receives wonderful gift, his gratitude will just grow even more.
That’s what's going through Naegi’s mind as he walks inside the shopping district.
It really is so annoying to be in a relationship with someone.
There's no way that he can shimmy his way out of a responsibility like this. Unlike when it comes to friends, there can always be the understandable and acceptable relation of ‘close, but not that close’. In a situation like that, not giving a gift won’t be damaging to the bond that they share, and there will be no harm done.
However, lovers and best friends are different businesses altogether.
It’s a good thing that Naegi hasn’t decided to have a best friend, at least.
He enters the first shop that he sees and decides to check whatever it has in store. The ideal situation is to find an excellent gift as early as now—that way, he’d be minimizing both time consumed and the effort that he had to exert.
It turns out that the first shop that he entered was actually a jewelry store. As much as he hates to admit it, it seems that he has spaced out once again that he hadn’t even stopped to inspect the glaringly obvious displayed sets of jewels in the store’s front.
It wasn’t a very big shop, but Naegi can observe that they seem to be selling a lot of things. They had expensive-looking necklaces, bracelets, even rings…
This is almost funny. If ever Naegi is in the mood for doing something like a heartfelt proposal, this place seems a good one to start with.
What's even funnier is that he can almost see Komaeda crying with happiness and happily accepting ‘being with Naegi-kun forever’.
“Hello, sir.” Naegi hears a female voice, and he looks up from the pearl necklace that he was unknowingly inspecting. The lady by the counter was smiling at him, and Naegi feels compelled to smile back. “What are you looking for?”
“Well, I'm looking for an excellent gift…” Naegi lets out a sheepish giggle. “I haven’t decided yet what to give though. Do you have any suggestions for me?”
“Oh…” The lady pauses for a while, lightly tapping her chin. “Well, I'm not sure if this will interest you, but we have a promo that started recently for pair necklaces. If you buy a pair now to exactly next week, you'll be able to get it thirty percent cheaper than the usual.”
Naegi admittedly doesn’t really want to think anymore, and that idea doesn’t sound half-bad, so he supposes it’s alright if he rolls with it. “Seriously? That sounds amazing… May I see the necklaces?”
“Well, before that, I’d have to ask if you have a certain preference for the gem that will decorate them.” She replies. “Maybe her birthstone?”
“His, actually.” Naegi corrects, smiling. “His birth month is April. I'm not really knowledgeable about birthstones, so…”
“Oh, alright, it’s okay.” The lady nods. “April’s birthstone is diamond. Will you go with that, sir?”
From what Naegi knows, diamonds are quite expensive. But if this lady is recommending it to him when he's obviously a student with no gigantic income, then that must mean that the price would be pretty affordable. If that’s the case, there's no way that they're selling authentic diamond.
“I will. I'm pretty sure he’d like it.” Naegi nods as well. “May I see the designs available?”
“Of course. Please come here then, sir.” She pats a folder placed on the counter. “The photos of the designs are here, and once you have chosen, please just tell.”
“I will.” Naegi smiles at her one last time before directing his attention to the folder presented to him. The designs are just like the usual—cliché and saccharine like two pendants in the shape of two compatible puzzle pieces, two halves of one heart, a lock and its key…
And then he sees a certain design.
Naegi runs a finger on the paper, inspecting the features that the probably handpicked photo allows him to see. It was the usual two halves of one heart design, but there was a reason why it stood out among everything. Each half looks like they're made of glass, and there's a four-leaf clover inside them. He knows that those clovers can’t be real, but looking at the photo, it almost seems like they were carefully preserved and placed inside the glass.
A four-leaf clover is a popular symbol of good luck, and for him, Komaeda is his good luck charm, even if he has always been pretty lucky himself.
Both of them are lucky.
That’s why Komaeda must stay by his side no matter what because it won’t be good if their lucks were to clash.
His smile widens even more as he calls the attention of the lady and points to his chosen design. Even if the pair is not made of pure materials, it’s still pretty expensive, but hey, if it makes Komaeda feel special, if it ensures that Naegi’s good luck charm for achieving his dream will never ever go away, then why not?
--
Naegi was contemplating if it’s better to have his gift wrapped or not as he walks on the way back to Hope’s Peak. The necklaces are in a small black box currently tucked in one of his jacket’s pockets. The box looks elegant as it is already, and the gift wrappers available in the stores have the tendency to look too corny.
Besides, there's also the more romantic and stereotypical choice of putting on the necklace around Komaeda’s neck himself. If he does that, he's pretty sure that Komaeda will be really pleased. It’s funny why he actually knows things regarding this matter. He supposes that spending time with a lot of people actually taught him some things that he hasn’t realized.
Socialization is so important... teaching people their statuses, roles, and all.
He was about to head to the building of the dorms when he realizes that he's in the mood to walk around the school at the moment. It’s a weekend, not to mention, only a few hours before six in the evening, and he knows that ideally, there will be no people in the academy. Therefore, he knows that taking a walk now will be a relaxing activity.
The breeze of the pre-evening afternoon felt cool in an oddly comforting sense, and that’s saying something because he isn’t really the type to like the cold. Maybe he's getting used to the frequent rains nowadays, albeit unknowingly…
The corridor he just entered, as he expected, is empty. The only sound that he can hear is the soft rustling of the trees’ leaves outside. He looks out, looking up to thoroughly observe the first tree that his eyes land on. He follows a falling leaf with his gaze, and when he sees the bench positioned under the tree, he can admit that even he actually felt surprised.
There was Hinata, the fallen leaf resting on his shoulder, but he hadn’t even given it any heed. He looked like he was in deep thought, merely staring as far as his eyesight would allow him, and it also doesn’t seem like he noticed that he's being watched at the moment.
What a dangerous position to be in.
Naegi softly walks towards the bench—but not stealthily, it’s not in his intention to seem suspicious—and that was when Hinata actually reacts and turns his head towards his direction. Hinata immediately blinks when he sees Naegi, visibly surprised, and there was a tense five seconds of silence before Naegi decides to be the one who starts speaking.
“Hello, Hinata-kun.” Naegi greets. Hinata blinks, still surprised. “You look like you're troubled by something. Is there anything wrong?”
“…Naegi.” Hinata says, almost as if he just registered that fact. “…Why are you here?”
“Oh, I was just taking a walk before returning to the dorms.” Naegi smiles. “And then I saw you out here… and admittedly, I'm worried. What's going on, Hinata-kun?”
A hint of guilt flashes through Hinata’s eyes. It was so fleeting that if only Naegi looked away for at least a second, he would have missed it. Judging by that emotion that Naegi saw, even if it was just for a short second, he could surmise that it might relate to what Hinata did that certain night.
“It’s nothing big, really…” Hinata clears his throat. “I mean, I'm just, I kinda hate myself right now. That’s all.”
“That’s not ‘nothing big’, Hinata-kun!” Naegi frowns. “I’d say it’s pretty serious because no one should hate oneself no matter what… What caused this?”
Hinata immediately pauses, lightly biting his lower lip. Of course Naegi wasn’t really expecting him to say the truth. He can’t just tell anyone what he did, especially not Naegi. Naegi asked anyway though because he was curious about what Hinata will say as an excuse.
Silence filled the cold air, and for some miraculous reason, Naegi didn’t shiver. He was actually the type to get cold fast (that was a trait that he shared with Komaeda, he noticed), and he wonders why exactly does it seem like he's taking the current weather well.
“Well, I…” Hinata finally speaks. “I guess… it with all boil down to the fact that I'm a Reserve Course Student... I think it’s all because of that. It’s because of that why everything is happening in the first place. I keep on thinking that maybe, if only I have at least a talent… maybe even something as simple as stamp collecting… maybe my circumstances wouldn’t be… uh, as undesirable as they are right now.”
“Undesirable?” Naegi repeats, still with that worried frown. “If it’s okay… can Hinata-kun tell me exactly what happened? So I’ll understand more…?”
“It’s just that…” Hinata bites his lower lip, and it was silent once again. Naegi almost thought that he won’t be getting a reply anymore, but then Hinata decides to continue. “…I'm not a good friend to Komaeda. I don’t deserve to be with Komaeda.”
Naegi furrows his eyebrows. “Where did this come from, Hinata-kun? I'm pretty sure that Komaeda-kun doesn’t think of it that way, you know. I know that he cares about you a lot.”
“He really shouldn’t… I don’t deserve it.” Hinata isn’t looking at Naegi as he replies. “He deserves someone who… uh, someone who will… be a good friend.”
“But you are a good friend, Hinata-kun.” Naegi says as sweetly as possible. “You're even his best friend.”
Hinata flinches. Naegi really should count how many times that ‘best friend’ trick worked on Hinata already because it’s too comical. He just wonders when it’ll lose effect.
“…I shouldn’t be his best friend.”
And Naegi wonders what Hinata means by that. “You know, Hinata-kun, I think it will just be more painful for Komaeda-kun if you decide to just sever your ties like that. If you think you did something wrong to him, and I'm pretty sure that you didn’t, then I guess you should just try to make it better instead of giving up on him, right?”
“S-So I’ll just…” Hinata bites his lower lip again. Naegi wonders if he's just imagining things, but it looks like Hinata can make his lip bleed if he keeps that up. “…I can’t give up yet, huh.”
“That’s right.” Naegi nods, smiling this time. If he were to be honest though, he can’t wait for the exact moment when Hinata will finally give up. Really, he's even more resilient than he looks. Naegi’s actually getting a little bit impatient already. “You have to keep going. Or as Komaeda-kun would put it, you'll have to keep on holding on to hope… right?”
Hinata flinches again. If Naegi were to allow himself to be a bit poetic at the moment, he’d say that Hinata looks like a person who's desperately trying to balance himself on a wobbly rope, desperately trying to not fall off to the pits of fire waiting for him on the ground. “Whatever I do though… I won’t be able to make it up to him.”
“Whatever is it that you did, I know that Komaeda-kun has forgiven you already.” Naegi smiles again. “You're too important to Komaeda-kun. That’s why, I'm confident, that whatever you do, he can never hate you.”
“I know whatever effort I exert to make it up to him will never be enough.” Hinata says. It was almost like a whisper, almost as if he was just talking to himself. “…But I’ll try. I’ll try one last time.”
“That’s the spirit, Hinata-kun.” Naegi smiles. “I heard the day for Hope’s Peak’s tradition is pretty soon, so maybe it would be good if you give him an excellent gift! Since it was from you, I'm sure that he’d cherish the item very much.”
“The tradition.” Hinata repeats, his eyes actually lighting up just very slightly. This time, he finds it in himself to face Naegi at least. “You're right… I did promise him last year that I’ll never fail to give him a gift.”
That promise sounds interesting. “Is that so? Well, that really is a good idea to start with! I found a decent store in the shopping district earlier, by the way. It was a jewelry shop.”
Hinata slowly nods, a million of different ideas seemingly flashing through his mind. Going back to the analogy earlier, Naegi knows that the best thing that he’d want to happen is for Hinata to just fall off the wobbly rope already.
Hinata is about to, Naegi knows, and he also is aware that right now, he just helped Hinata up, contrary to his goal.
Hinata lost his balance recently.
That’s the reason why he was about to fall off just now.
Naegi doesn’t want Hinata to lose his balance himself, though.
What he wants is to push Hinata off the rope and rescue him back as that talented and new person.
“Thank you so much, Naegi.” Hinata forces a small smile. The smile still doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but Naegi can see that he's trying. “I’ll try again. I’ll make it up to Komaeda… I can’t give up just yet.”
“Good luck to you then, Hinata-kun.” Naegi returns the smile. “I know that you can do it.”
Just give up already.
--
“You know, Enoshima-san. Maybe I do like Komaeda-kun. It’s not how he likes me, nor the way Hinata-kun likes him, but now that I think about it, maybe I do like him in my own way, after all.”
Enoshima was inspecting her nails while Naegi was speaking, and when he finished, she looks up, an apparent look of disappointment and disgust in her face. “Are you being serious right now?”
Naegi just giggles.
As if.