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dansconcepts · 6 months ago

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Balloons

A (not so) little Komahina drabble with a Kyouko (and hints of Naegiri) preamble based on this interaction from the Danganronpa Summer Camp game (and yes I 100% bought it and for full price because I'm really silly but I'm so committed for the interactions like JSKAJSKSKA I want them to be happy so bad):

Hajime: You make the flower petals like this, attach the stem… and there ya go, done! Kyouko: Huh, you're surprisingly dexterous. Kyouko: Would you mind if I took this flower? Hajime: Sure, no problem at all. Kyouko: Thanks. Keep up the good work. Kyouko exits. Hajime: I know it's a fake flower, but… giving it to a girl is still kinda embarrassing. Hajime: And to Kyouko, no less. I hope she doesn't tell the boys that she got it from me…

The detective thumbs at the rubbery material, indeed appreciating Hajime’s workmanship. He truly does seem capable of plenty, even if it was like a jack of all trades. But oftentimes is better than a master of one. She retorts her silent conjecture. And indeed, it shows in the way his determination seems to spark around people who are motivated in their passions.

It is just like the creation of this flower. The happy yellow it sprouts reminds her of a certain classmate. She has no need to act coy to herself, it is prevalent to her that her emotions have strayed to a place she never anticipated them to go.

Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Luck. He has shown time and time again he was more than such a title. Every time he asks questions, remarks on a viewpoint she hadn’t considered, provides patience and calmness when she is unable to compose herself quickly enough… he was endearing and dependable, the type that she can’t help but be drawn to in the midst of the chaos that was her detective duties.

Perhaps she will present this flower to Makoto. It may not be overly affectionate, but she knows Makoto enjoys small acts with messages as simple as “being thought about”. It’s an idea to scoff at, with his easy going personality being the most digestible compared to her fellow classmates. He is, quite often, considered by everyone as the de facto leader of their class the moment he stepped up in second year. His development was quite admirable and impressive. Everyday, he will be greeted by everyone and talked to in one way or the other.

In that sense, it is easier to dismiss his more anxious side, melancholic and self-loathing. Although caring for others is not very easy for her despite the strides being taken by her classmates, there is something about Makoto that makes her feel adequate in giving him an ear to listen to rather than forcing physical affection.

“Kirigiri?” A soft voice pushes through her reverie. Lavender eyes trail up to stark white hair, and a more casual outfit than she has ever seen him wearing. It reflects the setting of the festival however, and she endeavours to say as much-

“I apologize for interrupting you with my presence. I know you must have more important matters than looking upon trash like me,” Kyouko’s mouth closes. Nothing has prepared her to treat this sudden situation. She is aware of Komaeda’s low self-esteem and the way it manifests, but she has never been on its receiving end and is uncertain how to proceed. Komaeda continues on regardless, “I saw this flower balloon had flown out of your hands and I managed to get it back in one piece. How lucky!”

Indeed, in his hand is the yellow flower balloon that she must have let go of during her musings. She takes it from him and nods. “Thank you Komaeda.”

He beams. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all, I’m very happy to help. It’s really the least I could do for an Ult- for such an admirable person.”

She notices the intentional slipping of the word “Ultimate”, but does not make any move to indicate her recognition of it. Clearly, it was a habit of his he was trying to stop, if his behaviour is any indication.

“Although," Komaeda says, "I did find it strange you had a balloon with you.”

“Hinata is the one making them. Although his repertoire was limited, he does what he offers quite well.”

The Ultimate Lucky student hums, turning his head back in the direction of where Hinata’s table was. “Really now? How fascinating.” He looks to the ground, and she wonders what he is pondering about.

She remembers seeing them together often, albeit in passing. She notes that their position relative to the celebration is quite distant, out closer to the beach, but still close enough to see most of the attractions. Hmm… “From what I observed, he still has about half a package of balloons left. I’m quite certain you can get one from him.”

Kyouko studies the way Komaeda turns to her warily. She has a hunch now though, and she states, “He would gladly give you one, regardless of what occurs. I think he will appreciate a more familiar presence supporting him.”

Some emotions seem to dart across Komaeda’s face, but she cannot process them all in time before it settles. He sighs. “Ah, I suppose you figured me out. As expected of the Ultimate Detective!” He praises. She sees the way he glances back to the festival tents. “I suppose I can pay a friend a visit.”

She allows herself a smile, hoping it comes off as encouraging. “Good luck.”

He laughs. “I sure hope I'll have it.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Nagito hugs himself loosely, clutching onto the soft fabric enveloping him as he walks past stands and tents. He looks around, biting his lip. A sigh inevitably escapes, much like his resolve always does.

He listens. Chatter, laughter- so much, so loud... But no cries or sobs. No cracks of wood or thumps of metal. And most thankfully, no screams. Regardless, he checks around him anyway. His presence here can change so many things. He can bring so much despair just by simply existing. Why did he possibly come in here again?

A glimpse of spiky brown hair and a familiar tie fills his vision. Right. It always traces back to Hajime.

The Reserve Course student goes to finish up shaping a red balloon into a flower, and hands it over to the Ultimate Astronaut, although his name escapes him. He can hear the “Awesome!” all the way from where he's standing, which is kind of impressive. The man makes his way to the Ultimate Caregiver, who he immediately tries giving the flower to. She looks pleased. Yet, she shouts “Do you want to die!?” so maybe he misread her?

Nagito turns back to Hajime, who’s already gesturing to him to come over. “Hey!” He smiles. “Didn’t expect to see you here!”

He frowns. “I know that my presence isn’t deserved around U-.”

“Okay, shut the fuck up. You know I’m just glad you’re out here. How are you enjoying it so far?”

“Ah. What if I said I only came to see you?” He can’t help but tease. Hajime’s ears, as predicted, turn red.

“You can’t be serious. Out of everyone else?” that are Ultimates isn't spoken, but heavily implied.

“Now who’s the one who needs to stop talking about status?” He teases.

“H-hey! I didn't even say anything!” Hajime coughs. “I know what you’re doing. Don’t change the subject.”

Nagito hums. “I’m not joking though, I did come here because of you. Kirigiri told me you made her flower balloon and I just had to see what that was about.”

Upon sharing that info, Hajime averts his gaze, clearly blushing. How interesting…

He feels tempted to smirk, but doesn't in favour of sounding noncommittal, “Something wrong about what I said, Hajime?”

“Nope, nothing.” He trails off. “…You don’t think she’s told anyone else, do you?”

Nagito crosses his arms. Why would Hajime care? Is he embarrassed? How silly. He eyes the bag of balloons and lets out an amused puff. “Well, it certainly benefitted you if she did, considering you’ve emptied the whole bag.” The sigh escapes him before he can stop it. He didn’t even realize he wanted a balloon before it was taken away.

Just his luck. How disappointing.

“Huh?" Hajime asks. "It’s empty?”

He swiftly lifts the bag. "Aha!" He calls out triumphantly. Turns out, under the opaque portion of the packaging sits a deflated green balloon.

Nagito grins. “How lucky!”

Hajime responds with a smirk. He adds as much air as possible to the balloon, and when satisfied, says, “Alright, I know you’re going to make fun of me, but I can only manage a flower and a dog. Which one do you want?”

Although he probably would’ve been quick to tease Hajime about his skills “befitting a Reserve Course student”, the mention of a dog makes the words freeze on his tongue.

“A dog would be nice.” Nagito admits.

“Oh, sure.” Hajime says, a little disconcerted by the honesty, and his eyebrows are furrowed. Adorable. He doesn’t know how Hajime isn’t an Ultimate. In a way, he almost likes that he isn’t.

Within a few minutes of tanned hands twisting and turning rubber, he is finally presented with a cute little dog.

The ends of his lips tug upwards. He gently grabs the balloon, being extra careful to transport it into his arms.

“This is wonderful.” He says breathily.

Hajime looks at Nagito, bemused. “Your eyes are sparkling. I’ve never seen you so happy.” And almost as if it was an afterthought, he adds, “It looks good on you.”

What? “H-huh?”

“It seriously can’t be that surprising. It’s… nice to see you happy. Not that you don’t already look nice! You tied your hair and even wore a jinbei for the festival. You’re looking pretty good.”

The lucky student just stares at Hajime, who grows steadily more red under the gaze. The Reserve Course student swipes his hand through the air, as if that'll somehow dispel the flurry of thoughts going through his head. “Alright, what’s with that look?”

“I’m glad you think I look ‘good’, Hajime." He starts, "I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, much less someone like yourself, but I see your eyes would be more used to seeing trash in your everyday life and thinking it’s beautiful.”

Hajime stares him down. “Nagito, anyone at this camp would agree you’re good-looking. And I know you’re just saying that shit about me being a Reserve Course because you’re spiraling a little bit.” Ah. He looks at the ground. “Hey, it’s fine. We kinda talked about this, remember? I know we’re friends.”

He doesn’t reply. How could he? To be read so easily…

A warm hand grabs his shoulder. His gaze immediately whips to Hajime's face. “D-don’t think too much about this." A flustered Hajime spits out. "Let’s just go. We’re going around and enjoying this damn festival together.”

How is Hajime Hinata real?

“Is this your way of getting a date, Hajime?” He says playfully instead. “You could have just asked, you know. I’m sure Chiaki- or anyone else really- would not have declined.”

Hajime gives a raised eyebrow at the mention of Chiaki, but doesn’t seem to press it. Instead, he goes, “I’d rather be here with you, to be honest. I said it already, but it’s nice to have you out here. I might as well enjoy it while I can.”

Nagito shuts up at that. While judging Hajime the whole time, his face isn't any better, probably looking crimson at this point.

“And you dropped this.” Hajime waves the green balloon dog that ended up in his hands. The Ultimate blinks, surprised he had let go of it. However, the wind picks it out of Hajime’s hand and starts carrying it on its currents.

“Shit!” Hajime exclaims. He jumps, but it flies out of his reach.

“Fuck! I’m sorry Nagito, I didn’t mean to lose it.”

He easily waves it off with a chuckle. “No, it’s alright. Besides, you could always make another one.”

“I mean, honestly, this was pretty fun." Hajime admits, "I wouldn’t mind doing it again…”

And Hajime trails off, and he knows exactly why, considering he’s leaned in in that cutesy way he’s seen girls in dramas do. He smirks at Hajime’s bewildered face. While amused, he backs off, as if it was merely an accidental brush.

He sends him an innocent smile. Olive eyes narrow in response, but they face forward again in silent acceptance. It would be quite impressive, if Hajime’s face wasn’t flushed.

“There’s a restaurant here. You’re coming with me.”

He nods happily.

Things could always be worse because of my luck, but for some reason I feel like, perhaps, I'll be okay. But can I hope? Do I dare hope?

Nothing hurts more than hope getting crushed.

…But maybe…

Maybe this is worth it.

#danganronpa ultimate summer camp #dr summer camp au #komahina #nagito komaeda #hajime hinata #kyouko kirigiri #pov switching #drabbles #fluff #minor angst #(if you really can call it that)#this feels way too long to call it a drabble i may just crosspost this on ao3 as a oneshot #oneshots #kaito momota #maki harukawa #summer camp au

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evereinefaust · 11 months ago

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.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝟑 *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

It's already been a month since that horrid event took place. A lot of things changed in just a month. [Name], even though fully believing Nagito's words, came to realize the lie that he told her on that day. Nagito knew that this outcome would eventually happen, yet he wished that somehow, this would never happen. Oh, how cruel his life could be.

Now sitting on his bedside, Nagito glanced at the person sleeping on his bed. His grayish-green eyes carefully watched this particular [h/c]ette girl — her chest rising and falling in accordance to her soft breathing, her eyes swollen from crying hours prior, and the tight hold she had on his hand. The male's gaze softened at her vulnerable state, lifting his other hand and caressing her cheeks gently, moving away strands of [h/c] locks.

She squirmed slightly in her sleep and he paused his action. After she had settled comfortably once again, Nagito let a small smile grace his lips. He then gazed at the bright moon outside his windows, the winter season starting to shift into spring. Heaving a bitter sigh, the male leaned against the headboard and closed his lids. The flashbacks of the unfortunate event that happened just a month prior caused by his bad luck started invading his mind.

A day after Shiro's body was found at the central plaza, the doctors had already declared the male dead on arrival. Everyone at school — especially class 78 — mourned for the loss of the Ultimate Song Writer. Even though [Name] openly believed in the hope Nagito showed her despite the possibility of the other, she never felt this much betrayal and was devastated by one of her closest friends. She knew that what Nagito was suggesting was an unlikely possibility, yet she grabbed that flimsy hope and believed in his lie. Now that the truth was mocking her in her face, the only thing the [h/c]ette could possibly do was cry her emotions out.

Despite how close the reserve course student was with the late Shiro, Byakuya, and Kokichi were affected by it the most. Of course, Nagito knew about this — Shiro was the only person both of them could trust and rely on despite their troublesome personalities. They grew attached to him, and learning about his death was like a big slap to their faces. From then onward, Kokichi and Byakuya started to avoid the girl, finding no reason to get close to her now that the only bridge was gone. Hajime and Chiaki, although they still stayed by her side, also changed — Hajime started to become more and more reserved and spent less time with [Name] while Chiaki was constantly worrying about both.

A few days after that incident, [Name] and Chiaki realized that Hajime was expelled from school. This shocked both of them, especially the [h/c]ette as she had not been informed about this whatsoever despite how close she is with the boy. They asked their teachers about it, yet no one seemed to know the cause of the expulsion. Due to this, [Name] had experienced another set of despair. Despite Chiaki's attempts to reassure the girl and promise her that she would never leave her, this only came out to be just an empty promise.

Weeks after Shiro's death, Kokichi had come upon Fuyuhiko. The purple-tressed student demanded to know if the Kuzuryu clan was behind the death of the beloved student to which the heir aggressively denied any of the other's claims. Kokichi, however, wasn't completely trusting of Fuyuhiko's words. The two began a fight shortly after a couple of threats were thrown at each other. The situation escalated and brought classes 77, 78, and 79 into the clash.

When Kokichi tried to punch Fuyuhiko, Peko came right at the right time to defend her master. And when she was about to strike at the purplette, Mukuro had gone and protected Kokichi by Byakuya's request. The two fighters started a staredown of animosity flying between them. Soon after, everyone else came to the commotion. However, it didn't seem like the problem stopped them.

Once Byakuya's gaze landed on the head of the yakuza, he then declared to everyone in the area that it was Fuyuhiko and his clan who planned Shiro's demise. Of course, almost everyone in class 78 — especially those who had a deep connection with the late Sato — easily believed Byakuya's words. After all, he is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny and his family's influence enables him to investigate this matter. Even Kyoko seemed to agree with and believe him. And despite not being that close to him, some of the newest ultimates believed the blonde as well.

Kokichi, of course, tried to rile Fuyuhiko up and accused him of being a murderer, to which everyone in class 77 defended him. Due to the tense atmosphere and the accusation of murder being thrown in the air, a select group of people engaged in fights: some tried to harm the other, while some tried to stop them. Eventually, the brawl between the three ultimate classes alarmed the teachers and the school authorities.

They successfully ceased the fight, however, some students were not that fortunate to be let out without a bruise. Even Chiaki was injured when she stopped her class from harming their underclassmen. Due to her injuries, she had to spend some time at the hospital for recovery. It was by this time that [Name] was completely alone; no one was there by her side as her friends started to leave her one by one.

For everything that has happened, Nagito was there to witness it all. It was just what his role is: a bystander.

"How much can she take before she gives in to despair? How much more would I have to stay by her side and decide to stop because I kept causing her bad luck? How much more...until I die..."

Clenching his head, the silverette let out a bitter laugh. "How awful... Oh, how awful it truly is! Despite the despair, I always believed that hope would come out of it. That's why...you must also believe in hope, [Name]-chan."

"I wanted nights like these to linger. These emotions that I'm feeling whenever she's here right beside me, I don't want it to fade. For once...I wanted to be selfish and keep [Name]-chan by my side no matter what. Without ever worrying how my luck would affect the others..."

Opening his eyes once again, he then gazed lovingly at the object of his affection. He patted her soft tresses, weaving his fingers into her [h/l] hair. Whenever he was with her, all he could feel was complete serenity. It was like she was born to become his reason to live. The warmth that fills him whenever she's around, the butterflies fluttering in his stomach whenever she smiles at him, and the racing of his heart whenever he holds her close... all of those were precious to him. And once in his lifetime, Nagito vowed to not let any of those fade away from his grasp.

"You know, [Name]-chan... If you somehow become an ultimate, I would've called you the Ultimate Serenity," he murmured with a satisfied smile. After, he leaned down to her face and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, [Name]-chan."

Ever since he met her, his life undoubtedly changed for the better. He was certainly glad that he followed his instincts and visited the Reserve Course building that time. He was glad that he spoke to her that day. He was glad that he decided to get to know her more. He was glad that he approached her and tried to comfort her. He was glad...that she came into his life. All of those emotions — those feelings he had hidden and tried to remove from his life just to cope with his luck — resurfaced naturally when he was with her.

It was like she was his healer.

"For all of those years that I saw nothing but gray...was now changing. Because of [Name]-chan, my present — and my future — became vividly colorful. The hope you've shown me...I wish for it to last."

Nagito slowly opened his eyes, immediately seeing the melting snow of the outside. He lifted his head, staring blankly at the blue skies before fixing his gaze in front. There she was, yet again, walking just a few meters away from him as she admired the snow around. The teen watched her back, following her as she explored the public park.

"I want this moment to last... I want this feeling to last... Hey... What should I do so that everything I have right now would remain the same?"

Nagito slowed his step, further lagging behind [Name] as she proceeded onward. He watched as the figure slowly moved away from him. His steps soon came to a halt. Removing his gloved hand from his pocket, the white-haired student slowly lifted his arm as if to reach out to her.

"Hey... Is it alright for me if I call out your name?"

However, despite his inner desire to reach out to the girl, Nagito only found himself dropping his arm to his side. He exhaled, dejected. He shoved his hand inside his coat's pocket, head hung low as he quietly caught up to his companion.

The 10-year-old child stood there still by the sidewalk, his gaze boring into the carcass on the street. His heart churned in pain, eyes dilated and dilated. Soon, tears were streaming down his face. His body began to tremble, and not long after, his knees gave up, and he fell onto the rough asphalt. The poor boy started sobbing, and soon his wails caught the attention of passersby and even his parents.

After the whole ordeal with his dead pet, Nagito was taken home by his parents. They told the boy to stop crying for the dog as crying wouldn't bring him back from the dead. There were no words exchanged between them as the silverette duly followed his parents' orders. There were no words of comfort, no acts of consolation, no nothing. It was like the dog's death was insignificant to them...

Dead, wide eyes of a particular couple were staring back at the male's gray-green orbs. Their vacant stare sent shivers down the child's spine, the pungent stench of fresh iron stinging his nostrils, causing him to quickly cover it with his hands. The corpse of his parents... those arms which were extended to him... those parted mouths... It was like they were avidly mocking him because of his bad luck that caused disaster for others. Soon, a quiet stream of salty tears came rushing down his pale cheeks.

The panicked screams of the passengers and the yells of the paramedics rang in his ears, and soon, the authorities came rushing towards where Nagito was.

After he had been freed from being kidnapped hours prior, Nagito continued on his merry way home. His grayish-green eyes scrutinized the lottery ticket he had picked from the garbage bag he had been abducted in. The middle-schooler chuckled dryly to himself, his heart was churning in pain yet he decided not to give it a mind. After all, he knew how many disasters and fortunes his luck could bring him.

The boy was practically numb now to the cycle, and he had already decided not to let his emotion out anymore, for it only caused him more despair. Pocketing the item moments later, a bright smile graced his lips... however, his dull and lifeless eyes told another story.

"When was it? When was the first time that I started to yearn for death? Because of the countless good and bad luck that I've been experiencing while growing up, I've lost track of time and even the sense of reality."

Once again, Nagito stood in the vast darkness. The male was back in a familiar place... the place where he witnessed his friends' deaths one by one. He would feel the uneasiness starting up, his pale face littered with sweat and his body trembled incredibly. A gasp escaped his lips, knees buckling as his upper body gave up. The silverette was kneeling in the middle of the darkness, hyperventilating with his hands clenching his aching head.

Vicious whispers invaded his mind, attacking the boy from every angle. It was like those voices came from the darkness, echoing throughout the entire vicinity. And what was horrible about this entire existence was that those voices belonged to no one but the people his luck had affected.

His parents. Those innocent people from the airplane. His classmates. His teacher. Hajime. Chiaki. Shiro. Byakuya. Kokichi. And lastly, [Name].

"It's all your fault."

"Because of you, we're dead."

"You're nothing but a worthless piece of crap!"

"Just die in a hole for all I care!"

"Why did I even give birth to you?"

"You insignificant being."

"You should've been the one who died."

"Hey... Maybe it was a mistake that I met you... Nagito-senpai..."

"What a lovely day, huh?"

A young man with pale skin and pearlescent fluffy hair strolled through the public park, hands tucked inside his green jacket as his gray-green hues glanced over at the foliage above him. The sun's rays seeped through the crevice of the irrigated shade and onto the snow-laden land below, making the white melt into water. The young man let out an exhale as he proceeded onward, exiting the forest of regular trees and unto the central plaza where a lone cherry blossom was kept and tended.

This scenario was familiar to Nagito, the only difference was the season when he had visited the park once again. Even though spring is just around the corner, there are still remnants of winter as evidenced by the fluffy white littering some parts of the park. Nagito sighed to himself, a pessimistic air hanging around him as he continued with his daily routine of going to his usual bench and watching the crowd.

A couple was standing underneath the infamous cherry tree, their fingers interlocked together as they watched the snowflakes float down the earth; a family of four was taking a picture by the other side of the tree; a couple of kids ran around the area, throwing melting snowballs at each other; and there's also a trio of friends walking past, giggling with smiles on their faces.

Just watching those countless people made the male somewhat... empty. Ever since attending Hope's Peak, he didn't expect that he would forge such a unique bond with a particular girl like that. Furthermore, his lonely days before due to his luck cycle were little to no concern for him nowadays. At least, that's how he still hoped it would be.

His gaze softened after a minute of watching those people. A sudden thought invaded his mind, making him sport a minuscule smile. He had imagined that same scenario playing in his head, although this time, he was with the girl he deeply cared for and was attached to...

Her precious smile... Nagito had imagined that smile on her face when she would successfully throw a snowball on his face. Her pink-tinted cheeks... He had imagined the blush on her face when he held her hand while they watched the snow from underneath the cherry tree. Her graceful laugh... Once again, the silverette had imagined hearing her laugh as they traversed through the park.

He let out another exhale, walking away with his head hung. Thoughts of the what-ifs were swirling in his mind as he quietly left the area. When he lifted his head, however, his gray-green hues widened in shock to see a silhouette of a particular girl in the distance.

"[Name]...chan?" he blurted her name out in disbelief.

Surprisingly, the person turned around at his call. The person was shortly revealed as the same girl he was thinking about moments prior. The surprise on her face was evident — wide, [e/c] eyes and lips parted. After a few minutes of both staring at each other, the girl was first to break eye contact. She greeted him with her usual closed-eye smile, sending a small wave as she sauntered over to where Nagito was.

"I didn't expect you to be here, senpai. I was surprised."

"Same here," he mentioned, scratching his neck sheepishly. Upon the [h/c]ette's arrival in front of him, he noticed a bouquet of flowers in her hold. He raised a questioning brow, pointing at the bouquet. "Are you...on a date?"

[Name] blinked twice at his unexpected question. She looked down at the flowers and she immediately knew what he meant. Chuckling, she slowly shook her head. "No. I bought this bouquet to give to someone."

"O-oh..." Nagito deflated, and his smile vanished instantly upon hearing her reply. The boy genuinely felt upset at that. "Who is it for?"

The [h/c]-tressed female regarded him with a wistful look, her earlier smile now curving into those of a bitter one. She gazed at the flowers as if they were fragile objects. "This bouquet...is for Sato-san. Since I wasn't able to attend his funeral, the least I could do is visit his grave and give an offering."

"I see... It's for the late Sato-kun."

"Wanna go there together?" the boy suggested, his smile returning.

The girl's face lit up like stars on a cloudless night. "I would love to have you come along, senpai!"

In just half an hour, the pair arrived at Sohansu Cemetery — the place where the Ultimate Song Writer was laid to rest. It took the two just a few minutes to locate Shiro's grave, and once they did, [Name] gently laid the bouquet on the gravestone along with the other bundles. She knelt in front of the gravestone, putting her hands together and closing her eyes to offer a prayer. Behind her was the silverette, standing with his hands tucked inside his pockets.

"I didn't expect to see your grave being filled with flowers... You really are loved, aren't you, Sato-kun? Well, I guess it's natural; you are the Ultimate Song Writer, after all."

Nagito's lidded eyes fell on the said flowers. There was a bouquet right next to the ones [Name] placed earlier, inside were an assortment of fresh roses, everlastings, pansies, and oxalis. Considering how exquisitely picked and arranged the flowers were, the white-haired ultimate could only assume that it came from Byakuya. Then, there's also another bouquet on the other side. This one was full of purple lilies. However, what truly caught the male's attention was the plethora of random purple flowers scattered around the grave.

Carnations, lotus flowers, daisies, roses, lavenders, violets —and others more Nagito couldn't identify — surrounded the slab. Even after months of the ravenette's death, there was still a portrait of him erected just above the gravestone — his violet eyes were glimmering with life, a relaxed smile etched on his fair-colored skin. The Ultimate Lucky Student was blessed with seeing Shiro's face again after he had died. And funnily enough, even the portrait was decorated with flowers — a flower crown made of sakura and wisteria to be precise.

Nagito concluded that whoever decorated this gravestone with this many purple flowers must also be the one who placed the delicately made crown on Shiro's portrait. And if the selection wasn't obvious enough, one may not be able to connect them to Kokichi. The boy chuckled softly to himself, imagining how the indigo-tressed troublemaker had gone out of his way to buy all of those and place them everywhere around Shiro's grave, almost covering the entirety of it.

"Sato-kun must be feeling happy right now when seeing this many flowers offered to him," Nagito mused.

"I'm guessing that Togami-san or Ouma-san — or maybe them both — visited Sato-san earlier," [Name] mentioned, standing up from her kneeling position and dusting her clothes. After fully observing the said flowers, she then laughed lightly. "Sato-san is really loved by those two... I can only imagine how heartbroken they were when learning of his death. When Sato-san was still alive, he was such a great influence on Togami-san and Ouma-san. Whenever he was with them, he could easily handle their distinct personalities and they felt relaxed around him. I'm pretty sure his classmates are also fond of him. And to see this many bouquets offered on his grave, there are no words needed to be said just to know how much they both love him. May it be just a friend... or even more than that."

"A love that is more than just friends... A romantic attraction towards someone..."

"Do you want to receive flowers too, [Name]-chan?" the male asked, curiously glancing down at the shorter female.

The mentioned girl only shook her head. "As much as I love to, I would prefer just being with my loved ones. I don't think I wanted anything more than spending time with those who are important to me... After all, one may only assume when they will last on earth."

"Oh..."

Silence ensued after that. Nagito's gaze was vacant, lidded eyes containing forlorn. Meanwhile, [Name] stood beside the silverette, still glancing at the colorful grave. The cold breeze picked up, making both white and [h/c] locks flutter along with the wind. A minute later, Nagito heard the girl sighed sadly.

"What's wrong, [Name]-chan?"

"Nothing... It's just..." she mumbled. Turning around to face her companion, she flashed him a forced smile, eyebrows creasing as sadness glimmered in her [e/c] pools. "Parting like this is truly heartbreaking... Leaving your loved ones behind... Being left by them... The bond that they shared... Every precious memory... All of those would leave along with the deceased."

At her words, the fleeting thought of their eventual farewell crossed the ultimate student's mind. It was brief, but along it was the feeling of heartache — his heart thumped hard in excruciating pain, his stomach churning with unsettledness. He soon frowns, mirroring the girl's expression.

It's already the day. The day where the ultimate class of batch 77 was to graduate from Hope's Peak. The day where each student whose talents were honed to become the world's beam of hope had their school years come to an end. Both the A and B class of batch 77 sat on their respective chairs by the front row as they listened to the speech of Headmaster Kirigiri. Teachers were lined at the side of the gymnasium, watching the whole graduation ceremony and their students.

Amongst the many graduating ultimates was a certain sickly male with fluffy, pearlescent hair. Just like usual, the boy was detached from his surroundings. He zoned out what the headmaster was saying, completely ignoring everyone else's murmuring and the claps of the crowd. At first, Nagito never thought anything in particular about graduating. He just considered it as a stage in one's life that must be done. However, he just realized how wrong he was with this thinking.

Graduation. The word held much more essence than Nagito could've thought. It has always been associated with parting and moving on with one's life. The precious memories one could've made during their time here... The special bonds one could've made with their peers... The irreplaceable moments one would've shared with others... All of those...would be gone as the individual leaves to finally tackle their separate paths.

Now that the boy thought about it, he then realized how much impact the words [Name] had had on him that day. The bittersweet taste of parting and the heartbreak it brings... Surely, Nagito is experiencing all of those now. His mind brought him back months back — right at the start of his third year in this school. Images of his first meeting with the reserve course student, the days he'd spent observing her from afar, the time he'd finally built up the courage to approach her, the moments that they had bonding together, the rare occasions he'd witnessed her vulnerability... all of those little memories immediately plagued his mind.

The silverette pursed his lips, trying his hardest not to be affected by it. However, his heart was telling him otherwise — it raced inside his chest, each beat harsh and bringing more pain than ever. His whole body was starting to swelter due to worry and anxiety. His face was restless — eyebrows scrunched together and eyes containing a gleam of bleakness.

"Calm down... This isn't like you..."

Fortunately, he did calm down just in time for them to receive their certificate. Chisa went to the whole class, smiling at them as she guided her students to the stage. One by one, the ultimates walked up the stage and the black-haired headmaster gave them their certificates after a handshake. Everyone in the gymnasium applauded for the ultimates.

Eventually, Nagito was next. He ascended the steps and trudged onward to the middle of the stage where the headmaster was. Jin told the silverette a few words and congratulated him for achieving this far in his life. Naturally, the Ultimate Lucky Student flashed him an aloof smile and received his certificate after a handshake. He then faced the crowd, gray-green eyes scanning the unfamiliar faces. In all honesty, he didn't know what to expect by doing this.

His orbs widened an inch when his gaze landed on a particular girl just by the middle of the crowd. The male saw her clapping happily, and when she saw his gaze locked on her, she waved at him with a smile. Nagito sighed in satisfaction, letting a smile grace his lips.

"Nagito-senpai! How's the ceremony? How are you feeling?" [Name] beamed, running up to him after the whole ceremony. She looked at him expectantly, eyes brimming with pure curiosity.

The mentioned boy sweat-dropped at her unusual enthusiasm, but nevertheless, it did make him happy. He chuckled. "It was nerve-wracking... Being in front of many people and letting them witness you achieve something was unexpected for me. After all, I never did imagine myself being in this situation."

"Wow... That must've been extreme then. The feeling, I mean," the [h/c]ette mused, puckering her lips as she pointed a finger in her mouth to think about it. "After all, you are an ultimate student at Hope's Peak. And almost the entire world was seeing you and the others graduate. Uwah! The flashes of those cameramen were so blinding that it was hard to see you in the crowd."

"Sorry... I may have lied to you, [Name]-chan. Honestly, I don't really feel that way earlier."

He chuckled, scratching his neck sheepishly. "I was meant to ask, but how did you come to the gymnasium? The place was restricted to only the school staff, Main Course students, and the press."

"Oh, that?" she cocked her head, a mischievous grin plastered on her face with a pink hue dusting her cheeks. "I may have snuck in. Hehe..."

Nagito's eyes dilated an inch at her words, blinking as he regarded her in disbelief. After all, for the one year he had spent with her, he didn't expect this particular girl to act like that. Soon after, he chuckled, bringing up his arms to pat her [h/c] tresses. Upon realizing what he was about to do, he stopped midway, internally hesitating whether to continue or not.

In the end, he quietly brought his arm down. "Do you wanna go on a date with a lowly bug like me on this marvelous day?"

"E-eh...?!" red bloomed on the girl's face upon hearing the word date. [E/c] eyes widened an inch as she stared at Nagito's aloof smile, baffled. "W-w-w-what?"

"Hehe... You're so cute, [Name]-chan," Nagito chuckled. "I asked you if you wanted to go on a date with me... But, of course, if only you wanted to. I don't mind if you decline my offer. I'm pretty sure that you have better things to do rather than this."

The girl shook her head rapidly, instantly dismissing his thoughts. "I-I would love to! But, is it okay for you to spend your last day with me? I mean, how about your classmates?"

"It's fine. I wanted to spend the day with you, after all," he simpered.

After the graduation ceremony, the two went out on an unplanned date in the city. Nagito took the girl to many places, surprising her that he knew a lot of locations. When they first went to an arcade center, the girl commented that she didn't expect him to know a lot of places, to which the silverette responded with an awkward chuckle, asking whether her words were a compliment or not. [Name] quickly rephrased her statement because of that, blushing madly for embarrassing herself and making him think she's insulting him. Nagito, of course, just chuckled at her flustered state and cuteness, finding himself blushing as well.

The two would engage in small chats, chuckling and giggling occasionally. They would do something together, and [Name] would often find herself wowing at whatever Nagito did, as he would unintentionally do something in their favor. One example was when he tried the claw machine after the girl's many failures. It was his first time to play it, yet, he had won four plushies, all of which were due to his luck. The [h/c]ette was truly shocked — after all, it was her first time seeing her upperclassman's luck at work.

For the entirety of the time he spent with her, Nagito felt the butterflies continuously fluttering in his stomach. He felt lightheaded like he was on cloud nine. The way his hand would try to weave itself to the girl's smaller ones — and although he would immediately stop himself just barely — up to the way his heart would pound whenever their bodies would make physical contact, Nagito was glad to experience such feeling.

His thoughts would wander towards [Name] and only her... Everything else in his surroundings was nothing but a blur.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, the boy once again closed his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. Ever so often, he would feel at ease whenever he did this. The thoughts that he didn't pay attention to during that moment came flooding into his head like a continuous movie. Those strips of past memories, future what-ifs, and even his emotions spring to life whenever he does this. And lately, Nagito knew that he wanted this to happen.

"[Name]-chan... I know that I may be a lowly insect compared to the other ultimates, yet, you see me as who I am. Even though our status in school differs — I as the Ultimate Lucky Student and you as the simple and talentless reserve course student — I found myself falling for you. I tried to comprehend the weird changes that happened to me ever since we met that day. At first, I thought it was just a simple attraction because you were the first reserve course student I met and became close with during my three years of attending Hope's Peak. You were intriguing... but it seemed that my attraction wasn't only based on that. Even though I don't understand you fully, I felt really happy that I was able to witness the different sides of you. And I'm truly happy that you accepted me as one of your closest friends here. You didn't shove me away... You tried to understand me... You accepted me. I...am really in love with you...and the tiny hope that resides within. Now that I realized how much you mean to me — and how happy I am to feel these emotions I kept contained for so long — I never wanted them to disappear. I look forward to a future that I don't have to constantly worry about and become afraid of my luck... A future with you there."

"Nagito-senpai?"

"Ah...that voice. A voice filled with sweet, sweet hope. It fills me so much with bliss that I'm so happy to hear it again and again."

Heeding her call, the silverette slowly opened his lids. Grayish-green eyes were met with [e/c] ones. He saw her staring back at him, a slight crease in between her eyebrows with her head tilted to the side as she regarded him with a worried expression. He chuckled at that, sweat-dropping with his hand rubbing his face sheepishly.

"What is it, [Name]-chan?"

"Are you alright?" she asked, frowning with concern.

The male gently simpered at her. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

"Oh..." she mumbled, returning her gaze toward where they were heading. She peered back at him and smiled softly. "I was just wondering if you might be sad."

"Why did you think of that?" he questioned, genuinely perplexed by her thought process sometimes.

She merely shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know — maybe because you can't spend your last day with your whole class?"

He chuckled at her answer, but nevertheless, he felt his heart fluttering at her constant concern for him. Seeing how he reacted to her question, [Name] slowed her pace to match with the lagging male. They walked side by side, a comfortable silence enveloping the two soon after.

"You're everything that matters to me right now, [Name]-chan. I couldn't wish for something else."

"H-huh...?"

Widened [e/c] pools blinked in surprise at the sudden large and cold hands enveloping her small warm ones. Her gaze was fixated on the hand clasping around hers, and then slowly she trailed her attention towards the male who did the act. Cheeks burning, she cautiously lifted her head only to be met with the serious face of her frost-haired upperclassman. Nagito's expression was surprisingly serious, in contrast to his usual aloofness. Those gray-green eyes that were gleaming with enough conviction stared at her confused [e/c] orbs.

After a few moments of staring at each others' pools, Nagito seems to snap out of his trance. His eyes softened, however, he didn't let go of her hands. Lifting it just above his chest, he weaved his fingers with hers. The girl's blush bloomed due to the embarrassing situation. But, she remained silent while watching whatever the boy was planning to do next. Pink hue also decorated the boy's pale face, and soon a minuscule smile decorated his lips.

By the empty sidewalk stood two teenagers — a male of slender and tall stature with wavy white hair and a pale complexion and a female of petite body with [h/l] [h/c] hair. The setting sun provided a change in the scenery as the warm colors of yellow and orange enveloped the evening skies. A breeze passed by, causing their hair to flutter in its direction and providing a natural melody in the place.

Slowly inching his face toward the girl he held a deep affection for, Nagito let their foreheads touch. His orbs bored deeply into those mesmerizing pools of hers, gazing at her lovingly. With a soft whisper, he muttered the words he wished to convey to her days before.

"[Name]-chan... I love you."

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