Archive of Our Own

Filthy Reserve Course Girl...Kiss me now!

The morning wind rustled through the leaves of the trees stranded on the coast of Jabberwock Island. Hajime currently was having breakfast inside the restaurant, with Chiaki keeping her company. She awoke later than the others today so she missed out on their regular breakfast routine, and she probably would have slept up until the late afternoon had the ultimate gamer not come knocking on her door and dragged her out to eat.

Even if the quiet was nice once in a while, the brunette still felt herself longing for the bustling sound of her friends talking and laughing while she ate and listened.

Though, it's not like it's the first time she's woken up later than the rest. Lately, she's been sleeping a lot earlier than usual, and often Monokuma's morning announcements didn't wake her anymore. She wondered if the insanity of the situation was actually starting to get to her now, after enduring so much, maybe she was finally starting to lose it.

Hajime was tired, after watching Gundam breathe her last breaths she was utterly mentally exhausted. Despite the whole ordeal taking place just a week or so ago, the brunette was gonna need way longer than that to recover from their current situation. Thankfully, no killings have been happening as of late (a record). ' Thank fucking god ' Hajime thought, she didn't know whether or not she could take it anymore.

She should be thankful, really. She thought as she poked the food around on her plate. Glancing absentmindedly at Chiaki who was gaming on his console with a bored expression in the chair across from her, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

She knows she should be thankful about nothing drastic happening as of late. And really, if everything was normal, she would have been. But nothing about their current situation was normal in the first place, the death of their friends taking a huge toll on all of them. From finding their corpses to watching them die through gruesome torturous methods, it was a miracle that most of them were still sane.

She knows that she's supposed to be thankful, yet after the latest execution. Things have been different, especially for Hajime. After what she found out about herself thanks to a certain lucky student...About being a regular reserve course, she somehow felt even more lost than before she had even figured out that she was talentless. On top of that, the said lucky student has been bugging her about it ever since she made her discovery...



"Ehh? What's this? Why on earth is a useless reserve sitting with an Ultimate, really, you should be ashamed of yourself Hinata-san..."



Ah. Speak of the devil and she shall arrive. Hajime heavily exhaled, trying to somehow summon enough brain power to deal with this before twisting her torso in the direction of the white-haired female. Now looking Nagito directly in the eyes, Hajime made sure to reinforce the pissed-off look on her face.

The lucky student clearly felt content by this, as she returned the glare with a hint of amusement in her green eyes.



Ever since it came to light that Hajime was, apparently, talentless, Nagito just wouldn't stop pestering her about it. Every chance she got, whether Hajime was alone, or worse, was with an Ultimate ( like right now ), the lucky student made absolutely sure to remind her of how pathetic, and useless her whole entire existence was.

Nagito's ' harmless comments ' have really been getting out of hand, especially ever since a few days ago when said comments evolved into ' harmless pranks '. It all started when she made Hajime absolutely soaked by making a sugary drink fall on top of her. It took Chiaki's guidance back to her cabin and a full bottle of shampoo to get all of that sticky sweet gunk out of her brown locks. Whatever drink Nagito used, she made sure it would last.

Although the lucky student had clearly set it up somehow, for Hajime to be standing underneath that particular shelf at the same time as when it tipped over, probably had to do with Nagito's luck. Hell, Hajime would have chalked it up as a stupid coincidence had the white-haired female not made it absolutely clear that she was the one that put that drink there. That itself is just another low blow for Hajime, the use of a talent. Cause, y'know, she's talentless?
.


Hajime grumbled, shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts. "Komaeda... can you just...piss off for now? I'm not in the mood to deal with your bullshitting at the moment."

Nagito just laughed, arrogantly pointing up at herself while keeping her gaze trained on Hajime. Much to the displeasure of the other. "Awhhh...Well that's too bad, isn't it?" She tutted, "I mean, I can't just leave you here with Nanami-Kun you know?" She eerily stated. Hajime raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? What the hell do you-" a heavy annoyed sigh left Nagito's lips, the degrading sound only pissing off Hajime even more.



The lucky student put a hand on her hip, pointing directly at Hajime as if she was explaining something obvious to a dumb child. "... Gosh, do I have to explain everything to you? Your sole presence is disturbing his peace, you know? How is he supposed to concentrate on being an absolute symbol of hope when you're distracting him with your unneeded existence?"

That. Now that was the final straw, Hajime concluded. She just wanted to have a damn peaceful morning and eat her god-damn pancakes in peace but , of course, Nagito had to butt in and ruin her freaking day for no apparent reason at all!

The brunette felt the final cord of self-restraint finally snapping. After enduring this relentless bullying, only coming up for herself through pathetic comebacks (mainly due to the grief of losing her friends catching on), she had finally had enough. Hajime was seriously going to wipe the floor with this crazy bitch. As the newfound determination settled in, she stood up abruptly, pushing away the chair she was sitting on with her legs. With an angry snarl twisting her face, she gripped the hem of Nagito's shirt with her fist, pulling her down slightly to look her in the eyes.

"Listen up you... You-!" Hajime suddenly realized that she was at a loss for words. She ground her teeth, Why the hell couldn't she say anything?! Any other time she would have had a good handful of insults prepared and ready just for Nagito. But right now...she was just...So damn pissed off! Komaeda made a fake pouty face, yet put her hands up in faux surrender while staring Hajime down.

"Awhhh, what's that Hinata-chan~? Did I hurt your feelings?" She ridiculed her with the same babying voice making Hajime just want to rip out her vocal cords by hand right there and then.

Nagito abruptly raised her hand towards her face making Hajime flinch in anticipation. However instead of being slapped across the face as she had expected, the other gently pet the brunette on the cheek instead. The action albeit soft felt a lot more mocking than comforting. It was as if the lucky student was patting and attempting to calm a mere dog with her sugary sweet-toned voice. The reserve course's irritation had finally reached its peak by then.

"Now, why don't you go and be a Good reserve course student and not bother your superiors, m'kay?"



The punch was audible, to say the least. Hell, a firm whack sound echoed throughout the restaurant. Nagito staggered back, clutching the reddening side of her face while hunching over. Hajime wasn't sure just how hard she was planning to hit her at first, probably not that hard since she wasn't planning on hitting the white-haired girl at all. But shit, she sure did not hold back.

Nagito sputtered, and although her face wasn't visible due to her hunching back and her long thick white hair being in the way, it wasn't that far of a stretch to assume that her face was twisted in either shock or pain if the solid wince was anything to go by. Hajime immediately took a step back, clutching her wrist that held the hand that had just collided with Nagito's cheek. Her head felt fuzzy, she wasn't sure if what she did was by choice or pure impulse.

After a few more odd noises from the other, Hajime felt taken aback when she realized that the lucky student wasn't sputtering in shock or anything, no, she was giggling. Giggling that quickly turned into a full-on cackling session, making her feel even more weirded out. Maybe even a tad bit worried (not that she'd ever admit that). Nagito clutched her stomach and raised her head to peer over at the culprit of her wound with a twisted crazed look spinning in her gaze all while continuing to laugh.

"W-what the hell...?" the reserve course muttered under her breath, her brows furrowing as the shock of the situation melted away and she rapidly remembered how pissed she was earlier. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why the hell do you keep reminding me of that?! I know that I'm a damn reserve course, damn it! I know that okay?! So why the hell are you so obsessed with reminding me of something I, out of everyone, am most aware of?!"

Hajime finally let out the words that she's kept to herself for so long, and once she started she couldn't stop. She didn't even register the sound of a chair moving, probably due to Nagito's ongoing cruel laughter as she kept spilling words out of her mind. She sucked in a /quick open-mouthed breath before continuing her rant.



"And not to mention, why do you always need to call me useless! Or..Or something like that! Back when you didn't know about that you said that I was amazing and all that but now?!... Just cause I'm not a damn Ultimate doesn't mean that I don't have fucking feelings y'know?!" Her voice started to crack near the end, her emotions slightly getting the better of her. But she wasn't done yet, no, She had so much on her mind at the moment that the only best solution was to just let it all out.

But before she could open her mouth to speak again, Hajime jumped as she suddenly felt a hand resting on her shoulder reminding her of the third party in the room, she snapped out of her rage-filled state and slowly turned to face Chiaki whose face rested in a soft concerned frown. She had forgotten that he was in the room with them in the first place.

"Stop. That's enough. Hinata-san, you need some fresh air...I think." Chiaki firmly stated, although the last words made him sound rather unsure, Hajime had known him long enough to know that he actually meant it. And honestly, with a clouded mind and the throbbing inside her brain, all she could do was nod numbly in response.

Nagito was still stuck in her fit of laughter, now coughing and wheezing at the intensity of her emotions. Hajime didn't really have a chance to question why the hell the white-haired girl started flipping her shit before she was pulled towards the flight of stairs that led to the exit. Despite the anger she still felt bubbling inside her chest, she still couldn't help but glance over her shoulder to look over at the manic girl, even if at that moment she wished the lucky student never existed in the first place.



As Chiaki guided her down the first couple of steps she made eye contact with the source of her problems once more, at this point Komaeda's laughter had calmed down significantly and was starting to rest into a soft smile. Hajime had no idea what was going inside her head right now, but from her gaze, she could almost feel as if Nagito was...Longing for something?

Shit. Maybe she was really starting to lose it, Hajime was never one of those expert body language readers in the first place. So she was probably just making stuff up at this point, yet, an ache remained inside her chest as she turned her gaze back onto the staircase away from the lucky student. She screamed at herself in her mind, she still felt so hurt and betrayed by Nagito's abrupt change in behavior toward her. She shouldn't even be thinking about what the other may or may not be feeling. She deserved it after all...Right?

She decided not to think too much about it as she was led outside by the Ultimate gamer.

The diner was the next best place they could go where Hajime could finish eating her breakfast, without getting interrupted by anyone. Chiaki had promised her that he'll keep an eye out for the lucky student, something she was grateful for. By the time they got there the brunette's temper had dimmed enough for her to think without killing her brain, but then again there wasn't too much to think about in the first place.

All that really happened was Hajime finally losing it and snapping at Nagito who in return gave her one of the weirdest reactions to being punched square in the cheek that she's seen in her life so far, and Hajime was pretty confident in her strength due to her working out occasionally ( sure, she was no match against some people like Akane, but she wasn't totally weak ), so it's not like it didn't hurt. No, it definitely did, or maybe the lucky student had a high pain tolerance perhaps?

Yet, as she sat down on one of the red couches while Chiaki had offered and went to get her a new meal, she couldn't help but think... Why did it really matter? Of course, her getting mad at being repeatedly degraded is completely normal. But for some reason, it felt like that wasn't the main reason as to why she wanted to rip her hair out by the end of each ' discussion ' Nagito dragged her into, no.



Maybe it was because the lucky student kept bringing up her lack of talent? No, that's not it. Sure, Hajime hasn't exactly come to harmonious terms with that fact, and sure the white-haired girl constantly bringing it up did piss her off and admittedly did make her doubt herself a bit more from time to time. But that wasn't it, that wasn't the reason as to why she constantly felt a sort of scratching, clawing sensation inside of her chest whenever she was called all those cruel names by the person she at some point considered a friend.

She stared blankly at the platter that Chiaki had slid over to her on the table, it wasn't much, really. A mere burger coupled with some fries and a soda can. Still, Hajime thanked the gamer under her breath for his consideration. He really was a great friend and had been there for her when things got especially rough during the duration of the killing game. Without another word exchanged between them Chiaki took his seat next to her, and pulled out his small gaming console to continue playing whatever level he had last left off on.

In all honesty, Hajime had really lost her appetite after her little fight with Nagito, yet she felt bad as Chiaki's selfless efforts would be going to waste if she didn't at least try to eat. So with a grimace on her face, she grabbed the burger by the wrapper and took a small bite. While chewing slowly on her meal, She continued to think.

Nagito...Komaeda...She had always been rather odd. Hajime had stamped her as a crazy bitch after the duration of the first trial. Yet despite that, she always had this aching curiosity about the other, hence why she repeatedly kept seeking her out to learn more and more about her. The lucky student almost always tried to turn her down, always saying something along the lines of ' You should be spending your time with the other great Ultimates, not with someone that's useless utter trash like me ', but always seemed quite happy whenever Hajime insisted regardless.



Yet as of late, it has started to feel like Nagito has been actively seeking her out instead. Harassing her with harsh words and foul actions has been their only way of communication as of late, much to the brunette's displeasure. Did their time together really mean that little to the other? Had she only tolerated her since she assumed that the other was another great Ultimate?

The bell of the diner tinkled, making Hajime halt her thought process. Her heart started hammering in her chest, she wasn't ready to encounter Nagito again. She knew she would have to eventually, but she was still mad at the other. Facing the lucky student after what happened barely half an hour ago was not something she wanted to deal with at the moment. Not now. Not-



"Greetings to you two! How are things going for the both of you during this lovely afternoon?" Sonia's voice boomed throughout the restaurant. The brunette let out a sigh of relief as she lowered her burger to peer up at the Ultimate prince, who waved at them both cheerily. As he walked into the diner with grace, a munching sound followed behind him. Hajime quickly found out the source of the Noise was coming from none other than Akane.

Her heart ached for both of them, each of them had lost someone precious during the last trial. Sonia has evidently been a lot more down in the dumps lately in grief for the girl he had developed somewhat of a crush on, and Akane would occasionally still burst out into tears randomly whenever he even thought about the team manager that had protected him on more than one occasion.

"Do you mind if we...Sit with you?" Sonia asked hesitantly, he probably sensed the tension brewing in the air up close. But, it would be rude to turn down the duo, regardless of whether or not Hajime needed some alone time right now ( Sure, Chiaki was with her, but that wasn't the point ).

Chiaki didn't say anything but shot a subtle glance at Hajime as if he were asking her if she was fine with it, She nodded before speaking. "Yeah, we don't mind." She muttered keeping it short, not really in the mood to elaborate. she still cursed herself out inside her head for sounding so unsure.

They didn't seem to really mind though, Sonia slid into the seat across from them and Akane followed suit somehow making the very act of merely sitting down look barbaric.



"Yo! So what's up...Ehh...Hannah was it? Why didn't t'ya show up for eatin' time this mornin'?" Akane appeared to be eating a burger himself, though it seemed to be double the amount stuffed than Hajime's. How he possessed the pitless bottom called his stomach, she herself would never be able to really figure it out. What she also couldn't figure out is how he almost always got her damn name wrong every time.

"My name is Hajime...Hajime Hinata. How the hell do you still not know that?-" Hajime sighed, pinching her eyebrows before letting his slip-up go with a huff. There's no use in circling her thoughts around someone so dense in the first place. "And I- I slept in again, that's all."

Sonia's brows furrowed in concern. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have been slumbering a lot longer than you usually do. Is it...Because of what happened?" He questioned, Hajime wished he didn't.

She shook her head. "I mean...Yeah obviously, but it's fine really. It's not like sleeping in once in a while is going to kill me." Hajime internally winced as she realized that's what people who usually get killed in their sleep in those cheesy horror movies would say right before going to bed. Plus, the word kill wasn't exactly pleasant to hear with their current circumstances.

Sonia's sucked-in breath was evidence of that, his smile seeming tenser than before. Thankfully Akane had been happily munching his food and hadn't been paying attention, so they didn't have to deal with his emotional burst at the moment.



Hajime cleared her throat, feeling awkward all of a sudden. "So...Er, what are you two doing here?" Well, Akane's presence wasn't that surprising, but the reserve course wouldn't really expect a well-off prince to be wasting his time at a greasy place such as a diner.

"Well, Nevermind wanted to try out the foreign burgers of this place, and I was just hungry so" Akane shrugged after swallowing a piece of his burger, before perking up. "Which reminds me...Haj, how come yer here instead of the restaurant? Wouldn't breakfast there be tastier to eat right now? Oh! don't worry. I didn't eat everything this morning, I ate all the meat but-"

Hajime decided to cut off his rambling. "-No no, er well, we did go there. But well one thing led to another and..." She really didn't want to explain what had happened.



"Did Komaeda-san bother you again, perhaps?" Sonia's question made Hajime's eyes widen, how did he-?

"H-huh? Well yeah but-"

"I knew it! That girl has been causing all kinds of trouble for you Hinata-san." The prince's spirit started to light up out of nowhere. He gave her a reassuring yet firm look, flexing his right arm ( even if there wasn't much to flex in all honesty ).

"Well, I guess" Hajime muttered.

"Not to worry! Hence, we are your friends. So we will do our very best to keep her away from you if that's what you request." He solidly stated. Akane immediately jumped in on the action, cracking his knuckles.

"Hell yeah! I'll wack her in the head if that's what t'ya want me to do, A scrawny girl like her stands no chance against my power level!"

"W-what?! No! Wait-" Hajime helplessly glanced at Chiaki, who only remained silent but seemed to be somewhat interested in the conversation. She cursed under her breath knowing that he wouldn't be any help.

Akane to no surprise didn't give up, slamming his hands on the table making the platter clatter, and leaning forward to give Hajime a full view of his battle-lust-filled eyes. "Nahh don't worry bout' it, I've been aching for a fight lately anyways!" He assured.

Hajime still shook her head violently. "No no, it's fine...I kinda- already did that anyways." She admitted, at this Akane fell back into his seat looking dumbly at her.

"E-eh? For real? Woah Hinata! Didn't know that you had it in ya, Oh I know! Why don't you fight me instead?!" The Gymnast's mood went from being flabbergasted back to being battle hungry. Thankfully Sonia decided that this was his time to speak up.

"Oh heavens! You and Komaeda-san had that big of a conflict?! Are you injured anywhere Hinata-san?" He asked sounding worried for his friend, Hajime shook her head dismissively feeling slightly sheepish.

"Nah don't worry about me, I kinda... Got fed up with her and punched her in the face." She explained, scratching her cheek and looking away from the prince in shame. Damnnit, why did that confession make her sound wimpy for some reason?



Sonia's eyes widened in surprise. "My how brutal! Though in comparison to how the Ladies in my homeland settle their conflict with one another, this is rather mild. This is a foreign island however, Is this the way the Japanese settle things perhaps?" He both sounded concerned and questioning. ' Sure, punching her in the face was pretty mild. Still, his comment kinda scares me of how the women in his country operate things...' Hajime pondered feeling her face twitch into an awkward smile.

"Eh...I mean I guess...?" She offered awkwardly. Akane sunk in his seat, crossing his arms while looking visibly disappointed. "Aw man...How lame. She didn't even try to fight back, That's like, the lamest duel of duels that I've ever heard of..." He sulked.

"...I'm not too surprised. She's been bugging you a lot lately Hinata-san." Chiaki spoke up out of the blue, Hajime turned to him while raising her eyebrow.

Sonia nodded in agreement, clutching his hands to his chest in worry. "You are indeed correct, Nanami-san! I understand that with our current situation being highly stressful Komaeda-san may want to release her worries somehow. But she has no right to disturb her fellow students with her unwanted venomous phrases!"

Chiaki yawned, lifting his hand in front of his face to shield the others from it. He looked tired, but then again when didn't he? "Eh, I don't really get it. Why does, er, Nathalie even care about stuff like that, like, she sure talks big game for folding after a single punch y'know?" Akane mused, scratching his head. ' This guy... ' Hajime didn't want to wrap her head around his logic.

She sighed, glancing at the abandoned burger on her platter. The greasy sad dish looked even more unappetizing than before, and she wasn't about to even attempt to take another bite.



Her mind started to trail off again. Now that she thought about it, Nagito had no right to even be talking about her being talentless by the laws of her own logic. Sure, her luck was a pretty vague subject to begin with, but everyone on the island has at some point witnessed firsthand how real the use of that talent was. Still, the lucky student herself has repeatedly debunked her own talent for being' a useless cursed talent ', so for her to actively bully Hajime about her talentlessness is rather...Odd.

Wouldn't that kind of make Nagito kind of a huge hypocrite? Obviously. Yet, that rises a new question. Why?. Why was she pestering someone that, in her eyes, was the same as her? The answer was pretty obvious, the lucky students often babbled about her fucked up views on the ' talentless wastes of space ', and recently Hajime has been the prime subject whenever the lucky student brought up that bunch.

She's always talked about how much she resents them, so naturally, Hajime being revealed as a mere reserve made Komaeda section her the same as the rest. That much has been plain as day. However, if the lucky student didn't classify her lucky talent as a real talent in the first place, then why did she act as if she was still better than her? Or on a higher ground than her...Only, she didn't. Not really, Hajime realized curling her finger under her chin at the thought.

The white-haired female, despite being an ass as of late, hadn't really changed much. She still talked about hope in an obsessive way, she still practically drooled about the Ultimates making said hope shine, but most importantly, she still talked about her own shortcomings. Albeit she's been mentioning it a lot less around Hajime, though according to Chiaki and the others, she hadn't really changed for them at all. This included her constant self-degrading manner of speech.



So, that's it then? Nagito has been tormenting Hajime because she hates her own ' lack of talent ' , and has been using the other as a punching bag ever since the brunette's talentless trait came to light? By logic, this is what makes the most sense. It's almost as if the answer has been in front of her damn face this whole time yet...

She didn't feel the satisfaction she had been looking for with said answer. She almost felt...Even worse than before. How could she not? This wasn't the answer that she was looking for, she wanted to understand what Komaeda felt towards her and if she truly resented her even after all the time they had spent together. Hajime clenched her fists, she really, really, did not want to believe it.

She suddenly had the urge to move, to keep her mind off the subject. She didn't want to think about it, no. Especially with a stupid answer like that. She abruptly stood up, making the three who were chattering amongst themselves look up at her questioningly. Suddenly remembering that she wasn't alone, Hajime awkwardly smiled at them.



"Eh...I- gotta go. I wanted to visit the mart earlier so..." an obvious lie. Chiaki obviously caught onto it judging from that look in his eyes, yet thankfully he decided not to comment on it.

"Oh, do you need any assistance with acquiring the objects you seek there?" Sonia's fancy way of offering for help really stuck out, still, she refused with a wave of her hand.

"Nah I got this...I kind of also want to clear my head a bit, y'know?" The prince nodded in understanding, despite clearly wanting to protest in letting her go out alone after what she told them earlier.

And with that ( and an awkward amount of shuffling to get past Chiaki who was seated on the outer side of the couch ), Hajime officially excused herself from the Diner.

Hajime ' went to the store ' aka walked around lost in thought throughout the Islands for about an hour. She tried to avoid the first island as much as possible during this, in order to shun away from the lucky student as much as she could. Her legs felt sore and at this point in time, it was probably best to return to her cottage soon she noted mentally, wiping away the sweat from her brow.

She wondered why she couldn't bring herself to accept it. Okay! Fine, Komaeda didn't care about their friendship as she had hoped. Yet despite repeating that in her head over and over again for the past hour, she just couldn't bring herself to accept it. She cursed herself for being stubborn, after all that's what it was right? She was just being her regular, stupid self.

Hajime pinched her own cheek firmly, wincing a bit at the strain.' damnit... I can't think like that, I'll be just like- '. She assured herself another firm squeeze in order to rid herself of those thoughts.

If things actually went her way for once, she would've wanted to never look at Nagito's face again and pretend like she had never existed in the first place. Ultimately, she knew that wasn't possible, not only was it a cowardly way of thinking, but she knew she didn't really want that. She suddenly halted, absentmindedly noticing that she stopped near the front of the hospital, sorrowful realization hitting her like a bunch of bricks.

She didn't want to forget Nagito, and to her surprise, she didn't even feel any amount of malice directed toward the white-haired girl. Hajime bit her lip hard almost drawing blood, trying to rid herself of the second unwanted realization of the day. Yet, the fact remained. Despite having been treated like utter human garbage for the past week she still couldn't bring herself to actually hate, or even strongly dislike the other.

Hajime knew it wasn't healthy to feel this way, she knows she should feel nothing other than utter resentment towards the other for the way she's been acting especially with their current situation. Yet, in spite of what her logical brain was telling her, her heart throbbed.

She still wanted the other in her life, she still wanted to be close to her. Nagito had been nothing but horrible toward her, even so, Hajime still wanted to keep her close. She shakily hugged herself, feeling a sudden chill despite it being scorching hot outside on the grounds of Jabberwock Island. She grit her teeth against each other firmly, stubbornly holding back the tears that were pricking the corners of her green eyes.

It hurt. Ofcourse it did. She didn't want this, she didn't want to feel this way toward the other. It was so damn stupid and wrong how her thought process was running at the moment, she knew that if anyone else was struggling with the same thing at that moment and told Hajime she would've clicked her tongue and called them a morron.

She rubbed her arms in a pathetic way to comfort herself and firmly shook her head. She had to get a grip. If she kept thinking in such a self-destructive way in order to stay close to the lucky student she was going to end up as a brain-dead pathetic loser. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and took a deep breath, stretching her arms behind her to feel the satisfying strain in her lower back.

She won't think about it. It's that simple, just...Ignore the thought for now. Yeah, she can do that. And maybe, just maybe if she gets lucky, she'll be able to forget how her pulse practically twitched every time she thought about the other. She firmly wiped away the remaining water pricks in her eyes feeling a tiny bit more determined than before.

Hajime took one last glance around the third island firmly deciding that she's done enough wandering and thinking for the day. She stepped towards the bridge that led to the central Island. Maybe she'll fetch a cold drink before heading back to her cabin on the first island, she'll probably just laze around in her room or take a nap for the rest of the day if she felt like it. Feeling satisfied with her plans, she made her way across trying to forget the deep ache in her heart that she had previously felt...

Hajime concluded officially that life just wanted to make her suffer as much as possible. Her brow twitched in irritation, still not over the way she's been treated by the lucky student earlier that day.

A lucky student who was gazing at her arrogantly with a sneer from the comfort of Hajime's bed.

Everything was going smoothly at first when she got back on the first island. First, she went to the restaurant to fetch a cold drink, thanking whatever god that was out there that Komaeda wasn't there, and quickly decided on a simple glass of orange juice. She told herself that she'll bring it back tomorrow wanting to save the sweet juice in order to drink it in the comfort of her own room and quickly made her way toward her cabin eagerly.

Hajime had stepped onto the boards in front of her door struggling to get the keys out of her pocket with the drink in one of her hands. At some point, she almost dropped it out of getting impatient with the fiddling, before successfully pulling them out. She gleefully grinned feeling proud, lining up the metal object with the lock before pausing, smile dropping.

She noticed that her door was already open by a crack. Suddenly feeling warry about what was on the other side, The brunette contemplated just going back to the restaurant and drinking her drink there. After debating on what to do, she decided that she was just overreacting and probably forgot to close the door properly when Chiaki was dragging her out. So hesitantly, she pushed open the door to be met with a very unwanted face.



Back to the present, Nagito peered at her from beneath her thick white lashes. She was lounging on her bed with her back propped up against the wall and her arms crossed in front of her chest. As if she was waiting for Hajime to return, then again what other reason did she really have for being here?

Hajime stood still at the doorway keeping her hand on the doorknob, cause she was really not taking any chances with staying in a closed-up room with Nagito at the moment.' Maybe she came back for revenge? ', at this point, she wouldn't put it past the other. She felt a firm frown tug on her features at the few tense seconds of silence, before the white-haired girl leaned forward and opened her mouth.

"Have you learned your lesson, Hinata-san?"

Hajime paused. "Huh?"

The other took that as her cue to continue. "...That a useless, talentless filthy creature like you shouldn't even be allowed to be graced by the mere presence of the Ultimates." Nagito cruelly stated looking up at Hajime from where she was sitting with a cruel, cold expression. "After all... Your only purpose is being a stepping stone for their greater purpose."

Hajime sighed, irritation showing on her features as she gripped the door handle tighter. "Komaeda, pray to tell me, why the hell are you inside my cottage again?"

She didn't get a response, as if Nagito were expecting an answer to her question instead. The brunette felt her eye twitch at her lack of response, she knew that there was no way in hell that she was going to grace the other with the response she wanted.

She subtly noted that Nagito's cheek still looked a little red from their encounter from earlier. Hajime ignored the thought with a shake of the head and addressed the other elephant in the room.



"...And did you break into my damn cabin only to ask that?! Jeez, you could've at least asked something that, y'know, I haven't heard for the past week or so." she spat out.

To her surprise, the lucky student only laughed waving her hands. "Haha! No way! After you and Nanami-san left I decided to go back to my cabin. While I was on my way there I just happened to glance at your cabin while I was passing and to my surprise, your door was wide open!" Nagito let out a giggle. "Silly Hinata-san, always forgetting things."

Hajime made sure to kill the buttery feeling in her stomach at that last sentence. With an irritated sigh, she looked away from the other in order to step into her cabin and shut the door behind her with a click. She knew it was a dumb idea, but she'd rather argue with the white-haired girl in private rather than alert Fuyuhiko who lived across Hajime's cottage, Who wouldn't hesitate to curse out the both of them if she just happened to be doing something without wanting to be disturbed.

Sounds like a stretch but she didn't want to take her chances currently. There are only so many migraines that she could deal with before completely going feral and punching someone out of pure frustration (again).

When Hajime turned around again to face the other she noted that Nagito hadn't made any moves so far. She wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing. Regardless, she decided to cut to the chase.

"...So, came to tell me about ' The great Ultimates and the pathetic reserve course students ' or can I enjoy the rest of my day in peace for once?" The brunette narrowed her eyes at the lucky student, stepping over to the desk that stood against the wall of her cabin in order to place her drink down just in case things got heated again.

Nagito hummed, scooting closer to the edge of the bed so her back wasn't pressing against the wall anymore. Instead, she decided to support her weight with both her arms. "...Hmmm...No, actually, I came to ask you something."

Hajime paused, crossing her arms and raising a brow at the vague statement. "Oh?"

The lucky student smiled at her confusion but remained silent, Clearly waiting for something.

The brunette huffed, feeling annoyed at the implication, yet deciding to give in for the sake of feeding her own curiosity."...What is that that you want to ask me, Komaeda?".

She felt stupid for giving the other what she wanted, but if it was what would satisfy the other into leaving her alone then she supposed that she should just suck it up. Nagito seemed pleased, her soft smile widening.

"Well...?", Hajime urged on after a few seconds of silence, That seemed to snap Nagito out of whatever trance she was in.

The lucky student waved her off as a lame apology, before opening her mouth to speak once more.

"Why do you still hang around the Ultimates?". Hajime groaned right there and then, breaking eye contact with Nagito in favor of facing the wall. She rubbed the right side of her face in irritation before spitting out, "Are you kidding me? That's what you wanted to fucking ask me?"

Nagito blinked, the soft smile vanishing from her face, instead, it was replaced with a frown of confusion. "Huh? What's wrong with it? I just wanted to know, Hinata-san."

The reserve course swallowed another groan. "fuck-, why not? Why the hell wouldn't I be hanging out with them?! They're my friends Komaeda." She answered in spite of her boiling temper.

She was answered with a blank stare and silence from the lucky student. She seemed a bit stunned at her answer, which only provoked Hajime even more. She clenched her fists, really contemplating whether or not she should refresh that mark on the other's cheek. "...Well? Satisfied? Then get the hell out of my-!".

"But you're aware, so why?"

She got cut off by a cryptic message, which made her pause. It took her a little while to comprehend what the other was asking of her, the gears slowly started turning again in her head. After a moment, and a deep breath to calm herself down, she answered feeling a little lost.

"Huh? Aware? Aware of what?"

This time, Nagito seemed a little annoyed, her frown deepening. "...You realize that you're a reserve course, yet despite being worthless, you still feel confident enough to sit around the Ultimates." She elaborated.

Hajime felt the third migraine of the day rising, just what was Nagito trying to say? She scratched her head, feeling more and more lost. "H-huh? Well..." An awkward smile twitched on her lips out of habit "...I mean, sure I guess I'm, like, a reserve or whatever, but I still enjoy hangin' out with them y'know?".

Komaede blinked up at her. Hajime noted that she still looked pretty lost, and for someone who's talked a lot of shit lately, she looks rather...Airheaded. The brunette knew that was a stretch, as far as she knew Nagito was underestimated often for her intelligence. I mean, just cause she's a crazy bitch doesn't mean that she's a dumb bitch, Hajime had realized that a long time ago by now.

Still...It confused her to no end how it was so hard to understand that she was friended with The Ultimates. Well, on the other hand, the lucky student's incredible dislike towards the reserve course probably played a part in that, still though, was it really that hard to believe?



Just as Hajime started to feel even more weirded out by the other Komaede seemed to have snapped out of her thoughts. Her light grayish-green eyes widened a bit before she sprung up from where she was sitting, taking a few steps towards Hinata who took a few steps back.

"W-What the hell?"

"So what you're saying is...Is that despite possibly getting in their way, you still feel like it's okay to be around them?" The lucky student rushed out, she definitely started to lose the calm edge she had earlier and Hajime was not in the mood to deal with another one of Nagito's manic episodes. She felt anxiety swell in her chest at the thought of the other losing whatever control she still had over her fragile remaining sanity. Hajime could pretend to not feel scared all she wanted, but the urge to bawl her fists and scream and cry out her frustration was brewing in her mind.

The brunette sputtered. "W-what the hell- I'm not getting in their wa- How the hell would I be getting in their way in the first place?!"

Komaeda paused for a second before bringing her arms up to hug herself as if she suddenly got shy, looking away from Hajime in favor of eyeing the wooden floorboards with a twitchy smile itching onto her face."haha...You know, with your presence and all that?...Hehe...Wouldn't it be better for them to focus on achieving the Ultimate hope instead of spending their useful time on someone utterly worthless?".

It dawned on Hinata, eyes widening.' She's doing it again ',She was projecting onto her again. A sudden spark of pure rage rang through her body, a reminder that that's what she's been doing to make the other feel miserable all week long and she felt her confusion slip out of her mind at the realization. Her jaw clenched along with her fists and she felt her brows twitch once again.

It hurt, Hajime didn't know why it hurt so bad . She hated this, she hated being used as the Lucky student's punching bag whenever she felt a bit more insecure than she usually did. She clenched her fists harder, feeling her nails dig into the skin of the palms of her hands and feeling absolutely pathetic. Because even after everything the other girl had done, she was still able to hurt Hajime in a way that isn't supposed to be an option in the first place. The brunette isn't supposed to feel this affected by the other, she knows that! But...

She felt angry at herself, was this some sort of sick joke? She knew better than this so why... Why couldn't she stop herself from feeling?

Without thinking she took a few firm steps towards Nagito, who looked up at the approaching sound of footsteps. When she was a few feet away from her, making sure to at least keep some distance, she pointed a finger at her angrily.



"Enough of this shit already Komaeda!" She shouted, making said girl jump with her loud, quivering booming voice. " Just cause you think that having that good-for-nothing talent is what makes you worthless, doesn't mean that you have to rub it off on someone who you consider even more worthless! It doesn't fucking matter whether I have a talent or not, I'm still a fucking person y'know?!"

The lucky student seemed stunned for a second before her gaze bled from shocked to infuriated. She uncurled herself from her hunched position and stretched herself to her full height. She wasn't all that taller than Hajime, two inches at best, but even the slightest difference seemed to matter. Her presence suddenly seemed a lot darker and dangerous than she previously appeared to be. She took a step forward, pressing her own chest to the finger that Hinata was pointing against her.

Her eyes swirled with what Hajime could only call hostility, her crooked smile trembling as if it were keeping in a shout. "Hehehe...Doesn't matter, of course it matters! Hahaha! What good will you be for the shining future if you can't benefit it in any type of way...?" Despite her laughing, she seemed pretty pissed off at Hinata's comment. This is probably the maddest the brunette had seen her since Mikan's killings in the name of despair.

Even so, there was no way Hajime was backing down now, she enforced this by piercing the finger that was pressed against the other with more pressure. "What the hell...So what?! It's not like every Ultimate is using their talent to brew this goddamn hope you keep spouting about."

Nagito seemed to pause at that, her face falling into an aloof expression. But unexpectedly she answered Hajime with the same out of it look on her features. "Yet, the Ultimates possess the talents to spread hope in a way that no regular person can..." Her gaze suddenly hardened, and to Hajime's surprise, her arms shot up to grab the hand that was pressing against her with a firm grip, not letting go no matter how hard she tugged to free herself.

The lucky student's lips twisted into a near snarl. "...That's why vermin such as us shouldn't even consider the possibility of our worlds crossing with theirs, why don't you get it?! Don't you want to be beneficial to something even greater than your worth?!"

"W-what the hell- Let go of me!"

"You...You're almost always with the Ultimates. I don't understand how you don't feel any shame, but I suppose I can't completely blame you, the Ultimates are amazing after all."



Hajime thrashed around in her grip but was kept in place by said the hands that had captured her. They squeezed her wrist firmly, the brunette could've sworn the pressure cut off her blood flow for a second. She didn't understand how Nagito, out of everyone, was able to possess such surprising strength. Enough to keep a grown woman put.

The brunette didn't give up though, in fact, she felt even more pissed off now! Angrily she glared pointedly at her captor. "If you wanna kiss their asses so bad why won't you go to them then instead of sticking your nose into my goddamn business?!"

Nagito clicked her tongue, not looking too happy with that answer. "I couldn't possibly disrespect them like you already have, besides,someone around here has to keep you in line to prevent you from acting like an idiotic girl who bothers people who are way out of her league. Gosh...Can you just stop being so difficult Hinata-san..." Nagito spoke in a tone that made her sound like she was right, but Hajime knew better.

Still...She didn't appreciate being called stupid and difficult to deal with. Her gut twisted uneasily at the lucky student's words just as her fury started to boil.

"Stop talking like that! I know what you're doing- you are so fucked up oh my god... You're just spitting bullshit to make me bend on my knee and obey you and kiss your feet like some stupid fuckin' dog! " Hajime squawked loudly.

Nagito's eerie smile finally broke at that, and twitched into a barely suppressed grimace. "Now...Why would I even bother doing that?"

"Huh? What the hell do you-"

Nagito's previous distraught expression completely disappeared and was once again replaced by a creepy blank look that made Hajime gulp.



The lucky student tugged her closer suddenly, almost making Hajime trip with a shout. When the brunette was able to recollect herself she registered the warm breath tickling her ear, she and Nagito were practically chest-to-chest. The only barrier between their bodies touching was their arms which were folded to their upper bodies thanks to the white-haired girl's grip on the other.

Hajime flushed red, a different kind of flush than one of anger. She suddenly felt very awkward and vulnerable in the other's clutches and currently felt her heart drum wildly in her chest. Her body stiffened at the sudden proximity between the two girls who were shouting and arguing at one another mere seconds ago. ' damnit... ', the brunette bit the inside of her cheek to avoid saying something... Embarrassing.

The lucky student's lips brushed against the shell of her right ear, and Hajime could feel her thick white fluffy hair brushing against the side of her neck and cheek as Nagito tucked her head further into the crook of her neck. The brunette opened her mouth to say something, anything to get away from the bizarre situation at hand but all that came out was a confused staggered breath.

Komaeda hummed against her ear, and Hajime absentmindedly wondered how the other suddenly grew a pair to make such a ballsy yet...Forward move? The reserve course student started breathing heavily, that unwanted feeling that she's been avoiding like the plague which was swimming in her heart started fluttering once more. She cursed out her body for its shocked state, for not being able to bring itself to move from its current position.

"W-wha- Komaeda what are you-" She finally managed to stammer out. She felt the other huff against her ear, almost as if she was disappointed at Hajime for seeing anything wrong with their current position. The brunette felt her lips, which were previously just resting on the shell of her ear, finally start to move.



"There's nothing you have that can benefit the hope of the future in any type of way, comparing yourself to a dog is an insult to nature itself."



And just like that, the pink rose glasses that were smacked onto Hajime shattered at those words as she was reminded of the other's cruel behavior directed at her. Her eyes widened at the cold white realization, before the outrage she had felt earlier started resurfacing once more. She clamped her teeth shut firmly as her face scrunched together in anger.

Her body seemed to have snapped out of the stunned state that it was seemingly trapped in earlier, and handed back the reins of control over to her mind once more.

Using the grip the other had on her, she firmly shoved her with her trapped arm and her free one, actively launching the other away from her who silently cried out at the sudden protest. Nagito barely managed to catch herself from actually falling onto the floor, instead staggered around clumsily trying to balance herself poorly with her pale legs. Hajime rubbed her wrist, taking notice of the subtle bruise forming around her limb. She scoffed angrily, angry that she hadn't even noticed the sting in her wrist when the other had her trapped in her grip earlier. Angry that she hadn't realized that she was actively getting hurt.

When Nagito had lifted her head after collecting herself from the other's sudden resistance, Hajime finally brought up the courage to shout out her displeasure to the other once again.

"So what if I'm useless? I know that already goddamnit...I know that I'll never be as talented as the Ultimates okay?!" She admitted breathing heavily at the intensity of both her voice and emotions.

"You keep reminding me, but haven't I already told you? You...You! Haven't I-I Fuckin' told YOU already that I know that I'm a reserve!? fuck, I know that better than fucking anyone on this godforsaken island! I'm fucking aware about what the entails y'know?!" She hated this. She hated spilling whatever was on her mind. She hated it. she hates this, she hates this, she hates-.

"Even so that doesn't mean that I need to put the Ultimates on a damn fuckin' pedestal and praise them like the lord almighty! You hate your own fuckin' uselessness so much that you just have to keep pestering me about mine, huh?" Hajime laughed bitterly, hugging herself in an attempt to grant herself some form of comfort. Nagito's eyes widened and her mouth fell agape, but the brunette didn't give her a chance to start speaking again.

"God...You're so unbearable! No wonder the others are so creeped out by you, I don't know how I ever saw something in you when all you do is make those around you feel like absolute shit! ' why don't you understand ', Hah! No, why don't you understand Komaeda?! All I've ever done was try to understand how you feel, how you think, understand your views and beliefs about hope and your freaky ass luck! But the second you-", Hajime sucked in a ragged breath before she would actively make herself pass out.

She took a few steps back, digging her nails into her arms from all the stress and tension swirling in her mind. She averted her gaze to the floorboards, she couldn't bare to look at the other any longer.

"You! Y-you...The second you found that frickin' book or whatever you decide that I'm suddenly the worst, most useless person on fucking earth and go out of your way to keep reminding me of that! Fuck you man! Fuck- I hate you! I hate you! I hate you-"



I love you, I love you, I love you so much it hurts.



Hajime's eyes started pricking with salty tears as her speech started growing more and more frantic. She felt her chest heaving heavily as sorrowful sobs wanted to break free from her chest captivity. She rocked herself lightly, shifting her body to face away from Nagito. She sniffled trying to muffle her sad-sounding noises so she could empty out the screaming thoughts in her mind, she took a deep breath before bracing herself to continue.

"...I know that I'm not a fucking Ultimate or whatever. So can you just fuckin'...Piss off and leave me alone now? You got what you wanted, right? So just..." Pathetic. She felt humiliated, here she was so desperate to get the lucky student away that she resorted to begging the other to leave. Hajime allowed a few angry sobs to escape her lips after her plea.

Silent. It was pure silence from Nagito. The brunette started to feel that chill again, the uneasy atmosphere not helping her current situation at all. And she was pissed off! Could Komaeda leave already so that she could-



"...If you know that you're worthless, why do you always linger around them...?"



Hajime was stunned a bit by the quiet tone Nagito was speaking in. The words didn't register in her head properly before she felt two shaky hands slide on her back and weakly grip the back of her tucked-in white flannel.

"...You're as worthless as I am, yet you'd rather be with the Ultimates that are completely out of your reach, instead of staying on the sidelines with me...? Hehe...And worst of all, they don't shun you away. They don't mind that you're different than them..." Nagito paused her trembling rant, Hajime took that as her cue to slowly glance behind her shoulder to look at the shaking girl.

"...I know I'm worthless, and utter complete trash. I've made peace with the fact that I'll be nothing but a stepping stool for the greater good so...Why can't you at least, someone who has the same meaningless worth as me, do the same? Do what's best for the rest of humanity and stay away from the shining hopes of the future alongside...me...?" Komaede was hunching down a bit so her face wasn't completely visible, yet the occasional drip sounds told Hajima all she needed to know about how she was feeling.

Hajime felt her heart clench at the miserable tone the other was speaking in. It was a tone that she hadn't heard before, more vulnerable and raw. ' Fuck, no...Please don't just-



The lucky student continued. "... I understand that you would hate someone like me, haha...All I really am is an utter piece of useless garbage, really. My talent is barely a talent to begin with, and here I am spouting about your shortcomings. I don't get it though... I thought you would..." Nagito interrupted herself with a choked sob but frantically continued to speak. "After you realized your lack of worth I... I was so sure that you would come to terms with being on the same ground as me but... after you found out about your talentlessness... Right after you found out you kept talking to Nanami-kun as if nothing was wrong...Why..."

The brunette didn't want to listen. She didn't want to feel the familiar strain choking her heart, that tug that was making her regret ever saying anything hurtful to the other even if it was justified. Yet...

Nagito was shaking like a leaf caught in the wind. A part of her dark-green coat had slid off her right shoulder exposing her sickly pale collarbone making her look even messier and not well-kept than she usually does with her uncontrollable white hair that gave off that illusion on a daily basis. Despite Hajime having shifted around a bit, the other still made sure to keep a vice grip on her shirt as if she was afraid that the other would disappear into thin air.

"W-why... I know I'm disgusting, there's barely a single hopeful thing about me... But you... Even when you have nothing, even when you're utter complete garbage you still..."

Hajime didn't know what to say. She knows that this is bad, she could feel her insides folding with worry and empathy for the crying pretty girl gripping onto her. She should say something to ground herself and snap herself out of this odd state of awe, she knows that dismissing the other's cruel treatment was an utterly stupid idea.

The lucky student shakily lifted her head a bit, actively shutting up any resistance Hajime had been building up, before shoving her face into the brunette's shoulder blades. The reserve course let out a quiet startled shout at the regained proximity.

"H-hey!" was all she could muster through her mushy brain.

The only response she got was a handful of muffled sobs radiating from the other who had squashed herself onto the brunette's back. Hajime could feel the other's trembling figure transfer the vibrations over to hers, and could also feel the back of her shirt growing increasingly damp with tears and grossly, snot.

"...You give off such hope... Just like before you found out... During the trial, I just couldn't understand how someone like you... Despite being classed as a useless waste of space kept brimming with such beauty. Even now I have a hard time understanding it."

Hajime knows. She knows that she had to get the other away from her as soon as possible. It's starting to get dangerous, she needed space between the two of them so that she could clear her head and-



"I understand that you feel nothing but hatred towards me... I really am nothing but utter garbage and do nothing but bring misfortune to others. I know that I'm useless and resentful to even look at let alone be in the presence of, however, how come you... In spite of being fully aware of that after the first trial, repeatedly continue to seek me out? Even after your talentlessness came to light you appeared to be brimming with the most potential for a better hope even when you're not an Ultimate. You blend right in with all of them, even if all you are is a stepping stone. There's no wonder why you couldn't stand being with me eventually...Hehehe..."

All the self-deprecating speech was not helping in the slightest, and Hajime felt her temper start to boil once more cause of the lucky student. This time, however, it was for a different reason. Something her brain hadn't been able to register in time before her impulsive nature took over, causing her to firmly spin around actively ripping the lucky student's grip off of her. Instead, with a grunt, she placed both her hands on the other's shoulders to keep her in place. She tried not to think about how one of her hands was lying on top of the soft skin of Nagito's collarbone.

Komaede visibly jumped in shock, before sniffling and shakily tilting her head to meet Hajime from her slouched position. ' fuck ' Hajime cursed herself out for her intrusive thoughts popping in after catching a glance of the other's reddened face glistened with tear tracks on her rosy cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot yet somehow it made the soft color of the lucky student's eyes jump out even more, and the small pricks of tears poking in the sides of her eyes only made her look even more vulnerable.

Nagito's crying face was far from the prettiest. She had snot and drool dripping from her nose and mouth. Her face looked sticky thanks to the salty tears yet... Hajime couldn't remember the last time when she's seen anyone cry before and find it so captivating. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest as her voice got caught in her throat, the words cute and pretty rang through her head, and damnit! She knew that now really wasn't the time for it.



She scoffed at herself for a second and closed her eyes to take a deep breath and collect her thoughts. It was pretty impossible despite her efforts, especially when she could feel the gaze of the other linger on every crevice of her face. The feeling alone was enough to make it feel like an unachievable mission. At least the white-haired girl had calmed down though, her breathing was notably less heavy and more collected. The occasional hiccup here and there was nothing compared to her crying fit earlier, though Hajime still didn't understand the appeal of wanting to cry on her, grimacing at the wet patch on her back and the sensation of her flannel shirt sticking nastily onto her skin.

She sighed heavily. This was stupid. This is the dumbest Hajime had ever been while being aware of said stupidity, she cursed herself out for letting the odd girl worm her way into her heart like this. She knew that what she was about to say would be idiotic for her, she knew that ignoring the treatment she had received previously was utterly wrong yet...

When she cracked her eyes open again she got a full view of Nagito's flushed face once more and fuck, Hajime could feel her resolve start to slip at the helpless look the white-haired student gave her. ' This was bad, this was really really bad ', the brunette kept chanting the same word in her head over and over again. She knew that this was wrong, this urge to forgive the other for all her actions was completely utterly wrong.

...But she was only human, she eventually just couldn't help herself.



"...Komaeda, listen. fuck, you're not... We're not useless or whatever okay? I don't know how you can't seem to see it but we've been helping everyone ever since the first trial. Together y'know..." Hajime felt awkward, this type of speech really wasn't her thing at all. "Don't tell me that you haven't been at least somewhat aiding me when I get stuck on a trial, even after you found out that I was talentless you still helped y'know? In a bitchy way? Sure, but without you, we wouldn't have made it this far..."

The brunette took a deep breath, she really was bad at this sort of thing. Nagito however seemed to have found those the most outrageous shocking words nonetheless as her eyes widened and her lips parted in mild shock.

"...I...I don't hate you, Komaeda... God how could I? You're so... I can't really describe how I feel around you but I guess you make me feel... at ease? Happy?, something like that... Honestly, I was just pissed off cause you kept saying fucked up weird shit. I don't really get why you would want to constantly remind me of it. I never thought that me being around the Ultimates was such a big deal for you in the first place, I mean you didn't really seem to care at all before, and sure being talentless sucks. But is it really that big of a deal cause...Y'know, you suddenly started hating me out of nowhere and now you're..." Hajime trailed off awkwardly hoping the other would understand her implication, luckily, her words seem to click in the white-haired girl's mind.

Komaeda's eyes widened at her speech. "...Hating you? Goodness Hinata-san I could never!" The brunette felt startled at the new fierce tone Nagito was speaking in as if she had just accused the other of something horrible. Feeling curious yet irritated at the implication, Hajime furrowed her eyebrows. "Huh...? Then why have you been insulting the living hell out of me?! Not to mention those stunts you started pulling not long after... Acting stupid about all of that isn't gonna get you anywhere y'know?" Hajime felt slightly proud for being able to somewhat come up for herself.

To her confusion, however, Nagito rapidly shook her head making her white curls bounce with her movement. "No, no, no! Even if I believe that you're utter trash like me there is no possible way that I would ever allow myself the privilege of feeling hatred toward your shining hope!" The brunette chalked up her speech as 'I could never bring myself to hate you', but she didn't say anything. She lifted her brow, implying that the other should continue.



The white-haired girl however seemed to be slightly embarrassed all of a sudden- intriguing Hajime even more. Nagito had her hands curled to her chest and she was looking everywhere but at her at the moment, she was rocking lightly on her heels and if they were in a cartoon the reserve course was sure that she would've been whistling as if she had no answer to whatever question Hajime might have.

Hajime took this small pause in their debate as a chance to fix up the position of the lucky student's coat. It had been bothering her and honestly, she was scared that if she tightened her grip on the other ever so slightly she would bruise her fragile collarbone. So she got to work and took hold of the bunched-up green fabric that had draped itself from Komaeda's elbow, noting how soft and well-kept it seemed, before pulling it up and tugging it back over the shoulder that it had fallen from. When she was done she noticed that Nagito was standing completely still.

Their eyes met once more and this time Hajime was once again met by a stunned expression, a soft blush coating Nagito's pale cheeks that were already somewhat red from crying earlier. As if she couldn't believe that someone could actually care for her in any way shape or form, the thought alone made the brunette pity her even more.

The lucky student shakily lifted her hands that were folded to her chest and attached them to each side of Hinata's arms which were resting on her bony shoulders, weakly gripping them at the forearms in an almost caressing manner. No words were exchanged between the two, but Hajime still needed answers. So breaking the silence she quietly asked, "...Then why have you been such an ass then?", there was no bite to her tone, but it did get her point across.

The lucky student's grip tightened at those words, not nearly as hurtful as she had been gripping her wrist earlier but enough for the brunette to notice a difference. A quick pause rang through before she blurted out her thoughts.



"I didn't like you hanging around the Ultimates 'cause you should have been with me instead."



"Huh?" Hajime's face scrunched up in confusion.



Luckily, Komaeda clarified frantically. "Don't misunderstand me! When your uselessness was unknown I felt like I didn't even deserve your presence in the first place no matter how much I desired it...But..." Her voice shakily tried to explain, and Hajime decided to let the uselessness comment slide for now in favor of hearing the other out. "But... When you were found out, despite feeling heavily disappointed at first, I realized that I finally had permission to linger around your presence without causing any damage to the shining future of humanity. Hahaha...I was so happy, I thought that you learning about being a mere reserve would make you stay away from the Ultimates...but..."

Nagito grunted out the last few words, she visibly looked a lot more irritated than before. She pulled Hajime closer with her weak grip she had on her, albeit slightly. The brunette didn't protest, letting herself get rag-dolled by the lucky student.

"...But instead of knowing your place, you still stayed with them as if nothing had changed, as if you just hadn't found out such a despairing fact... That's when I realized that if I reminded you of how little benefit you would have to the world, you would come to me instead of always going over to...them" It was odd how negative Nagito seemed to be when talking about the Ultimates this time, Hajime had thought that every little thing they spur on would bring great joy to the other but apparently... "...I understand it, really. Your whole presence brings utter joy and hopefulness to others... Maybe that's why they just couldn't let you go."

Had...Hajime hit her head against a wall on her way to her cottage or something? Nagito had sounded so...irritated just now. Did... Did Nagito want her to stay away from the Ultimates? Was that all it was? Was she jealous of her being able to actually befriend some of her idealistic symbols of hope? The brunette knew that that wasn't it but... It couldn't possibly be...?



"You want me to stay away from the Ultimates so that you can be buddy-buddy with them instead?" she decided to ask, Nagito gave her an unamused look at her blatant stupidity.

"...No way, I would never interrupt or disturb their peace with my unwanted presence..." The lucky student averted her gaze once more, the reddening on her face deepening once again, visibly looking a lot more sheepish. "...Uhm... I want you to stay away from them cuz'... A useless talentless being like you should stick with someone that's also on the same garbage level as you... Like me."

And then it dawned on Hinata, the newfound realization etching its way into her mind as she sucked in a staggered breath. All those stories she had heard from her mother when she went to primary school about young boys bullying the girls they have a crush on filtered through her mind, and sure Komaeda wasn't a boy, but her behavior as of late plus her borderline confession that she had just sputtered out seemed to check out all the marks.

Still...Hajime knew it was bad. The lucky student was far from the best partner she could get on this island, hell, even a brute like Akane or a desperate weirdo like Kazuichi would have been a better match than the hope obsessed weirdo clinging onto her yet...

The brunette felt the insides of her stomach turn to mush at the other's words. She felt herself not caring about all of Nagito's bad quirks, hell, most of the weird unpredictable shit she spouts is what had kept Hajime so intrigued by her in the first place. She wanted to learn more about her so badly, she wanted to understand her in a way that clearly no one has before.



"...Komaeda, do you like me?" the words left her mouth before she could even realize it. Hot-boiled shame trailed down her spine at her own forward question and her face flushed red in embarrassment. Hajime wanted to smack the living hell out of herself for asking something like that, cause no matter what Komaeda's answer may be, it was going to be a pain to deal with it the emotional baggage that would come with it.

Nagito's breathing visibly went up a hitch, and her tear-tracked eyes widened at the completely unexpected question. "E-eh...?". The corners of her mouth twitched up into an awkward nervous openmouthed smile, and her whole face turned another whole shade of red.

For the first time, it seemed like Hajime was finally able to catch the other off guard instead of the other way around. Usually, the lucky student's completely out-of-context comments shocked the brunette as much as they intrigued her. But thanks to the scenario at hand... The brunette felt far from celebratory.

The lucky student was averting her gaze completely all while laughing nervously and mumbling illegible sentences at the same time. Unsurprisingly, after this went on for about a minute at best, Hajime's patience had already reached its limit. Komaede was smacking her own lips together loudly every time she tried to say something before changing her mind, and kept repeatedly shuffling her feet audibly against the wooden floor and every sly creeck sound that would come out from the friction pushed the brunette's irritation and curiosity at its limit.

She firmly shook the white-haired girl with her hands that were still attached to said girl's green-clad shoulders to snap her out of the state she was in. "Komaeda... If you aren't gonna answer the door is right there y'know? You've been a huge ass so the least you could do is answer my damn question."



It was stupid, really. Hajime should've just demanded the girl to leave, it's not like her presence inside her cottage was welcomed by anyone in the first place. Still, a part of her- a damned part of her couldn't help herself but crave a verbal answer from the lucky girl that stood in front of her... She knew she was probably making the mistake of a lifetime during a killing game of all things.

Hajime was dumb. A cowardly, stupid bitch that despite being incredibly intelligent ( albeit oblivious at times ), just couldn't help herself in a situation that could've been easily avoided if she had just followed her own logic. But when Nagito's shaky gray-green eyes met her's once again she knew that it was already way too late.

"Uh l...W-well... Hinata-san, I've been deeply in love with y- the hope deep inside you ever since I saw it shine for the first time... Hehe..." Nagito vaguely responded only irking Hajime's need for an answer even more.

"Komaeda..." she grunted angrily.

The lucky student shakily laughed and shook her head nervously, Hinata recalled her usually doing the same with her hands whenever she tried to either confirm or deny something.

"Hahaha! Look at you Hinata-san! Despite not being an Ultimate you are still able to read me like a hawk, impressive really... Though honestly, you seem pretty dense too all the same." Nagito half-teased-half admitted. And that's all the confirmation Hajime needed.

"...So you do like me." She repeated.

A white eyebrow twitched in irritation, and the grip the lucky student had on the brunette loosened. She averted her gaze from the reserve course suddenly yet Hajime could tell that her eyes were clouding over with anxiety. Nagito then started sputtering things like ' nevermind ' and ' forget what I said ' underneath her breath, and her pale frame started shaking a bit once more.



Hajime really was stupid, huh? She had led herself into this bear trap which she would have no escape from, it made her want to laugh and scream at herself for being such an idiot. But in reality, she knew the true reason as to why she asked Komaeda that question in the first place.

She knew why she let the other torment her with a minimal amount of complaints for the last week. She knew why she let the other stay in her cottage to talk when she knew that the true adult thing to do was to ask her to leave. She knew the reason as to why she's always been glancing over her shoulder whenever she was with an Ultimate as if she were looking for someone. She's aware as to why she's been wandering absentmindedly to the places where Nagito usually lingers on a daily basis despite always blaming it on some weird coincidence or even the Luck of the lucky student whenever she did run into her.

She knows. She does. She just didn't want to admit it, maybe now even, she still doesn't want to.

But none was here. None was here to stop Hajime or even judge her for the way she feels about someone she knows she shouldn't have any feelings for other than disgust or hatred. None was here to give her some sort of leverage to the horrifying reality of their current situation and of what the strange lucky student could do to make their situation even more gruesome. None was here to stop her from pulling the pretty White-haired girl she's been adoring secretly ever since she's woken up on this island closer to her to signal a silent confession.



Hajime balanced her chin onto Nagito's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around the other's torso, actively pressing their bodies together. She felt the lucky student freeze, yet she couldn't bring it in herself to care. She needed comfort. Any form of comfort would do, and reaching out for the other just happened to be the first option that came to mind.

It wasn't long before the white-haired girl started breathing again after her mild shock, and the brunette could feel her chest moving up and down calmy against hers. The thought alone made her blood pump faster, and she realized that she felt happy. Which was stupid.

Her heart practically jumped to her throat when she heard and felt Nagito breathe out a shaky airy chuckle. Not long after, she felt two hesitant hands snake their way around her waist and press the two girls even closer together.

The lucky student, albeit unsurely, nuzzled her head into the crook of Hajime's neck. The brunette felt her inhale a deep whiff of her scent, and she felt slightly relieved that she had decided to shower that day right before she got dragged out of her cottage in the morning. Though, she was pretty sure that a freak like Nagito wouldn't mind either way. The thick white hair was tickling the brunette's ear with every little head movement the other made and even when it was bothering Hajime that she felt ticklish in a time like this a part of her really didn't mind.



"hehe... Hinata-san... Who knew you were so kind... comforting me like this even after you find out about my absolutely horrendous-"

"Shut it... I'm not comforting you."

"Oh?" Hinata couldn't tell whether she was teasing her or being genuine.

The brunette sighed deeply. "...Seriously, Don't make me say it. You're smart right? You can figure it out."

A silent pause before she was answered. "Hehe... I'm afraid that I have no clue, cause it's practically impossible for someone as... Well, maybe useless, but still hope-filled, as you to have any other emotion other than disgust and putrid hatred towards me... And- hey! ouch! hehe-".



Hajime had used her knee to very lightly kick into the other's stomach effectively shutting her up. She huffed out an irritated sigh all while Nagito laughed half-heartedly at her efforts of silencing her from the self-deprecating talk of denial.

"Stop fuckin' calling me useless all of the time, and don't get my feelings mixed up with that weirdo hate-speech of yours, seriously... It's a pain to deal with all the time..." Despite her clear annoyance, right after Hajime had lowered her leg after her ' attack ' she tightened her grip around the other. It was probably a way to hide her embarrassment of the current situation, plus she knew that she was being a huge hypocrite right now with the being honest stuff.

The brunette felt the white-haired girl smile against her neck after moving her head a bit to the side which send a shiver down her spine, only now having realized that the lucky student's lips were quite literally resting on the junction of her neck. She too tightened her hold on Hajime, yet it still felt incredibly hesitant. Hajime wouldn't pin Nagito down as the hesitant type persé, especially with the bold stunt she had pulled earlier during their fight. However, right now she was lightly shaking while clenching the back of Hajime's flannel shirt and her rapid breathing was puffing against the brunette's neck.

"Oh is that so?... Hahaha... It's no wonder, really." Nagito nervously laughed. Hinata had no idea how she suddenly sounded like she was out of breath, regardless she was starting to feel bad. She pursed her lips at the thought of actually speaking about all that was on her mind. It's obvious that her half-assed answer didn't really help calm Komaeda's nerves one bit who was kind of losing it now.' If only it weren't so damn embarrassing '



"...I guess I could spend more time with you..." she settled with another half-assed confession.

She felt the lucky student jump in her arms, before firmly pulling back from their embrace but not quite letting go of the hold she had on the brunette to look at the other fiercely. Hajime almost wanted to whine at the lost contact but she would rather die than do something so embarrassing. Nagito was gazing wildly at her features with wide eyes crowned by thick white lashes, scanning for any trace of deception that may or may not be hidden on her face. The inspection was too much for the brunette to handle who felt her cheeks warm up at the intense gaze, and couldn't help herself but look away from it.

It was the silence again right before the chaos, before Komaede started freaking out even more. She started sweating and her irises began to swirl shakily, even her face started visibly heating up even more. "H-huh?... Wow Hinata-san! Did you hit your head or something? Let's be real here, who would want to spend time with trash like myself? Not to mention my disgusting feelings towards-"

"...Me too."

Nagito froze. "... Ah... Pardon?"

Hajime growled irritatedly. "... I- I like you too... I guess..."

' dumb stupid idiot, what are you saying?! What are you even doing?! You know what she's- '



No inner monologue could save Hinata now. She had already dug her own grave the second she had let the lucky student stay in her cottage. But it hurt. It hurt so badly to push the other away even when she knew that that was the healthiest thing to do. Yet she knows that she won't ever really do it

Nagito's twitchy smile etched its way onto her face again. "...Eh? Hinata-san... You must be-"

Hajime was having none of that bullcrap any longer so she just cut to the chase. "I'm not lying, Komaeda. Nor am I delusional or whatever... God, won't you just roll with what I've said so that I don't have to deal with this pain-in-the-ass conversation any longer? Besides, I gotta change my shirt too... No offense but I'm not a huge fan of-"



she was cut off when she felt the lucky student suddenly launch herself back into her arms and squeeze their bodies together causing Hajime to cough out in surprise. Nagito had dug her face back into the crook of her neck and was nuzzling it continuously. ' She really has a thing for that...huh. ' Hajime thought absentmindedly all while trying to block out the fluttering thoughts drifting through her mind whenever Komaeda's lips happened to brush against her skin.

The brunette released the hold she had on Nagito in surprise at her sudden eagerness, but that didn't seem to stop the other who just continued to cling to her. The pair almost tripped at the sudden collision of their bodies- but luckily Hajime was able to somewhat balance the both of them, which wasn't easy given that the other had completely abandoned supporting herself in favor of leaning her full body weight onto her. She had to hold onto Nagito's waist in return to reassure some stability in their current position, and she physically felt the other melt in her arms with an airy sigh.

"Hehe... Man, Hinata-san... You really are utter garbage huh? When I first found out about your uselessness, I thought that I'd hate you, and for a moment I was sure that I did but... I just can't seem to get enough of you... And to think that you could bring yourself to tolerate garbage like me is beyond me! hehe... Let alone actually return my disgusting feelings..." Nagito was spouting her weird shenanigans again, but for the first time in a while, Hajime didn't seem to really mind. Especially when she started to feel her shoulder collect drops of salty water and feel the fragile girl's body start to sniffle and shake once again.

"... I don't understand how someone as hope-infused such as yourself would bother spending time with me after all the horrible things I've said and done but..." the lucky student trailed off, shoulders shaking. And honestly, Hajime could ask herself the same question. Hell, she's asked herself the same question repeatedly. But she didn't want to admit anything close to what the true reason was, and she especially didn't want the other to know how deep her claws had etched their way into her beating heart.



So instead, she settled for comfort, bringing one of her hands up to pet the other girl's unruly white locks. "... It's true, you've been an ass as of late. You could've just told me instead right off the bat y'know?"

Nagito laughed at that. "... I doubt that you would've understood my reasoning back then."

"Hey, are you calling me stupid?"

Komaeda let out another watery laugh at that but didn't answer. Hinata felt her brow twitch in irritation at the implication but decided not to comment further on it. Besides, her legs were starting to feel pretty tired and sore from holding them both up so moving over to some place where they could both sit down seemed most ideal.



It was hard to move her head around with the other's grip on her, but she was able to brush away some of the white hair that was blocking her vision to peer at her bed that was behind Nagito. She knew right then and there that that was the best it was gonna get, in spite of the slight embarrassment she felt towards how fast their relationship had suddenly seemed to progress in the past hour. They had basically flipped from not being able to bare being in the same room as one another ( at least, on Hajime's part ), to hopelessly clinging onto one another as if the mere thought of being apart was pure torture itself ( more on Nagito's part ).

Hajime sighed heavily when she felt the lucky student press a shy, sweet kiss in the crook of her neck. It was more like she was resting her lips there, but it felt like a kiss, so a kiss it was. The brunette decided that now was the time to move before she loses all the willpower to just not collapse on the floor, and lifted her hand from the green-clad waist and her other from the soft white hair that she has always adored, to snake them between their embrace to cup both of Nagito's wet cheeks, shyly pulling her away from the area she had nestled her face in. The brunette almost lost it at the soft whine the other let out at that, probably mistaking her action as a form of rejection.

But Hajime was quick to clarify her actions, however. Especially after feeling her heart melt like soft butter when she both felt and saw the other's flushed, reddened face which was usually a sickly pale color. "Hey... Wanna lay down? My legs are kinda killing me over here..." She suggested cheekily with an awkward smile.

Clarity washed over Nagito's features who looked like she was about start crying again had Hajime not said anything. She eagerly nodded, releasing the brunette from her grip in favor of repositioning her hands. After staggering a bit, she arranged her hands to cling onto one of Hinata's arms that had been caressing her cheek and nuzzling into the palm that held her shyly. She looked content, the most content Hajime has seen her in, well, forever. And it made a small bubble of pride bloom its way into her chest.



They began to awkwardly waltz their way to the bed, the floorboards creaking loudly beneath their weight at every step. Breathy laughs were shared between them during their awkward dance. It would've been easier if they just separated for a second to reach the bed, but the thought of letting go right now seemed too painful to bear. It was mostly Nagito staggering backward and Hajime softly shoving them closer to the bed, and right before they collided the lucky student unexpectedly flipped them around. Causing Hinata to fall onto the bed back-first, and Komaeda following soon after falling on top of the brunette.

Hajime groaned and wheezed at the pressure of a whole entire human being on top of her, and sure Nagito wasn't heavy in the slightest, but she was still made of flesh and bones so it's not like her weight didn't have an effect.

Komaede laughed at her reaction, but didn't move in the slightest. In fact, she seemed content like this, clinging onto Hajime happily while both their legs were still half hanging out of the bed.

"H-hey!" Hajime wheezed "Are you trying to kill me already? C'mon, we're not even completely on the damn thing..." For all of her complaining she didn't sound mad in the slightest, albeit a bit annoyed. But hey, this is Hajime we're talking about.

Nagito didn't really seem to take it to heart judging by the innocent smile plastered on her face, but decided to comply regardless. She lifted her body enough for the other to shift completely onto the bed, before following suit and flopping back to where she desired to be.



Komaeda was clinging onto Hajime by the neck while lying half on top of her, nuzzling her nose back into the crook of her neck and sighing deeply yet happily. Hinata had no problem with this, really, other than the fact that their shoes were getting her bed dirty. She really did not want to deal with sleeping in a dirty bed that night ad voiced her complaints to Nagito, who didn't really seem to care either way and happily complied with her request.

After they both had kicked their shoes off to god knows where in the room, once again, the lucky student reaffirmed her grip on the other. This time, however, she snaked her hands around her waist and laid her head ontop of Hajime's chest happily nestling her face into the soft area. The pressure was making it slightly harder for the brunette to breathe but she didn't really mind- plus she already felt like she had complained enough and she kind of liked their current position now. So instead, she wrapped her arms around Nagito's waist and tangled their legs together in a clumsy yet affectionate way.

Hajime's head was propped up on her pillow so she could comfortably gaze at the pretty girl laying on top of her who just couldn't seem to let go of the grip she had on the brunette. "Hey, Hinata-san..." Nagito suddenly spoke up breaking the comforting silence, Hinata hummed at her implying for her to continue.



"You won't leave me again, right? You won't leave me alone again, right?" she hastily asked laughing awkwardly, but Hajime frowned at the question. It made her feel guilty, cause it was true. She's really been avoiding Nagito for a week at max now, even if the reasoning was solid. Regardless, regret and guilt etched their way into her heart. Maybe she should've just... Tried to listen to the other instead of constantly running away.

"Yeah yeah... Just try to not be an ass anymore m'kay? We seriously gotta work on your freaky self-depreciation issues before they seriously run out of hand." She firmly looked the other in the eyes, making sure that Nagito knew that she was being serious.

"Of course! I'm sure that even unneeded garbage like me could-"

"Shut it. That's what I'm talking about. You're not unneeded okay?... I need you" Hajime cringed at herself internally.

Nagito smiled contently at that, and Hinata absentmindedly thought if that's what she wanted to hear. She didn't have time to think about it as the white-haired student moved her head from its resting position to lean close to Hajime's face, close enough for their noses to almost be touching. Their breaths were puffing against each other lips, and they had nowhere to look except at each other.



A sudden blanket of warmth coated the atmosphere. A warm, fuzzy feeling washed over Hajime as she held the other closer to her. For a little while, no words were exchanged between the two female students. And the brunette was sure that even if they both suddenly turned mute that they would always have this connection of understanding, of never letting go of one another.

It felt as if, even in a killing game like this, everything would eventually turn out to be okay. That as long as they had one another that nothing could come between them, that nothing could ruin this special rare bond of theirs.



slowly, Hajime made the first move to press her lips softly against the other while tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes. Nagito seemed to freeze for a second before she felt her melt into the soft embrace as well. It was a soft kiss, a peck even, but it made Hajime's heart explode with joy and relief. Even if it lasted only a couple of seconds, she doubted that she would ever forget the first time she got a taste of the plump soft flesh of Nagito Komaeda's lips.

They parted for a second before the lucky student immediately dove back to press her lips back onto the reserve course. A series of soft pecks were exchanged repeatedly between them, but nothing further than that. The moment felt too soft to progress to something more intense, and Hajime wouldn't change a thing. She softly combed her hand through the white hair of the other girl wondering how she dealt with it every day, but not wanting the unruly bush to change in any way shape or form.

Soon, Nagito started trailing her kissing from her cheek to the underside of Hajime's jaw, and finally to the crook of her neck. She kept peppering kisses on that area and the brunette felt herself laughing breathily at her rather cute behavior.

"What's so special about my neck, huh? You seem kinda obsessed over it."

She felt Nagito shrug against her. "I can smell you the strongest here, plus it's comfortable..." she trailed her lips into the junction of her neck and collarbone planting a kiss every time her lips moved a bit.

The feeling felt ticklish, not enough to make Hajime start to laugh but enough to make her squirm and want to shy away from the feeling.



But what she didn't expect, however, was for Nagito to stretch her jaw widely and bite into the skin of her neck.



A surprised scream etched its way out of Hajime, the pain spreading over the course of her neck. The attack had been such a surprise that she started flinging around aimlessly trying to escape the sudden torture. She put both her hands on Nagito's shoulders in an attempt to push her away.

"H-hey! Ouchh- Stop that! It hurts like hell what are you-"

Nagito released her teeth from Hajime's neck allowing herself to get pushed away from her, but she still remained close to the brunette's face. An unrecognizable look coated the lucky student's features as she analyzed the bite mark she had left on the other. A bloody bite mark Hajime realized much to her horror, as she noticed the traces of blood coating the other's previously pale lips.

She felt tears well up in her eyes, as the hurt started to settle in both her body and her heart. She choked down a sob at the feeling of betrayal surfacing in her chest, the feeling alone made her want to rip herself apart for daring to trust the other again.



She felt herself whine at the pain as Nagito continued to stay in this trance completely ignoring her discomfort. "Nagitooo, you sick bastard... Why the hell did you do that?! You- I thought-"

Hajime continued to mumble and weep pathetic cries of hurt, yet couldn't find it in herself to push the other away completely. Her pained voice, however, finally seemed to snap Nagito out of her state of awe who instantly went in to soothe her worries and her cries. She ducked her face over Hajime's to press sweet bloody kisses onto her cheek and jaw while hushing the other calmly.



"Shhh... I'm sorry, my love... I just couldn't help myself. I'm sorry, I know garbage like me has no right to imprint myself onto you in any way shape or form. I understand if you want to get rid of-"

"Shut upp Nooo... I don't want you gone... And didn't we agree that you would try to cut out the hate talk? fuck..." Hajime brought her hand to the crook of her neck to indeed, feel the imprint of teeth marks traced into her skin along with droplets of sticky blood dripping from the wound. Luckily, there didn't seem much, but the situation made it feel like it was the biggest wound she had ever had and that thought alone made her feel light-headed.

Nagito chuckled at her behavior as if she found it endearing. "Well...I didn't say that I agreed now did I?"

"Komaeda, you literally-"

A laugh erupted through the other's chest. "Alright, alright I'm kidding... I suppose that I'll try for you. Even if it's kinda hopeless-"

"Shut it, now... Care to tell me as to why you fuckin' bit me?!" Hajime raised her voice once again, making sure to display the clear irritation on her face.



Nagito blinked owlishly at her, as if she was the crazy one here. "... I don't know."

"Huh? What the hell?! What do you mean you don't know, that hurt like shit you know-"

The white-haired girl shyly looked away from Hajime. "... I- Hey Hinata-san...?"

"What?!"



Hajime felt herself get hugged more firmly this time. "...You won't go hang out with the Ultimates anymore, right?"

Dread washed over the reserve course student at those words. "What?! Komaeda are you out of your-?!"

Hajime paused when she heard the other sniffle once again, and the regret settled in her chest just like before. Nagito turned her head back, displaying small but clear pricks of tears adorning her eyes.



"Hajimee~... M'sorry... I thought- you're mine, right? You said you liked me... And that you wanted to spend time with me... Why bother disturbing the Ultimates when I'm here to take care of you..."

And oh. If that thought didn't sound wonderful then Hajime couldn't imagine what else could top it. The mental image of them living a domestic life, her coming from work every morning to greet her lover who would take care of her from then on filtered through her mind and made her heart squeeze.

She knew that she was being stupid. That she shouldn't ignore and chalk up Nagito's weird possessive behavior to her just acting up again. But in the end, she was just human, she couldn't help herself. The cloudy gaze of the lucky student remained locked onto hers and for the first time, despite knowing full-on well how messed up it actually was, she allowed herself to believe that this was okay. That it was fine to feel like this.

Hajime might be able to help Nagito, she might be able to help her from this self-hatred and maybe then, when everything was over, they could live together happily. Deep down she knew it wouldn't be that easy, and the luck from the lucky student was a monster in itself that could potentially take away her life one day but... As long as the white-haired pretty girl remained next to her, by her side. remained pressed so close to her whole being that it felt like she could barely breathe, she believed that she would be okay.

She thought about how painful it was going to be to avoid the friends she has made by now. She thought about Chiaki and all his support and surprising smarts he has displayed throughout their stay on this crappy island. She thought about Kazuichi who despite being a creep at times, always brought a good time to wherever she went. She thought about Sonia and his caring graceful nature. She thought about Akane's stupid brains and brawn and not to mention his stupidly huge appetite. She thought about Fuyuhiko and how far she has developed as a person, especially after Peko's death. She even thought about all the good people who have lost their lives in this place that could be comparable to hell.

The thought of losing all of those people, losing all of the progress she's made with them is one of the worst feelings she's felt so far. She knew that what Nagito had asked of her would be pretty impossible just from that, cause even if she did try the others would just come flocking around her in worry. So maybe, if she just did her best, and balance them out somehow. Then maybe everything would turn out okay. Yeah... Maybe she could even get people to appreciate the lucky student despite her clear flaws, maybe she could get them to adore her just as much. That thought made her even more determined to act out on this plan.



Right now, however, this wasn't about the others. She lightened her gaze droopily and smiled softly at her new lover, who had nestled herself back into the crook of her neck to kiss adoringly at the wound she had inflicted on her. The sticky feeling of having her own blood getting smeared around wasn't the best feeling in the world, sure, but Hajime felt no need to complain especially when she felt so cherished and loved at that moment. It stung, but the need to panic or even wince just wasn't there. Because the culprit was her new source of light after all, no matter how corrupted she may actually be. The brunette eventually opened her mouth to answer her love's plea with no hesitation in her words.





"Fine... I'm yours Nagito, please take care of me."