This will be my last official update before going into my short leave. Another thing is that I always wanted to write for this pair and I, myself am frustrated that this didn't turn out cute and fluffy the way I wanted. This can be seen as platonic or romantic, take your pic. So, enjoy!

"You're an idiot."

Komaeda only looks at her, a smirk on his lips, to which Chiaki frowns at him. She knows that look and to hell if he gets even more injured, she wants to slap it off of his face.

"I don't deny that." He chuckles, bringing a hand up in front of him, staring at it as if it has the answers to his problems. "I'm nothing but trash and someone who doesn't deserve such praise from someone highly skilled as you."

"Komaeda..." the concerned class rep sighs.

Honestly, she wonders if she's actually not irked by his outlook on his life. The self-deprecating luckster barely had motivation to actually give a damn about if he dies or not. And it's seriously worrying her.

What if someone kidnaps him? Or what if he gets into trouble without even realising it? Or worse, what if he gets hurt? A thousand of what-if scenarios run through her head and she almost misses the subtle head tilt of her friend.

Chiaki sighs for the umpteenth time. She checks the wall clock and finds that lunch time is almost over. Why did she even bother in bringing him to the school's clinic again? Oh right, 'cause she's the class representative, and he with his usual extreme luck brought him again in harm's way for whatever nonsensical string of events that occured to bring him in his present state.

She turns back to check on Komaeda. Komaeda who is looking all too pleased for someone who looks like they have been run over by a truck. Komaeda who is most likely internally monologueing his, as what their class usually calls, "Hope talk". Chiaki resists the urge to show her frustration, deciding to just stay quiet.

He stares back at her, silently and she realizes that the other hasn't said anything for a while now.

"You're so much better than what you think you are." She scolds him.

She reaches for his bandaged forehead to flick at, getting a grunt from the luckster.

"You don't know that." Is all he retorts, rubbing the spot which is slowly turning red.

The standing girl only pouts at him, obviously annoyed. "Say what you want. Your arguement is invalid." She says as she makes an X mark with her arms.

Komaeda only looks at her, a bit amused. "You're not going to let this go, aren't you?"

"Hmph!"

"I thought so."

Chiaki only crosses her arms at him, having no idea to make the situation any better, she begrudgingly takes a seat beside him. She takes another sigh.

They share a few moments of silence, with none of them attempting to break the ice. The class rep sees the other holding his two bandaged arms together, probably an attempt to ease the pain that hasn't left.

No wonder her other classmates doesn't like to associate with him or even to talk to the guy. They're just not persistent enough in trying to get him to open up.

"I'm..." she mutters lowering her head, but Komaeda hears it nonetheless. "Hmm?"

She brings her head up, and facing him, Chiaki smiles at him. "I'm just not that kind of person to let someone or something go easily without trying to understand them."

"I guess you could call it me being stubborn." And she chuckles at the thought.

He just looks at her, like really looks at her for just a moment, suprised from her sudden outburst, and Chiaki almost thought she finally cracked the ice, that he will finally open up to them, to her. Almost. Because of all the reaction she wished of him to show, she didn't expect this one.

"Marvelous!" And there he goes starting another of his - for lack of a better term - bullshit, "This is what hope looks like!"

"Indeed, class rep. I see such high hopes in you that have yet to be shared with everyone." He continues, never breaking eye contact with her and Chiaki notices the conviction in his eyes.

"To be graced with such pure embodification of hope from an Ultimate, no less. That's Hope's Peak Academy for you."

And yet, she looks at him sadly. She sees the brokenness behind his eyes, the eyes that shows of a broken man who has lost so much in his life. So all she could do is just stare at him, watch him sputter every mount of lies he tries so hard to believe in.

"It's okay." She reaches out to him, brushing her fingers along his cheek, stopping him in his tracks. "You don't have to pretend anymore."

"What?" He stutters out, and he can feel her stare on his.

Nagito doesn't understand what's happening. Pretend? Why would he be pretending? After all he said and done, how could he be faking all those? Nagito whole heartedly believed and acted upon his outlook on life, he's not pretending. He's being honest with it all, and now, to think that class rep says he can stop pretending, he's starting to doubt himself. Giving out a hoarse laugh, he gives in to Nanami's soft and gentle touch. He still doesn't get this, though and he doesn't get her.

"Nanami," he whispers her name because he thinks he missed this kind of feeling, that long-awaited feeling of finally being accepted. "I'm sorry."

"Shh," she coos at him, bringing herself closer to him so that she can enclose him with an embrace. "You did nothing wrong. It's okay, everything's fine."

"But-"

"-I said, it's fine." She interrupts him because he seriously needs this comforting. "Just stay quiet, even for just a while okay?"

"Okay," he nods at her and they share another few moments like this. Both of them locked together in a hug, enjoying the comforting warmth of a friend. After a while, she finally pulls back, from the hug, smiling at him fondly.

Standing up, she reaches a hand at him and he takes it, following suit.

"Now, let's go back to class. Lunch time's over." At this, Nagito scans the wall clock and sure enough, it's been a few minutes since lunch time has passed.

Exiting the clinic, he realizes that he still hasn't let go from her hold and the luckster couldn't help but smile at her, muttering "Thank you."

Turning her head to gaze back at him, she says "It's what friends do, right? So, you can always talk to me, to us."

And she smiles at him, the smile that says she is really so happy to be with him. It makes a small part in his heart flutter and he doesn't know why but he likes this. He likes it and he thinks that maybe he should open up to them, to her. So he smiles back at her, as they head back to class.

"Yeah, sure."