This one doesn't connect with any of the other chapters; it isn't a part of the "main storyline," as I like to call it (aka the ones that seem to actually seem to connect to each other). Inspired by a youtube video (Komahina- An Unhealthy Obsession). Prompt: Komaeda Nagito is obsessed with Naegi Makoto.

Naegi walked with Togami towards their dorm rooms after a tiring day at Hopes Peak. The brisk autumn wind blew and brown leaves scraped the brick path. But the breeze wasn't what was giving Naegi the chills.

"Hey, Togami-kun." He glanced around anxiously.

"Don't talk to me in such a friendly manner."

"Is it just me or do you feel like someone is following us?"

"...now that you mention it..." Togami stood in his tracks and whirled around. "There's someone there, isn't there? Come out right this instant!" They were met by silence.

Naegi turned around and laughed nervously. "I guess no one was there, then. No one would be able to go against you yelling at them."

He humphed. "Of course. I'm Togami Byakuya."

The two boys continued their journey. Unbeknownst to them, there was, indeed, a tall stranger gazing at them from afar, from behind a tree.

Komaeda felt his knees wobble. He slid to the ground with his back against the tree. His heart was pounding against his ribcage, struggling to break free.

His face... his beautiful face... so much hope... Slobber dribbled down his chin. He clawed at his face, pulling down the skin surrounding his eyes. How can a person be so beautiful and hopeful?

He wiped the drool off of his face and stood up. "Hmm... although I'd really like to watch him more, it'd be bad if I didn't finish my homework, so..." He sighed. "It's off to my dorm room I go~"

/

Komaeda stood one step behind the shorter boy. His brown head was directly below him. Luckily, the sun was facing towards them, so their shadows went behind.

His gait matched Naegi's, making sure to make no movements that would create suspicious noise. He breathed in deeply (but quietly), inhaling Naegi's scent. The subtle but intoxicating vanilla fragrance almost made him salivate. If you start drooling now, you'll get it on his shiny brown mane... control yourself, you dirty trash, he berated himself.

Maybe it was by the force of his sheer luck, or just because of how determined he was to follow Naegi around, but no one interrupted him, and nobody saw him either. He wasn't so close-minded that'd he'd deny that his actions might be seen as creepy. But what did it matter what others thought? This was his way of showing his love for Naegi, and no one could stop him.

/

Komaeda saw Naegi from across the courtyard. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he yelled, "Hey! You! Naegi Makoto!"

Naegi whirled around in surprise.

"Could you come here for a second? I have something to ask you!"

He trotted over. "What's up? How do you know my name? And what's yours?"

So adorable... "Ah, there was just something I wanted to ask you. I know every student's name... I'm a bit of a fanboy, you see." He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what you'd do with the name of trash like me, but... I'm Komaeda Nagito."

"Nice to meet you." Naegi smiled and held out his hand. Komaeda grabbed it quickly at an almost frightening speed. When the older boy held on for a tad bit too long, Naegi tried to tug his hand out, but Komaeda's vice-like grip kept him from doing so. "Uh..."

Komaeda shook his head. "Oh! I'm sorry. I got lost in thought."

In the middle of a handshake? "What was it that you wanted to ask me?"

Komaeda blinked. "Huh? I seem to have forgotten... I'm sorry for making you waste time on trash like me."

"No, not at al-"

"If you don't mind, could you give me your number in case I remember? I feel like I was going to ask something really important... haah... I can't believe I would forget something important." He sighed. "Of course, if you aren't willing to, it's fine. I'm trash after-"

"I'll give you my number, so please stop calling yourself trash. No one should ever call themself that!" Naegi pulled out a notepad and ripped a page out. He scribbled his number on the lines. "Make sure to message me if you remember. Seeing you this distraught, I'm sure it was important." He flashed a grin. "Then... goodbye!" And just like that, he turned and walked away.

Komaeda clutched the note with excitement. He would have to create an important question for Naegi later- he didn't want the younger boy to think he was just lying to him to get his number, although that was the full truth.

With this, I can do so many things...! He broke out into a fast paced walk and his eyes twinkled with anticipation. I can try to bug his phone, look for all accounts connected to it... I can learn more about Naegi-kun! And I can talk to him more, of course. His grin widened. I can't wait

/

Naegi anxiously checked outside his dorm room's window. He could've sworn that he heard a noise outside, but nothing was there. "I'm just being paranoid..." He ignored the feeling in his gut and returned to his studying, putting on headphones and drowning himself in music. His head slightly bobbed along to the beat.

Komaeda sat in the tree outside Naegi's window with his jacket's hood pulled very deeply over his head, covering his hair and reaching just above his eyes. Hm... no good. I have to be quieter the next time I try to move to snap a picture. Maybe I should ask Koizumi-san for tips...

He crept closer to the window, inching along the branch. By that point, it should not have been able to keep him up, but it remained strong.

"Hm? Is he listening to music? Oh, he's bobbing his head to the beat!" He giggled. He pulled out his phone and switched to camera mode. Making sure the picture was well focused, he zoomed in on Naegi and pressed the button.

The flash went off.

Naegi wasn't sure, but he swore that he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. The force of him standing up from his chair unplugged his headphones from the computer. He stomped over to the window. He saw a dark figure leap off the branch and fall onto a lower one, nimbly swinging themself down to ground level and sprinting away. He threw his windows open. "Hey, you! Stop!" The figure paused for a moment but resumed his escape. "Hey, you!"

His heart threatened to burst out from his rib cage. The warmth within his room seemed to be gone despite the temperature being the same outside, and his previously energizing music seemed to have an ominous feeling to it.

He heard a knock on the door.

"W-who is it?"

"It's me, Togami. Why the hell are you screaming this late at night?"

Naegi ran towards the door and quickly opened it. "There was a guy outside my window," he said in one breath.

Togami leaned out from the window and searched the tree. "Hand me a flashlight."

Naegi did as he was told. Togami pointed the light at the tree standing right outside his window. "I'm gonna jump."

"What? No!"

Togami leapt from the windowsill to the nearest branch, jumping far enough to land on the thickest part. "I'm Togami Byakuya. Don't underestimate me." He scoffed.

"How are you going to get back?"

He froze. "I'll jump back over. I trust that you'll catch me in one way or another. Also..." He pointed at a piece of cloth pierced by a thin branch. "Look."

"Is that... cloth?"

"Clearly." He carefully extracted it and tucked it into his pocket. "Okay. I'm jumping."

"Wha- hold on!" Naegi ran towards the window with outstretched hands and slightly bent his knees. Togami stetched his arms towards Naegi and, grabbing onto his wrists, the smaller boy used his momentum to pull him in. Naegi toppled over, and Togami was sent flying across the room.

"Ugh." Togami stood back up. "Is that the best you could've caught me?"

"That was reckless! You should've just climbed down."

Togami sighed. Of course he's more worried about my well-being than his... "Well, here's that cloth."

The cloth was a dark green. One corner had a bright red tint. White strands of hair were stuck on it.

"Look familiar?"

Naegi's heart dropped. "Yeah." It has to be that senpai who randomly called me out... but why?

"Naegi. Naegi? Naegi."

"...NAEGI."

Naegi jumped. "Huh?"

"Tch. As I suspected, you weren't listening. Peasant."

Naegi scratched his head. "Sorry."

"Are you going to get a restraining order for whoever this person is? Stalking is no joke."

Naegi thought for a moment. "No."

"What? Why?" Togami grabbed Naegi and shook him by the shoulders. "Are you an idiot?"

"Maybe he has a good reason for doing it. It's not like this doesn't creep me out." He shuddered, "Being watched often... that's scary. But maybe it was just this time? Maybe he'll stop if I ask him to."

Togami eyed him. "You're too naive for your own good." He turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Naegi collapsed into his chair. "Maybe I should just study more tomorrow." He got up from his chair and grabbed his pajamas. "Yeah. I'll study tomorrow."

/

The white blob of hair was easy to spot from miles away. "U-um! Komaeda Nagito-senpai!" Naegi yelled.

Nearby students stared at him with wide eyes and snickered. A stout boy in a chef apron approached him and said, "Are you sure you want to talk him, monsieur? He's quite the fanboy, you know, to the point of being creepy. Instead of talking to him, how about..." he leaned in and whispered into his ear, "...you and me go off and have a little bit of fun in my dorm room?"

"Wh-what?" Naegi stumbled backwards. "No thanks."

"Aw, c'mon." He took a step towards Naegi. "I'm sure you wa-"

A hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him aside. "Teruteru-kun, as much as I respect you as an Ultimate, didn't I already tell you that this kind of behavior wouldn't fly?"

"I was so close. Why'd you have to ruin my fun, Komaeda-kun?"

"Teruteru-kun, I have some business with Naegi. If you would be so kind as to give us some privacy..."

"Ooh, privacy? What will you two be doing?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe you'll go off into a secluded stairwell, and then... stick your..."

"TERUTERU-KUN."

"Okay, okay, no need to make your voice so scary." He winked at Naegi. "See you 'round, little boy."

The two watched him walk away. Komaeda was the first to talk, saying, "So, why'd you call me over?"

"Oh, I was just wondering something..."

Komaeda grinned widely. "Oh, you're going to ask me something? I'm honored! No one really cares much about my opinion or what I think. The only thing I'm ever asked is to go away, which is understandable. Ah... sorry, I rambled. What do you want me to tell you?"

"Um... by any chance, were you outside my window last night?"

Without the slightest pause, he nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Naegi's eyebrows furrowed. "I'd like to ask you the same thing."

Komaeda's pupils dilated to an unnatural degree and the corners of his lips curled up too far to be considered normal. "Why? Well, you see..." His face returned to normal. "It was because of your hope."

"My... hope?"

"Yes! I saw you... you picked up a baby bird that injured its wing and nursed it back to health. I coincidentally ran into you at the pet store too, asking questions about and requesting tips on taking care of the bird! Putting so much effort into helping that creature even though you wouldn't get anything out of it... that's amazing, don't you think?"

Naegi asked with a voice full of incredulity, "Coincidentally?"

"I am the Ultimate Lucky Student, after all. Although I can't really control it..." He sighed. "My luck has karmic cycles of extreme good and extreme bad. It gets hard to deal with sometimes. You're a lucky student too, right, Naegi-kun?"

How come I never saw his name on the Hope's Peak online forums? "...yes. But I'm sure you were following me around for a better reason than liking my hope, right?"

"Huh? No. What better reason would I have? I'm sure you've figured it out already. You never give something up until you're certain you've reached the right conclusion."

"You were just stalking me?" Naegi asked in disbelief.

"That's right!" Komaeda laughed. "I knew you'd figure it out. I was just stalking you... hm, that word isn't very nice. How about... 'making sure you're safe' or 'walking extremely close behind'? That's right, little ol' me was following you around. But I'm sure you don't mind, right?" He cocked his head.

"In what world would someone not mind being stalked?" Naegi could feel beads of sweat rolling down his face. As much as I'd like to trust him, I can tell he's dangerous.

"Hm? You mind it? Ah, I'm terribly sorry..." Komaeda clicked his tongue, hiding his slight annoyance. Why does it bother him? Because it's trash like me? I'm sure he's just doing it with me in mind... maybe he's worried that I'm exhausting myself watching him all day! "In that case, I'll just make sure you never notice me. And I don't get tired when I'm watching you, the very sight of you gives me energy." He turned around. "Well, bye then!"

"Wait! That's not what I'm saying! Stop stalking me, please! It's creepy! Other than the thing with the window, do you think I didn't notice you walking a centimeter behind me? The first time I wasn't sure, but it was pretty obvious by the third!" He was yelling by this point. "I wanted to believe that you didn't have any bad intent because it's wrong to distrust someone when you aren't certain, but... don't you think this is too much? Please stop!"

Unfortunately for Naegi, anyone that could've been there to back him up before was now gone. The clearing was empty, save the two of them. The fountain's water splashed onto them in unnoticeable amounts.

Although no physical contact was made, Komaeda's facial expression was as if he had been slapped. Then, it happened. His skin turned an even paler shade of white. Sweat poured off of him in buckets. His eyes became a swirl of twisted obsession and the lines on his face deepened. "Creepy? You think that affects me, Naegi-kun? I don't care what slander you throw at me! I'll follow you and your hope to the ends of the earth! And, you tried to believe in me?! Even more of a reason to be interested in your hope! No one's given me a second glance at Hope's Peak!" He laughed maniacally. "You think you're pushing me away, Naegi-kun." He leaned in, locking eyes with Naegi. "No, you're only bringing me closer. What kind of despair will you overcome? How strong will your hope grow?! I can't wait to see it!"

"Please... just stop." Naegi backed away, only to have Komaeda inch closer. "I wouldn't mind being friends with you, but the stalking has to stop. But I believe that you can change!" Although he was afraid, his eyes were steady and full of determination. "I'm sure of it."

A crimson blush overcame Komaeda's warped expression and drool slipped out from his mouth. "Haaa... your hope is shining so brightly...! You believe in trash like me... it's almost unbelievable! HHHHKKKAAAAAHAHAAAAHA!"

"K-Komaeda-senpai! Calm down! I don't know why seeing me tend to a bird made you so obsessed with me, but let's talk it out!"

His expression became blank, a stark contrast to his previous appearance. "You really believe in me, huh. But you shouldn't even talk to trash like me. In fact, I'll have to stop talking to you now, so I don't taint you with my very presence."

"No, we should definitely talk."

"... but since you insist, I'll stay for awhile. It's an honor to be with you, after all."

Naegi sat down on a nearby bench and patted the seat next to him. "Come sit, senpai."

"Always with the respectful language, even to trash. You could call me 'Komaeda-chan' if you really wanted to, and I wouldn't say anything. I don't think that'd suit me very well, though."

"There's no need to address you so informally or weirdly. So what can I do to keep you from stalking me? What can I do for us to just be friends? You seem like a pretty cool guy when you aren't... following me around. In fact, I'm grateful that you helped me with Teruteru-senpai earlier. Thanks."

Komaeda pondered over his options. Either stop stalking him and have him like me more while simultaneously being unable to gaze at my hope as much as I want to, or continue stalking him and have him hate me. We wouldn't be friends, either. Or, I could... "If you really want me to, I can just stop. I know my place. I don't have the right to disturb you. Even talking to you is like being given a special privilege for a day."

"Don't say that. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Being able to figure out all my routes and where I live with me not finding out for a while... you must be very intelligent and observant."

"I just got lucky."

"Then... would you like to start over?"

"Sure!"

They stood up. Naegi held out his hand. "Hello. I'm Naegi Makoto, just your normal everyday highschool boy, admitted into Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Lucky Student."

"I'm Komaeda Nagito, also the Ultimate Lucky Student." He took his hand with a firm grip and the two exchanged a handshake for the second time.

"Let's get along from now on, senpai." Naegi smiled. It was clear that he had completely forgiven Komaeda of everything he had done.

"Sure. I'm sorry for bothering you. We should probably go our own ways now. The sun is setting."

"Oh! You're right. I didn't notice." Naegi ran in the direction of his dorm room, waving as he went. "Bye!"

Komaeda sat on the edge of the fountain. The water splashing at his back was more noticeable now, and he could feel his jacket growing damp, and his shirt by extension. He took it off in one swift motion and tied it around his waist, hiding the conspicuous hole smack dab in the middle of his jacket. "Now then... shall I get going?" His lips curled coyly as he took a step away from the direction his dorm room was in and a step towards the direction Naegi had taken.

/

Either stop stalking him and have him like me more while simultaneously being unable to gaze at my hope as much as I want to, or continue stalking him and have him hate me. We wouldn't be friends, either. Or, I could...

I could just pretend I stopped but continue what I'm doing. I won't act creepy around him. I'll try to humor him and this time, I'll be more careful. I'll only do it when I'm sure I won't be caught. I'll trust in my talent.

If this doesn't work out, my luck truly is worthless.

"If you really want me to..."

/

/

/

But unaware to the two boys, there was yet another bystander hidden nearby, behind a tree. Her blonde pigtails flowed beautifully in the wind, like sand dunes in a barren desert.

"Upupupupu..."