[-x-]

Makoto Naegi wasn't one for being an early bird. He liked his sleep like any other person, so he made sure he had at the very least 6. Even so, he usually stayed up to binge his favorite anime till he felt like he was about to collapse. The 'Just one more episode' trap he always fell for.

But this time was different, he intentionally did so with a single purpose. A meeting.

An outsider would think that he's going to do something official like a student council meeting with all the Representatives. Yes he joined it, Hinata-senpai managed to convince him to become Class Rep. One of the few other people he can fully relate to. He wasn't going to say no to his friend like that. Or the fact that everyone in class voted for him to take up the mantle.

That wasn't the reason. He was meeting up with someone.

A theory that might come up is that he was going to hang out with Kirigiri-san or Maizono-san. Which can happen, but it's usually during school hours or after classes. Never before. It was always fun to hang out with them but never as much as the person he would nominate to be his closest friend.

So who was this cryptic individual?

He opened the library door to find a single person. It was 5 in the morning, no one else was going to be that studious to be there. Especially Hope's Peak students who aren't even mandated to attend any classes.

"Fukawa-san, good morning." He greeted, not too loud as to grate her ears. Closing the door as silent as he can.

"N-Naegi-kun, good morning…" She waved shakingly while her other hand was holding a pen.

He walked toward her table where there were several items scattered. A laptop, to write her sequel on. A notebook that houses all her ideas and inspirations she gets. And finally, a cup of coffee to boost her early morning activities.

"How progress?" Pulling a chair and settling down beside her.

"Not m-much done." She answered, pointing at her screen. "I did s-some character work and minor scenes."

"Hey, I'd still call that progress!" He smiled at her accomplishment.

"T-Thank you." The girl blushed, still not used to being complimented.

"Anytime." Still smiling. "Is there any way for me to help?"

"Y-You don't really have to do that." Dismissing his assistance. "I don't want to bother y-you."

"I don't mind really, I'd like to help you." He insisted, closing in their chairs together.

"..." The writer did nothing but blush and let him inch closer.

Makoto now sees her screen and notebook. She definitely needed an upgrade from the dusty old laptop. Ever since the first time they met, she's always had that laptop in her proximity. Almost a year later, he's been saving up to give her a new one for her birthday next week.

And that notebook of hers, it looks like it's been beat up and almost burned to a crisp but she still kept writing on it. He figured that giving her a fresh new copy was going to give her a refresh. The luckster felt giddy about giving her the gifts.

It's the most he could do for letting him be her friend.

"Let's see…" He started reading the scene.

"The scene j-just isn't flowing how I want it. It's like there's s-something big missing." Pointing a finger at the part.

"Hmm, you're right. There's some pep missing." Cupping his chin with his palm.

She giggled, "I didn't think you'd be a person who uses pep... I-It's cute…" She covered her mouth.

It was his turn to redden. "H-Huh?"

That was the first time he was complimented. At least by her. Maizono-san does it so often that he mostly dismisses the bombardment she gives. But Fukawa-san? That's nothing short of a miracle that it flustered the boy.

"I-Ignore what I just said!" She covered her face, hiding under her arms. "I said nothing!"

Even she was flustered. She had simply blurted out without thinking. Did she need even more coffee? Has her concentration gone down because of the lack of sleep? This has never happened before. Not once in her life has she complimented Naegi-kun and she felt more embarrassed than the hundred times she used to compliment Togami.

Thank god she stopped doing the latter. That obsession was doing her nothing but agony and regrets. She realized after spending time with people that actually give a shit. You know, like Nae-

She incinerated those thoughts from her mind.

"M-Moving on…" She coughed and drank a sip of her black coffee.

"A-As I was saying, I think this could use a little more energy. It's a bit too dark to be a romantic date at a park."

"You t-think?" She reread the scene one more time. Scanning through the bulk of words in seconds, her eyes darted from paragraph to paragraph. "I don't see it."

"Here, this part's a lil too dreary, I don't think you had to reveal the character's backstory just yet." His fingers pointing at the section.

"It seems alright to me…" Playing with one of her braids.

"I know I'm not the writer here and I'm here to just express my opinion." He tugged at his uniform sleeve. "But from the words of an average guy, I don't think it'll fit."

"So, make it more chirpy?" She tilted her head towards him.

"In a way, without making it too cheesy, but you already knew that." He nodded and offered her another smile.

She smiled back and got to typing.

[-x-]

It was lunchtime. Class 78 had just finished gym class and they were all starving. The cafeteria was filled with Ultimates from every class around the school. The quiet nature of 77-A, the induced chaos of the 77-B, the mischievousness of the 79 and many more are all part of the collective.

They all lined up to receive top of the line cooking from the Ultimate Co- Chef, he meant chef, Hanamura-senpai insisted. For himself, he got a sizable chicken sandwich paired with fries and good ol' orange juice. It doesn't sound very healthy but it is somehow more nutritious than any salad he's ever had. Low in fat and calorie but high in everything good.

He hasn't even gone to the taste… It made his mouth water just thinking of biting it.

"N-Naegi-kun." A soft voice called. "Are you ever going t-to get something other than that?"

"No chance, this thing never gets old." He responded. "What did you have this time, Fukawa-san?"

"J-Just a simple tuna bread, I-I didn't have an appetite today." Looking down at her pathetic tray with nothing but a sandwich and a glass of water.

"That's surprising though, I see you being more active in Phys Ed. Shouldn't you eat more to get some of that burned energy?" He innocently suggested.

"A-Are you saying I'm too much of a stick?! You want to be fat?!" She threw an accusation but backed off quickly when she realized who she was talking to. There was never an ill intent coming from Naegi-kun, he's the pinnacle of pure and hopeful. "I-I'm sorry… I'll sit somewhere else…"

She headed towards a different direction and rushed. Suddenly, a grip was holding her back from sprinting away. "You don't need to apologize, Fukawa-san. It was my fault for indirectly implying-"

"No!" She yelled. The two of them were the only two standing. Eyes fell on them as they faced each other. "L-Let's talk about this outside."

He followed her as she headed towards the cafeteria exit into the school's outside garden.

"Oi, Kirigiri, isn't it weird that those two are getting closer?" The blue haired idol whispered. "Naegi-kun and Fukawa-san are both changing,"

"I find it bizarre, yes." The detective nodded as she stabbed a baby tomato with her fork. "It makes me wonder how those two even started associating with each other."

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this." The idol had fire in her eyes. "You with me?"

"I am." A completely unexpected ally came about. The freckled soldier stood behind them, an immense glare sporting her face.

"You're in, Ikusaba-chan!" She stood up and pumped her fist. "How about you, Kirigiri?"

"I suppose I can use my talent for this mystery." She sipped on her tea.

"Then Operation: Friendship Genesis is locked and loaded!"

A chilly breeze hit Makoto's skin as he entered the garden. There weren't any people outside, so all the picnic tables dispersed around it were empty. They chose the one that's beneath a tree and away from all the windows in the cafeteria.

He picked up his burger and bit into it. The writer simply stared at her lunch. A silence between the two fell as the wind blew, rustling the leaves above. Minutes of simply nothing but devouring his own food, the violet-haired girl picked up hers and nibbled on it.

The silence was slowly eating at her, the fact that she embarrassed not only herself, but also the only person that's given her a chance at a friendship. She had to say something.

"H-How's the food?" She initiated, attempting to break the ice that will surely explode on her since Naegi-kun hates her now and he'll probably leave her after he eats and will never ever talk to her aga-

"Pretty good!" A smile melted her pessimism into dust. "Especially after that good workout, I think Gozu-sensei really pushed us to the limit today."

"Y-Yeah…" Taking a small bite and gulping some water. She really needed to slow down her train of thought, it's too overwhelming. "The class w-went all out. I had fun."

"I'm glad you did, it was why he's been adamant on everyone's participation." He ate a fry. "He knew that the class would do better together!"

"U-Uhuh." She tried to match his energy. "I almost did a l-lap without stopping today. I've n-never been able to do that before."

"You're already getting better at this. See? I told ya you could do it!" All she really needed was motivation. The rest comes after. Her work ethic is really rigorous so if she kept at it, she'd complete an entire lap and then some!

"E-Even if I'm still in l-last place in class." Attempting to sink down her sad thoughts, however, the luckster wasn't going to let up.

"No, that's wrong!" He pointed at her. "You placed higher than Yamada-kun!"

"I-I did?" She was stunned by the announcement. "H-How?"

"And you almost reached Ludenberg-san's." He offered more encouragement and offered her a fist bump. "Progress!"

She returned it shakingly. Still having a hard time processing that she beat someone at the endurance run. For the longest time, she's been at the bottom of the barrel, what possibly could have changed that?

"Though, I think most of us are going to ache tomorrow." Sipping from his juice box.

"E-Especially me…" She shivered at the thought.

"That's alright in my book." He laid his chin on his palm.

"A-Are you saying you want to see me s-suffer?" She blasted him once again without realizing it. He's definitely leaving now…

But the boy kept at it.

"No, I think it's a sign of growth. No one can get better without pushing themselves like this." Explaining his thoughts to dismiss her overthinking. "Especially physical, it's a slow and arduous task for anyone."

"I-I can't deny that." Taking her second bite. It was good. But his presence made it better.

After another round of silence, this time a little bit more bearable.

At this time of day, she would usually coop herself in the library and skip lunch entirely. Trying to write her next book and cursing everyone in class for being annoying. She could never find a way to write inside the classroom. Something always happens, be it Ishimaru yelling at her for not listening to the teacher or Enoshima managing to manipulate everyone into another fight.

However, after that one afternoon. The day where Naegi-kun finally initiated a conversation with her and she reciprocated it. The day that she cherished deep down but hides. She's seen him go around, socializing and creating connections. Talking to everyone including some of the other classes. She wasn't exactly special.

Her appreciation came from his perseverance. Always trying and failing but never giving up. Where does he get that optimism? It always perplexed her that he can be hopeful in the worst situation. He has never successfully befriended her, always managing to drive everyone away.

Almost.

This boy somehow broke through her near indestructible walls and became her friend. Yes, she would absolutely consider him a friend. Best friend even. After all the bullshit he had to put up with by even attempting to talk to her, he deserved that much for his efforts.

"By the way, Fukawa-san." He tapped her shoulder, she turned and saw a shimmering light in his eye. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. I just… I feel like I've been bothering you too much these days."

"H-Huh? W-What?" Was he serious? Did he hit his head on the track earlier?

"It's just... I've been hanging out with you, distracting you a lot by being there. You can't even focus on your work."

Why is he so nice?! What is wrong with him?! She would've bet on it being absolute horseshit if it didn't come from someone that's never told a lie in their life. The fact that he's saying this to her is complete insanity. She was about to explode and start an argument on why it's the complete opposite way.

"N-Naegi-kun! Don't say that!" She said, holding the boy's shoulder. "Your presence has n-never bothered me! I-I like that you're there! It h-helps me focus."

"Really?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, e-even I can't deny it even i-if I tried." She nodded. "You've b-been a massive help in my writing. I c-can tell you that I won't even have half the t-things we did if you weren't t-there. Your insight is pertinent."

"Well, in that case." He closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them again. "I'm going to try even harder than before to help you! If I'm useful. I'm going to give you that pep that was missing!"

"T-Thanks." Blushing wildly. "Y-You don't have to try that hard though. With this pace, w-we might finish before the month ends. A-And besides, I-I like you enou-" Clamping her mouth down and hiding her face.

Toko needed to slap herself after that slip up. How could she just let her tongue go off on its own? How could she?! Now her friendship is at risk! Her only friendship! Stupid! This is why she doesn't have friends! An easily attached whor-

A response came from Naegi. A head on her shoulders. Soft bundles of hair laid on her collar. Naegi was on her shoulders! What is this? Was she dreaming? She definitely was, there was no way this was real. Zero chance! Not even possible!

Makoto himself didn't fare any better. As he was sagging into his blazer, his ears steamed. He didn't stop though, he felt comfortable in his position. This was the only reaction that he could've done, his brain failed to communicate to his vocal cords.

The two stayed that way, without words until the bell rang. Which unfortunately made them separate. The tomorrow meetup was going to be awkward.

[-x-]

Inspired by well… who else? YoungMrKusuma of course! (Though, also Fatalityapples by introducing me to it in the first place). These authors made me ship him with Toko more than everyone else. She deserves love. Everyone else gets it besides her and I'm here to fix that.