The feeling of helplessness hung in the air as everyone left the courtroom. Coming out of the mouth of that giant bear carved into the mountain, which had mysteriously appeared on the landscape, was of no help to settle into the reality of the situation. The brown-haired man specially refused to accept everything that had just happened. That night had not only been the first time he had seen death up close, losing two people that he was beginning to consider his friends, but he had also experienced betrayal, at least in his own eyes, and couldn't simply accept it without resistance…
Komaeda, in contrast, didn't seem to be affected by the facts, and maintained the same relaxed demeanor as in the first day Hinata had awakened on the island. It seemed unreal that that guy, who had been so kind and helpful, had been the puppeteer of such a horrible show. And now he was just standing on the beach, staring at the clear night sky as if nothing had happened.
"Why?!" He demanded again, approaching with rather slow steps and leaving prolonged marks in the sand, lacking even the strength to lift them more than necessary. His eyes burned, having let no tears fall, but the weight of them felt present and suffocating in his throat.
"Hinata-kun. What a joy that you're speaking to me again, you truly are a hopeful vision in this despair-filled finale. Hope really shines bright in your heart, for you to continue having this much energy." The welcome was a happy one, even putting a smile on Komaeda's lips.
"Shut up already! Stop repeating that over and over... it doesn't make any sense... nothing you say makes sense." Hinata's mind was already tired of trying to rationalize things; so now he just allowed himself to be pushed by the overwhelming cocktail of feelings that the trial had left in him. "Hope! Despair! Pure nonsense. Two of our classmates died, Komaeda. They died! Don't you understand the magnitude of what happened? Is this a game for you? ... aren't their lives worth anything to you? Were you just acting friendly with us?"
The others were all gone by then, leaving the two of them alone on the ample, lonely tropical beach. The wind that brought the waves ashore swayed their clothes as the silence between them stretched. Komaeda was the only one to move, turning away from the vast ocean to face the brown-haired boy.
"Why do you think that, Hinata-kun? Of course they were worth much to me. Didn't I say it before? I love all of you, each of the Ultimates that awakens the ho..."
"Shut up! I hate it when you say that!" Hinata's brow was deeply furrowed. When he looked into the other's relaxed expression he felt his anger growing anew, hands clenched to white-knuckle point.
"Then kill me. If you hate me, kill me. My life has no value on its own, but if you kill me I'll be a stepping stone to help you reach your true potential as the Ultimate you are. I can help you with the preparations, or even be your accomplice and help you in the trial. Huh...? Hin...?" Although Komaeda saw how the arm with the closed fist was raised and coming toward him, he didn't have the reflexes to react. He didn't feel anything. It was just like a black blanket was thrown over his head.
When he opened his eyes he found the star-riddled sky and the soft sound of the waves above him, though under his body wasn't the sand, but the wooden pier that connected the cottages. As he turned his face, still too dizzy and confused to try to get up, he saw the brown-haired boy sitting beside him.
Hinata had rolled up his pants, and his shoes rested next to where he sat, his feet dangling over the edge of the dock and into the water. Noticing other's movement he sighed in relief, then turned a little to watch Komaeda with concern.
"sorry... I didn't think you were going to lose consciousness with just one hit. I also didn't think you weren't even gonna try to dodge or block it."
Komaeda tried to remember for a moment. Everything came quickly to his mind and he smiled, despite the fact that that simple action caused him pain. "I'm the one who should apologize, my health is too weak and my physical abilities aren't the best. You shouldbe able to see the kind of trash I am now, hahaha. I'm so useless that I couldn't even serve as a punching bag... though it was a very skilled punch. You might be the Ultimate Boxer, or Street Fighter, you know."
"Tsk... forget that stuff. I don't have the physique for any of that…" When he gestured with his arm, downplaying what the white-haired boy had said, Komaeda noticed a scratch with dried blood on it.
"Hinata-kun… your arm. What happened?" He tried to lift himself but only managed to raise his head, resting his elbows on the wood under him, feeling as though everything swirled around for a second.
"I tried to catch you when you fell and ended up falling too, there was a rock in the sand and I hurt my arm with it... I don't seem so amazing anymore, huh?" As he spoke he studied the other's face more closely, then extended his hand to run his thumb over Komaeda's split lip. "You don't look so good either…"
"O-Ouch!" His face contorted a little from the pain, scrunching his eyes closed, but the brown-haired boy raised his wet feet to the dock and approached to hold the other by the chin.
"You have blood here, let me get it for you. Your nose was bleeding earlier, too... I used the bottom of your shirt to dry that off, hope you don't mind." Without having anything to use, he just licked his finger and cleaned him as best he could with it.
Komaeda laughed, running his hand under his nose to see the trail of blood that flowed from it again. Now that he mentioned it, he did have a metallic taste in his mouth and his lip felt uncomfortable as it started to swell.
Seeing Hinata's worried face, he couldn't help but smile wider. "You could've taken the chance, Hinata-kun."
"Uhm?" Confused, he frowned, wiping his finger on the shirt's bottom and leaving a red mark there. "What chance?"
"To kill me while I was unconscious." His answer was simple, his voice rose with a little enthusiasm. "You could have thrown my body into the ocean, letting the waves carry me away and my lungs fill with water. You could have taken one of the many rocks around here and hit my head hard. If you were worried that they'd find my body too quickly, you could have buried it in the sand, I would have choked and due to the sun and the humidity my body would get so decomposed that the investigation wouldn't have... aah... ouch!"
Tired of hearing Komaeda speak, Hinata just grabbed him by the nose, squeezing hard and pulling to lift his head a little. "You're insufferable! I'm not gonna kill you! Not you nor anyone else! Now give me your keys so I can help you get to bed." He released him as he got up, then Then, he picked up his shoes off the floor and extended his free hand towards Komaeda, waiting for the keys.
With a soft laugh and small tears collecting at the corners of his closed eyes, Komaeda simply stretched his arm for the other boy to help him up while with his other hand he checked his pocket, handing over the keys in question. "Haha, you're so kind, Hinata-kun... maybe you're the Ultimate Good Samaritan~"
