I have zero ideas where to go from this.

Crud on a stick.

(If anyone has any suggestions…)

Karaoke

While we were walking home, I got a text.

Maizono: We're going to Karaoke tonight, wanna' come?

I look to the boy at my side.

Naegi: Can I bring a friend?

I'm still dead set on finding at least one other person who won't be horribly repulsed Komaeda. I don't know if I'll find them here, but I'm sure as hell going to try.

So when the time arrived, we went to the small building where the Karaoke was to take place. I've been to Karaoke before, but the Ultimate Idol singing her own songs? It must be strange seeing your own songs in the roster. I wonder how Komaeda is at singing. His voice is a bit raspy at times, but I guess you can't really gauge it from that.

We walk in and are guided to a large room in the back. I wonder how many people are going to show up. She didn't really specify, but I assume it's a lot. When we enter the room, there are already two people there. One, of course, is the lovely blue-haired Maizono. Perhaps more elegantly, a girl, or shall I say, woman, sits next to her. She has delicate blonde hair and is dressed in a fine gown. There's something just so intrinsically stunning about her.

"Ah, hello, Sonia-san."

She's the Ultimate Princess? No wonder, then.

"Nice to see you again, Komaeda-san."

That's right. They're both in the same class.

"I have come to experience this 'Karaoke' thing y'all have referred to."

"…Y'all?"

"Oh? Did I conjugate that incorrectly? I apologize from the bottom of my feet."

I think it's 'heart'.

"I have invited Nanami-san, if you do not mind, Maizono-san."

"She told me already. She's actually bringing a friend of her own. It'll be a party."

"A party! How wonderful!"

So while we wait for Nanami to arrive, we ate some food and talked a bit. Evidently, Sonia had asked Mioda Ibuki, the Ultimate Light Musician to go to Karaoke, who redirected her to Maizono. She was going to come, but couldn't due to a concert.

I think I'm starting to understand why Komaeda is so fond about being surrounded by all these amazing people. I feel a bit worthless just being lucky. I slap my face. No. I have to be positive. Maybe I have a different purpose here. At the very least I can help somebody become a better person.

"Is there something wrong, Naegi-kun?"

It's Komaeda, who's sitting right next to me.

"You were staring at me for a while."

I quickly look off into some other direction to avert my gaze. The door opens up and two people walk in. One has pink hair and a cat bag, the other has a hair-antenna like mine. It's a bit more spiky, though. They sit next to Komaeda.

"G'day to you, Nanami-san."

She looks like she just woke up from a nap because her response was delayed.

"G'morning, Sonia-san."

She points her finger up into the air as if remembering something trivial.

"This is Hinata-kun. He's my friend."

"Ah, hello."

He sounds uncomfortable.

After we give our introductions, the subject of talents comes up. The question everyone was asking, but nobody wanted to say props up from Komaeda's mouth.

"Hinata-kun. What is your talent?"

The room flicks off into silence. Everyone stares at him, Komaeda inquisitively, Sonia passively, Nanami worried.

"Well, I already told you that I'm the Ultimate Gamer."

Nanami speaks hastily. Is she trying to cover something?

Hinata bites his lip and looks down at his lap.

"I…I actually go to a normal high-school. I'm just…Nanami-san's friend."

I felt something tickle my leg. Something climbing up my back and breathing down my neck. I didn't even have to look to know what it was. Plastered onto Komaeda's face would be that horrible that has the façade of a smile, and like covering someone's head plastic wrap, it would strangle anyone who dared look.

"Komaeda, can I speak to you for a second?"

"What for?"

Determined, I grab his arm and pull him out of the room so that the other's can't hear us. I close the door shut and Komaeda puts a hand to his face, obviously annoyed.

"What did you want?"

"I want to ask something of you."

He looks at me, like he already knows what it is, but wants me to tell him anyways.

"Don't be rude to Hinata-kun."

"I'm disappointed that someone like Hinata-kun thinks he can be friends with the Ultimates. You all are so far superior to people like him, he should go back with the scum he came from!"

I held back the urge to slap him.

"And that is exactly why I brought you out here. You said that you'd try your hardest, and I want you to do exactly that. You said that to reach Hope you needed to overcome something. This is what you need to overcome."

"Naegi-kun. I don't even know why you're bothering with someone as puny and insignificant as he is. Imagine what else you could be doing with that Hope!"

"You're wrong. That's because this is my Hope. Even if it's just a single person, I want to be able to brighten their day. Even if that person thinks that they are pathetic and worthless, I want to be able to convince them that they can become something more if they put the effort into it. Remember how rude you were to me at first? You said yourself that you were wrong. That someone like me can have such a brilliant Hope."

Komaeda stands completely still. Maybe…Did he want me to say all that? To use my optimism? He doesn't seem angry at all. I think he's doing the jittery thing. I'm a bit scared, honestly.

"Naegi-kun." I look up at him. "I really love your Hope."

Love? Did I hear that right? My face flushes red a little bit. Surely he didn't mean it in that way. This is Komaeda, after all.

He laughs.

"I'll try to be a bit nicer."

I sigh. I just wish that his version of 'nice' is the same as mine.

So when we get back into the room, I make sure that I'm the one to sit next to Hinata. Things proceed rather smoothly, Komaeda just keeping his mouth shut, and Maizono goes up and decides to sing.

It's stunning, really. When I'm put into a situation like this, I can really get Komaeda's reasoning a lot better. These Ultimates are so talented and amazing at what they do, it's a bit intimidating. I only was allowed to come here by chance. A lottery. I should be just like Hinata. Going to a normal high-school. Komaru's going to go to one. What makes me any different than her?

I'm drawn out of my trance when Maizono's song ends and Sonia fumbles around with the sonn-picking device. She accidentally picks one and it begins to play. I hear a humming next to me.

"Komaeda, do you know this song?"

He looks at me like he doesn't understand. "You really don't want to hear me sing."

Sonia's eyes lit up.

"Komaeda-san, are you going to sing for us?"
Nanami balls her hands up into fists.

"Yeah, yeah."

Hinata speaks now. "I'm sure you aren't all that bad."
That comment instantly sets him off. I swear I can hear the words, 'try to be nice, try to be nice…' repeating in some horrible mantra emanating from inside his mind. He hastily grabs the mic and bursts out into song.

I don't realize until I actually pay attention to the lyrics, but…I think he's singing to me. Seriously, these lyrics aren't subtle in any way at all. Thankfully, I don't think anyone else realizes it. Maybe, this is a product of his luck? Or maybe my luck.

I choke a bit. This is lucky? Having this guy sing to me? I'm more unlucky when you think about it. Still, I'm glad that he has at least one friend now. It's kinda embarrassing when it's put so bluntly like this. I'm glad to have met him.

Komaeda parts his lips for the last verse and the song is drawn to a close. I almost leap onto my feet and give him a big, hearty hug, but then I remember where I am.

Everyone else wait a second before reacting. They were stunned, weren't they? I have this kind of complacent pride for my friend and his voice.

"Komaeda-kun, that was amazing!" Such enthusiasm from Nanami. "I think." Oh.

"You have an excellent voice, Komaeda-kun. Have you ever considered taking vocal lessons?"

Komaeda looks down at his hand.

"All these compliments are too much for me. I'm nobody special. I just like this song a lot, that's all."

"Really, it sounded good."

Oh no. Whenever Hinata says anything, I feel like the room is going to blow up. Just this tension of anger vibrates the very earth where Komaeda stands.

"Hinata-kun. Would you like to try?"

This catches him off guard. It catches me off guard, too. Just what is Komaeda trying to do?

"Uh…Um…Maybe some other time. I'm not gre…" Everyone just stares at him. "Okay, okay. I'll do it."

Komaeda passes the microphone to him, and he chooses something.

Hinata isn't the best singer in the world, but he isn't the worst, either. Just kinda…Meh. Even still, something about the way he does it, it's…what's the right word…Courageous. He puts in such an effort, you just want to clap once he's done.

While he's doing his thing, Komaeda sits right next to me. For the most part, he's quiet, but then, in the middle of the song, he leans right next to me and whispers into my ear, "Do you hear it? That sound?"

What is he talking about?

"That's how the normal person sounds. Do you hear that emptiness, that lack of Hope?"

I elbow him as hard as I can into his ribcage. I'm not that strong, so it shouldn't damage anything, but it should have hurt. And that was my goal.

I hear an unenthusiastic grunt from the boy to my side.

"What about being nice? You said you'd try."

He stops whispering insults after that. Instead it's something else.

"You taught me one thing, Naegi-kun. Everybody can have Hope. Hinata-kun has something, within. Even if it's minute and insignificant, it's something."

The rest of the evening went by pretty much as expected. Nothing horrible, nothing great. That's how it is when you go out with people.

When Komaeda and I return home, he ends up lying on the futon and I on my bed.

We both stare at the ceiling a while.

We both nod off and fall asleep. I swear I can feel someone clinging to me.