"Hope!" Normal Speech

'Despair!' People's thoughts

"Truth!" Flashbacks

Disclaimer: I have as much ownership of the Danganronpa series as you do dear reader.

AN: Other tags for this story (since the site only gives you 2): Mystery/Friendship/Drama

Interlude

Gamer's Co-Op Partner

As someone with the title of Ultimate, you are one that is considered elite among the elite.

The youth that will guide the masses into a future filled with bright hope, such is the weight that Hope's Peak Academy gives to the title of Ultimate, and for you to carry such a title means that you know this very well.

Not only that, but you even stepped up among your classmate, taking the leadership role on your class, and I don't mean it just because of you being their Class Representative.

Considering the lack of cooperation I have seen in the class batches throughout my years here, the unity in yours is truly remarkable.

But we aren't here to talk about your class, of course, something you already know.

As such…

You, the Ultimate Gamer of class 77…

Tell me about him.

My name is Nanami Chiaki, and I am the Ultimate Gamer of class 77 of Hope's Peak Academy.

Did I do it right, Headmaster? Yes? Thank you then.

It felt weird having to say that to someone I know…

You really wont tell me what this is for even if I ask, right?

Don't worry, I understand. I'm really curious, but I trust you, Headmaster-san. I know you wouldn't do anything that would harm Naegi-kun, specially since he's your favorite.

Hmm? What's with the strange look, Headmaster-san? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, but you and Naegi-kun haven't been subtle about it.

I understand though, since Naegi-kun is really reliable, so I can't blame you for depending on him.

I do it too.

I started talking about Naegi-kun without even realizing it too…

Don't laugh at me, Headmaster-san. That's mean.

My first impressions? Hmmm…

He seemed inoffensive, but also like a nice person. He didn't get upset at Nagito-kun for ditching him, and he treated me nice…

He was also kind to Hinata-kun even when he tried to push us away…

He's also very stubborn and tries to do everything by himself.

He worries me a lot because of that…

But I believe in Naegi-kun, so I know he won't fail when he decides to do something!

Ahh…I rambled a bit there, sorry…

There's just… a lot of things I can say about Naegi-kun…

Maybe I should start over? Thank you, Headmaster-san.

In that case then, our first meeting…

"I'm so sorry about what happened before, Naegi-kun."

"Y-you don't have to keep apoligizing for that, Yukizome-san"

It was quite the sight, she thought, to see the teacher of her class bowing repeteadly towards a rather short boy with Brown hair and eyes wearing a hoodie.

"Nagito-kun is a good boy, he's just…troubled!"

"I-I believe you, really, so please stop apologising!"

Oh they were both bowing now, that was cute.

Her eyes, however, were drawn to the spike of hair that was sticking out of the boy's head, for she could have sworn that she saw it move just a moment prior.

Maybe, he would let her touch it? It looked cute…

"But fear not, Naegi-kun, for I have brought my star pupil here to help us!"

Ah, that was her cue to introduce herself, right?

"I'm Nanami Chiaki." She said so with a smile and a small bow. It seemed fun when they were doing it. "A pleasure to meet you, Naegi-kun."

"I'm sorry about Komaeda-kun." She said with a pout, not liking one bit her classmate's attitude now that the truth has been revealed to her.

Truly, she knew that he wasn't a bad person, but she was still going to have words with him as son as she saw him!

"Yukizome-san already apologised for him, so you don't have to worry about it, Nanami-san." At the very least she was glad that Makoto didn't seem to be the type to hold a grudge. "Komaeda-san seems like a…complicated person."

She nodded wholeheartedly at that, knowing there was probably no better way to describe him. Not that it justified his dismisivness of course, but at least Makoto seemed to be of the understanding sort.

She gave him a side-way glance, focusing intently on him just as he took in every sight with quite the odd look in his face. It was the same look he held every time she guided him to one of Hope's Peak's multiple landmarks, and one that he had right now even though they were just walking through an empty hall

The reason she considered it a bit odd though, was that it wasn't the look of wonder or amazement that she had honestly expected.

Rather, it was instead this strange look of…fondness? It was hard to explain, especially given that, as far as she knew, this was his first time visiting the school.

And yet, he looked like…well, like how she herself looked whenever she decided to play any of her childhood games.

It was quite the cute sight if she was being honest, even though it was also a confusing one. She even found his smile to be quite infectious to the point she couldn't help but to smile too.

A sudden idea popped in her head, one that made her stop on her tracks, with Makoto following soon after and turning around to look at her in obvious confusion.

"Nanami-san?"

"Naegi-kun, you haven't seen the Research Labs yet, right?"

And for the first time in her entire tour, she saw Makoto's happy visage break into an utterly confused one.

"Welcome to my Research Lab, Naegi-kun." She spoke with a hint of excitement in her tone and her arms open wide as if showing a prized possession, for she couldn't deny that Hope's Peak had truly done their best to craft a room that would be perfect to her tastes.

Every console that she could imagine, and every game for said consoles were all packed comfortably in this room. Or at least, that's what she had been told, not like she had had the time to actually check every game in this room.

Not for a lack of trying, mind you.

Most of the consoles were brand new too, except for the ones that she had brought from her home.

All in all, it was quite the fun place for her.

There was only one issue with it, to be honest, but that wasn't neither here nor there.

Besides, it was also something that she was working hard to fix.

"What do you think, Naegi-kun?" She asked after the silence that followed their entrance, right before she turned around to finally look at Makoto, expecting a look of amazement on his face.

What she got was…certainly not that, to say the least.

He was frowning as he looked around the place, and it was now that she was realizing just how expressive his eyes were. It seemed that he was someone that wore his emotions on his sleeve, with how much his Brown eyes were telling her right now.

He seemed utterly confused, almost as if he couldn't believe the existence of her Research Lab, or maybe the entire concept as a whole?

Maybe 'disbelief' would be a better term? It wasn't like she could blame him, for knowing Hope's Peak was going to craft a room specially made for you and your talent could be quite the moment.

But Makoto's reaction seemed a bit too…strong? Specially for someone that hadn't had such an outward reaction to anything else she had showed him so far.

She could have sworn she even saw his arms trembling a bit.

With how much his gaze wandered though, it didn't take long their eyes to meet, his distressed visage growing even more alarmed once he realized she was watching him.

"Naegi-kun?" Had she done something wrong by bringing him here?

"S-Sorry, Nanami-san, It's just…" He seemed to struggle with his words in a way that she knew meant he was trying to find what to even say right now. "A lot to take in? I-I didn't know Hope's Peak went this…far."

She almost squinted her eyes at him after hearing that, for even though she didn't consider herself an expert, she sure could tell that wasn't quite the truth.

It looked like lying wasn't Naegi Makoto's strong suit.

"They aren't joking when they said this is the best place on Earth to develop our talents." But even though her curiosity was more than picked, she knew better than to keep pushing right now, especially since they had just met today.

She would have to save her concern for another day, it seemed, and while she could tell Makoto was glad she had seemingly believed him, he still looked more than a bit paler tan before.

And feeling responsible for his well-being, not only because she had been entrusted with looking out for him today, but also as his future senpai, she decided that she would not let him leave with such a sour ending to their tour.

Time to bring out the big guns.

"Do you want to play?" So, it was after retrieving one controller from the many that rested in the room, that she stood in front of Makoto, the controller in her hand pushed to his face and her head slightly tilted to the side.

He seemed surprised for a moment there, blinking confusedly at her before an honest, albeit tiny, smile finally broke through his frown.

That was good, she decided that day. Smiles certainly suited him a lot more than frowns.

His answer followed soon after.

"Sure!"

She was having fun.

A lot of fun, in fact.

She always had fun whenever she played games of course, it was one of the reasons she loved them so much.

But playing with others? That was when she was having the most fun.

Sadly, it didn't happen often enough, so it was moments like this that she treasured the most.

Because of this she wasn't able to stop the smile that formed on her lips as the game signaled her as the winner of the match. It wasn't the result itself that made her happy though, but rather just being able to experience what she loved with someone else.

But even so, she knew that plenty of people didn't enjoy this like she did.

So, it was with a bit of apprehension that she peeked to her right, where Makoto was sitting, to try and gauge his mood.

Last thing she wanted was to upset her future underclassmen, after all.

"That was fun!" What she got though, was a smile from him, one that had her shoulders sagging slightly in relief. "Sorry that I wasn't able to keep up with you properly though..."

"I had fun too." She shot back with a shake of her head, truly meaning it. "When everyone is having fun, that's when games are the best." She continued with conviction, for it was something that she truly believed.

"And you looked like you needed the distraction." Her follow up seemingly made him pause for just a second, right before a sigh left his lips.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Just a bit." She responded with a shrug. "But I understand. Hope's Peak is overwhelming, as you said."

"In more ways than one..." She heard him whisper as his eyes locked themselves on the control in his hands, which made her tilt her head in curiosity.

She wouldn't consider herself the most perceptive person in the planet, but even she could tell there was something more going on there.

A part of her, she admitted, did want to know more, mostly to see if she could help in any way. Maybe she couldn't relate to Makoto because of the difference in the circumstances relating to their talents, but she still wanted to help if she could.

But she also didn't want to scare him away. Nagito had already given him a bad impression of them Ultimates and she didn't want to make it worse.

Not like she was able to do much next however, given that it was Makoto the one that picked up the conversation by waving the control he had on his hand while smiling at her.

"Do you want to go another round?"

"Really?!" She wasn't able to stop the excitement from leaking into her voice.

"Yeah..." His answer came as he turned his gaze toward the screen. "I think you're right, maybe the distraction would help..."

"If you don't mind, of course!" It was a fun sight, she had to admit, to see him suddenly act shy. She would have pet him in the head right there and there if he had been sitting closer to her.

Instead, she could only raise her own controller while giving him a look full of determination.

"Let's do this, Naegi-kun."

This was curious, very curious in fact.

To be told by her teacher that Makoto was currently in the Reserve Course department was not something she had expected when her day started.

She knew Makoto liked to come to Hope's Peak a lot, which she wasn't complaining about given how she liked spending time with him, but him spending time in the Reserve Course? That was news to her.

And she was a very curious person.

Which was why she was currently hidden behind a statue of the previous headmaster, her focus going from one place to another as she tried to find Makoto.

She was his soon-to-be senpai, after all, so she had to make sure she was going well by himself.

Imaginer her surprise though, to finally find him but not by himself.

Instead, he was talking to a student, one that he recognized very well.

And with the way the two were interacting, they were most definitely no strangers.

Hmmm... this would need further investigation.

"You're friends with Hinata-kun, right?" Her question came as they both sat alongside one another, their focus on the handheld device they were both using to play today.

Or at least hers was, because judging by how she felt Makoto tense to her side right before his character met a sudden demise, she knew his attention was already somewhere else.

"Y-You know about that?" He asked, obviously surprised, to which she could only nod right before regarding him with a tilted head.

"Naegi-kun is surprisingly popular." She declared with a finger below her lip. "Not only my class but event students from the Reserve Course..."

She wasn't judging him or anything, far from it in fact, for if there was one thing she would like, it would be to have the seemingly ease at making friends that Makoto apparently had.

After all, even her own classmates had started mentioning him from time to time, so it seemed he had started a good relationship already with some of the members of her class.

Not everyone of course, but still, he had done so even faster than her...

She couldn't help but to pout at such thought, wishing that she too had the same ease at making friends that Makoto seemingly did.

"Does it bother you?" It seemed he had taken her expression the wrong way, so she could only shake her head quickly, followed by her humming as an idea slowly formed in her head.

After all, Hinata Hajime was someone that she knew personally, albeit not as much as she had wanted too, which was a problem in and all itself.

If the issue had been about something else, then maybe she could have understood, but knowing that what was stopping them from being friends was just the fact he thought Main and Reserve Course students shouldn't mingle...

That just didn't sit right with her.

Which was why she suddenly took Makoto's hands into her own, ignoring his surprised squeak, and looked deep into his eyes.

He looked cute when he blushed, she noted.

This wasn't the time for such thoughts however!

"Naegi-kun." She spoke with as much conviction as she could muster. "Please, help me become friends with Hinata-kun!"

And if she was honest, she expected mostly confusion from such request. After all, it was a sudden one, one that he had no obligation to even help her with.

And yet what she got was a moment of nothing, almost as if he couldn't process what she had asked, to the point she almost repeated herself.

But then, it was as if a switch had gone off in Makoto's brain, for it was suddenly him that was holding her hand in a firm grasp, with such a glint of sheer determination appearing in his eyes that she almost thought she was looking at someone completely different.

"I'll help you, Nanami-san." Even his voice seemed completely different from his usual tone. "That's a promise!"

To think Naegi Makoto had such a side...

She thought it suited him quite well.

"What the hell, Makoto? I told you to get her from below like how we planned!"

"You're the one that went too soon, I wasn't ready!"

"That's the only way of getting her, we need to surprise her!"

"Yeah, but surprise her, not me!"

She wasn't able to control the smile that tugged at her lips as she heard the ruckus in front of her, while her eyes remained glued to the screen of the handheld game console in her hands.

But even as both Makoto and Hajime kept arguing with one another, she had to admit they were pretty on sync when they played like this.

Apparently, they had decided that the only way of earning a victory against her was to team up, which didn't bother her at all if she was being honest.

As long as everyone was enjoying themselves, wasn't that what mattered the most?

Moments like these...those were the ones that she would always treasure the most.

"You should tell him." She spoke as she nudged him with her shoulder, the sigh that left his lips as they walked towards the Reserve Course telling her that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

It was the only aspect of their friendship that she disliked, the fact that Makoto hadn't told Hajime that he would be attending Hope's Peak as an Ultimate, not as a Reserve Course student.

It did explain how he was able to go pass Hajime's stubbornness though, but even so, friendship should not be based on lies.

At least, that's what she believed in.

"I know..." And with his tone, she knew that he didn't like it either. "I really want to but...I'm scared of how he's going to take it..."

She understood that much, of course, especially since she too would have to apologize to Hajime for keeping Makoto's secret.

But it was something they couldn't keep hiding, for she knew that the longer they did, the more it would hurt in the end.

"We'll find a way to patch things up." She said with utmost confidence, to the point that she even puffed her chest out as she raised her hand in a fist.

Her show of confidence though, seemed to be funnier rather than reassuring given the sudden chuckle that left Makoto's lips right after, to which she could only pout in response.

She was being serious!

His laughter, however, proved to be a short one given the frown that took over his face right after. The fact that he even stopped walking made her follow with curious look of her own.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this..." He spoke with obvious remorse, his gaze down. "I shouldn't have told you to keep up the lie."

She blinked with a tilt of her head, wondering for just how long he had felt like that. Probably from the start of it?

She still believed for such a face to not suit him at all though, so she was quick to move in front of him, with her then moving her hand to rest it on top of Makoto's head.

An easy thing to do given their similar heights.

The surprised look she got in response was to be expected, but it didn't stop her from running her fingers through his hair in a way that she often found calming for herself.

Surely as her future senpai, she could dot on him this much, right?

"We'll make things right." She spoke softly and with a smile, wanting him to understand she wasn't upset at him.

His look of confusion remained there for a few more seconds, until a small smile of his own formed in his lips.

"You're right." There was something in his voice however, a steel that she did not expect, and for just a second she felt as if they were talking about two completely different things. "We'll make things right, no matter what."

"I fucked up..."

This was the first time she ever heard Makoto curse, she noted.

Given the situation though, she really couldn't blame him, especially since she herself was feeling as downtrodden as she could get.

"I should have told him sooner." Makoto repeated as he held his head in his hands while standing opposite from her as she sat on her bed.

She sported a frown of her own of course, for she knew things were...bad, at the moment, probably more than what she would like to admit.

To think Hajime would try to bargain into the Main Course just like that...

The words that had been said by the head of security... she could only imagine how much damage that had done, both to Hajime personally and to their friendship as a whole.

Hajime had looked...devastated, for lack of a better term, and just remembering the look of betrayal that head had given them...

It was enough to make her chest hurt.

And raising her head to look at Makoto, she could tell he was taking it even worse than she was.

It was honestly worrying, if she had to be honest, the dazzled, almost lost gaze that Makoto had glued to the floor as he kept muttering under his breath.

What was more concerning though, was the way Makoto suddenly raised his head, his eyes looking shockingly wild as they darted from one spot of her room to another, until they finally landed on her door.

"I need to fix this." His whispers became louder just as he started walking towards the door. "I need to fix this...before it's too late."

Not that she ever let him reach that far however, for her instincts had been pretty much yelling at him to stop him before he left.

"Huh?" Which was why she now had one of her hands on his chest, with the other one holding his arm as he gave her a puzzled look.

Did he really expect for her to let him go looking like that?

"Naegi-kun." She spoke with as much softness as she could muster, her worried attention fully on him now. "What are you going to do?"

It might sound like a weird question, but right now what she needed was for him to focus. She honestly didn't know what had made him react like this, it was too severe she believed, but the whys could wait for now.

Both of her friends needed her, and so she would start with the one in front of her.

"I'll fix this." He repeated once more, almost like a mantra, and it was with how close they were that she could truly see the deep bags below his eyes. He even looked paler than usual.

She pursed her lips, thinking of how they would have to have a conversation about self-care soon enough. Not now though, given how he couldn't even look at her in the eyes.

Or rather, he was, but it felt as if she was looking right through her and at something else, like she wasn't even in the room with him.

That wouldn't do.

"Ugh..?!" So, when both of her hands meet Makoto's cheeks, they did it with quite the smacking sound, the action finally forcing Makoto to actually look at her out of sheer shock, but even so she refused to move her hands, instead resting them on his face as she held his cheeks softly.

"Are you there, Naegi-kun?" She asked carefully as she focused on his expression, with him blinking slowly at her, as if he couldn't figure out where he was or who she was.

"I..." Even his voice was heavy, even as he moved his right hand to meet her left one on his cheek. "I don't know, actually..."

It was an answer that she couldn't understand properly, but even so she nodded slowly, her thumbs caressing his cheeks as she offered him a small smile.

"I think..." She made sure he was looking at her eyes, her tone as comforting as she could muster. "That you should tell Hinata-kun how you feel, Naegi-kun."

"If it comes from you." She continued once he gave her a confused look. "I'm sure your feelings will be able to reach him, no matter what. He might be stubborn but Hinata-kun also cares about Naegi-kun, even if he has a hard time showing it..."

She kept on smiling at him, while in return she got his best interpretation of a fish, given the way his mouth opened and closed every second, although no word ever left his lips.

But after a bit more, he ended up simply closing his eyes, and she watched as he took a deep breath, which he released right after in a slow fashion.

And when his eyes opened again, she was met with the complete opposite of how he had looked before. Instead, there was nothing steel in his gaze, his brown eyes pretty much telling her that whatever he had decided, he would not fail.

She believed him wholeheartedly.

"I will fix this." Even his voice, it was back to that tone that she rarely heard from him, but it was one that she found as reassuring as it could get. "I promise."

She was no longer worried by the time he left, instead there were only two thoughts in her head.

One was about how she knew everything would be alright, that much she was certain now.

And the second one was about how that last look he had truly fitted him far more anything else.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-kun." She spoke as she bowed, nothing but sincerity and regret in her tone.

"Stop that, would you?" And in response, she got an embarrassed huff from Hajime. "I got enough of that from Makoto last night, so I rather we skip a second apology fest."

"Are you sure?" But even so, she still felt like a proper apology was in order, even if it seemed that he wasn't upset at her, or rather them, anymore.

"Yeah yeah." He just waved away her concerns however, right before he scratched the back of his head. "Like I said, Makoto already did enough apologizing for you both so...It's fine, really."

She knew that he wasn't lying, that much she could tell, but that didn't stop her from pursing her lips in dissatisfaction.

"And I mean..." Hajime continued however; his gaze now glued to the floor. "I...I get why he didn't tell me...I don't like it, but I get it."

"I know you two aren't looking down on me or anything like that." He continued while raising his head, and actually offering her a small smile. "Makoto made that more than clear so...don't worry about, Nanami, really."

In response, she could only look up at him in slight awe, although it might have been a bit too much given the sudden look of embarrassment that showed up on Hajime's face.

"W-What?"

"Hinata-kun is really kind." She stated, no doubt in her mind or tone about what she said, which only made Hajime flush red right in front of her eyes.

"Shut up, would you?" The lack of any bite in his response, alongside the way he wasn't able to look at her in the eyes was enough to get a giggle out of her, which only made Hajime grunt in response.

"Hey!"

Her attention though, alongside Hajime's, was taken by the sudden voice that called them out, which belonged to the person they have been waiting for here for a while now.

And as she saw Makoto jogging towards them, a smile slowly formed on her lips, and throwing a side glance towards Hajime told her that she wasn't the only one sporting a smile.

Things would be all right, she decided.

They would be.

She needed help.

She needed it badly.

She never had this kind of problem before, for she had never needed to choose before.

But now she did, and as such she made the only sensitive choice in her head.

"So that's why, please go with Naegi-kun!" She declared as she pushed the tickets towards Hajime, knowing that he would accept her request and-

"No thank you." His answer came swiftly, making her raise her gaze to look at him in indignation. "I'll pass."

"Why." She asked with narrowed eyes, seemingly earning an eyeroll from Hajime, who then went to cross his arms over his chest.

"Because your plan makes no sense, at all." He drawled out, making her put in response. What did he mean no sense? It was the best plan she could come up to after spending the entire day thinking about it!

"You were the one that they invited to this convention thing, so how could the two of us go without you?" He explained, and while she understood his point, what else was she supposed to do? She only got two tickets for it!

"I don't want to choose between Naegi-kun and you." That was the crux of the issue, in the end. She would have loved to invite them both, but with only two tickets for the event, there wasn't much that she could do.

"I'll make it easy then." Hajime spoke with a sigh, right before taking the tickets, giving them a look over, just to then push them back towards her. "I'm busy that day, so just take Makoto with you."

"Hinata-kun..." She knew he wasn't being honest, it was obvious in her eyes, but Hajime simply kept a disinterested look in his eyes.

"I mean it, really." He said with a shrug. "Besides, those kinds of things aren't really my thing anyway, so I'm sure Makoto would enjoy it more."

He had a fair point there, she had to admit, but even so she couldn't help but to look down in frustration. Excluding him just felt so...wrong, even if he seemed to not mind.

She was forced to look up though, once she felt Hajime's hand landing on her shoulder, making her look at him with a tilted head, to which he simply smirked.

"Besides, that way you two could make it a date." The way he spoke, it was as if he was expecting some sort of reaction from her, but the only thing she could muster was a frown of confusion.

She was about to voice out her confusion at his words, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, the idea bounced inside her head once more, with the word date echoing more and more with each second.

She had never gone to one, not once in her life, so the idea of one had never been that attractive to her in the first place. It wasn't like she had never met someone with whom she would want to go on a date with in the first place though, so it wasn't something she had ever given much thought about.

And yet, Hajime's words made her pause, to the point she ended up closing her eyes. There was something about that idea that had her pondering it over in its entirety, and since she had never cared about dates before, that meant it had to do with Makoto, correct?

"Nanami?" She heard Hajime's more hesitant tone to his side, but that didn't stop her moment of self-reflection. "Look, I was just kidding, ok? It doesn't have to be a date, I just thought that you two-"

"Hinata-kun!" She stopped him with the suddenness of her voice, her hands moving directly to grab Hajime by the shoulder, obviously surprising him if the grunt that left him was any indication.

"W-What?" Was she looking at him too intensely? Seemed so with the expression he was sporting, but this had been his idea, hadn't it been?

"Help me with the date with Naegi-kun." She had never gone to one, after all, and gal games had always been her weakest spot, so she needed all the help she could get.

"Wait, why me?!"

"Let's do this, Hinata-kun!"

"Are you even listening to me?!"

Today was the day, and she was as excited as she was nervous.

It wasn't like this was the first time she attended an event like this. Far from it in fact, as such her nervousness wasn't because of attending the event, but rather with whom she was going with.

Then again, that wasn't right either. It wasn't that she was hanging out with Makoto, but rather that she had decided this wasn't just a friendly outing.

Why had she decided that this was a date then? It had been simple, actually.

She was a person that trusted her instinct.

So, when Hajime had proposed the idea, her heart had actually skipped a beat when she had thought about it properly.

That was something that had never happened to her before, and it was a feeling that she did not find unpleasant in the slightest.

It was the complete opposite in fact, to the point even right now it was enough for a bit of heat to go all the up her cheeks.

It was a new feeling too, one that she wouldn't mind experiencing more if she was being honest...

"Nanami-san!" So, when she finally heard Makoto's voice as he reached the bus stop they had agreed to meet in, she wasn't able to hold the small smile that formed her lips.

She readjusted her backpack, right before turning towards where Makoto was coming from, her hand going up as she waved him, just as she felt her heart skip a beat out of a sudden.

Today was going to be a fun day, she knew.

She lost him.

She had lost Naegi Makoto among the crowd

'As long as you don't miss him or anything I'm sure things will go well.' That had been Hajime's first real advice, and yet now she had no idea where Makoto was.

Well, that wasn't entirely correct. She knew he was still on the building, that much she was sure of it. But the place was so massive that even after looking for him for a while, she still didn't know where he was.

He couldn't even call him or anything since she was holding his phone in her hand. They were going to take a selfie with it with one of the cosplayers of a game she enjoyed, just for people to suddenly pile on her once they realised who she was.

In her excitement for today she had seemingly forgotten how the title of Ultimate Gamer could atract a lot of people in places like this.

She sighed slightly as she looked around once more, trying to catch any glimpse of Makoto. She thought being in a higher up place would help, but so far she was having no luck.

Which complicated things a bit, given the current time...

"Excuse me, Nanami-sama." It was a man in a suit that suddenly called to her. "The Double's bracket is about to begin. Is your partner still not here?"

That was an issue, since Makoto and her were supposed to participate in a tournament right about now...

She usually entered the Single's bracket for events like this, but since she had invited Makoto she just thought it would be fun to play with him.

She didn't want to be rude though, and she knew they had already only been so acomodating to her delay because of her title, but it wasn't something that she wanted to push even more.

She never liked using the title of Ultimate Gamer for things like that.

"I think-"

"I'm here!"

But before she could give up their spot at the tournament, a voice that she recognized quite well yelled from behind her.

And when she turned around, the first thing she saw was...

Pink...

A lot of pink in fact.

Because Makoto was wearing a frilly, pink dress that she recognized almost inmediately, belonging to the protagonist of a quite popular game that came out last year.

She blinked slowly, making sure she wasn't making any mistake. The dress looked really high quality and-was that a bow on his ahoge?

"I know, I know." He spoke with a flushes face, red even to the tip of his ears. "I'm sorry for getting lost, I tried to find you but a girl needed help with some cosplay and this plase is way too big and-"

"It's fine." She stopped him with a smile, the cuteness of his usual nervous rambling being increased by his new clothes. "You are here already, that's what matters."

He gave her a nod, right before she grabbed him by his hand. Call it paranoia, but the last think she wanted was for them to get separated again.

Makoto didn't complain though, so that was a good sign, right?

"And Naegi-kun."

"Yeah?"

"You have nice legs." She felt obligated to make that statement, for the skirt he was wearing was leaving his legs all bare for her eyes.

"...Thank you..." He ended up answering in a resigned tone, his face even more crimson if that was possible.

Confident Makoto was good, but blushing Makoto was quite cute too.

"You should have kept the costume..."

"I think I'll stick with my hoodie, thank you very much."

"But it really suited you! I'm sure Hinata-kun would have agreed too..."

"Let's not tell Hinata-kun about that...or anyone for that matter."

She pouted at that, not getting why he didn't want to talk about one of the highlights on the entire day.

He offered her a tired chuckle in response though, to which she decided to smile in turn. She would let this go only because of how tired he looked.

Since this had been the first time he had assisted to something like this, she understood from where his tiredness came from.

"I wish we could have done more though." He spoke through his tiredness however, offering her what seemed like an apologetic smile. "Sorry for getting lost..."

"I had fun." She spoke with a shake of her head, just as she squeezed his hand. "Did you have fun, Naegi-kun?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"Then that's what matters." She squeezed his hand once more, giving him a smile that she hoped would take away whatever regrets he was having now.

And it seemed to work with the way he gave her a small smile of his own, although that was followed by him slowly lowering his gaze until it landed on their joined hands.

Oh right, they were still holding hands, even though they had left the convention a while ago, with them now sitting in an empty bus.

She found it comfortable though, their current position, which was why she had never let go, even though there weren't any more risk of them getting lost.

She tilted her head at him just as she squeezed their intertwined fingers a bit more, hoping her silent request wouldn't be met with a rejection.

She saw his cheeks grow pink in response, just before he turned his head to the side, seemingly embarrassed.

Another cute reaction to add to her collection.

She couldn't help but to smile after he gave her a nod of apparent acceptance.

Yes, today had been a fun day.

"Well, it sounds like it went well..." Hajime muttered to her side, to which she couldn't help but to nod. Even though her experience had been pretty much zero before it, she couldn't help but to consider her first date a success.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" She couldn't help but to ask, however, giving the skeptical look that she was still receiving from one of her two best friends.

"Oh nothing..." He answered with a shrug, right before giving her a raised eyebrow. "So, how did he take it when you told him it was a date?"

Ah...

She knew she had forgotten something...

But maybe, Makoto had realized that by himself?

The smacking sound that came as Hajime's palm met his own face told her that perhaps that probably wasn't the case.

Today was an important day.

It was the reason she had even woke up earlier than usual.

She had never been this excited for the start of a new schoolyear, but she knew this one would a special one, not just because it was her second year as a Hope's Peak student, but rather because...

"Nanami-san?" The voice of the person she had been waiting for, the reason she was standing by the entrance of Hope's Peak Academy, made her perk up instantly, her eyes zooning on a newly arrived Makoto, who was sporting the Hope's Peak uniform proudly.

"Although I guess it's Nanami-senpai now, right?" He spoke with a chuckle, to which she could only nod enthusiastically. If he thought she was too doting before, he had no idea what was in store for him now that he was officially her cute little underclassman.

In fact, that was the reason she was here. It was a selfish one, she knew, one that she had to hide from her entire class to make sure she could accomplish it.

It seemed she had underestimated Naegi Makoto's ability to make friends, for even now she could hear the ruckus that her class was making as they steadily marcher over here.

It seemed she would have to be faster then.

"Eh!?"

His shock came as no surprise, considering the way she had suddenly pressed her lips against his cheek.

It was her first kiss too, even if it had been on the cheek only. That meant she had leveled up quite a bit from last year, right?

But even so, that wasn't the reason she was here. No, instead it was for a much simpler one.

She just wanted to be the first one to greet him properly.

"Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy, Naegi-kun!"

I think my-no, everyone's life here in Hope's Peak would have been worse without Naegi-kun around.

You don't think I'm exaggerating, right, Headmaster? He is your favorite, after all. Maybe you want him as your successor in the future? That would make sense, I think...

...That's a funny look you have there, Headmaster, but you shouldn't laugh when one of your students is pouring her heart out to you, that's rude.

Hmm? How would I describe Naegi-kun? That's a tough question...

Well, he's my cute and dependable and stubborn-I already said that?

Hmm, in that case...

He is my, and everyone's, best friend.

Damn this took way too long. A lot of factors played into that, so I won't bore you all with the details and can only say sorry for such delay.

This chapter in particular was tricky, in part because it is the first one where I can write and play around other events I have shown in other flashbacks, but also because it is a Chiaki chapter.

And for a Chiaki chapter I wanted to make it different than having just Makoto bargaining in and changing her life. That worked for the previous chapters given the characters of Nagito, Toko and Kiyo, but for Chiaki I wanted something more...let's say chill.

I also wanted to show more of a Makoto that had just started his mission.

With any luck next chapter will come sooner, especially since it isn't a flashback one. These are harder to write for me if I'm being honest.

Thank you all for having read this far, and for your continuous support and patience!

As an extra note, did you guys know this fic has a TVTropes page? I was made aware of this not too long ago, and I think it's cool as fuck! Thank you to whoever made that page, truly!

Next Chapter: What it Means to be a Dependable Person.