Interlude III – Realized Feelings – Start

Saying that Naegi Makoto was shocked was a understatement.

Plain, normal Makoto being scouted to Hope's Peak? That must have been a mistake surely.

Yet, there it was.

Naegi Makoto – Ultimate Lucky Student

Of course, the first thing Makoto did was decline the invitation, after all.

How could someone unworthy like him be a Ultimate?

Daisuke and Honoka were, of course, surprised but respected his decision, Makoto has always been a responsible person and they had faith in his judgment.

Tsumugi too understood where he was coming from, if she as plain as she was, got a invitation like that, of course she would decline, it was quite the pressure for someone so normal to handle.

They all respected his decision and understood why he reached it, well, except for one person.

She saw right through him.

"Bullcrap!"

Komaru yelled from her seat.

"You know darn well that you deserve this invitation! Don't pretend that you don't!"

Makoto was taken aback by her aggressiveness, and it wasn't an exaggeration in saying that he wasn't prepared for what could only be described as the angriest pep talk he ever heard.

"You're amazing Onii-chan. Sure, your tastes can be generic and not that well thought out, but who cares? Whenever someone was feeling down or having a awful day, you're always there to help them. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have had the courage to talk to Tsumugi-chan or Chiaki-chan wouldn't be at Hope's Peak. There isn't anyone kinder than you Onii-chan. So shut your darn mouth and for once in your life take the change that I know you always deserved!"

Silence filled the room once again, as Komaru breathed in and out slowly.

Makoto closed his eyes and smiled.

"You're right Komaru."

The siblings traded glances, until Komaru smiled too, a true happy smile, even though it had a hint of sadness behind it.

"Stupid Onii-chan." She smiled. "If you ever doubt your own worth again, I'll smack ya!"

Makoto never in a million years would think of himself being a Ultimate, yet, Komaru's words came from the heart and he could feel her honesty in them.

How could he not trust her after that?

During the night, after everyone went to sleep, Honoka made her way towards her daughter's room.

"Komaru-chan?" The woman calls as she knocks on the door.

"Yes, Okaa-san?" Komaru opens the door and her mother slowly enters her room. "Something wrong?"

"It's nothing to worry about dear." Smiling the older Naegi looks around the room. "I just wanted to ask something."

"What is it?" Komaru sits at the edge of her bed.

"Well, I was just surprised today." Honoka approaches her daughter and sits by her side. "Knowing how close you are to Makoto, I kind of thought you would want him to stay." She looks at the younger Naegi.

Komaru smirks and shrugs. "I like Onii-chan and all, but not having to deal with him for a while is gonna be the best!" She looks to the side. "He can get pretty annoying sometimes."

Honoka could see right past her daughter's words, she was clearly lying.

The older Naegi at first thought that the relationship between her two children was cute, the way they helped each other and are always together made for some pretty cute moments.

Yet, once they grew older, Honoka couldn't help but feel that something was a bit weird.

Of course, being a only child, she didn't exactly had any experience with how siblings relationships are supposed to be and even though it was wrong of her as a mother, she kind of started to believe that her children are starting to see each other less as siblings and more as a girl and boy, if that made any sense.

She didn't have any proof, but truth be told, she indirectly saw a lot of herself and Daisuke back when they started dating, in Komaru and Makoto's relationship.

The older Naegi tried to not see it like that, to not think about it too much, but it always came back to that one particular thought.

What if those two like each other?

How could she live with that possibility? How could they live with that possibility?

Gulping down, the older Naegi mentally prepares to have what could possibly be the hardest talk of her life, but before she can say anything, Komaru speaks up.

"If you really care about someone, you're willing to let them go." The younger Naegi says as her mother makes a surprised face.

"Where did you-"

"I heard when you're talking about Chiaki-chan going away with Onii-chan." Komaru smiles softly. "Sorry for listening in."

Honoka blinks, before she adjusts her hair and smiles back. "No, it's okay." Silence fills the room as mother and daughter just stare in opposite directions, not really sure of what to say.

"I'm gonna miss him." The brunette girl comments. "But maybe it's better if we have some time away from each other." She concludes, although one can clearly hear the sadness in her tone.

Honoka nods slightly, she wanted to talk about what was on her head, but decided that now was not the correct time. "That's very mature of you, Komaru-chan." The woman stands up from the bed and smiles gently. "Sorry for bothering you so late at night, I'll be going away now."

Komaru just nods and watches as her mother walks away. "Good night." She says.

Honoka stops at the door and turns around. "Good night dear." With that, she walks out of the room, leaving Komaru alone.

Once she knows her mother is out of earshot, the younger Naegi throws herself into her bed and crawls into a ball. "It's better that way." She sniffs. "It's like we could actually be together."

With that sad thought, the girl falls asleep.

During the rest of December, Makoto and his parents made the final preparations for his trip at the start of the new year.

Because while classes would only start at the second week of January, for some reason, the students are called to the academy a week before, so they can adjust themselves to their new lives.

Outside of that, there was a strange atmosphere in the Naegi house.

While everyone seemed happy that he was going to Hope's Peak, there was a heavy sense of sadness, especially around Komaru.

Makoto did his best to pass as much time as he physically could with his family and especially with his sister.

Well, it seemed to work, at least during Christmas and New Years.

But, soon, it was finally time for Makoto to go away.

"Time flew by didn't it?" The brunette asks as he finishes making his beg.

Komaru, who was sitting on his bed shakes her head with a small smile. "Yeah." Behind her smile, the boy can clearly see a hint of sadness.

A idea pops into his head and the boy approaches his sister. "Hey, Komaru." He calls.

"Yes?" She lifts her head and starts straight into his hazel eyes.

"If we had to go somewhere together right now, where would you like to go?" He asks with a smile.

Komaru blushes slightly, then makes a thinking pose. "Like, just the two of us?" Blush deepens as the boy nods. "How about the mall?" turning her head to the side, she continues. "Like that time, but without Tsumugi-chan or Chiaki-chan."

"Then, when I'm back for summer, we can go there." As he says this, Komaru's eyes instantly lit up.

"Really?"

"Yep."

The brunette girl blinks, before lifting her hand and sticking her pinkie out. "It's a date then." Her face flashes red as she thinks of the word 'date'.

Interlacing their pinkies together, the brunette boy smiles. "It's a date."

"Makoto, it's time!" Daisuke yells from the first floor.

"I'm coming!" Makoto yells back as he separates their pinkies and walks back to where his suitcase is.

Picking it up, the two siblings go downstairs.

Makoto is now standing outside of his house, his father just finishing to out his suitcases on the back of the car.

"It's going to be so weird now that Onii-sama won't be around." Tsumugi comments and Makoto smiles sadly.

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you two too." He replies, making both Komaru and Tsumugi blush slightly. "But I'm going to try and call as much as possible."

"You better!" Komaru pouts and crosses her arms. "Or I'll be very pissed."

The three break down into laughter, before Makoto pats his sister's head.

Without any warning, Komaru launches herself towards him and envelops the boy on a embrace. "I'll miss you, Onii-chan."

The brunette hugs her back for some time, before separating himself and giving Tsumugi a hug too.

"Well, everything done here." Daisuke announces. "Now, it's time to take the road."

Makoto nods.

Giving Honoka a hug, the boy turns around and enters the car.

As they start hitting the road, Komaru runs forward and starts waving her arms. "Good luck Onii-chan!" She yells and watches as her beloved brother smiles before the car becomes too distant for her to see any details. "Good luck." She whispers with a soft smile on her face.

It may be foolish of her to hold onto those feelings, yet, she couldn't help herself.

Interlude III – Realized Feelings – End

Originally I was going to have two or three chapters dedicated to Makoto declining the invitation until Komaru convinced him otherwise, but in the end, i decided to have it condensed into just a single Komaru focused chapeter.

Although, i actually didn't really liked how this one turned out, so I might rewrite it in the near future.

Hope y'all liked it and see you around!