A New Ultimate (Nagito X Shy Female Reader Book 1)

Chapter 9

"Take our food out? I suppose we can do that." Nagito's forefinger is on his chin thoughtfully. He turns his head to give you a curious look. "What brought that up all of a sudden? Do you not like going to the cafe with me anymore? If so, I suppose I understand. I wouldn't like sitting across from me and looking at my stupid face either."

It is the morning of the day after your weird dream. You have just met up with Nagito and are walking to your school together.

You scold him for saying that and assure him that's not the reason why. Reluctantly, you tell him the truth, explaining that you feel uneasy due to his luck cycle getting rid of all the other patrons. You're relieved to see that he isn't taking it personally.

"You're right. I understand why you'd find my luck cycle unsettling. Sometimes, even I get unnerved by the things it does." He chuckles at you, thankfully not unhappy with you in the slightest. "I was wondering why the baristas kept looking at us like that. I assumed they just didn't want to be disgraced with my presence."

You ask him if there are any other places to go to. You know you'll miss going to the cafe with him and you are ready for a change of pace from the usual walk to the park. 

"Ah, well, I like going to libraries. Perhaps I can take you to the one back at Hope's Peak Academy?" Then he looks down thoughtfully and sighs. "No...maybe not. Not yet, at least. I'm not sure if I should bring a non-Ultimate there. It's already bad enough that I go there. I feel filthy when I'm around the Ultimates like that. I don't want to put you through that."

You wince, though you're too shy to admit that his words kind of make you feel uncomfortable. Maybe even a bit hurt, though you feel conflicted since you know he doesn't mean anything personal. When he turns to you again, you put on a smile and decide to tell him that you're fine with going to any library. 

"Ah, splendid!" Nagito claps his hands together and beams happily at you. "I'll think about it. Would you mind waiting until after school for an answer? If I decide not to take you to the library at Hope's Peak, I'll make sure to take you to the best public one I can find." 

You tell him you're fine with that and the two of you continue to make the way to your school. As you walk beside him, you can't shake off the feelings that have been stirring in your chest. Your dream has made you realize you do indeed have a crush on him. You're not sure how you feel about that at all. Although you've always swooned at the thought of having a partner, you hadn't expected to fall for someone yet. You're used to being on your own all the time. If you have had crushes on people, they weren't noteworthy and were likely nothing more than a weird sense of admiration from afar. Your connection with Komaeda, however, is undeniable. You've become best friends with him and have spent tons of your free time just hanging out with him.

"You seem distracted," Nagito comments as the two of you cross the street together. "Is something wrong? Ah, I hope it's not my fault."

"Nothing's wrong!" Your voice comes out sharper and shriller than you meant for it to. You can feel your face growing warm and you're certain it's turning into a brighter shade of pink. You apologize, telling him that you hadn't meant to snap.

"It's out of character for you to snap like that." The two of you are across the street now, and he is looking at you in a concerned way. "Are you sure you're alright, (y/n)? I don't want to pry, of course. I just wouldn't want my best friend to be unhappy."

You sigh. You assure him in a much gentler way that you're fine, once again apologizing for the way you snapped. He doesn't pry anymore as you walk onto your school's grounds and say your daily goodbyes to him. However, as you walk over to the doors you are sure you can feel his gaze trailing after you, penetrating you as if he's trying to crack the code of your out-of-character behaviour before. Even though you were lying about it not being his fault, you want to assure him that it isn't. You're sure it isn't his fault in the way he thinks it is either. You just...need time to think about how you feel for him.

***

As usual, you meet Nagito beneath the tree after school. You greet each other as usual. There's an awkward pause before you ask which library he's taking you to though. You're still a bit stung by his comment earlier about not wanting to take you to Hope's Peak due to you lacking the Ultimate status. 

"I'm still not sure," Nagito admits, almost sheepishly. "I've been thinking about that all day. But...well, I think I want to take you to Hope's Peak Academy. I mean, if pure trash like me can go there, someone like you surely can. You deserve it more than I do, even if you're also a nobody."

You want to reply to him but before you can his head snaps around. Surprise glints in his eyes and he seems to be looking at something- or someone- across the street.

"What's wrong?" You're feeling a bit on edge.

His posture and expression relax. "Ah, I think that one of my classmates has followed me here. Look, there they are crossing the street. I think I'll get to introduce you today."

Curiously, you follow his gaze and see that someone in a Hope's Peak Academy uniform is indeed crossing the street. It's a girl with bright red hair and a camera slung across her chest. 

You stand there with Nagito, watching as the girl comes over to greet the two of you. You will now officially be meeting one of his classmates for the first time.