On the Beach at Night [Nagito x Reader]

Chapter 8: Clue

       

This time, there were three: two murders, one execution. The Despair Disease had spread to Mikan, who succumbed to its murderous side effects. She killed Ibuki, but not without a witness. Hiyoko had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and also became a victim. All three of them were dead.

Nagito and Akane had survived the disease, which was quickly eradicated by Monokuma when he decided he was bored of it. (Y/N) was relieved to see Nagito healthy again, but the game was not over yet.

He survived this time, she thought to herself, but what will happen next?

She pictured his near-lifeless body, gasping for air and wincing in pain. That scene was engraved in her memory, as much as she wished to never think about it again. For now, she tried her best to enjoy every moment with him. She never knew when it could be their last.

"Hey, are you alright?" the sound of his voice brought her back to reality. "You were spacing out." She looked up to see Nagito's concerned expression. When she met his gaze, he instead started smiling at her.

"Yeah...I'm fine. Just have a lot on my mind currently." she admitted.

"You aren't still worried about me, are you?" he asked, "I told you, I feel better now!"

"I know that." she tried her best to force a smile.

"Don't waste your energy worrying about someone like me. You deserve to be happy." He reached across the table where they were seated in the restaurant and placed his hand on hers.

"You do too, Nagito." They remained quiet for the rest of their meal then headed out afterwards towards the fourth island to investigate with the others.

"So, have you finished that song yet?" he asked.

"Not quite. I mostly have the beginning and end written, but I haven't been satisfied with the middle. It's missing something. It never sounds quite right with the rest of the song."

"Can I hear what you have done so far?" he asked hopefully.

"No! It won't be the same unless it's finished. You'll hear it eventually, it is your song, after all."

"You wrote it for me?" he sounded surprised.

"Well..." she blushed as she spoke. "I wanted a way to remember our time together here, and this is the only way I know how."

"You really like me that much?" Nagito looked the happiest she had seen him in a while. His smile was carefree, and his eyes sparkled like the sky on a summer night. He was beautiful.

"Yeah, I guess I do." she sighed, still smiling back at him.

"I like you too, for being willing to talk to me like this, even after knowing what a hopelessly incompetent person I am..." Before (Y/N) could speak, he continued.

"I'll be honest, I still get really nervous being around you alone like this. I've never spent time just talking to someone. It almost feels normal."

"It is normal, is it not?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, I've never had a friend before. And definitely not one like you." He was smiling but his eyes looked sad.

"I've never made a lot of friends either. I was always so tied up in making music, I never got out much. And because I was too afraid to play in front of other people, I stayed holed up in my room a lot. The instruments were my only friends."

"I guess we're both lonely people. I've always kind of sensed that about you. Maybe it's why I was so drawn to you. You're brimming with so much kindness, hope and beautiful songs, but you have nobody to share them with. I want you to share them with the world, (Y/N)! Imagine the hope you could bring to everyone."

"Well, my songs have been heard. Many of my compositions have been performed before."

"But nobody will ever play your songs like you do. They are you, (Y/N)"

She wasn't sure how to respond anymore. Instead, she stopped walking and threw her arms around him. Even though she caught him off guard, he was welcoming to the embrace. After a moment, he slowly tilted her chin up and kissed her. He was very gentle, but she could sense the longing behind his touch, as if he wanted more. She knew now was not the time for public displays, so she pulled away. They continued looking at each other, the feeling of the kiss still lingering on their lips.

"I think all the bad luck in my life so far was for this. For you. You are by far the luckiest thing to ever happen to me." Nagito sounded neither happy nor sad when he spoke. "But I'm afraid."

"Why's that?"

"Because in order for me to have good luck, someone else has to have bad luck. What if it's you?"

"What if it's not?" (Y/N) asked, not expecting an answer. She stood on her toes and placed a short kiss on his cheek before grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "C'mon, we have some exploring to do."

--

The fourth island was an amusement park, although nobody seemed very amused about it. It was just another one of the strange features of the island that didn't fit in. The park was completely empty of everyone but the remaining students. There was a roller coaster which Monokuma promised if everyone went on it, they would receive a reward. Reluctantly, they all gathered to ride it. After it was over, they were given a journal with a strange logo on it, one they had only previously seen on the door of the second island's ruins.

Monokuma handed the journal to Nagito and everyone gathered around him to read it. The first few pages explained about how a school killing game had taken place once before, at the original Hope's Peak Academy. The students trapped inside eventually escaped by proving that the Mastermind had broken the rules of their own game. Only six students survived. The next page revealed the names and photos of those students. One student stood out in particular: Byakuya Togami. He looked different than the Byakuya they knew, but there was no doubting that they were supposed to be the same person.

There were so many unanswered questions, so many things that didn't add up. Before they could continue conspiring about the new information they just received, Monokuma made another deal. He told them there were more prizes for them inside the Funhouse. Desperate for more clues, they unanimously agreed to go. Once they hopped aboard the Funhouse train, it drove them into an ominous-looking tunnel.

And then everything went black.