Grey Beach (Hajime Hinata x Fem! Reader x Nagito Komaeda)

Float

That morning, Ibuki invited me to come to the beach with her and the others. I agreed, as she extended the invitation to everyone on the island. I took refuge back in my cabin after lunch, locating the small collection of swimsuits I had accumulated in my short time on the island; the school one that Usami gave me, as well as a bikini that I had only worn to try on before. I stood with both of them in front of me, contemplating which to wear.

Suddenly, I reached for the bikini in an act of impulse. I couldn't help but worry about everyone's reactions as I put it on, but I knew the other girls would be wearing similar things. And if someone seriously decided to judge me for my taste in swimsuits, it was their problem.

I wrapped myself in a towel before stepping barefoot out of my cottage, the chirps of birds filling my eardrums as I locked my cottage door behind me. I began my short trek towards the beach, which was the same one where we first encountered monokuma. Memories of that day flooded my mind, though I merely shook them off. When I made it to the meeting spot, only Mahiru, Saionji, Sonia, Souda and Komaeda were present. Letting out a small sigh, I walked to join the unlikely amalgamation of my classmates.

"You look lovely, (y/n)-chan!" Sonia exclaimed, her aquamarine eyes shimmering. My face flushed as I gave her a nervous "thank you" in response. Suddenly, my attention was drawn to Komaeda, who was eyeing me up and down.

"The fact you were able to make it here unharmed... maybe your talent is wrong! What kinds of hope do you possess?" He began to ramble. I couldn't quite wrap my head around what he was saying, though I guess it was his roundabout way of complimenting me. I still had yet to thank him, though I was cut off the instant I opened my mouth to speak.

"Who let you free?" A disgusted voice ridiculed. I turned and saw Hinata walking towards us. He had a towel slung over his shoulder, his six-pack abs shining in the sunlight. He didn't just have a nice body- no, he had an amazing body.

However, that wasn't to say Komaeda's appearance wasn't a spectacle. He was much more thin and waifish, his ribs poking out from under his skin in a slightly concerning manner. As he was so pale, I couldn't help but fear that he might become sunburnt.

"You look nice, (y/m)-chan," Hinata acknowledged me with a smile. I thanked him with a flustered grin, him flashing an innocently sincere one in response. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Komaeda glaring at us.

One by one, Akane, Nekomaru, Tsumiki, Ibuki, Gundham, and Peko all arrived at the beach. Strangely, Fuyuhiko and Chiaki decided to sit this event out. I was excited that everyone agreed to join, holding myself back from pulling them all into the water. Once everyone was ready, we all made a break for the crystalline blue waves.

"C-c-cold!" Mikan shrieked as the air filled with laughter and screams. Though we were only up to our knees in the salt water, it was ice-cold. I let out a small giggle as Souda stuck his hand in to give Gundham a small splash.

"(Y/n)-chan, let's go deeper in!" Hinata exclaimed with a childlike demeanor. I nodded in agreement, following the brunette boy farther away from shore. We were only up to our shoulders in the water, treading to keep our heads afloat.

One by one, everyone followed us farther out, save for Mikan, Souda, Saionji, and Mahiru who all insisted they couldn't swim very well. The motley gang lounged in the sand together as the rest of us proceeded to meander even farther away.

The sun blared down on us as we all struck up conversations amongst each other. I laughed heartily as we all made small jokes.

"You guys want to have a chicken fight?" Ibuki cackled, her hairstyle still intact despite being soaking wet.

"What's that?" Asked Sonia innocently.

"It's when, like, a girl gets on a guy's shoulders, and then two pairs wrestle to see who goes under first. It's super cool!" She explained in excitement. "I wanna try it with Souda-kun, so someone must go against us."

"I'll do it," Hajime offered with a sincere grin, promptly turning to me. "You wanna be my partner, (y/n)-chan?"

"Why not?" I smiled, the boy lowering himself into the water as I put my legs on his shoulders. He suddenly eased himself to a standing position, standing across from the others in preparation for our battle.

"On your mark... get set.... go!"

Ibuki and I locked hands as we gave each other shoves, the punk girl laughing excitedly. While I was putting up a good fight, I was no match for her. With one final push, I found myself landing face-first into the water. I heard muffled laughter as I pushed myself up from the water. While I was under, I noticed a dark shape underneath. It wasn't human, either.

"We can't stay here," I yelled once I sputtered out water. Everyone looked at me with a hint of concern, and I was completely immobile. Before I could move an inch, a pair of pale arms lifted me up and moved me to the side. The dark shape swam right where I was standing before turning around completely to return to deeper water. Everyone's attention shifted back to each other as I turned to Komaeda, the one who owned the arms which saved me.

"You saved me.... thank you..." I murmured softly in disbelief. He merely waved it off.

"Your bad luck attracted a shark! I have never seen anyone's talent in action like that!" He cried. I merely groaned at the sound of his rambling again. He noticed my disdain, suddenly placing his hand on the side of my face. "As long as you're safe, (y/n)-chan. For the world to lose such talent... it would be a waste."

I felt my heart thump, this time not from the adrenaline from the shark attack. "Thank you, Komaeda."

He grinned at me, a strange and unfamiliar innocence in his expression.

"Anything for you, (y/n)-chan."