1 Chapter 1
Makoto stood there with a dreadful expression on his face.
"G-Guys...?" He called out for his friends, but they stood silent. They were close—close in their way—to defeating the mastermind who made this whole game—the mischievous girl named Enoshima Junko.
She gave his friends a choice. To remain in Hope's Peak with a guarantee of safety but instead sacrifice their friend, Makoto Naegi, or leave the school to a world full of despair. The choice was on them, and they decided to choose the first one. They sacrificed Makoto to be safe.
He closed his eyes. He knew that Junko wanted to spread despair in his heart, but regardless, he believed in his friends. "It's...I-It is alright, G-Guys...." His body was getting out of breath at the realization of his upcoming death.
His 'friends' looked at him with their eyes closed and tears falling.
"Naegichi...S-Sorry." Hagakure was the first to answer. Going on, Aoi burst into tears. "Naegi-kun... S-Sorry! I am truly sorry!" Even Byakuya, who was known for his stubbornness, lowered his head in frustration and apologized to Luckster. "I'm sorry, Makoto."
He chuckled in his head, seeing Togami lower his head—it was strange even for him. Besides, it was even stranger to laugh when your life is to end in a matter of seconds. "It's alright, guys." He said with a reassuring smile, It was filled with pain, but there was no sign of despair. It was already the second time he was betrayed by his friends, but it is alright. If the sacrifices needed to be made, then it is alright for him. "You know, I never had good friends in my life. Nor did I have any kind of people besides my family who cared about me, but regardless, I am still grateful for you all being with me in my life. I wish that none of you would ever lose hope. Do you hear me? Or else I will resurrect and nag you all about it, haha.
Yes, it was strange to laugh at these situations, but it was a way for Luckster to calm himself down. He scratched the back of his neck, now looking towards Kyoko Kirigiri. The white-haired girl closed her eyes in regret. She never voted for his execution, but this made her want to cry. It was strange.
"Makoto...I—"
"It's alright, Kyoko-san. I understand." He smiled. He softly smiled as he turned to face Junko. "Let's get over with it."
Junko's eyes widened. She wanted to see despair. She wanted to see his face squirm in despair from being betrayed by his classmates.
"This is not it!" She shouted as she grabbed Makoto by his collar. "Why the fuck have you not despaired!?!? You should be crying and cursing all of your classmates!"
Makoto looked at her with a soft look. "I know...I know I should, but...I can't possibly hate them, and... let's just end this... I am tired, Enoshima-san; if my death would make them feel safe, then I am glad to be sacrificed." His last sentence was followed by a smile.
Why Why Why Why!?!?
Why is he smiling towards her while she is the one who placed all his friends in this trial school of mutual killings? Why the fuck does this kid smile so purely with all this hope in himself? She gritted her teeth and pulled him by the collar to start his trial.
"I know what can cool off your hope... How about feeling the pain of all your classmates? Hahaha! You will pass every punishment your friends received! Hahahaha!"
His face paled, but he was ready. After all, he deserved this, he guessed. Yes, his friends killed other people, but still, he believed that there was another way out of this dire situation; he just didn't think of the possibility of saving them. Maybe this was what he deserved. He was tired. He was tired of this killing game. He was ready to face any punishment to save his friends.
The Monokuma appeared, dragging him by his collar towards his punishment.
One by one, he withstands every punishment his friends faced, starting with the ball-throwing machine and the burning by fire. The sight wasn't the best one—his whole body was bruised up with fire marks and wounds from the ball-throwing machine. It was a horrible sight to see.
His friends regretted their decision for about the 100th time—the sight was horrible by all means.
But still, he clenched to life, and he never hated them. With his body in a state of horror, he was now sitting on a chair while awaiting his last punishment. Unintentionally, he looked towards the camera and faintly smiled at it, mustering the last words he could.
"P. Please don't lose your hope...." His smile was faint, yet it was the true smile of a kindhearted person. With the last word, he collapsed, already unable to move. He used his whole strength to muster all those words.
With this, the story of a Luckster ends with the absurd finale of his life. Or maybe not?
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He faintly opened his eyes, noticing that his body didn't feel any pain—no, he didn't feel his body in the first place. It was a strange feeling. He certainly could freely move his body, but his whole senses were off. It was a strange feeling.
He was glad that the pain disappeared. It was really painful, especially when you are being burned alive.
So that is what others felt? He was sorry for them, and he wanted to at least thank them for being with him.
Gulping, he finally decided to observe the place where he was—a completely white room with a TV, a table, and several chairs around. It was a strange thing to see, considering that it was completely out of place.
"U-Umm... Hello? Anyone here??" He started to call out for someone, but no one answered. He sighed as he tried to repeat his action several other times, but to no avail. "Seems that no matter what, no one's going to answer me." He said this with his shoulders pressing downward.
"You are wrong, though."
A sudden voice made Makoto flinch as he jumped up, turning towards the source of the sound. "Wh-What???" He was dumbfounded. There was no one in the room 5 minutes ago, but now he saw a tall woman in a black suit with blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail, all while her eyes were as golden as her hair.
He didn't know who she was, but she seemed gentle and very nice. She started to approach him while he was standing, as if a small animal had started to step back. Once she caught up with him, she raised both of her hands and immediately grabbed Makoto's body and held him in a tight hug.
"There There...." She was patting his hair while his eyes were as wide as Mariana's trench. Who was she, and why was she hugging him? This type of question started to fill Makoto's head. He tried to back down from her, but it was a nice feeling.
He didn't remember when the last time he was hugged was—maybe it was before Maizono's death. He didn't know why, but he tightly held his hand, holding onto her jacket. He didn't know why, but tears started to escape from his eyes. He wanted to cry out. He was scared. He tried to hide the fact, but he still slipped. He never wanted to die, but there was no choice; he wanted to see his family and be reunited with his friends. The woman continued to pat his head. It was a pleasant feeling.
"You can tell me what's bothering you." She said it gently. He didn't know whether he should tell her or not, but something told him that this woman was on his side. "I am sad. I never wanted to die, but I was scared that my friends would die as well! I can endure pain, but I can't endure seeing my friends die again! Anything but that...I...wanna...I-" He was feeling sad for his death, but regardless, he was glad as well—glad that at least his friends were alright.
The woman was still hugging him and calmly listening to his words. It hurt her as well. Her blonde hair swaying along with the wind, she patiently waited for him to calm down.
Once he did so, she stopped. "Feeling better?" She asked kindly while he nodded, his face kind of red because of the realization that he cried in front of a stranger and a girl at that. "Y-Yes... Thank you for this. I kind of needed it." He scratched his cheek while smiling at her with a soft grin.
"If you need something like that, I will be more than glad to help you after all. I am your good fortune."
Naegi raised an eyebrow after hearing her last sentence. "My good..." He tilted his head sideways. "Fortune?"
The woman smiled again. "Yes. I am your fortune, Makoto, the fortune, luck, and good things of your life. You can call me anything you like as I am yours only." This caused Naegi to blush in crimson shades of red. "What are you talking about?"
She understood that it was futile to explain things simply, so she decided to start from scratch. "Makoto Naegi... unfortunately, you died. You died a death that should not have happened, but something went wrong. You ended up being dead instead of Enoshima Junko."
"Huh? Y-You mean Junko should have died?"
She nodded her head in confirmation. "Indeed. But as I said earlier, something went completely wrong." Naegi got confused. Th-Than, what is this place? Why am I here?"
"This place is called Hollow Space; whenever something like an error occurs, the person who was the victim of the error is transported here. I would say it was your bad luck that you ended up here."
So that was it? Did he die because of his bad luck? He knew that one day his crappy luck would jinx him, but he never expected his bad luck to be so merciless. "I think I understand now, but still, one thing is not clear." He placed his hand on his chin. "Why did you call yourself my good fortune?"
She smiled upon hearing his words. Placing her hand on her chest, which was bigger than Makoto's head, she bowed down like a butler, giving courtesy to their master: "I am your good fortune. I am your luck. I took a life form to meet you."
"H-Huh? My luck... Huh!? Do you mean that you are my luck? How is that possible?" He was confused. How was it possible? Can luck take on a life form? It was wild. "No matter what you say, it won't change the fact that I am your luck, Makoto Naegi, and I am here to serve you."
Naegi's head required an explanation. His supposed 'luck' was confusing him with every word she said.
She understood him and decided to explain, "Well, your whole life, you were surrounded by nothing but bad luck. Even when you entered Hope's Peak, it was still more bad luck than good luck. Your life was filled with so much bad luck that even I, your good luck, was barely keeping you alive this time." It took some time, but in the end, Makoto understood her.
He was so unlucky that his life was always in danger, and his fortune barely managed to keep him alive. But when the trial about his punishment was played, bad luck took over, and here is the result: In the end, he was dead.
"So...I died because I am unlucky. Haha...well that's..."
"I know it's hard to proceed, but it's still true... I am sorry. If I were a bit stronger, I would ha—"
"No. It isn't your fault. You were keeping me safe all this time and defending against my bad luck. If all I am just grateful that I happened to have you around!" He grabbed her hands, looking at her eyes with a look of softness and thankfulness. "I think you are the best luck I could have asked for!"
She was silent. She was silent and shocked. He knew him all his life but was still surprised. "You are kind." She said it with a smile.
They spent the remaining time speaking to each other. Naegi started to understand her better with each minute of their talk.
"I understand the error and my bad luck, but now...what is going to be next?"
She smiled again. "Isn't it obvious? When a person dies due to an error of some other world being, isn't it obvious for the person to Isekai?"
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"What?"
"Isekai."
"Come again?"
"I am saying...you will be isekaid... transported into another world, whatever you call it."
Makoto frowned in surprise and confusion. "What do you mean by Isekai?? Isn't it a thing that happens in fantasy manga?"
"You know, the fact that you died and you are here talking to a living 'luck' makes you doubt my words?"
Makoto raised his finger to argue, but he slowly placed it down. "Ugh...why though?"
"I think that you deserve a second chance. A chance to change your life and find new friends."
Makoto actually wasn't against it, but he felt pity for his friends that were in his world. While he enjoys his life, they are probably suffering, which is why... "I don't think I deserve this. I mean, people are suffering while I am."
"You are too kind for your own good." She moved toward him and placed her hand on his face. "The time flows differently in the world I am about to send you. In 100 years, there is probably one second in your real world."
"What!?"
"Yup. And besides, what if you can find a way to go back to your original world? The world where you are going to have magic in it—what if you can become strong in there and go back and save everyone? Isn't it better?"
Makoto thought about it. From her speech, it became clear that the world where he is about to go has magic, and considering all the novels and mangas he has read, it is probably possible to go back to his original world, stronger, stronger, stronger enough to save everyone, stronger enough to prevent despair and spread hope.
He raised his head now, full of hope. "You are right. I am foolish to not accept this kind of opportunity."
She smiled. "Then you are ready?"
"Yes...umm... actually no."
"Hm?"
He scratched his cheek. "I don't know your name yet."
"You were worried about this? Ahahaha!" She started to laugh while Makoto blushed in embarrassment. "It's really cute of you, Makoto, but since you are curious..." She leaned towards his ear and softly whispered, "I am the goddess of luck, your lucky charm, and your most loyal friend. I am your luck, and my name is Fortuna."
This was the beginning. Beginning of an adventure for innocent Makoto Naegi in his pursuit of finding a way to save his friends and gaining new friends.
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Yo! Jumbo is here. I thought it would be interesting to see Makoto Naegi in the fairy tale world. I saw some fanfiction about it, and, well, I didn't get the result I wanted. All those fics were excellent, but I wanted something else. Many fics made Makoto either a dragon slayer or gave him some kind of cheating ability, while I also gave him cheating luck because I think it is the most insane ability a person can ask for. You never can predict it, yet it's powerful enough to make anyone who is against you shit their pants.
And also, yes, it is a harem because, well, I love harem stories.
