So, I started to write this out probably two years ago? I honestly don't remember, and I just never got around to finishing it. It took me forever, but it's finally completed. This is set in Island Mode, just with the exception of the trip tickets. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Date Published: 4/30/17
Word Count: 6,722
Page Count: 11

Your Own Smiles

Being stuck on an island with all sorts of places to travel to wasn't as bad as Hinata expected it to be. When he first awoke on Jabberwock Island, he was hesitant to display any joy or interest like his fellow students. He was suspicious of them, for he believed that something horrible was going to take place. He couldn't explain why, but couldn't shake the feeling that someone wanted nothing more than to see them all suffer. At that point in time, the only person he believed he could put his faith into was himself and possibly Komaeda.

After some time those thoughts transformed, much like the various little virtual pets in his E-handbook. From eating meals together to hanging out with his fellow students, he changed his perception of their whole entire ordeal. He had nothing to worry about because all of those people were good deep down. Sure, some of them were rather out there in terms of their behavior but it didn't mean they would go around killing someone. It could have been a lot worse for them after all. They could be stuck on an island where one by one they died off by each other's hands or tormented by some mysterious fog monster.

Who should I talk with today? he thought to himself simply as he walked out of the restaurant and down the stairs on the side of the building. The sun was shining brightly like any other day, and the temperature was the same. It felt as though the weather never changed on the island, but he wasn't complaining.

As usual, he ended up being one of the last people to arrive, and one of last to leave. The only people left after him were typically the ones who loved to eat and those who took their time. It wasn't a huge problem of course. If he wanted to talk to someone, he just needed to open up the map in his handbook and track them down. Granted, it did make him feel like a creeper knowing where everyone was at all times. It was like the map was his own personal stalker app.

While unsure of who he should speak with, he just wandered around for a bit. The morning was rather odd, considering the girls all left earlier than usual for something or other. He walked around the first island for around a half-an-hour before heading to the central island. When he came upon the entrance of Jabberwock Park, he heard voices chattering away, and out of general curiosity and boredom, he walked into the park.

Standing around the grand statue in the middle were the girls of the class doing whatever girls did. From what he heard, they seemed to be discussing something and they seemed rather jovial about it. He smiled to himself and as he approached them he thought, It's nice to see everyone getting along so well.

When they first arrived, some of the students weren't exactly interested in being friendly. They were like him in a way, though he doubted they suspected someone wanted to kill them. Thankfully, most of the student's relationships had improved since they began to learn about each other. He couldn't see any of them breaking their bonds after spending so much time together and hurting each other.

"Who cares what you think, you ugly piece of trash!" yelled the smallest of the bunch, whose personality didn't match her innocent appearance at all.

"Why only me?!" responded the victim of Saionji's vocal attack, the easily spooked and timid Tsumiki. As usual, she was being berated and looked like she was going to start crying.

Scratch that, everyone else is getting along except those two. Poor Tsumiki, she hasn't done anything wrong yet Saionji continues to harass her, he thought while observing their actions. Some people were doomed to never get along no matter how long they had to live with each other.

"How many times have I told you to be kinder to Tsumiki? She didn't do anything to you!" scolded her older sister like figure Koizumi with an annoyed sigh. Beforehand she was busy taking pictures of her friends, but stopped the second the little dancer started to mouth off.

"W-why are you yelling at me? She's the one who shouldn't be saying anything 'cause of how ugly she is!" declared the small girl as her face twisted into annoyance.

"I-I'm so sorry!" squealed out Tsumiki as she clutched her hands together to her chest. Both her eyes and body were quivering like a small rabbit. At any moment, he could see her bolting away to escape Saionji's wrath.

The conversation continued as such, Koizumi trying to teach Saionji to behave and Tsumiki taking one insult bullet after another. On the sidelines, Nanami looked like she was asleep, Pekoyama didn't seem to care, and Owari was looking intently at the sky. Sonia, on the other hand paid, close attention and Mioda seemed to be enjoying the argument that was going nowhere.

It was as if Hinata was completely invisible to them. It seemed all of the girls were caught up in the spat or in their own little world. Well, until Mioda caught the boy standing there and declared in her usual energetic voice, "Hey, Hajime-chan! It's nice to see you! Did you come to watch the bicker batter? Are you going to place bets on you you'll think will win?" With that, she trotted over to him with a beaming smile.

"Hi Mioda, and no I'm not here to bet on anyone," he stated, "I heard you all from the entrance and I was wondering what you all are up too."

"We were originally going to have a girl's day out," began Pekoyama while pulling on her sword bag, "Yet, as you can see, it got derailed due to Saionji's childish behavior towards Tsumiki."

"Hey, it's not childish! I'm just telling the ugly pig barf the truth about her appearance!" responded Saionji as she continued her assault.

"P-pig barf?!" responded Tsumiki as her face fell yet again, "I-I'm so sorry!" she yelled as she shot her head to the ground as if she was begging her for forgiveness.

"Tsumiki, don't listen to her," responded Koizumi quickly before turning her glare down to the traditional dancer, "I told you to stop that. If you don't learn how to behave properly, I'm not going to help you tie your obi anymore!"

With that declaration, the small girl went from jovial to frantic. Hinata's mind quickly jumped to how helpless she was despite how sharp her tongue was. Hopefully, that threat would put her in her place.

"Huh? Are you going to abandon me? Th-that would be really mean you know!" she declared while already looking like she about to cry.

"That's what happens when you're mean to other people! Karma always comes back to bite you. Now then, are you going to leave her alone or what?" Koizumi's voice was serious and had an intent gleam in her eyes. She wasn't good at taking care of people for nothing after all, even if she could come off as overbearing.

With her head lowered Saionji mumbled her defeat, "Alright," and she didn't make any eye contact. Now that was one way to deal with the girl. Threaten her and until she backs down. Granted, that'll only work of your Koizumi.

"Th-thank you Koizumi," mumbled Tsumiki as she raised her head slightly while giving the red-head a small smile of gratitude.

"Hahahaha, no problem," she responded with a smile.

Hinata himself couldn't help but smile as well. It was nice to see someone put Saionji in her place after all the torment she inflicted on the nurse. Knowing the small girl though, she'd be back to her usual insults sooner rather than later.

"Any who, you all are going to just hang out today, right?" he asked.

"Yup, that sums up our actions. After a long day of walking around and talking, it'll make dinner taste even better!" declared Owari, her mind jumping straight to food as usual.

"Do you want to join us Hinata? I don't think anyone will care if you tag along since you're already here," asked in Sonia.

"Sure, if you all don't mind. I didn't have anything planned anyway," he explained while watching the girls. If he didn't stumble upon them, he was probably just going to head over to the library and read some books.

"Hinata? When did you get here?" asked the voice belonging to Nanami. She seemed to have just woken up from her standing nap and was wiping the sleepiness from her eyes. A streak of drool was also descending down her jaw.

"A while ago, and you have some drool on your face," he stated simply while pointing to his own mouth. Without a sign of embarrassment, Nanami wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her coat. At times, Hinata couldn't comprehend how she managed to sleep standing upwards. It seemed like she could sleep anywhere, like a robot that had just gone into sleep mode.

With a turn of his head, he looked over to Koizumi and asked, "Hey, would you mind if I borrowed your camera for a bit?"

Koizumi gave him a quizzical look, "Why do you want to use my camera? Do you even know how to use it?" she asked in a bit of a harsh tone.

Before Hinata had the chance to respond to her inquiry, Sonia blurted out, "Oh, so that's why you've been reading through those photography books as of late! Hinata, I didn't take you as the camera type of person."

"Huh? Hajime-chan, are you trying to impress her?" asked Mioda in a playful tone. She basically gave him a look that a mother would give her son when she became suspicious if there was someone he was interested in.

"Hmm, he might be trying to trigger all of her flags for a specific cutscene or ending," added in Nanami using her gaming terms.

With all of those accusations, and what he thought was a death glare from Saionji, he turned his slightly flushed face and responded, "Is it a problem it interests me? I-I mean, a guy can enjoy the same hobbies as a girl," with that his eyes shifted over to Koizumi who to his surprise, seemed a bit embarrassed.

"If I remember correctly, you asked me to keep quiet about you reading those books. I take that as you didn't wish for anyone else to know about it, no? The only reason I can think of for your actions is because you were embarrassed about anyone knowing about it. That means you were thinking you could impress her with your new-found knowledge," explained Sonia in a manner only she could use. He also noted to himself to never tell Sonia anything that he wanted to keep a secret.

Due to that long comment, Hinata's face brightened up immensely as his hair spiked up more than normal, "It isn't like that! I just didn't want anyone to find out because I thought you all would jump to this very conclusion!"

"Hinata," began Pekoyama seriously, "It would be best to speak the truth when one has been caught. Seeing the way you are acting, it seems like Sonia's deductions are correct."

His head dropped, it seemed like none of the girls were going to listen to him, "Trying to understand what someone likes and learning about it just to impress them are two different things entirely," was what he mumbled. He knew though that none of them would listen to his words.

"Hmm, Ibuki thinks they sound the same," she explained as she placed her fingers under her chin, "Hajime-chan should be allowed to mess around with the camera! He must have studied hard to figure out how that do-dad works, so you should let him try it out Mahiru-chan!"

The photographer raised her right hand to her head and sighed. Some annoyance was detectable while her eyes scanned over her classmates. After a few seconds of looking over all of their expressions, and then finally landing on Hinata. She had a long-standing belief that boys were generally stupid, clumsy, perverted, and unreliable. Yet, when her eyes lingered on him, it seemed as though the annoyance began to fade away.

"Alright, I'll let you use it Hinata. If you break it, you better find some way to fix it or you'll be indebted to me until it's replaced," she explained while holding the camera in one hand while pulling the strap away from around her head with the other.

"I won't break it Koizumi. Can't you trust me a bit more?" he asked in a kind voice. He would have liked it if she could be kinder to him. He understood that she has had bad experiences with men, but it would be nice if she trusted him more. Lumping them all into the same category wasn't fair in the slightest.

She handed the camera over while stating, "It's not that I don't trust you, I'm just being cautious since I don't think I would be able to get it repaired while we're stuck here."

Hinata was a bit surprised but pleased nonetheless. It made sense one would worry over their belongings without any replacements around, "I see. Well, thanks for trusting me Koizumi, I appreciate it," and with that, he gave her one of his goofy grins.

"I-it's no big deal, really," she responded as her face tinted a light pink as she pulled her eyes away from him.

"Nee-chan, it actually is a big deal! You don't like guys 'cause you find them yucky. If you trust Hinata, it means you don't find him to be trash like that thing," with that she pointed to Tsumiki, "And that means you like him!" Saionji was obviously not pleased with what she saw. She was rather clingy to the photographer, and Hinata figured she wouldn't want her sister figure getting too friendly with a boy. Especially considering how Koizumi was usually cold to guys.

"Aww, Hiyoko-chan is jealous! Isn't that cute, she doesn't want her nee-chan to be taken away by Hajime-chan!" squealed Ibuki.

"Oh, for the love of," sighed Koizumi as she realigned her sight with the petite girl, "Listen Saionji, just because I'm friends with him doesn't mean I'm going ignore you nor does it mean that I like him what so ever. He is just a friend who happens to be male, that's it," she huffed out, her face painted in a pink hue.

"Are you sure Nee-chan, huh? You could just be a tsundere! They are known for denying their feelings!" declared the jealous pigtailed girl. She was codependent on the red-head, so he guessed she didn't want Koizumi to forget about her or something silly like that.

"What?!" screeched Koizumi whose face notably got redder. Hinata couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or anger, "I am not a tsundere! I don't care about him at all! He could go and die for all I care!" Once she spoke those words, her face shot over to him. The sharpness of her eyes had vanished, replaced with bewilderment.

"Huh?" was all he said. She just seriously told him to die, someone she had spent a lot of time with basically since they had arrived on the island. He just stood there as his mind came to comprehend what she had said. He figured she said it on the spur of the moment, but it hurt.

"Isn't that a little excessive?" he asked as the sadness swept over his body. That wasn't called for, but he wasn't going to make a scene over it. He felt his previous smile turn into a frown as his face reflected his dejected feelings.

Saionji though seemed rather thrilled to hear that and jumped up with joy while squealing, "Hahahaha, now that's my Mahiru-nee! Hating all guys and telling them to die!"

"Isn't that a little too mean? You shouldn't say things like that," spoke Tsumiki in a barely audible voice. Her hands were hovering around her chest as if she was trying to summon the courage to defend him.

"No one cares what you have to say!" yelled out the small girl viciously.

"Gah, how many times do I need to tell you? Stop being a jerk to her," spoke the photographer as she turned her sullen gaze to the dancer. Her tone was lighter than before, lacking the usual firm seriousness to it.

"I know…but it's so hard not to say mean things to her!" giggled Saionji.

"That's enough, all of you," spoke Pekoyama suddenly with her arms crossed over her chest, "All of this arguing is getting us nowhere. As such, decide if we are going to do anything or just stand around and insult each other all day." Her eyes held a menacing glare, and it looked like she would grab her shinai and smack someone on the head if the bickering kept up.

"Alright then," began Nanami who didn't look asleep for once, "Saionji stop causing problems. Insulting Tsumiki is rude, and so it thinking that Koizumi should hate Hinata and want him to die. So, you should calm down and keep your comments in your head. If you don't," she paused for a moment to look at Pekoyama, "She might hit you on the head."

Saionji looked frightened, yet the threat seemed to work. She looked like she was going to go and hide in a hole out of dread. Her face scrunched up and looked away, "F-fine then. I was getting bored with this anyway. Let's go already."

"Woohoo! I was starting to get super bored," added in Owari, "It felt like I was just kinda here to fill in space or a quota or something."

With that, the group agreed to go and walk around the various islands while pushing out what had just transpired. At first, the dejected feelings continued to circulate throughout Hinata's body as he continued to replay the photographer's words in his head. She had kept her distance from him, and whenever he turned his head in her direction, she would look away from him.

Despite the sadness, he decided he would just soldier through it and take pictures. It was what he wanted to do, and feeling sad wouldn't stop him. So, he decided to just to push away them away and focus on what was before him. As the girls had their fun, Hinata paid close attention to their faces, positions, the lighting, exposure, shutter speed, and everything else he read about while using a DSLR camera. He also did his best to follow the rule of thirds when he wasn't taking a close up or an extreme close up shot. He would also try to adjust the lightening in the settings, or mess with the white balance and the focus to make the pictures come out as best as possible.

During the outing, some of the girls commented on how surprised they were by his actions. Saionji specifically declared she was utterly surprised that someone like him would be able to use a camera. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for her to insult people, but he'd be lying if he wasn't offended by her words. It wasn't like he was some buffoon that couldn't learn how to use an electronic device.

He continued to hear comments like that for the rest of their outing. It was like the girls were just making small jabs at him. Perhaps it was because he couldn't remember his own title, or they were just messing with him. It was alright though, he was having fun with them and it made him feel better.

Before Hinata knew it, the sun started to set and the group started to make their way back to the hotel. Hinata had stayed towards the back to look through the photos he took on the screen. He had to say, he did pretty well for a newbie. As far as he knew, that was the first time he ever used a professional camera. All of the books did a good job on teaching him how to use the device properly. While he probably would have been able to figure it out by messing with it, he was still glad he read up on it. Though there were a good bit of pictures he needed to delete from when he was messing with the settings.

In front of him, he could hear Owari going on about what type of food she would be able to eat with much enthusiasm. He then heard something about what type of games should be played. Obviously, Nanami was more interested in her games than whatever would be for dinner. Saionji was back to insulting poor Tsumiki for no apparent reason. Mioda was rambling on about something gleefully, and Sonia was going along with it. Pekoyama was rather quiet but would make a few comments here and there. The only person he hadn't heard in some time was Koizumi. That didn't surprise him since she seemed kinda withdrawn from the rest of the group the whole time. Saionji did drag her along, but she didn't look particularly enthusiastic.

"Umm…hey," spoke a voice directed at him. He recognized it as the voice of the very person he just thought was being awfully quiet. How ironic.

He looked up from the device before him and responded with a simple, "Yeah?"

Koizumi, who was standing just a few inches in front of him began to fidget a bit, "Sorry about what I said before. I didn't really mean it. It just kind of…came out, you know? I'm usually mean to boys, so it was just a reflex."

"That's alright," began Hinata, "I figured you didn't mean it." It wasn't like he wasn't used to her saying stuff like that. It annoyed him, but considering how she had to take care of her father, for the most part, he couldn't fully blame her. She had a bad experience, and she just needed to learn it wasn't right to label all guys as being the same. Granted, it was obvious she still loved her father. Despite him being unreliable to whatever extent, she didn't like the idea of leaving him on his own for too long. So it only made sense that at times he had to take what she said with a grain of salt.

"Okay but," she exclaimed as she started to fidget again, "You looked kind of sad before." Her eyes were downcast and lacked the usual determination, and her voice had a hint of guilt seeping through.

"Well yeah, hearing you say that did hurt," he began with a slight frown, "Hearing that from a friend was a little much." Really though, the main reason was that he, despite his earlier protests, had a bit of a thing for her. So, hearing the person he liked insult him wasn't exactly kind to his heart. Out of all the people on the island, he had to end up liking, the one that seemed to complain about anything males did. Ahh, the irony in it all.

"Yeah, sorry about all of that. I sometimes end up saying things I really don't mean. Anyway," she turned her head to see the rest of the group walking off on the main path in the direction of the hotel. It seemed that they didn't even notice they were missing two people, "Would you mind if we talked for a bit?"

"Huh?" he replied, surprised by the statement, "Sure, I don't mind. Where do you want to go? The beach maybe?" She did like going there, something about the serene atmosphere and how that every photo wasn't the same since the ocean was always moving and what not. Plus, they weren't that far away.

"That's alright with me," and with that, they walked in silence for a while until they reached their destination. The setting sun was shimmering over the ocean that was gently creating small waves while a cool breeze drifted by. The palm trees and the dangling security camera lightly danced whenever the wind blew, and the only sounds that could be heard were that of the water. The world around them was bathed in a soothing orange glow.

"So, what did you need?" asked Hinata while taking a seat on the soft sand. The camera strap was still wrapped around his neck as he held it in his hands. He looked up at the photographer, watching her movements.

"What they said before," she began while sitting down next to him, "Is it true? I mean, you learning how photography works to…impress me?" Her voice was hesitant, even a little weak which was much different from one that he was used to. It seemed as if she wasn't sure how to respond to the situation.

"Hahahaha, I'm not going to live that down huh?" he spoke while his face flushed, "Okay, yeah. I wanted to know more about your skill. You put your heart into your photos, and you always want to see people happy. I admire that, your desire to have photos reflecting people's happiness. So I wanted to try it out too, to see what it was like to see everyone smiling." To be able to see the girls happy, it made him happy. It was nice to see, even though they were stuck on the island, they could be happy. That at one time they were complete strangers, but they all grew together and became friends for the most part.

"Anyway, I wanted to try it out for myself. I didn't want to sound stupid and ask you if I could borrow your camera without having any idea of what I was doing. So I decided to read up on it at the library. So, now I have the basic understanding of how it works and what not," he explained simply.

"Not only that but I…" he began before looking downwards a bit. He did have another reason for the actions he took, but it would be embarrassing to say such a thing. Even so, it was the truth no matter what way he looked at it. He admired her being able to take pictures that reflected people's happiness. There were so many photographers in the world that took pictures of the devastation and despair that covered the world. They always focused on issues in hopes of bringing light to the problems. They would look at the anguish and document it so others could take action. It couldn't be easy, taking pictures instead of taking action for the sake of keeping integrity.

Yet what she did was completely different. She didn't want to focus on the suffering in the world like her mother. She wanted to show the kindness in the world rather than focusing on the depressing things. People have witnessed the dark side of humanity all of the time on the news and online, but rarely was there a story focusing on people's happiness. That was something he wanted to see more. He wished he could see less hard news and more feel-good feature stories. He wanted to see hope instead of despair because he wouldn't have to think about how cruel people could be. And most of all, he wanted to show her the very same thing she had shown to him and all of the other students.

"What is it?" she responded as curiosity reflected in her eyes, "It shouldn't be too hard to spit out, right?" That blunt response was more like the Koizumi he knew.

"Alright," he said while taking in a deep breath as he redirected his head so he could look her in the face, "I wanted to be able to show you the same type of happiness you show me all of the time."

"Huh?" was all she was able to mumble out before he went back to speaking.

"You are always showing me pictures of all of us being happy. I get to live in that moment while you're watching us like a hawk, waiting for the best instant to take a picture. You are always seeing our happiness, but you are really never able to participate in it like the rest of us. You always have to keep your eye out for the right opportunity, so it seems like you keep your distance and stick to the sidelines. So, I wanted to be able to switch places with you so you could be able to have fun without having to be on guard with your camera in your hands. I know you love taking pictures, but I want to show you the other side of it too."

As the words flew out of his mouth, a sense of relief started to seep into his stomach. He was able to say what he had always wanted to say but was too embarrassed to do so. In a way, Sonia helped him out. By opening her mouth, he was forced into saying what he was thinking. Maybe he should thank her later.

The redhead just stared at him, and for a change, seemed to be at a loss for words. It wasn't a common occurrence, but he started to notice that she got like that around him at times. It was as if her sense of pride of being able to rely only on herself was clashing with what she was actually feeling. It was as if she wanted to tell him what she was felt, but was too stubborn to just admit it to herself and say it out loud. As Saionji pointed out, it was rather tsundere of her.

"So you learned about photography," she said when the words were finally allowed to leave her throat, "Because you wanted to make me happy? As in, the same way I do for you when I let you look at my photos?" Her eyes were filled with uncertainty, but the way she spoke those words told him she was secretly hoping for them to be true.

"Yeah, exactly," he said while giving her one of his usual goofy grins. He could feel his face heat up, but that was fine. He just told the truth and what not, and the embarrassment would just fade away into oblivion eventually.

She didn't say anything as if she was at a loss for words. She would look at him, look away at the ocean or the sky, and then would look back at him. Eventually, she was able to combine the words floating around her head into a proper sentence, "That was really nice of you to do. No one has ever done something like that for me before. Outside of my mother, no one has ever wanted to take pictures with me in them."

"Well, you're welcome. While nothing I took will match up to yours since I'm terrible with adjusting the exposure and shutter speed, but I feel satisfied with what I took," he explained with a slight chuckle. As the sun started to set, he was continuously messing with the exposure so the pictures didn't come out too dark. It wasn't what he would call fun because he had passed through many pictures where he was trying to find the best balance.

"You'll just have to practice it then," she replied lightly, "After doing it enough, you'll get the hang of it. It isn't too hard and it doesn't drive you mad like a time lapse would."

He turned his head in confusion at her before asking, "Does that mean you're going to let me use it again?" While his intention was to use the device, he didn't expect to get very far into his plan.

"Well, you did go out of your way to learn about it," she began before he noticed a slight blush cross over her face, "So why shouldn't I let you? You did it for…me after all…so I don't really have a problem with letting you use it." By the time she finished her sentence, she was doing her very best to look intently at the sand beneath her feet while trying to hide her expression.

"Thanks for putting your trust in me Koizumi," he replied with a soft smile, "I really appreciate it."

"What are you talking about Hinata?" she responded while only slightly glancing at him.

"You said you don't trust us guys because you think we're a bunch of useless, perverted idiots. Yet here you are, trusting me enough to use your expensive camera. It means you have enough trust in me to use something that's important to you. So that's why I'm thanking you."

When they had met, she left an unfavorable first impression with the whole I hate guy's thing. Despite that, he decided to try to befriend her and to his surprise, she wasn't that rude to him. Sure, she did scold him about his clothes needing washed more and that he needed to make sure that he didn't get any holes in them. She seemed more like an overly concerned and vocal mother than someone that despised all males in the universe. She, of course, did go overboard at times with her remarks, but they didn't seem too malicious to him. Perhaps he was getting used to her behavior and didn't see them as insults, but rather remarks that didn't hold too much water. Even so, he was glad that she could trust him. It showed that if she really hated guys, she wouldn't dare let him near her belongings.
"You're just an exception," she mumbled while turning her head away from him, "I trust you because you haven't done anything too stupid. You're not like the other boys here."

"Is that so?" he responded before deciding to probe her, "What makes me different from them?" He would like it if she didn't automatically label all guys as pervs or morons, but that would take some more time. People could change, but it wouldn't happen overnight.

"That's an easy question," she said as she returned her gaze to him, "You usually don't get yourself involved in anything stupid, you don't act like a pervert at all hours of the day, and you aren't rude, loud, or obnoxious. You're a nice, normal guy who takes a general interest in people for who they are rather than what they do. You don't seem to care about what our skills define us as, but who we really are."

Before he responded to her, his expression softened into a smile. He just expected a simple you aren't a pervert, idiot, or a jerk like the others. It really did prove she did trust him and appreciated him as a friend, "Thanks for that."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"I'm thanking you because it's a nice thing to hear especially compared to what you said to me earlier. Plus, I'm glad you do the same for me since I don't know what my skill is." It had bothered him from the very start for not knowing what his title was, but she hadn't held it against him much like some of his other classmates. The only one that seemed to care was Komaeda for whatever reason.

"I see," she mumbled softly, "You're welcome then Hinata. You didn't judge me because I just take pictures and I didn't judge you over not knowing what your skill is. I guess we're even."

"You did judge me because I'm male though," he responded in a slightly playful tone.

"Gah, shut up," she said in a slightly annoyed voice while lightly smacking his arm, "It's just how I am, and you know that."

"Yeah yeah, I know," he responded before standing upwards from the soft sand, "I think we should get going. The others are going to wonder where we disappeared to."

"You have a point," she replied before standing up herself, "I don't need to be probed by Saionji for being late."

"Sometimes I feel like you really have your hands full dealing with her," he laughed lightly as he started to walk towards the main path.

"Yeah…," she replied. Such a light reply caused him to turn to look at her, and he saw her looking out to the ocean.

He made his way back over to her and asked in a worried tone, "Koizumi? Are you okay?"

She didn't turn to face him, but managed to say, "Thanks again for everything…Hajime. What you said, it made me feel really happy. No one has ever wanted to do something like that for me. I know at times I can be coarse with you, but I really do appreciate what you do and the time we spend together."

"H-huh?" he spoke, taken back by the use of his first name momentarily before regaining his composure, "I'm glad I could make you happy. You do so much for us to see our happiness, that I wanted to do that for you too. Though, you didn't seem like yourself earlier."

"Yeah, I just kept thinking of how rude what I said to you was that I couldn't really focus on playing around with the other girls," she explained while slightly turning her gaze to him.

"Well, then how about the next time we hold an event, I take the pictures for you? So that way, it'll make up for today. You'll be able to have fun and play with the others in a way you couldn't do today," he explained happily. If he could repay her for all the times she had shared the happiness the group had come to love, he would be able to fulfill his wish.

"After all, I want to show you your own smiles instead of you just showing me mine," he spoke, from the very bottom of his heart. No matter how brash and mean she could be, it wouldn't stop him from wanting to share the happiness of pictures with her.

She stood in silence before she turned to face him. As the wind started to pick up and the sun continued to set over the ocean, she gave him the most radiant smile he had ever seen, "Thank you for everything Hajime. I'm glad we both want to share the smiles of people. I've always been told that was an odd way to handle my pictures. That pictures of smiles don't captivate people like those of people suffering or of beautiful and mystical landscapes. So, I'm really glad I can share this love of smiling photography with you since you understand why I do it."

"Well, I'm glad that you let me share this with you," he responded with a goofy smile. Her words made his heart flutter and he could feel his face redden. The Koizumi before him was the same girl he had spoken with before, yet this one seemed more open with what she felt. She had thrown away her stubbornness and embraced what she felt.

"And well, would you like to work on a photo project with me sometime?" she asked, "It's a bit of a pain to do by myself so I figured it would be fun to do it with you. Plus, I could show you something new while we do it."

"Sure," he said before a smirk crossed his face and he became a bit cocky, "It's a date then."

"H-hey!" she yelled as she stepped back a bit. Ah, there was the Koizumi he was familiar with, "It's just an activity to do together! Something fun to do while I also show you something new! It's just a plan, not a date!"

He couldn't help but chuckle. Her face was its normal hue earlier, yet the simple word 'date' got her riled up. It was cute. He felt the urge to ruffle her hair, but he held back.

"Okay okay, it's not a date," he replied with a happy little smirk on his face, "It's just a plan old outing between friends to do something fun, right Mahiru?"

I have no clue what to think of this. I am happy for it to finally be completed. Thank you for reading and please leave a review so I know what you thought!