Unnoticed Preference
Saihara gathered his breath. He asked Akamatsu to meet him in the vast open courtyard of the Gifted Inmates Academy. He picked his cuticles, pushing back the skin and biting his lower lip. The gentle breeze brushed through his bangs, and he set his hat onto his tense lap. Saihara glanced around, watching Iruma harass Kiibo, dragging him off to what he assumed would be her lab for updates and maintenance. Saihara sighed, listening to their inane bantering fade off as they entered the Academy.
He faintly grinned. Imagining her smiling face always brought joy to his heart. Her honeyed grin stretching into her dimpled cheeks and the illuminating soft violet eyes surveying her surroundings captivated him. Her courageous poise and leadership unified everyone. Not even Monokuma and his malicious children could argue with her, feeling as if they had been gunned down by her assertions. Her sincerity, kindness, and bravery absolutely stole his heart.
Today, Shuichi Saihara was going to confess to Kaede Akamatsu. He practiced his lines with Momota as they trained at night with Harukawa. As Momota encouraged him, Harukawa chided him, remarking that Akamatsu was not the type of person for spontaneity. Momota rebuffed her, proclaiming Saihara would absolutely win over Akamatsu with his charm and earnesty, leaving Harukawa silent. Saihara noticed her discomfort, but he focused on his training with Momota.
Saihara believed he had practiced his part enough. His words were memorized, and he no longer needed his notecards. Gripping his knees, Saihara whispered his confession under his breath. A few mental edits were made, correcting monosyllabic words with more profound phrases. Satisfied, Saihara clenched his fist, fueled by Momota's late-night fortification and his adoration for Akamatsu.
"Saihara-kun!"
He lifted his head, matching the grin Akamatsu wore. Akamatsu hurried outside, gripping her pristine backpack straps. She heaved out a tired breath, plopping down next to him. She smoothed her skirt and apologized for her lateness.
"I ran into Iruma-san and Kiibo-kun on my way over here. They noticed I was in a hurry, so Iruma-san started harassing me about, well, lewd things," Akamatsu said, lightly fanning herself with her slender fingers. She chuckled, recalling Iruma's flustered face. "Though, I did point out that she's more top heavy than I am, so she should get more winded than me."
Saihara sighed, nodding. "Oh, Iruma-san really is a piece of work."
"She's unique, though. She has a personality like no one else, and I gotta admit she has a great figure," Akamatsu said, lowering her hand to her chest.
"Oh, yes, I-"
"Oh! By the way, I saw Chabashira-san teaching Neo-Aikido to the other girls. She's got such a great form! She's cute, and she has nice muscles, and everyone else looks so great in her gi. They're all color-coordinated to their preferred colors like Toujou-san has a black gi, and Yumeno-san has a scarlet gi," Akamatsu said, pinkness touching her fair cheeks.
Saihara glanced around, a bit flustered by their sudden conversation about the other girls. "Y-yeah. I guess the offer doesn't extend to guys, right? I mean, I'm fine with Momota-kun's training."
"Yeah, sorry, Saihara-kun." Akamatsu closed her eyes, tapping her chin. "Somehow, Chabashira-san persuaded Harukawa-san to practice with everyone. I'm sure Harukawa-san protested for just a bit before giving in. I'm sure she even combed through her hair like she always does."
Akamatsu mimed Harukawa. She gently stroked through her long blonde trestles. Puffing out one cheek, she pouted, sharing a snicker with Saihara. He did not notice her budding blush spread across her cheeks, too infatuated with her moue. Saihara inched closer to her, and Akamatsu politely leaned back into her seat, tilting her head away.
"So, I wanted to talk to you about something, Akamatsu-san," Saihara said, remembering Momota's advice. He touched her thigh only for Akamatsu to instinctively slap his hand away without glancing at the offending gesture.
A brief silence ensued, and Saihara yelped, pressing his palm to his stomach. He immediately apologized, and Akamatsu nodded, politely grinning, offering her own apology for swatting his hand. Saihara's mind fogged, and he fumbled for his words. He blanked, glancing around as Akamatsu's stare seemed to bore down onto him. The air between them heated up, fueled with Saihara's embarrassment and Akamatsu's silence.
"Saihara-kun, is something wrong?" Akamatsu asked, pleating her ruffled skirt.
He swallowed, deciding his calculated efforts were foolish. Attempting to follow a strict plan never seemed to work out for anyone in the Academy. Saihara gnawed the inside of his cheek. He briefly mulled over his words only to quickly shake his head.
Slapping his hand over his heart, Saihara blurted, "Akamatsu-san, I really like you-"
"I know!" Akamatsu cheerfully interjected, beaming. "You're my best friend here, Saihara-kun. I'm glad you're always there for me."
A knife gouged through his heart. Saihara froze, mouth open in a wide, silent scream. Saihara trembled, feeling as if his entire body became marble and shattered. Faint and garbled noises emerged from the back of his clogged throat.
Akamatsu inspected her best friend. Confusion briefly washed over her, and while her attention could wander, she could not understand why Saihara froze. She thought they were best friends throughout all of the despair Monokuma could thrust at them. She lightly poked his shoulder, inquiring to know if she had perturbed him. Saihara's continued stammering alluded to his wariness, and Akamatsu gripped his shoulder, squeezing it firmly.
"You can tell me anything, Saihara-kun," Akamatsu said, quieting his hesitation. "Please don't feel nervous around me. We're friends no matter what."
Saihara gasped. He peered at her with wide eyes, taking in her almighty certainty. Empowered by her earnesty, Saihara lowered his voice, inhaled a deep breath, and said, "Akamatsu-san, I like you more than as a friend. I really lo-"
"Saihara-kun, I'm a lesbian," Akamatsu said, her expression falling from ardent dedication to immediate, nonplussed blankness.
The world crashed around Saihara. His voice rose in octaves, stuttering his confusion. Saihara immediately looked around, expecting Ouma or Iruma to pop out from behind the Academy with a camera and film his dumbfounded complexion.
Akamatsu sighed, straightening and pointing at her chest. She thought she had made everything completely obviously. From the way she complimented girls at any moment to her previous adoring gushing, Akamatsu loved girls.
"I've always loved girls. I really thought I made that clear. I mean, when we first met Shirogane-san, I called her sexy. I also called Chabashira-san cute since I thought aikido practitioners were all burly men, and she really surprised me by being so strong and precious," Akamatsu said, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Also, there's something else…"
Saihara followed Akamatsu's gaze. In the distance, they found Harukawa leaning underneath a tree, and Saihara honestly wondered how he could have missed her. The shade covered her toned frame. Catching their looks, Harukawa immediately strode over to them. She took Akamatsu's raised hand, helping her stand.
"I tried to tell you yesterday, but Momota kept shooting me down. We're dating. We've been dating for quite some time now. All the other girls know, and so do most of the guys," Harukawa said, "but you and Momota never seemed to get all of the hints."
"We even kissed in front of you two, but Momota-kun said it was nice for girls to show their friendship so openly with each other," Akamatsu said, and a slow hum of understanding slipped from Saihara's lips.
Saihara watched Akamatsu kiss Harukawa's cheek, earning a burning red blush spreading across Harukawa's face in return. As Akamatsu giggled, Saihara nodded in swift, absolute comprehension. He apologized, scratching the back of his head and quickly fanning away his flustered nature with his cap.
"It's okay! Some people are just gay, Saihara-kun," Akamatsu said as Harukawa lightly grinned as well, and the trio shared a fervent laugh over the misunderstanding.