chap. 5 shuichi/sakura
sakura consoles shuichi about being the second ultimate detective
Honestly, he shouldn't have asked in the first place. But when Shuichi saw one of his upperclassmen dejectedly watch the floor as she walked through the halls, he couldn't help but inquire about her mood, even if they aren't well acquitted.
He is the epitome of antisocial. But Hina was someone he at least knew as a kind person, so when she told him that her friend's water bottle had gone missing, and that she couldn't "find it for the life of her", he did not feel intimidated by her blue gaze.
The request for help has not explicitly been apparent, but as part of the newest grade of students joining the highly regarded Hope's Peak Academy, Shuichi had taken this as a wordless invitation to prove himself to his seniors.
Using the minimal amount of information he knows of Sakura, Ultimate Martial Artist, and the help of classmates who claim to be more useless than he actually found them to be- even if took some extra deduction- the young detective had been forming a map in his head, red string wrapping around his brain. With every location he checked, he was just more sure he'd find the bottle in the next.
He was down to one last location, and although his current lack of success had made him feel somewhat troubled, he was almost certain that he had cracked the code on this one after almost an hour.
Confidently, the dark haired teen strolled through the hallways, but paused as a figure approached from the other direction, intending to pass him. It was none other than Sakura, the girl who had lost the water bottle. Which, said bottle was safely nestled in her palm- seeming smaller compared to her large hands- going off by the description the swimmer had supplied him when he asked.
"You found it!" he exclaims, effectively drawing the attention of the large girl. And while Hina was all sunshine and sweet, Sakura, in contrast, was very… scary looking. Shuichi has to crane his neck to hide his view of her icy gaze with the help of his cap. "W-Was it in the art storage room…?"
"It indeed was." Sakura replies with a voice that sounded too wise for someone her age. "I'm surprised you figured it out."
Shuichi could feel a shy smile form on his face. While he's a bit bummed out his efforts were wasted, at least he's glad he had been correct, and that he had gotten some sort of recognition for his work. "I'm just glad you remembered where it was."
With crossed arms, the white haired girl shakes her head. "I did not. I must credit Kyoko for figuring out its location."
At that, the boy raised his head. He hadn't had many chances to converse with this Kyoko, as this was only his second month in the school, this particular student's name came up quite frequently, especially near Shuichi, as she was also dubbed The Ultimate Detective.
But just for closure… "Can I ask, when did she start her search?"
A few beats pass as Sakura simply observes him, causing him to hide behind his hat again, before she calmly answers. "I believe my friend Hina was on her way to ask her for help on finding the bottle about an hour or so ago."
"Ah, and uhm. Do you know how long it took her to find it?"
"Ten minutes."
It makes sense- is what his brain tells him- Kyoko would know more about her classmates- and therefore, their possessions- and would be an obvious person to ask for help with… She's also older, and so has more experience. Shuichi isn't even a real detective… So of course she would be much quicker.
Despite that, his heart still sinks, shoulders dropping. The overwhelming feeling of disappointment flaring up in his chest and ripping apart any confidence he once held to mere shreds, leaving his body aching and stinging so much his eyes water.
It's all so stupid, and one-hundred percent, completely his own fault. Wishing the ground would swallow him and shoot him straight to the earth's suffocating and dark core, he stammers, hoping that his struggle to not cry isn't apparent on his face, "Ah- ah. Okay. Congrats." He wasn't even aware so much was riding on this one meaningless task he wasn't even handed. How much it was apparently important to him.
"Were you also searching for it?"
"Y-Yes. I'll be on my way now…" But just as he turns around, a warm gentle hand finds its place on his shoulder and he whips his head around to stare at the tall girl wide eyed.
"Thank you," she says with a small smile, "Without even asking me for information, you had managed to find the bottle's location."
"B-But it took me so much time! I was useless!" He blushes. This girl who was so strong and could easily snap his body like a twig, somehow put a calming aura into the situation, making the empty hallway look more serene than it actually was.
"I went to the art room's storage for non-school related reasons, with only Hina aware that I went there in the first place. And she hadn't mentioned anything about talking to you after she had asked Kyoko for help. You barely had anything to go off of, am I correct?"
Avoiding eye contact and tugging at the sleeves of his uniform, Shuichi couldn't help but feel thankful for the hand on his shoulder, despite his nervousness. "But still…"
"No one is the best they could be from the get go," she informs him, "And not ever, either. You will always have ways to improve. And so will Kyoko, and so will I, and everyone who claims to be the ultimate at anything." Tentatively, Shuichi glances up to look at the other, still mostly avoiding gazing right into her eyes, but it doesn't look like she minds. She simply continues to softly smile as she speaks as if she knew exactly the struggle the young detective was facing, "If you believe that if you are not the best at something as you could be, you are setting yourself to failure. Wanting to get better and being proud of your current accomplishments are not mutually exclusive."
With the exact words Shuichi needed to hear tugging at his heart pleasantly and almost causing him to tear up all over again, he wonders if Sakura, this girl he had only met, is actually the ultimate detective. "Thank you… really… This means a lot to me." He can't help but flush at his own patheticness, but is instantly soothed by the squeeze on his shoulder and the appreciative nod the other gives him.
"Take this as a thank you for worrying about my bottle."