Black, silver, white, gray. Kirumi Tojo's dorm looked like something right out of the Victorian era. There was a dark and dull, yet regal and refined, atmosphere about the room. Because of that, it was easy to overlook the little black ring sitting by her bed. In fact, the first time any of the Hope's Peak students—whether from Kirumi's class or not—saw the ring was during a schoolwide party.
As per usual, Kirumi attended as a maid rather than a fellow classmate, so she wore her trademark black gloves all night long. Rather than wear the ring on a finger, Kurumi instead put it on a silver chain and hung it around her neck. Because she wore a white top beneath her black apron, the ring was highly visible.
"Ooooh, lookin' super COOL!" Ibuki flashed Kirumi two big thumbs up when she saw the little black ring. "Diggin' the punk jewelry!"
"Ohohoho! Did our lovely lady Tojo get married off so early?" Teruteru walked by (bi) pushing a cart full of food piled so high that it was a leaning tower. "Pity, I was hoping I would have more time to woo our matronly maid with my… fatherly charms! I'm sure I'd make an excellent Daddy!" He gave Kirumi a seductive side-eye as he adjusted the waistband of his pants. Kirumi's nose crinkled in disgust, but right before she could speak—
"SILENCE! DEGENERATE MALE!" Tenko appeared out of nowhere, Neo-Akkido-punching Teruteru so hard that he flew across the dining hall and through the wall on the opposite side of the room. Not a single student from any of the three classes gave any reaction.
"Thank you, Tenko," Kirumi exhaled quietly in relief as she nodded politely at her classmate.
"Of course!" Tenko pounded a fist over her heart. "There's no way I was letting a creep pervert like that get anywhere near either of you!" Even though Teruteru's advances started with Kirumi, it didn't take a genius to know he would've just as easily "flirted" with Ibuki.
Tenko decided to invite herself into the conversation after that. "What were you two talking about, anyway?"
"Oh, just this." Kirumi gestured to the ring with her chin and Tenko raised her eyebrows in interest. There was nothing prettier than a pretty girl in pretty jewelry! Although, as Kirumi would explain to her, the ring wasn't just for show, rather, it was a symbol. For those who identified as asexual and/or aromantic, they could wear black rings on their middle fingers to indicate their asexuality.
Ibuki's eyes sparkled knowingly. Despite her earlier phrasing, she knew that the black ring wasn't just punk jewelry. Man, if I'd known, I totally would've worn mine too! As a musician, she was surrounded by gender and/or sexually queer people all the time, including herself, so she was very in-the-know about all things queer and symbolic.
"How did you hear about the ace ring, Kirumi?" Tenko asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise again.
"Korekiyo and Rantaro," Kirumi smiled. Rantaro identified as asexual and genderqueer while Kiyo only ever used the term "queer".
"Ah, figures that I wouldn't have known, then." In a split second, Tenko's personality totally changed. What was once rapt and fascinated attention was now complete and utter indifference.
"They are better men than you give them credit for," Kirumi said gently. She could understand Tenko's reserves about them, especially Kiyo, but Kirumi had interacted with them far more than Tenko had and she could vouch that they were both doing their best to overcome whatever personal demons might upset Tenko.
And Kiyo and Rantaro knew about the rings because they were an Anthropologist and Adventurer respectively. They'd traveled all over the world, and, in turn, come home with tons of stories and traditions from across the globe. Ibuki seemed interested in the stories, but Tenko shrugged and yawned. So what if two idiot males sailed around the world on a boat? Who cared? BOOOOOORRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!
"That's just the one thing I can never understand," Tenko shook her head. "How can you not just LOVE women?!"
While Ibuki laughed and nodded in agreement, Kirumi smiled patiently at her classmate. It was a common question. People who weren't asexual often struggled to comprehend what it was like, let alone in a positive light. In fact, one of Ibuki's classmates, Mikan Tsumiki, had once been horrified by the thought of asexuality. To her, it meant being forever alone, and for someone like Mikan, there was no fate worse than that.
Kirumi usually was not one to explain her personal life so thoroughly, but for a classmate, she could make an occasional exception. By the end of it, it was clear that Tenko was still a little befuddled by the idea of seeing a pretty girl and not wanting to date or marry her, but she liked and trusted Kirumi enough not to challenge her on her sexuality. Besides, Kirumi confirmed that she still liked women even if it wasn't the way Tenko did. But so long as Kirumi was a friend of women, what did Tenko care about the specificities?! She forgave Kaede for dating Shuichi, even though they were both bisexual and could've found partners of the same sex rather than dating each other.
"It doesn't quite work like that…" Kaede laughed awkwardly as she tried to explain to her well-meant but VERY misguided classmate that even though she COULD be happy with a female partner, she could also be happy with a male, and she was unwilling to try to force a relationship with a female just to present her sexuality a certain way. Shuichi was the one her heart chose, so as far as she was concerned, it was case closed.
"Ha HA! Fuckin' pansy-ass, loser-ass, no-good, no-sex-havin', virgin cucks!" They were interrupted by the loud, obnoxious crow of yet another classmate, Miu Iruma. She happened to hear some of the ace talk on her way past and she felt the need to briefly add her input. "Anyone who can't get laid is just a pathetic little omega bitch!"
"D-d-doesn't th-that include y-you, y-you dirty g-girl?" Toko demanded. She'd been seated a few tables away, but no one could miss Miu's loudmouthed foulmouthed-ness. The only two people she could ever love with her Komaru, or Master Byakuya!
"D-dirty girl, h-huh?" Miu asked breathlessly. "T-tell me more, please! More!"
"W-wait, wh-wh-what?!" Toko leaned back in her seat. "S-stay away from me! You pathetic pervert!"
"Pathetic?" Miu gave an unhinged giggle. A second later, Toko was fleeing the table with Miu in hot pursuit.
Kirumi and the others watched them go with a small smile. As tiring as the Ultimates' antics could be, sometimes they were entertaining.
I do not know Toko's classmates well, but I believe that at least one of them—Mr. Hifumi Yamada, was it?—also identifies as some degree of asexual. He is not interested in real women as much as he is interested in fictional. I must confess that I find such a notion rather difficult to understand, for it is not an experience with which I am familiar. Perhaps I should schedule a talk with him so that I might fill this gap in my knowledge!
She never realized how queer Hope's Peak was until that night, but it filled her with a sense of relief to not be alone. How ironic, asexuality is so heavily associated with the concept of eternal isolation—independence, if one wishes to use a more positive adjective—but it is a misconception. We thrive on love and connection just as much as anyone else of any other sexuality. Maybe the type of love I crave is different from what most of the rest of the world craves, even other queer individuals, but it is still love all the same, is it not?
And so, even with all the little ups and downs that came with hanging around a dining hall full of Ultimates, Kirumi had never felt more at home or at peace. Already, she was hoping for another Hope's Peak schoolwide Pride party, exactly like this one!
