Mahiru was a bit unsure of her role as she looked at her camera, she had been chosen as the Super High School Level Photographer, it's true she knew her stuff, being her mother's daughter and all…but she still didn't feel she was at her level, nor did she take very exciting photos…
But her mom said that she was worrying over nothing and that she was good. Her dad believed she would do amazing and wished her good luck and be careful…
Even if the man frustrated her, she still loved him a lot.
Though she was partly glad she didn't have to see Natsumi anymore, who's probably not happy to have lost the SHSL Photographer spot to her.
Meeting her classmates was a mixed bag, some of them were well meaning but exhausting, others were creepy and others were ok, she was annoyed at the group of unreliable men she was surrounded with.
In particular she formed a bond with Hiyoko, that girl needed someone to be her friend…
Though she was still missing one, a small blonde boy who seemed oddly familiar.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" He asked, annoyed.
"Hey! That's no way to talk to someone! Didn't they ever teach you some manners?" She asked, annoyed.
"Yes, they also told me to use them only when necessary, I don't see it as such right now, so piss off"
"Why you…" She growled at him.
Well, whatever, no point in getting angry at him like this and let her temper go off.
"Anyways, I'm Mahiru Koizumi, the Super High School Level Photographer, you are?" She said after calming down a little.
"I'm Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, Super High School Level Yakuza" He said looking at the side…
Kuzuryuu…
"...You wouldn't know about a girl named Natsumi, wouldn't you?" She felt she had to ask.
He visibly got uncomfortable at the question.
"What's it to you?" He asked, annoyed.
"I know someone named Natsumi Kuzuryuu who's been my classmate for a while before coming here, you remind me of her…"
"Tch…she's my little sister, there" He answered.
"Nice to see that the bad manners run in the family"
"And I sure as hell don't wanna meet anyone from your family if they're anything like you"
Mahiru rolled her eyes and left him, seems she'll have to tolerate him for the rest of her school life in Hope's Peak.
She wondered if she was destined to deal with the Kuzuryuu clan at this point…
Mahiru noticed he was always early.
It was merely an observation, but she noticed he was never late for class, always arriving earlier than the teacher…
Not that it was hard to do, mind you, but he alongside Sonia, herself and Hiyoko were the only ones that arrived early…and Hiyoko only did so because she went to pick her up beforehand.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"Nothing, it's just…you're early" She pointed out.
"Yes, what about it?"
"You do know that the classes are not necessary, right? You don't have to come to them"
"And?"
"I just…wondered why"
"Cause it's proper behavior for a High School Student to be on time and attend every class? I don't give a rat ass that they're not necessary"
"What's with you and your family swearing all the time?"
Another person fake coughed and Mahiru looked down to see Hiyoko looking at her with a "are you forgetting someone?" Look.
"Ok, my bad"
"Because it's just how we are, I mean people throw these words out so much nowadays nobody is really offended by them, there's far worse shit to be worried about anyways…" He rolled his eyes.
"Well…I guess you have a point there" She said awkwardly.
Fuyuhiko shrugged and didn't say anything, Mahiru just sighed.
Still, she made a mental note about Fuyuhiko and his punctuality…
Mahiru snapped a picture.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Fuyuhiko asked, annoyed.
"I'm taking a picture"
"Without my permission!?"
"Yeah, I do this for everyone, though I'm not as enthusiastic about doing this for boys" She said.
"For fucks sake, first Natsumi and now you…" He groaned.
"Natsumi does this too?" Asked Mahiru in surprise.
"Yeah, she's into photography, shouldn't you know this? She bitches about you a lot"
Ah right, it was easy to forget that besides being her bully and part of the Yakuza, Natsumi was also as much into photography as her, sometimes she thinks she's only into it to bother her even though it was probably the other way around.
"And let me guess, you aren't gonna delete it either?"
"Nope"
"Ugh, whatever" He wanted to walk away.
"Before you go…could you evaluate my photos?" She asked a bit nervously.
"Ugh, goddammit…look, I'm not good at giving feedback for this shit"
"Come on, try it"
"But you aren't gonna be satisfied with words like "Amazing" or "Fucking awesome" aren't you?" Fuyuhiko guessed.
It was starting to scare Mahiru how many habits she shared with Natsumi, at least when it comes to photography.
"No, I won't"
Fuyuhiko sighed annoyed and looked at the photo.
"I guess…you caught me by surprise"
"Come on! You can do better than that!"
"Ugh fine!...I guess you made me see myself different, I didn't think I could look this relaxed…it's weird for me"
"Well…that will do for now" Mahiru said, her face a bit red.
"Well good cause I don't have much else to say, I swear Photographers will follow me for the rest of my life at this point…" He said while walking away.
Mahiru looked at the photo she took.
"Hn…"
Maybe she could take another picture of him, taking photos of boys didn't seem so bad, at least about him…
"What the fuck!? What's Alcohol doing here!?"
Mahiru saw Fuyuhiko being pissed of finding alcohol, it didn't seem to be from their teacher Koichi…
"Why does that get you so mad?" She asked.
"Cause we're high school students! We shouldn't be drinking this shit until we're off age and off the school grounds!"
Mahiru blinked, it's not like she didn't agree with him, it's just…surprising.
"So you don't drink?"
"Fuck no, I'm not of age yet and I can't stand the smell of that shit, makes me wanna puke, give me water any day" He rolled his eyes.
Mahiru giggled a bit at that, but still…interesting thing.
"Well, I don't like people drinking and leaving their bottles just like that in the open…wanna find them and scold them?" She asked.
"Hell yeah I do!" He smirked at her.
It took a while but they did find the person…and gave them a three hour scolding over their mistake.
"Why did you come to class like that!?"
"You don't have to yell at me like that, you know? I think the injuries are enough"
"It wasn't enough to take a day off"
Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes, he had enough of being scolded by his sister, his parents and his classmates, he didn't need to have her to the mix.
He had a surprise attack by an enemy gang while going to class today, they even managed to get Peko busy while another group tried to get at him. However, while they got him by surprise they made the mistake of assuming that because he had a bodyguard and was usually surrounded by his men that it meant he was weak on his own.
You didn't become part of the Yakuza, least of all the Kuzuryuu clan, without knowing how to defend yourself on your own and being prepared for things like these, he would have died a while ago if that was the case.
And while he was small, it didn't fucking mean he was that weak either, neither strength matters much when you have your own guns.
So after he and Peko mowed through the attacking party, he hastily patch himself up upon insistence from Peko since he wasn't going to miss class despite his injuries.
Sure, assisting to class wasn't necessary, but he wasn't going to miss a day and lose his perfect attendance record. It would be a bad example on his part and it would also be a sign of weakness…or at least he saw it that way.
Unfortunately his classmates didn't see that way, especially Mikan and Mahiru, the former who insisted on patching him up properly and the latter fuzzing over him and scolding him in the nursery.
He didn't know why this girl was fuzzing over him so much lately, he did consider her a friend and didn't mind her company but lately she's been…close to him.
It didn't bother him, mind you, it was just weird for him, Peko was acting weird about it too, as if she didn't like it.
"...Are you ok?" She asked him after a bit.
"Yeah, I've been through worse so this shit is nothing" He puffed out his chest in pride.
This did not make her feel better, he could clearly see.
"I mean, I'm part of the Kuzuryuu Clan, the clan heir at that, stuff like that happens to me a lot, so don't worry about me…I know how to handle myself"
"Being in the Kuzuryuu clan seems like a dangerous life, I don't know how you and Natsumi can live like that and just go on your life like that"
"Well, this shit isn't for everyone, I can tell you that, but we are strong, we can get through this, so don't worry about us…or me, not sure if you do worry about Natsumi"
"It's…complicated"
"Hey, if she's still bothering you I can have a talk with her"
"No, it's fine, I know at the end of the day it's all just talk, I'm tired of dealing with it and I can tell she is too, she barely bothers with it anymore"
"Yeah, I can tell she doesn't want to bother with it anymore…but still, it isn't right what she did to you out of jealousy"
"It's fine, honestly the only person who even takes any of it seriously anymore is Sato"
"Huh, I heard about her from Natsumi…no offense but she's kinda creepy from what I heard, unless that's just Natsumi exaggerating things"
"...If i'm being honest with you, sometimes she scares me too, she's my friend and I lover as a friend, but sometimes I feel she's obsessed with me and puts me in a pedestal"
"So like Nagito?"
"It's…even more uncomfortable than what he does"
"Ah shit"
"...Yeah, I hope I can have a talk with her before something bad happens"
"Hey, if you need help with that I can pitch in, just call me"
She smiled at him. "Thanks, I don't think i'll need it but I appreciate it"
She seemed to pause thinking something over for a bit.
"Hey, I know this is a bit odd to ask, but how are Natsumi's pictures?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"What does she take pictures of? Why does she take them? You know…"
"Well, she often takes photos of dead members of the clan who died in battle and also takes photos of the clan in happy times"
"Really?"
"Yeah, she says that it's to remind us of the people we lost and the good times that we fight to protect or something like that"
"...Huh, that's fascinating"
"Why you ask?"
"Well, I actually was interested in her pictures, she was always second best in the photography club and since I found out we aren't so different when it comes to photography…"
"Well, that's neat, photography ain't my thing so I don't have much to say about it"
"...I always felt that my photos lacked something"
"Hn?"
"My mom is a war photographer, she takes pictures overseas, It's always exciting to see her pictures even if she only shows me the happy ones…meanwhile, I just take photos of people smiling"
"So you feel the pressure because you think your family member is better than you and you can't live up to your legacy?"
"...You feel the same thing, don't you?"
"Yeah, being made to be the next heir of the Kuzuryuu clan is not easy, I want the clan to be strong because I lead it, not me being strong because I lead the clan…hell, I think Natsumi should be the one leading the clan, not me"
"It's funny you say that, she usually says nothing but praise about you"
"Yeah, she's cool like that, the Super High School Level Little Sister…"
"I can get why she says those things about you"
"Huh? The hell you mean by that"
"What!? Nothing! Rest and recover quickly!" She suddenly was embarrassed and ran off.
"...What's wrong with her?" He asked himself.
Hopefully he didn't scare her off.
Mahiru was in her usual visits to the Reserve Course to see Sato alongside Hiyoko, Ibuki and Mikan.
Natsumi hadn't even come to talk to them, she had been busy lately talking to a spiky haired boy with an ahoge that was also from the reserve course…
Maybe she should talk to Fuyuhiko about it, it would be snitching but matters about his little sister were important to him.
That was until Peko for some reason approached her.
Peko wasn't usually the most sociable person of her class, rarely ever speaking to others, but still considered a friend like anyone else in the class.
But lately there was something…hostile about her, at the very least Mahiru could tell she didn't like her very much. Why? Mahiru couldn't really tell, she was sure she hadn't done anything bad to her.
"Hello four eyes, come to join us too? Nice to see you're stopping being a loner freak" Such a lack of that and social skill could only come from Hiyoko, Mahiru loved her like a little sister but sometimes she fears she's going to get in trouble whenever she opens her mouth.
Sato seemed on edge, maybe she detected the hostility on her…or was just being paranoid like she was prone to being, she could tell if things got ugly that Peko was dangerous in combat.
"Huh, Ibuki is wondering why Peko is coming here, did you wanna come join us? Or do you need to see someone from the reserve course?" Ibuki asked.
Mikan stayed silent, just shying away and observing.
"Huh…Peko? Did you need something from me?" Mahiru asked.
"Yes, to cease what you've been doing," Peko said.
The other four looked perplexed by what she said, Mahiru was too.
"Cease…what exactly?"
"Getting close to Fuyuhiko"
"...Natusmi's brother? Why would Mahiru get close to him?" Sato asked, seemingly finding the concept ridiculous.
"Ohh, Ibuki has noticed that Mahiru has gotten really close to Fuyuhiko"
"I thought that was obvious, you just now noticed?" Hiyoko said mockingly.
"Why should I? Why do you care?" Mahiru asked, a bit annoyed.
Sato was just a smidge agitated that not only Mahiru's friend corroborated what Peko said, but Mahiru herself didn't even deny it.
"You're getting involved with one of the biggest Yakuza clan's there is"
"Just because Fuyuhiko is part of the Kuzuryuu clan doesn't make him a bad person, you know? He's surprisingly good for being a boy"
"I never said youn-Fuyuhiko is a bad person, I meant that being involved with him makes you a target"
"Yeah and so does the entire class, he told me that it's dangerous to be friends with him, that didn't stop any of us, didn't it?" She asked her other three classmates.
"Nope, nothing's gonna stop Ibuki from being friends with her classmates"
"I-If people are gonna get hurt, i'm there to help" Mikan finally said something.
"Just being the heir to the Saionji family makes my life dangerous, so it's whatever to me" Hiyoko said.
"See? it's a risk we're all willing to take, I even said it to him when he felt worried about it"
"It's different, you're normal person-" Peko started
"Mahiru is far more than-" Sato started defending her.
"-Outside of your photography skills, you're easy to kill-" Peko cut through Sato's words.
"Yeah me and quite a lot of us are, I don't-" Mahiru tried to object.
"-And it's especially worse with how close you're getting to him and how much you're aiming to get close" Peko cut through her words again.
"What do you mean by that?" Mahiru had to ask.
"Oh! Oh! Are you implying Mahiru has a crush on Fuyuhiko?" Ibuki asked.
"What!?" Sato exclaimed out loud.
"Huh…yeah now that I think about it, I can see it too" Hiyoko said.
Mahiru's face was just as red as her hair, she shook her head a little.
"...And what's it to you if I do? I can take my own decisions, I know the danger, if I want to date Fuyuhiko then that's only up to him if he accepts, I appreciate you worrying for me…but I don't need it"
Sato was having a panic attack while Peko was glaring murder with her eyes, the other three classmates looked with curiosity at the scene before them.
"Hey, what's going on here? Why are you here Peko?"
The others turned to see Natsumi looking at them with confusion, her boyfriend(?) followed her.
"You know Peko?" Mahiru asked.
"What? You're the only one allowed to talk to reserve course students?" Natsumi asked.
"Yeah but-"
"We were talking about how Mahiru might have a crush on your brother," Ibuki said.
Mahiru expected Natsumi to react in a number of ways, her shrugging casually wasn't one of them.
"It doesn't bother you?" The boy next to her asked the question to her.
"I'm not surprised that people like my brother that way, even a goody-two shoes like her, they're never getting together anyways"
"Who are you to say that?" Mahiru asked annoyed.
"Pff yeah, even if you would risk your life being with a Yakuza, you couldn't stomach the things we do"
"I'm his friend, I already know that he's not clean, that didn't stop any of us"
"Sure, let's go with that, at the end of the day it's up to him if he does, he wouldn't like someone like you in a million years"
"And if he does?" The boy asked her.
"...As much as it pisses me off to say, I guess accept his decision despite how idiotic it is, but it's never happening so it's ok"
"I don't know, I saw them being pretty close lately" Hiyoko said only to fan the flames for her own amusement.
Natsumi attempted to look calm like before, but it was clear what she said bothered her.
"...Yeah sure thing" She then walked away, probably gonna talk to her brother.
"...I'm going to check to make sure she doesn't get in trouble" The boy sighed and waved them goodbye.
Seems like a nice guy, they make a cute couple.
Peko scoffed and walked away, Mahiru wondered what had gotten into her.
"Sorry your girls had to see that" Mahiru turned to say to them…and found out Sato was gone.
"Where did Sato go?" Mahiru asked.
"She ran away, I don't know what got into her, she looked like she crapped herself" She laughed about it.
Mahiru sighed, she would have to talk about it with her later…
"Hey, you got a minute?"
Mahiru was pleasa-Surprised, just regular surprised by Fuyuhiko wanting to speak with her once she had some alone time.
He also looked tired.
"Sure, but what's wrong, you look really tired, is it Yakuza stuff?"
"Well…it's that and other shit, can we talk to it in my dorm…and don't think any weird things about it, I didn't mean it that way" He said a bit embarrassed.
Even though it likely wasn't necessary since she knew him well enough at this point, she appreciated that he clarified.
"Sure," She said with a shrug.
Fuyuhiko's dorm looked rather nice…and organized too, but it was to be expected of him.
"So…uh…did something happen?" He asked her.
"Huh? I don't...why are you asking me that?"
"Because in the last few days I been bitched at by my sister and your friend Sato while Peko was scolding at me"
"...Oh…" Was the only thing she said to him.
"And, it's kinda weird, cause all of them was about the same thing…they think you…like like me"
Mahiru just looked at the side with a red face.
"I mean, where did they even get that from?"
"...From me"
Fuyuhiko blinked a few times, as if the information that was given to him was incomprehensible to the mortal mind.
"You…like me that way?" He asked.
"...Yeah"
"Like…like like me? As in-"
"Yes as in I want to be your girlfriend" She cut him off.
…
"...Why?" He had to ask.
"Look, I just think you're a reliable guy, ok? You care about the people around you, you have your principles, you're a pretty good guy for a yakuza and even if you're rough around the edges…I still like you that way" She admitted.
"Hey!...I'm…I'm flattered and all but…"
"It's fine if you don't feel the same way, you know? I just wanted to get it out of my system…"
"I didn't say I didn't feel the same way…oh shit" Fuyuhiko realized what he said.
"You feel the same way!?" Mahiru shouted.
"Thank god these rooms are soundproof, look, I just…think you're a wonderful and kind girl even if your nagging annoys me at times, I know it comes from a good place…"
"...I sense a but"
"But look, it's too dangerous for-"
"You do know that I was already in danger because I was your friend, right? So does everyone else you're friends with"
"I mean…yeah…but-"
"It's that the only reason? Because if so that's a pretty weak reason, look if you don't want to date me just because that's fine, you don't need to have a reason to not date someone…just don't do it for such a lame reason like that"
Fuyuhiko seemed to think it over for a bit.
"Look, I know it's not gonna be easy, I accept that, I accept the risk…so if you want to give it a try…"
Fuyuhiko looked a bit unsure with a red face.
"...It's just…"
Mahiru wondered what he was gonna come up with now…
"I don't want to make you lean down each time we want to kiss, it wouldn't be fair to you" He said while adjusting his tie.
Mahiru stared, stared and stared…and promptly bursted into laughter.
"Hey! What the fuck are you laughing about!"
"Nothing, I just…realized I fell for the right guy, and I swear I didn't do that on purpose"
Fuyuhiko huffed in anger…before calming down and smiling.
"You know we're gonna have to have a talk with Natsumi and my parents, right?"
"Yeah, so with Sato and my parents…and Peko, I don't know why she cares so much…"
"...Yeah, I have something to tell you about Peko…"
It was a normal day for Fuyuhiko and Mahiru in class 77…
"What!? Fuyuhiko took a picture of Mahiru and then they kissed" Kazuichi shouted.
The two lovers cringed at that as chaos formed in the classroom…
They should have gotten a better hiding spot.