Requested by the lovely Yoriko_Amu !! Hope you enjoy it!
----
"Hm."
(Y/n) stood frozen in the corner of the cafeteria, her attention focused on something below her. A grey mouse was lying on the cold red tile, its right limb coiled above its other limbs. While a normal student might pass by or ignore the injured creature, (y/n) had spotted it right away, knowing exactly what to do (being the Ultimate Veterinarian, after all).
She crouched down over the creature, reaching into her purse. She took out some medicine that she always carried with her, feeding it to the small animal. Then, with hands as steady as a surgeon's, she wrapped a small bandage around the mouse's limb.
"Poor thing," she murmured in a dry tone as she picked up the creature, intending to take it back to her room so she could watch it more closely. When she turned around, she was instantly frozen by the pulverizing power of Shuuichi Saihara's gaze. While she was initially shocked by his presence, her emotion did not show. Shuuichi, however, expressed his emotions more outwardly.
"You saved that mouse," he stated in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.
(Y/n) stared at him for a few seconds before opening hers to speak. "You saw that whole situation, I assume."
"That thing might have died... you are so talented," He blushed slightly and diverted his gaze, unable to meet the calm girl's eyes.
"It wasn't too difficult," She murmured, petting the small mouse lightly with her finger. "I'm going to keep him in my room for a few days before letting him go."
"You're very kind, (y/n)-Chan," the boy responded. Suddenly, (y/n) jumped slightly, caught off guard by his words.
"Kind...." she echoed, her heart pumping slightly faster than usual. Saihara noticed her change in emotions, immediately fearful he might have struck a nerve.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No," she said emptily, weaving around him and beginning to walk away. "I have to take it back to my room, now. But thank you, Saihara-kun."
Not another word came from the boy's lips as she left the cafeteria and entered her dorm room. Once inside, she gently set the injured mouse into the empty cage bestowed upon her by Monokuma. She then crouched down so that it was at eye level, beginning to talk to the mouse.
"He called me kind..." she whispered, her face turning pink. The mouse looked at her blankly, returning its attention to the water bottle in the cage shortly after. Her mind belonged to Saihara at the moment, his words lingering inside. Suddenly, all of her other encounters with him began to flood her mind. They fit together like a puzzle, and in that instant everything seemed to become a little clearer. She knew what she had to do.
-----
"Hello, Saihara-Kun."
A few days had passed since the mouse was saved, and (y/n) was only seen out of her room to grab food twice a day. None of the other students had even so much as caught a glimpse of her, but they didn't want to barge into her room and demand her to show herself more. She now stood in the library with Saihara, whose nose was stuck in some sort of book. He looked up, a slightly shocked expression on his face once his eyes met hers.
"Hi, (y/n)-chan," he responded, his eyes glimmering from behind his hat as the girl crouched down to be at his level.
"What are you reading?" She asked inquisitively.
"This? Oh, uh," he stammered, slamming the book shut as he placed it on the nearby table. "It's nothing."
"Hm," she hummed in response. "Anyways.... I want to talk to you about something."
"Go ahead," he nodded.
"I like you."
"W-what?!" Saihara yelled, his eyes widening. He was completely taken aback by the girl's sudden and emotionless confession, unable to string together a cohesive sentence. "Wha... why... how.... suddenly... same..."
(Y/n) blushed, her emotions hitting her like a tidal wave. "...you've always been so nice to me," she began to elaborate. "And... I've never met anyone as wonderful as you..."
Saihara's face began to turn light pink. "Well.... I guess you could say I've fallen for you a long time ago, (y/n)-chan."
The words hit her like a brick wall. "You feel the same?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "The moment since I've met you, I thought you were special. And then, I saw how you interacted with that mouse.... ah..."
(Y/n)'s face lit up with a small smile. "I'm so happy," she murmured almost inaudibly.
Saihara stood up, the girl following suit. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her, catching a whiff of her sweet perfume. He was considerably taller than her, but not too tall. She reluctantly hugged back, slightly awestruck by the current events.
When they pulled away, Saihara had a small smile on his face, as if he was holding back laughter.
"What's so funny?" (Y/n) asked.
"I guess you really do have a healing touch." He then chuckled at his own words. "Anyways... we need to spend some more time together. I want to be with you."
She nodded in agreement. "There's nothing I'd rather do. But please, don't make a joke like that ever again."
"Deal."
