Kiyotaka held his breath as Jin Kirigiri, standing and leaning against his desk, looked through a stack of paperwork. Chihiro tried to peer at his expression from his position beside the principal, but his height barred him from doing so.
In the chairs in front of the desk, two of Kiyotaka's female classmates waited for Jin to say something. One fidgeted nervously, while the other calmly sipped from a teacup, as expressionless as ever.
Chihiro had worked with Kiyotaka, over the last few days, on researching all of the local breeders and shelters and rescues. They'd narrowed the list down to a few good options, but had found one in particular that looked especially promising. Chihiro had gone to the lengths of getting an endorsement from one of last year's graduates by calling him up. Since said upperclassman was an expert on animals and cared a great deal about their well-being, his approval was likely to go a long way.
"Tanaka-san says he wants to go look at the place himself and write an entry about it for his blog," Chihiro said. Jin hadn't said anything in several minutes. "He thinks that it looks like a wonderful organization."
Jin nodded and set the papers down on his desk, thoughtfully stroking his chin.
"Fukawa-san."
The bespectacled girl stiffened and tugged on one of her braids.
"Y-Yes?"
"You're sure that you want to participate in this program?"
"O-Obviously," Fukawa stammered. "I-I wouldn't have filled out that stupid questionnaire if I d-didn't want to."
"Of course, of course," Jin laughed. "I should have gathered as much, seeing as you're not the sociable type. What about you, Miss Ludenberg?"
Celestia set down her teacup and smiled, that menacing and glassy smile of hers that didn't quite reach her crimson eyes. She didn't comment on the principal's use of miss rather than a Japanese honorific, but that was probably because it suited her European aesthetic.
"I'm not particularly interested in adopting a pet," she explained, "but I was forced to leave my darling kitty at home when I agreed to attend this academy. I've missed him, and I would love to have the chance to introduce him to my classmates, even if the year is drawing to a close."
"I see. I suppose arrangements could be made to allow students to bring over existing pets, so long as they've been trained."
"And I can assure you that he is quite well-behaved," Celestia agreed with a dainty laugh.
Kiyotaka looked at Fukawa, who had switched from pulling on her hair to biting at her nails.
"A-And what about you, Fukawa-san?" he prodded. "Didn't you want to adopt a cat?"
"...Y-Yes," the bookworm admitted. "M-My dorm room gets... l-lonely. A cat might be n-nice. They don't need as much a-attention as a dog."
"We compiled a list of interested students, all of whom agreed to discretion, and had them fill out our survey and application forms," Chihiro announced, beaming proudly. "So far we have over a dozen interested parties! Fukawa-san and Ludenberg-san agreed to come with us because they're very excited about the possibility."
"And the rescue looks like a nice place, yes? We'd want to tour it in person, of course, but using Happy Tails would allow us to secure puppies and kittens without having to use a shop. A large part of their rescue program is taking in pregnant animals, or rescuing puppies from mills," Kiyotaka added.
Jin nodded along. After another long pause, he straightened his back in a way that suggested having reaching a decision.
"Alright," he said. Kiyotaka and Chihiro perked up. "I'll give the owner a call. In the meantime, you should follow up with the interested students. We'll let the disciplinary committee pick the best candidates."
"And I'll give Tanaka-san another call!" Chihiro exclaimed. "He can read animal souls or something, right? He can use the bios we made of the interested students and their questionnaire answers to find the pet that's right for them!"
"A wonderful idea, Chi!" Kiyotaka laughed and patted his friend's back before turning back to the principal. "I-I don't mean to be presumptuous, of course, sir, but... Does this mean that I have your full approval?!"
Jin laughed, just once, before he nodded.
"It does." Kiyotaka and his friends let out a series of cheers. "But don't get ahead of yourselves too quickly! I still have to let some of the board members know of my decision, and you shouldn't visit the shelter until I've secured things with the owner on my end. ...I'll call you to my office again when it's all ready."
Kiyotaka took the headmaster's hand and gave it a firm shake with both of his.
"You won't regret this, headmaster Kirigiri! We won't let you down! I'm sure there are many parties that will be delighted to hear the news, but I'll keep it to myself for now. Farewell!"
The prefect, clearly in a rush, snatched up his own folder before he bolted out the door. It took his friends a moment too long to respond.
"I simply can't wait to see my darling boy again," Celestia remarked as the group made its way down the hall. "He's... a little temperamental, yes. He's terribly spoiled. But I've missed him anyway."
"All in a day's work," Chihiro laughed. "I'm sure everybody who loves their pet spoils them at least a little bit."
Before Fukawa could comment, another person rounded a corner and quickly approached as soon as her eyes had caught sight of Kiyotaka.
"Ishimaru-kun. I take it you got your approval?" Kirigiri asked. Kiyotaka nodded proudly, clasping the girl's hand in the same way that he had her father's only minutes earlier.
"We certainly did! I couldn't have done so without you or Chi, though, so no more of this 'I' nonsense. It was a team effort!"
Kirigiri smiled.
"Of course. ...Anyway, my father said something about surveying the interested students... How did you manage to...?" The detective raised an eyebrow, hoping Kiyotaka would pick up on the meaning behind her words. He winked, indicating that he had.
"I was discreet. Most of the eligible students received a very detailed interest form with an attached explanatory notice, but one person may or may not have received a more vague survey casually thrown in with their school newsletter. ...A newsletter that later disappeared. Mysteriously."
He winked again. He wasn't very good at being subtle, which worried Kirigiri a bit, but it seemed that the target truly hadn't noticed anything suspicious. Maybe said biker was just oblivious.
"The boys are up to something, by the way," she said under her breath as she moved to stand beside Kiyotaka. Celestia and Fukawa took the hint and went their separate ways, offering quick nods to the suddenly secretive trio in lieu of proper goodbyes. "Naegi-kun has been doing an awful lot of schmoozing around Togami-kun lately, which leads me to be believe that he wants money. And a lot of it."
"I can't imagine that Mondo would want to buy you jewelry or anything," Chihiro thought aloud, "so what on earth could he need so much money for? I hope he knows it's the thought that counts."
"Based on our first date, I'd say he does," Kiyotaka chuckled, a dreamy note in his voice as he recalled that night. Chihiro nudged him.
"What did happen that night, anyway? You never told me!"
Kiyotaka laughed brightly at that. He told the girls all about it as he approached his dorm room, and Kirigiri listened intently despite having already heard it from Mondo. She was happy to learn that the biker hadn't fudged any details in his version. If anything, he'd been modest.
The trio parted ways, and Kiyotaka had had every intention of going straight into his dorm room to get some studying done before bed. Instead, he heard someone call his name in a whisper.
"Psst! Taka-kun! I need to talk to you!"
Asahina ran down the hall as quietly as she could, and then she practically shoved him into his room, looking around as she did so to make sure that they weren't being watched or followed. She locked the door behind them.
"A— Asahina-chan! People will get the wrong idea!"
Asahina snorted.
"Oh, please. Everybody knows that you'd never cheat on Mondo-kun. And that you're super gay."
"...I don't know if I'm super—"
"That's not the point! I just... I just wanted to talk to you where nobody can eavesdrop, okay?"
Asahina wasted no time in hopping onto Kiyotaka's bed. He wondered, sometimes, if she was this casual with everybody. He joined her on the mattress.
"Well? What is it? Are you failing chemistry again?"
To Kiyotaka's relief, Asahina laughed. She'd seemed a bit wound up.
"No, nothing like that. Um... Okay, first of all, I wanted to know if your little thingy went well. Can't you tell me what it is yet?!"
"W-Well, headmaster Kirigiri does want me to keep my mouth shut for at least another couple of days, but we got the go-ahead. I'll need your help soon enough!" He patted his friend's hand. "You'll love it, I'm sure. I do wish that I could tell you, but I am a man of my word if nothing else."
Something in Asahina's smile changed. Something that made it look nervous.
"...You are a man of your word. Which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you. If I tell you something in secret, can you promise me that you'll keep it to yourself?"
"O-Of course!" Kiyotaka laid down and then moved closer to her, close enough that they were lying side by side, their heads on the pillows. "I won't tell a soul if you ask me not to."
"Not even Fujisaki-chan? Or Mondo-kun?"
"...Not even them." Kiyotaka grinned and pounded his chest with a fist. "Man's honor!" He added this in a low and somewhat gravelly voice that sounded like someone else's. It wasn't a bad imitation, which made Asahina laugh. Mondo's impression of Kiyotaka was better, though.
When her laughter faded away, Asahina stared at the ceiling, feeling her stomach twist in nervous knots. Had Kiyotaka felt this way before? He probably had.
"So..." She thought of how best to phrase this particular admission. "...How do you know if what you're feeling for somebody is love, or a crush, and not just friendship?"
Kiyotaka blushed.
"I-I'm not the best person to ask about matters of romance! Even if I am in a relationship. You all had to help me, remember? Because I don't know much about it?"
"That's true..." Asahina hummed. "Maybe you're not exactly an expert, but you are going out with somebody who used to be your friend—"
"He's still my friend, you know."
Asahina seemed to flinch at that and looked timidly at the prefect. A shy expression was unusual for her.
"...Yeah?" She asked. Kiyotaka nodded.
"Yes. I think... I think that if you stop being friends, your relationship probably won't last very long. Not as long as it could, anyway."
"What makes you say that?"
"W-Well... Life isn't like a movie, yes? You're not going to have intense butterflies and a wild attraction for the rest of your life— at least not every single day. Sometimes people get frustrated with one another, or they're going through a rough time, and sometimes things are boring. But if you're also good friends, you can withstand that. Because you can simply enjoy one another's company. A lifetime partner should be a good companion. I think it's important."
"...And that's... why you guys can be together so often? Without getting sick of each other? ...Because you don't always expect it to be some big romantic thing?"
"Precisely! We still have the same running gags. And sometimes we just sit down and watch a movie or talk about school."
"...I guess that makes sense. ...You still haven't answered my question, though."
"Ah. Right." Kiyotaka furrowed his brow in concentration, which looked a bit strange when the only thing before his eyes was a blank ceiling rather than a test or a homework sheet. "It's, uh... hard to explain..."
"Can't you at least try?!" The desperation in her voice surprised Kiyotaka.
"A-Alright! Er... Well, it was hard for me at first, too. Determining whether I liked Mondo or not, that is. I had to think about it a lot. Eh... Try imagining how you'd feel if you could never see this person again. That might help."
"I... It would make me really sad," Asahina admitted, "but I'd feel the same way if I couldn't see you anymore. So I'm not sure if that helps any."
"I suppose that's true," Kiyotaka replied. "Then... Hmm... Oh! I know!" Asahina's eyes widened. "I remember something I did that helped me determine how I felt."
"Then tell me!"
"Close your eyes."
"Why?!"
"It will help! I promise!"
Asahina frowned at him for a moment, but sighed and capitulated to his request. She settled more comfortably into the pillows, crossed her arms, and screwed her eyes shut.
"Okay, they're closed. Now what?"
"So... imagine that you're at your locker, getting ready for class."
"Alright."
"Now imagine the person you're thinking of. This friend of yours. Imagine that person walking up to you."
"...Okay."
"Now, try really hard to picture it clearly, okay? ...Imagine your friend telling you that they have a crush on you and asking you if you want to do something after school. A date. Imagine them asking you out. Maybe they're blushing as they ask you, or look a little nervous."
Asahina took several long seconds to respond.
"...And... And then...?"
"What do you want to say? In this scenario. Really think about it."
Asahina fidgeted. Kiyotaka smiled when he saw a dash of color appear across her cheeks. He suspected that she had found her answer.
"I... I wanna say yes. I wanna say that I'll go. I... feel really happy."
"...So does that answer your question?"
"I-I think so. I hope so." Asahina's eyes opened. She still looked nervous, but she seemed less confused. This, at least, was a slight comfort. She looked at Kiyotaka. "You did this? You imagined the same thing?"
Kiyotaka laughed, embarrassed.
"I did. When I imagined it really clearly, I... Well, I cried, actually. So that didn't leave me a whole lot of room for excuses."
She laughed and made some kind of awww sound at the same time.
"God, you're... You're just too friggin' adorable, Taka-kun."
"...Thanks? I think?"
Asahina sat up, crossing her legs and facing her friend.
"Thanks for the help. Really. I... think I've figured things out now. I mean, it's still scary, but... It's better to at least know, right?"
Kiyotaka imitated her pose.
"I think so. And, hey, it does not have to be a marriage proposal! You can always take your time. Try being casual! Just ask him if he would like to go and get a cup of coffee with you."
"It's not—" Asahina started to say something, but stopped. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she looked uncomfortably down at her hands, which she wrung together in her lap. Kiyotaka tilted his head.
"It's not what? ...I promised that I wouldn't tell anybody else, remember?"
"...Really?"
"Really."
Asahina thought, and for an awfully long minute. Kiyotaka didn't say anything during this time. He allowed her to sort out her thoughts. Finally, she took a deep breath, keeping her eyes focused on her fingernails.
"My... My friend? It's... not a boy. They're actually a girl."
Kiyotaka didn't react right away. He was silent as he processed what Asahina said, and then as he further processed the exact implication of her words. When it hit him, he gasped in a comically exaggerated way.
"R...Really?! You too?!"
He'd thought that Asahina's face couldn't possibly get any more red. He'd been wrong. The color darkened until it completely concealed her usual sun-kissed glow. She waved her hands in front of her.
"N-No, not exactly! I'm not a lesbian, okay?! I-I usually like guys! That's why this has been so confusing for me! At least you've always known you were gay— you've never had any interest in girls, right?!"
"Well, no... B-But it's not like that makes it easy! I... For a while, I had myself convinced that I just hadn't found the right girl! These things are never easy!"
Asahina frowned thoughtfully.
"I guess you're right. ...Man, they just don't make an instructional packet, do they?"
Kiyotaka chuckled.
"Life is never so simple, unfortunately. B-But people are coming around, right? Who knows— maybe Mondo and I will be able to get married someday soon."
The swimmer smiled tenderly.
"Maybe. I sure hope so."
There was a tense moment. It quickly passed, and then Asahina made an affectionate sound and pulled her friend into a hug.
"Thank you," she murmured against his shoulder. "You're always there for me. And I really appreciate it. If you ever need anything— and I do mean anything— just... Lemme know, okay?"
"Th-That really isn't necessary, but... Okay."
She held onto him for longer than was necessary. It was slightly awkward on Kiyotaka's end, as her breasts pressed uncomfortably against his chest. Not that he was especially concerned with that. Not in the typical way, anyway. ...Maybe he really was "super gay", he thought. He got so sidetracked by that train of thought (Is it okay, then, for me to ask questions about breasts? Are they heavy? Do they ever get sore or bothersome?) that he didn't notice Asahina releasing him right away. She wiped a tear from the corner of one eye.
"I'm... gonna head back to my dorm, then. You get a good night's sleep, alright? You're gonna need it. You've been working even harder than usual lately!"
Kiyotaka laughed her off, but did give her a nod as he ushered her out the door. He locked it behind her and turned to rest his back against it, releasing a long breath. He checked his phone before moving.
Mondo: srry i couldn't swing by ur dorm 2nite. had 2 study for exams and didn't wanna get distracted. i'll c u 1st thing in the morning, k? have sweet dreams (about me) <3
Kiyotaka chuckled.
Taka <3 <3 <3: Will do! You've been doing a great job on your exams lately. I'm very proud of you. Keep up the good work!
He let out a contented sigh as he pressed send and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
We really are growing up, aren't we?
Kiyotaka smiled at the thought before he changed into his pajamas, turned off the overhead light, and fell into a deep, restful sleep.