Chapter Text
So far, the summer camp was a huge success! Sure, it had only been five minutes since they logged in. And yeah, those Monobeasts were roaming around for some reason. But at least nobody died! And there was a really cool beach that Kaito was just aching to explore.
“C’mon, guys! Who’s ready to head to the beach?” Kaito looked at everyone in his vicinity with a huge grin. It seemed like he would have to take initiative if they were gonna do anything fun. So far, people just seemed shocked at the Monobeasts or just happy to chat amongst themselves. That wouldn’t do! They were here to have fun together!
“Hold on, Kaito…” Kaede said thoughtfully, her hand on her chin, “Aren’t we forgetting something?”
Good ol’ Kaede! I can always count on her to be a leader too! Kaito answered with a grin, “And what’s that?”
“Swimsuits!”
There were mixed reactions from the crowd. Some people’s eyes sparkled with excitement (Leon seemed especially enthusiastic) while others shrugged and seemed neutral. There were a few that grew pale (Why does Chihiro look so nervous?), but Kaito was sure that as soon as everybody chose their swimsuits and got in the water, it would all be fine.
Kaito swallowed as he dragged his eyes over to Maki Roll. How is she going to react? He wondered.
“No.”
“Eh?” Kaede looked flabbergasted. “Why not, Maki?”
“If I wanted to show off my body, I’d already be wearing revealing clothing.” Maki took hold of her ponytail and started to card through it with her fingers. “I’m not wearing a bikini.”
Was that a hint of nervousness in her voice? Kaito stiffened.
“Oi, Maki Roll, you aren’t scared, are ya?”
“H-Huh?”
Kaito sighed. “Look, it’s not about what you look like. It’s about how you feel! Don’t let other people’s expectations get you down! You wear a bikini and you wear it proudly!”
“Yeah!” Kaede joined in, pumping her fists. “Join in with us! All the girls are gonna wear one anyway, so it’s not like you’ll be the odd one out. Let’s have fun!”
“Hell yeah, Kaede, that’s the spirit! You hear that, Maki Roll? We just want you to have fun! Let loose and spread your wings a bit! So, whaddya say?” Kaito grinned eagerly. “Wanna have some fun?”
This’ll get her pumped up, I just know it! Maki Roll is brave; she just needs a little push sometimes. And I’m the perfect guy to do that.
A few seconds for Kaito’s words to sink in. Then, instead of the expected “Heck yes, I’m so enthusiastic now, thank you so much Kaito, you’re my hero” (…or something along those lines), Maki snorted.
“You’re very passionate about getting me in a bikini.” She flashed a glance. “Is there something I should know?”
“Eh?” Something she should know…? What does she mean? Something inside of him froze a little. Maki rolled her eyes.
“Isn’t it weird how gung-ho you’re being about seeing me in a bikini? You sound weirdly excited like you’re that sex-starved baseball player from the other class.”
“H-Hey!” Don’t compare me to Leon!! Before Kaito could continue, though, Kaede stepped in.
“Don’t be like that, Maki! We just want you to join in and swim with us!”
…oh. Right. Maki was talking to Kaede too. I-It’s not just me. Kaito felt a little weight off his shoulders as he punched his fists together, ready to take Kaede’s side.
“That’s right! Don’tcha wanna have fun with us while we’re all here? Although,” Kaito pondered, “Maybe you could still have fun without a bikini?”
“What, like being naked?”
Kaito choked. “H-Huh!? No!! No no no, that’s not what I meant!! I mean—” At the sight of Maki’s smirk, though, his words died in his throat. She was joking. That’s all. Just joking. Kaito gulped.
“Okay, that’s enough, guys. Maki,” Kaede had her determined-leader-who-wants-everyone-to-get-along voice on, “Do whatever feels right for you. Either way, we’ll be here to support you! We just care about you and want you to have fun! Right, Kaito?”
“Right!” Hell yeah, now he was in his comfort zone. “You’re my sidekick, so as a hero, I gotta support you no matter what! Just have fun, Maki Roll!”
There. Things were back to normal. Kaito could even almost forget the part of him that was still a little tense – the part that had been tense ever since that chat with Leon.
Maki didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, at least. She sighed, exasperated. “You guys are so weird. But fine, I’ll…” All of a sudden, she pouted, and she started to run her fingers through her ponytail. “I’ll get a swimsuit. Happy now?”
“Yeah we are! Aren’t we, Kaito?” Kaede’s grin was so innocent and carefree. It was the exact opposite of how Kaito was feeling.
Because now it was official: he’d see Maki Roll in a bikini. Even if it ended up being a one-piece or whatever, it’d be a swimsuit nonetheless. And that meant it’d show more of Maki’s…more of Maki than usual. How should he feel about that? Not excited, right? But not scared or nervous either. Neutral, he was gonna be neutral about this.
Neutral…okay, I got this! I can be neutral about it!
“Whatever, yeah, I guess, do what you want or whatever…”
?? What was that!? That was way too neutral! Back it up a bit!!
“I-I mean, yeah! You do you, Maki Roll! Wear that bikini! Show the world you’re ready to have some fun!”
How was that…? It wasn’t neutral but it wasn’t weirdly excited either, right? Kaito wasn’t used to being this self-conscious. He wasn’t a fan of it. But at least he got away with it this time if Maki’s eye roll was anything to go by.
“Can it. I get the idea.”
And with that, Kaede swept Maki away to choose their swimsuits with everyone else, and Kaito found himself walking with the other boys to find theirs. He found the strength to chat with the others, telling Shuichi how great the swimming would be for their training and reassuring Gonta that there were bound to be bugs nearby. He even managed to respond to Kokichi’s lies with more light-heartedness than usual.
Everything would be fine. It had to be. They were just a bunch of high-schoolers getting ready for a summer trip. They’d laugh and swim and make tons of memories. There was no need to be nervous.
But if Kaito’s grin turned a little strained when they started talking about swimsuits, no one needed to know.