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Were she born just a decade earlier, Kaede wouldn't acknowledge her raging non-heterosexuality. Hell. Let's be honest. Her furious, courageous and ostensibly loud pansexuality. Even now she does come across a hate towards bi girls, and whenever she's cheerily browsing her Tumblr at three am there's at least a bit of sexuality discourse.
Kaede makes a habit of kissing her middle finger before using it to block those assholes who declare she's either an oppressed lesbian desperately searching for a deliverance between a pair of tits, or an attention-seeking straight girl. (Or, Angie's god save us all, a cishet girl). And then Kaede calmly turns off the hellsite and opens the folder with the photos of the prettiest girl in the school and thinks about her first date, first kiss, first official session of public display of affection.
Okay, she's dumbly in love. Sue her. She's young; she's gay; she likes dark-haired, mysterious people way too much to care about what they got between their legs.
And what if she got a type? Everyone does. But not everyone has a rendezvous about to happen... Kaede checks the clock standing on the night table. Oh, crap.
As she said, not everyone has a rendezvous about to happen in half an hour, but those who do are surely more planned for it than her. Quickly shrugging off her pajamas, Kaede brushes out the knots in her hair and pulls on a nice dress, then grabs her handbag and bolts out of the dormitory, barely remembering to lock the door after her.
Upon entering the corridor, she stumbles upon Maki. And then literally stumbles, because Maki looks... She looks good. As usual, but, hey, her presence makes Kaede feel much gayer. As if she were to forget about their plans and go right to making an excellently obnoxious cover of those songs she discovered when everyone on 8tracks made at least one playlist tagged #LoveWins. That much gay.
The same amount of gay as when Maki kissed her in the corridor, her fingers surprisingly gentle on her hips.
Kaede blushes at the memory. The other girl only smirks, still leaning against the wall in a faux casual manner as she types nonchalantly on her ridiculously pink phone.
See, this is why Maki makes everyone who got working eyes gay. She's cool. She's so self-confident that she would make their upperclassman, Super High School Level Heir (no, not an SHSL Dick Twat, Iruma-san, and Ouma, can you please stop pretending to cry?) cower into his tall 'n' blond self with tears in his condescending eyes. Her fashion style, while quite weird, catches the eyes of those sleazy businessmen when Kaede accompanies her during a trip to the city center. And, okay, she might be an asshole from time to time, but, hey, not like Kaede is much better, considering how thoroughly she told the Super High Whatever Chief from 78th Class to go fuck himself with a baguette and/or (delete where applicable) the biggest spatula.
They guy couldn't quite get a hit that Kaede was taken. But then Maki has appeared, brimming with righteous anger, and kicked the pot-bellied cook so hard he shrieked something about Madonna.
"Perhaps he's religious?" Kaede wondered. Then she felt like swallowing her own tongue - because Angie heard that and declaimed an entire sermon on three breaths.
Maki promptly waved her as a goodbye and slithered back to her bedroom.
"You ready?" the girl asks, and Kaede pulls out from her reverie.
"Yeah, I'm- I'm ready."
"Got your phone?"
"Yes!"
"Cash?"
"M-mm!"
"Keys?"
"Of course!"
"My favorite perfume?"
"Wai- Maki, you tease." Kaede playfully punches the other girl in the arm. A bad idea.
Maki catches her hand and nestles it close to her chest, effectively pulling Kaede closer.
"You got it," she whispers, almost seductively, into her ear. "I'm glad."
Using her free palm to fan her hot cheeks, Kaede decides she can play this game too. She's gay; she has rights, yadda yadda yadda.
"And how about you, hm?" She squints at Maki and adds in an innocent tone of voice, "Are you ready for your date, Maki-chan?"
"Ugh." She pushes her away. "No Maki-chan. Please."
"Sorry," Kaede smiles. "I know, I know, you got it reserved for-"
"Yo, Harumaki!"
And in barrels Momota Kaito, the living equivalent of the fusion between Larry Butz and Solomon Starbuck. (Okay, what if Kaede is a trash for Ace Attorney? Blame the fact there are two detectives attending Hope's Peak at the same time). To Kaede's utter shock, he smoothed his ridiculous bangs into something less... Spiky.
"Hello to you too, Momota-kun," she says politely.
"Sup, Kaede!" He unglues himself from Maki and high-fives the other girl, a grin still wide on his face.
And, from behind him, Shuichi peeks out with a wry smile. Kaede catches his eye, then beckons him with a small gesture of her hand.
And her boyfriend holds onto her hand, as Momota kisses his girlfriend's cheek to her dismay.
Okay, back to beginning.
Kaede's pan. That's settled. It means she likes boys, gals and nonbinary pals. That's clear, too. But - hey. She can be with a boy. And, even if she didn't try dating Maki, only to discover that this won't work out for many reasons, for entire three months, she'd still be pan. (The girl in question too - seriously, thank god for the internet and the society-wide acceptance of LGBTQIA+ peeps, it allowed so many kids to be themselves).
And, even now, their boyfriends aren't exactly straight.
"So, let's go?" Momota-kun says cheerfully, his arm around Maki's shoulders as she rolls her eyes with a fond expression. Kaede beams at Shuichi and waves their tangled hands.
"Yeah, I think we're ready. I even got Maki's perfume on."
"Thank goodness I like it, too," Shuichi says amicably, and, gosh, Kaede will never get tired of seeing him like this, happy and lovestruck.
She looks at Maki, and Maki looks at her, and they share knowing smiles. They may not be together, but they have remained friends, and that's what counts, right?
"Demigirls unite against dumb boys?" Maki mouths.
"Demigirls unite," Kaede agrees.