Chapter Text
My name is Saihara Shuichi. I am the Super High School Level Detective or, Ultimate Detective for short. I am a normal student, apart from my Ultimate title, and my actions are normal too. Ah, but I have a weakness I can’t quite deal with... I… I am weak to cuteness. I try to maintain my composure, although it's quite hard. Currently, this frailty of mine is resumed in one person: Ouma Kokichi. I cannot help but look at him whenever he passes by and even my classmates already noticed that. They think I have a crush on him… Ah, it’s not quite that. Seriously, I just have a weakness for things I find cute.
I attend the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, an institution that has a special education method to develop the talents some kids show from very young. It seems like I was luckily chosen to be part of the students who frequent the school.
For each class, which is formed by 16 Ultimate students, there is a hotel like space to live and only us, students from each specific class, are the ones allowed to live there. I have been far from home and now living with those classmates of mine for about 8 months. I even kind of feel as if I know them more than my family... Actually, I would be able to say that if it was not for one person among them who I cannot seem to figure out, and they happen to be my weakness… I have talked to Ouma-kun multiple times but he still is a total mystery. I cant help but feel attracted to mysteries as the Ultimate Detective…. Yeah, I cannot help.
Right now, I am at the library reading one of the books I intend to finish today. I find myself at peace in this room. There is always silence and I seem to concentrate the best here. Also… he comes here. Even if it is just a glance… it is still an opportunity to talk to Ouma-kun-
“-ey… - I SAID, ‘HEEEEEY’!” Someone called me out.
I glanced at the individual.
“Oh, it’s you Akamatsu-chan.”
“Hey, cut out with the formalities! We are friends! I already said this multiple times and I will keep repeating: Just call me Kaede. You are one of my real friends, Shuichi.”
“Oh, I’m sorry… habits,” I smiled uncertainly.
This is Kaede and we are childhood friends. We happened to frequent the same school and class by luck. We often hang out in the library. The difference is that she almost just looks for piano music books and me for documents, information books, and some novels.
“But hey! You were pretty out of it just now! What were you thin- Oh, perhaps…~? Were you thinking about him~?” She grinned at me.
“Wha-! W-What makes you t-think that?!”
“I knew it! Shuichi, you should confess. It's obvious you are totally high over heels for him! I bet even he knows that! Though I am not quite sure he is a good person for you… yeah, you might be too good for him.”
“…” I sighed.
“What is it?”
“It is not like I ‘like’ him. I just fi- Oh, forget it…” I told her a little embarrassed. I almost said some things I should have not, even if she is my childhood friend.
“What? Something you can’t tell me? Jeez, come on! You know I won’t tell anyone!”
“… We are not in the most appropriate place, anyone could be overhearing our conversation-” I was interrupted.
“Annnd you aree riiiiiiiighht!” I heard his voice coming from behind me.
“?! O-Ouma-kun?!” I looked at him. Ah… he is so cute.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t spying over the conversation of you two or anything like that!” He said carefreely. And I bet that is a lie.
“Why would I believe you?” Kaede asked.
“Wow, Akamatsu-chan! You hurt me! How can you be so suspicious of your friends?!” He cried fake tears. I think I am used to it by now…
“Of course I would! And also-”
“Ooohh! Saihara-chan! Soo~ Who is that person you like?” He grinned mischievously.
“W-Why should I tell you?”
“Wah- You admit you like him?!” Kaede asked, eyes widened and surprised face.
“N-No! I already told you, I don’t like him!”
“Hhhmmmm… Is that really true?” She asked.
“You are obviously lying Saihara-chan. Whoever this person is, it is obvious you like them,” Ouma said with a serious face.
“Wha?!” I blushed.
“So I was right?!” He asked with a smile. He was bluffing?!
“No! No…! You are wrong…! I just- I have a weakness for- Oh! F-For-For-Forget it!” I averted my gaze. It almost slipped from my mouth!
“The Ultimate Detective, Saihara-chan, has a weakness? Now I’m interested!” Ouma said somehow excited.
“Ouma-kun, let’s try and discover ourselves!”
“Offf cooourse!” They high fived.
“Y-You won’t find it out…”
“I dunno about that! I am the Ultimate Supreme Leader, I can have aaany type of knowledge on top of my hands whenever I want!”
“Then tell us who the person Shuichi likes is,” Kaede requested.
“Do you really want me to say it out loud in front of your embarrassed friend?” He asked seriously.
I can’t take it anymore. I would without a doubt prefer not to know if that is the truth or just a lie because if I know he actually knows I kind of like him. It will just make things strange between us.
“I have to go to the bathroom, I will be right back,” I said, leaving the place.
“Wow, I think he got mad at you…” It was Ouma-kun’s voice.
“He is not mad, he is embarrassed,” I could hear them saying.
I walked to the bathroom with my face burning all the way. When I got there, I simply splashed some water on my face then dried it with toilet paper. If I stayed with those two any longer I would probably become a living human tomato… Actually, I think I already am one now.
I decided to return to my dormitory to rethink some things.
...
Later on, I hear the doorbell ring. I opened the door to see the purple-haired boy at the entrance of my room.
“My beloved Saihara-chan! Are you busy? Let’s hang out!”
Beloved… What?
“No, I am not. We can go right now-”
Ouma jumped, pulled my hat off, then started running.
“He-hey! Give it back!” I chased after him.
He was too fast. I could not keep up with his speed nor with his resistance and soon I gave out. What a problem…. Because he disappeared from my sight in no time!
I was going back to the dorms when I saw a white clothing shadow entering the library. I bet it was him! I ran after the person. Soon as I entered, I did not see anyone, but I saw my hat in the back of the room, on top of a pile of books. I sighed. At least he did not keep it forever! I extended my hand to get my belonging, but something got it first, so fast I almost didn’t see it. I turned around and stared at a grinning Ouma, with my hat in his hands.
“Ouma-kun… Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Why? ‘Cause it’s fun!”
“Can you please give it back?”
“I’ll think about it if you drop on your knees and beeeeeg me from the bottom of your heart!”
I stared at the boy in silence, waiting for him to say that was a lie.
Oh, he really meant it. “Of course I wouldn’t do that!”
“Then no hats to you! Nishishishi!” I sighed and stared at him. Suddenly he got closer and reduced the space between our faces. I retreated on reflex. “Hey, why do you use a hat Saihara-chan? You are quite handsome you know that?"
“W-What?”
Waahh, he is so close! Seeing him with a zoom like this… He seems even cuter…!
“Grrr, you are so lucky! Beyond a detective, you are an Ultimate, and even handsome!”
“C-Cut it out! Give my hat back!”
“Ooohhh~? Are you shy~?”
“I- I am not shy…” I averted my gaze.
“Li~ar~ Nishishishi! Here, take it! I found your hat and I even had the trouble of giving it back to you, so you owe me! Now you have to come and hang out with me, let’s go?”
“The hat was mine all along… And I didn’t refuse your request for hanging out.”
“Nah! Whatever! Let’s first have a tea break!”
...
I don't know why he brought me to have tea with him, but it was not bad… He finished his cup and went to get another. At least I don't need, for now, an excuse to look at him. He is cute, from the top of his hair to the bottom of his feet. His proportions are small, and his slender body quite beautiful…
“Wow, you are a silent pervert, aren’t you?”
“Wh-Wh-What?!” Did he catch me staring at him?!
I felt my cheeks burn. Burn!
“Don’t pretend to not know, you were obviously looking at my-!”
“I wasn’t! I was simply thinking…”
“Wow! That is even worse! And what kind of dirty thoughts were you having while looking at my-”
“I-I already told you I wasn’t looking there…!”
“One liar knows another. I can tell you are lying.”
It is not like I am lying, I was staring at his legs, not at his…… But now I am quite curious to look there though… Ah, what colour does it have…?
“Saihara-chan, did I just give you a new idea of something dirty to think…? Because you have been spacing out right in front of me for quite a while… And your eyes are dooooown there…”
“…Ah! I-I’m sorry…! It wasn’t a-anything like t-that!” I blushed more.
“Oh my! You are stuttering even more now! So I was right! You know, the more I think about it, the more I believe the person you actually like… is this sexy boy in front of you!” He winked teasingly.
“Wha-! N-No! I don’t even like you!"
“!” Even Ouma seemed widened his eyes. “…”
“N-No! I didn’t mean it li-like that! I..! I meant like! I like you, but I don’t like you that way though!”
“… Was that a slip of tongue?” He smirked.
“W-What do you mean?”
“Shuichi… Are you in the denying phase?” Ouma tilted his head.
“! Wh-What do you mean b-by denying phase…?” I averted my gaze.
“I knew it! So the person you are in love with is really me Saihara-chan… And don’t deny it! Actually, I knew all along it was me, nishishi!”
“!”
“… Hahahahahaha! Your expression right now is priceless!” Ouma had one of his creepy faces.
“S-Stop messing with me…” I averted my gaze. My cheeks burned even more at that moment.
“So, where should we go after here?”
“What?”
“I know, I know! Let’s go to your room!”
“Wh-Why?! There is nothing to do there!”
“Are you sure?” He smirked.
Aaahhh, now that he knows that I know that he knew I liked him, I bet he will start provoking me in various ways. I know he does not have any romantic interest in me… it will be kind of hard to not be reciprocated. W-Wait! But you don’t even like him Shuichi! Aaahh…
“Ouma, if you don’t like me, please don’t tease me.”
“I am not teasing you. And I am not lying.”
I simply stared at him in total disbelief.
“Don’t make that face! Anyways, it's time to go to your room! Come on!”
...
I don’t know why I followed him, but I did so. Worse, I do not know why I let him inside my room. He entered looking around at first, and then jumped on my bed.
“Hhhmmm, this bed covers tooootally smell like Saihara-chan!”
“What? How can you even know my smell?”
“Because I know?”
… Is that a lie? And now that we are on about smells… Ouma sure smells nice. Is that perfume he uses…?
“Your room seems nice though. And veeery clean. Seems like you, Saihara-chan!”
“Thanks?”
“Oh, what is this~?” He took a book from the shelf. “The Phantom Thief and The Detective. You like romance?”
“Ah, it’s not like that… rather… I like things that are mysterious.”
“So I am mysterious to you?”
“… Yeah,” Wait. Why did I answer it as if admitting I like him!
“Hhhmmm…”
He got up from the bed and took a bottle- Wait, that is poison!
“Don’t touch that!” I took it from his hands in a hast. “It's poison! Just the smell of it can knock you out. Don’t touch it.”
“Why do you have something like this in your room?”
“Ah, I was researching it… I need to know about it in order to do better detective work in the future.”
“Wow, you sound passionate.”
“… Why did you come here in the first place?” I asked.
“To have fun?” … That is a lie. “Hey, how about we read manga together?”
“Okay…?”
“Wait here for a moment!”
The boy got out of the room. I sat on my bed and waited for Ouma to come back. He was quite fast and soon appeared with the Japanese HQ on his hands, eyes glowing. Aahh, he sure is cute. How am I going to deal with it…?
“Okay, let’s read it!” He smiles.
...
It was not a boring book. Rather, it was very interesting. It was a romance between a detective and a boy. The detective dressed as a boy or a girl sometimes and we both guessed and wondered about which their real gender was. We are now on the last 10 pages, and Ouma seems relaxed about being near me. I think I am the only one tense. Since we started, I have been having this strange ache in the heart, and it keeps beating very fast. I also bet my cheeks have been burning since then.
“… Hey Saihara-chan.”
“What?”
“Can I sit on your lap?”
“Wha-”
He just got on my lap and continued reading. But.. waahh, he is so small… how am I supposed to deal with him? Should I let him stay…? My logical thinking is telling me to push him from my lap, but my heart says the opposite. This confused feeling is so… suffocating…
“Your heart is pounding even faster now. You must really like me,” He sounded serious.
“… Why did you even bother asking if you were going to do it anyway?”
“To fluster you.”
“…!”
Is it really the truth? It sounds like the truth, but it could be a lie… Ugh, I get very confused whenever I am with him…
I tried to ignore the cute person on my lap but it was impossible. I could not concentrate on the rest of the manga.
“That was a good story! It was not boring at all!”
… I can’t help but think the opposite when he says it like that.
“Hhhmmm?” He said. “Saihara-chan, you are quite bold aren’t you? You didn’t even push me from-”
I took Ouma by the armpits and suspended him in the air. Why did I not do this before? Carrying him in the air, I opened my room, put him outside, and without saying anything I closed the door on his face.
AAAHHHH. Whhaaa… I think I may like him… But… Is he toying with me…? Is he just toying with my feelings or is he covering up his own feelings with lies? Well... Ah, I guess I have to think some things over...