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The ticking of the clock suddenly grew more deafening by the second, certainly reaching every nook and cranny of the room for it was the only sound that existed in the enclosed space. No, not just the clock; even the silence underlying was just as deafeningly buzzing in surely anyone's ears. The air was still lingering uncomfortably with the weight of which consisted solely of the sustained wait of the only other sound to later appear, Monokuma's nighttime announcement. For those akin to Shuichi, a stark difference could be made between this limbo of eventful occurrences and a truly tranquil silence. No, how could any moment of this unnerving situation they were put in be adequately comfortable? The subject of murder and killings were constantly being hammered into their heads by the accursed mastermind ever since they set foot in here, it was almost possible for them to start committing it lest the mastermind starts executing a lethal and convincing plot to get the game started. And while Shuichi was taking his time getting to know the other poor folks trapped here with him, his mind definitely couldn't escape enacting worst case scenarios when he was alone.
At least, the card reader served as a good lead. Having only told Kaede, progress was thought to be made when they began brainstorming the camera trap plan, but to no avail. But no matter how many cameras they had set, no vivid picture of the mastermind appeared in the photos. They had to take another approach.
Now, Shuichi was seated on his desk, wracking his brain for ideas. Aware of the watching cameras installed onto the ceiling behind his back, he knew he couldn't write down or whip up a diagram to deduce out of. But if he used his detective skills properly, even without visual outlet, he was certain he could come up with something worth discussing with Kaede and finally be able to talk to her again and have a good time together and see the beautiful smile that sent his heart flying to heaven adorn her angelic face that almost, if not perfectly, mimicked the brightness of the sun--
"Gagh! What am I thinking?!" The now flustered boy thought aloud, thrashing himself against the bed and felt as the sheets bounced back in response. His initial mission—mission 'think of a plan to expose the mastermind and roll with it'—had been miserably aborted for a headspace filled with an abundance of mental recollections of the girl he'd been falling for these past few days. It was cheesy, and it definitely had been a brief amount of time since they met, but those weren't reason enough to stop him from falling deeper into the romantic bliss he kept for her and only her.
No one in his life ever supported him the way she did. Her positive demeanor was bound to attract others—even opposites, but that alone didn't create the pithole of love he fell from; no matter where he stood or walked, the vulnerable side of Shuichi Saihara would always be out in the open, making it inseparable from his identity as a whole and nobody ever tried to help him deal with his insecurities, until he met Kaede. Oh, if only the situation was any different.
*𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘨!*
The bell rang in the midst of his daydreaming, abruptly cutting it to a stop. Hopping to his feet, he went for the door. Though he may not look like one to socialize much, he would never turn down a humble visit especially from his friends or family or in this case, the other folks trapped here with him. And so, the entrance swung open in a swift motion.
"Hi, Shuichi!"
A fresh heavenly breeze met his face and swept his parted bangs delicately but passionately at the same time, or perhaps it was just his imagination? It most likely was, since that was a surely accurate description of Kaede's sweet smile that greeted him on the door. Her blonde locks were parted neatly per usual framing her petite face. A waving hand was extended to greet Shuichi as he stood at the doorway. Not to mention, she smelled good...
"Oh- Hi, Kaede," He replied as a beam tugged on his lips. "I assume you want to discuss our plans?"
Kaede hesitated for a moment. "I wouldn't mind if we talk about plans, but I really wanna hangout with you, y'know? We've all been worried about all the stuff Monokuma's been spitting, so I thought we could amend our relationship with each other while we're at it! After all, if we all get on the same terms, we could overthrow the mastermind together!"
There it was, the radiant positivity that never failed to mesmerize Shuichi. Getting them all together was never his plan, but Kaede having plans on her own could never disappoint him.
"Ah, I see. That's brilliant," He praised heartily, closing the door behind him. "So where are we heading?"
"Let's go to the A/V room! Watching a video or movie together is always a great way to spend time."
"Alright, let's go."
***
All his life, leisure time for Shuichi meant reading books or studying case files—both solved and cold cases—given by his uncle. Accompanied by a drink, preferably a cup of tea, he would sit drilling his eyes into every word printed onto the occasionally yellowed papers and piece together the information he gathered after to form a conclusion. It would always bring a smile to his uncle's face, even if said conclusion was incorrect or unlikely. But it wasn't like he was closed off or antisocial, he had been invited to hangout a few times at the weekend by his classmates, but even then he would always be the quietest one in the group.
But he had better learn to be accustomed if he wanted to know Kaede better. Scanning the contents of the shelf, various titles were arranged neatly next to each other, yet none of them neither the detective nor the pianist had ever heard before. They would squint at an abnormal title every now and then, but managed to return to the maroon couch with plenty of tapes in their hands.
"I hope this'll be good... I honestly can't tell especially if it's that bear supplying these." Kaede heaved a sigh, giving the tapes a hopeful glance as she plopped down onto the couch. "But at least the room's cozy! It reminds me of that one concert venue with a fancy fireplace and fleece carpet. Not the most traditionally artsy, but it definitely helped keep my fingers warm pre-performance."
"I guess it's situated that way for watching films. I have to admit, the gray walls are quite monotone, but with some adjustments this place could perfectly resemble a living room." Shuichi stated, observing the room in more detail. And monotone it was, being a space only filled with couches and racks of videos. It looked less like home, and more like a breakout room of an office workplace.
On the top of the stack he and his hangout partner had previously assembled, was a tape that read "The Wizard of Monomi" overlaying a childishly coloured cover with an adorable mascot resembling a rabbit drawn at the center. Red text reading "No. 1 Best Seller" was plastered all over as if eagerly boasting the questionable fact. Shuichi slid the tape into the projector and sat right next to an enthusiastic Kaede, whose eyes were extensively fixated on the screen. The machine casted a bright light onto the screen, serving as the sole illumination in the room.
But of course, it had to be a film centered around Monokuma. Somehow. The two cursed themselves for not seeing this coming.
"Oh man, that was terrible." Commented Kaede, disappointed. "I've never seen a movie that bad in my entire life."
Shuichi scoffed. "Yeah, me too. I bet the rest of these all share similar contents."
"There's just no getting out of here, is there...?" The once bubbly tone in the blonde's voice turned into a downhearted lament, the unexpected change of attitude worsened with the frown that replaced her cheery smile.
Shuichi never thought he'd see the day Kaede considered giving up. She was the little ray of sunshine promoting optimism to the group, and even though there was nothing wrong in being exhausted by the emotionally taxing stakes considering the situation they were in, it felt wrong to give in to despair now.
"Kaede..." He gave her a soft gaze, scooting closer to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Please, don't start thinking like that. If there was a way in, there's a way out, that's the most logical conclusion. And everybody here wants out, I'm pretty sure you feel the same way. The reason we haven't found an exit is because, well, we haven't found it yet. Plus, if we try to contain the mastermind, we could get out of here as soon as possible."
"I-- I know, it's just..." The pianist rubbed her arm anxiously. "It just feels like it's going on forever, you know? I understand it's only been six days, but what if we're wrong? What if there's no way out and- and we just have to be trapped here forever until we actually start killing each other?
Besides, if that is true, then I'm just promoting everyone false hope. I'm just afraid I'm putting everyone in more trouble just because we don't know what we're doing, Shuichi."
"Kaede, don't say that. You-- We're not promoting false hope, especially when that hope is all we can cling onto to survive." An unconscious impulse took over the detective's arm to grab the brim of his hat and take it off, revealing a dark blue head with a piece sticking out in a curve to the other's surprise. "Out of all the people I know, you're the most positive and caring person, and it shows. You don't just force everyone to believe they can get out, you also listen to their stories and understand them better. Thanks to you, we all realize how much we need to escape and survive—together. So please, don't give up, I beg you."
"Shuichi...?"
For at least a second, the air in the room felt stagnant, with silence settling in. As if an after-math left by the impact of Shuichi's earnest encouraging words, no appropriate response seemed to come up for Kaede to utter. If only she hadn't said something so upsetting, the mood wouldn't have changed this drastically. Yet for some reason, she found the speech touching to an uncalled level of intensity. The way Shuichi delivered it with so much passion—was her presence really that meaningful to him?
"Shuichi... you took off your hat."
"What? ... Oh!" He jolted at the sudden realization, seeing his cap all the way in the grip of his right hand dangling from the couch. "Sorry, I'll put it back. That was uncalled for."
As he bent his elbow to place it back atop his head, Kaede fiercely blocked his arm. Her plum irises shot into his, maintaining intense eye contact. "No, don't. I like seeing you like this."
She snatched the cap before proceeding to extend an arm and stroke his silky blue hair gently, the unexpected gentle gesture forcing a blush out of the latter. Heart throbbing and pumping in accelerating speed, it was the same for both of them. There it was, the angelic beam Shuichi always wanted to see; except, it grew more divine as more seconds passed by.
"You're so handsome, Shuichi." She complimented—no, it wasn't a simple compliment, more like a matter-of-fact statement coming from a place of true honesty. A giggle escaped her lips. "You should honestly be more confident of yourself... You know, I adore how you always do your best and be there for us. I've been… wanting to tell you something." The blonde cleared her throat, her voice softening.
"I think I like you."
Breathless, swept away like the tides of the ocean reeling back sand into the vast seas. The fleeting sensation of bliss once again took control, rendering him vulnerable to the emotions surfacing in immense speed like a surge of electricity striking his entire body. At this point, his face was flushed red to seemingly no end as he tried to process what happenstance just took place. His grip loosened, contrary to the heart wildly drumming and tightening his chest from the inside.
"K-Kaede? A-Are you... telling the t-truth?" He stammered, but the girl before him didn't seem to flinch or look away at his extremely unmanly self, a lack of ideal others are more likely to mock him for.
"O-Of course, you dummy! I never lied to you..." The pianist was now rubbing her arm, flustered and as red as Shuichi was. "Gagh! Now you're making me nervous... Was I wrong in choosing to do this?" Her voice had been decreased to the point where her words became inaudible mumbles to the boy across her.
So, it was real. The impossible just became possible. What Shuichi thought was only a distant unachievable dream just came true that moment, in the form of a confession. But that only meant one thing for him now; no holding back.
"Y-You didn't make the wrong choice!" He semi-shouted almost immediately, cupping together Kaede's slim hands with all his strength. "I feel the same way."
And now, it was her turn to get flustered. Shuichi's hands were... unexpectedly warm. Extremely warm, like a cup of tamagozake in the middle of freezing winter while seated next to a burning western-style fireplace. Though it was supposedly still far from winter, it was this warmth that gave Kaede the determination to go on and feel more of it, which she desired to further share with her newfound friends.
"You made me worried there for a bit..." She faked a pout, trying to drag a reaction out of him. "I knew you liked me, that's why I even brought you here in the first place."
"W-Wait, you already knew?! How, when?"
"You're the detective here! If anyone here's supposed to spot any secret hidden romantic feelings, it's you." Scooting closer, Shuichi's grip on her hands began to loosen, and so she took the initiative to hold them close against her chest. "Can you feel my heartbeat? That's all the tension from waiting for you to start confessing first. And I've waited 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.
Accustomed to his introverted habits, the response prompted the aforementioned detective to figure out whether or not it was a cue to start apologizing. "Um... Sorry?"
"Wha-- What are you apologizing for? Even if I had to talk first in order to get you to confess, it's definitely worth it!"
Complying with the urges of a heart full of love, Kaede pulled Shuichi into a warm embrace, the latter returning it just as lovingly. For once, something in the Killing School Semester felt relieving, apart from all the continuous bizarreness that became a headache everytime as they tried to solve it. It was corny, but he felt like the luckiest man in the world.
"I can't believe I'm saying this..." Kaede's words were muffled against Shuichi's suit, though still comprehensible. "I love you, Shuichi."
"I love you too, Kaede."