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Click.
The shutter flashed, capturing a sunny day and a frame full of people gathered around a wooden picnic table. A candid that still captured everyone's natural smiles.
"Alright, birthday picnic!" Ibuki threw her hands in the air as Sonia helped Teruteru to present his masterfully made traditional birthday sheet cake.
"Mahiru put the camera down! Come grab a slice." Hajime beckoned her with the paper plates he'd been gladly stuck in charge of, beaming a smile that warranted capturing just as much as his last one. Every second that passed with her friends, full of so much warmth and light, was another photo missed.
"Oh, hang on one second. I want to get one of all you guys singing Happy Birthday!" She took a couple steps back, readjusting her angle and thinking out the perfect shot. Everyone had yet to return from the playground to their left or, in Akane's case, floating face down in the river on the right. (After the first few panicked rescue attempts they were forced to accept she just 'liked to swim like that' .)
"Would someone tell the rest of the boys to stop... Monkeying around on the playground!" She faltered over her words, sounding like an irritated mom. She watched as Nekomaru and Fuyuhiko seemingly tortured Nagito by twisting the chains of the tire swing, winding it tighter and tighter to make him spin faster. Peko waved over the heads of those sat down like good kids on the bench, catching the shortest boy's attention immediately. The gangster quickly abandoned a motion sick Nagito to be everyone else’s problem as he jogged to her side. Mahiru just sighed, returning her green eyes to holding the camera over her face and taking a few more shots while the candles melted further and further down.
Click.
This time the sound was a mechanical imitation coming out of a low-quality speaker. Accompanied by the most annoying LED flash. It made her jump for a second, turning to realize Kazuichi had pointed his camera at her.
"Cheese," he instructed.
"You're supposed to say it before you take the picture," Mahiru said, straightening her posture back from her photo-taking stance.
"I know," he laughed, making her eyes roll on cue of the sound alone. "I didn't want to ruin the shot though."
Kazuichi proudly jutted his phone out, knowing it was nothing like the Ultimate Photographer could produce.
"Doesn't anyone ever take pictures of you?” he asked. “If you're always behind the camera, you won't be in as many memories." Being behind them was just as good to her, she was responsible for literally making the memories. But that missed his point entirely. To the rest of them, it wasn't just as good when she deserved to be present on film too.
"I don't think anyone wants to look at a picture of me taking a picture."
"Then we wouldn't get any pictures of you at all,” Kazuichi teased the way Mahiru was constantly behind her camera taking quick shots of everything.
The rest of the boys arrived, Nagito looking like he had sea legs from his ride on the swing, and a nasty red mark in the shape of a chain-link across his face. Mahiru sighed.
“Nagito, just… stand in the back,” she instructed with a point.
“No problem, I understand. Worthless guy like me-,” He followed her instructions, sticking himself at the back of the group crowding around the end of the table. “Dude, you’re ruining the moment, just shut the fuck up and stand.” Fuyuhiko had to inch closer to the front level to be seen below the taller heads. Peko was just over his shoulder watching Mikan like a hawk. Too many commemorative photos had been ruined at this point. If anyone had the reflexes to catch her, it would be Peko.
Kazuichi, still acting like a pain, shoved his phone out to show the photo he’d captured of Mahiru.
“Well the quality isn't the best, I actually tinkered with the camera on my phone already.” The first go he’d given it, the thing overheated burning too much power so he toned it back down. Mahiru studied the picture of herself, terrible hunched posture, squinted eyes, messy hair. That was why she wasn’t on camera.
“It’s fine, Kazuichi! Jeez, just get in the shot before the candles burn down all the way.” This was taking longer than it should have, but dealing with their class was always like wrangling cats.
“Okay, okay you’re so snippy.” He shoved the cellphone back in one of his many jumpsuit pockets, jogging into frame.
Hajime beamed at the mechanic, giving his shoulder a slap as the two murmured over their laughs in the foreground. A moment Mahiru managed to capture with expertise.
"Okay everyone, huddle in!" Mahiru waved her hand for them to all finally squeeze in together tight. "Say cheese!"
"Cheeeeese."
Click
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