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“Ahem... Hope's Peak Academy's School Trip Executive Committee has an announcement to make...
Gooooood morning everyone! Looks like today is gonna be another perfect, tropical day!
Now then, let's show some enthusiasm and make sure to give it our all today!”
This was the worst awakening, but still a good way to remind him of the nightmare he is in. A never-ending nightmare.
He sighed.
“I should join the others.”
Without the energy to live another day on this island, Hajime finally gets up. After all who would have the most energy in the middle of a waking-nightmare like this? A bear forcing people to kill each other with some kind of motive. A bear forcing your friends to kill their own friends. And you have to find who done it in a trial or you'll die with everyone but the blackened. What kind of life is it? Who would be happy to live in those conditions?
That was he routine thoughts before entering the restaurant.
“Hello.”
He was the last one to come. Everyone else was there, eating peacefully as if none of this existed.
“.. H-..Hel-” Mikan tried to greet before being cut off by someone louder than her.
“Hajime!!!”
That voice, that was Nagito. What a bad way to start the day than to have him around screaming your name.
“..Huh yes?” Hajime asked, nervously.
“Haha, good morning!”
Something is off. Nagito seemed *too* happy to see him. He definitively has something in his head, but he's too unpredictable to know in advance what he wanted. In the exception of something related to his “true hope”.
“Do you want something, Nagito?” He asked.
“Of course! Actually I wondered... What's your favorite food?”
“Huh?! Why do you ask?”
Hajime got really surprised. So much so that he overthought and analysed his question. Too unpredictable. That thing has nothing to do with hope or talents. It's just... a normal question? That's why it's weird for him to ask. But how to know if he just wanted to be friendly or if he has something in his head? He couldn't tell.
“I can't? I know a trash like me shouldn't ask something about your taste and all, you would have preferred it to be someone else, I'm sorry.”
“... Oranges.” He replied desperately.
Actually he gave up. He had no clue. He knew that Nagito didn't asked that to be friendly but he couldn't think about another reason.
He noticed Mikan, whom where near Nagito, turning red.
What's going on? He asked himself.
“Mikan, are you okay?“
“Ah! .. Hu..Hum y-yes..” She replied, embarrassed.
“Great!” Shouted Nagito. “Now tell me, what do you like about oranges?” We could see some kind of glitters around him by asking that question, as if it was wonderful.
Why do you even care? Thought Hajime. “Well I think it's cute.. And I like its juice, it's sweet as I like..”
Again, he noticed Mikan's reaction, this time she got light red and she's playing with her fingers.
“Mikan, your face is all red since a moment. Are you sick?“ Asked Hajime with worry.
“Oh huh, e-everything is okay! I'm sorry that my face bothered you!” She replied nervously.
“What? No that's not it. I'm just worried about you. You should take some rest if you need to.”
“I promise that I'm fine! B-But if you ask does that mean you actually care about me? Heehee.”
What's that question? And why everyone is acting strange today?
“Of course. You are my friend after all!”
“I'm glad...”She smiled.
Her cheeks are still red but she seemed to be fine. That's what Hajime wanted to think but actually he's still worried. He cannot find another reason for her to turn red. Also it's weird for her to lie about that, as the Ultimate Nurse she should take care about herself, she knows more than everyone how to be cured. So why doesn't she do anything? He had no clue.
“So that's it?” Asked Nagito, disappointed.
“Huh?“
Actually he was so worried about Mikan that he forgot about Nagito even if he was the one who asked those weird questions. But now what's with that reaction? Why does he look so disappointed as if he was waiting for another answer? Just before he looked so happy and now…?
“How simplistic.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Hajime, there is truly no hope in what you just said.”
Ah, the Nagito everyone knows. The one who always talk about hope.
He didn’t even wait for Hajime's reply. Nagito just left him alone with Mikan, he was very disappointed. After all, why would he even stay with someone without any hope inside of them? Well even if this isn't related.
“What the heck just happened?” Asked Hajime.
“Maybe he ate something he doesn't like..?” Replied Mikan nervously.
Speaking about Mikan, now that Nagito is no longer here, she's not red anymore. She turned back to normal actually. Maybe Nagito told her something awkward for her to act like this. Or before Hajime came she fell in an embarrassing way, Mikan is very clumsy, nobody, even herself, can tell how she can find herself in such situations. It's logically impossible for someone, even something, to fell like she does. It's more like a talent, but what talent could put you in embarrassing poses without meaning to? Fortunately she has a better talent. She's the Ultimate Nurse, not the Ultimate Fell-In-A-Sexy-Slash-Embarrassing-Way.
Hajime was relieved to see Mikan getting better. So he smiled kindly when looking at her.
This cause her to fall.
“Mikan!”He screamed.
Fortunately he had the good reflex to catch her before she hits the ground. He realized that she got red again, but even more than before. He couldn't help but getting worried.
“Mikan, are you okay?!”
“Y..y-..yes H...Haj...jime... heehee..”
She's everything but okay. Now the problem is: She's the only nurse here. But she's not in a condition to take care of herself.
“She needs some rest. ...I think.” Said a calm voice.
He raises his head to see who's talking. Even if he didn't need to see her to know that it was Chiaki. I think, she is the only one who says that at the end of a sentence. Only she has a soft, soothing voice like this. Actually he was so worried about Mikan that he wanted to confirm that the voice wasn't in his head.
“Rest..? Chiaki, would you mind to help me bring her to her cottage?”
She didn't replied, instead of that she goes first. Hajime carried entirely Mikan and follow Chiaki.
So she just need some rest? Does she overworked again? She has that habit of working too much without thinking about her sanity and this makes Hajime to worry a lot about her. More than anyone else. He wishes that she takes care more about herself, health goes first.
He decided that when she'll get better he'll talk to her about that. He needed her to be healthy.
They are in front of Mikan's cottage. But they don't have the key and none of them would dare to search her body without her consent.
“Badum... Badum...”
What the heck is this? They turn to the strange sound. And of course that was Monokuma who just appeared from nowhere.
“One isn't enough, you need two?”
“What do you want?” Asked Hajime coldly.
“Actually you could help us. Can you open Mikan's cottage? She needs to rest for a while.”
“Why should I do that?” Asked the bear.
Of course he wont help them, this isn't something related to a murder.
“Puhuhu, by-bye!”
And he's gone. He really came just to say that?
“Let's go to your cottage, Hajime.” Said Chiaki.
“M-Mine? I was thinking we were going in yours since you are both girls..”
“Yours is near.” She pouted.
He didn’t has his word to say so he agreed to go in his cottage. Chiaki opened the door, for some reason it wasn't locked. Actually Hajime couldn’t recall when he locked it so he thought that he forgot. But for now that was a good thing, he couldn't search for his key since he carried Mikan.
Hajime set her gently on his bed.
Deep inside him he hoped that she doesn't care to be in his bed. To be in a boy's bed. But he couldn't do otherwise for now.
“I leave the rest to you.” Said Chiaki before leaving.
Again, he didn't got the time to reply that she already left. Now that's awkward. Two people in a bedroom, in his bedroom. He didn’t know what to do. Did he really have something to do actually? She just needed to rest. And that's what she's doing. She's sleeping peacefully. She looked really cute and calm.
Cute and calm. That's the words he had in mind when seeing her right now. It makes him happy to think how cute she was. He could look at her for hours. But isn't it weird to look at someone who's sleeping? He didn’t know. He didn’t think about that. He just needed to make sure to be there when she woke up. To be certain she's alright. So he stayed next to her.
She opened her eyes delicately. The first thing she saw was Hajime sitting next to her on a chair.
“Welcome back.” He said with a bright smile.
“AH!”She screamed by standing up. “Wh-Where are we?”
“Hey calm down! We are just in my cottage. You acted strange and you suddenly fell, remember? You needed some rest but your cottage is closed so we brought you in mine.”
“We? Oh no, did I perhaps bothered you? I'm so soorryyy!”
She really needed to be reassured.
“No don't worry! Chiaki and I helped you because we care about you. So please tell me, are you feeling better?”
“...I think.”
“You think?”
“I mean. I didn't felt bad or anything like that. I actually felt very well.”
He wondered why she was lying. It's not normal to turn red and fell like she did for no reason. He was sure she's hiding something but what? And why?
“So why did you fell? You were sleeping, you didn't need rest at all?” He asked, confused.
“Do you remember Nagito's questions?” She asked.
That's right, his questions. He asked Hajime what's his favorite food and why does he liked that. And he was happy with his answer before getting upset for the second one. But why now? Again this has nothing to do with Mikan's health.
“Yes, what's with that?”
“You told him that your favorite food are oranges, correct? When you said that.. did you thought about... me?” She asked nervously, blushing.
“You..?-”
He's confused again. He still didn't get what's linked between oranges and hope but now he had to guess the link between oranges and Mikan. So he's thinking very seriously.
Just like in the trials. He seemed to be absent when thinking deeply. He looked very concentrate.
Why does she think oranges are related to her? Because Mikan means orange in Japanese.
Why does Mikan blushed suddenly? She thought about herself.
So he already knew Hajime's favorite food and asked that on purpose because she was near? Yes.
It's all coming together!
“W-Wait! That's a misunderstanding! I-I really like oranges!” He said, embarrassed.
She seems sad. Now Hajime felt bad. Why any of his answers makes people sad or disappointed?
“I...” He tried to say.
He thought about his reply. Cute and sweet. Now that he thought about it, it is true that he has recently been thinking about Mikan's cuteness. Even just before he couldn't get his eyes off of her when she was sleeping, cutely. He started blushing and looked away.
“Well.. I was talking about the fruit but.. I think no less of you.. A-Actually you are really cute and I don't say that to reassure you, I mean that.” He said after getting enough courage.
“Really?” She's blushing.
Yes, she's really cuter when she's happy.
“Actually I think I'm in love with you.”
He said that without thinking. It took him a moment before realizing that he talked out loud. Now he's more red than Mikan was before. So he sets his eyes on her to face her reaction.
She exploded with love.
“Mi-Mikan?!” He screamed. “I'm sorry, please wake up!!”
What he doesn't know is that she was really happy. Someone who finally love her in the way she does. She could be more than happy. Maybe she's the only one to be this happy in a nightmare like this island... Or not. Hajime would also be happy. Well.. When he’d manages to wake her up.