Chapter Text
“I’ll say, this mystery was getting very exciting, but the twist of the detective having been the culprit was very disappointing.”
“Agreed. I would swear ‘the detective cannot be the culprit’ is a written rule.”
Kirumi and Shuichi were seated in the maid’s lab as they discussed their book of the week. It had been a couple of weeks since they, along with 14 others, were put in an academy of the sorts. The bear in charge, Monokuma, claimed everyone should be getting along for… some reason. Nobody had figured that out yet, but to the very least Kirumi and Shuichi had found they shared an interest for detective novels. To fill up their time, each week they picked out a new book to then discuss at the end.
“I guess this is to be expected from a book written by Monokuma," the boy ticked on the author’s name written on the back, accompanied by a picture of the black and white bear himself. “I sincerely hope the others are not like this. We only just got started.”
“Realistically there should be at least some other good ones in between.” Kirumi closed her copy. “Although I suppose expectations should be kept low for the one who is keeping us trapped here.”
“Well, it’s my turn to pick one out for the coming week, so I’ll do my best.”
The maid gave a nod in exchange. Shuichi was a smart guy, perhaps since he is a detective himself he would be able to pick out a good novel. How fascinating would that be? If he could, that would just be another reason on Kirumi’s list on why she would want to serve the boy as his maid.
A small knock on the door interrupted the two’s conversation as Kaede, the Ultimate Pianist, poked her head through it.
“Hello, hello,” the pianist smiled. “I hope I am not interrupting anything.”
Kirumi raised from her seat. “It’s quite all right. Do you require my assistance with anything? Cleaning your piano, perhaps?”
“Ah no, no!” Kaede walked in further as she studied the shiny dining room. Her lab was quite a mess in comparison, maybe she should ask Kirumi some time if she can help her out. “Actually, I am having a girls’ night in my room today, and I wanted to invite you! Every time you have been ‘hanging out’ with us you were essentially just working and that doesn’t cut it.”
Shuichi noticed the small pout appearing on the blonde’s face. “I suppose I’m not allowed to join?”
Kaede stuck her tongue out to him, waving him off. “What do you say, Kirumi?”
“A girls night…?” Kirumi caressed her chin a bit. Admittedly, she had much more important things to do than whatever the content of such a night is supposed to be.
“I’m sure it would be good for you, Kirumi," the detective noted, almost as if he could see the doubt on her face. “Kaede’s right, you’re always working. Although very admirable, you deserve some rest too. And otherwise, it’d make good intel.”
He was right, such a night sounded rather private, making it possible she would get to learn some important things about the other girls
“All right then, I will be there. I will bring in drinks as well.”
“Yes~!” the other gleed. “You won’t regret this, Kirumi!”
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“I regret this with every fiber of my being.”
Kirumi regretted having been talked over by Shuichi as she sat on the couch in Kaede’s room, the room owner in question sitting to her left, while on her right Miu was ‘seated’. What Kirumi had assumed to be a night with all girls turned out to just be the pianist and inventor, which meant that 50% of the sentences spoken in the room included some sort of swear word or insult. Their laughing and strange talks about things Kirumi barely understood only worsened as they consumed more alcohol.
Kirumi pursed her lipsed. “Note: never bring alcohol to a ‘girls night’, it is not worth it. Extra note: especially not if said night includes 2 women who do not react well to the substance.”
“Whaat? You’re so lame, Ki-lame-y.”
“That… that is not my name, Miu.”
A scoff came in return.
“It’s a word play. Are you that unfunny?”
“Miu!” Kaede pouted and pointed her finger at her. “Stop giving Kirumi a hard time. She’s never gonna answer our question like this!”
Right. Miu and Kaede had been going back and forth on who they thought to be good looking. Kirumi didn’t enjoy the topic, she never quite understood the need to talk about others in such ways. Who does that anyway?
“Tsk! Maybe if you hadn’t gone off about how cute and sexy Tsumugi looks, she wouldn’t be in shock. I mean, come on, your taste goes to her while you’ve got this sexy body walking around?” Miu pointed at her own curves.
“Sure, you’re hot too but your personality really gives you a lot of minus points.”
The two started bickering as Kirumi sank deeper into the couch. She knew that as a maid it would be rude to simply leave, but the act sure became more and more tempting with every passing second. Maybe another shot would knock her out enough that she won’t have to remember any of this.
“So, do you agree with Kaediot?”
“... Sorry?”
“I said, do you agree with her? That all the girls except me are hot.” After it Miu seemed to mumble some insults as she looked away.
Kirumi simply sighed, being annoyed and perhaps even a little too tipsy herself, and replied: “What do you even mean by ‘hot’? What does that mean? You keep calling people that and I just don’t get it.”
The other two blinked in surprise. It was silent for a moment, until the violet eyed decided to break it.
“Well, you know, it’s when a person makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Yeah, and possibly wanna fuck ‘em as well!”
“Sure, that too.”
The maid frowned her brow, both in disbelief and confusion.
“But sometimes you just meet this person, maybe at the same café as you are in, and they just look so handsome that you can’t help but fantasize that you start talking, interest align, you go on a date…”
“Or they’ll take you home for a steamy night!”
“Sure, also possible.” Kaede turned to look at Kirumi. “Surely you’ve come across someone who just occupied your mind. In high school perhaps? I’d say that’s when it usually starts due to hormones and all.”
Kirumi’s confusion only increased. Sure, she knew that some classmates would from one day to the other suddenly go wild over another person in school, but she had always assumed nobody in her school was just good looking enough to peak her interest. Besides, being attracted to some random person in some random place? What in the romance movie was that.
“You’re overreacting," Kirumi said as she threw her leg over the other. “Those kinds of things only ever happen in romance movies, which are heavily overplayed as there is only an average of 1,5 to 2 hours to convince the audience the couple is meant to be.”
The other two stared blankly at her, making her slightly nervous. Perhaps they were so drunk that a wider explanation was necessary on this phenomenon.
“It’s why so many series’ romances are disappointing," Kirumi continued, “ as there is little to no build-up or reason for the two characters to be together. They will have had a good bond with nice conversations, only to turn it into a ‘they were in love all along’ kind of thing. It’s disappointing and unrealistic to see. Everyone feels that way.”
Once again, silence. What was up with these two? Did she break them? Was the alcohol having some ill effect on them?
Kaede shifted her feet a bit. “Erm, no… not everybody feels that way. Like, I can promise you some people in this academy already have a crush on someone else.”
“Like Shuichi on you?” Miu spit.
“God, no. … I hope not. He’s sweet, but not of interest. I’d say he and Kirumi would make a fine couple.”
Kirumi looked into the ground with difficulty. Surely, Shuichi had caught her interest, but not in any sort of romantic way. And especially not sexually as Miu seems to constantly be suggesting.
Luckily for the maid, the two went on to talk about some possible couples Kaede wanted to set up, so she was left out of the conversation. Not that she would be able to vouch for it, the way Miu and Kaede had been talking and looking at her as she expressed her view on the matters somehow bothered Kirumi. Would others agree with them? Was she the odd one in this? No… that couldn’t be.
Right?
At what must’ve been 2 in the morning, the three split up and Kirumi was finally able to go to bed with her head thumping, although she couldn’t tell if it was because of the alcohol or the deliberating. Regardless, she was already so far out of it that she didn’t even notice Miu giving her what must’ve been for the first time a look of sympathy.