Chapter Text
“Takeba wait!” Mitsuru’s voice traveled faster than she could, reaching Takeba just before she drew her Evoker. Not even five seconds later, the midnight hour ended, sickly green turning back into the fluorescent white of the dorm lights. Takeba’s hyperventilating had died down, and as the world around her returned to life, Mitsuru got a better look at the scene in front of her.
Takeba was standing in front of a blue-haired boy, hand on her evoker, presumably ready for a fight. Mitsuru felt glad Yukari was on her toes, though felt bad that it was at the expense of this boy. Speaking of which… “Good evening..?”
The boy, who was staring at Yukari’s evoker with a confused look on his face, glanced up at Mitsuru. His eyes were tired, blue hair covered one of them, and he spoke in a soft but deep tone. “Uh… Sorry I’m late. I’m Makoto Yuki, the transfer student.”
“Oh! Many apologies, I didn’t think you’d arrive so late,” but Makoto's file said she was a girl? “My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I’m one of the students who live in this dorm.”
Yukari shuffled over to Mitsuru, still weary, “...Why is he here?”
“It was a last minute decision to assign him here.”
“Is it okay for him to be here?”
“I guess we’ll see.”
Still, it bothered Mitsuru somewhat. Even as Yukari showed him to his room, she had a nagging feeling about his file, and decided to go over it one more time. Going up to the command room, she wracked her brain for an explanation. Could I have misread it? No, I don’t believe I have. She made it to the command room. Maybe the person who wrote it used the wrong stamp? No then it would have been remade. She found the file, and opened it. Yep. Still says female. No smudges to indicate it’s a mistake either… Maybe it was a mistake made by the doctor at birth? Maybe he’s intersex or-
…Oh. Oh! It’s so obvious, so simple. How did she not realize it before? Sure maybe not everyone knew what being transgender was, but she certainly did her research. She was a very well-read woman after all, and certainly knew plenty about the topic of the human psyche.
Now armed with the newly recollected knowledge, Mitsuru vowed to give Makoto the most affirming stay here at the dorms!
…If only she recognized the cobalt blue carabiner dangling at Makoto’s side, her keys jingling away.
Of all the weird places Makoto had lived in for the past few years, this had to take the cake. First she shows up to the station and sees the largest moon she’s ever seen in her life, second she’s met with her roommate who calls the gun on her hip a hobby (She’s not even gonna think about how the hell she got that), and now the daughter of the man who owns her school keeps going out of her way to call her a boy.
What’s worse is that every time she’s about to correct her, she’s cut off by some weird shit.
“Oh Makoto, just the man I’ve been looking for!”
“Man? What-” and before she knows it she’s handed a stack of papers and told to deliver them to Ms. Toriumi.
“Monsieur Makoto has some skills.”
“Hang on-” The sound a volleyball makes when it smacks someone in the face is one that’s seldom forgotten.
“It’s always nice to have a guy in the dorms, especially with Akihiko’s broken hand-” before Mitsuru even had time to finish the sentence, Makoto’s grabbed her arm, and calmly placed the jam jar down.
“Why are you doing that.” Makoto asks with no hesitation.
Tugging at her ribbon, Mitsuru replies, “Doing what?”
“That. That thing, you keep inserting man or guy or whatever into every sentence you say to me. It’s weird, why?”
“Oh, well I didn’t realize you could notice,” Mitsuru seemed… Embarrassed. “Listen, I know how hard it can be to be yourself in this world. I may not know firsthand but I’ve read plenty of books on these topics myself.”
That was unexpected, Makoto could’ve sworn she was a lesbian, her gaydar’s never wrong.
"Now that I’ve been found out, I want you to know that I’m sorry, everyone should come out when they’re comfortable and to be outed so quickly to someone you’ve never met… That’s not fair to you. So I want you to know… Your file listed you as female.”
“...Ok?”
Mitsuru looked almost ashamed.
“Is… that supposed to be a bad thing or..?”
“Huh?”
“I mean it’s not wrong. I’m a woman and it says so there.”
“But, wait no you aren’t, you don’t have to be on guard I-”
“I’m not on guard.”
“...What?”
“I’m a woman. I’m just… butch.”
Oh! …Oh. Suddenly everything clicks into place for her. The quiet confidence, the willingness to protect his teammates, the expansive collection of flannels in hi- her closet, and the… The fucking carabiner. It’s so obvious, so simple. God, how did she not realize it before.