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“W-what book do you have t-there?” A stuttering voice came from next to him, the voice soft but curious at the same time.
Byakuya looked up at Toko, closing the book with a flick of his wrist. “Missing Heart,” He answered curtly as he pushed up his glasses. “It’s a murder mystery.” Came his explanation as he saw her face scrunch up into confusion.
“O-oh…” The girl responded before sitting down next to him. She was gripping onto her skirt tightly, almost as if she was scared, or maybe nervous- that latter one was more likely with what he knew of her. “I’m more a fan of r-romance myself…” She admitted, a slight pink taking over her cheeks as she said that. Ugh.
At that, Byakuya scrunched up his nose in disgust. “Romance? I can’t see how you possibly can like that. It’s already unneeded when added to a perfectly fine novel, but on itself?” He asked, letting out a slight scoff as he did sp. “I cannot stand it- it has little to no substance. No good novel can form around it.” He then paused, looking back at Toko. “At least not ones I like to read.”
“Well, an i-intimate connection between two people can be r-really interesting to explore,” Toko responded as she hesitantly looked up a bit. She wasn’t meeting Byakuya’s gaze quite yet, but wasn’t looking down at her lap anymore either. Her gaze was around his upper body, with her eyes glancing up slightly every few seconds. “I-it’s more about the people than the s-story with romance novels.”
As if.
“Not only haven’t I seen that in any romance novels I’ve read, but compelling characters only make half the story,” The boy responded with a roll of his eyes. “Not to mention that romance as a concept is just… irrational. Longing for a person in such a way is something that happens only in fairytales,” He continued, his usual annoyance only getting amplified as he spoke those words.
Thad made Toko look up a bit more, to the point where she was almost meeting his gaze. “I-I don’t think that’s true… I’m pretty sure a lot of parents d-do love each other… and l-long for them a-and all…” She explained, though her voice was anything but confident as she spoke, as if she didn’t believe what she was saying herself.
Well, if that was the case, it sure wasn’t the case with his parents. There never had even be an inch of love between the two- they hadn’t even shared a bedroom. And while Byakuya didn’t know for sure, their marriage was most likely arranged. At least, it sure seemed that way. It would’ve simply made no sense to marry otherwise.
Not that it mattered now since his mother was halfway across the world while his father was… Well, Byakuya would prefer not to talk about him right now.
“That doesn’t change the fact it’s idiotic. There’s no logic or reason behind it,” He explained, his voice filled with distaste. Ugh. How he loathed talking about this. “Romance merely exists as a way to get humans to procreate, an act that disgusts me even more than romance itself.”
“H-huh?” Toko’s were wide in a mix of confusion and… realization. “Do you mean that y-you…?” She trailed off, though it was still clear what she meant. What she was asking him.
It meant a conformation. To see if he was really- what was the word again?- coming out to her. As if it mattered to Byakuya if she knew. There was no way for her to change her feelings, nor did he feel the need to keep this a secret… from most people at least.
He nodded. “Yeah. I… think I might be ‘asexual’,” He began to explain, pausing slightly on the term. “I have never felt such urges, nor has the concept ever interested me in the slightest.”
Toko’s eyes widened once again at that, but in a different way. Sadness appeared in them for a moment before she looked away, as if she had just been crushed. “O-ohh…” She stuttered, her voice much softer than before. “I, uh, g-guess it makes sense then…”
“’It makes sense then’?” Byakuya repeated the words, frowning slightly. He had no idea what she meant with that, though it didn’t exactly sound… nice. “What is that supposed to mean?” He asked in a colder voice than before.
“N-nothing!” The girl responded quickly, shaking her head as she spoke. Then, Toko looked back down as she bit on her fingernail, her expression nervous. “I-I just mean your… dislike of romance in n-novels…”
Ah. That was all.
Byakuya pushed his glasses up. “I suppose it does. Though, I can’t be for sure.” He looked away, his frown deepening. “I can’t say I’ve been concerning myself with my… sexual orientation with everything else going on.”
“T-that makes sense… with how bad the world has been, stuff like that i-is just… not important…” Toko muttered with a nod. “I-I mean, everything has to be affecting s-somebody like you too, r-right? Even though y-you’re… well off…”
Those words made Byakuya pause, stopping him from speaking the carefully crafted response he had wanted to say. Because Toko was partly correct, just for the wrong reasons. Reasons he wouldn’t tell her.
Couldn’t tell her.
Not that he needed to- he could handle this on his own. He always had to in the past, so there was no way for him to act any differently now. Byakuya was a Togami, he didn’t need help. Which meant that he also had to reason to tell her the full truth.
The heir looked away, a soft hum leaving his mouth before he spoke. “You could say that, yes,” He agreed while nodding softly. “Things certainly have been… unlike normal at my house.” He wasn’t fully lying- things had been different. But that wasn’t because of anything going on outside, but because of him.
Well, him and Father. Father who had finally told him things after years of feeling confused and alone. That had caused a shift bigger than everything before. Bigger than not being allowed around his siblings anymore. Bigger than his mother leaving. Bigger than everything.
So, things certainly had been… different. More tense too- their conversation was anything but a heart to heart. Then all of this happened, and, well… Byakuya wasn’t sure what to think. And he absolutely hated that.
“But enough about that,” Byakuya said suddenly as he looked back at Toko. “It’s about time I take my leave. If we stay here for much longer, I fear that Monokuma might get angry and I’m not in the mood to listen to his whining.” He rolled his eyes before standing up.
“A-ah, r-right…” Toko stuttered, standing up herself too. The girl looked a bit uncomfortable, tightly holding onto her braids for comfort almost. “I-it was, um, nice talking to you t-though…”
Byakuya looked back at her, his expression unreadable. “I… agree. It’s quite rare to have an intelligent conversation here.”
At that, Toko let out a snort. “Hehe,” She laughed before her eyes widened, almost as if she were surprised by the sound. “But, um, b-bye…” She continued before speeding out of the room, a few books falling onto the ground because of it.
Using his own powers, Byakuya quickly levitated them back into their rightful places- if there was one thing he loathed, it was untidy spaces.
Such a weird girl…
Strangely enough though, Byakuya didn’t find him being annoyed at that. He… didn’t mind it. A part of him even liked that weirdness- it was interesting to him. Just like most of the other people here. They were all weird and annoying, but in a way… not bad.
Byakuya didn’t mind them being like that.