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"We... don't even know who died yet."
An eerie silence fell over the medical bay with that reply from Isoda Mion. It made sense that they didn't know who died yet; they'd been stuck in the room all morning with that chair wedged under the doorknob. It'd definitely be something to report to the group during the class trial. For now, though, the silence signaled that Ninomiya would have to be the one to relay the tragic news to Isoda and Hirose. He'd been hoping Denden would be able to save him the trouble, but one look at her downtrodden expression immediately dashed those hopes. Of course.
"Tell us what happened," ushered Hirose.
Ninomiya's breath hitched in his throat for a moment before he took a heavy exhale. This was especially pertinent information for the good doctor; he had to find the words.
"I mean, it's better that you find out now, I guess. Then, you can at least investigate."
Hesitation befell him again before he uttered another, lighter sigh.
"... Akiba."
Ninomiya didn't expect anyone to actually act on the motive placed for someone to kill; he didn't think the cuffs were too bad of a deal. Perhaps he'd been a bit careless in that regard, as not everyone was paired up with someone as fun to be around as Tsukigata. As the name of the deceased escaped his lips, the tension filling the air around them was swiftly replaced with an overwhelming gloom.
"I'm- I... sorry, just... this whole thing didn't feel real until you..."
Until he said his name, no doubt. Akiba Taku was one of the more laid-back and sociable members of the group, and Ninomiya was sure he hadn't made any enemies in his short time in the facility. He'd shown concern for him when he mentioned that he was diabetic. He had fun talking about graphic album covers with him while he was trying to pull the elevator back up (even if he knew that it was never going to work, Ninomiya just had to watch him try). He never said or did anything to hurt anybody... at least outside of the mandatory morning games where causing pain wasn't necessarily his choice.
Nobody in the medical bay, maybe even in the entire building, could imagine someone wanting to kill him specifically. Except, of course, for one student that they now had to identify.
"... Where is he?"
"He's in the storage room. We figured that you and Denden could go scope it out, and I could stick around here with Isoda and look for shit."
Thankfully, the others agreed to his idea without any pushback. Ninomiya was grateful for that; he certainly didn't want to see that gruesome display again. While he may have joked about Akiba shitting his organs out before, he would have never wanted any physical harm to come to his... friend? Was that weird to say in this scenario? He'd only known him for a few days, but he and his old roommates became friends after knowing each other for just a couple days, so it felt... right. Or it would have, if he were still around.
"He's... really dead?"
Ninomiya not only affirmed the information, but elaborated on the details of the crime scene. All the while, he wasn't sure why he felt the need to do so. Isoda would be there with them at the trial, and Hirose was going down to the storage room to get a closer look at the body, so why... why was he only furthering his own stress? Why was his explanation so GRAPHIC? His voice became shaky and he felt a cold sweat forming on his forehead as he finished relaying exactly what he saw to the Isoda. A nauseous feeling tugged at him, and he felt the world around him begin to collapse...
... until the utaite's soothing voice pulled him back into reality.
Even when discussing the loss of Akiba or the results of the investigation so far, Ninomiya felt more at peace hearing Isoda speak. They hadn't been around each other much since they first woke up in the facility, as the idol preferred to keep to their own bedroom, so the violinist wasn't quite sure what the explanation for this calming feeling was. Maybe a connection between musicians? But they performed in two completely different genres, so he wasn't sure that was it. In any case, he didn't have much time to think about it because the class still had a murder to investigate, even if there wasn't anything to find in the medical bay.
"I mean, I'd feel bad if we just sat here doing nothing."
"Shit... heh, I mean, we could make out or something."
Scratch that, apparently Ninomiya didn't have much time to think about ANYTHING. If he wasn't already recoiling inward from the realization of what he said, the bright multicolored glare that Isoda shot towards him made that double. Figures, he didn't even get a chance to think about why Isoda made him feel all calm and fuzzy and shit before screwing things up. Why was he so set on being impulsive and spontaneous when it had already hurt him so often in the past?
"... You're weird."
Okay, at least he wasn't going to be outright ignored? Maybe he can talk his way out of this one.
"Dude, I-I dunno... it's a... stress response or whatever."
Nice going, Youhei... A completely bullshit explanation, they'll eat that right up.
The awkward silence pervaded the medical bay as the pair still had nothing they could really do at the moment, with the medical bay having been searched through and all the other rooms delegated to the other pairs. Ninomiya had long since given up on standing his ground, now choosing to anxiously look up at the ceiling. While his comment may not have actually been a stress response, he definitely was stressed for a multitude of reasons. So stressed, in fact, that he didn't hear the light footsteps of the utaite approaching him.
In fact, he didn't even realize they had moved from their spot until he felt someone grab him by the collar and pull him downwards.
It wasn't the make-out session that he had suggested, but the chaste kiss that Isoda planted on his lips did just as much to alleviate the violinist of his worries. For once, Ninomiya was stunned into complete and total silence as Isoda pulled back, their shimmering pupils of red and green now gazing directly into his own eyes.
"Can't let you stay stressed out during something this important, now can I?"
Isoda let go of his shirt collar just as soon as they had seized it, then swiftly turned towards the overhead cabinets as Ninomiya stood back upright.
"Now, come on. Let's just give this place another once-over, and then go find a group that needs help. We gotta make it out of the trial if we're gonna have that jam session later."
The smile that Isoda met him with after the kiss wasn't necessarily an eager one, but one that was noticeably friendly. Their actions evidently didn't have any meaning behind them beyond getting Ninomiya out of his own head, but somehow, he was okay with that. Whether their relationship grew into something else later or they just stayed friends, he'd gotten to experience something wonderful all the same.
"On it, Miocchi!"
"You guys are really running with that nickname, huh?", they chuckled, exasperated.