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Chiaki Nanami was determined to take her role as the Class Representative quite seriously. So, when a disgruntled reserve course student wrote an ‘expose’ article on several of Hope’s Peak students’ secrets, including Chiaki’s dear friend and underclassman Chihiro Fujisaki, Chiaki teamed up with her reserve course friend, Hajime and Chihiro’s class representative, Kiyotaka, to give this asshole hell.
That of course, couldn’t change the fact that Chihiro had been outed as a trans woman against her will. Chiaki, as well as some of Chihiro’s classmates, had already known, but the poor girl had been genuinely terrified of people finding out. While all of Hope’s Peak, both students and staff, had mostly been supportive and kind, it was clear this had opened up some old wounds for the programmer. Kiyotaka and Aoi from Chihiro’s class did their best to keep Chiaki informed on how Chihiro was doing, but now since the weekend had finally arrived, Chiaki had her chance to speak with her.
“Hey, Chihiro!” Chiaki greeted, catching her friend after her last class.
Chihiro’s eyes brightened upon realizing who had called her name. “Chiaki!”
“How’s everything going?” Chiaki asked, eyes softening.
“It’s alright,” Chihiro replied. “No one in the main course has been rude about it, but I still get some looks from reserve course students and teachers. Plus, it’s just been rough knowing people on those Hope’s Peak forums are saying things about me too. I didn’t look personally, trust me but…I asked Makoto and Hajime just to let me know.”
Chihiro’s eyes started to water, despite her clear attempt at resolve, and Chiaki felt her heart shatter.
“Oh, Chihiro,” Chiaki murmured. “Do you…would you like a hug?”
Wiping at her tears, Chihiro nodded, and Chiaki quickly moved to embrace her. Despite the circumstances, Chiaki felt her heart race a little at the closeness, and did her best to will it back to a normal cadence. Chihiro didn’t need to also deal with whatever weird things she was going through.
“You know, I heard Hajime and Nagito want to start a GSA at the school. Not just because of you, I think a bunch of us have wanted to for a while, but this has unintentionally been a catalyst to make the school board agree,” Chiaki commented as they broke apart.
“Oh, that’s great actually!” Chihiro grinned softly. “I’m sure a lot of my classmates will be excited to hear that.”
“So, uh…” Chiaki awkwardly cleared her throat, blushing. “I was thinking we could hang out tonight in my dorm, to help get your mind off things, y’know?”
“Oh, yeah!” Chihiro lit up. “That sounds great! Video games, I assume?”
Chiaki laughed. “Of course! Who do you think I am? Let’s go! We can go grab some dinner and then head to my room. Sound good?”
“Yep!”
Chiaki shuffled through her pile of Wii and Switch games, sliding them across the floor towards Chihiro, who sat on the floor, eagerly eating her ramen.
“Take your pick Cheerio,” Chiaki teased. “Plus, this…it doesn’t have to be a one time thing y’know? After all, it helps both of us with our talents, doesn’t it?”
Wiping her mouth with her hand, Chihiro rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t also just wanna play video games with friends, Chiaki. But you aren’t wrong-and I would love to do this more often. Hmm…how about we play Mario Kart Wii?”
“Excellent choice!” Chiaki giggled, tossing the disc in and handing Chihiro a controller.
“So, approximately how bad am I going to lose to you?” Chihiro teased as the game booted itself up.
“Hey, it shouldn’t be too bad. Racing games are best played with friends in my opinion, so I don’t spend the same amount of time playing them as I do other games,” Chiaki explained. Nudging her friend playfully, she added, “I wouldn’t be completely surprised if you managed to pull out a few wins.”
“I’ll aim for it.”
Getting to the character select screen, Chiaki went to her typical choice: Daisy. Chihiro on the other hand, seemed to be stumped, moving around from character to character.
“I’m hopeless at making decisions like this,” Chihiro huffed. “Any recommendations?”
Chiaki scanned up and down the list of characters, finally settling on the perfect choice. “Oh, how about Birdo? She’s…ah, excuse my ‘gamer nerd’ side, but Birdo’s actually trans. When she first appeared the game books said she was a guy but dressed like a girl, and then the other games have always had her as a girl.”
“Woah, really?” Chihiro gasped, quickly selecting Birdo on the screen. “I never knew that! That’s really cool, Chiaki!”
Chiaki blushed slightly, feeling her face warm at Chihiro’s bright smile.
Unfortunately, her flusteredness caused her to lose the first race to Chihiro. She’d only come in second, thankfully, but every giggle and cheer from Chihiro made her heart skip a beat, and she couldn’t help but look over at her friend.
“I was just warming up,” Chiaki stated firmly. “Enjoy winning while you can, Cheerio.”
The loss had kicked Chiaki into the zone, allowing her to win the next two races and keep the lead for most of the final one. Just as she was about to win, however, a blue shell exploded on her, and Chihiro just managed to sneak past her in the moment, claiming the win.
“That was pure luck!” Chiaki gasped, and Chihiro couldn’t help but laugh at her shocked expression. “But you wouldn’t have won if you weren’t playing well, so I guess I owe you a well done.”
“You certainly do!” Chihiro teased.
“No wonder you get so sleepy in class,” Chihiro yawned. “All your energy goes to playing games at night!”
“Hey, hey, I’ve gotten better,” Chiaki retorted playfully. “I take my job as Class Rep seriously.”
“I know you do,” Chihiro replied, resting her head on Chiaki’s lap. “But it’s 9:30 at night and you’re still raring to go. I don’t get how you do it.”
Chiaki suppressed the flush on her cheeks from their closeness. “What, you’ve never stayed up late working on a project?”
“I have-” Chihiro cut herself off with a yawn. “But I always plan for it, and end up keeping myself up with caffeine. You just do this.”
“I guess you’re right. I don’t really think about it too much-I always end up so invested in games that I don’t realize how much time has passed.” Chiaki shrugged. “Is this your way of saying you’re ready to go back to your dorm?”
“Not necessarily.” Another yawn. “I don’t mind staying with you if you don’t mind either.”
Chiaki felt heat rise to her face even more. Stop being weird about this!
“Yeah, no problem! We’re both decently small so if we need to share the bed it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. That is if I don’t fall asleep playing this game.”
“Do you do that?” Chihiro laughed softly.
“Sometimes. I try not to but…things happen.” Chiaki looked ahead firmly at the game, willing her blush to go down before Chihiro noticed.
Come Monday morning, Chiaki found herself being hounded by one Nagito Komaeda.
“So….how was your weekend, Chiaki?” Nagito asked, feigning an innocence Chiaki knew he did not have.
“Why are you asking?” Chiaki replied, playing along with her friend’s game.
“Well, Hajime told me something oh so interesting about your weekend, and I just wanted to confirm if it was true,” Nagito giggled, and Chiaki froze her tracks, flushing.
Hajime! That traitor! She had texted her reserve course friend for help in dealing with her…crush while also doing her best to be the friend Chihiro clearly needed. It wasn’t all that surprising that he’d told his boyfriend as well, but she hardly wanted to deal with Nagito’s daily taunts and teasing as she struggled with things herself.
“So, what he told me was true!” Nagito gasped happily. “Oh, our lovely class rep has a crush! How wonderful!”
“Yeah, yeah, now please stop talking about it, or I’ll abuse my class rep powers against you,” Chiaki retorted. “I really don’t wanna talk about it in public, alright?”
Throwing his hands up defensively, Nagito replied, “Alright, alright! I won’t bring it up anymore in public! But you know, you can ask me for help if you want.”
“Right. Nagito, unfortunately, I don’t really think of you as a peak romantic advice giver.”
“Well why not? We’re both sorta ‘weirdos’ if you will-”
“Completely different scales of weirdos, Nagito. I stay up late playing video games. You’re convinced good things happening to you means someone is going to die.”
“And yet I’m the one of us with a partner. Isn’t that funny?” Nagito teased, and Chiaki huffed angrily.
“Fine, but I’m going to deal with this myself first, alright? I don’t need anyone else meddling in my relationship…especially when I’m just as likely to mess it up all on my own.”
As they reached their classroom finally, Nagito pouted.
“Well, don’t have that attitude about it!” he protested. “Anyone would be lucky to date you! I’ll text Hajime to meet us for lunch so you two can talk about it, alright?”
Chiaki sighed. “Alright.”
The rest of the day before lunch went by smoothly, aside from Chiaki anxiously staring at her messages with Chihiro and trying to figure out what to text her today.
“Oh, Chiaki, what seems to be the matter?” Sonia piped up gently, but it still frightened Chiaki, who hid her phone as she turned to her friend.
“Ah! Sonia, sorry, you just scared me a little, sorry,” Chiaki coughed awkwardly. They had just been released for lunch, and Chiaki had once again been fretting over her messages with Chihiro, who she hadn’t spoken to all day.
“Oh! My apologies!” Sonia gasped, bowing her head. “I didn’t mean to alarm you, I just noticed you’ve seemed quite anxious all day, which is not normally like you. You know you can come to me whenever you need, Chiaki.”
Chiaki nodded, collecting her things to go meet with Hajime and Nagito. “Yeah, of course Sonia. Don’t worry too much about me-it just, well, girl trouble.”
“Oh! Like, friends or a girlfriend? Or do you need a pad? I carry some in my bag at all times-”
“There’s a girl I have a crush on,” Chiaki explained quickly, waving her hands. “But I appreciate how prepared you are, Sonia.”
“Oh, of course! And how exciting! And nerve-wracking as well, I suppose,” Sonia replied, following Chiaki as she walked.
“Yeah, it’s both for sure,” Chiaki sighed. “And the thing is, this girl kind of went through some stuff recently and I don’t want to put pressure on her after this, but I’ve had such a crush on her for a while really.”
“Oh how sweet!” Sonia laughed giddily. “I assume you are friends, yes?”
“Yeah, we are. Close friends.”
“Well then, I don’t think she will perceive you as wanting to put pressure on her,” Sonia assured. “I’m sure she knows you to be as good of a friend as I do, and know you only would ever want the best for her. Of course, there is no shame in waiting until her circumstances improve, but I also don’t think it is fair to make yourself stress so much about it for so long.”
Chiaki blinked. In all her anxiety, she really hadn’t considered any of what Sonia had said. Surging forward, she enveloped Sonia in a hug.
“Oh?!” Sonia gasped.
“Thanks Sonia, really,” Chiaki replied. “You always give the best advice. I’ll see you around-hopefully with a good update.”
“Oh! It is no problem Chiaki! I hope the update will be good as well!”
With that, Chiaki made her way to Nagito and Hajime’s typical lunch spot, her heart finally feeling lighter.
“Chiaki!” Hajime called eagerly, waving from where he and Nagito sat by the fountain.
Chiaki waved back, quickening her pace with a smile.
“Well, you seem to be in a much better mood than before, Chiaki,” Nagito teased, smirking.
“Was it actually that bad?” Hajime asked.
Chiaki rolled her eyes. She sat down next to them and pulled out her bento. “No, Nagito is being over-dramatic as always. I was anxious, but I am feeling better now. I talked to Sonia about things.”
“Oh, well that’s good,” Hajime smiled softly. “Sonia’s probably better at the…girl talk…side of things.”
Chiaki and Nagito both snickered at Hajime’s awkwardness, to which he retorted, a sharp, “Hey!”
“Good thing Hajime is a man then,” Nagito teased, nuzzling his face into Hajime’s neck.
“Well, now I am,” Hajime replied with a soft laugh, raising a hand to scratch at Nagito’s fluffy white hair.
“Not true, you’ve always been a man,” Nagito retorted, though he yawned halfway through the sentiment.
“Wait…Hajime…you’re-” Chiaki stopped herself, not wanting to potentially out Hajime if he hadn’t intended to imply anything to her.
“Trans?” Hajime finished, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah…female to male. It’s not really something I talk about a lot, I guess. I probably should’ve told you sooner, especially once Nagito found out.”
“No, no, it’s okay, really.” Chiaki waves her hand. “But…you probably understand what Chihiro is going through more than I can. Maybe you can give me some kind of insight about how to go about confessing to her?”
“Oh!” Hajime tapped his chin. “Yeah, just give me a moment to think.”
The trio sat in silence for a moment or so as Hajime wracked his brain for advice.
“Well, to be fair, I never dealt with getting outed, so I can’t speak to that. But, I would say it’s probably important to make sure she knows you liked her before you knew she was a trans woman. Even though she came out to you willingly before all this, I wanted to know that people liked me for the person I was, so nothing would be changed by the fact that I wasn’t born a guy…if that makes sense?” Hajime explained.
“Yeah, totally.” Chiaki nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you, Hajime. Thank you for being willing to share that with me.”
Hajime smiled softly, and rested a hand on Chiaki’s shoulder. “I’m glad I could help both you and Chihiro. You’re a dear friend to me Chiaki, I trust you, and I know it’s worth it to tell you.”
Chiaki couldn’t help but blush a little, and Nagito chuckled. “Chiaki is too precious for her own good.”
“Oh c’mon Nagito, do you really have to tease me?” Chiaki rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile.
“Let us know what happens with Chihiro, okay?” Hajime cut in.
“Oh, yeah, for sure.” Chiaki beamed up at them.
Since their video game sleepover “date” the other day had allowed Chihiro to feel comfortable and safe, Chiaki decided to invite her over for another one in order to confess her feelings. She would confess basically immediately, allowing Chihiro to leave if she didn’t feel comfortable afterwards.
Chiaki had been setting everything up in her dorm room when Chihiro knocked, making it feel like her heart jumped up into her throat. With a deep breath, she steeled herself to answer the door.
Just remember what Sonia, Hajime, and even Nagito said. You can do this, Chiaki.
“Chiaki, hi!” Chihiro said cheerily as Chiaki opened the door. “I’m really glad you wanted to do this again.”
Chiaki blushed. “Yeah, of course! I’m glad you wanted to come over again.”
Chihiro seemed to blush as well. “Well, yeah. It’s really nice to get to hang out with you like this. It means I can just be myself entirely.”
“Chihiro…” Chiaki reached out and grasped her hand.
“Ah, no, don’t worry!” Chihiro gasped, but squeezed Chiaki’s hand in return. “I’m okay. I just like knowing I can trust you like this, you know?”
“Of course.” Chiaki smiled warmly. “C’mon in! We’ve been standing here for way too long.”
“Oh, sorry!” Chihiro giggled, and let Chiaki pull her inside the room.
It felt all too easy to leave things like this. As Chihiro plopped down on a bean bag Chiaki had set up by her TV and began unpacking some of her things for the night, part of Chiaki wanted to just begin playing games and not have to deal with the potential angst a love confession might create. But that wasn’t fair to Chihiro, or to their friendship. Even if Chihiro needed to step aside for a moment, she knew Chihiro wouldn’t end their friendship over this. And Chiaki could move on. Of course, it wouldn’t happen instantly, but…she would be able to fall in love with someone else.
“Chihiro, wait!” Chiaki blurted out, before covering her mouth and blushing.
“Chiaki? What’s wrong?” Chihiro got up instantly, rushing over to where Chiaki had slowly sunk down to her knees.
“Nothing, nothing, really…” Chiaki explained, taking Chihiro’s hands in hers. “I just…well…I wanted to tell you something. Something really personal. And…I’m kinda scared, so I needed to force it out.”
Chihiro looked at Chiaki with wide eyes, though Chiaki could tell her eyes swam with kindness and genuine concern. She took a deep breath, and forced herself to meet the other girl’s eyes.
“I was afraid to tell you for a couple of reasons, but the main one is that…I didn’t want to burden you when you’ve been through so much recently, with getting outed and all…”
“Chiaki, no, don’t say that!” Chihiro cupped Chiaki’s face with her hand, and began to wipe a tear that Chiaki didn’t realize had fallen. “We’re friends. We should always share these things with each other. We can shoulder any burden together. It’s what friends are for.”
Chiaki laughed, cupping Chihiro’s hand on her cheek. “Yeah, yeah it is. Chihiro, you know that I care about you, and knowing that you’re trans has never changed anything about that, right?”
Chihiro cocked her head. “Yeah, of course I do, Chiaki, but I’m confused. What could you possibly have to tell me that has to do with all this?”
Chiaki shook her head. “It’s not really about that…it’s just…potentially relevant. Chihiro…you’re my very dear friend, and…since we’ve gotten to know each other better, I realized…I’m in love with you.”
Chihiro sucked in a surprised breath, but Chiaki pressed on.
“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, really. But I wanted to tell you, because it was beginning to eat me up inside that I hadn’t told you. But then I got worried that it would seem strange with the timing, or that I was putting too much pressure on you after what was already going on in your life, and I just…I don’t know, I-”
“Chiaki!” Chihiro suddenly stated firmly. “You’re starting to spiral. It’s okay. Can you take a deep breath for me?”
Chihiro brought her other hand up to cup both of Chiaki’s cheeks and pressed their foreheads together. “Deep breath in.”
Both girls inhaled deeply, before letting it out. “And out. Good, okay.”
Chihiro smiled warmly at Chiaki, their heads still pressed together.“I’m honored you feel this way about me, Chiaki, especially knowing that I’m…trans, and you having known for a while. Logically, I know that I deserve to be loved regardless of my gender and gender identity, but…I’ve just…always been afraid that I was unlovable because of it, that no one would ever see me as desirable. And that I shouldn’t even hope for or consider love, because it wouldn’t ever happen.”
“Chihiro, you know that’s not true at all, right?” Chiaki asked.
“Like I said, logically, I do, but it doesn’t stop the insecurities. Especially when I got outed and I saw and heard the stuff people said about me…” Chihiro shook her head. “It’s just a lot. But…you were always here for me, Chiaki. So, I hope it’s not too much to say I started to feel the same about you.”
Chiaki blushed. “Chihiro…I’m…of course not!”
With a swell of emotion, she surged forward and pulled Chihiro into a hug. Chihiro laughed, hugging her back firmly.
“There’s still a lot to unpack with my identity, you know,” Chihiro explained, and Chiaki could tell she was starting to tear up a little.
“That doesn’t matter to me,” Chiaki insisted, squeezing her tighter. “I love you however you are, Chihiro Fujisaki.”
“Chiaki…” Chihiro murmured, pulling back from the hug to look at Chiaki. “Thank you.”
Chiaki’s eyes widened at the extent of Chihiro’s tears, which were now beginning to spill freely from her eyes.
“Oh, Chihiro, I didn’t mean to make you cry…” Chiaki said softly. She cupped Chihiro’s face and began to wipe her tears with her thumb.
Chihiro laughed wetly. “It’s okay, they’re happy tears, I promise. I’m just really emotional.”
“That’s okay. This whole thing is really emotional for me too,” Chiaki laughed awkwardly.
Chihiro leaned into her touch, smiling softly.
“Hey, Chiaki…can I kiss you?” Chihiro asked, eyes wide but gentle, soft. “I…I’ve never kissed anyone before, but I’d really like to kiss you. And…have you be my first kiss.”
Chiaki sucked in a breath, her own eyes widening. “Y-Yeah! Yes. Yes, we can kiss.”
Chihiro smiled, and cupped Chiaki’s face in her hands once more.
Chiaki smirked a little. “You’re okay leading this?”
Chihiro nodded, her determination clear. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while now.”
“Well then, go ahead,” Chiaki replied, and allowed herself to be pulled closer by Chihiro.
Their lips brushed softly at first, and Chiaki settled her hands on Chihiro’s hips. Chihiro gasped softly at the touch, which allowed Chiaki to softly lick into Chihiro’s mouth. Chihiro let out a soft moan and pulled Chiaki closer, deepening the kiss. Despite the noise, there was no real “heat” to her action. The kiss didn’t seek anything, instead remaining slow and languid, the two girls enjoying the taste of the other, the moment, and everything that it took to get there.