Chapter Text
New school, new you. There's nothing to fear. Nothing to fear, nothing to fear. Everything will be fine. This isn't the first time you've introduced itself and it certainly won't be the last. Everything will be fine, right?
Saihara Shuuichi was currently waiting in the hallway outside his new classroom, convincing himself that transferring to a new school, in a new city, halfway through the year was not something to freak out about. This was a common practice, tons of people transfer schools. This is fine. These people didn't even know him. They had no agenda against him and it was going to be fine.
He had come from a smaller-yet-not-cozy-small high school where everyone knew everyone but not on a close enough level to always care. It allowed people to witness drama and bullying but not be familiar enough to justify getting involved. He supposed that system had been kind to others... it certainly hadn't been to him.
It had started off small. His peers had constantly teased his appearance, his studiousness, his reluctance to go out and drink with the rest of them at any given opportunity they could. He must have been an easy target: his face hadn't refined into the masculine jaw that his classmates had obtained, nor did his shoulders broaden to a significant degree to allow his masculinity to be apparent. He was constantly mistaken as a girl. He tried to assure himself that they were honest mistakes, but after weeks and weeks of the same misunderstanding from the same people, added onto the fact that their expressions were sneering, he had to come to the conclusion that they meant it on purpose.
It was fine, really. He was never close enough friends with any of them to begin with.
...Or, it was, until–
Saihara shook his head. Now was not the time to start that train of thought. It's okay, he thought, the people here look nicer.
Which was true. He had seen various faces on the campus that morning, smiling and cheerful and not a shred of malice in them. This time, he thought, this time will be different.
It has to be. No, I'll make sure it is!
He breathed deeply. This was nothing to worry about. All he had to do was to introduce himself and fit in. Easy. Yet despite his self-reassurances, Saihara still pulled on the bill of his hat until it was over his eyes. Oh god, he thought. There are so many ways this can go wrong, aren't there?
A sound abruptly crashed Saihara's train of thought. He looked to his left to see two kids half-running toward him. One had extremely pale hair and was chasing after another boy with short and flippy dark hair.
Kids? In a high school?
The pale-blonde shouted as the other boy laughed. "Ouma-kun! Please return my wrench to me! I need it for my fourth-period elective!"
"Not until you promise to build me a super-cool robot arm, Kiibo-chan!"
'Ouma' continued to laugh heartily as he waved the other's wrench around, seemingly not concerned that he was waving around a wrench that could seriously hurt somebody. Saihara just stared.
So, they aren't kids? They're my age? They're wearing the uniform... Could they be my classmates?
Saihara was so shocked by the display that he hadn't noticed the dark-haired boy coming up to him. The boy stopped and turned to him, expression completely wiped clean of the mirth it had previously. "Huh? Who are you?"
Saihara's previously forgotten nerves flooded his senses. It was happening already? He wasn't prepared at all. No, no, I can do this, he thought. He breathed out before responding, "I'm your new classmate... I think."
The boy (Ousa? Ouka?) hummed, still standing in place a few feet from Saihara. His classmate, on the other hand, had not forgotten his quest to retrieve his wrench and yanked it from the boy's grasp before he could retaliate.
He gasped and pouted, "Kiibo-chan! Not fair!"
"You weren't paying attention, it was clearly fair game," 'Kiibo' replied tactfully.
"Booring."
Saihara couldn't help but stare. This was so much more different from where he was before. His past classmates would have just walked off without sparing him a glance. What kind of place is this academy?
The pale-blonde noticed Saihara staring at the both of them, awkwardly standing by the doorway. "Oh! A new classmate? So you're the transfer I was hearing about." He stuck out his hand to Saihara before smiling broadly. "My name is Iidabashi Kiibo! It's nice to meet you!"
Saihara smiled faintly before returning the gesture and shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Iidabashi-kun."
"Oh, please call me Kiibo! Everyone else does."
Saihara started to relax. Such familiarity on the first day was a good sign, right? "Okay, Kiibo-kun. My name is–"
"Ah! No fair! I wanna introduce myself next!"
Saihara found his hand jostled out of Kiibo's grip and into a new one. Compared to the polite firmness of Kiibo's hand, this boy had clasped Saihara's hands in both of his warmly. Saihara looked up from his hands to see his new classmate with a bright sparkle in his eyes. "Woow, your hands are so soft!"
"Eh-?" Saihara blushed a little. That wasn't something people just said out loud. Who is this kid? "Uh, you are–?"
"Oh that's right! I haven't said my name yet. Though with the way Kiibo-chan was shouting it I wouldn't be surprised if you already knew it by now," The boy giggled.
"That's because you had taken my wrench!" Kiibo harshly reminded him.
Saihara tried to piece it together. He had thought he heard–
"Ouma...kun?" Saihara tried. "Is that your name?"
"Yeess! You got it!" Ouma cheered. "My name is Ouma Kokichi. I'm super amazing! Did you know I once survived a whole month without food by only living on fruity soda?"
Saihara stopped. That's... ridiculous. That can't be true... can it?
Kiibo sighed. "It's a lie."
"Huh?"
"Yuuup! It was a lie. I'm a liar after all."
Well then. Saihara sighed. What kind of person responds so cheerfully when getting called out on an obvious lie?
"By the way, you haven't introduced yourself yet," Ouma continued. "You're not gonna be rude and make your classmates wait, are you?"
Oh, shoot. He had completely forgotten. Saihara almost reached for the bill of his hat but remembered that his hand was still in Ouma's grasp. He steeled himself before looking the two in the eyes and introducing himself.
"I'm Saihara Shuuichi. I came here from a different school. It's...nice to meet you both." He finished. There, that wasn't bad, he thought.
"Yes! Welcome to Saishuu Academy," Kiibo said, beaming at him.
"Hmmm Saihara-chan, huh?" Ouma was wearing an expression somewhere between a smirk and a genuine smile, eyes crinkled at the edges. Saihara stared at it. What is he-?
"Anyway, I can't see your face very well with that dumb hat in the way."
Saihara had barely any warning before Ouma tugged on his hand. Saihara fell forward slightly as Ouma arched his face up so it was right in Saihara's face, underneath his hat.
Saihara stood there, uncomprehending the change in situation. He was suddenly staring into the dark, warm eyes of his classmate and when did he get so close close close–
"Woooow, Kiibo-chan, Saihara-chan's eyes are gray! I've never seen anything like it!"
"Wh-" Saihara couldn't help it; he blushed. What is happening? What is happening?!
Saihara was saved from further embarrassment when Kiibo pulled on Ouma's shoulders, effectively dislodging their hands. "Don't mind him Saihara-kun, Ouma-kun can be a bit... invasive."
"Hehe, I couldn't help it!" Ouma grinned, as if it was all one big game to him.
Kiibo pushed Ouma towards the classroom door and opened it. "I hope you'll forgive him, Saihara-kun. Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I await to see you in class!" Kiibo declared with a smile after pushing Ouma and then himself fully through the door.
Silence ensured before Saihara breathed a sigh of relief. It's only the first day and these are the kind of people I'm meeting...
Saihara jolted when a head bobbed out of the open doorway. Ouma was staring at him with a blank expression. He then smiled blindingly.
"It was amazing to meet you, Saihara-chan! I look forward to getting to know you this year~!" Ouma then closed the door, leaving Saihara once again in silence.
...Well that was... something.
—
Saihara had quickly and successfully introduced himself to the class once the lesson had started. His teacher had been unassuming and kind, placing him in the back of the classroom where the open seats were. That was a small relief. At least now if he made a big mistake, not as many people would notice. His hat had been taken off for the day in accordance with the school code and safely placed in his shoe locker.
At lunch all of his classmates had introduced themselves and had vowed to make him feel welcome. A classmate who introduced himself as Momota had instantly placed an arm around his shoulders, deemed Saihara as "a trustworthy individual," and accepted him as a friend right off. A red-haired girl named Yumeno had told him about a magic trick she was preparing to welcome him into the class, and an enthusiastic individual named Yonaga had offered up a prayer to her god to bless his initiation (what god and religion that was, Saihara still wasn't sure). Gokuhara, a large muscular classmate of his (How is he only in high school?) had even offered to give him a tour of the school gardens, ranting on the various bug types present there. Apparently he was an insect enthusiast?
All in all his classmates had ensured a warm welcome and Saihara couldn't be happier about it. Things really were starting to look up.
Currently he was walking beside a girl named Akamatsu Kaede, who had piano clips in her hair and a gentle smile always present on her face. She offered a tour around campus, which Saihara had gratefully accepted.
Apparently, this academy was well-funded. There were various classrooms that dealt with music, art, science, and various other fields of study. The gym had a pool, rooms for boxing and martial arts, and there were even rooms for sports like tennis and badminton. The library was full of books and shelves that climbed several stories. Saihara had been in awe. Am I really going to school here? In this amazing place?
He and Akamatsu were currently walking to the cafeteria (or what he assumed was the way to the cafeteria, since Akamatsu was leading). She had asked him all sorts of questions, about his likes and dislikes, what kind of movies he watched and what hobbies he had, and she had responded with interesting facts about herself in turn. They were getting along swimmingly and he appreciated her overflowing kindness. He was already beginning to see her as a close friend.
Saihara casually mentioned his interest in criminal mystery novels, to which Akamatsu cheerfully replied, "With all the books in the library, you'll be sure to find some good mystery novels!"
The conversation kept progressing smoothly and Saihara began to relax a little. He had nothing to worry about. Her questions had been prodding, but not invasive. Right, as long as she didn't ask him why he transferred–
"So, why did you transfer?"
Well, crud. This wasn't a question he wanted to answer now. Or ever. Why can’t people just forget about it completely?
Saihara let out a small breath, coming up with the most believable white lie he could. "Um... my father had a job change."
"Oh, cool."
Phew. That seemed to do the trick. Hopefully people would stop asking about it. It technically wasn't a lie: his father had come to the new city to work. The reason for transferring jobs however... that was a bit more than Saihara was willing to let his classmates know just yet.
Akamatsu turned to him and smiled disarmingly. "Well, for whatever reason you came here Saihara-kun, we're glad to have you!"
Saihara could feel his stress slipping away as he smiled back. Yeah... maybe I can make a new start here.
—
The day had ended and all of his classes had progressed smoothly. Saihara was immensely relieved that his classmates were so warm-hearted and accepting. With a smile on his face Saihara exited the classroom with his bag and headed down to the shoe lockers. Akamatsu had accompanied him with an offer to walk together until she had to go to her piano lesson studio.
Akamatsu continued to ramble on about their classmates. "Shinguuji-kun may be a bit quiet, but he'll tell you anything you want to know about folklore. He's amazing! And Iruma-san might have a foul mouth but she means well. Maki-chan–er, that is–Harukawa-san, isn't standoffish at all really, she's just shy! I'm sure you'll fit in in no time."
"Thank you, Akamatsu-san," Saihara smiled back. "I really do appreciate all you're doing for me."
"Don't mention it!"
Saihara stopped in front of his locker and slid open the hatch. There were his shoes, right as he...
...Huh?
"Akamatsu-san," Saihara asked, "Have you seen my hat anywhere?"
"Your hat?" Akamatsu asked in surprise. "No, I haven't. You said you put it in your shoe locker right?"
"Yes, I remember doing so..."
"Maybe it's back in the classroom?" she offered.
Saihara sighed. "I'll go check there. You can go on Akamatsu-san, I know you have a piano lesson to get to."
"You sure? I don't mind..." She trailed off.
"Don't worry about it," Saihara assured. "I'll just check around briefly. I'm sure it's around here somewhere."
—
Of course, of course it has to be lost on the first day of school.
Saihara had searched the hallway, the bathrooms, and all the other places he had visited. He continued to scrounge in the classroom, checking in corners and under desks. No luck.
He let out an aggravated huff. I need to find it soon, otherwise I won't be able to make it in time.
He decided to search under the desks, again, when someone came to look in the open doorway. "Hmm? Saihara-chan, what are you doing here?"
Oh, it's Ouma. "Nothing, Ouma-kun. I'm just trying to find my hat."
"Your hat, huh?"
"Yes, I remember putting it in my shoe locker but-"
Saihara had turned to face Ouma and saw exactly what he had been looking for. There was his hat, right between Ouma's fingers. Ouma noticed his gaze and waved the hat around playfully. "Oh, you mean this hat?"
"...Yes."
"Well Saihara-chan, I'm kind of fond of your hat. I thought I'd find it if I looked in your shoe locker." Ouma looked proud with his reasoning.
"You... stole it from my shoe locker?"
"Yup! I did! Hey, are you mad? How badly do you want it? Are you going to chase me for it?" Ouma grinned.
Saihara blinked. He couldn't understand what was happening. The day had been going so well yet-
The memories flashed through his head as he suppressed a shudder. Classmates holding his books and bag above him, taunting him, kicking his stomach as he tried reaching for his belongings, only to pour out his bag's contents on top of him when they'd had their fun. Their words rang through his head.
Come on, Saihara, can't you reach it? What's wrong, too much of a girl to fight for it?
Aw, look at that, he can't even stand up! What a loser.
Hahaha, hey, do you mind if I borrow your pen? I lost mine, see, and you can't even stand up to reclaim it...
Haha, hey wimp, are your parents proud of such a failure?
Saihara felt the anxiety creep in. No, no... I can't let this happen again. This isn't like last time. No, I won't let this happen again.
Drawing in a breath, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he calmly walked over to Ouma, who was simply staring at him. Saihara stopped in front of Ouma and held out his hand.
"I want my hat back, please."
The two stared at each other. Ouma had no traceable emotion on his face. He simply stared at Saihara as he remained firmly in place.
Moments passed, and Saihara was starting to wonder what was wrong. I'm pretty sure he heard me correctly. Is he going to decide? Do I need to ask again?
Saihara was about to request his hat once more when Ouma's expression changed. His eyes widened and his smile curled until his face was practically beaming with joy.
That was... not what Saihara was expecting.
Before he could question it, however, Ouma lunged forward and placed his hat haphazardly on his head, the bill pulled down so much it effectively blinded him. Saihara stumbled slightly.
"Ah-"
"Of course Saihara-chan! If you didn't want to play with me, all you had to do was say so!"
Playing? Is that what this is?
"Anyways Saihara-chan, I don't think you even need your dorky hat. In fact, I think you look much better without it!" Ouma confidently declared.
"Uh," Saihara eloquently replied. He wasn't sure how to handle this. Teasing to praise within such a short amount of time?
Ouma, however, was unaffected by Saihara's confusion. "Bye bye Saihara-chan! Tomorrow I'll be sure to think of even more fun games to play. See ya!"
Ouma left, closing the doorway behind him, leaving a shocked and slightly flustered classmate behind him.
—
Ouma walked down the hallway of the school, almost giddy with excitement. How unexpected!
He had seen Saihara's attachment to his hat and had decided to play around a little. After all, he thought, if it's so much fun to make Kiibo-chan chase after his things, maybe it'll be fun with Saihara-chan too!
It was easy. All he had to do was take his hat, and then the fun would begin. When he waved Saihara's hat in front of him like a taunt, he had expected a chase, maybe even a distressed plea to return it.
He hadn't expected Saihara's face to pale, and certainly hadn't expected his eyes to have a touch of fear. Fear? Was it fear?
What had surprised him the most, however, were Saihara's actions.
After the fear, Saihara had calmly walked over and asked for his hat back. He held his shoulders high and looked into Ouma's eyes resolutely, unflinching. There was no fear or wavering resolve in his expression. It had caught Ouma off-guard.
Ouma had seen a spark. A spark that lied in Saihara's gaze. Behind the timidity and the lack of confidence lay someone who would rise to the occasion. Someone who could overcome even the darkest moments of life, someone who would face tragedy head on, someone who would stick by his beliefs no matter the circumstances. The person he saw (no, glimpsed) was a man of confidence and willpower. Someone who would not bow down to anything or anyone.
He hadn't expected it. He hadn't predicted it. It had been exciting.
Ouma was practically bouncing his way out of the school now. Hey, who are you, Saihara-chan? Ouma thought as he started to skip. What are you capable of? I can't wait to find out!
Ouma let out a breathy giggle as he exited the school, eagerly awaiting the next day that was already full of possibilities.