[His eyelids flutter shut as he tilts his head towards her combing fingers. That feels nice...]
I don't know. [His voice is even softer than usual when he finally speaks, eyes still closed.] I don't know what else I want to say beyond "I miss him"...or if I even want to say anything else at all.
[She hums quietly, continuing to stroke her fingers through his hair as she shifts as close as she can to him. Don't mind the boob as she tries to bring his head in to rest against her shoulder.]
You can talk about stuff you guys did together, or think about things he would say if he knew you missed him. We could even go to one of the observatories and look at the stars. That's his thing, right?
["Luminary of the Stars"... or whatever he said.]
Oh... or I've played Chopin's Tristesse for you before, I know. [She hums the first few bars to try to jog his memory.] It's a sad song, but it sounds hopeful to me. Like... we'll get to see everybody again, before we know it.
[It's easy enough to get him to rest his head on her shoulder. Even though it puts him in such close proximity to her boobs, he doesn't make any effort to resist.]
[Perhaps surprisingly, he starts humming along with her almost immediately, as though he hadn't needed his memory jogged for that particular song.] ...I liked that one.
[Not that he...doesn't like basically every song Kaede plays for him, but that was one of the ones that he'd especially enjoyed. It was sad but oddly soothing. He hadn't realized it at the time but...she's right, isn't she? That soothing feeling is a hopeful one, isn't it? Just a little bit.]
[He nuzzles his face against her shoulder, giving a small chuff of laughter.]
I never stopped to think about that, but...you know, he'd probably ask me why I wasted my time missing him when I have you here with me. Or something like that, you know? Play it off and try to sound cool...
[Be a teenage boy, basically. Comment on how hot his girlfriend is, that sort of thing.]
[It's on the tip of her tongue, to point out that he's never said he doesn't like one of the songs she's played for him, but honestly she's too smitten with the fact that he was able to hum alongside her to comment on it. Just. That was really cute, almost like they'd been playing together.
She can't help but laugh quietly herself, nodding as her fingers graze over his ear as she keeps brushing his hair.]
Yeah, that does sound like something he'd say... You'd have to really twist his arm to get him to admit that he misses you, too.
[Because surely Kaito is out there on another space station, somewhere. Probably trying to find his way to them, knowing him.]
I think... it's okay to miss everyone, as long as it doesn't stop us from moving forward.
[Easy for her to say, harder for her to do. But she's trying!! And talking about it might help, a little. She hopes.]
[He closes his eyes and falls silent again, just enjoying the feeling of being held like this. After a few moments, he starts idly twining the ends of Kaede's hair around his fingers again. Yes, talking about it does help, a little bit, but apparently Shuichi's done enough talking for today.]
[Missing his friends hasn't stopped him from moving forward, this time. It's not the same as the killing game, where he knew he'd never see them again. It's just a matter of waiting it out here, right? So even if it makes him a little sad to think about them, and even if he wishes they were all here...it's okay, in the long run. He's okay.]
[Her heart pounds a little harder in her chest when he says her first name without prompting. Maybe eventually it won't make her heart race, but not just yet.]
Hm?
[She hums questioningly in response and nuzzles her nose against the top of his head.]
Mmm. [He nods, trying to keep his head pressed against her even as she pulls back. He was comfortable! Come back!] When we were humming, it made me think of...that dream where we played together.
[Okay, fine, she stops pulling back to try to get a look at his face, instead just trusting that he's making a cute expression as he stays in against her shoulder like that. It hides her pink-cheeked flush, anyway, at the mention of that dream. Yeah, she sure knows the one. That was a good dream.]
It... was really nice, wasn't it?
[She presses a kiss to the top of his hair, smile brightening.]
I'd really like that, Shuichi-kun. Whenever you're ready, we can start.
...Oh! Could I come watch your training, sometimes?
[That's only fair, right? He expressed interest in what she does, she should do the same!!]
[Very nice. For multiple reasons, he can't really lie there. The piano duet was nice and also the sex was nice. Even if he wasn't 100% acting like himself due to fantasy shenanigans.]
Oh, um...there's not really much to watch but...you can if you really want to.
[?? That doesn't make any sense. If it was Kaito's idea, why didn't he exercise along with them...? Sure, he seemed kind of laid-back from what she remembered, but what's the point of making his friends exercise without doing it with them?]
Was it just an excuse to hang out with you guys, then?
Mmm...not quite. He's not the kind of person who needs an excuse for something like that. [When he wants to spend time with someone, he just...says so or straight up does it. Not a tsundere, that Kaito Momota.] But the training wasn't really for him, you know? It was for me and Harukawa-san. We were the ones who needed to change ourselves.
[That's the simplest way he can think to put it. It's weird, trying to explain training time to someone else.]
That and... [His expression falls a little bit.] He was really sick. I think that may have played a part in it.
[No, she doesn't really get it, but she isn't going to argue the point, either. She lifts a hand and gently strokes Shuichi's cheek when his expression falls, her own shifting to one of sympathy.]
I had no idea... he never looked sick, when I knew him.
Well, that was the thing...he never really looked sick. That's why he was able to hide it from the rest of us for so long. I think even Momota-kun himself didn't know about it, in the beginning.
[Shuichi still isn't even sure what he actually HAD. If things had gone according to script, they were supposed to assume he had the meteor space plague or whatever but...that was all fake. So why WAS Kaito so sick? Was that something from his previous life, or was that something Team Danganronpa gave him for the sake of keeping the plot interesting?]
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I don't know. [His voice is even softer than usual when he finally speaks, eyes still closed.] I don't know what else I want to say beyond "I miss him"...or if I even want to say anything else at all.
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You can talk about stuff you guys did together, or think about things he would say if he knew you missed him. We could even go to one of the observatories and look at the stars. That's his thing, right?
["Luminary of the Stars"... or whatever he said.]
Oh... or I've played Chopin's Tristesse for you before, I know. [She hums the first few bars to try to jog his memory.] It's a sad song, but it sounds hopeful to me. Like... we'll get to see everybody again, before we know it.
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[Perhaps surprisingly, he starts humming along with her almost immediately, as though he hadn't needed his memory jogged for that particular song.] ...I liked that one.
[Not that he...doesn't like basically every song Kaede plays for him, but that was one of the ones that he'd especially enjoyed. It was sad but oddly soothing. He hadn't realized it at the time but...she's right, isn't she? That soothing feeling is a hopeful one, isn't it? Just a little bit.]
[He nuzzles his face against her shoulder, giving a small chuff of laughter.]
I never stopped to think about that, but...you know, he'd probably ask me why I wasted my time missing him when I have you here with me. Or something like that, you know? Play it off and try to sound cool...
[Be a teenage boy, basically. Comment on how hot his girlfriend is, that sort of thing.]
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She can't help but laugh quietly herself, nodding as her fingers graze over his ear as she keeps brushing his hair.]
Yeah, that does sound like something he'd say... You'd have to really twist his arm to get him to admit that he misses you, too.
[Because surely Kaito is out there on another space station, somewhere. Probably trying to find his way to them, knowing him.]
I think... it's okay to miss everyone, as long as it doesn't stop us from moving forward.
[Easy for her to say, harder for her to do. But she's trying!! And talking about it might help, a little. She hopes.]
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[He closes his eyes and falls silent again, just enjoying the feeling of being held like this. After a few moments, he starts idly twining the ends of Kaede's hair around his fingers again. Yes, talking about it does help, a little bit, but apparently Shuichi's done enough talking for today.]
[Missing his friends hasn't stopped him from moving forward, this time. It's not the same as the killing game, where he knew he'd never see them again. It's just a matter of waiting it out here, right? So even if it makes him a little sad to think about them, and even if he wishes they were all here...it's okay, in the long run. He's okay.]
...hey, Kaede?
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Hm?
[She hums questioningly in response and nuzzles her nose against the top of his head.]
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[How's that for an abrupt subject change?]
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You really want to...?
[She sounds cautiously hopeful, like this is a request that's just too good to be true.]
I'll do my best to teach you, if you really want!!
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[You know the one.]
It was nice...
[It was nice and he'd like to do it for real.]
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It... was really nice, wasn't it?
[She presses a kiss to the top of his hair, smile brightening.]
I'd really like that, Shuichi-kun. Whenever you're ready, we can start.
...Oh! Could I come watch your training, sometimes?
[That's only fair, right? He expressed interest in what she does, she should do the same!!]
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[Very nice. For multiple reasons, he can't really lie there. The piano duet was nice and also the sex was nice. Even if he wasn't 100% acting like himself due to fantasy shenanigans.]
Oh, um...there's not really much to watch but...you can if you really want to.
[It's really not very impressive Kaede.]
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I really want to! Maybe I could do it with you, sometimes...
[She sounds a little uncertain, then lets out a quiet pouting noise.]
But don't you dare make fun of how unathletic I am!
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That would make me a hypocrite, don't you think?
[Kaede do you honestly think he is any more athletic than you are? Even if he's been training for months?]
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Maybe just a little... I never really exercised outside of gym class, though. I couldn't risk injuring my hands, you know?
[PLEASE no basketball... soccer... baseball... none of that thanks.]
But as long as we have fun with it, that's okay, right?
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[He had no excuse whatsoever. He's just not an athletic boy.]
But yeah, that's okay. It was never really about the physical prowess part, anyway. Momota-kun didn't even exercise with us half the time...
[Even though he was the one who forced them to do it in the first place...]
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[?? That doesn't make any sense. If it was Kaito's idea, why didn't he exercise along with them...? Sure, he seemed kind of laid-back from what she remembered, but what's the point of making his friends exercise without doing it with them?]
Was it just an excuse to hang out with you guys, then?
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[That's the simplest way he can think to put it. It's weird, trying to explain training time to someone else.]
That and... [His expression falls a little bit.] He was really sick. I think that may have played a part in it.
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[No, she doesn't really get it, but she isn't going to argue the point, either. She lifts a hand and gently strokes Shuichi's cheek when his expression falls, her own shifting to one of sympathy.]
I had no idea... he never looked sick, when I knew him.
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[Shuichi still isn't even sure what he actually HAD. If things had gone according to script, they were supposed to assume he had the meteor space plague or whatever but...that was all fake. So why WAS Kaito so sick? Was that something from his previous life, or was that something Team Danganronpa gave him for the sake of keeping the plot interesting?]
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Well... when he finally comes here, I'm sure they'll be able to cure him! I haven't seen any sick people on the whole station.
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