-- sleepyhead

Being called ‘Hajime-kun’ by Chiaki made Hajime’s heart skip a beat. It was only a small change and certainly not something groundbreaking, but to him it meant a lot. It emphasized how close they were without it being something obnoxious. If Hajime disliked one thing, it would be couples doing everything in their power to let you know they are happy together and that you should feel bad for not being like them. 

Hajime’s salty thoughts on annoying couples were pushed from his mind when Chiaiki pulled him into another embrace. Still being a little unsure about the physical contact, he hesitatingly wrapped his arms around her waist. Like before, it took him a moment to get comfortable in her space, but soon enough all his worries had faded away. 

Hajime wasn’t sure for how long they had been holding each other close underneath the fake night sky, but when he finally let go of Chiaki it still felt far too soon for them to be apart. The thought that they would have many opportunities to hug each other again in the future was the only thing which could put his mind at ease. Although they had no idea what tomorrow would bring, they should take their time and treasure it. 

That being said, or uh… thought, Hajime had no idea what to do now that he had gotten the ‘And They Lived Happily Ever After’-achievement. Where were the credits? 

“…I’m not sure what comes next. I’ve never date-dated someone before.”

Chiaki pulls herself from Hinata--er, Hajime just a little, still keeping her arms around him. She gazes into his green eyes and wonders what was going through his mind. Knowing him, he’s probably thinking about what they should do as a couple or couples even do to begin with. And that suspicion was further cemented by his following words.

“Hm...” she tilts her head in thought, letting his statement stir in her mind. Well... She didn’t know what came next either. All she knew was from dating sims. Usually, there’d be some kind of epilogue showing the MC and their partner living a happy life together, but... They’re not in a game, this actually happened in real life.“After the confession’s all said and done, the couple enjoys things together like... Playing video games and eating together, then getting married... I think.”

original from Dangan Ronpa 4koma

The embarrassment hit Hajime as soon as his abysmal proposal had left his mouth. He regretted not taking his time to come with the perfect way to ask Nanami out. She was a great person and deserved nothing but a Romeo and Juliet level of poetry dedicated to her (just the poetry, not their fate). Meanwhile, all Hajime had given her were jumbled up words and tumbling thoughts. 

However, what Nanami told him in reply to his proposal was something Hajime had never thought possible. That was……. A YES?!

“You will? You do? Neat!” Hajime beamed, taking a direct shot to the heart. “I want to be with you too. I’m so happy I don’t really know what to say?”

It was around this time that Hajime expected to be woken up by Monokuma’s voice, telling him it had become morning once again and that he should get his ass out of bed. Hajime waited for it, but it didn’t happen. This was no dream. This was as real as the girl he had had a crush on since day one standing before him.

“Actually, there’s one thing I have to say. Would you mind if I started calling you ‘Chiaki’ from now on? Couples don’t call each other by their last name… I don’t think. Unless it makes you uncomfortable? In that case I’ll stick to ‘Nanami’.”

Her smile grows even bigger when he says that he wants to be with her and her heart is on the verge of exploding with tremendous joy. When she blinks, she keeps her eyes closed for a little longer, expecting to wake back up in the virtual world or to see Hinata gone without a trace. When she opens her eyes again, thankfully, she’s proven wrong. He’s still standing there with a smile just as big as hers.

His question catches her by surprise, but makes her giggle anyways. “You can call me however you feel like, Hinata-kun. Oh-- I mean, Hajime-kun. Or do you prefer just Hajime?” She’s gotten so used to calling him ‘Hinata-kun’, calling him anything else was somewhat unorthodox, in a good way though.

Chiaki approaches Hinata and throws her arms around him, holding him as close and tight as she possibly could. Though they shared a hug earlier, this one felt more intimate, more special. She could feel his heart beating with hers, like they were one. She didn’t want to let him go.

I wish we could stay like this forever.

Wait… What?! Against all odds, Nanami had answered she would go ‘out’ with Hajime. What did she mean? Go out or go outside? Were they dating now or just exiting the building? There was quite the difference between those two options, so assuming the wrong one to be the truth would be fatal. 

“Yes. Good… Thank you,” Hajime replied, keeping his answer as vague as possible. What Nanami would do next would certainly determine which side the coin had fallen on. 

Actually, forget about trying to figure out what Nanami was trying to get across. Hajime wasn’t even sure what he had meant. Considering the way he had been behaving since their reunion, it was save to assume Hajime asking Nanami out had been more than just a slip of his tongue. 

Hajime was crushing on Nanami, he realized that now. He had found her attractive since meeting her for the first time on Jabberwock Island and as far as he could remember they had become good friends despite the despairing circumstances. Thinking about it more he probably had had a crush on her for a long time, but why had it taken weeks of being apart for him to realize that? 

“………….” 

If he had feelings for her shouldn’t he be doing this properly? He felt like he should although if he didn’t know how to put his feelings into words. Even so, this might not be a good time for something so… out-there. They had found themselves in this strange place called Stella City. Shouldn’t they be trying to find the answers to the what, where, when, why, how and who first? 

There were so many uncertainties, too many even. Perhaps that should be his motivation for making his move. With so little to be certain of, shouldn’t he be holding onto what he knew and try to turn uncertainties into certainties? It made sense in his mind, but if it actually made sense he wouldn’t dare say………. No matter. There was only one way to find out.

“Nanami, go out with me!” Hajime stated, striking his signature pose and pointing at her because for some reason it felt like the most natural thing to do. “I mean, go out with me, please. If you would like, that is! Not just outside, but on a date. Not a friend-date, a date-date. Although, if you would rather go on a friend-date I wouldn’t mind… Maybe I would mind just a little, but I would still say yes. Sorry, I’m getting off topic. Date me! Maybe! Please?”

When Hinata thanks her, Chiaki starts to head for the door, only to stop short when she realizes that Hinata had stayed close to the Aries constellation. She stares at him as he’s deep in thought, his face no longer as red as a tomato. “Hinata-kun? Are you still feeling sick? If you can’t walk, I can get you water and--”

“Nanami, go out with me!”

...Huh???

Chiaki furrows her eyebrows after hearing his declaration and watching him strike a pose. Her expression softens once he explains himself and her cheeks start to warm up the more she hears it. He was still a bit flustered, but not as messy as he was when he claimed to be coming down with a cold.

She could hardly believe it, really.

“Do you... Really mean it, Hinata-kun?”

She looks straight into Hinata’s eyes and sees a new kind of spark within them. It wasn’t the same that she had seen when he overcame himself to defeat Junko. No, it was something... Softer. More affectionate.

Love?

Words fail her after the question leaves her and she’s stuck in her own thoughts. He wanted to go on a date with her. It didn’t matter if it was as friends or partners, he wanted to be with her. The more she thought on it, the more she realizes that she held the same kind of sentiment towards him. She always had, especially when they became close during their time in Jabberwock. There, she was an AI. Hinata is an actual human being. It would never have worked.

It can work here though. Here, she was just as real as he was.

Chiaki strikes a pose similar to Hinata, but makes a heart with her hands instead of pointing at him. Then, she moves her hands back to her sides and smiles at her... Boyfriend. Yes, her boyfriend!

Hajime squeezed his eyes shut when Nanami gently pressed her hand against his forehead. Gritting his teeth, he tried his hardest to slow his heartbeat down. This was far from normal behavior for him or his body, so perhaps he was actually coming down with a cold? Well, whatever the reason for these developments was, he didn’t want Nanami to worry for him. 

“I think I would like to go outside and maybe buy some water somewhere,” Hajime answered Nanami after she had taken her hand back and he had opened his eyes again. “The fresh air should do me good.”

Before Hajime had wanted to sit down, but he had changed his mind. For some reason he felt Nanami sitting close to him would make his cold worse, not to mention he didn’t want her to get sick also. 

“What’s on my mind? Well, you’re here and that makes me incredibly happy, but there are also so many questions I want to ask. How did you get here? What are we supposed to do now? Will you go out with me? Things like that.”

A loading symbol was displayed in front of Hajime’s face, circling around for a hot minute before an error box popped up and crashed his chill. Oh no…. OH NO!!!!!

“OUTSIDE! Will you go outside with me! That’s what I wanted to ask!”

“Okay, let’s try and find the nearest convenience store then." Fresh air sounded like it could do him some good, especially with the way he’s behaving. Chiaki listens to Hinata’s explanation, nodding all the while. She couldn’t help but smile when he tells how he happy he is now that she’s here. Honestly, she wouldn’t have it any other way. But, as she suspected, there’s also a lot of questions that plague his mind. As much as she wants to help give him the answers, it looks like right now isn’t a good time.

“Will you go out with me?”

H-huh?

Chiaki’s face immediately flushes to a bright red and she quickly averts her eyes from Hinata’s. She looks down at her feet, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. What is she supposed to say? Isn’t she already ‘out’ with him? Or is this what they call ‘taking it to the next level’?

All those dating sims really didn’t prepare her for this.

Before she can come up with something to say, Hinata rapidly tries to change his previous statement. He meant going ‘outside’ and not going ‘out’? That... Makes a little less sense.

She gives a small pout, still trying to figure out how to respond. It wasn’t that she was mad at him, she was more confused than anything. Her eyes move from her shoes to the exit down the hallway. Finally, Chiaki speaks up, “Okay, Hinata-kun. I’ll go ‘out’ with you.”

Hajime’s hands were definitely gross and sweaty now. Nanami squeezing his hand and rubbing her thumb on the back of his palm made his face flood with color and it gave him butterflies in his stomach. 

Abort! ABORT! As if to have burned himself, Hajime swiftly let go of Nanami’s hand. He also stumbled back a bit, creating more space between them. 

“I think I caught a cold or something!” was the explanation Hajime hastily came up with. He did feel hot and tingly, but he couldn’t say he recognized this kind of heat. “You shouldn’t come to close or you’ll get it too.”

Nanami’s clever joke flew straight over Hajime’s head. Not making a fool of himself required all of his attention. Needing to sit down, he walked over to one of the many chairs in the planetarium and made himself as comfortable as he could be in this situation. 

“I’m feeling a little light-headed,” Hajime explained with a husk voice. He coughed the clear his throat, but when he spoke again he still sounded like he had just hit puberty. “Dammit… Why do I have to get sick now?”

This wasn’t how Hajime had wanted their reunion to go. He would be thinking of a way to make it up to Nanami. 

Chiaki nearly stumbles when Hinata breaks from her hand and jump away from her. Again, she tilts her head, perplexed as to why his face was completely red. Was he really coming down with some kind of cold? It was a little strange that he would say that so suddenly. Then again, maybe he really is just getting sick. Why else would he act so... Off?

She shortens the distance between them and stands on the tips of her toes to put her hand on his forehead. “Hmm... You are burning up, Hinata-kun. Do you want to go lie down or get some water? Maybe you’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.”

What has Hinata been doing ever since he got to this city? There must have been a lot on his mind, too many questions and worries weighing down his heart. And now that the two reunited, it could be adding on more stress. That’s not good at all.

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