count me in!

"I told you, I’m really fine", he reassured her, tilting his head to the left in order to offer her a confirmative smile.  "There’s no need for you to worry about someone like me. Truth be told, if you’d prefer to go back to play with the other students, I’d be the last one to hold you back." Placing his palms in the grass right next to his body, he started to slowly prop himself up, waiting for the girl in front of him to get the idea and grand him enough space to move more freely. Once safely back on both of his feet, he spent a moment or two just looking at her, his brows knitting when it finally hit him.  The reason why the young woman looked so familiar to him was because he had already seen her visage several times in various newspaper articles, on TV or while browsing through the endless widths of the internet. He had to admit though, he would have never expected her to look even prettier in reality, and be so close to him too. Feeling a slight whiff of embarrassment rush through his body, he took another step backwards, only to feel something unusually hard press against the bottom side his sole.  Guiding his glance towards the ground, he realized almost immediately what exactly he was standing on, resulting in him quickly placing his foot a few inches further to the side.  Before he had the chance to protest or tell her to stop, the brunette had already lowered herself to pick the item up and returned it back to the hands of it’s rightful owner.  Giving his thanks to her with a short nod, he simply let the book slide into one of his coat’s huge pockets, his shoulders dropping slightly in newfound relaxation. He shut his eyes for a second, before eventually speaking up again, focusing his warmly gleaming glance on the young woman next to him.

"I don't think they'll be coming back anytime soon." As she noticed the young boy trying to stand up without the bother to take the hand she offered to him, Aoi awkwardly stepped aside and dropped her hand back to her side-- somehow still maintaining her sheepish smile. Yep, this guy definitely did not want to be touched though she couldn't find it in herself to blame him. She did, after all, hit his head. But then things felt more uncomfortable for her the very second the stranger was finally back on his feet and spent a fleeting moment just staring at her with furrowed brows. Aoi blinked at him in response before looking back over her shoulder in attempt to see if he was staring directly at her or at someone else.

But then his words caught her attention again and she settled her cerulean hues on him again, somewhat relieved that the guy looked calm now considering she was starting to think she approached a possible sociopath.

"O-Oh, um... it's nice to meet you too, Komaeda-san." She nodded with an uncertain smile. SHSL Good Luck... Just like Naegi, huh? Though for some reason, I'm getting a bad vibe out of this guy. "And yeah, I guess you could say I'm interested in different sports such as baseball, basketball, volleyball and tennis. Oh but we're getting out of topic here! Are you sure you're all right? You're not bleeding or anything, right?"

Some pics from the first run of the DR manga. I don’t know if there are any scans of anything past volume 1 so here are a few of my favorite pics from volumes 1-4.

Because you’ve never seen it before.

It wasn’t really an insecurity about her smile, it was moreso the fact that regular people hated change. A person who’s always happy, suddenly has a moment where they’re in tears? It makes others uncomfortable. And here’s the same scenario. A detective that never smiles, smiling so suddenly? It would make others uneasy. Or that’s at least what she thought.

She stayed silent, refusing to speak as the athlete tilted her head with curiosity and fascination. Kyouko wasn’t… That intriguing, was she? She was a simple, emotionless rock. Nothing more… Nothing less… In public. But could this really be considered public? There was only her and Asahina-san…

… Yes, this is definitely public.

The brunette's smile mellowed down to a comforting one as she delicately leaned the broom against the wall then fixated her attention back on her companion.

"Try me!" She proposed with a nod. "I mean, it's true that I'm somewhat intimidated by your presence but that's because we don't really talk! Perhaps God has a given us a chance to actually get to know each other! You'll never know, we might become the best of friends! It's not impossible, you know!"

          The lighting in the library was dim as always, going by the light of the lamp that sat atop the desk in the center of the large room. It often meant having to plunge into the darkness to find the dust covered shelves that took the girl’s interest. The only-seems-to-be-touched-when-the-teacher-demands-it section of the library— better known as the Classics section to the few students and faculty members that visited its aging wares more regularly.

          Worn fingertips grazed against the spines laid in rows across the shelves, dragging across the title indentations as the female squinted through the poor lighting. She hadn’t a particular book in mind, nor a particular author. Simply a craving for words and escapism that only the best writers seemed to provide.

          Her hand stopped close to the end of the section, and she carefully slid out the book at her fingertips. The Picture of Dorian Grey, it was titled, by Oscar Wilde. Stepping back into the light of the she read the back cover synopsis, forcing a small smile to tug at the corner of her lips.

          An arrogant, beautiful, and dangerous man as the protagonist. A man with little regard for the world where he’s not directly involved. How familiar. How daunting.

With that question clouding her mind, Aoi stepped into the dimly lit room-- a frown gracing her lips upon catching sight of the view that welcomed her. Who in the world would be able to read in a place like this? This was why she never really wanted to step foot into this place whenever the latter part of the day was nearing. Actually, she never really bothered to enter this place unless she was required to. This moment, however, was an exception for the young swimmer was looking for a peculiar classmate of hers.

She had tried asking around for Fukawa's whereabouts but most of their classmates could only shrug their shoulders in response which was hardly a surprise. It was evident that the bespectacled girl was barely the type of person who would surround herself with her peers after all.

An abrupt halt was put to her line of thoughts the very second the brunette finally caught sight of the girl she had been looking for-- seated on the floor by herself with a somewhat dusty book in hand. 

"Ah! Fukawa-chan! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" She acknowledged Fukawa's presence in a rather elatedly loud tone as though she had forgotten that silence was one of the library's important requirements. With hasty steps, Aoi advanced her way towards the direction of her classmate before stopping in front of her and clasping her hands together behind her back.

“What brings a pretty thing like you over in this neck of the school, huh? Come for a readin’?”

Aoi shifted her gaze at Hagakure while she was just in the midst of sliding a few books into the shelf. She couldn't even tell if he was flirting or was just being friendly. Either way, she knew that she should just make light of it instead of inquiring him regarding the matter.

The swimmer’s sentence came to a halt suddenly, only causing the sleuth to casually slip another hand over her mouth. Had Asahina-san caught her? Did she see her abnormal smile? Oh no… That had to be the worst case scenario. What would happen now? Repulsion? More uncertainty and uncomfortable atmospheres?

"Kirigiri-san! Your smile is so beautiful!"

… Wait, what?

She had to be joking. The taller female shook her head, not allowing a blush form on her features at such a compliment. Instead, she focused on regaining her poker face and composure. No one saw her smile. What did a Kirigiri detective have to smile about? Nothing… Nothing at all…

She slowly removed her hands away from her face, biting the inside of her lip to stop herself from smiling.

"Why are you covering it? Come on, smile with me! You really should smile more often!"

{✪}-- "Eh? Abnormal and strange? Now why would you find your smile as such?" If there was one particular smile that Aoi could consider bizarre, it would be the sinister grin of a psychopath. She had watched an ample amount of movies to know that their smiles were one of the things she could never find it in herself to appreciate.

However, Kirigiri's smile was vastly different from theirs and she couldn't find the logic as to where the detective got the idea that her expression of delight could be deemed as abnormal. But then again, Aoi's parents always told the swimmer that she's an easily fascinated person but she pushed that thought away. 

"Is that why you don't smile much?" She decided to question her classmate instead, tilting her head slightly to one side as a look of genuine curiosity flickered in her cobalt optics. She was surprised that the detective even showed a fleeting moment of insecurity in spite of the impassive character she used upon her features to conceal it.

Another stutter from the swimmer’s lips, the sleuth turning away from her to finish wiping down the desks, dumping the sponge into the sink nearby. Was it not considered a waste of time to the swimmer to spend time with someone she obviously didn’t like? It couldn’t be anything that she could tolerate. She was used to solitude, it’s only a natural thing for a Kirigiri detective. Having assistants… Accomplices… They only get hurt in the end.

She'll only get hurt again.

"Don’t be silly, Kirigiri-san! It would be really mean of me to just leave everything to you. Besides, maybe we could use this time to get to know each other!”

As the other spoke, Kyouko turned, greeted with a jubilant smile. Her gaze didn’t focus on those of the bubbly athlete’s, tracing the sweeping movements of the broom as the girl hastily finished the floor. They were almost done — Basically. Until the brunette approached her, flipping out her phone and playing a familiar tune on it.

"See? This song is commonly used in movies whenever a couple is cleaning or cooking together! Doesn’t it just makes you want to dance?"

"… I’ve never been good at dancing…"

An abrupt halt was put to Aoi's words the very moment she caught a glimpse of the small smile that adorned Kirigiri's lips and for a fleeting moment, the swimmer found herself just staring at her. Even it was just a slight twitch of the detective's lips that tugged the corners to an upward curve, it still caught Aoi somewhat captivated.

Of course, this was not the first time she had seen the taller female smile before. She could still recall the rare moments where Kirigiri would show a twitch of a smile in class whether it was for being commended by their teacher or just smiling at her own work. But then again, she was probably only pursing her lips. Aoi was never close enough to confirm if the detective was actually beaming or not. 

However, the fact that she got Kirigiri smiling a bit brought a rush of heat up to the shorter girl's cheeks as a delighted smile graced her lips.

The air felt empty— not that that was a bad thing, honestly— but the usual bustle and noise that shook the air held still, hushed and languid were the quiet noises that did find their way to his ears. Eyes all around downcast to their food, occasionally at a book or a screen of some sort reflected in the glassy stillness. And on every student emblazoned the familiar silver on black shield and wings; exceptional and elite faces in their stares and focus. Thin fingers tug on the zipper of his jacket, down to let out a puff of hot air from his chest, the slightest moisture of sweat on his collarbone. He shivered, and the uniform black work shoes gripped his feet tight as he strode over to the lunch room. Six months have passed, and the room still feels the same. Like high school.

I guess it’s unavoidable. Different, in a few ways, but at its heart an institution, and this is what it meant to achieve excellence, even if there were other experiences on the fringes and veneer that made it seem like a revolutionary place. Not that I dislike it overmuch, but…

His gait slowed; and caramel eyes searched for something up, anything brighter that he could look at and maybe, just maybe reflect back. He’d kill to feel a bit of warmth on his face; and not just daylight. Something to make it look like something other than just blazers and seifuku. He could just feel the no vacancy sign hanging over the rows of seats; not entirely unfriendly but certainly not particularly welcoming. But then, he could understand. There was so much work to do for every class, every project and reading and essay back to back. It made people tend to withdraw into their own resources. And while Naegi Makoto often did so himself, his chest felt burdened and his breathing labored, no cream and sugar for his coffee.

At least one counterexample presented herself before him as he waited in the line, however. The smooth and supple athletic form of Asahina Aoi there stood, occupying a space larger than the hips that fell below the serving counter much like his own and the head that popped cheerily with a dollop of chocolate hair done up in a woozy and fluid bun that reminded him ever so vaguely of cupcake frosting. There the warmth and light began to reflect off his face, and like a sapling leaning toward the sun he found himself beside her.

A mixed look of bewilderment and skepticism dawned upon the swimmer's features as she stepped into the lunch room, noticing how the place seemed to be peculiarly placid. Too placid for her liking, actually. Perhaps the blazing weather was draining every bit of their energy and that was most certainly logical. Even Aoi, herself, wasn't at all feeling rather chirpy like she usually did. With a sigh, she advanced her steps towards the direction of the serving counter-- grabbing a tray along the way.

As she waited in line, a familiar voice entered her ears and she looked over her shoulder to see Naegi's beaming face. The smile that adorned his lips was so endearing that Aoi found herself smiling back.

"Hi Naegi!" She greeted him back in a tone that could be considered too enthusiastic, her previous sluggish mood instantly lifting off. "Man, it's really hot today, huh? I can't believe you're still wearing your jacket! You should take that off before you get a heat stroke!" With a small pout, she tugged the cuff of his jacket to emphasize her suggestion.

"Honestly, I can't wait to dive into the pool after class. The heat is killing me here." She added with a tired sigh.

It had been a dull Saturday so far and the young man had used the day off to eventually finish the book about observational astronomy he had borrowed from the school’s library weeks ago already. The past few days had been pretty eventful, at least in terms of subject material and diverse other projects he had been more or less forced to participate in, resulting in a drastically shortened free time for personal activities. At first, he had considered sleeping in, but wasting his precious weekend had ultimately not been an option. Furthermore, Komaeda Nagito wasn’t really the kind of person you could call a late riser, mostly due to the fact that nightmares and insomnia had been haunting him for several years now, turning nights, in which he was able to stay asleep for longer than four hours straight, into a small miracles to him. In reality, he had already grown apathetic to his lack of proper sleep, resulting in him appreciating long walks in the moonlight and stargazing far more than he had ever expected. If someone would ask him about his sleeplessness, he’d probably just shrug it off as another quirk of fate, maybe adding that he was still quite lucky under these circumstances, since it had most possibly increased his fasciation with the nighttime sky immensely. Eventually, he had started reading more and more books about the unknown widths called space, until he had surpassed the basic knowledge of his other classmates by far. Naturally, when the time had come to finally leave this stressful week behind him, the first thing that popped into his mind was to enjoy the warm weather outside, searching for a beautiful enough place to finish his reading.  Lost in various thoughts while making his way down the campus, he had let out a short sigh and raised his head skyward when it hit him.  It hadn’t been an idea or clever enlightenment, it was rough, round and covered in rubber.  The next thing he had seen was blackness covered in various stars, causing him to almost confuse his own body for a space shuttle knocked straight into the widespread unknown, until he eventually came to his senses again.  His head throbbed painfully and when the young man carefully decided to raise his lids, his eyes met with an alarmed glance into his direction, sent out by a pair of beautiful, huge blue eyes he had definitely never seen before, at least not this close-up.

"Are you sure?" The fact that the boy admitted how he was already used to being in comparable predicaments somehow made her feel worse about what she did. How many hits to the head would it take for a person to lose control of their sanity? "I mean, I threw that ball really hard and I'm surprised you're still conscious!" 

Getting a closer look of the guy, however, she discerned how he was somewhat peculiarly paler than the other students she had encountered in the academy. The slightly dark circles that were evident under his eyes specified his possible inadequacy of slumber and for a moment, Aoi thought that it would have been better if that hit actually sent his consciousness to momentary oblivion. Wouldn't that be like doing him a favor by giving him enough sleep?

She shook those thoughts away before her cerulean optics caught sight of a book, that looked like it had something to do with astronomy, lying on the ground. Assuming that it was his, she picked it up before straightening up and tightening the knot of the sleeves of her jacket around her waist.

scritch scratch noise against paper, and…humming?

Yes, humming. This was the second time that girls cheery humming had broken Madarai’s concentration. The librarian had been quick to shush her before, but it was beginning to seem like she couldn’t contain herself. Sighing and shaking his head, he returned to diligently taking notes from a math textbook. The library was a popular study hotspot that many students preferred, and Madarai was no different. Even if the schoolwork he was working on that particular day was….unpleasant, being in this calm atmosphere helped his busy, agitated mind to settle down and to focus. Yes, it was much easier to concentrate when it was quiet.

Which it wasn’t, because the hummingbird was at it again.

Irritated, Madarai’s narrow eyes flicked up from his work and he fixed a glare on the back of the swimmer’s head. He’d never been one to loose his patience irrationally, but the mathematics had already worn it thin. In any case, it’s not like she could see him from his perch at a desk in a corner towards the back, but he could see her. She was trying to reach a particular book off the highest place of a shelf now… He smirked at the thought of going over there and proposing some sort of deal where he’d retrieve the book for her, as long as she’d cease and desist the humming… But the thought barely had a chance to finish itself before a horrific crashing sound cut it off. Books flew everywhere, the shelf lay across the library floor like a fallen soldier.

Strange enough, the old woman did not emerge in view. Perhaps she left to get something? Well, whatever the librarian's reason for her absence may be, Aoi knew that she needed to snatch this opportunity and get the shelf back up before the old lady would enter the library again. With a deep breath, she bent down and held onto the shelf's ledge in attempt to pull it up.

No use. The shelf was just far too large and massive for her. After a considerable number of attempts, she straightened up with an agitated grunt-- almost kicking the damn thing out of frustration. Why did this have to happen now? To her? Of all people? The thought of scampering away from the scene clouded her mind but she already had too many witnesses. Escaping will do her no good. However, her thoughts were put to an abrupt halt once she noticed at the corner of her eye a figure advancing their way towards her.

Heavily hoping it wasn't the librarian, Aoi found herself nearly screaming in startled alarm at the sight of Madarai's large frame though she managed to stop herself before she could grab more of the other students' attention. She stared back at him with wide befuddled cobalt eyes, not exactly sure why he approached her. Was she staring at the Angel of Death or did he really just give off an intimidatingly chilling aura? Before she could say anything, the guy settled his attention on the shelf and within a few seconds, he got it back up without even a single sign of struggle. Oh. He was helping her. If she had to be honest, he was the least person she expected to help her but mostly because she never really interacted with him. Who could blame her? He looked like he could snap a neck with a simple flick of his wrist.

She woke up from her line of thoughts when Madarai's voice entered her senses, causing her to flinch in surprise. "R-Right!" She nodded, her tone unintentionally higher than it should be before hastily crouching down to pick the books up. Though she couldn't help herself but steal a few glances at the guy's direction, still somewhat incredulous of the fact that this was actually happening.

"Uhm... thank you." She cleared her throat. "For helping me, I mean."

The library appeared to have been one of his favorite places; if he wasn’t on the rooftops, working, or in his room, he could be found in the library with his eyes searching for the tiniest hint of anything mystical. The old saying was true to him; knowledge was power, and if he was to look into the future he must educate himself on the past, or so he felt that way. Feet up on the table, he had barely managed to have himself settled in before he had heard the crash of books. How frustrating…can’t I just relax? I just got off work. C’mon, universe, cut me a break. He sighed, setting his own reading material down, and began to search for the source of the disturbance. His steps carried him over to the commotion, some female who he hadn’t seen before, and from what it looked like, didn’t have much respect for the knowledge she had dropped, or where it was housed for that matter. May as well help her. She could be a potential client.

She frowned at the first name he referred to her as though he had never met her before. All right, it was true that she never interacted with him but he should at least know who she is considering they fall under the same homeroom class. But then again, maybe he was slacking off during her introduction and that looked like something he would do. The next nickname he gave her caused the swimmer to quirk a brow out of incredulity though an amused smile adorned her lips.

"Sweetcheeks? Do people still even use that, Hagakure? Wow, it's like looking at someone who just stepped out of a terrible 90's film." She let out a soft entertained chuckle before shaking her head in disbelief. This guy was undeniably funny.

Wiping off the benches with the girl sweeping on the other side of the room as if Kyouko carried the plague, she finally turned towards the swimmer, her expression softened slightly but not losing it’s unreadable look. It wouldn’t be fair for the swimmer to be stuck here during practice or when she had friends she could be hanging out with. Kirigiri didn’t, she had all the time in the world when she wasn’t figuring out who was the culprit to the newest cadaver.

"The teacher is no longer here, Asahina-san. I’d rather you not waste your time with me as you could be doing things much more important."

Practice was important to Asahina-san. Friends were important to Asahina-san. Getting out of this cleaning duty was important for Asahina-san. And for her or a teacher to prevent what may or may not be important to the girl…? That was harsh. She couldn’t force her to stay here with her — It’d probably be better if she were alone.

{✪}-- "W-Waste my time with you?" Aoi couldn't help but flash a look of befuddled incredulity at Kirigiri's direction. It was true that she had notably greater imperative things she could be doing right now but she wasn't really wasting her time by doing something else. At least she was doing something that could be considered productive seeing as she was cleaning the classroom up with a companion. She studied Kirigiri's face for a fleeting moment but gave up on trying to figure out what was going through her mind. She, however, knew that it wouldn't be right to leave the taller girl alone-- especially when she knew that most students are intimidated by the detective's presence.

'She must be pretty lonely.'

Taking notice of the somewhat awkward flavor of the ambiance, Aoi tried to brighten it up by letting a jubilant smile adorn her lips. "Don't be silly, Kirigiri-san! It would be really mean of me to just leave everything to you. Besides, maybe we could use this time to get to know each other!" She nearly flinched at her own suggestion, not positive if Kirigiri would even want that. She didn't seem like the type of person who would voluntarily share stories about herself. "Plus, I already gave our teacher my word and I simply can't just leave the responsibility that was given to me."

Aoi hastily finished sweeping the floor before advancing her way towards the taller girl with the broom still in hand as she fished her pink slider phone out. "We can play some music to motivate us!" She suggested, waving the phone in front of Kirigiri before sliding it on and going through her music files. Within a few seconds, a song started playing and the young swimmer enthusiastically settled her cerulean hues on Kirigiri's lilac ones.

— 「昼寝」Soft pink eyes fluttered open as Nanami grudgingly woke up, barely listening to what the teacher in the front of the room was saying. "Now then class, please remember that the homework is due on Wednesday…" Not paying attention to the teacher, she yawned loudly just as the bell rang. Stretching like a cat, she rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes, and walked towards the cafeteria. She felt her eyes lower and lower until she was completely relaxed, and found herself dozing off while standing. That wasn’t a good sign.

Mmmm… maybe it’s a good idea if I just skipped lunch and took a nap… She thought, turning away from the doors to the cafeteria and heading upstairs to the rooftop of the school. When days were warm enough, the pink haired gamer would usually stay up there and play games, or just take a nap staring up at the wispy clouds overhead. This afternoon was a day for a small nap.

A comfortable breeze flew past Nanami as she opened the door to the rooftop. Laying down on the floor, the pink gamer made herself comfortable and was asleep in no time. Her stomach rising up and down in steady movement, the gamer was in blissful sleep, not noticing the door had creaked open.

{✪}— "No fair!" A look of defeat dawned upon Aoi's features the very moment she stepped into cafeteria only to be greeted by the sight of every table being occupied. And just right when she eager to munch on the packed lunch she worked incredibly hard on earlier. The swimmer pursed her lips as she let her gaze skim through the room in hope to see a familiar face but none came to view.

'What is this, a reenactment of Mean Girls?' She bitterly thought to herself, perfectly aware that she looked like an idiot standing by herself there. With a miffed huff, Aoi turned to leave the room in search for a place where she could have her lunch in peace. She wanted to enjoy and relish the taste, after all. 'Are we allowed to go to the rooftop? Hm. Well, better than eating this in the girls' restroom.' With a convinced nod, the young swimmer made her way for the rooftop.

What awaited her in her destination, however, was a scene that she had never encountered before. The very moment she pushed the door open, she caught sight of an unfamiliar girl lying by herself on the floor-- her even breathing indicating that she had fallen deep in slumber. 'E-Eh? Who sleeps on the floor in a place like this?' Hell, this girl could even get herself in danger if she carelessly put herself in such vulnerable position.

Curiously, Aoi took a few steps closer before bending down and reaching to poke the girl's side. "Hey." She spoke as softly as she could. "Hey, wake up... You shouldn't be sleeping here...!"