#ultimate mathematician

You're disappointed that you ended up in this comedic situation, locked inside the beach house with Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic.

After all, you were supposed to be smarter than this.

Kazuichi mumbles a few curses under his breath as he examines the side door. You don't bother joining him, already have accepted that you're stuck in here until someone notices your absence.

"Damn it, I bet this is Nagito's fault. With his dumb luck."

As crazy as it sounds, it wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen on Jabberwock Island.

You chuckle, startling Kazuichi out of his inspection. "Ugyaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Oh, it's just you. Don't scare me!"

He doesn't give you time to respond and continues talking. "I didn't expect you to be here, y'know. I pegged you for an introvert."

"H-hey!" He wasn't wrong, but he didn't have to say it out loud.

Suddenly Kazuichi drops to the linoleum floor and cradles his head with both hands. His eyes are watery and you're not sure how to approach him.

"My perfect plan is ruined! I only came here to wait for Miss. Sonia, and now I won't be able to see her."

Of course he did. "I'm sorry."

With a heavy sigh, Kazuichi mutters, "Pfft. You shouldn't apologize for things that aren't your fault."

"You're right." Neither of you have anything to say after that, and an awkward silence fills the beach house. A few minutes pass by and Kazuichi clears his throat.

"So, Y/N... You know why I'm stuck here. What about you? Were you waiting for someone?"

"No, I was just looking for a quiet place to work on some calculus problems. With everything that's been going on I haven't really had time to enjoy myself."

Kazuichi nods his head in understanding. "I can understand that. Sometimes, it's nice to not be around another person."

You definitely weren't expecting to hear that from him when it seemed as if he was always with either Sonia or Hajime. And, as if reading your thoughts, he adds, "Do you want to hear a secret?"

"If you're willing to share one, then sure." You're surprised, but try your best not to show it. You didn't realize that you were close enough to be sharing secrets.

Kazuichi gets off of the floor and makes his way over to you. His voice is considerably lower, which is unnecessary as the two of you are alone inside of a locked room. "I don't want to trust another person."

Before Kazuichi can continue, you grab his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. You catch sight of his eyes widening, but he squeezes back nonetheless.

Strange because it's the hand of an Ultimate Mechanic, his grip is careful and feels soft to the touch, save for a few callouses.

"Enough of that! You said you were working on some calculus problems, right Y/N?"

You blink in confusion. Talk about a full 180°.

"Would you mind teaching me? I'll admit, I'm not exactly the best when it comes to..."

"... Of course!" And so, the two of you spend whoever knows how long working on arithmetic problems in the back of your journal.

Kazuichi spends more time talking about his love of Coca-Cola and the one-sided beef he has with Nagito and Gundham than the actual solutions.

For the first time since meeting Monokuma, you felt happy. In fact, you don't even realize that you were watching Kazuichi's lips move as he asks you something.

"Y/N? Did you hear me?" You hadn't. You're too embarrassed to admit the reason why you're distracted, though.

Kazuichi gently cups your face with both of his hands. You both wear matching blushes. "If you want to kiss me, you just have to ask."

You open your mouth, but no words pass your lips. You nod your head and he strokes the side of your face with one of his thumbs. At your consent, Kazuichi leans in and presses his lips against yours.

The moment is tender and warm.