{HIATUS} You're Perfect for Me" // A Saiouma Story

7 - The "Light" in Spotlight

Shuichi Saihara
Birthday: September 7th
Title: SHSL Detective (II)
School: Hope's Peak Academy
Organization: Future Foundation

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When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I feel is... emptiness. I sit up in bed, contemplating the thoughts running through my head and trying to assign emotions to them. My efforts are futile, however. There's nothing I can do to convince myself that I feel anything.

On some days, it's really hard to act happy... or sad. Every day is too gloomy and repetitive to continuously muster the energy to feel. Sometimes my ability to do so completely disappears, just like it has today. Over time I've learned that I can't do anything about it... I have to wait until my emotions come back to me on my own. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. I get sick of my emotions very often. I know I'm more sensitive and emotional than most, so times like these are like a break to me.

I slide out of bed and trudge over to the bathroom to get ready for school. Mugi is already there, brushing her hair attentively in the mirror. The brush moves through every wave gently despite how hard she's gripping it. She quickly finishes, jumping as she finally notices me waiting by the door.

"Good morning, Shuichi! You scared me," she laughs as she picks up her things. "I was just finishing up in here. You can go now."

Once she hurries away, I groggily start my morning routine. I take a fast shower, brush my hair, and head downstairs to eat breakfast. Once again, Tsumugi has already finished and is waiting for me outside. I grab an apple to eat as I walk and rush to meet my sister.

"You're just on time," she says as I approach her. "You're usually up earlier than me. Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Yeah, of course I did." I force a smile and push past her. "We've gotta get going. Kaede's probably waiting for us."

We walk down the street to the Akamatsu residence where Kaede is just leaving her house. "Good morning, you two!" she calls to us cheerfully.

We begin our walk to school in a comfortable silence and watch as the sun rises higher in the sky. Kaede is humming a slow tune and Tsumugi is fidgeting with her earrings excitedly. I feel a trace of warmth in my heart as I see them happy in their own minds. It's something I wish I had for myself.

"Ah, no..." I hear suddenly. I raise my head to see Kaede pointing behind me. "It looks like a news reporter.... they're coming our way. We should make a run for it."

Tsumugi brushes her blue hair aside to get a better look at the approaching paparazzi. "But wouldn't it be rude to run away from them? Maybe we can talk for a few minutes..."

Kaede glances at me worriedly. "Are you alright with tha-"

"Shuichi Saihara! Can we have a word, please?"

The pianist sighs. "Nevermind."

I turn to see a tall woman with cocoa-brown hair rushing over to us, followed by two cameramen and what seems to be a transcriptionist. "It's Kaede Akamatsu and Tsumugi Shirogane, too! We're honored to meet you!"

"We're flattered," Kaede grins, shaking the hand of the woman. Tsumugi follows, and I do the same.

"I have a few questions for you, Mr. Saihara! It's regarding the new missing persons cases the Future Foundation has taken on."

One of the large cameras flash in my face before I can respond. "W-Well, I can't reveal too much at this point in time. We have confidentiality rules..."

"That's okay. What about the photo shoot for Teen Vogue? When will we be seeing the pictures?"

More flashing. "Soon, I think. Unfortunately I'm not... in charge of that..."

"And what about-"

"I'm so sorry, we need to get going now. We're gonna be late for school," Kaede interrupts, locking eyes with the interviewer. "Maybe we can finish this conversation another time?"

"But Miss Akamatsu-!"

"Have a great day!" She takes Tsumugi and I by the arm and drags us away, quickly pacing down the street. She doesn't stop until Hope's Peak is within sight.

"I'm sorry about that, Shuichi," Kaede apologizes through exhausted huffs. "This is such a weird time for interviewers to be out. Don't they have any respect?!"

"It's okay. Thank you for helping us," I smile.

Tsumugi jumps in, grinning. "Yeah, that was so cool of you! You were like a superhero!"

"I-It wasn't that special," Kaede gushes. "It's the least I could do. But anyways, are you two okay? That was a really overwhelming encounter."

"I'm alright," Mugi says, swiping imaginary dust off of her victorian-style skirt. "What about you, Shuichi?"

"W-Well," I sigh. "I don't really like being photographed or intensely questioned. I'm okay with small talk, but that interview felt like an interrogation! It's so overstimulating, and they didn't even ask for my permission first..."

"You're right; that was terrible! They could have at least asked you before shoving a camera in your face!" Kaede remarks.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. But I felt that it would be rude to tell them not to do their job, so I said nothing."

Mugi frowns, placing a hand on my shoulder. "But their job shouldn't be to make you uncomfortable! Your feelings and privacy come first, and they have to respect it."

"Right?!" Kaede agrees. "Next time, don't be so afraid to say no! I'm sure they'll put you first."

"Ah... alright! Thank you, guys," I smile. Kaede and Tsumugi bring me in for a hug before we enter the school building. Once inside, we grab our things from our lockers and head to homeroom. As we walk, Tsumugi's eyes suddenly light up.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you this, but I'm meeting up with a classmate at lunch. He's going to show me how to make some cool earrings!"

"Really? Who is it?" I ask.

"Kokichi Ouma! The one with the purple hair, remember?"

My chest tightens. "I remember."

"Yeah, I just thought I'd say that before running off! I'll be back at our lunch spot tomorrow," Mugi reassures us.

"Wow, look at you! You're making friends so fast!" Kaede laughs. "Looks like we need to catch up! Right, Shuichi?"

"Yeah," I say. Tsumugi leaves to go to her seat, but I pull Kaede aside before she can walk off.

"Kaede, I feel kind of weird," I begin.

A concerned look spreads across the blonde's face. "What? What's wrong?!"

"W-When Mugi mentioned Kokichi, I started to feel really upset. I have no idea why."

"Hmm..." Kaede ponders. "Maybe you're a little jealous? Did you want to hang out with Kokichi, too?"

My face heats up. "I mean... maybe? He asked me to meet up with him-"

"REALLY?! When are you going?"

"After school today."

"Well, this is a perfect chance to figure out your feelings! Maybe you think he's really cool, or that you want to be his friend!"

I smile. "Oh, that makes sense..."

"Right? Now hurry and go to your seat before the bell rings!"

Word Count: 1203