Maki glared down the Ultimate Academy’s hallway as if it had personally offended her. The same loud chaotic energy as always like a madhouse no one remembered signing up for. Every day was like wading through concrete in a heatwave slow, draining, and miserable.
This place was hell and not just because of the killing game.
She exhaled through her nose, arms folded, eye twitching as a shrill voice echoed off the metal walls like nails on glass.
“Oi!! Flat Chest, Ya! missed a spot!” Miu shrieked, tipping a half empty cup of something dark and sticky across the hall.
It splattered against the floor, a few droplets catching on the hem of Kirumi’s pristine uniform.
Kirumi didn’t flinch but Maki caught it that tiny shift in her eyes, the almost imperceptible tension in her jaw. Miu was pushing it.
Again.
Maki stepped forward before she could think better of it. “What the hell is your problem?”
Miu turned eyes wild with delight. “Whoa! Calm your tiny tits Maki-roll. I’m just havin a little fun!” She jabbed a finger in Kirumi’s direction, practically vibrating with manic glee.
“Besides, Miss Maid got it covered. She lives for this shit.”
Maki’s tone sharpened like a knife. “You think wasting her time is fun? You called yourself a genius, right? Try acting like it.”
Kirumi raised a hand between them, voice soft but strained. “Harukawa please. It’s fine. There’s no need to escalate.”
But Miu was already smirking again. “Ohhh, I get it now. Maki’s just pissed cause I’m talking shit about her girlfriend!”
That stopped Maki. “What?” she muttered.
Kirumi blinked. For once she actually looked taken aback.
Miu cackled like a gremlin. “Don’t play dumb! You two are totally doing it, right? Probably sneak off at night for some hardcore scissor action suckling each other’s tits—”
“MIU.” Maki’s voice dropped low and dangerous.
Kirumi stepped forward, all composure and control again. “I’m sorry, Miu, but that’s not only crude it’s untrue. Miss Harukawa and I are acquaintances, nothing more.”
“Pfft. Yeah okay. You’re just hiding it. Denial’s the first step!” Miu grinned. “Bet you two get real freaky behind closed doors. Hell! invite me next time. I’ll rate it outta ten!”
Maki stared, horrified. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I could ask you the same thing goth~,” Miu shot back. “You’re the one who got all weird and protective the second I poked your maid waifu.”
“Enough,” Kirumi said her voice steady. “Harukawa and I only spoke for the first time just now. Your assumptions are not only baseless they’re also deeply inappropriate.”
Miu rolled her eyes and threw her arms up. “Ugh, whatever! You no boobs bimbos are no fun. If you are doing it, let me know I’ll bring popcorn.” She turned and stormed off, muttering something about “no taste in lesbians” as she vanished down the hall.
Silence settled between them like a fog.
“Well…” Maki began awkwardly.
Kirumi turned to her with surprising gentleness. “Are you alright?”
Maki snorted. “Me? I should be asking you that. I don’t know how you put up with her.”
“I manage,” Kirumi said simply. “Though I must admit… her fixation on us was a little jarring.”
“Little?” Maki muttered. “She asked to watch us fuck.”
Kirumi allowed the smallest, briefest hint of a smile. “Yes… that part was unexpected.”
Maki shifted her weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling very out of place. “You’re, uh… you’re good at staying calm. I mean with Miu saying all that crap? I’d be pissed.”
“I’ve had practice,” Kirumi said. “When someone has no respect for others boundaries, the best course of action is usually not to engage.”
“Yeah… well,” Maki muttered, “easier said than done.”
Kirumi looked at her, studying her for a moment. “You were defending me. That was… considerate.”
Maki blinked. “I… no I just didn’t like her being an asshole. To anyone.”
“Still,” Kirumi said, “thank you, Harukawa.”
The silence that followed was more comfortable this time. Maki rubbed the back of her neck, fingers playing with a loose strand of hair.
“…You wanna kiss?”
The words left her mouth before she even realized she was saying them.
Kirumi’s eyes widened a fraction. “Pardon?”
Maki’s heart jumped into her throat. “Shit—I didn’t mean… well, I did mean it but not in a weird way. Or like maybe in a weird way, but not a creepy way. Just um.” She turned half-away, scowling. “Forget it.”
But Kirumi didn’t look away. She stepped a little closer, hands clasped neatly in front of her, expression unreadable.
“I’m… surprised,” she said at last. “Though perhaps I shouldn’t be.”
Maki narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“You’re more honest than people expect,” Kirumi replied. “Even with yourself.”
“That’s not true,” Maki said quietly. “I try not to think about anything. Especially not… feelings.”
Kirumi tilted her head. “And yet, here you are.”
“…Yeah.”
“…I’m not opposed. To the idea.”
Maki’s eyes snapped up. “Wait… what?”
Kirumi gave a very faint nod. “I appreciate your directness. And… I’ve noticed you before. You’re not as closed off as you pretend to be.”
Maki’s breath caught in her chest. “So… that’s a yes?”
Kirumi stepped forward, just enough that their shoulders nearly touched. “Yes… but only if you want to. Truly.”
Maki hesitated only a moment.
Then she leaned in awkward, stiff, unsure. Their lips brushed, soft and tentative. A second. Two. Then they both pulled back, eyes locked.
“Was that okay?” Maki asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Kirumi nodded. “Yes.”
The silence between them was warm now, almost intimate.
“…Still think Miu would rate that a ten?” Maki asked dryly.
Kirumi gave a soft, playful chuckle. “She doesn’t get to watch.”
They stood there for a while. Neither of them moved. The hallway felt quieter than it ever had.
“I don’t know what this means,” Maki said honestly.
“It doesn’t need to mean everything right away,” Kirumi replied. “We can… see where it goes.”
Maki looked down, then up again. “You’re weirdly good at this.”
“I study people,” Kirumi said. “It helps me serve them. It also helps me understand them.”
“You don’t have to serve me,” Maki muttered. “I’m not some rich brat with a God complex.”
“I wasn’t offering,” Kirumi said, a playful flicker in her eyes. “I just want to… be here.”
“…With me?”
“Yes.”
Maki’s heart felt like it was doing backflips in her chest. she glanced down the hall.
“You Wanna… go somewhere?”
Kirumi nodded. “I know a place. Quiet. Clean. Far away from Miu.”
Maki smirked. “Now that sounds great.”
They walked off together, side by side no more words needed for now.
Behind them, the hallway stayed loud. The chaos didn’t stop. But for once Maki didn’t feel like drowning in it.
She had found something calm in the middle of the madness.
Someone calm.
And maybe, just maybe… she was starting to care.