Do You Want This? | Danganronpa One-Shots

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms in bloom; I assure you nothing else compares. The glory, the beauty, the everything else; how could anything come close? When the birds catch sight of the blooming buds, they sing an original song; a song of admiration, appreciation, even astonishment.

I adore the cherry blossoms, and I retreat to rest underneath the trees on a regular basis to unwind. Reading comes easily there, and studying occurs often for me. The library serves as the back up spot in case of bad weather, but the majority of the time, I needn't worry.

The air surrounds me in silence, and I relax my body to become one with the area around me. The peace does not last long, though, and an interruption comes my way.

"Byakuya! What book are you reading?"

My homeostasis begins to fade as I look up from the book in my hands.

"Makoto, why are you out here? Can't you see I'm occupied?"

He sits down next to me with a smile—the smile everyone recognizes from a mile away. Unfortunately, excluding myself would only lead to lies.

I wish I could become invisible at will. Truthfully, I wander off alone often because seeing Makoto Naegi makes me feel emotions I don't comprehend. My head spins, my stomach churns while feeling butterflies, my chest feels like it'll explode any minute from the sudden rapidity of my heartbeat. Of course, I never mention it to anyone; the mere thought sickens me, and I refocus my gaze to the words across the pages.

"I know, sorry! I just thought you could use some company for a change. I mean, you always come out here by yourself. Is something wrong?"

Although I don't see it, I know his eyes narrow. I never supposed anything was wrong, just strange and unusual. The thing now, though... I find myself questioning the validity of it. Was it truly just unusual, or was it more than that? Anything unusual with no other layers would never cause anyone to feel these symptoms, right?

I don't look at him; I cannot make myself do it. His soft face always causes the flood of emotions, and now will not be the time I reveal it. It never happens on purpose, but he can perceive anything and everything.

Ordinary people do not exist; he's anything but ordinary. I don't believe anyone else could get along with every person they meet. I don't believe anyone else could always remain cheerful, friendly, and hopeful all at once.

Makoto likely comes from a different planet; what are the chances he's human?

Of course as soon as my thoughts overcome me, I feel something on my shoulder; it doesn't take long to figure it out.

"Byakuya? I know you don't talk much, but normally you'd like... scold me or something."

I don't want to scold him; he's done nothing wrong. I just feel my composure slipping away and I cannot keep up. My face flushes without warning, and I bury my face in my book.

"...Nothing is wrong. Why would you think that?"

"I haven't seen you in class lately. Also, some of the others have noticed you writing stuff down in like a tiny pocketbook. Since when do you keep one of those on you?"

I die inside. Plain and simple; do I have to explain?

"No particular reason."

"Really? How come we've never seen you with one up until recently, then?"

I slam my book shut and stand on my feet. I need to get away from this situation; I need to get away from Makoto.

I begin to speed walk away, but to no avail as I notice Makoto following me.

"Please, Byakuya! We're seriously really worried about you!"

I freeze in place and turn to face him; my weakness takes over and I lose control, but I pay it no mind. Pretending nothing is bothering me is the best option.

"I told you, Makoto. Nothing is bothering me."

After hesitating, I continue speaking; it's difficult to say it, but I find no point in denying the truth. If I kept denying everything, he and everyone else would continue worrying about me. Over the years, they all grew on me, and I appreciate them for putting up with my cold demeanor. I knew no other way to act; it was natural to me. So, to cause them all that much stress... my conscience couldn't and wouldn't bear it.

"In fact, I oddly feel much better now."

Makoto's face perks up a bit and he's back to smiling. I make myself keep a straight face, even though it's one of the most difficult things I have ever done.

"You do? You're being serious and not sarcastic?"

"Indeed I am being serious. Makoto Naegi, the way I've been feeling lately is a combination of good and bad; of elated and terrified. I couldn't figure out why I started feeling a bit uneasy with you around, so to get away from it all, I've been coming here in my spare time. To avoid you. It's not you, though—well, to a certain extent it might be. I... I don't know. I don't fully understand this. You always joke about me being bad with emotions, but you're right. Emotions are things I don't comprehend. Especially my own emotions as of late... All I know is this: you make me happy and scared. You make me feel weak and yet strong. What is this? And why do I feel this way?"

When I conclude my monologue, I look back up at the cherry blossoms. The branches of the trees begin to wave, so I wave in return. This is a mistake, though, because I lose my attention on Makoto. He's much smarter than he looks, and he notices I'm not paying attention. I slightly jump when I feel his hand squeezing mine, and my face goes red—I already know it.

"Haha, it's normal to feel that way. Come on, let's go."