Sunlight Under the Stars

Eleven: Suspicion

I don't know what happened with Maki yesterday, but for some reason she shows up at homeroom. I guess Kaito dragged her here. Whatever the case, she instantly drags a chair to the corner of the room and starts staring a hole in the floor while Kokichi bounces around her like a hyperactive puppy.

"Okay then!" Kaito punches his fists together, shouting to get everyone's attention. "Time to start! Now, does anyone have any items to add to the agenda?"

Keebo raises his hand. "Objection... we haven't had anything on the agenda since we started. Literally the only thing we've done is hang out. Not that that's a negative, but I don't think you should keep trying to turn this into an official, structured meeting." His robotic face seems to grow red, and he sits down, staring into his lap.

"Oh, shut it, Iboy," Kokichi shouts, racing from Maki's seat to the main table. "Everyone knows robots can't understand human interaction, so you probably shouldn't even be here. You really don't have the right to say stuff about this."

"That's... robophobic..." he mumbles to himself, clearly embarrassed. "You can't say stuff like that."

Rantaro stands up. "Hey, cool it, Kokichi. Let's all be respectful here." He sits back down, smiling at Kaito. "Okay, so what are we doing, exactly?"

Kaito shakes his head in frustration. "No! I was asking if anyone had anything they wanted to discuss! So... any items for the agenda?"

I look around the room. Nobody seems particularly forthcoming. Maki looks like her patience with Kokichi is about to reach its limit, Kaito and Rantaro are looking around expectantly, and Kaede HOLY SHIT KAEDE IS HERE TOO I JUST NOTICED. She's been sitting next to me at this whole time, looking over at me with a worried expression. What is she thinking about...?

KAEDE

Am I going crazy, or is Shuichi obsessed with Kaito?

He's been staring at him this whole time with this dreamy look in his eyes. He hasn't looked at me once. Is it weird that I'm jealous? Am I being possessive here?

Maybe he's just tired. People stare off into space when they're tired. That makes the most sense. He told me himself he doesn't like Kaito, and a good girlfriend would take his word for it.

Wait... I think he just noticed me looking at him. Darn, now I'll have to explain that to him. But... he doesn't seem to be asking. He's giving me this weird half-smile... and now he's looking at Kaito again.

What has been with him lately? He ignores me when we pass in the hall. He spends all his time at the library. And yesterday, I saw him slipping out to the courtyard with Kaito and Maki. Is he cheating on me?

No... no, he wouldn't do that. I can accept that he might not be interested in me anymore, but cheating on me... that really wouldn't be like him. Besides, if Maki was there too, there's no way. She's definitely the strong and silent type, but she's not a bad person. If Shuichi really was cheating on me, I think she would've mentioned it. Not like I know her very well, but still. If I were her I would say something.

But something is up. I'm pretty sure about that. I don't think I should confront him straight up, but... maybe I should keep an eye on him.

SHUICHI

Anyway. I guess it was only reasonable she'd be concerned – I was staring at Kaito for quite a while. I can't exactly help it. I know I've said this a million times, but he's got this sort of commanding nature that demands you give him your undivided attention. That doesn't mean I like him, it just means that he's confident and cool. Right. Doesn't mean I like him.

Kaito finally breaks the uncomfortable silence. "Well, I think we should all go around the circle and say something about ourselves!"

"Isn't that an activity for little kids on their first day of school?" Kaede asks.

"Why don't you go first, Maki?" Kaito says, completely ignoring her.

Maki looks up at him, startled. "Do you want to die?"

"Come on, Maki Roll!" he says encouragingly. "We're your friends! I keep telling you this during training. You can tell us anything!"

She looks like she's about to object, but one look at Kaito tells her that he's not about to drop the subject. She sighs deeply and mumbles, "I grew up in an orphanage."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Kaito pumps a fist and leans forward in his chair, grinning. "Tell us about it. What was it like? Ooh, is that why you're the Ultimate Child Caregiver?"

Maki shrugs. "I guess. I'm not that good with kids, and I don't like them all that much, but they were always drawn to me. I was the oldest, so I was stuck taking care of them, and... yeah." By the end of that last sentence her face has turned a light pink.

Kaito nods. "Thanks for sharing, Maki Roll! Now, who else..."

The rest of homeroom goes by like that, everyone sharing some little fact about themselves. It's a little stupid, but I can tell we're getting more comfortable with each other. And Maki is more comfortable with us, which I'm pretty sure is the only reason Kaito brought this up in the first place. I still can't understand her, but who knows, maybe I will one day. Maybe one day she'll feel comfortable enough to show us who she really is.

The bell rings, and homeroom concludes. "Hey," Kaede says, squeezing my hand hard enough to make me jump, "you wanna go somewhere?"

"Ah-uh-I-" I stutter, not knowing how to handle this situation. I'd thought I'd have the week to myself before our date. Guess I forgot that romantic partners, you know, spend time together outside of scheduled events.

She tilts her head at me. "Seriously... is something up? You've been acting kind of off for a while now." She laughs nervously. "Do you not like me or something?"

"What?" My voice rises at least an octave, and I physically cringe at myself. "N-no, it's nothing like that. Just... feeling kind of weird."

She nods, looking like she's trying to reassure herself. Or maybe I'm reading too deeply into that. No way to tell, but since I'm so terrible at my talent, probably. "I guess I should let you get some rest, then. Or do you want me to walk you to the nurse's office?"

"No!" I shout. Cringe again. This is a deeply uncomfortable routine I'm establishing for myself here. "No, it's okay. I think I just need a nap."

"Yeah..." There's that nod again – the nod that says, there's no way my boyfriend is faking his interest in me, yeah, totally. "Okay. See you later, then!"
I'm out the door before she can finish the sentence, breathing deeply. Since I started training with Kaito, it's gotten more and more uncomfortable to be with her. Maybe it's because of Kaito – I just feel so comfortable and at ease around him, even when Maki's there as well, so the shift from that welcoming environment to having to pretend to love my girlfriend (god, that makes me sound like a bad person) is especially jarring.

I look behind me, wanting to assuage the concerns I'm starting to suspect she has but having no idea what to say. The look she gives me is heartbreaking – suspicious, confused. What kind of a boyfriend – no, what kind of a person am I if I'm making my own girlfriend feel like that?

Out of shame or out of sheer need to escape the situation, I can't tell, but the next thing I know I'm running back to my room and burying my head in a pillow, wishing the earth would swallow me whole.