Eternal Starlight (Kaito x Maki)

Chapter 1: Becoming Friends

Kaito reached out and grabbed the doorknob on the door to his dorm room, twisting it and pushing it open. He stepped out into the hallway, yawning and stretching his arms up towards the ceiling.

It was already Wednesday, and the third week of his freshman year at Hope's Peak Academy. It was fairly early in the morning, but he had to get to class, or else he'd be late again.

He strolled down the hallway, passing by some of his classmate's dorm rooms.

The dorms were separated by gender; the females were on the first floor of the building, and the males on the second.

Shuichi, Kiibo, Rantaro, Gonta, Kokichi; their familiar faces popped up in his mind as he walked past their respective rooms, reading the nameplates as he passed. The only one of his classmates he was particularly close with was Shuichi, whom he had forcefully introduced himself to on the first day. Ever since then, Shuichi was the one Kaito mainly hung out with.

Before he knew it, Kaito was nearing the exit of the dorms building when he spotted someone. Long brown hair pulled into twin-tails, a black plaid mini-skirt, and a long-sleeved crimson top. Walking towards the building's exit was Maki Harukawa. Kaito's violet eyes lit up.

"Ah, hey!" he called out, rushing over to join his classmate. "Mornin', Maki roll!"

"Don't call me Maki roll." Maki responded stiffly as Kaito caught up to her.

"Hey, don't be like that!" he said, flashing her one of his typical wide smiles. "Anyway, you headin' to class too?" Maki's gaze was fixed on the sidewalk ahead of her, not even casting a glance toward Kaito.

"Where else would I be going on a Wednesday morning?" she questioned stalely.

Maki seemed completely disinterested, but Kaito's stubbornness and determination weren't about to let him down. He replied, "Fair enough."

Clasping his hands behind his head, Kaito gazed up at the sea of blue above. Clouds dotted the sky and the sun shone brightly.

"Beautiful day today, huh?" he noted thoughtfully. Maki followed suit, looking up toward the sky. Not just the sky, the breeze was soft and warm as it brushed her skin. The world around smelled lovely and crisp, like early autumn.

"Yeah," she agreed, a faint smile reaching across her face. It only lingered for a moment though, as soon as Maki realized, she turned her head even further away from Kaito. Her actions were nothing short of adorable to him.

"What do ya think of our teacher?" Kaito asked, trying to push the conversation along as they neared the Hope's Peak Academy building. Maki still hadn't returned his gaze.

"Kizakura?" she said, "He's fine, but he's too laid-back."

"Ya think?" he wondered, "That's probably just his style of teaching."

The two entered the school, turning a corner and climbing some stairs now and then as they took the regular path to their classroom.

"He teaches at the most prestigious high school in all of Japan, you'd think he'd take his job more seriously."

"Maybe that's what makes him a good teacher; the fact that he's different. I mean, it's not like we're normal students. Wouldn't you expect our teacher to be abnormal too?"

"That's no excuse-" Maki was suddenly cut off by Kaito's loud voice. The interruption caught her off-guard, startling her and spurring worry in her for a moment.