Chapter Text
“Zone” was what Eridu Academy called their exclusive annual summer training camp where students were essentially left to their own devices to train and hone their various skill sets throughout the leisure months. What started as a more military physical training programme softened out and was refined into the more lax version as seen today were clubs would gather to teach their more eager members more complex skillsets to add to their academic repertoire.
However, the free nature of the program then necessitated more in depth paperworks and a whole new array of safety guarantees which was tossed around to admin, logistics, Events before finally being left to the ever trusty discipline council.
“…That should be all for the girl’s side,” Yanagi declared setting the spreadsheet away, housing arrangements for the participants were relatively easy to handle. Yanagi’s gotten a hand of them when she was still a volunteer in Events. The only minor kink being that they needed a separate set of accommodations since the academy had started accepting male students a few years back.
Soukaku looks curiously over her shoulder, squinting at the crammed cells of names and numbers, “Nagi, why’s Harumasa not staying with us?”
“Sorry, Soukaku, but the men will be living in a different building. It’s not like training in Chief’s dojo.” Harumasa smiles wryly over his own set of documents.
It’s Soukaku’s first Zone experience and the whole discipline council were specially enthused for it. The usually lazy Harumasa had even taken it upon himself to handle food orders and exceptions. While everyone was hard at work, Soukaku had slunk around the office, looking none to pleased at the documents the still couldn’t fully understand.
“But why not? Isn’t this still training?” She insisted.
Miyabi taps her chin in thought, “Perhaps we can make an exception? We’re already making special arrangements so that Soukaku can stay in our room.”
“That isn’t the same, Chief. All I’m doing is getting an extra mattress so she can stay with us, it’s different from letting a man stay in the women’s dorms and there’s no way we can fit four people into one room.” Yanagi sighed, her eyes not once leaving the work in front of her.
“Then, lets get an extra room.” Miyabi decides, sharing her ingenious solution to their little problem. “Instead of breaking both the ‘two people to one room’ rule and the ‘No boy’s in the girl’s dorm’ rule, we just break one.”
“Alright then, Chief.” Yanagi smiles glibly, “When the participants eventually see your unjust exception and submit their own at the last minute, I’ll leave you to handle it. Alone.”
Miyabi shuts her mouth at that, sinking into her seat and focusing anew on vetting the program outlines.
Speaking of unjust exceptions, Harumasa’s phone starts to buzz. The meagre number of men in the academy meant that most of them tended to clique together, especially when most activities were still heavily gendered. This meant that as the only man in the council, Harumasa shouldered the brunt of communication with that group. A position he easily accepted, going so far as to give out his phone number for people to skip the red tape when submitting requests. Usually, Yanagi wouldn’t allow such blatant violation of procedure, but Harumasa was so uniquely efficient with this system of his that she let it slide.
Upon reading the notification the man’s easy expression sours. “Welp, I just lost my roommate.” He flips the screen over to show Wise asking if he could room with his sister.
“If Wise can—” Miyabi perks up, getting cut off instantly by her deputy’s stick voice. “No, chief. Harumasa is not a family member.”
“… he’s a family member to me.” Miyabi says, to which Harumasa gives a grateful smile. Yanagi was still reading though what Wise sent over when his phone pings again. The Lowells had told him, without asking, that they would stay at a hotel near to the venue.
“Then we—”
“No, Chief. We’re the discipline council, we should be the last people setting a bad example. Harumasa, can you kindly ask the Lowells if they have a valid reason for finding outside accommodations?” Yanagi asks. Harumasa grumbles something about dumb rich assholes but gets to typing.
“I do not understand. I get that there is a sense of propriety to keep the men and women separate, but I have absolute faith in Harumasa’s character.” Miyabi complains, Soukaku nodding eagerly beside her. “If it is at all a concern, he may room with me. I am more than sufficient to both protect him, or subdue him, as the situation demands.”
Thankfully for Yanagi, Harumasa steps in to placate their chief this time, taking the conversation away from legislation and instead putting the focus on something Miyabi might be able to better understand. “Think about it this way, Chief. Even if you know for certain that I am good of character, others might not. The rumors that would arise from us sharing a room aren’t an obstacle you can cut with a sword. Worse yet, it would not only trouble the both of us, but your father and family’s reputation as well.”
As the only daughter of the prestigious Hoshimi clan, it had already raised eyebrows when she gathered her posse of relatively unknown individuals. They warmed up eventually to Yanagi who’s conduct and reputation was befitting of woman in polite company. Harumasa, on the other other hand, was known for skipping class and had a less than favorable family name and was thus still under public’s purview. Especially considering the ‘little spat’ he’d had with the eldest of the esteemed Lowell brothers.
Miyabi has never taken well to the rumors that surrounded her friends, but she was a filial daughter, and understood the weight of name and honor. Unfortunately, not even this could quell her doubt this time, “In the Zone, there will only be academy students, so it should be fine,” she insisted, “especially since everyone already knows Harumasa has no interest in women.”
Harumasa stops. Whatever smart counter had been resting on his tongue had dried out and died from the way his mouth hung open.
“That’s no-”
“That’s besides the point.” Yanagi sighs, aggrieved, “As flamboyantly obvious as Harumasa is, that’s never stopped tabloids from their speculations. Some even capitalize on that fact.”
“Now, hold on-”
“The tabloids are obviously wrong and anyone who’s ever looked at Harumasa would know. Father picked up on it immediately.” Miyabi nods, that particular memory was a fond one. Hoshimi Souichiro was a loving father, and just like any other father, he’d been scared of loosing his daughter too quickly to another man. Until, of course, Miyabi actually brought said man home.
“I’m not gay!”
“That doesn’t help right now, Asaba.”
“No, guys, you have to listen to me. I’m straight.” Three pairs of eyes turn to look at him, each one had a unique line of logic behind them and none of them seemed to comprehend what he was saying. “Guys, I’m not gay!” He insisted, only to be met with a profound silence.
It’s Miyabi that breaks it first, the fastest to act between the three. Her usually stoic face scrunched up like she’s processing something particularly complex. “You’re… not…?”
Yanagi leans over the table to give them a small bubble of privacy, “I’m not sure how you want to play this.”
“I’m not playing anything! I like women!” Harumasa throws up his hands. Was it that hard to believe? Moreso than him saying he’s straight was some kind of ploy to placate their chief? It must be so since his closest friends were looking at him like he’d grown a second head.
Then, Soukaku raises her hand to ask a very important question. “If you like women so much, name five!”
“Easy!” Harumasa declares. It’s not at all a good litmus test, but it will get his team off his back, and so he does, “Miyabi, Tsukishiro, Soukaku, and, uh, Belle!”
“… Where’s the fifth one, Asaba?” Yanagi prompts.
“Hold on,” Harumasa says, hand on his chin in deep concentration, “I’m thinking.” He knew plenty of women, he just wasn’t well socialized enough to have their names ready at the tongue. Actually, his friend circle consisted of only the girls in front of him and maybe Belle and Wise. Before he could carefully formulate that very compelling argument, Yanagi decided that time was up.
The eldest of them sighs and moves to dislodge Harumasa from his cramped position. She takes his hands in hers and looks him in the eyes, then gently, as if trying to calm a lost child she says, “Asaba, I think you might like men.”
His chief also nods reassuringly, “It is entirely possible for you to like both men and women. We’re sorry for assuming.”
“No, I don’t like men, period.” He whines, “Why would you guys even think that?”
They look between each other, a little lost. Miyabi and Yanagi lock eyes as if deciding their next set of words. “Did you not date the elder Lowell for 2 years?”
“No!” Harumasa shouts emphatically. Of all people they chose Lowell?! Even the thought of dating a guy like that made his stomach twist. “Why would you even think that? He’s awful!”
“Well, your falling out with Lowell was rather sudden… When Wise transferred over from Helios Academy, you warmed up to him quickly as well.” Yanagi spoke slowly to Harumasa’s growing horror.
“I’m sorry, did you think I’m the type of person to cheat?!” He gasps.
“No! No, of course not. We perhaps entertained the opposite notion…” Back then everyone knew who Harumasa and Lowell were. Two geniuses on different sides of a coin. Harumasa was bright and friendly, but rarely showed up to school. Lowell kept a coldly polite barrier between himself and everyone else, but he was ever-present and dependable in a way the other man was not. Both of them had always been neck in neck in their academics but no one had even thought of them being rivals. In fact, during some of Harumasa’s more mysterious disappearances, the ever reliable Lowell would also go missing. Suspicious.
Harumasa never spoke of it, but to the discipline council, it was obvious: Harumasa and Lowell often met up in secret (Not really, everyone knew.). But the knowing smiles and furtive glances were all of a sudden swapped out for sharp quips and frustrated growls under one’s breath. Harumasa had also been evidently distressed during that period of time, for a man like him who was adept at hiding his feelings, it was worrying when they caught him biting at his lip on more than one occasion.
“We were actually really happy you met Wise. You wouldn’t open up to us, so we were glad that you met someone who helped you move on.” She explains. Belle and Wise were sudden transfers, so it fell to the discipline council to get them settled in. They knew Harumasa could pretend to be perfectly affable, waved him off with that plastic smile of his.
They were more than surprised when he looked to be genuinely relaxed after spending time with the new student. “It would also make sense how Seth is wary of you if you were the person to break his brother’s heart.”
Harumasa scoffs, “You guys are way off.”
“…Does this mean you’re not actually interested in Lighter Lorenz?” Miyabi asks.
“Where did Lighter come from?!?!” Both Harumasa and Yanagi cry out, though neither were on the same page, they were on entirely different books and Yanagi was way too invested in the chapter. “Did we not agree that he was obviously interested in Wise?!”
“Yanagi, if you paid more attention when Harumasa and Lighter sparred, you would know that they are highly compatible. Their speed and offensive habits complement each other well.” Miyabi declares. Her eyes were glazed over as they often were when she was viewing some fantastical scene from the depths of their mind.
“Okay, chief. That was not a spar. That brute jumped on me and you should have helped me beat him back.” Harumasa sighs. Everyone had told him that Lighter was laidback person like he was, and everyone was lying, because Harumasa had never met a more snippy boorish cur than Lighter Lorenz, and Miyabi thought he was interested???
“Exactly. Miyabi, most normal people don’t communicate through combat.” She said, backing him up while whiffing the point entirely. “It’s much more telling that Harumasa texts Wise the most and often says that Wise is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”
“Us! The best thing that’s happened to us! Wise is a technical expert! Texting him is faster than calling IT!” It’s pointless neither of the girls are even listening to him anymore. Their locked in confrontation, neither will to back down.
“If we’re to discuss gestures of affection, let’s not forget that Harumasa has given Lighter candy on Valentines day and calls him a ‘thorny rose’.” Miyabi goads
“Asaba gave him the candy on a whim. He doesn’t like sweets and I told him he wasn’t allowed to feed sokaku any more sugar! Had we met Wise before Valentines I’m certain Harumasa would have actually sourced a proper gift for him!” Yanagi counters.
Harumasa and Soukaku watch the arguments ping pong off of each other. It’s not everyday that the chief and her deputy butt heads. In a weird way, he supposes that he’s a little touched that they feel this strongly about him.
“Well, little Soukaku, what are your thoughts?” He smiles a wry smile. He might as well have fun with this if this is the way it’s gonna be. “Do you agree more with Chief Miyabi? Or with Deputy Chief Tsukishiro?”
Soukaku takes the question way more seriously than he does. He’s given her his bad habit of worrying his lip when he’s thinking hard, perhaps he stop stop messing with the girl so often.
“…Masamasa. I don’t really get it, but you’re not dating Lighter or Wise, right?” She asks instead of answering.
Harumasa’s breath catches, could this be…? Perhaps Miyabi wasn’t kidding when she said she sought them all out for being geniuses. Soukaku was actually way ahead of the curve!
“Then, maybe you should give Seth a chance. I think you two would get along!” … aaaaaand there it goes.
“Soukaku why do you think I should date Seth? Why do you guys think I should date one of the guys?” He whines. He’d really, really gotten his hopes up for a moment there.
“Why not?” Miyabi’s large ears catches the tail end of his conversation. She puts her full attention on him, after all, the person who needed the most convincing that Harumasa was gay, was Harumasa himself. “You’ve flirted with almost every guy in this school. What else would we make of this behavior?”
“It’s called being comfortable with myself.” Harumasa rubs his temples, “I can give my male friends gifts and not feel like I’m doing something romantic. I don’t need to be in love with someone to casually flirt around do I?”
“You’ve never flirted with us.” Miyabi looks down almost dejectedly. Yanagi rubs her arm in comfort, “It’s because we’re women.” “It’s because you’re family!” He corrects quickly.
“Harumasa Asaba. Look at me.” Yanagi commands. This, Harumasa was more used to. His and Yanagi’s back and forth about any and everything. Her challenging him straight would be much faster than whatever convoluted one-uping she was trying out with the Thiren. “You’re telling me, to my face, you tell Wise he’s pretty and handsome and the best cook ever and you don’t mean anything by it.”
“Nothing beyond the most sincere friendship.” Harumasa says smoothly, meeting her gaze head on, “We could cuddle on his couch and it would still be just that. Friendship.”
“So you’re saying that if you and Wise kissed you’d feel nothing but friendship still?”
“Tsukishiro, kissing a friend doesn’t instantly make you into lovers.”
“Are you saying you could it? Kiss Wise and stay as friends?”
Harumasa harrumphs, so this was her game? Challenge him to some inane bet and wait for him to chicken out so she can make claims about his failure? Tough luck, Tsukishiro, Harumasa was no bitch, “I could kiss any guy out there and feel nothing.”
“Fine then,” Yanagi says, a small smug smile curling at the edge of her lips, “Prove it.”