AM N. NOT.šš»
A while back, at Unohana's officeā¦
Nemuri received a call. It was from Nezu. Naturally, she picked it up.
Nezu was asking about the dorms, wondering if Maki was there, and wanting to know his preferences. Nemuri knew many students had made requests before, especially those blue-blooded ones. Nezu asking Maki directly showed how he treated him as one of them. She handed the phone to Maki.
Maki, still washing mugs, froze at her voice.
"Maki-chan, Principal Nezu is looking for you," she said.
All eyes followed as Nemuri extended the phone. Maki wiped his soapy hands on the nearby towel.
"Principalā¦? Ohā¦ Lockjaw," he asked.
Nemuri smiled and nodded.
"Aluuā¦ Maki's here," he said.
Nezu asked how he had been. Maki replied, "I am not bad." (In Greenlandic, there's no direct word for "good" in this context; the negative form of ajortoqā"is bad"āis used to mean "fine" or "well.")
Then Nezu asked about his dorm preferences. Maki replied simply, "Anything is fine," showing how he had lived a simple life before.
But when Nezu mentioned that some students had requested swimming pools inside their rooms, Maki's attention was immediately caught. Swimmingā¦ and maybe fishing? Excitement lit up his expression.
"A place where I could swim.ā¦ and maybe fish as well?. Can I have a place at the sea". he asked eagerly.
Nezu paused, realizing he hadn't meant quite the same thingābut the idea sparked something in Maki.
"Is there some free space where I could create my own crib?" he asked.
Nezu approved immediately.
"Thank you!" Maki exclaimed, raising his hands in pure excitement. Everyone froze, staring at him.
He handed the phone back to Nemuri, eyes questioning. Nemuri raised an eyebrow. Nezu explained, "Just some free water. I'll prepare it." The call ended.
Bewilderment hung in the room.
"Maki-chanā¦ what did you ask Nezu?" Nemuri asked.
Maki, still lost in thought, looked at her. "Nem-nemā¦ do you want to go fishing with me?"
"Fishing?" Nemuri blinked.
"Yes. Fishingā¦ at the sea," he said, voice low but eager.
Silence fell.
Nemuri understood immediately. "Maki-chanā¦ you asked Nezu for permission?"
"Yes!" he said, practically vibrating with excitement. "Soā¦ are you coming?"
"Of course," she said with a smile. "No way I'd miss this."
Their quiet understanding lingered in the air.
Mei, unable to contain herself, asked, "Hey, tell me what's going on!"
Maki turned to her, deep and eager. "We're going fishing. Wanna come?"
"Of course I want to," Mei said, eyes sparkling. "Where?"
"Outside," he said casually.
Everyone blinked. "Outside?"
Nemuri clarified. "Nezu asked for his dorm preferences, but Maki didn't exactly understand. He asked for a portion of free space in the sea outside the island."
Isane and Rangiku groaned in unison. "But how can you live in the sea? There's no land formation near UA Island! The sea isā¦ all around it!"
Mei, Nemuri, and Unohana smiled knowingly, realizing what he was planning.
"Anataā¦ are you trying to create your own boat?" Unohana asked softly.
Maki smiled and nodded. "Yes."
"Andā¦ you, Nanaā¦ want to come?" he asked Unohana.
"Of course," she replied, smiling.
He turned to Isane. "And you, Isai? Want to come?"
"Iā¦ I'll come along," she stammered, surprised he had already given her a nickname.
Finally, he asked Rangiku, "What about you, Ran-ran?"
Her eyes widened, but she teased, "Of course, Maki-chan. I'll go too."
Maki nodded, then turned back to finish washing the mugs and cups, already thinking about how he would create his sea crib. He hummed quietly to himself, excitement radiating.
The others watched in amazement. This was the first time they'd seen this side of him. Nemuri merely smiledāshe knew Maki's sea-related enthusiasm always brought out this side of him.
Isane and Rangiku asked Unohana, Mei, and Nemuri in concern, "Is everything going to be okay? How will he make his own boat in the sea? There isn't enough timeā¦ classes will start soonā¦ can he do that? Wouldn't it be better to stay in the dorm?"
Mei shrugged. "What do you know? When he says he'll do itā¦ he will."
Nemuri added, "No need to worry. Creating boat is as simple for him as cooking."
Unohana leaned back, smirking. "Looks like I'll need to move out too."
Everyone fell silent, realizing they might need to join him. They couldn't let anyone take advantage of this opportunity to be with him.
Rangiku watched silently, confident everything would work out. Isane, too, believed in himāespecially knowing just how abnormal he was.
Maki, now finished in the kitchen, had already made up his mind. The thought thrilled him, and a small, determined smile spread across his face.
!!ć½(ļ¾Š“ļ¾ć½)(ļ¾ļ¾Š“ļ¾)ļ¾!!
AM N. NOT.