for
therealrisette
[Chihiro fidgets nervously with his hands as he stalls outside Rise's door. There's a chance she might not even be here, or could be busy, but he didn't want to chance asking over the journals first. He knew he'd lose his resolve if he didn't just get up and do it in person.
...Of course that doesn't mean he isn't on the edge of losing said resolve now. But he's been here so long that it doesn't feel right anymore to keep living this lie. Everyone's been so nice to him and accepting... continuing to deceive them out of fear when even he was unhappy with things just didn't seem like the best thing to do.
Ideally he'd rather tell this to someone strong and male. Someone who could help him train in secret. But after how poorly that went at Hope's Peak... well, maybe it was better to confide in someone different first. And he couldn't think of anyone better than the person who's always been nicest to him.
Taking one last shaky breath he finally reaches up and knocks on the door.]
Rise-san...? Are you home?
...Of course that doesn't mean he isn't on the edge of losing said resolve now. But he's been here so long that it doesn't feel right anymore to keep living this lie. Everyone's been so nice to him and accepting... continuing to deceive them out of fear when even he was unhappy with things just didn't seem like the best thing to do.
Ideally he'd rather tell this to someone strong and male. Someone who could help him train in secret. But after how poorly that went at Hope's Peak... well, maybe it was better to confide in someone different first. And he couldn't think of anyone better than the person who's always been nicest to him.
Taking one last shaky breath he finally reaches up and knocks on the door.]
Rise-san...? Are you home?
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[Aww, the poor thing looks even more nervous than usual. Rise scoots in closer, slipping an arm around Chihiro's shoulders and giving 'her' a supportive little squeeze.]
Hey... you don't have to be so nervous! We're friends, right?
[Time to crank up that idol charm with her most reassuring, big-sisterly smile. If Chihiro's already made up his mind to talk about this (whatever it is), she just wants him to feel more comfortable doing so. She's curious too, of course, but doesn't want to put any pressure on the poor kid.]
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R-Right. We are! S-So there's... nothing to worry about...
[...why does it sound more like he's trying to convince himself of that rather than just agreeing with her.
He takes another deep breath, placing a hand on his chest as it to soothe his beating heart]
Um well... Rise-san...
[Here goes...!]
I'm... I'm actually a boy.
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[Another squeeze, snuggling herself in close to Chihiro. She's... probably not making this easier, but how could she possibly know that? She just wants to support her friend, and she's very affectionate by default...
She's very patient with him, though, letting him take as much time as he needs to calm himself and say what he needs to say.
And then it hits.]
You're...?!
[The arm around his shoulders goes a little slack, but she doesn't pull away. She just looks him over, blinking in disbelief.]
No way! But you're so cute!!!
[There's shock and disbelief in her voice, of course. But no anger, or betrayal. She's... actually a little impressed. If he really is a boy, he fooled her completely!]
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Huh...?
[...but in the end he's... well blown away]
You're not... mad? Even though I've been deceiving you...?
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[Mad? Why would she be mad? It's not like he did anything bad or took advantage of it!]
Of course not! It's a little surprising, though. You're really convincing!
[That's... probably not what he wanted to hear, oops.]
I thought you were just really shy... but you must have been scared someone would notice, huh?
[Yep, that's genuine sympathy there. First thing after being told the cute girl she'd been trying to be a big sis to is really a boy, and not only does she not get mad, she empathizes. It helps that one of her closest friends back home was in a similar situation.]
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I was always bullied for being weak and quiet, and told I needed to "man up". So I... um... I tried to escape that. By just dressing like this...