Pairing: Gen
Summary: Arashiyama is that guy—polished, popular, humble, and effortlessly charming—so the idea that he has this one glaring pet peeve (his statue) feels refreshing. Then there’s Osamu who, despite being so unassuming, can unintentionally put someone like Arashiyama in an awkward spot just by saying something as innocent as “It’s nice, let me take a picture.” Then, everyone catches a little crack in his otherwise flawless persona.
Note: If you buy the World Trigger 2025 calendar, you can see a bead of sweat trickling from Arashiyama’s cheek. Wow. He must’ve hated that statue.
Osamu’s life had taken some unexpected turns since joining Border. Defending Mikado City was one thing, but becoming part of Border’s PR efforts? That was something else entirely.
It had started after his impromptu appearance at the press conference where he, battered and bruised, revealed Border’s away mission to get the abducted C-rank trainees. The broadcast had gone viral, with clips replayed endlessly on local TV and snippets shared online. Suddenly, Osamu was that guy from Border who talked on TV. It was enough recognition to earn a few glances in public—awkward for someone who’d rather blend into the background.
Then again, there’s also his heroics during the attack at the school where he and Arashiyama’s younger siblings—his juniors at the school—went to. This led to Arashiyama Squad taking a special interest in him—Kitora with her usual sharp critiques, Tokieda offering advice during training sessions, and Arashiyama himself feeling grateful and proud of him. So when Netsuki, the head of PR, decided to rope Osamu into a TV segment alongside Arashiyama Squad, no one was surprised.
When Osamu arrived at Border’s PR office floor for the first time, though, the first thing to catch his eye wasn’t the bustling office or the state-of-the-art equipment.
It was the statue.
He’s immediately greeted by the sight of the infamous 1:1 replica statue of Arashiyama. It’s towering, majestic, and so lifelike that for a second, Osamu almost greets it with a bow.
“What… is this?” he murmurs, his glasses slipping down his nose.
“Ah, the statue,” Tokieda chimes in cheerfully, appearing out of nowhere. “Impressive, right?”
“It’s… amazing,” Osamu says honestly, but his face is a picture of awkward sincerity, beads of sweat forming on his temple.
“That’s one way to describe it,” Kitora mutters, crossing her arms and eyeing the statue with disdain.
Arashiyama arrives just in time to catch the exchange, his usual warm smile slipping for a fraction of a second. “It’s… something, isn’t it? They thought it’d boost morale,” he says, his tone so polite it’s painful.
Tokieda laughs. “You mean Netsuki-san thought it’d boost his idea of morale.”
To lighten the awkwardness, Osamu hesitantly says, “I think it’s… nice. Can I take a picture?”
Arashiyama blinks in disbelief, his forced grin twitching as if held together by sheer willpower. “You’d really want that?”
Tokieda, ever the instigator, immediately declares, “Oh, if Mikumo-kun’s taking a picture, we’re all doing it!” He drags Kitora, Ayatsuji, and Satori into the frame, pulling out his phone for a group selfie.
Kitora grumbles but doesn’t resist, standing stiffly next to Osamu. Ayatsuji, ever calm, smiles politely, while Satori flashes a double peace sign. Tokieda poses, and Osamu stands there awkwardly in the center of it all, glasses catching a glare from the overhead lights.
And Arashiyama? He stands right next to his statue, trying not to look too mortified as Tokieda clicks the picture.
“Perfect!” Tokieda declares.
“Delete it,” Kitora says flatly.
“Absolutely not,” he replies, already setting it as his phone wallpaper.
The segment filming goes off without a hitch, with Arashiyama effortlessly charming the crew, Kitora giving curt but impressive answers, and Osamu… well, Osamu doing his best. As usual, his modesty and straightforwardness win over the staff, who all agree, “He’s so genuine—just like the Arashiyama Squad!”
Back at HQ, Tokieda sends the group selfie to Netsuki as a “bonus.” It’s printed and framed the next day, placed right next to the statue for everyone to see.
Arashiyama sighs every time he walks past it, but when he notices Osamu sneaking a glance at the photo with a small, almost invisible smile, he decides it might not be that bad.
