The Ravenclaw Common Room was one of the two places that Shintarou thoroughly enjoyed studying in, if it meant getting away from the rowdy and noisy groups of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. He would've liked to study in the Great Hall in the evening sometimes, but the sheer commotion was proven too much for him to handle. Adding to the fact that Taiga, his somewhat idiotic acquaintance that he met on the Hogwarts Express, would always come to breakfast with a stackful of unfinished homework with the intention of asking him for help. There simply wasn't enough time for him to do some extra studying in peace.
The midnight blue carpets, tapestries and decorations were reminiscent of the Ravenclaw House, with their symbolic animal imprinted in gold on each and every one of them with excruciating detail. The crackling fireplace provided warmth to the otherwise chilly common room, not that Shintaro could help it as their common room was located in one of the tallest towers of the castle, known for being the airiest common room of the four houses. The dimly lit torches, the glistening moonlight and the warm glow from the fireplace illuminated the room evenly.
Shintarou would enjoy his evenings with a bit of light reading. His fellow Ravenclaws had ridiculed him for reading textbooks outside of class and he tried his very best not to pay any heed towards their comments, but he let those words get the better of him. Naturally, an extra book would accompany two of his favourite textbooks every evening. A copy of Magical Drafts and Potions, One Hundred Magical Herbs and Fungi and Home Life and Habits of British Muggles spread across the big table, occupied only by Shintarou himself.
As a half-blood who spent a majority of his life living like a muggle himself, he knew how the Muggle World work. Their very way of lifestyle was fundamentally different from the Wizarding World. Shintarou thought the book title sounded rather hilarious, but it was no joke book indeed. The book was intriguing to read, for it gives him a different perspective of how witches and wizards view muggles. Shintarou would often find himself smiling at the silliness of how the wizarding kind described the various mundane muggle topics with utmost interest that muggles themselves find boring, but only when nobody was around.
"You should smile more often, Shintarou. It suits you nicely." A sudden voice distracted him from his reading, greatly surprising him that he almost fell behind with the chair.
"I-It was only a figment of your imagination." denied Shintarou, adjusting his spectacles while his voice still wavered slightly from that initial shock. He eyed the smiling boy who gave him a quite a surprise with a look of disapproval as he had entered the common room again, despite being in a different house altogether. Shintarou was surprised that he was able to escape and avoid detection for more than three years since he first came into the common room on the grounds of exploring the castle, a feat that only Seijuurou could probably achieve.
"I see that you're back again for the umpteenth time, Seijuurou." Not that he didn't enjoy his company. On the contrary, Shintarou anticipated his arrival, expecting to see him emerge from the common room entrance every night, but he needn't know that.
"Do you not enjoy my company, Shintarou?" asked Seijuurou, feigning a pout that Shintarou didn't even bother pointing it out, knowing that it was one of his devious teases that was specially prepared just for him. The redhead always seems to be able to see right through him. If Shintarou knew any better, he would've thought that Seijuurou was an active practitioner of Legilimency, not that it would surprise him any more if he really is.
"I didn't say that." Shintarou looked away, refusing to give the redhead gratification that he had, indeed, been seen through that easily by Seijuurou again. He tried to distract himself by reading one of the passages on his book. Alas, It lasted only for about a few seconds before Seijuurou stood behind him and leaned his head near his shoulder, his lips merely inches away from his ear as he could hear the faint breathing coming along from the other.
"What could possibly evoke a smile from you, Shintarou?" asked Seijuurou, his smooth voice was far too close to Shintarou's ear for his own good. His entire body jerked in response, his ears and face flared up considerably as he tried his best to keep his composure under control. The redhead seemed amused by his reactions and Shintarou mentally swore to himself that he would someday wipe off that grin of his, once he finds a way to best the Akashi heir of his grades and overall magical abilities.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Shintarou replied curtly, refusing to look at the redhead right in the eye, instead keeping his eye contact with one of the moving portraits on the wall.
"You're a bad liar." Seijuurou chuckled before he took a seat next to the taller greenhead, moving his chair right next to the Ravenclaw, leaning his head slightly on Shintarou's shoulders as he skimmed through his copy of Home Life and Habits of British Muggles.
Thus, they spent yet another evening alone, sitting by the warm and toasty fireplace in the arms of each other with Shintarou answering each and every question that the redhead throws onto him whenever he was intrigued by the various muggle behaviour described in the books. He would never admit it, not out loud, but Shintarou deeply enjoyed these small, intimate moments that they share every night with a rare, genuine smile that only Seijuurou would ever have the chance of seeing it.
