Hello, readers. How are you? If you were expecting a reply, there will never be one. That's not how this works, unfortunately.
I'd like to clarify a few things, before we begin. In this, I tried to stay somewhat true to how the Japanese phrase things. This means that instead of Firstname Lastname (i.e Bob Normal), I ordered them Lastname Firstname(i.e Normal Bob)
Also, as a third person narrator, I use the character's last names, out of respect. Almost like how we use "Mr. Normal", to use Bob's example again.
And if you are unfamiliar with honorifics, I'll give an extremely paraphrased explanation of the ones used.
"-san" is the default honorifics, used in generally any situation, to display respect.
"-kun" is used when speaking to a junior, or more generally, male teenagers.
Anyways, sorry to keep you, thanks for clicking on that title, and here it is.
Pin pong pon...
The bell that signaled the end of the school day chimed, and the teacher's reminders of deadlines was lost in the sound of papers being put away, chairs scraping against the ground, and 14 pairs of feet shuffling through the exit of the room, the owners of which speaking loudly among their peers. The teacher sighed and promptly left as well, leaving only two people in the room.
Ikusaba Mukuro casually wrote down the day's assignments. She didn't understand what possessed her classmates to rush out as soon as the day ended. They lived within the school, so there would be no bus or train to catch, meaning no reason to hurry themselves. Ikusaba had realized early on that information was to be valued, and she always made sure to have as much of it as possible. She was a soldier, not a student, and it was all she could do to not fall behind in the advanced classes that even the smarter students had trouble with.
In the seat in front of her was Naegi Makato, leaning on his desk with his eyes closed, lightly breathing. He had stayed up the whole night studying, similar to the night before, and probably how he would spend tonight. He had no qualities to speak of, unless you counted his luck, which he did not. Naegi was the very pinnacle of average, and was amazed he hadn't been kicked out of the academy yet - the classes he took were far beyond his understanding.
Although, even if he had spent the night studying, it probably wasn't a great idea to be sleeping in class.
Only after Ikusaba packed her bags and stood up did she notice his sleeping figure. As with his personality, his looks were average. There was absolutely nothing noteworthy in his appearance. People claimed that Ikusaba was quite pretty, which was no surprise, being the twin sister of a popular beauty model. She herself cared little about her looks. They meant nothing in combat.
But standing there, looking at her classmate's relaxed face, she wondered if he had ever thought she looked cute. Of course, she immediately pushed the thought out of her mind. Why should she care if he had any feelings for her?
...
Did he have any feelings for her?
The mercenary tried to kill the unfamiliar feeling filling her mind, but it continued to grow. Ikusaba looked down at Naegi, really looked. Something about his average looks began to tickle her cold heart. His peaceful face was lost in the middle of a dream and slight signs of drool ran down the side of his face, coming from the lips that always smiled at her, smiled truthfully, honestly, smiled a smile that wasn't to manipulate her or court her. Lips that could probably do more than smile.
Ikusaba gulped, her face going red, and drew her eyes away from those lips as fast as possible. She scolded herself - a soldier has no benefits by thinking how she currently was. But she continued to look, and her gaze drifted to his hair, his messy, brown hair, haphazardly sticking out in several directions. There was also some hair that seemed to defy any laws of gravity - even now, it stood up, frozen in the air. That antennae was a constant in his appearance, and when describing Naegi, that would probably be the first thing to come to mind. Ikusaba had thought that hair like that was only seen in the manga that her classmates constantly talked about, and wondered whether it could actually be brought down. N-not that she often thought about him - she was merely curious of the sciences of his hair. That was all there was to it.
She decided that she should figure out if his hair could, in fact, be tamed. As she reached her hand out, her now completely befuddled brain, which had only known combat strategies and preferred vital organs to aim at up to this point, thought of several excuses for her actions. Ikusaba was just experimenting; After all, this kind of intelligence could be critical in a combat scenario. It was a rare opportunity which she could utilise to locate her classmate's weaknesses, if she ever needs them. I-If anything, Naegi should be thanking her for trying to help her acquaintance. It was completely and utterly j-justified!
Just as her hand got within centimetres of that strand, his body shifted.
Her hand retracted from his hair, coming behind her back at what could be called superhuman speed. Her other hand quickly followed and her body took a position of full attention, a posture she was familiar with. Naegi slowly raised his head, opening his eyes, which were greeted by Ikusaba's face. A face that, unbeknownst to him, had once been a deep shade of red, projecting all of her emotions, was now blank and stoic, just as Naegi was used to.
"Ikusaba-san?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.
Ikusaba replied, in a completely monotone voice, "You have been sleeping in class, Naegi-kun. It is now the end of the day. I recommend being more attentive in the future."
"Huh? Really?" Naegi's eyes widened, and his back straightened. He sighed and rubbed his forehead when he confirmed Ikusaba's claims. "That's not good," he muttered, "not good at all."
At that moment, Ikusaba felt a strong urge to comfort Naegi.
Like a soldier comforting a close comrade, of course. She's used to doing that, so that's probably why she thought of it. No deeper meaning than that.
Even though she usually worked alone. And thought those around her were too weak when she wasn't.
She was brought back to reality as Naegi stretched, then sighed.
"I'll do my best next time, Ikusaba-san."
Ikusaba grunted, her thoughts drifting to how cute Naegi could look, on rare occasions. She decided that this was one of those occa-
After banishing any affectionate thoughts toward the boy in front of her, she said, "Then, goodbye, Naegi-kun." She went to leave the room, but was stopped before she reached the exit.
"Ah, wait," Naegi reached out his hand, looking up from the books he was packing, "Is it alright if I borrow your notes?"
Ikusaba, her expression never changing, nodded, "Yes. I'll deliver them to you at a later time this evening." She left promptly after receiving Naegi's thanks.
In the hallway outside of the classroom, Ikusaba took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her racing heart. She had faced armies without so much as blinking, but the previous encounter had left her knees weak. She made her way to the dorms, in awe of how complicated a person's emotions could be. At least her endeavours yielded a slight reward, and Ikusaba smiled, ever so slightly, looking forward to seeing Naegi later that night. Then her face went blank again, and she decided something must be wrong, for her thinking and acting the way she had. It was a rare situation she was unfamiliar with, but that doesn't excuse her. Ikusaba shook her head and continued on her way.
Back in the classroom, Naegi sighed. Not at the classes he missed, but at Ikusaba Mukuro. She seemed like a great girl, and was cute at times. Naegi wondered how she might looked when she smiled. Upon imagining it, he blushed. He'd probably fall head over heels for her if she ever directed such a smile at him.
I told you nothing would happen.
So, there you go. That's what an two or three hours without internet and some inspiration produces. If you liked it, it would be appreciated if you reviewed. If you didn't like it, it would be appreciated if you reviewed. Hopefully you didn't like it for no reason - criticism is encouraged.
See you next time, and have a great life. Instead of day. You've got to think big!
...
Never mind. Ignore that last line.