Byakuya Togami sighed and set his book down in frustration as he heard the creak of the library door and the shadowy figure of Touko Fukawa creeped into the room. All he had wanted lately was a little bit of peace and quiet, but it was impossible to get now with Fukawa constantly swooning over his every move.
She blushed as he turned around to face her, a scowl plastered on her his face.
"Is there a reason you constantly follow me wherever I go?" Her shy grin turned quickly into a frown.
"I-I just th-thought that y-you might w-want to go to the d-dining hall with me a-and get something to e-eat with me. I mean… Y-you're always shut a-away in this l-library and n-never eat anything s-so I thought you m-might be h-hungry…" She trailed off, patches of red making their way onto her cheeks. She grimaced, standing there waiting for his response. He sat there, seeming to contemplate it for a minute.
"Though I am hungry, I will not be attending the dining hall with the likes of you. I shall go on my own," he said, rising from his chair. He reached over to turn the reading lamp he had been using off.
She looked on the edge of tears. "I-if you're going to the d-dining hall a-already, w-why not j-just go with m-me?" She ran her hands nervously along her long braids.
He looked into her eyes behind the large round glasses that took up most of her face. "If I accompany you to the dining hall just this once, will you quit stalking me for at least a day?" He chuckled, amused by himself.
She frowned. "I-I don't s-stalk you… B-but okay, I g-guess I c-could leave you a-alone for a d-day…" Her face brightened at the end of her sentence, like she realized at that moment that she might actually get to go to the dining hall with him for the first time.
He mumbled something under his breath, then looked up at her with distaste clear on his face. "Well, then. We have a deal. Off to the dining hall we go, then." He frowned, then advanced toward the library door. He walked past her without even glancing at her, hoping that maybe he could discourage her enough to get her go away before they got to the dining hall. He did not want to be seen somewhere so public with the likes of her. He was the Togami heir, after all. He should not be seen with the likes of her. But if it got him a day of peace and quiet, he was willing to risk being seen with her.
Togami kept up a fast pace as they walked through the halls of Hope's Peak Academy. Maybe if he walked fast enough, he could leave her behind. But she was like a persistent animal, and she kept matching his pace. He was brewing with anger by the time they came to the doors of the dining hall. Sighing, he pushed through the doors and stalked into the dining hall. It was time to get this over with.
Unfortunately, instead of the dining hall being empty as he had hoped, it was at its busiest hour. Students of Hope's Peak walked to and fro across the cafeteria. All the tables had at least one student at them except for one; it was smack in the middle of the cafeteria. He clenched his fists at his sides. Togami had been hoping that he would have been able to grab a seat in the corner of the room. But of course it was just his luck that every student at this school would be seeing him and Fukawa dining together. Steaming, he turned around and looked at her.
She shyly smiled up at him, then walked into the center of the cafeteria, ahead of him. Bristling, he speed walked to catch up with her, then sat down at the table. She gently pulled out the chair across from his and sat down in it.
"S-so, a-are y-you enjoying your t-time-" He cut her off, midsentence.
"If you wish to engage in a conversation with me, drop that incompetent stutter. I refuse to speak with you if you are going to proceed to speak so that I can hardly understand what you are saying," he snapped. She blushed, then looked down at her hands, fingering her purple braids.
She cleared her throat, then began again. "How are you e-enjoying your time at Hope's Peak Academy s-so far?" She smiled faintly, staring into his eyes.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He, Togami, should not, above all people, be speaking to this peasant. "I found it very pleasurable until a certain someone with long purple braids and huge wire-rimmed glasses began carefully studying my every move," he said, glaring at her from behind his glasses. He reached up to push them farther up his nose. It was a habit of his that he had had for as long as he could remember.
She frowned, then opened her mouth to respond. "I-it's not my fault that you're a-always in the l-library. You're not the o-only one who s-spends time in the l-library, you know." She looked down at the table quickly after she said it, not meeting his gaze.
He frowned at her. "I guess that is true, but you do not read when you come to the library. Instead, you sit there and gaze upon me while I read. Why is that, may I ask?"
She shook her head. "I do r-read, but not when y-you're there. I like to r-read when I'm by m-myself."
He shrugged. "I guess that is sufficient for now." He looked around at the other tables in the cafeteria. A few of them were empty now, as the students who came here at the busiest hour had dispersed. He rose from the table. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to go get something to eat. I did as you asked and accompanied you to the dining hall. That was all that was required for our little deal. I had better not see you in the library tomorrow." He glared at her, then rose from his seat and began to walk in the direction of the kitchen. Almost to the kitchen, he turned to look back over his shoulder and found himself staring into her gray eyes. He shuddered, turning around and continuing to the kitchen.