Kiyotaka Ishimaru was studying in the library when Mukuro Ikusaba sat down across from him.

He glanced up, noticed her lack of studying materials, wondered if he should ask her what she needed, and eventually decided to just go back to his own work. After all, perhaps she just needed some quiet to think. Why she didn't just use her room was beyond him, but perhaps she just liked the library.

Still, it was a bit difficult to concentrate with her sitting straight across from him and doing nothing but glancing at him and glancing away, chin resting on the palm of her hand and fingernails tapping the table.

"Yes, Ikusaba-kun?"

She took a breath, then brought both of her hands to her lap and began speaking. "I need to ask you something," she said. Ishimaru thought this a bit odd, but he would help a fellow student in need.

"What is it?"

"I need help with math," she said. Ishimaru perked up. Help with schoolwork he could certainly do. "And you're at the top of the class, aren't you?"

"Yes," Ishimaru said, remembering to keep his voice at an appropriate library level at the last moment. "Perhaps we should set up times after school? Would Tuesdays and Thursdays work? It would have to be in the short window of time that I am not overseeing detention, but I believe-"

"I'm really bad at math," Ikusaba said. "Ju- er, I think it should be every day. But I have to help my sister with things on the weekends.

Ishimaru blinked. Every day… well, it would not do to leave a student in need… in need. "Alright," he said. "Would half an hour right after our last class work? In the library?"

She looked like she wanted to object, but just nodded instead. Then she was gone before Ishimaru could congratulate her on taking her studies seriously, so he went back to working on his history assignment.

…

The next day after school, she met him in the library and dragged a chair close, dropping her books on the table. "So," Ishimaru said. "What do you not understand?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't understand… any of it," she said. Ishimaru blinked. He would have to work a lot with her, it seemed. He opened up his notes, and she leaned over him to scan them. "Junko-chan says you don't have a girlfriend."

"Of course not," Ishimaru said. "A romantic relationship would be a distraction. I am not going to be chasing after girls when I have something better to chase after, such as success. Ha ha!"

"Ha," she repeated. When he turned his face to look at her, she was only a few inches away. The grin still frozen on his face, he leaned away a bit and cleared his throat.

"Ah," he said. "Well, you see, if you…"

He went into his explanation, worked through a few example problems, all while keeping his gaze strictly on the paper. She was a much quicker learner than he had anticipated.

"It appears I may not have to teach you much," he observed. "You are a very fast learner."

"I'm having trouble with history, too."

And thus started the trend of Ishimaru tutoring Ikusaba after school until she was doing the subjects almost better than him, and when that one was done, starting on the next subject. By the fourth new subject, he was starting to suspect something.

"Ikusaba-kun," he said. "You don't actually need help with schoolwork, do you?"

She blushed, a light flush spreading under her freckles.

"If you just wanted someone to study with, you could have just asked," Ishimaru said. She sighed. "I would be happy to have someone to stu-"

"Ishimaru-kun," she said, and he paused. "I don't want to study with you."

"Oh," Ishimaru said, frowning. "Then why did you ask me to help you?"

"I wanted to spend time with you because Junko-chan says that you won't notice me any other way and Naegi-kun said the same thing when I asked him what I could do," she said.

"If you wanted to be friends-"

She made a noise of disgust and then she was leaning across the table and kissing him, her soft mouth on his, eyes shut so tightly they looked as if they would never open again. He was quite sure that his face was burning off.

"Oh," he said once she pulled away. "I. Ah. That is why you asked me if I had a girlfriend, isn't it?"

She glanced at him, nodded, and looked at the ground.

"You aren't gay?"

Ishimaru jumped and looked behind him. Junko Enoshima stood there, scowling. "I'm not what," Ishimaru said.

"Gay! That's why I sent her after you, because I was so sure you liked it up the ass!" she snapped. "Ugh. Either way, you're both such tightasses you'll never end up doing anything."

"Enoshima-kun, please try to keep your voice down," Ishimaru said, though his face was still a bit red, both from the kiss and Enoshima's comment. "We are in a library. And Ikusaba-kun… I… ah… the library is no place for such public displays of affection but if you would like to go out sometime I would not say no."

He said those last few words so quickly he half hoped that she wouldn't hear them, but she did, and she managed a smile almost as awkward as his own. "Alright," she said, and they sat there for a bit, just sort of looking at each other. "This... do you have time this weekend?"

"We have a project due on Tuesday," Ishimaru said. "If you would like to work on our projects together, however, we could do that."

"It's a date, then."

Ishimaru flushed again and nodded. He thought that, as far as girls went, Ikusaba was practically perfect.

Or, in other words, Ikusaba likes Ishimaru and Ishimaru is oblivious.

This was requested by an anon on Tumblr, who wanted a mukuro/ishimaru! I don't write this pairing that much, but it is one of my favorite Ishimaru pairings (of which I have many), so here we go!