Four members of the newspaper club sat around the large table, waiting for the president to lead the meeting. One of them was leisurely typing away on a laptop, browsing through multiple sites at the same time without being interested in any of them. Lines of computer code ran across his screen, but he wasn't paying much attention. He yawned lazily, leaning back in his chair.
At the head of the table, a tall blond cleared his throat. Everyone glanced up at him with the exception hacker, who continued observing the numbers and letters streaming before his eyes. He didn't even seem to notice the silence in the room until he received a swift kick to the ankle from the teenage girl sitting across from him. Her glaring blue eyes warned him not to oppose her. She cocked her head towards the front of the table, indicating that he should be paying attention. He was half-tempted to shrug and go back to his programming, but that would have earned him a kick to the knee. He knew that almost too well. So instead he shut his laptop and sat up, resting his elbows on the table as he turned towards his childhood friend.
Clearing his throat again, the president placed his hands palm down on the table and began. "We have an issue due tomorrow," he started. His tone was steady and serious. "Any ideas?" He glanced around the table, meeting Asada's reverent gaze, Anzai's strangely childlike expression, and Hide's wide eyes. Otoya's gaze lingered on Fujimaru's for just a few seconds. He broke away, returning his attention to the center of the table before him.
Asada spoke up, keeping her eyes fixed on Otoya. "I was thinking we could write study tips for midterms." She paused, then rambled on, "Those are coming up so I figured people would like some study help." She became suddenly quiet at the end of her sentence, looking down at the table. A light blush dusted her cheeks.
Otoya smiled reassuringly. "That's a great idea." he said in a firm voice. Despite his smile, his eyes were dead, giving him a somber, almost menacing expression. Asada and Hide didn't seem to notice. Anzai glanced at him, but her expression remained cheerful. Her wide brown eyes focused carefully on him, but the smile plastered on her face reduced any suspicion anyone could have felt towards her.
Fujimaru didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed on Otoya's. He could tell something was bothering his friend, but Fujimaru didn't ask. He knew Otoya didn't want the others to notice. He was trying to keep a blank expression so the other members of the newspaper club would remain oblivious. Maybe he would bring it up later, when they were alone.
"Asada and Anzai, you two write it. Hide, edit it. Fujimaru, format it and upload it on the website. I'll run it in the printed version of the paper tomorrow." Otoya said, addressing everyone individually. Everyone except Fujimaru, who had pulled his laptop screen up again, nodded enthusiastically and got up to leave. Anzai began chattering with Asada as they headed for the door. Hide walked behind them, nervously cramming his hands into his pockets as he silently listed the homework assignments he had to complete before being able to work on the article. They filed out of the room, leaving only Fujimaru and Otoya behind at the long table.
An awkward silence filled the space between them. A heavy tension weighed down on their shoulders but neither knew what to say. Fujimaru wanted to help out with whatever was bothering Otoya, but he didn't know how to ask. He had never been especially observant, so he had no idea how to bring up such a subject. He pretended to type something on his computer, lightly hitting the keys so they made a sound without changing anything on the screen.
At that moment, a cellphone buzzed, filling the silence and creating a second elephant in the room. Fujimaru reached into his pocket and flipped open his phone, checking caller ID before picking up.
Otoya watched Fujimaru speak on into the receiver, scanning his facial expressions in an attempt to understand the content of the phone call. Fujimaru's expression went from one of joy to one of concern in only a few seconds. He was quiet for a moment before relaxing.
"Alright. Yeah. I'll be home soon." There was a long pause. "Sure, okay. See you then." He hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket before closing his laptop and packing it away in his backpack. He briefly met Otoya's gaze before turning back to zipping up the largest pocket. "I gotta get home. Haruka said Dad just came home and he wants to talk to me about something. He might have a project for me or something." Fujimaru stood up, slinging the heavy backpack over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow!" he said with a slight smile before turning away.
The thought of something to hack excited him. He totally forgot about Otoya as he ran out of the room, nearly tripping on his way down the hall. Otoya stood in the room alone, staring at the chair Fujimaru had vacated. He would just tell him tomorrow. Picking up his backpack from the floor, he walked out the open door, softly closing it behind him.