A/N: This fic was inspired by the realization that since Yuuji had a super-famous food blog, then he might have actually had his own fandom as well, so here you go.
Also, I'd like to dedicate this fic to greengargouille on tumblr as thanks for her wonderful Yuujigisa fanworks and fan-theorizing, as well as being a wonderful writer in general. Everyone go support her!
(Submitted for Assassination Classroom Rarepair Week Day 2 prompt: Sharing Food)
It might have been a surprise to some people, but in reality, not much was known about Yuuji Norita.
Within the blogosphere, in whispers on food appreciators' tongues, and inside the confines of the extensive comments sections on his posts, the boy was known as one of the food world's up-and-coming. A few tittering posts related to his blog would even pop up on fanclub-forums occasionally. However, outside the confines of the internet, the prince of food blogging in Japan was known for being surprisingly mysterious. According to his profile description he lived in Tokyo, but travelled so often due to one thing or another that it was exceedingly rare for any of his fans to manage to snag him for a photo. He had apparent access to private jets and even offered to "fly right over" to requests, but nevertheless kept a donation button available on his page for any viewers who might want to "sponsor" his travelling food diary. He claimed to be the son of a rich family, but whenever anybody looked up his name, no match seemed to exist, so some people were theorizing that it might be a pseudonym.
Anyway, as to who Yuuji's parentage was, what school he supposedly attended, his exact address, no one knew for sure—but the existence of this "Nagisa" person might have stood as the greatest mystery of all.
KuroGishiki: Great article again this week! I especially love the suggestion of pairing with pistachio. Sounds kinda weird, but if the great Yuuji likes it, I might give it a try!
KuroGishiki: Umm, on another note… is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a certain name appearing a lot lately?
Mixitmmm: Huh?
Hungryboii: what name
KuroGishiki: Like, here: "sorry guys, but this restaurant's not worth your time. I'm sure Nagisa would agree" and "this place reminded me of a person I used to know", "actually found this shop while I was swinging through Nagisa's neighborhood, so that was nice…" Yuuji really seems to like that name, doesn't he?
KittyKitKat: Oh lol you srs?
1a2b3c4d: Hmm
Rollarola: If you say so
Dip-Dop: Is it a friend of his? Sounds like a person at least
Misa11: Maybe "Nagisa" is a term for some new kind of dessert!
Sandpur: Misa11, Are you freakin' stupid?
Misa11: Idk man, this gourmet-level stuff is beyond me
Sakuya97: but seriously, can we all talk about how talented Yuuji is for a minute? I mean, I've been following the guy for years, and his sense of taste only gets more and more incredible
Btsgurrrl: Ikr. Following his recommendations has made me so much fatter, lol
SaladSalaryman: So many good restaurants in my own backyard! I never would have known. Plus, his reviews have helped me avoid the worst ones, heh. Saved my butt on a couple dates actually
CutthroatChopped: I remember that time he went toe-to-toe with a pro tasting chef, and Yuuji was the only one who guessed what the final mystery meat was made out of. He even guessed some of the spices too! So cool!
Japanicat: Tell me about it. Kinda wonder what this kid's gonna do in the future… some people have all the luck
Florallusi: I know! Even though he's so young, I like Norita-san a lot.
3V1LL0RD: ^^^ "Norita-san"? That's kinda weird lol
Florallusi: ? Is it? But shouldn't I be respectful? After all he's giving us all this great advice, and it's not like I really know him all that well…
Ttbbg: He goes by his given name a lot tho, lol. Like always signing things as "Yuuji" and responding to ppl calling him that, and stuff.
Megamegane: Yeah, celebrity kids always prefer anonymity imo. Florallusi, please tell me you at least know our main theory: that his dad's some kind of celebrity. You're new here, aren't you?
Florallusi: Ohh, so it's okay to just call him by his first name? Thanks! I didn't know that, lol.
Anonymous: yeah just say Yuuji it suits him
KetchuptoMyLevel: Remember when the blog reached one million hits? That was really something.
Ayumine34: I'll say! Never thought I'd see something like that
gamerPokemon3000: I was up all night refreshing the page, lol
KetchuptoMyLevel: And then I expected Yuuji to make it all about himself, but he didn't! I mean, he made a poll, right? About what he should do to celebrate…
KetchuptoMyLevel: But then he took like half a day, and put together a slideshow instead! Of all the pictures from places he's been and the people who have met him, and spent the whole time thanking us as his viewers for the support! It was really touching, imo. At first I wasn't sure what kinda guy he was (seemed kinda skeevy and spoiled, sorry) but by now, Yuuji's won my loyalty.
Megamegane: Honestly, I still wish he had done the cinnamon challenge for that, haha. I would have donated double!
EBillen: Do you guys remember that one article? about a school festival or something.
Foodexter: Yeah he sure got cheesy for that one, lololol. Something about it "changed his view on life"? please.
Sweetski: The whole "weak points can be weapons" thing was pretty cool though! That helped me out with my final exams, believe it or not.
Megamegane: Haha, really? Well, I suppose whatever works, works…
Sweetski: It was motivational! Thinking of all my skills as weapons made it easier to get into the fighting spirit! (^^)/
Dip-Dop: I wonder if that mysterious person reads his blog too
KuroGishiki: There, there it is again! Look, in today's article: "I might like to take a certain someone to this place someday, if possible..."
Sakuya97: how do you know that's the same person tho
Shabur0u: yeah could be someone different
1Mixxie1: hmm…weird? or maybe you're onto something idk.
Snacksta: probably just some close friend of his
KuroGishiki: He's talked about his close friends before, though. Like posted pictures while going out to eat with them and stuff. This is different.
KonoDIODA: Aww, someone's got a crush~
AisuPeropero: The phrase "a certain person" does sound kinda romantic to me…
Pasta_Is_The_Best: Wait, the name is "Nagisa", right? Is that a girl's name or a guy's name?
Foodody: Could be either. Oh dang, scandalous…
humdrum101: it's gender-neutral according to the online dictionary
Plumpixie: I dunno. All the Nagisas I know are girls…
AhoAhoAho: Gotta be a girl, right? Yuuji's a bro.
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: I bet it's a guy!
humdrum101: You'd like that, wouldn't you, you fujoshi?
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: D: I just think it'd be neat!
CandyTreeeee: But y'know, Yuuji didn't strike me as…well, being that way
Ayumine34: you mean gay, right?
PuddingLover08: He's still 15, he might still not know! …Oh wait, 16 now, isn't he? Yeah I guess he might start to have some clue.
Myfriendmademedothis56: Just wanted to pop in and say that I'm a guy and Nagisa is my name (unrelated; I've never met this Yugi person before in my life). So it is possible this "Nagisa" is too. With that, I'm gettin outta this crap forum.
DaiichiK: But Yuuji doesn't like guys though! At least, he's never mentioned it…
1UallSuck2: Why would he mention it publicly lmao he'd get dragged
S4kur4: Could he be?
Nekoyama: Ummm… I dunno
Anonymous: Yes
Anonymous: No
PuddingLover08: I don't know any gay ppl in real life, so I really can't tell…
Sakuya97: I guess he might be? He's never claimed to be straight, anyways
Bakaka: Stupid, nobody ever "comes out" as straight lolol
CandyTreeeee: I feel like we'd be able to sense if he was. Y'know, people like that tend to be pretty obvious…
Megamegane: Did he ever mention dating anybody? From that we could probably tell
SaladSalaryman: I don't…think so? Maybe he mentioned a few girls were pretty? Like, in passing
Fukusei: Those were waitresses lmao
SaladSalaryman: Still counts!
PuddingLover08: But like, Yuuji's kinda famous, right? He could stand to lose a lot of viewers and patrons if this were true. So I bet even if he was, he wouldn't say it…
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: That's why he's being so vague about this person! He's got a boyfriend!
Hirohitotototo: didn't he say he had his heart broken a while ago and that's why his posts slowed down for about a week?
Cookiessi: No, no! Yuuji's not flamboyant at all. So he can't be gay!
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norinattonori: get that disgusting stereotyping outta my sight you jerkwad
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Cookiessi: It's not stereotyping if it's true
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Candylandlord: ALRIGHT listen up! Why does this even matter? We're all just here for the recommendations on food, aren't we? What does it matter what Yuuji's orientation or whatever it's called might be? He's still the same person that we've been following for ages—a stunning palate, funny writing style, silly sense for shirts, amazing recommendations, and on top of that, a damn kid. He's a damn kid, you sickos. Just shut up and enjoy the food, no matter the person who's reviewing it.
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Hirohitotototo: *clap clap clap* well said, Candylandlord!
KuroGishiki: From today's entry… "not as good as a dear friend of mine can make" Awww, is his crush someone who can cook?
Kur4s4k1: Definitely a girl, then
PuddingLover08: Don't be sexist! Could still be a guy
1Mixxie1: A really cute guy. He better have awesome cooking skills if Yuuji's interested in him, though…
[copied over from Private Message]
CutthroatChopped: "Hey Yuuji, we've noticed that a certain 'Nagisa' keeps appearing by name in some of your articles. Could you please tell us who they are to you, please?"
CutthroatChopped: There, I sent that to him. Think the boss man will give us a reply?
Anonymous: you said please twice you idiot
AhoAhoAho: add: AND ARE THEY A CHICK OR A DUDE?
[copied from Blog Entry #57]
KetchuptoMyLevel: "Hey Yuuji, there's a group of us who are curious about this 'Nagisa' person you seem to mention every once in a while. Are you dating them or something?"
KetchuptoMyLevel: I spammed this in over a dozen entries! what do you guys think?
Ame10ki: Stupid! You can't be that forward—he'll never wanna answer that publicly!
Pasta_Is_The_Best: The man himself won't reply to my emails either… I hate to do this, but might move on to his Twitter to see if that gets a response…
WhoTheHellisNagisa?: check out my username guys lol think it'll work?
JustDesserts: Guys, why does it matter? I'm just here for the food. Honestly, who cares if this blogger's got some sort of secret crush?
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: Because he seems so sad about it! I can tell! I've been reading his blog from the very first post, I can tell when he's feeling upset! And he misses this Nagisa, whoever they are!
Megamegane: Yuuji_Luvrr, you took the words right out of my mouth. Or off of my fingers. Either way.
Dip-Dop: idk man I'm just here for food too but this is kinda fun tbh
Ayumine34: yeah ikr!
Fukyuuuu: lol I know man, these fandweebs are such idiots
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Sakuya97: at least we're actually doing something with our lives, aside from you loser trolls. Live a little!
PuddingLover08: It's like a mystery! I love things like this
SaladSalaryman: Yeah I wanna see it get solved. And same as Yuuji_Luvrr actually… I've been following this guy for so long that I can't help but feel a bit of sympathy tbh
Anonymous: Yuuji's a good kid, I want only the best for him
EBillen: Bam. Did it. I graphed out the whole thing. Take a look at this—a chart of when and how often mention of a "friend" "certain person" or "Nagisa" appears: [link]
EBillen: Of course, some of these posts were obviously about him going out with actual friends, like in a group of other male classmates. There were pictures of them all eating together and stuff. So discounting those outliers, here's what we've got.
Megamegane: Woah, EBillen you really went all-out!
SaladSalaryman: I'll say! That's impressive
humdrum101: maybe yuuji's dating all of those guys too, lol
Soupocto3: There don't seem to be any patterns, though? Looks like it's just whenever he feels like mentioning this person, damn
Akemimimi: Maybe they're not dating then, if it's that infrequent…
EBillen: Okay guys, I've got it! I'm serious this time- I think I found where this all began.
Pasta_Is_The_Best: What? Do post
1UallSuck2: lol knock it off man you're not gonna find anything
PuddingLover08: All you nonbelievers shut up, anything's worth a shot at this point! I'm listening!
EBillen: It's true! Look, here, in that article about Kunugigaoka in the fall. There, Yuuji mentions "a friend" of his being at the festival.
Megamegane: We covered this; That could just be literally "a friend"
EBillen: Yeah, but he never mentioned anything like this before! This was the first time ever.
EBillen: And he even did a double feature on it—that strange "outlook on life" post, then afterwards followed by the menu review, right? He even recc'd the place before giving us his full breakdown, which almost never happens. That's not like Yuuji at all.
KetchuptoMyLevel: The phrasing of that "friend" thing does seem a little weird… I can totally picture him agonizing over that sentence, thinking to himself over and over again what he should write down before finally settling on "friend"…
Hirohitotototo: Harsh, man
Sakuya97: Yeah what a downer
Roastitg00d: Ikr. We need to get this guy a date
AhoAhoAho: yuuji needs sum tail lol
Pasta_Is_The_Best: More like twintails, heh. He mentioned liking that hairstyle in another post, didn't he?
helpimtrappedinacomment: Y-yeah… on his Twitter. Damn you guys really like snooping around, don't you?
Pasta_Is_The_Best: I can't help it that celebrity's lives are more thrilling than my own
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: You don't think…that could be where they met? I bet it was!
1Mixxie1: We've got a lead, at least!
Octoassassin24: The search for Nagisa is on!
KuroGishiki: Alright guys, we've got it! Me and some people in the group chat put this list together. Let's all do our best to make it come true! Our objectives:
1. Find "Nagisa"-chan, whoever they are
2. Contact "Nagisa"-chan about Yuuji. Say that Yuuji still misses them
3. Get Yuuji and "Nagisa"-chan a date!
xXTurduckens: why are we calling them –chan?
norinattonori: cause it's cute lol
1Mixxie1: More importantly, why do we want them to date, again? We never cleared up the possibility that they might just be friends
Ichigo15: Yeah if they're exes or something this would be just awkward
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: I think Yuuji wants to date her/him! He wouldn't talk this way about anybody else!
AhoAhoAho: Yeah, hate to say it, but Yuuji_Luvrr is right. Seems like our boss man really feels some type a way
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: I bet Nagisa will come right back if she/he hears that Yuuji still thinks about her/him!
Ringaringo: Yeah, who wouldn't wanna date Yuuji? He seems like a sweetheart.
bananamilk4: i mean i'd date a rich man just for the cash alone lolol sweet deal
Sakuya97: Nagisa doesn't know what s/he's missing.
CandyTreeeee: well I'll help out with finding this "nagisa"-chan, but I just gotta say that I really hope they're a girl. If it's a guy, then I won't support it.
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Megamegane: cmon you guys, let's all work together on this
EBillen: This s ks
EBillen: a
Sakuya97: Wait holy shit
Megamegane: Guys something's happening
CutthroatChopped: For real y'all, get to da choppa (da chat)
KetchuptoMyLevel: This is insane
Supuun123: What? What's going on?
Supuun123: I don't have the passcode for the group chat someone post it
Dip-Dop: We got it! We got it!
Ichigo15: Omg
TakoSaikou: They're from that area where Yuuji visited last Fall it took a lot of internet voodoo but I just gave out my username and invited them to the group discussion omg I've never done that for a stranger before I hope it's actually them!
Hirohitotototo: holy crap
1Mixxie1: Nope false alarm
Tabezenbu88: wth is happening?
Pasta_Is_The_Best: elusive cryptid "N" found!
1Mixxie1: Nevermind false alarm on that false alarm! Everyone to the group chat
LuvmeBonBons: I'm so nervous
xXTurduckens: It's gonna be nothing
GrandmaOjisan: Ahhh youth
SaladSalaryman: Holy
KuroGishiki: Everyone group chat NOW
KittyKitKat: whee
xX_Yuuji_Luvrr12_Xx: Oh my god you guys Nagisa answered! Nagisa answered! They're** (spoilers) real!
Ayumine34: omg
PuddingLover08: No way!
norinattonori: post the group chat you ninnies
Yuuji stared down in horror at the comments section of his website. A mess of frenzied text, full-on paragraphs that stretched on inches deep, nonstop back-and-forth screaming from article to article about some point or another… What on earth had this come to?
"So yeah, that's pretty much it." Nagisa's voice came sheepish over the phone. "I suddenly got a bunch of random strangers contacting me. They bombarded my Facebook with comments, shoved a bunch of questions at me through email, and even somehow managed to find my phone number…"
Yuuji's mind felt like a part of it was frozen as he listened to the explanation. "I see. I'm so sorry about that Nagisa-cha, um, -kun," Yuuji said, verbally tripping as his eyes kept sweeping over the nickname he hadn't seen for half a year. "That's um, not cool. I should control my fanbase more. I'll tell them to stop, just hold on-"
"No, no," Nagisa's laugh came over the phone. The light, bell-like sound of it still somehow managed to make Yuuji's stomach swoop. "It's kinda funny actually. They want us to date."
An imaginary lightning bolt crashed behind Yuuji's head. "What?!"
"Yeah. You've got dozens of people pulling for you all of a sudden, telling me how great you are, how I should just give you another chance, and even picking out some of your old articles for possible first date spots." Yuuji could practically hear the amused smile in Nagisa's voice. A blush was beginning to rise on Yuuji's cheeks, but at least for the moment, it was a pleasant sensation.
"So what do you say?"
"Huh?"
"What do you say? Should we?"
There was no answer but stunned silence.
"I mean, I'm willing." Static crackled for a second, as if fabric had rubbed against Nagisa's shoulder in a shrug. "You never seemed that bad to begin with, and I do owe you an apology for last time. We kinda left off on the wrong foot. Plus…these people seem really determined to have me give you another chance. Want to try going out just once, on more honest terms this time?"
Yuuji couldn't reply. All of the ice inside his brain seemed to have melted, thawing and clearing away all at once and leaving behind a space for nothing but gentle springtime to grow. Stiffly, he moved to type out a message on the computer: 'guys I think you're gonna like tomorrow's entry bye'
The next entry on the "Here comes little Richie!" food blog consisted of a picture attached below the usual food review. Seen inside of it were two figures—Yuuji, sitting alongside a smaller, gentle-looking teenager with blue eyes and blue hair tied up in pigtails.
The comments section was immediately flooded with elation, crows of victory from the Nagisa Search Party, comments of confusion from those who had no idea that the Search Party even existed in back-room discussion, people being jealous of Yuuji's date, people being jealous of Yuuji for having such a cute date, and of course, the start of one of many flame wars over Nagisa's gender.
Afterword: Haha wow whaddaya know, it's almost like I'm desperate for these two to meet again and convinced that they would reconnect, under any circumstances… *sweats nervously*
Some points-
-Yeah, I headcanon that "Norita" must be a pseudonym, or at least Yuuji using his mother's maiden name. Since Nagisa didn't seem to recognize the name in canon, and it would be really dangerous for a celebrity's kid to go flashing his identity around like that, I figure that Yuuji must be going by an alternate-name basis. At least he made that name famous in his own right, *shrug*.
-the "silly sense for shirt patterns" line was a jab at Yuuji's fashion choices in the manga. Because seriously, his blog profile pic shows him wearing a shirt that appears to have dots and Christmas trees (or maybe people? idk) as its pattern. I love this trash boy so much.
Also, you can consider this an apology for me having Yuuji basically abandon his food blog in my other fic.;; Sorry, dude. I know it must have meant a lot to you.