A knock on the door snapped Licht out of his thoughts. He tried to ignore it, but it knocked a second time. Then a third.
"Angel-chan!" a familiar voice called in through the door. "Angel-chan, answer me! Did you fall asleep or something?"
Cursing under his breath, Licht slammed his textbook and notes on his desk, stood up and stomped over to the door, throwing it open and glaring at Hyde. "Shut up, bastard! I'm studying."
"Studying?" Hyde grinned playfully, either happily oblivious to Licht's barely-veiled anger or choosing to ignore it in a moment of exceptional stupidity. "Come on, Lichtan, studying's boring! Let's hang out and do something fun instead!"
Without wasting another word, Licht slammed the door in his face and went back to his desk.
Of course, the peace didn't last.
"Lichtan!" Hyde called, banging at the door. "Don't just ditch me like that, you jerk! Open up already!"
Just ignore him. Keep studying and ignore him.
"Come on, it's not like you've ever failed an exam anyway! Why do you keep trying so hard?"
Just keep studying and- oh screw it. Licht couldn't ignore him, not when he was spouting complete and utter nonsense like this. "It's because I study so hard that I keep passing, dumbass!" he yelled in the direction of the door. "It's all because of hard work! I deserve all my good grades, unlike you bastard!"
"C'mon, what's with that goody-goody attitude?" Hyde shot back, sounding increasingly annoyed himself. "You think you're so great just because you work hard? What counts is the results! You're an idiot for wasting your energy when you could get it all the easy way!"
"You're the one who's an idiot! A cheating, dishonest idiot!"
"And you think you're the world's moral compass! You're a stuck-up prick, Angel-chan?"
Licht stood up, rolling up his sleeves and striding to the door, flinging it back open. "I'll show you a stuck-up-"
Someone cleared his throat.
They both froze to find Crantz standing in the hallway, giving them both the death glare. "So," he asked in a deadly calm voice, "what's all this noise about?"
"How did we end up like this?" Hyde flung his notes back on the desk and groaned. "This sucks!"
"You started it!" Licht snapped at him. "Shut up, stupid rat, I'm trying to concentrate."
"I don't wanna do this! It's so boring! I can practically feel my brain cells rotting away from the boredom!" Hyde leaned back in his seat and placed an open book on his face. "I don't wanna study with you, Angel-chan! Can we stop this already? I promise I won't cheat or start fights with Lichtan anymore! You know, aside from the bit that I never start any fights in the first place, he's just too sensitive-"
"Hey!"
A pair of hands grabbed each one of them by a shoulder, straightening both their postures with an iron grip. "Shut up, both of you! If you have time to complain, revise your notes again! Or I'll make you do this every day until the exams!"
They both yelped, grumbled an agreement and returned back to their studies, trying to sit as far away from each other as their shared desk permitted. Crantz sat in front of them, arms crossed, and looked incredibly pleased with himself and the world.
Tetsu had been studying for the past half hour.
Well, calling it "studying" was one way to put it. "Staring at the same notebook page for thirty minutes on end in the hopes that its content would eventually start making sense" was probably the more accurate description.
So far, his strategy hadn't worked very well. The content of the notebook page was still as incomprehensible as ever, which was quite an achievement, really, seeing as Tetsu himself had been the one to write it down in the first place. He still had no idea what all of this was supposed to mean, let alone what it was for and how to remember it. Thinking wasn't exactly Tetsu's forte, but even he could clearly see that this strategy wouldn't get him anywhere.
So he did what any good athlete would do in his situation: He changed his strategy.
"Hugh?" he called, knocking on his friend's door. "You in there?"
A shuffling of steps approached, and a moment later Hugh's head popped out of the door, looking up at Tetsu. "Welcome to my abode, old friend!" he greeted him. "What brings you here today?"
Tetsu fumbled with his notebook. "I'm kinda stuck with studying, can you tutor me?"
"I wish I could," Hugh replied sadly, "but alas, I am quite immersed in my own studies. You should find someone else to help you... I know! What do you think of that purple-haired young noble from 2-B? I hear his grades are the best in his year."
"Misono-senpai, huh?" Tetsu's eyes went wide. "I see! Thanks Hugh, you always know what to do!"
He turned around and went in search of Misono.
His search didn't take him long. Tetsu found him sitting by himself in the chess club room, playing a game against himself. He was so immersed in the match that he didn't notice Tetsu coming in at all.
Tetsu waited for a few moments before he spoke up. "Uh, senpai?"
Misono jumped with surprise, knocking over his chessboard. "Wha-?!" he burst out. "Sendagaya! Don't sneak up on me like that, you idiot!"
"Sorry." Tetsu rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You were just so focused... Why're you here, anyway? I thought there were no club activities 'cause of the exams and stuff?"
"Of course." Misono regained his composure, replacing his shocked and irritated frown with a proud grin. "But given my grades, I don't need to study anyway, so I might as well give my brain some real exercise." He threw a regretful look at the messed-up chessboard. "Or so I thought, until you came in."
"Yeah, um... sorry 'bout that. Actually..." Tetsu held up his notebook. "Speaking of exams, I was kinda looking for you. Since you're so smart, would you mind tutoring me a little? I'm kinda failing this."
Misono perked up at being called smart, but he wouldn't agree to anything yet. "Why should I do this?"
"'Cause you're the smartest person I know and I don't really know who else to ask." Tetsu met his purple gaze with his own blue eyes. "Please, senpai?"
Misono jumped to his feet in an instant. His cheeks tinted pink, and a proud smirk spread across his whole face as he took a step towards Tetsu, visibly flattered. "Well," he declared, "since you asked so nicely and I happen to be free anyway, I suppose it can't be helped. As your senpai, you can ask me anything you don't understand!"
"Cool!" Tetsu walked over and sat down at Misono's desk while his upperclassman moved the chessboard and pawns back to the shelf where they belonged. "Thanks a lot."
"Think nothing of it." Misono sat down next to him, taking a look at Tetsu's notes. "So what is it you don't understand?"
"Uh, everything."
Misono's enthusiasm dropped a little, but he kept calm. "We'll see about that. For now, let us take a look at your notes and tests."
Kuro's phone buzzed for what felt like the millionth time that day, indicating yet another new message. All from the same person. Kuro could figure that out without even looking at his phone.
He really, really felt like ignoring them all, but then again, they were getting more and more frequent and the constant buzzing was getting on his last nerve. Even if he didn't read the messages, to say nothing of replying, he at least had to mute his phone or he'd find himself forced to throw it out the window or into a tub full of water. And he still happened to need his phone, even if it was mostly for games.
Groaning, he reached out his hand and turned on the screen. As soon as he saw the number of new messages it displayed, he almost turned it off again. Throwing his phone away was beginning to sound like a pretty good idea, after all.
He didn't throw it away. Instead, he resigned himself to his fate and opened the message thread. They were all from Mahiru, just like he'd guessed, and they were hugely repetitive.
Are you studying for the exams, Kuro?
Kuro, it's been an hour and a half. Are you planning to answer anytime soon or are you procrastinating again?
Kuro, answer me! Are you studying or not? Need any help?
So I get it you're NOT studying. Get up and do your damn work, lazybones!
And don't tell me you can't do it or anything! You CAN do it if you want to, remember the bio assignment? The problem is that you DON'T WANT TO!
...Hello?!
DAMMIT KURO REPLY ALREADY IM GETTING MAD!
PICK UP YOUR DAMN PHONE YOU JERK! NOT FUNNY ANYMORE!
The messages ended here, but it was only a matter of time until Mahiru texted him again. Or called him. Or, even worse, turned up at his door.
As if on cue, there was an impatient knock from outside.
Kuro sighed. Speak of the devil.
"Hey, Kuro, are you in there?" Mahiru called into the room. "Have you ever heard of texting back, huh? Check your phone, dammit! Even a one-word reply would've been okay!"
Kuro didn't answer. He just curled up into a ball and pretended not to be home.
Mahiru's voice was growing angrier by the second. "Hey!" he snapped. "I know you're in there, stop ignoring me already! Seriously, you could've just told me you weren't studying, I wouldn't even have been that mad! But don't just give me the silent treatment like that, it's just plain rude!"
Kuro listened and felt a stab of guilt shoot through him. Mahiru wasn't actually mad because of the studying thing. Mahiru was mad because Kuro had been ignoring him just because he'd been too lazy to study.
Hanging his head in shame, he stood up, stumbled over to the door and opened it. He didn't even have the courage to look up and face Mahiru's gaze, his eyes locking on the pattern of the floor below as he fidgeted, trying to find at least some words, something meaningful, anything that could possibly soothe Mahiru's anger or at least justify his behavior. Nothing came out. His mind was blank.
"Sorry," he stammered at last, feeling like a complete idiot. Of course "sorry" wouldn't cut it. But it was all he could say.
Mahiru didn't say anything, and Kuro was already prepared to hear his friend leave when he felt the weight of a warm hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up to meet Mahiru's velvety brown gaze, a warm, kindhearted smile resting on his face.
"Apology accepted," Mahiru said simply. It was all he needed to say. The look in his eyes said everything else.
"Actually," he went on, "I just texted you because I realized you probably don't have any notes to study with, seeing as you snooze through all the classes and stuff. And as the class rep, it's kind of my responsibility to make sure you don't fail so..." He held out a few notebooks. "Here."
Kuro blinked at him for a moment as several thoughts crossed his mind at the same time.
First of all, he realized that instead of ignoring Mahiru's calls, he simply could have told him he couldn't study because he didn't have any notes. Mahiru would have scolded him, sure, and he probably also would have come over to give him his notes, but at least it would have given him some more free time without making his friend mad. Why had he not thought of this beautifully convenient excuse?
Second, he couldn't believe that even though he had ignored him and even though Mahiru had been mad, his classmate had still come over with the intention to help him out. He could say it was his responsibility all he wanted, but that was just too much. Shirota Mahiru was too nice for his own good and Kuro honestly didn't know how to handle that and he didn't know how to react, didn't know how to feel, except for the fluttery warm sensation in his stomach and heart that wouldn't quite fit around the word "happiness," although Kuro knew that was part of it. Sometimes he still couldn't believe what a friend he'd made.
Third, he noticed that Mahiru was giving him his notes instead of studying with them himself.
"Wait a sec," he said, gently pushing back Mahiru's extended hand with the notebooks. "Don't you need any notes?"
"It's fine!" Mahiru smiled. "I can borrow Misono's notes for today or something, and tomorrow I'll just make a copy at school. And I already started studying anyway, so see it as me taking a day off! You need those notes way more than I do."
Kuro still hesitated. "How 'bout we wait till you've copied 'em then? It's not like I have to start studying today."
"What are you talking about? You're not getting around studying today, lazybones! With your grades, every single day is important!" Mahiru shoved the notebooks in Kuro's hands. "Now sit down and start revising right away! And no tricks!"
Kuro groaned, sighed in resignation and slowly made his way over to his desk, plopping down on the chair and staring at the notes with as little motivation as he could muster. Part of him wanted to at least try to take this seriously for Mahiru's sake, but the rest of him felt like doing anything but this, especially with Mahiru's watchful eye monitoring his every move.
What a pain.
He opened the first notebook and started reading.
"Sendagaya..." Misono massaged his temples and sighed. "You're an even bigger idiot than I thought."
He forced himself not to look at the stack of Tetsu's tests lying in front of him, filled to the brim with horrible grades and even more horrible answers. "What is up with all these?" he shouted, pointing at them. "This is middle school level! Sendagaya, are you stupid?"
"Sorry." Tetsu scratched his cheek and gave Misono a sheepish look. "Thinking's not really my thing... I guess."
"I can see that," Misono remarked, his voice filled with resignation. "I suppose we'll have to start at the very beginning... instead of listing off everything you don't understand, maybe it'd be easier for you to tell me what you do." He took another glance at Tetsu's record of poor academic performance. "I'm almost amazed you can do this badly, considering that your notes are excellent."
"Well," Tetsu looked even more embarrassed, "y'know, I already don't get it when the teacher explains this stuff, so I just sorta copy the notes from a smart classmate... looks like that doesn't help much."
Misono resisted the strong urge to bang his head against the desk. Or laugh. Or cry. Maybe a combination of all three.
He didn't do anything like that. Instead, he took a deep breath, opened Tetsu's notebook again, and gave the freshman an exasperated look. "I'll start by explaining everything to you," he declared, "in the hopes that, unlike your teachers, I can get through that thick skull of yours. You better listen carefully because I won't explain this to you a second time."
Tetsu nodded, his eyes resting on Misono, curious and focused, waiting for him to begin.
So Misono started to explain it all, topic by topic, slowly but at a steady pace, and little by little it all started to make sense in Tetsu's head. Everything that had left him confused before was starting to fit together, and it was all just because Misono was explaining it to him, opening his eyes, one question after the other. He probably wouldn't be able to remember it all at once, but at least he understood now.
Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself staring at Misono in awe, listening to his clear voice calmly answering question after question, watching his small hands sketch diagrams on a spare sheet of paper, mapping out issues so simply and concisely that Tetsu couldn't help feeling amazed. Was this guy really just a year older than him, maybe even less? He seemed so mature already, like a full-grown adult, despite his childlike face and build. Tetsu felt like he was sitting next to a genius.
His staring must have been a little too obvious, because Misono finally interrupted his lecture, glanced up and asked, "What's the matter?"
Tetsu's mouth was faster than his brain. "You're good at teaching."
"Of course I am," Misono replied, a proud little blush lighting up on his cheeks. "You'll have the best score in your grade once I'm done with you."
"Really?" Tetsu's eyes went wide. "Just passing would already be enough though..."
"You'll never get anywhere with that attitude, Sendagaya! This is exactly why your grades are so awful in the first place! Now would you please be quiet and listen to me while I explain the rest? If you have time to stare, stare at your notes."
Tetsu blinked at him, feeling his face heat up in a way he couldn't really put his finger on. Was he embarrassed to have been caught staring? That was understandable, he'd probably looked kind of creepy... but that wasn't the only reason, was it? There was something else, something he couldn't name or explain.
Maybe Misono could. But he'd probably get mad if he asked him about it now, so he just kept his mouth shut and continued to listen to his lecture.
"Mahiru," Kuro said, pointing at the notes, "I don't get this."
"You've been trying to study for thirty goddamn seconds!" Mahiru shot back. "No wonder you don't get it! Try using your head for a moment before you start asking me, it won't hurt you!"
"Thirty seconds? Feels longer to me." Kuro stared at the page for half a moment before looking up again. "I still don't get it."
Mahiru threw a pen at him. "You weren't even trying! Don't just stare at the page and pretend to be thinking!"
"Ouch, so violent." Kuro rubbed the spot on his cheek where he'd been hit by the pen. "How can you throw stuff at your classmate like that... you're a bad role model, class rep."
"Look who's talking! I'm not taking that from you, bad role model!"
"Chill, you're such a drama queen. Look, even your handwriting's girly."
Mahiru flushed with embarrassment. "Well, excuse me for making sure my handwriting's simple and easy to read! Your handwriting's all over the place!"
"It's called being unique and creative."
"There's no point if you can't read it! Geez! And are you calling me uncreative?"
"You want the honest answer or the nice one?"
Mahiru flung another pen at him but missed. "Anyway, stop saying stupid stuff like that and go back to studying! You're wasting time!"
Kuro looked at him like he was the world's biggest idiot. "Can't study if I don't get it..."
Mahiru groaned in frustration. There was no way he was getting around this, was there?
"Fine," he huffed. "Okay, fine, I'll tutor you, lazybones! You better listen carefully, got that? If you think you can snooze while I explain stuff to you you're so wrong!"
He grabbed a chair and sat down next to Kuro, reaching for the notebook. "Okay, listen up! Hey, don't close your eyes!"
Kuro's eyes blinked open. "I'm better at listening with my eyes closed."
"Liar! You obviously just wanna sleep!"
"What a pain..." Kuro leaned forward, almost lying down on the desk. "Whatever, explain away, I'm all ears. Can I at least eat something while you talk?"
"Hell no, you'll get crumbs on my notes! Now stop being a baby and just! Listen!"
Strangely enough, Kuro did as he was told, although not without some grumbling and a very exasperated sigh. For Mahiru, it was enough; his friend was awake and seemed to be listening, and that was all that matters as he launched off on a lengthy explanation, occasionally asking Kuro if he'd understood everything.
Kuro was bright, he realized. If he wasn't so mind-blowingly lazy, maybe he'd get exceptionally good grades, possibly even as good as Misono's. He understood everything quickly, occasionally finished Mahiru's sentences - and almost always correctly - and wasn't so bad at remembering things either. Most of the time he just honestly, genuinely couldn't be bothered with it.
It was kind of a waste, really.
Then again, Mahiru did feel happy to have discovered that hidden talent, to be the first one to have found out about it, to be the one who'd drawn it out, maybe. He couldn't help the odd feeling of pride that rushed through him every time Kuro answered something correctly, every time he finished an explanation for him, every time he understood something faster than Mahiru could explain. Something inside of him kept whispering that Kuro would never have shown this new side to anyone else.
It wasn't until midway through his lecture that he realized Kuro was giving him a weird look. At first he pretended not to notice, but eventually it became too annoying to ignore. "Kuro," he said, interrupting his explanation, "what's with that face?"
Kuro yawned. "Just wondering... Mahiru, if there's no 'd' in 'refrigerator,' why is there one in 'fridge?'"
"Wha-?!" Mahiru gaped at him in shock. "Don't just get sidetracked, you jerk! And cover your mouth when you yawn! Seriously, how did you even come up with this in the first place?"
"Dunno. Got bored?"
"Bored? I'm trying to save your grade here, you ungrateful jerk! Pay attention!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Mahiru sighed and was just about to resume his lecture when Kuro gave him a sidelong glance. "By the way, are you gonna go through all our classes like this?"
He gave him a puzzled look. "Of course," he said, "what are you-"
"Even English?"
Mahiru opened his mouth and closed it again. Crap.
He hadn't thought of that at all!
"So, one question." Sakuya crossed his arms and glared at the rest of his crew. "Why do I have to be here?"
This so-called study session had only just started, and Sakuya already wanted to leave. Well, truthfully, he hadn't wanted to attend it in the first place, but seeing as Tsubaki wouldn't take no for an answer and he couldn't leave Otogiri alone with all the idiots, in the end he had reluctantly let them drag him over to Tsubaki's room. Now almost everyone involved was busy doing anything but what they were supposed to do; Tsubaki and Berukia were scribbling stick figure cartoons and unfunny jokes on their notes and laughing about themselves, Shamrock was admiring Tsubaki's so-called drawing skills and sense of humor and trying to talk him into letting him get a drink or a snack, Lilac was on the verge of a nervous breakdown because he didn't know what to study, and Otogiri sat on the side, calmly revising her notes and pretending none of the chaos around her was happening. And then there was Sakuya sitting in the middle of it all, seriously regretting his choice to tag along.
"Sakuya, don't be stupid!" Tsubaki put his pencil aside to look straight into his eyes. "We're friends, we have to do this together!"
Sakuya stared at him with the most deadpan expression he could muster.
A few seconds passed before Tsubaki realized he wasn't getting any other response and blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Nothing." Sakuya leaned back, propping himself against the wall. "Just waiting for you to start laughing."
Tsubaki looked more puzzled than ever. "Why should I laugh? I was being serious."
Now it was Sakuya's turn to blink in surprise. He wanted to say something, but his brain drew a blank. He hadn't been prepared for this sort of situation - Tsubaki being completely and utterly sincere for once. He'd been prepared for everything - bad jokes, comical overreactions, sudden mood swings or bouts of laughter - but sincerity? That only happened once in a blue moon.
He swallowed, trying to regain his composure a little. He hated this part of Tsubaki - the one that caught him off guard and gave him that weird feeling he couldn't quite put into words, this quick fluttery sensation in his chest that stirred every time Tsubaki's eyes met his with that unexpected honesty, laying all his thoughts bare for just a moment. It moved him too, of course. But he couldn't help feeling that it wasn't supposed to move him like that, and he hated it.
"But it's not like we can help each other or anything," he remarked, hoping that he didn't sound as stirred as he still felt. "I mean, you three–" he nodded at Tsubaki, Berukia and Shamrock– "are third-years, Otogiri and I are in second and Lilac here's only a freshman. We're studying totally different stuff... so basically the only thing we do together is sit and look at our notes. If you guys actually bothered to do that, anyway."
Tsubaki looked offended. "We are studying, right, Beru? We've been doing nothing but look at our notes!" He burst out laughing as he and Berukia exchanged high fives.
Sakuya groaned and waited for the inevitable "Boring" to follow when Tsubaki interrupted his bout of laughter, a realization dawning on his face. "I know what we can do together! Sakuya, tutor me."
Sakuya gaped at him, wondering if he had misheard it for a moment. "What?"
"Tutor me," Tsubaki repeated like it was the most normal thing in the world, pointing at his math textbook. "I don't get this, tutor me. You're good at math, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but..." Sakuya still didn't understand a thing. What was Tsubaki aiming at? "This is third-year math. In case you forgot, Tsubaki-san, I'm not in the same year as you."
"It relies on the basics from second year!" Tsubaki wouldn't let go. "I've forgotten them all, can't you help me out a little?"
Maybe Sakuya would actually have bought that if it wasn't for those weird puppy-dog eyes that accompanied the question. And had Tsubaki seriously just winked at him?
He rolled his eyes. "You're a straight-A student without even studying, do you really think I'd believe you forgot the basics?"
Otogiri looked up from her notes to give him a small smile. "Why not, Sakuya, tutor him."
"Wha- Have you seriously been listening? I thought you were studying!"
Sakuya looked at everyone's expectant faces and sighed. He had absolutely no idea what the hell this was about, but fine. If he knew absolutely anything about these guys, it was that they wouldn't let go until he agreed to do this. Especially a certain someone who had come up with this in the first place.
He so wished he'd gone with Mahiru, Ryuusei and Koyuki instead.
Rolling his eyes, he slumped in defeat. "Sure, whatever, let's just get this done. What do you need help with?"
Tsubaki's eyes practically sparkled as he moved over to sit next to Sakuya. Right next to him. So close that Sakuya felt like he was suffocating.
"Hey." He shoved his upperclassman an arm's length away. "Ever heard about personal space?"
"I think he was giving you enough space," Otogiri remarked without looking up from her notes.
Sakuya shot a betrayed glare at her.
"See?" Tsubaki said, pouting and pointing at Otogiri. "She thinks so too! You just don't like sitting next to me, right, Sakuya?" Crocodile tears welled up in his eyes. "If you don't like me just say so, then I won't ask you to tutor me anymore..."
Berukia gaped at his best friend in shock, then turned to glare at Sakuya. "Whoaaaaa, you've made Tsubakyun cryyyyy! Sakuya, apologiiiiize!"
Shamrock hurried over to Tsubaki. "Young master, do you need anything? Should I punch this traitor for you?"
"What the hell, why're you guys making me out to be the bad guy?" Sakuya's eyes strayed to Lilac for help, but the freshman was still too busy crying over his notes to be of any use. Turning back to Tsubaki, he groaned. "Look, all I said was that you should sit next to me like a normal person, not hog all my personal space. Okay? If you do that I'll tutor you all you want. Even if I still think you don't need it."
Tsubaki beamed. "Really?" He flung himself at Sakuya, pulling him into a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Sakuya! I knew I could count on you!"
"...Hey, what did I say about personal space?"
"Eeek! Sorry! Don't glare at me like that! So scary..."
Sakuya grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt like he was getting his first migraine, and considering what he had to put up with on a regular basis, it was kind of incredible that he'd lasted for seventeen years without one, honestly. Why did he even hang out with these losers, anyway?
Oh right. Loyalty. And the gang. And the fact that he somehow did care for these losers, especially the loser that was currently busy hogging his personal space and pretending to be stupid just to get Sakuya to tutor him in math.
Frankly, Sakuya didn't have the slightest clue why Tsubaki was doing this or what he hoped to get out of it, but the only thing he could do was play along for now. He didn't know why the hell Otogiri seemed to support Tsubaki either, but he'd figure that out. Right now wasn't the time to go asking himself questions like that; right now was the time to convince Tsubaki that he hadn't forgotten second-year math like he seemed to think he had. And the sooner he got that done, the better.
Besides, it was a pretty good practice for him.
"So," he said, looking at the math textbook, "which parts of this don't you get anymore?"
