The end of the day came quickly for Ryuji. He'd been able to show the dark haired transfer student around on campus, getting to know the guy a little better as they walked from classroom to classroom. Ryuji had slowly stopped thinking of him as the transfer student and had started thinking of him as Akira the more they talked. The blonde punk rock boy now knew that Akira had transferred from the country and was now staying at a formerly famous coffee shop and had adopted Morgana shortly before he'd had to move. Strange then, that Akira had decided to bring his new cat with him, thought Ryuji. Why hadn't he left it with his parents? When Ryuji had asked though, Akira had just chuckled and changed the subject so deftly that Ryuji only noticed that Akira had avoided answering until several hours later.
Once the final bell rang, Ryuji packed up his notes and thought over his encounter with the transfer student that morning. Akira was something of an enigma, Ryuji thought, but deep down he didn't seem like a bad guy. Maybe I oughta invite him to the arcade or batting cages later, he mused, heading towards the library.
Ryuji entered the library to see Makoto sitting at her usual spot in the library, her colored binders arranged in a neat rainbow. She was reading over papers, with her pen poised in the air above them as her red eyes scanned their contents. She touched the end of the pen to her lips in thought, and for a moment, Ryuji just watched her. She seemed utterly at ease among the papers. But he dared not stare at Niijima for too long, and pulled up a chair across from her by way of announcing his presence. Niijima's eyes lost their glazed over look, her unusual red eyes met his more typical brown ones.
"Hello Sakamoto," said Makoto, setting her pen down as Ryuji got his notes out of his book bag, along with his new laptop.
"Hey Prez, how's it hangin'?" asked Ryuji, slapping his notes down on the table. He brought his hand up to his mouth, stifling a yawn.
"As well as can be expected I suppose. Did you not sleep well last night?" asked Niijima and Ryuji froze in surprise.
"Aw it's nothin'. I stayed up a little later than usual but I'm fine," said Ryuji, feeling a little surprised that Niijima had been watching that closely, or that she had cared enough to make a comment.
"...Well, I would recommend getting to bed earlier tonight to make up for your lost sleep," she replied, picking up her pen again. She began twirling it between her fingers, her eyes glancing here and there, but she remained quiet for a moment longer. Ryuji watched her with one eyebrow slightly raised.
"Is there something up, Prez?" asked Ryuji, placing his elbows on the table and cradling his chin in his hands.
"I also heard that you met the transfer student today," said Niijima, her voice cautious. Ryuji scanned her face for a moment before answering.
"I did yeah. He seems like a pretty decent guy," he replied, his eyes narrowing. Niijima stopped toying with her pen and tapped it against her lip again, not meeting his gaze.
"I've heard from the faculty that the transfer student has a criminal record, which was why he was asked to transfer here," continued Niijima, her voice softer than usual. Ryuji's leg began to bounce, and his brows furrowed.
"Well Prez, the transfer student doesn't really seem like the type of guy I need to be worried about. Really just seems like a regular guy," he asserted. Niijima finally met his eyes, and Ryuji's leg stopped bouncing. Niijima's lips were pulled down into a slight frown, and there was a crinkle of worry between her eyebrows. She looked...concerned. Ryuji stared in naked fascination.
Niijima dropped her gaze abruptly and pulled Ryuji's notes towards herself. "Of course, Sakamoto. I'm glad to hear that. I just wanted to ask you to be careful," she said, her voice still soft and Ryuji sat up straight, surprised. She didn't seem to think badly of Akira necessarily but...she seemed concerned about him getting in trouble? Now that was...unexpected.
"Of course Prez. Hey uh, sorry about gettin' snarly with you there. I thought you were uh...y'know, gonna lecture me or something," sputtered Ryuji, feeling compelled to put her at ease in response to her concern. Niijima let out a long breath, and set her pen down.
"No, I'm not going to lecture you Sakamoto. And to be honest, you were right to challenge me. I haven't taken the time to actually speak to Kurisu and I've already judged him," she said and looked a little disappointed. Ryuji felt his own brows crinkle in concern. Niijima looked like she knew something about being judged. He smiled ruefully. Maybe that was something all three of them had in common.
"Aw don't sweat it too much. Everyone slips up now an' again. But hey, you caught yourself and you're making an effort to change your way of thinkinh. So I'd say that makes you better than most, Prez," said Ryuji, leaning forward to look intently into the student council president's eyes. Niijima looked at Ryuji from under long lashes, considering him for a moment. Then she smiled her small smile.
"Thank you Sakamoto. It's good to hear that," she said, and Ryuji grinned back at her broadly. For a moment, the two students looked at each other as though under a strange spell. Ryuji felt a strangely warm, fluttering feeling behind his breastbone, a feeling that surprised him and he looked away. Why did his chest feel light like that? Niijima also seemed to be lost in a private reverie, but she snapped out of her trance much quicker. She picked up the notes she pulled to herself, and Ryuji snapped back to attention just as she started to speak.
"Anyway, did you want to start with your Algebra homework?"