Chapter 2

"Senpai noticed me?" Nagisa asked in surprise as he picked at his lunch with his chopsticks. Makoto and Haru were sitting next to him on the roof. Nagisa frowned and looked confused. "That's odd. She never makes eye contact or smiles back, so I always thought she didn't see me."

Makoto shook his head with a smile. "Akira-san is like that. She's been sitting next to Haru-chan since the starting of last year and she's never once said a word to him, right, Haru?"

Haru glanced up dully. "She asked me for an eraser once."

"Hai, hai, but that's one time in over a year. Akira-san's been going out of her way to sit next to Haru since then. Either she has a huge crush on him that she's trying to hide or she really hates talking to people, and likes that Haru rarely speaks. It's probably the latter."

Nagisa blinked. He couldn't help it; he'd been harboring a crush on the mysterious Akira-senpai since he first saw her. She was undoubtedly pretty; her dark hair was soft and Nagisa wondered what it would feel like. And her pink lips; he wondered what those would feel like too. He looked up at Makoto. "Does Akira-senpai have a boyfriend?"

Makoto laughed. "I've never seen her hang out with any of the boys at school. Do you have a crush on her, Nagisa? Is that why she thinks you stare at her?"

"But she's so pretty," Nagisa whined. He finished his lunch and leaned back on the roof, putting his hands behind his head. "Her eyes are the color of chocolate. But she either ignores me or glares at me. I know! I'll try talking to her today!"

Makoto smiled lightly. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but Nagisa was impossible to deter when he was excited about something.

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Nagisa spotted Akira right after school, putting up Photography club posters on the noticeboard at the front entrance. Her long braid cascaded down her back as she held the poster up with one hand and the stapler in another, standing on her tiptoes. Nagisa beamed. Now was his chance!

"Akira-senpai!" he greeted happily, causing Akira to yelp and drop the stapler. It clattered the floor and Nagisa dived to retrieve it, handing it back to her with a big grin. "Are you putting up posters? Wow, you're in the photography club? Sugoi!"

Akira glared at him as she snatched the stapler back. Nagisa didn't even notice; he was too busy admiring the photography club poster she'd just put up. He jabbed his finger at one of the landscape pictures printed on it. "I know where this is! It was taken in that park near the harbor main road, right?"

Akira sighed and closed her eyes. "Look, Nagoya-"

"Nagisa."

"I don't care. Stop following me around. I have a lot of work to do," Akira snapped, gathering up the rest of the posters and walking away quickly. To her disappointment, Nagisa followed her with a bounce in his step.

"Really? I can help, I don't have anything better to do!" he offered.

I'm sure you don't, Akira thought irritably. She turned and saw that the blonde boy was looking at her with wide magenta eyes, making a puppy face. He was short for a boy; they were both almost the same height. Akira took a deep breath. She could handle this. She'd dealt with annoying people before. "I'm fine, Nagisa-kun. Arigato."

It was almost as though Nagisa didn't hear her. He bounced to catch up with her and grinned. "Who else is in the photography club? Do you all go out to take pictures together? Do you have one of those fancy cameras with the huge lens? Aren't they expensive?"

Akira whirled around. "For the love of… look, I don't really know you. And I have work to do, so stop asking stupid questions and leave me alone. If you're interested in joining the photography club, you should go talk to Hideki-senpai, he's a third year. His contact number is on the poster. Bye now."

"No, I'm useless at photography," Nagisa continued with a smile. "But these pictures are really pretty. Do you have more? Can I come look at them sometime?"

Akira's hands started trembling. Her temper was rising now, and when it exploded at it's peak, it was a scary sight. She'd once lost it at a boy in the first year, who'd stolen her organizer as a joke. He had been teasing her, asking for a kiss in return for finding it. Akira had slapped him so hard he started crying and the sensei had taken her aside to tell her she couldn't get violent like that, or she would be suspended.

"Senpai, you dropped a few posters," Nagisa told her, picking up the posters that had floated off the top of her pile from the wind. He grinned as he put them back on top of her pile. "Can I carry those for you, Akira-senpai?"

Akira took a deep breath. She glared at the innocent boy, with the adorable face and the puppy-like magenta eyes. That was it. If he wasn't going to leave her alone, she might as well make use of him. She paused and whirled around, her braid swinging in the air as she deposited half the posters in his arms. "You know what? You can. In fact, do me a favor and carry them all the way to the second floor where you can put them up on the noticeboard in the corridor. Here's a stapler," she added, fishing in her bag for her spare and handing it to him. Nagisa looked a little stunned, but he took them anyway.

"Eto…" he began, as though he was about to protest. Akira raised an eyebrow at him.

"You wanted to help, didn't you?"

"Hai," he admitted, dropping his gaze to the floor, his blonde hair covering his eyes. Then he perked up. "You're right, I'd love to help you, senpai! I'll go put these up right now!"

"Arigato, Nagisa-kun," Akira called after the blonde boy as he bounced away. She sighed and looked down at the posters in her hand. She had to hurry and put these up so she could leave before that little blonde leech caught hold of her again.

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Akira managed to dodge Nagisa the next morning. It wasn't difficult; the train they took to school was crowded and she got on before Nagisa, so she could always squeeze into a crowded corner before he arrived, and he wouldn't find any space near her. He still grinned at her from across the aisle, though. There was no preventing that.

For once, Akira didn't have any work to do during lunch, so she sat in the gardens with a book and some bread. There was a group of girls in her class that welcomed her when she wanted to sit with them at times, but Akira really only sat there when Yuri dragged her. Today, she'd managed to escape. She curled up on the grass, trying to block out all noises, when she heard a female voice yell.

"It's Kou, not Gou! How many times will it take you to get it right, Nagisa?" screamed a girl with dark red hair a little distance away. Akira watched with mild interest, realizing that she enjoyed the sight of watching the blonde boy get yelled at. He didn't seem to mind though; he was just laughing. He paused mid-laugh, though, his eyes locking with Akira's. She inwardly groaned as he waved at her. There went her peace.

"Akira-senpai!" Nagisa chirped, waving eagerly at her. Akira snapped her book shut and sat up. How far away was he? Could she outrun him? It seemed a little unlikely, considering the boy was small but seemed athletically fit. She slumped back in defeat as he approached, followed by Makoto, Haru and the red-head. Nagisa plopped down on the grass next to her. "What are you reading, Akira-senpai?"

Akira pulled the book out of his reach and glared at him. "What do you want?"

Nagisa smiled. "Nothing, really. I just thought I'd say hello. I saw you on the train this morning, but you're always in such a crowded spot that I can't get to you. Maybe you can save me a seat tomorrow?"

Akira scoffed. "Not likely. Look, go away. I'm trying to read."

Makoto hesitated, and smiled politely at Akira, while grabbing Nagisa's arm. "Nagisa, let's go, I think Akira-san's a little busy right now. Gomen, Akira-san, we didn't mean to disturb you."

"But I want to talk to her!" Nagisa whined as Makoto pulled him away. Akira frowned and turned back to her book. Thank heavens for Makoto. Now if only he could handle the blonde kid all the time.

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A/N - Thanks all that read, favorited and followed!