The rest of April is a mix of frenetic movement mixed with utter boredom. It passes too slowly for his peace of mind, although it sometimes feels like the dorm could catch on fire with all the comings and going since they gained new members.
Akihiko uses his considerable free time to prep for midterms; he might as well get an early start so once he gets the go-ahead to come back in the field, he can focus entirely on his training.
He tries numerous times to debrief the weekly Tartarus visits with Mitsuru, but he is barred from even stepping foot in the lobby of the tower during the Dark Hour now, told in no uncertain terms he should be resting and bidding his time instead. He hates it, but he curtly complies, because she could make his life hell if she wanted.
Those silent nights where he keeps vigil alone in the lounge are the worst, and he keeps playing scenarios of the possible exploits the team is accomplishing in his head.
Without me.
He used to love the quiet but now it feels jarring. The dorm routine has changed so much in just a few weeks, and he is apparently already getting used to the chaos.
For quite a while, it was just him and Mitsuru. Takeba's addition brought a new, quiet presence, but nothing quite noticeable. She tends to leave the dorm and visit some of her archery club friends often, and she probably feels her seniors are colleagues and not people to hang out with.
Minato is very quiet, almost too much. His presence in the dorm is quite often a surprise, the junior being a natural loner who spends quite some time in his room. He talks very little, keeping his voice to a minimum. When he joins his fellow second years, he looks like he just tags along to keep an eye on his sister, but the quiet smiles are there.
Junpei by himself is noise incarnate. He slurps his instant ramen like his life depends on it, bickers constantly with Takeba, explodes with excitement or frustration when playing video games in the lounge and acts like a total slob in the kitchen. Nonetheless, he keeps scotching himself to one or both twins at the hip whenever convenient and brings some fiery energy to the space.
Surprisingly, Mitsuru seems animated quite often when Iori is present, whether to sermon him about his outbursts, raise an arched eyebrow at the mess near the sink with a promise for execution or offering a delicate chuckle when Minato beats him at video games.
Takeba seems to have found a kindred spirit in Minako and they go shopping together often, bags takeout in those tiny boxes in hand at their return to the dorm, chatting amiably. There even seems to be a slight tension between the archer and Iori as to whom gets to snag the girl away with them after school in her brief downtime.
Minako barely seems to live in the dorm, except when she studies with her twin. He has no idea what she does or where she goes, but the girl moves, all the time. It's almost a game to guess where he will catch a glimpse of silver barrettes in fiery hair that day. She is up and about at any hour, buzzing through the kitchen to make a snack, helping her brother by whipping up a decent breakfast or just passing through like the dorm is a temporary stop to another destination and it's maddening.
Akihiko swears he saw her thrice in the school corridors just that day. She was coming up and down the stairs with her hands full of paperwork for student council at some point before classes started, he also saw her another time from his seat with her sports gear for PE, then he got another glimpse during lunch when she carried three stacked boxes to the roof for her, Minato and Junpei to wolf down.
The day after, walking with some of the boxing club members and providing some curt observations on the practice he attended as an observer, he bumps into her when turning a corner. Akihiko barely has time to hold up his hands to grab her shoulders in an attempt to steady her before she run off in a blur of flames, the setting sun creating a halo around her auburn ponytail while she runs along like a spring.
He blinks, he thinks she hollered something like a thank you before she ran off and he is left just standing there, arms still outstretched like everything happened too fast. His palms are tingling still when the coppery tornado escapes downstairs in a flash.
"So, Captain… who was that? Do you know her? What a cutie!"
He looks to his companion, brow quizzically raised, trying to scramble a reply while he blinks.
"Uh? Oh, she lives in the same dorm as me. Why?"
His fellow boxer grins excitedly, a flush blooming on his cheeks.
"You think you could introduce me to her?"
Akihiko blinks again, unsure where this is going.
"Trust me, she had no time for you. C'mon, let's go."
A vague unease tugs at him and doesn't know what to make of it. This is new.