Ocean Mist (Azul Ashengrotto/Yuu)

11 ~ Scholarly Obligations

Yuu crossed her arms, staring at the Pomefiore housewarden with a challenging expression. "No."

"Yuu, for the last time, you cannot keep skipping out on club activities for your boyfriend. You joined the Film Study club with the full knowledge that our hours of operation may fluctuate depending on our activities. Where is your commitment?"

"My boyfriend took it."

"Yuu." Vil glared at her sternly. "As far as I'm concerned, Azul Ashengrotto has no impact on the functionality of our club. You, on the other hand, are using him as an excuse to slack off. Please sort through your priorities. I expect you to arrive to our club on time tomorrow, and stay the whole time."

Yuu tapped her forearm, her arms crossed and her legs aching after having to stand for what seemed to be hours listening to Vil lecture her. She knew that he was completely right, and she knew that her infatuation with Azul was completely irrational, but that wouldn't change the way she felt.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," Yuu said quietly (and somewhat snippily) before rushing to the mirror leading back to Night Raven College.

She hopped into the Octavinelle mirror and stormed into Azul's room before pausing. "Are you in a clingy mood?" She wanted to make sure he wouldn't be annoyed by her.

He rolled his chair out from behind the desk and held out his arms welcomingly. "Yes. Come here."

Yuu immediately jumped into his arms, curling up against him and ranting about Vil.

"...Oh, and I probably won't be able to see you as much as usual for the next few weeks since Vil's getting on my case for skipping club meetings."

"You've been skipping club meetings?"

"Yeah." Yuu turned her head up to look at Azul. "Just to see you~"

He kissed her forehead and nuzzled into her neck. She felt happy seeing him getting more used to affection. "You shouldn't neglect your obligations for me. I understand how busy things can get. I, for one, certainly don't neglect my work for you."

"You're so hard working," Yuu drawled, suppressing a yawn. "And ambitious. Why can't I be more like you?"

"I like you just the way you are," Azul chuckled, pressing another kiss to her cheek. "Though you could stand to take your responsibilities more seriously. Don't worry, I understand that you'll be busy. It's okay."

She let out a sigh. "I'm gonna purposely act bad so Vil kicks me out of the club."

"Don't do that," he chastised, though he wore a slight smile. "Besides, we have most of the same classes together. We'll still get to see each other quite a bit."

"But you're not like this during school~"

"I have a reputation to keep up. But... if you wanted, I could spare a few minutes here and there to come visit you during club hours. My club isn't nearly as strict as yours."

"...That's embarrassing. I'm a terrible actress." She buried her face into his chest.

He ran his hand through her hair repeatedly. "You already passed the auditions, so you must be a good actress if Vil's trying so hard to make you stay."

"He's always yelling at me~" she whined, though she knew it wasn't true. He doled out quite a bit of praise when it came to her acting, and he wasn't one to sugarcoat. "But anyway, I guess we'll be seeing each other less for a while..."

They sat in silence for a few moments, with only the sound of each other's breathing. As much as Azul didn't act like it, he was just as clingy as Yuu, if not more. He just happened to be more reserved and insecure, but he was working on it so they could both be comfortable with their relationship.

Azul seemed to tense up and Yuu looked at him curiously. "I, I was... I planned to give this to you at a later date, but... seeing as we might not get a private moment together for quite a while..."

He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small box. Yuu opened it to see that it contained a simple gold ring with a gold heart on it. "Aw, it fits perfectly!" She gave him a bright smile as she slid it onto her finger.

"I... also..." He let out an exasperated sigh at how much he was stuttering and opted to simply show her what he was trying to say instead.

He reached into a similar area in his desk that he'd pulled her ring from and revealed a similar-looking gold band, though it had an empty heart carved into it. Yuu took it carefully and pressed the heart-shaped hole against the heart on the ring she wore on her finger, letting out a happy noise as the rings fit perfectly together.

"Azul, you got us couple rings? You're so adorable!" She kissed his nose as she slid the ring onto his finger. "Seriously, this might be the cutest thing you've ever done~"

"I'm glad you don't think it's too cheesy," Azul replied with a smile, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "It looks nice on you."

"They're so cute," Yuu spoke, stretching her hand out in front of her and admiring the ring before clicking hers with Azul's once again. She then paused. "Is this real gold?"

"...Will you yell at me if it is?"

"You-You shouldn't spend money so arbitrarily! Especially on me! Like, I really love the rings a lot, but I'm 17! I can't walk around with a piece of gold on my hand!"

"Yuu." He brushed her hair to the side and kissed her forehead. "I'm a businessman. Who am I to spoil, if not my girlfriend?"

She blushed at the statement and went silent. A smirk grew on Azul's face. "It's not an arbitrary cost. If it makes you happy, that's all I need."

"S-Since when did you become the flirty one?" Yuu murmured, burying her face in her hands as her cheeks reddened.

He let out a soft chuckle, holding her closer. "Seems that I've been influenced by you, my dearest."