A3! One-shots Collection

Beware the Nice Ones

This is a set of interconnected drabbles. The drabbles follow the traditional rule of having exactly 100 words.

Inspiration Backstage: SR Banri [About to Bloom], SR Tsumugi [Teacherly Guidance]

===

Banri had just learned the art of gardening.

It was easy to learn for several reasons. Not only Tsumugi was such a good teacher, but also, whenever Banri saw Tsumugi heaving a watering can across the courtyard, he just felt like helping him.

Today, he approached Tsumugi. "Need a hand?"

Tsumugi wiped the sweat off his temple with a gloved hand. "It's okay. You've carried my gardening goods all the way back, so have a break."

Banri nodded. "Well, give me a shout if you need help."

It probably wouldn't happen, but offering Tsumugi a helping hand would never hurt.

===

Once in a while, Banri would look away from his phone screen and through the window. Tsumugi would still be on the courtyard, either watering the plants or kneeling before them.

If there was a difficult thing in gardening, that had to be talking to the plants. How the hell Tsumugi could pull off that angelic smile so naturally, Banri didn't and probably would never know.

At least Tsumugi made that beautiful smile a lot, so Banri could revel in it whenever they were together. The best time to enjoy it was when they were hanging out in a cafe.

===

"Take this! Taichi's Super Water Cannon!"

"Whoa, Sumi is so fast!"

Oh, no, not them! Banri hissed as his character in the game collapsed. Then his phone screen darkened, and a bloody "You Died" appeared on it. Gritting his teeth, Banri slammed a foot against the plywood floor and closed the game app. "Those three never learn!"

"Triangle Bomb!"

"Yikes!"

It felt as though the dorm lacked any walls to block the brats' screams. Clenching his hand until it went white, Banri rose from the couch and stormed towards the dorm's exit door.

Time to give those brats an earful.

===

As expected, Taichi, Kazunari, and Misumi were having another water fight. Misumi stood on a tree branch, firing his triangular water gun.

"No fair, Sumi!" Kazunari ran across the courtyard with Taichi.

Then they bumped into Tsumugi and knocked the watering can out of his hands. Luckily, it missed the potted plants by a few inches.

Banri rushed to chase Kazunari and Taichi. How dare they! Tsumugi loved his plants so much that he treated them like his children and even gave each of them a name.

"Stop right there, y'all!" Banri yelled, but his words fell on deaf ears.

===

With Kazunari and Taichi drawing closer to the flowerbed, Banri stopped in his tracks. Hell no. Tsumugi had worked so hard to make it neat and colorful.

Banri could only scream, "Not the flowerbed!" Unfortunately, Taichi and Kazunari kept running.

Soil stained the colorful petals as the duo sprinted across the flowerbed. Stems broke under their steps.

"Why you..." Banri looked at the ruined flowerbed, his face sagging. His heart ached not only for the damaged flowers, but also his inability to protect Tsumugi's little friends.

Then a roar, similar to that of a furious beast's, came from behind him.

===

With a demonic scowl, Tsumugi ran after the screaming and scurrying Taichi and Kazunari.

The sight kept Banri frozen in place; holy crap, Tsumugi looked scarier than Sakyo! The last time these guys fooled around with water guns, Sakyo gave them a very long lecture and forced them to clean up the mess.

Tsumugi would probably do the same, though Banri had a hunch that his lecture would bust everyone's eardrums.

Misumi jumped off the tree and fired his gun. The gush of water struck Tsumugi, who turned to chase him.

Banri facepalmed. Someone had just dug his own grave.

===

Tsumugi climbed up the tree like a starving tiger. Then he hopped onto the roof and chased the fleeing Misumi across the rooftop.

Shoot! Banri bet that Tsumugi, a clumsy guy who couldn't even perform the easiest yoga pose, would slip soon.

Tsumugi and Misumi wound up at the edge of the roof. For a moment, Misumi looked like a cornered rat, but then he jumped over the pouncing Tsumugi. Tsumugi's furious face shifted into a terrified look as he tripped.

"Crap! Tsumugi!" Banri rushed to catch Tsumugi. Whether he'd succeed or not, he had to give it a try.

===

Misumi swooped in and caught the falling Tsumugi in his arms. Like a pro acrobat, he flipped and landed on his feet, right in front of Banri.

Banri glared at Tsumugi. "What the hell? That was dangerous!"

"You okay, Tsumugi?" Misumi asked. "Sorry. Didn't mean to make you angry."

Tsumugi only huffed, his eyes still widened. Perhaps falling from the rooftop terrified him, but Banri thought his bestial rage might have shocked him too.

"Tsumugi?" Misumi asked again.

"Let's take him to his room," Banri suggested. Then he smiled at Misumi. "Also, remind me to buy you some onigiri later."

===

"What?" The coffee cup almost slipped out of Banri's hand. "You've ever been that pissed?"

Smiling slightly, Tsumugi cast a wistful gaze at the planter box beside their table. "Yeah."

Banri returned his coffee cup to the saucer. "Seriously."

Tsumugi looked at Banri and nodded. "It always shocked me too." He paused. "I really feel bad for those three. They're now working so hard to fix the flowerbed."

"Leave them be. Well, except Misumi. Can't stay nice forever, ya know? Sometimes you gotta go apeshit to scare people."

Tsumugi laughed. "I'm getting lectured by someone younger than me. How embarrassing."