I should probably address that Tanjiro's name spelling keeps changing!! I've decided to officially keep it as Tanjiro to avoid confusion. ((I edit this story on my phone a lot so it autocorrects to 'Tanjirou' on there. My apologiess!!))
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Due to the fact that you've been away from school for a week now, it's hard for you to focus in class. It was already a challenge, but now it's nearly impossible.
To your right, Makomo is diligently writing notes on a piece of lined paper--she hasn't even looked up from it since class started, so you can't just distract yourself with frivolous chatter at this time
Hmmmmm...I hope Sabito's okay. Tanjiro too
Mr. Shinazugawa's voice seems to fade in and out as you stare off into the far corner of the class, entangled in a daydream about your two favorite redheads
I wish those two could get along...I don't know why Sabito would dislike someone before meeting them, that's very immature and unlike him.
Your gaze wandered off to the side a bit, staring at the heads of the other students lined up in front of you
And Tanjiro still hasn't been formally introduced to either of them. He only wants to hang out with me alone...could it be that Sabito's noticed this? How would he even know?
mid-thought, you noticed someone who sat a few desks ahead of you that you hadn't noticed before
The little yellow tuft of hair was all you could see, but you knew it was Zenitsu.
He probably knows something
But why is he seated so far away? I have to find a way to talk to him
Makomo stomps on your foot under the table--with gusto, too. You can feel a stinging pain lingering in your toes when you snap back to reality
"What was that for??" You whisper, convulsing
"Pay attention in class. We have a group assignment coming up, and I am not going to let you slack off again" Makomo says simply
BITCH!
You glared at her "You didn't have to stomp on my FOOT. I'd have been fine with just a tap."
Makomo scoffs without looking at you "Relax."
"WH-Makomo are you serious!?" You said without realizing your voice was getting louder
"Oh noooo, (Y/n) is hurt again! Time to disappear for the next few days and sneak around with boys." She mumbles into her paper
"THAT'S NOT EVEN--"
"(Y/N)." Mr. Shinazugawa yelled, his eyes fixed on you
You jumped at the sound of his voice hitting your ears like a crack of thunder
"This is the SECOND time I've had to remind you. PAY ATTENTION."
You shrank in your seat under his intense stare.
But, Makomo started it, you wanted to say, but you could tell Mr. Shinazugawa was losing his patience; nobody likes to see Mr. Shinazugawa lose his patience.
"Yes, sir" You managed to squeak
Fine. If that's how she wants to be, FINE. I can't let anyone ruin MY day, I won't.
Everyone's either looking sideways at you or trying not to look at all. It seems like most of the class has caught on to your bad luck
Among them, Tanjiro stares curiously from the complete opposite side of the room
ACK!! I FORGOT HE WAS IN THIS CLASS TOO
"Class. Focus." Mr Shinazugawa says, prompting most to get back to their work
But Tanjiro is still looking over his shoulder at you every now and again; perhaps he's thinking of how to communicate with you from the front of the class
You turn your attention to the textbook and paper in front of you, tapping your pencil's eraser rhythmically on the desk
All this boy stuff and drama is distracting me from my studies by a lot. Maybe I should just not engage
While Mr. Shinazugawa's back is turned for a split second, a paper ball goes sailing across the room and bounces off your head
"MOTHERF—" you hissed under your breath, until you saw Tanjirou mouthing 'sorry' from his seat across the room
You sighed, picking up the paper ball and unrolling it
'wanna work on the project together? I'm not very good in this class and idk anyone'
You have a delighted smile at the note and nodded towards him, signaling your agreement
Though you knew that depending on what the teacher wants to do, you would probably have to either abandon Makomo or force him into your group
Oh well, I'll think about it later
On your way out of class, you spotted Tanjiro talking to someone during passing period in the hallway
The girl standing before him was beautiful--she had long hair flowing down her back, and kind eyes with bright pink irises
A girlfriend? Their facial structures are a bit similar, though
You nearly jump out of your skin when the girl's gaze meets yours, and she waves. She seems to be mute, so why is Tanjiro talking to her?
Tanjiro turns to see what she is looking at, and smiles at you "Hey stalker! Get over here"
"STALKER?!" You laugh, jogging up to them "What gives?! You can't just call me that in public"
"Okay OKAY" He says, placing one hand on your back and his other hand on the girl's "Nezuko, meet (Y/n). (Y/n), meet Nezuko. Nezuko is my little sister--she's a freshman, so play nice."
Nezuko looks off to the side sheepishly, trying not to hold eye contact for too long
"Tanjiro--YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU HAD AN ADORABLE LITTLE SISTER!!" You wailed
"THAT'S WHY IM TELLING YOU NOW!!" He leans on the both of you, looking weary "Nezuko is mute, so she has a hard time communicating sometimes. I didn't want you guys to meet randomly, or she might've gotten overwhelmed"
As the three of you walk together, you see Makomo standing off to the side from the corner of your eye
You felt guilty about leaving her behind, but it's not like she couldn't have joined in if she wanted to
"That makes sense," You reply, then looking at Nezuko again, you say "It's nice to finally meet you. I might be a grade above you, but you have nothing to worry about. Promise."
Nezuko blinks at you, then nods sharply in an appreciative manner
"So where to next, the gym?" Tanjiro asks, guiding the two of you down the stairs
"Yeah," you rush ahead, hopping down the stairs two steps at a time "Do you think Mr. Tomioka will have us run again today?"
"Probably" Tanjiro walks down the stairs after you with Nezuko at his side "I certainly wouldn't put it past him"
"So cruellll" You sighed
The two of you stop at the double doors in front of the gym
"Okay, I'm going to the locker room. See you later (Y/n) and Nezuko!" Tanjiro said before the group dispersed; Nezuko was headed to her freshman classes, and you were on your way to the women's locker room on the opposite side.
The women's locker room is a huge contrast from the men's locker room. Very quiet most of the time, and many of its occupants are usually more interested in getting back to their personal business rather than horsing around senselessly
You like to cause a little trouble, but without someone to stoke the fire of your ambitious prank ideas, you usually just go along with the crowd
And since most of your friends as of now are male, you seem to struggle with a disconnect from your femininity sometimes
While everyone rushes to put their gym clothes on, you sit with your heels on the bench, and your knees close to your chest.
You have your underwear and a shirt on, but no energy to finish changing
Your eyes wander to a girl with three pink and green braids wearing shorts, who seems to be struggling to put a shirt on
Mitsuri-chan, I wish I could be as effortlessly likable as you.
Mitsuri turns, making eye contact. It's not really polite to stare in a locker room, but whenever you think about someone you can't help but look at them
"uhm, hi!" She says, her locker door closed with one hand "Shouldn't you be getting changed? Class starts in three minutes."
You shrug
She tilts her head at you. Mitsuri's shy but compelled to talk to you
"Say, aren't you Sabito's girl?" She smiles innocently "Have the two of you been alright? I don't really talk to sophomores as much as I used to since I'm a senior now and allll.."
"Ah! Uhm--Sabito and I aren't dating" You replied "We're best friends. He's been struggling with his injury, but no brain damage. At least, I don't think so"
Mitsuri sits next to you on the bench. She smells sweet, like nectar and honeydew
"Really? I've always noticed some chemistry between you two. Maybe I was imagining it" She joked
You stared at the floor in front of you, which always seemed to be wet from being mopped or the swim team walking around
"Mitsuri? You seem to know a lot about it, so" You swallow
Mitsuri raises her eyebrows at you
"If you liked two boys at the same time...what would you do?"