~~ The Next Day: April 16 ~~
Your plan to meet with Makoto before school was not happening as you fell ill with a fever and nausea the night before. This was upsetting to you as school had barely started and you were already missing classes, just like last year. So in the moments you felt well enough to do some studying, you read bits of your textbooks in a feeble attempt to not fall behind.
You texted Makoto your situation that morning, so she dropped off your notebook after school along with well wishes. However, as you opened your notebook to try to study that evening, your dad convinced you to just rest, citing that by resting you would recover faster and ultimately have less work to catch up on.
You knew he had a point and after a couple days of full rest, you were well enough to go back to school the following Tuesday.
~~ Time Skip: April 19, Morning ~~
You headed to school early with the intention of asking your teachers for the material you missed, but since you had to take the bus to school you were at the mercy of traffic. Traffic delays ate up the extra time you had planned, so you simply went to your classroom and unpacked your stuff into your desk with a few minutes to spare. You then turned your notebook to the next open page and began to plan out how you were going to catch up on what you missed.
"Hey there, Sicky~ Feeling better, are we?" The ever-so-annoying voice of Hibiki interrupted your thoughts as she turned around in her seat to face you.
You internally groaned, but only gave her a silent nod as you continued planning.
Hibiki didn't seem to care that you were trying to concentrate."Have you heard? Oh, right, how could you? You missed two days of class already! Anyway, your criminal friend is already getting himself expelled. Along with that other delinquent in the school~" Hibiki informed you with a pleased tone in her voice that made you angry.
You looked up at her with an annoyed frown, but before you could say anything, Momoko chimed in.
"Shh!! He's here!" Momoko whispered loudly to Hibiki as she hurried into the classroom and sat down at her own desk.
"Oh, we better not anger him. He might lose it on us since he's got nothing to lose now." Hibiki gave Momoko a sly smile before turning back around to face the front of the classroom.
You rolled your eyes at Hibiki's statement and then looked over to the door at the back of the classroom. A few seconds later, Akira arrived. Despite the rumors of him possibly being expelled, he seemed like his usual calm self as he quietly strode into the room. At least, that's what you thought at first.
As he got closer in your direction, he noticed your gaze and smiled kindly at you. That's when you saw it: a spark - no - a fire in his eyes that you were certain you had never seen before. But it wasn't a flame of anger like you would expect from someone with an expulsion over his head. It took you a moment, but then you realized it was defiance. A kind of defiance that was calm and collected while determined to break free, as if to show the world something hidden deeper within his soul. The new intensity in his eyes clashed completely with his calm "good boy" exterior...
And the duality captivated your curiosity.
You wondered what had happened in the short span of time that you were sick. What caused this new flame to appear in the once-guarded gray eyes of the transfer student? Was the rumor about him being expelled true? If so, why was he still coming to class? Or did he actually have a chance to contest it? Your mind could go on forever with questions, but you knew the only way to get answers was to ask and observe.
But before you could realign your thoughts into a conversation starter, Akira stopped beside you and the intensity in his eyes subsided to that of relief. As he spoke, his quiet voice held a sincere tone. "Good morning, [Y/N]-san. I'm glad to see you're feeling better."
"Good morning, Kurusu-san. And thank you!" You managed to smile back at him, despite your brain trying to process the unexpected interaction. You opened your mouth to say something else before you realized that you hadn't quite figured out how you wanted to ask the question. You then frowned slightly as another realization formed in your mind. 'No, Hibiki and Momoko are listening. I can't ask a even a simple question of Akira because they'll just blow it out of proportion. Like always.' Your interactions with Akira was their hottest topic, especially with the newest set of rumors about the calm criminal. And you weren't going to give them more ammunition against you.
"Hm?" Akira gave you a questioning look and tilted his head slightly. He then adjusted the bag on his shoulder slightly as he shifted his weight to his other leg. This new posture looked more relaxed to you, indicating that he expected to stand there for a while and chat. This being said, his expression looked far more innocent than you expected after seeing the intense defiance in his eyes.
You breathlessly mouthed "later". Then you jabbed a thumb back at the two unusually quiet gossips as you made an annoyed face. You could only hope that he understood the message that you were trying to get across.
Akira's gaze followed your indication to the two girls who sat in front of you. A frown crossed his face before he looked back to you and nodded, a look of understanding reflected in his gray eyes. He then quietly walked past you to sit at his desk.
You released a breathless sigh as you turned in your seat to face the front of the class again. You noticed the biology teacher, Mr. Hiruta, had already arrived so you turned your notebook to the next blank page and got ready to take notes. You noted the quick glance Momoko gave you out of the corner of your eye which was followed by a poorly hushed giggle. 'Great...'
After the bell rung, signalling the start of class, Mr. Hiruta spoke. "You must all be shocked by what happened with Suzui-san. It was a shock to me too..." He made grand hand motions as he spoke dramatically, but it wasn't that much of a surprise to anyone considering he sponsored the drama club. "Although, I can relate to how she felt. Her eyes were devoid of life as they looked upon this sad, hopeless world." His tone then shifted to a more serious one. "Well, I suppose everyone views the world differently. Let's have a test.
You subconsciously swallowed at the mention of the test and shrunk in your seat slightly. You hoped Mr. Hiruta wouldn't call on you since you had no idea what was going on in the class.
"You there! Take a look at this diagram." Mr. Hiruta's voice brought your attention back to him and you noticed he drew the indicated diagram on the blackboard. "Is the line extending from A connected to B or C? Which is it?"
You then followed the teacher's gaze to Akira, relief washing over you that you weren't the one called on this time. You and the others around you watched Akira as he studied the diagram for a second before he answered simply. "C."
Mr. Hiruta clapped and then dramatically pointed at Akira. "Correct. It seems your eyes see the truth." He then drew the connecting line between A and C and a line that extended from B that went parallel past A. "This is an optical illusion. Some people see it correctly, and some do not. Isn't it strange that they view the same image differently?"
Right as you wondered how this related to biology, Mr. Hiruta answered your unasked question. "Humans don't see the world as it is. We simply process visual information with our brain." He then paused a moment to write on the board, and the class took that moment to chatter.
"Wow, really?" "Kurusu-san seems kind of smart, doesn't he?" "Yeah, I'm impressed." "Why is he still trying despite being expelled soon?" "Don't question him, man. He's dangerous."
Mr. Hiruta continued despite the class, making you scramble to write down everything he was saying. "How you see the world is nothing more than a trick of the mind... It is all mere cognition. There is no proof that the world each of us sees is the same."
As you wrote, you could have sworn you heard quiet meowing nearby, but knowing that there was supposedly a cat who took up residence in the school, you ignored it. There was no point looking for the source if this was going to be a common occurrence. That, and you always had trouble keeping up with how quickly Mr. Hiruta taught the material so even looking a minute for the cat would cause you to fall behind and miss something that may be on the exam
~~ Time Skip: After School ~~
The rest of the day had gone as normal, but you didn't have a chance to continue your conversation with Akira without one of the gossips around, yet. You glanced around as you quickly packed your things and noticed Hibiki and Momoko had already left. You then turned your attention to the raven-haired boy who was just standing up to leave.
"Um, Kurusu-san..." As you spoke, you realized it was far quieter than you intended, but he seemed to hear you as he turned his gaze to you. You quickly gathered your thoughts into a plan that would be better than simply asking him there and now everything you wanted to ask.
"Yes?" He spoke in as quiet a voice, but his eyes regained the same questioning look as earlier.
You briefly wondered if he was recalling the start of a conversation that morning before you spoke. "Could we study together sometime soon? I mean, if you don't mind sharing your notes from the last few days with me. Oh! And we can go over what you missed before you transferred here, too." You kept your volume low just in case one of the gossips was just waiting around the corner and listening in. You could never be too careful around those two.
Akira brought a hand up to his chin and he looked away as he visibly thought. You watched the guarded look appear in his eyes. 'Wait, did I ask something strange? Yeah, I have other questions, but he's the only one I can really rely on for notes right now. And my parents will get on my case if I don't catch up fast. Ugh, stupid isolating rumors.' The anxiety of waiting for his answer while seeing him so guarded again made the moment feel longer than is actually was.
Movement brought you back out of your thoughts as Akira looked back to you. His new posture seemed to indicate he had somewhere to go. "How about the day after tomorrow?"
It was your turn to think as you figured out that he meant Thursday. As far as you knew, you had no other obligations then so you nodded with a smile. "Thursday afternoon works for me. Well, see you here tomorrow." Since he seemed he had somewhere to be, you didn't want to keep him.
He smiled back at you as he shifted his bag on his shoulder. "Yeah, see you." He then strode past you and out the door.
~~ Time Skip: April 21, After School ~~
You were packing your things away when it dawned on you that it was Thursday, and that you were going to study with Akira that afternoon. You wondered if it was the rain that had been putting you to sleep in class or simply from the stress of still trying to catch up. Either way, you looked up and around for the messy-haired boy in a slight panic about the fact that you forgot to begin with. You found him patiently waiting in his seat with his bag already packed, watching you.
A slight smirk tugged at the corner of Akira's mouth when your half-panicked gaze met his. "I didn't forget," he calmly reassured, his quiet tone clashing with the amused look in his eyes.
'How long did I make him wait?!' You forced a small smile before stuffing the last of your things into your bag and standing up. "Shall we head to the library?"
Akira stood up as well and simply nodded. He followed you as you headed out the door and upon exiting, the two of you heard all-too-familiar giggles emanating from further down the hall. You sighed quietly and headed up the stairs. Being under constant surveillance as a hot topic was getting annoying fast but knowing Hibiki, confronting her about it would only make it worse. So for now, you resigned to simply baring it and doing what you could to minimize scrutiny while still being fair and helping Akira. 'Or maybe I should just give up and accept my fate of constant false rumors. That would be easiest, but if it got out of hand again.... No, there's gotta be an end to it somehow.'
When the two of you got to the library, it was completely packed. You still looked around to see if there was a place the two of you could set up your study materials, but to no avail. Meeting Akira back out in the hallway, you shook your head. "Looks like we need to find somewhere else to study. Or maybe try again another day.
After a moment of consideration, Akira broke the silence. "How about the diner in Shibuya?"
You blinked at him a bit confused. You wondered how hard it would be to study in such a place, with random chatter in the background and all. Upon further consideration, however, you realized that one of the booths would have plenty of space for the two of you to study and it was away from the rumor mill that was the school. You nodded to him. "Sure."
It was your turn to follow as Akira led the way from school, into the rain, and onto the train which took the two of you to Shibuya. The train was crowded as you expected, but the fact that Akira actively changed places with you before the doors closed, putting himself between you and a rather sleazy-looking man, did not go unnoticed by you. 'So he's fairly observant himself. Oh no, if he turns out to be as observant as... No, it's fine. I should be thankful he is. That would not have ended well for me.' With that thought, you silently mouthed "thank you" to him. Akira simply smiled back with a nod before turning his gaze out the window.
The two of you arrived to Shibuya and made your way to the diner. Upon arriving, you noticed that the diner was rather quiet compared how it normally was. A wave of relief washed over you as you knew you could get more done now than you were originally anticipating.
The waitress showed you and Akira to an empty booth and handed you menus before going over to service another table. You hadn't considered eating while studying, but a small rumble from your stomach while you looked over the options made you thankful for the library being too crowded. You quickly decided on your favorite meal and drink from the familiar menu and then proceeded to pull out your notebook and one of your textbooks, sprawling them out neatly on the table in front of you.
You then looked up to the boy sitting across from you as he put down his menu. Thinking about how to get the conversation going again, you decided to start with the topic of food. "So what are you gonna get?"
"Coffee," Akira simply stated as he took out his notebook from his bag.
You waited a couple seconds expecting him to say something more as he pulled out a textbook. You looked at him dumbfounded when you realize that's all he was going to get. "That's it?"
"Yes." He looked at you calmly like it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to do so. But as you stared at him a moment longer with your eyebrows furrowed, he gave you a slightly questioning look in return.
"We'll probably be here for a while. Why not get something to eat, too?" You asked, perplexed. 'Is he actually serious on just ordering coffee? Please be joking...'
"Oh. Well..." He smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm a little tight on money right now. So I'm looking at getting a part time job soon." He quickly explained.
"Then let me cover you this time." You offered without a second thought. And even with your second thought, you decided that you would have offered anyway. Studying on an empty stomach never did you any good, and you figured it would inhibit him as well. That, and you didn't want to feel weird eating in front of him while he only had coffee.
"No, no, it's ok." He waved his hands in front of him, the nervous smile turning a bit embarrassed. "I've survived well enough so far. A little longer won't hurt."
You looked him over once and then held a steady gaze at him. "You're skinny enough as it is. I insist." In hindsight, it was a weak reason. You figured he probably had food at home he could have afterwards, but you kept your stance on the matter.
He sighed, conceding with a visible realization that you would not take 'no' for an answer. To comply with your insistence, he opened his menu again and scanned through the options. He spoke again without looking up, but you could see a smile behind the top of the menu. "I'll pay for you next time we study together."
Satisfied, a smile spread across your face as you relaxed against the booth. "It's a deal." He simply gave you a chuckle in response as he continued looking over the menu. As you watched him, however, your smile wavered slightly as he seemed to freeze a moment. Upon careful inspection, you noted his eyes looked like he was staring off into the distance instead of at the menu.
Before you could ask what was wrong, he blinked and then nodded. He then put his menu down as he gazed up at you, smiling like nothing happened. "Thanks, [Y/N]-san."
You could have sworn you saw a flicker of some realization in his gray eyes, but it was replaced with gratitude as he thanked you. "You're welcome, Kurusu-san!" You beamed at him, your eyes closing with the happy smile. It wasn't often that you were thanked, even if you were the one who had insisted on paying this time around.
"Akira." His tone was far firmer, but still friendly.
"Huh?" You opened your eyes again and stared at him, lost at the weird response. 'Wait... Did I understand him correctly?' As you studied him, he simply held a friendly smile at you.
After a few seconds he spoke again in a light, almost playful, tone. "Just call me Akira." He insisted with a more confident smile as he leaned on the table with one arm, clearly relaxing from the previously formal stance.
"O-ok, Akira..." Now this was a first in a long time for you. You only called your friends by their first name with no honorific and you could only figure that he'd did the same with how formal he had been with you prior. So after the initial surprise subsided, you couldn't hold back a wide smile. He may be the criminal in the class, but it was a pleasant feeling to officially have a new friend. "Then call me [Y/N]. We're keeping this fair."
He chuckled in response, an amused glint in his eyes. "Alright, [Y/N]." He then sat back up straight as his gaze shifted towards the aisle beside the booth.
Right then, the waitress came back. "Are you ready to order?" The two of you told her what you wanted and she left with a nod.
You looked at the spread of study materials in front of you, gathering your resolve to speak your mind. "Hey, Akira..." The oddity of calling him by his first name already was apparent, but you knew it would pass with time. What was more important was some of the questions that burned at the back of your mind.
Akira simply gave you a questioning look after he opened a textbook.
You spoke a lot quieter, unsure if this first question was a touchy topic for him or not. "I wanted to ask if there was any truth about the rumors of you, Sakamoto-san, and Mishima-san being expelled soon. It seemed to come out of the blue right at the same time as, well, what happened with Suzui-san." As far as you knew, Shiho was in stable condition at the hospital, but that's all your parents were allowed to say.
You shook your head and continued, forgetting to give him a chance to answer as the topics of expulsions and your parents mixed in your mind. "I'm not accusing you of being a cause for Suzui-san's incident! Just... I've been in your position once before myself, back in middle school. Though, it was only going to be a suspension for being disruptive. My parents took care of it but... I guess you could say I've been on thin ice with them ever since. However..."
Your mind switched gears slightly, wondering if his parents were going to help him with his current predicament. "Are your parents helping you with all this? I heard you came from a pretty small town a good ways away from here. So did your parents come with you or-?" The questions kept rolling and as soon as you realized you were getting into some personal topics you clamped your mouth shut, putting your hands over-top to stop yourself from asking more questions. "S-sorry, I don't mean to pry."
Akira gave a slight chuckle and as he spoke, he wasn't upset like you expected him to be. In fact, the unknown defiance returned to his eyes as he held your gaze. "It's fine. My parents are back home and I'm currently living in the attic of a cafe. They don't know about the possible expulsion yet. And I intend to keep it that way."
"I see..." You thought for a moment when movement caught your eye. You turned to see the waitress having returned with your orders and she deftly placed the plates and drinks in between the books that were spread out on the table. You gave her a smile. "Thank you!" From the corner of your eye you saw Akira nod to her as well.
"You're welcome~ Just let me know if you would like anything else!" The waitress smiled politely before heading off to the next table.
As you picked up your drink, you turned your attention back to Akira. "What happened that earned the threat of being expelled? If you don't mind my asking." You took a sip of your drink while you waited for his response.
He gave a nonchalant shrug. "We got into a misunderstanding with Mr. Kamoshida." He replied simply before he took a bite of his food.
Silence settled in as you both ate. You mulled over some possibilities, including your testimony for their good behavior. Having no solid plan to help but still wanting to express your support, you spoke up again. "I'll try to come up with some way to help."
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Akira responded confidently as he glanced up at you. You noticed a small smirk tugging at his mouth again and the intriguing defiance was clear as day in his eyes as he spoke. It was slightly intimidating, especially taking into account that he was on probation for assault. And yet he sat completely relaxed and his overall demeanor was composed and calm. Which could only mean he was completely confident in his stance with opposing Kamoshida.
"Y-you sure? Mr. Kamoshida is... a very influential man." You had heard how much sway he had over things at the school from Makoto. Especially when it came to matters of volleyball. After all, he was the one who took the team to new heights in competitions and accomplishments and made a name for the school. Despite the fact that he got away with such rough practices, which was a concern for the school nurse as was brought up in one of your many discussions with her last year.
Akira simply gave you a reassuring smile, but his eyes held something that you couldn't quite make out. The defiance was there, but a guarded look appeared again. An odd combination for such a confident expression. But as you watched him continue eating without another word, you decided to drop it. At this point, you figured that if he was going to tell you something, he'd tell you. And since he made it clear that he had something in mind but wasn't going to tell you, it was no use pressing the issue. Perhaps you would find out in due time.
To shift the topics back to the main point of meeting with him, you pulled your notebook closer and turned to the beginning. "Alright, well, let's get started on all this. Something each of us missed is likely to be on the exams."
The two of you settled into the comfortable topic of school work and you spent the better part of the afternoon and evening there with him. You kept your eyes on his demeanor and to your surprise, the defiance and guarded look completely subsided to one of studiousness, with the occasional light-hearted friendliness when taking a break for idle chatter.
How quickly he could switch his focus and attitude while keeping a smooth flow of conversation left you with more questions than answers. Despite not getting all the answers you were looking for on the topic of Akira himself, you concluded that he was actually a reliable study partner for school. And with the plan to meet every so often to study, you figured it would only be a matter of time before you learned more about your new friend.