After school, (Y/n) went inside the student council room and sat down, furiously completing her work while she thought of the events of earlier. While he didn't blame the guy for not wanting her to be there, he didn't have to be so rude. In the midst of her work, she didn't notice someone else coming in. He had a shy smile on his face and rubbed the back of his head, waiting to attract her attention. When he still went unnoticed, he walked behind her and scared her half to death.
"Ah! 'Hashi!" she screamed, quick to shove him away.
The bluenette in question glanced away with a distant look in his eyes, placing his hands behind his back. She narrowed her eyes, wondering why, if he was trying to get her attention so much that he scared her, he was now ignoring her. Kicking at his shins did nothing. Moreover, snapping her fingers didn't work either. When she didn't get the hint, he stuck out his cheeks, pouting until she caved and did what he wanted.
"Narahashi."
"Yes?" he beamed, showcasing the smile that made him so popular.
"Why would you do that?"
"Well, you didn't see me, (Y/n). I had to make you. Want me to do it again?"
When she refused to play along with his teasing, he began to tickle her. She laughed loudly and wiggled around to get him to stop, but, of course, it wasn't that easy. He planned on getting as much out of her as possible. The male did, as always, go easy on her, though. When he finally stopped, she took a deep breath, exhaling as she calmed down. He took the time to sit down next to her, looking over the paperwork.
"This school is full of idiots," she affirmed, receiving a laugh from him.
"They're not idiots. They're all so sweet, you know. When I can't see everyone, I get so lonely. You think they feel the same?"
"When you don't come, everyone crowds me. All the questions, really...It's the worst."
"People used to crowd me, too. When you didn't come."
"That - It wasn't - "
"I know. But, you know, next time I have to take you home, I'd prefer you listen to me and stay there for a few days. You know Mitsuo - "
"How did I fall for the mimic again?!" a shout echoed.
(Y/n) and Narahashi exchanged looks but it was the latter that chose to get up. He slowly opened the door, being careful not to hit anyone if they were eavesdropping. Just as he thought, Shota backed away from the door, a red flush of embarrassment coating his features. Rei was behind him, unbothered by being caught. Haru appeared to just tag along, immersed in his game. Narahashi gave a quick smile, reaching out his hand to Shota.
"Are you alright down there?" he inquired kindly, "Let me help you up."
The (h/c) haired girl couldn't help but smile. After knowing Narahashi for so long, it was now just second nature to him to extend his hand for help with that loving smile on his face. It didn't really matter who it was. Most people described him as kind. Though, when she had met him first in elementary school, he had gotten his finger stuck in a pipe near the school's entrance and he wasn't very kind then. Still, they'd become allies after that. Great allies.
"I'm fine," Shota huffed, smacking his hand away and getting up on his own.
"Just glad you're okay. Is there something I can help with? I know it's hard as a new student, but - "
"If I told you to fetch me a coffee, would you do it?" Rei chuckled, "I mean, if you really want to help."
"Of course I do. What kind of coffee do you like? And do you need any creamer or sugar to go along with it? Or - "
"What if I want (Y/n) to go along with it? Would you let me have her?"
"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what that means," the bluenette mumbled, his eyes suddenly lighting up while his smile got even bigger, "Are you...?! Oh my gosh. (Y/n) even made that kind of friend?! Wow!"
The sound of a pencil snapping was audible from the girl. She turned around to stare heavily at the blue-haired male. Shota gasped, his eyes darting from Narahashi to (Y/n) again and again. It seemed like she was mad at him for thinking she was in a romantic relationship. But, to him, that could have only meant she had a thing for the student council president. The male in question didn't seem to realize it, but Shota felt a great pang in his heart.
"I'm so embarrassed," Rei smirked, playing along, "I didn't think anyone would notice. Truth be told, we fell for each other the moment we met."
"Shut up."
"Don't be shy, honey! We would have had to come clean eventually!"
"You're not my type."
At that, Rei paused, his playful grin turning into a darker look. He peered at her, placing his hand on his hip. The blonde also had picked up on Shota's theory, taking a moment to assess Narahashi. Yes, he knew of him. It was hard not to when he was the main thing most of the girls were talking about. The guys, too, seemed to admire him. Apparently, in addition to being the president, he was also the star of the track team, and the number one rank when it came to academics. But, so what? He was just the fifth son of a low-ranking politician.
"You don't have to lie to make your friend feel better."
"It's not a lie."
"50-50," Narahashi chuckled under his breath, closing his eyes and giving Rei a smile when he noticed he was staring.
"C'mon, answer honestly. Between the two of us, who is more attractive? Is it me or this jerk who pushes work off of himself and onto you?"
"Childish," (Y/n) sighed, stapling a few papers together.
"Answer it."
"Looks aren't everything. The way I was raised, looks won't do a thing for you when the person behind them is rotten. What do you think?"
Rei gave a challenging smirk despite the pang of fear he felt. Fine. She could think that way. For now. Of course, if she wanted to think that her friend was better because she knew him longer, it just made him want to prove her wrong. The blonde was planning on it anyway, but he was pleasantly surprised. Maybe she might last a little longer than the others. Snapped out of his thoughts, the male darted his eyes over to Narahashi who extended his hand.
"It's alright," he smiled amiably, "I understand. Let's just start over. I look forward to it."
"I'd rather not touch you. I hope you understand that, too."
"Get out," (Y/n) snapped, a look of complete animosity appearing on her features.
Completely shocked, the blonde stared at her with confusion. No one talked to him like that. Worse, she didn't appear to be pulling his leg. In fact, the girl even got out of her seat to start pushing him out of the room. It didn't matter if he tried to run around her, she wanted him out. Why?
"Hey, you don't have to do something like this!" he laughed nervously, hiding behind the table to stop her from kicking him out, "I was only joking!"
"It was not a joke. You don't get to talk to him like that."
"Alright, alright," the blonde flustered, "I'm sorry, guys. I'm just out of my element here. Usually, I'm top dog, but Narahashi - "
"Please, feel free to call me 'Hashi," the bluenette interrupted, giving a kind smile that pissed the male off.
"Right. 'Hashi is the popular one here, isn't he? He's about all anyone ever talks about in this school. Can you really blame me for being jealous? So, please forgive me."
Again, the (h/c) haired girl looked mad. She glared at him, not buying anything that came out of his mouth. Sure, she could believe he was jealous, but sorry? No, he wasn't sorry, and that "apology" he made showed as much. Glancing towards the offended male, she waited for his reaction. The bluenette, expectedly, was not hurt. On the contrary, he was very interested in the blonde, probably just waiting to make friends.
"You're full of it," the girl huffed, "but fine."
"What do you mean? I really just - "
Now the girl had stopped paying attention to him entirely, focusing on the bluenette. She murmured to him that he didn't have to put up with insults. Still, Narahashi only shook his head, saying it was just a joke. Either way, Rei felt extremely agitated. It only made him think (Y/n) valued the bluenette more, but that couldn't have been right
The blonde left suddenly but he left in a foul mood. Maybe it was being compared to someone else. Shota knew he only hated that when he was on the losing side. Either way, the redhead lifted a brow when the bluenette invited them into the student council room. He entered, sure, followed by Haru and Takuya, but he only did so because he wanted to talk to the (h/c) haired girl. Not just anybody could shut Rei up. He couldn't help but admire it.
"So, you're not dating, (Y/n)?" Narahashi teased, "I know a few guys that'll be happy to hear that."
"If I was dating, I would have told you."
"Well - "
"I can't help but to notice how close you two are," Shota hummed, crossing his arms over his chest, "Friends?"
"Well, some people might disagree with that. On account of she's pretty mean to me, anyway."
"But would you say you two are friends...?"
In place of answering, Narahashi leaned into the palm of his hand, giving a silent smile. He chose not to answer, prompting the redhead to grit his teeth. It seemed he liked her, too. Maybe that made sense. Friends or not, since he was privy to whatever afflicted her, she must have trusted him. He huffed. He could have done that, too.
"Uh, (Y/n)?" a timid voice called out, revealing the ravenette in their homeroom.
"Anon!" the girl smiled, quick to perk up, "I'm so glad you came. Please, come take a seat. Shota, could you...?"
The red-haired male refused to move. It was Narahashi's fault for putting him in a bad mood. Nonetheless, the bluenette offered up his chair instead, allowing the ravenette to sit down comfortably. Instead, he moved to stand behind his vice president. It seemed a strange move to Shota. Not like "friends" at all.
"Nice to see you, 'Hashi," Anon grinned, earning a fist bump from the president.
"Same here. What can we help you with?"
"Oh, no, actually, this isn't a...council thing. I just...didn't do great on my tests, so I have to take remedial classes or my grandfather will curse my dad out. Um, (Y/n) offered to tutor me, so...I mean, if that's okay."
"That sounds great! I didn't think you were such a go-getter."
"I didn't think you - No, nothing. So, should we study now? Or you could come over after you're done here."
Shota watched another person with obvious feelings towards the (h/c) haired girl. He stumbled over his words, clearly just elated to be acknowledged by her. Maybe there were more, too. He could believe it. Beyond her air of mystery, she genuinely was a beautiful girl. Moreover, she was accomplished and respected academically. It probably shouldn't have come off as so much of a surprise to him. But, all the same, he disliked it.
"A-And, I know it's a little early," Anon paused, holding up a gift bag, "but I wanted to thank you for helping me. It's nothing much, but - "
"This!"
(Y/n) covered her mouth with appreciation as she took out a new phone. The ravenette continued speaking nervously, commenting about how he felt bad she had to do her work on such an out-dated model. She didn't understand the sentiment behind the gift, but, nonetheless, she was elated by it. The girl really must have not had a lot of money to be so grateful. If Shota had known, he would have given her a phone first. He grumbled, glaring at "Anon", but Haru, who had been minding his own business up until then, made things easy for him.
"What? Is this a gift?" the brunette sighed, turning the phone around, "Are you...bullying her?"
"Of course not! She needed a new phone, and I thought I'd do something nice for her. S-She seemed to appreciate it just fine!"
"Really?" Haru questioned, staring at the younger girl with a pitying expression before he patted her head awkwardly, "That's so sad. You don't know there's better tech out there. Don't worry. I'll teach you."
"It's the latest model from - "
"It's technology a year old. The CPU (Can you even call it that?)...its processing power is about 250% less effective than the current, improved model. Where did you even get it? That's embarrassing."
"It's obviously a Masa phone! Those are the best around!"
"Haru," Shota intervened, resisting the urge to laugh, "The models we have aren't on the market yet."
"Oh. (Y/n), I'll get you a better one. What's your favorite color?"
"What are you talking about?" the girl scoffed, directing an appreciative look to the ravenette, "This is really sweet of Anon. I don't need - "
"It's (f/c)," Narahashi smiled, just happy to help.
"I'll bring it tomorrow," Haru nodded.
Shota was delighted for once about the brunette's blunt way of speaking. It was cruel but he took delight in the defeated look on Anon's face. It might not have lasted long - thanks to Narahashi cheering him up - but it was immensely satisfying. For once, the redhead was able to feel the merit in Rei's thinking. As the ravenette left, confirming his study session with the girl, he smiled.
"I won't bother you any longer, (Y/n)," he chuckled, "Let's see each other tomorrow at homeroom."
The girl waved farewell to him as he took Haru and Takuya out. The brunette didn't seem to mind much, far too distracted to even notice when his caretaker came and put him in the car to take him home. But Takuya was confused. The only thing Shota was doing was waiting in their own car. They stayed on school grounds until 5pm, at which point (Y/n) and Narahashi exited the gates. As they did so, Shota smiled, instructing his caretaker to follow them.
"What are we doing?" Takuya mumbled, "I thought this was weird."
"It'll just take a moment. I'll take you home soon."
That wasn't an answer. Still, the white-haired boy sat quietly, observing the scenery as they drove by. Contrary to where Keisetsu was located, they drove quite the distance. The boy noticed as the scenery changed from the delightful and green area of their school to more muted colors. Before long, the only thing around were grey colors, the area devoid of anything else. There was only color in the weeds, really, peeking through the hideous concrete.
"Shota...this is the slums."
"I can see that. Is she really just poor? Or are they visiting somewhere? I swear..."
Takuya continued to be quiet, merely waiting to leave the area. It was entirely possible for someone to come out and try to hurt them. With all the stories his mother told him, he couldn't help but sink into the seat, trying not to be seen. Still, Shota had them continue, eventually prompting a gasp to come from him. Takuya glanced up to follow his eyes, watching (Y/n) fetch a key from her bag and open the door to a pathetic looking house.
"Alright, Okura. Let's go."
"Of course, young master."
"What," Takuya paused, glancing behind them as they left, "was that about?"
"It's nothing serious. I was just concerned. She was going to eat a rotten apple today, if I didn't stop her. It seems the 'princess' of our school is, in fact, a Cinderella, hm?"
Takuya suddenly seemed far more interested, flushing pink. As expected, he reached into his bag, taking out a book he refused to go anywhere without. Shota thought that might get him to drop the issue. All the way back, he was immersed in it, completely forgetting about the redhead's somewhat disturbing actions. Though, following her back to her home wouldn't be the worst thing either of them did.