Thirteen-Way Dilemma (anime males x fem! reader)

CHAPTER 9: THE NEXT MORNING

The next day, I practically bolt out of the Sohma household, returning to school as early as possible so I can avoid Yuki after our painfully awkward encounter last night. If Tohru asks why I left without saying much, I'll just explain that I wanted to get there before homeroom to further discuss my enrollment at AHS with L. Yeah... that'll convince her.

But as I go to enter the school building, I end up bumping into none other than Jean Kirstein, one of the more annoying boys in my class.

"Sorry," I say hastily as I side-step him.

But he grabs my arm before I have the chance to avoid him.

"Hey, I saw Eren carrying you to the nurse's office yesterday," he murmurs, "What was that all about?"
It's none of his business!
"I just twisted my ankle, and he was helping me out," I explain shortly, "Nothing less, nothing more."
Jean narrows his eyes.

"Be careful, Y/N. Eren's an asshole," he warns, "And you're much too pretty to be taken advantage of by a guy like him."

I rip myself out of his grasp, tired of his remarks.

"Whatever you say," I spit, not desiring to argue with him about the matter.

I'll form my own opinion of Eren. Jean doesn't have the right to tell me what to think about him.

I storm away from him, making a beeline for homeroom. But I roll my eyes when I notice who is sitting, alone, in the classroom.

I must be unlucky today, or something...

Hidan smirks at me as I take a seat as far away from him as possible.

"Y/N!" He calls from across the room, "Good morning!"
I clench my fists but then decide to bravely face him and speak politely.

"Hello, Hidan," I say coolly, "Why are you here so early? Yesterday, you didn't even come to homeroom."
He leans back in his chair, both hands behind his head.

"Eh, I had detention this morning," he relays, "That goddamn Kakashi decided that this year, detention would happen at six in the morning, instead of after school. He's not letting us off the hook easy, in other words."

He scoffs as I stare at him blankly.

"Well, if you don't want to receive punishment, just behave," I suggest, "That'll take care of all your problems."
I toss him a fake smile before returning my gaze to the front of the room.

"You know, you're feisty..." he remarks from behind me, "...I like that."
I have to bite my tongue so I don't lose my composure and attack him head-on. He truly has a way of getting on my very last nerve.

I sigh of relief as Giyuu stumbles into the room and immediately occupies the seat next to me.

Finally, someone shows up who I actually like!

Although, his eyes look exhausted and his hair is even more disheveled than usual.

"Are you alright?" I ask worriedly, "You look like a ghost!"
He sighs before laying down on his desk, his cheek scrunched adorably against the shiny wood.

He's so cute I can hardly take it!

"I was up all night practicing the eleventh water-breathing form," he explains, "I planned to stay up until three or so, but next thing I knew, it was already time to get ready for school."
I frown, feeling bad for him. It's clear he's desperate to master this technique, especially since he's the one who invented it.

"Technically, homeroom doesn't start for another thirty minutes," I inform him, "You should rest until then."
I gently caress his hair with my fingertips, adoringly gazing into his ocean-blue eyes until they gradually shut and he drifts off into a peaceful slumber.

As I watch him sleep, I get the intense urge to place a kiss on his exposed cheek.

It's not my fault he's unbelievably pretty.

I hear Hidan snicker from the back of the room.

"Don't tell me you have a thing for Genma, Y/N," he sighs.

I glare at him over my shoulder.

"His name is Giyuu, not Genma," I state firmly, "And, no, we're just friends."
Hidan mockingly lays his head down on his desk, copying Giyuu's previous actions.

"Then, come over here and stroke my hair until I go to sleep," he demands.

My face twitches out of frustration.

"Hell no," I refuse, "Because there is one big fact that separates you from Giyuu——I don't like you at all."

I don't bother to wait for Hidan's response before shifting my attention elsewhere.

———

Twenty or so minutes later, the rest of my classmates file into the room, including Neji, who gently wakes Giyuu after greeting me courteously.

When Deidara sees me, he wraps his arms around me from behind, squeezing me tightly.

"I missed you, love," he whispers, causing tingles to run up and down my entire body.

Itachi eventually pulls him off of me, apologizing profusely for his friend's inappropriate behavior. But he, himself, lightly embraces me. I can't help but beam as a fuzzy feeling envelops me at his touch.

Itachi is such a hypocrite!

Tengen, as usual, doesn't hesitate to kiss my hand upon his arrival, which makes me blush deeply.

But true humiliation strikes my core as Yuki enters the room and glances in my direction for a split second before turning red and looking away.

Tohru, on the other hand, rushes up to me, a concerned expression on her face.

"Where were you this morning?" She frantically asks, "You missed breakfast!"

I scratch the top of my head guiltily.

"Actually, I went to the staff lounge bright and early so I could talk to Principal L about my enrollment," I lie, "That's all. I'm sorry I missed breakfast, though, I'm sure it was delicious!"
She grips my shoulder softly as she grins at me.

"Don't worry at all!" She exclaims.

The rest of the school day flows by fairly smoothly. Lunch, however, ends up being quite tense as Yuki and I claim seats at the same table. Thankfully, none of the others seem to notice the strange energy between the two of us. I just hope I didn't overwhelm him too much last night...

During fourth period, Kakashi keeps his promise to teach me, along with Tohru and Yuki, the art of fighting while using weapons, since the three of us have no special abilities. And though it's tiring, I can't help but admit that it's very fun as well. But after the physically taxing class comes to a close, it's time to go home with my second roommate——Tomoe. I can't have a repeat of what happened last night! But since he has claimed multiple times to have absolutely no romantic interest in me whatsoever, things shouldn't get too heated up between us, right?