Cigarettes and ashes| Choso Kamo

8. Q&A

It was a typical day, the same routine over and over. Wake up, get ready, attend to the lectures, go back to the dorm and study. That's what I thought it would be today too.

The hall was filled with students walking around to find their classrooms, the same applying to me. I went inside and sat in my usual seat. My example followed and others, filling the monotonous room with their presence.

The known boy that I last saw some days ago, Choso, took a seat in front of me. He turned around a bit, just enough to stare at me. "You have a spare pen?" His question seemed to catch my attention as I looked up from the book I was revising. "You didn't bother bringing even a pen?" I laughed. He knew today we were going to take a test.

"No, I was in hurry." He replied. I gave him a look before digging my hand in my pencil case, "yeah you sure were." I replied and gave him the pen he was asking for. Our conversation was cut short by the professor who closed the door.

"I hope you have studied for this quiz because it will," he emphasised the word will, "affect your marks." His face showed malice and it left me wondering about his choice of education. He gave me the impression that he was trying too hard to intimidate us and it wasn't working. My classmates shared the same sentiment with me because their faces showed the same questionable expression as mine.

"Have you studied?" It was the second time that the boy turned around to ask me a question. "Not much, why?" I replied with a question to his inquiry. "I just want to see if I'm the only one who'll fail." He rubbed the back of his neck mumbling the sentence; he seemed to talk more to himself than to me on that part. "I'll help you if you need something. Just tell me." He nodded in response turning back to his original posture.

After a while something brushed with my leg. He gave me again a light kick signaling me to look up from my test. He turned his body to the side giving me a full view of his test and pointed with his, or to be exact my, pen the question that he was probably stuck. I looked towards the professor, who was talking with another student across the classroom answering some of their questions and giving them directions for the test. He was distracted and that gave me the opportunity to give him two or three answers.

"Thanks about that. You're a lifesaver." He sighed in relief when the hour of that horrific lecture was over. "Sure. You own me a hot chocolate for that." I smiled and he scoffed "As if." We walked towards the vending machine together. "So about the project, could we work on it today?"

"Yeah I don't have anything planned." I replied as I clicked the button on the machine to get my wanted drink. "I'll text you the time." He said as he watched me pick up the beverage. "Do you want me to get you something too?"

"No I'm alright." I nodded my head. But of course I couldn't just have for once a tranquil interaction, someone just had to ruin it. At the sound of my name I turned my head and saw the person.

"Oh my god I can't believe I finally found you!" He gasped for air, he was out of breath indicating that he may be running around. "Oh, you're here as well Choso." The individual acknowledged his presence.

"No I'm not." He replied sarcastically. The other person ignored his ironic comment. "Tell me please that you have Nobara's number. Of course you have it, so can you text her something for me please?"

"You have her socials you can text her. Why bother asking me?" That man was weird and creepy. It wasn't his face that I found creepy, I mean how a person could have so many stitches on their faces but, that's okay, it was purely for his personality. "She's scary!" Mahito replied whining childishly. "Wait what are you doing!? No, don't call her!" He tried to grab my phone but I took a step back avoiding his hands.