𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐘 ' ᵂᴵᴺᴰ ᴮᴿᴱᴬᴷᴱᴿ

002

"This whole patrol thing is bad enough..."

Sakura's voice laced with annoyance. His gaze flickered to the long-haired guy walking beside him. "Why do I have to be stuck with this idiot?!" he growled, sending a withering glare in the other boy's direction.

The long-haired guy, seemingly oblivious, continued walking with a nonchalant air.

Hiragi sighed, glancing back at the bickering first-years. "As I was saying, Umemiya assigned me to keep an eye on the two of you," he explained to Sakura.

"And judging from the sound of it," Hiragi added with a hint of amusement, "you two haven't wasted any time causing trouble."

Sakura sputtered, puffing out his cheeks and pointing an accusatory finger at the long-haired boy. "Hey! He started it!"

Hiragi stomped between the bickering first-years, shoving their faces apart with a frustrated sigh. " then, you just stay away as far away as possible to each other!" he growled.

Suo, unable to contain himself any longer, burst out with a teasing chuckle, his voice laced with awe. "Wow, he's like a kindergarten teacher"

Nirei, trying desperately to stifle his own laughter, shot Suo a panicked look. Kei, on the other hand, found the situation entirely too amusing. A low chuckle escaped his lips as he watched Nirei's struggle.

"Nah, more like a stressed-out mom trying to wrangle two unruly toddlers," Kei added innocently, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Hiragi's face contorted in mock outrage. "Hey! I heard that!" he bellowed, though the humor in his voice betrayed his attempt at sternness.

Kei, unable to resist another jab, stuck his tongue out playfully. Unfortunately, Y/N and Daiki were absent from the patrol. Umemiya, it seemed, had a specific task for Y/N, one the h/c-haired captain wasn't too keen on. Daiki, ever the loyal (or perhaps exasperated) vice captain, had taken it upon himself to drag Y/N away, promising he'd rejoin the group later. Left without his usual partner-in-crime, Kei became the sole escort for Hiragi and the first-years.

Sakura, ever the action-oriented individual, interjected. "Hey, hold on. This feels more like a walk in the park than a patrol, right? Shouldn't we be actively searching for troublemakers and dealing with them head-on?"

Hiragi, without breaking stride, shot him a dry look. "Moron. That's not protecting, that's going hunting."

Sakura frowned, confusion etched on his face.

Hiragi sighed, a hint of patience in his voice. "Even these patrols serve a purpose. Our presence, our uniforms – they act as a deterrent. Troublemakers are far less likely to act up when they see us around. We fight to protect, Sakura, not to instigate brawls."

A heavy silence descended on the group. Sakura's frustration simmered, his face clouding over. "Ugh, seriously? This is a total snoozefest!" he grumbled.