Title says it all, Ryota Saito, the trouble kid of a small town's high school finds himself constantly near the honors student of all the first years, Rei Tsuki. Look at them go!
Saturday rolled around, and Rei found herself at the library, sitting at one of the isolated desks in the back. The room was nearly empty, only a couple of other students studying silently at different corners. It was quiet, just the way she liked it.
A few minutes after 6pm, a familiar figure pushed the library doors open and made a beeline towards her. Ryota slouched into the chair across from hers, a textbook and a few sheets of notes haphazardly stuffed into his bag.
—"You actually came."
—"I said I would, didn't I?" He grumbled, pulling out his materials with a little more force than necessary. The library's hush seemed to make him uncomfortable, like he wasn't used to sitting still for so long.
Rei adjusted her glasses, opening the textbook. She'd mentally prepared herself for an hour of dealing with his usual stubbornness, though she had to admit he looked a bit more serious than usual. Which was definitely an unexpected plus.
For the next thirty minutes, the library remained almost eerily silent, save for the occasional flipping of paper or the soft scratching of a pencil. Ryota did his best to follow along, though the calculations seemed like a foreign language to him. The usual fire in his eyes was gone, replaced by a mixture of frustration and determination.
Rei was surprised at first just how focused he actually was. He was silent, and while she had to patiently explain some concepts multiple times, he was actually listening. No snarky remarks, no comments about how boring the material was...
—"I think you get the bases straight now, right? It's all about finding all the parts of the variable."
—"Uh, yeah, just follow the formula for each one..."
—"Mhm, take a five minute break and then we can continue onto graphs."
Ryota let out a heavy sigh, slumping back in his chair. He'd expected being cooped up in a library at a Saturday evening to be the epitome of boredom, but surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as he had imagined. Sure, studying still wasn't fun by any means, but he found himself actually grasping some of the math stuff for once. It was... not bad, if he was being honest.
He cast a glance at Rei, who was looking through her backpack, her gaze steady behind her glasses.
—"Hey, uh..." Ryota cleared his throat, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. It was weird how different she was from the people he was used to spending time with. She was reserved, quiet, and her expression rarely betrayed her thoughts. He found himself staring for a moment, wondering what went on in that head of hers. What was she thinking behind those eyes that saw so much but didn't look at him directly unless she had to?
Rei took out a bag of panda cookies, talking while ripping it open
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—"Mhm?"
He blinked, the question that had been on his tongue suddenly forgotten. Panda cookies? Was she eating snacks while they were studying? The whole situation seemed so... out of place for someone like her. His eyes widened for a second, and without thinking, he blurted out the question.
