𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓻𝔂❤︎

Chapter 36

The next day dragged on as Mr. Le paced at the front of the classroom, explaining the intricacies of matter, vapor pressure, and graphs. Y/N sat slouched in her chair, feeling every second stretch out as she tried to distract herself from the boredom creeping in. Her laptop sat open, playing Attack on Titan at a low volume. She'd strategically positioned it so it wouldn't be too noticeable.

In front of her, Catarina's pen moved with practiced precision, her notebook filling up with neat, detailed notes. Catarina was quiet and serious-focused on her work without so much as glancing at anyone else.

Y/N sighed quietly, shifting in her seat as the Attack on Titan theme music played faintly. The dramatic fight scenes and intense music offered a thrilling escape from the monotony of vapor pressure diagrams.

Mr. Le began to circulate the room, his dark eyes scanning each student's progress. When he reached Catarina's desk, he paused briefly, nodding approvingly at her notes before continuing on.

Then he stopped at Y/N's desk.

"Y/N," his familiar voice broke through her thoughts, calm yet tinged with amusement.

She froze, her heart sinking as she realized he was staring at her screen.

"Is that..." he leaned in slightly, tilting his head to get a better look, "Attack on Titan?"

Y/N blinked up at him, her face burning. "Uh... yeah."

"You know," he said, his tone lighter now, "this might be the one time I'm not mad you're watching anime during class. Good taste."

Y/N blinked again, unsure if she'd heard him right. "Wait, you like Attack on Titan?"

"Yeah. It's one of the few things worth binge-watching," he said, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses. "But I'm not sure how it connects to vapor pressure, unless you're about to explain how Eren's titan form is metaphorically linked to sublimation."

Y/N let out a nervous laugh, scrambling to close the laptop. "I was just... multitasking?"

"Right." He raised an eyebrow, glancing at her nearly empty notes page. "Bold move. You've got... what? Three words down? That's gotta be a record."

In front of her, Catarina didn't even turn around, though her pen paused briefly. She remained focused on her work, completely detached from the interaction.

"I'll catch up later," Y/N muttered, grabbing her pen.

"Mm-hmm," Mr. Le said, clearly unconvinced. "Just make sure you actually do catch up. Or maybe you'll explain this to your future self when the quiz comes around, yeah?"

"Noted," Y/N replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

He lingered for a moment, glancing between her and her closed laptop, then moved on to the next desk.

Once he was out of earshot, Y/N let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She stared at her notes, trying to will herself to focus, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the way he'd smiled-albeit under his mask-and the easy way he'd commented on her anime choice.

Her cheeks burned again as she scribbled down a few lines about vapor pressure, pretending to be immersed in the lesson.

In the back of her mind, she couldn't shake the small spark of pride that Mr. Le, of all people, approved of her taste in anime. It wasn't much, but it made the otherwise mundane day a little more bearable.