Someday {Akashi Seijūrō}

d a y s i x

"I understand."

~~

"[First Name]-chan."

"Yes, I'm studying!"

Kazuno sighed, "Can you please get yourself together? You're going to fail."

"I know, I know. I'm trying."

Kazuno rested her chin on the palm of her hand and huffed. I glanced up at her from my lowered head and noticed she was staring at me with narrowed eyes. "You didn't used to be like this," she suddenly commented. Catching me off guard my reply was stammered, "W-Well, you know.... things happen."

She raised an eyebrow. Without answering, I looked down at my notebook and scribbled down some nonsense to make it look like I was seriously studying. Though it was a cheap diversion, and Kazuno was more likely going to notice, it was the only thing I could think of to evade her upcoming interrogation. Leave it up to my imagination to come up with the most unoriginal things.

But then again, I was in panic mode.

Seemingly giving up, Kazuno let her hands drop onto her lap, and I averted my gaze to the corner of the table with my head still lowered.

"You're supposed to leave the negative sign there," she said. I jumped and realized that in the interim, she somehow managed to lean over me while I was doing the problem without me noticing. Now that I think about it, it might've not been such an incredible feat that I first thought it was. "Oh, yeah, I forgot," I muttered, erasing the step of the equation I had just written.

It wasn't long before Kazuno had to leave due to a family appointment, and I was left alone in the library. Sighing with relief, I finally let out all the tension from the past hour. I reached into my school bag, finally deciding on finishing a worksheet for Japanese. Not finding the sheet of paper, I proceeded to check my folders.

Not there.

Well, there was no helping it, I was going to have to ask for an extra paper. Standing up, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed toward the teachers' offices. I slid the door open a crack and poked my head through the door, spotting my Japanese teacher sitting at one if the desks.

"Keiko-sensei?" I called, leaning in more. She turned around as I walked up to her. "Yes?" she acknowledged.

"May I have an extra worksheet. It seems that I've lost mine..." I explained sheepishly. She nodded and handed me another worksheet. Thanking her, I left the offices and exhaled when I shut the sliding door. I looked over the worksheet as I started walking. It was the only thing I needed to complete before I was finished with assignments today.

I noticed a figure in one of the classrooms when I walked by. Stopping I took a moment to identify who it was.
It was Akashi. He was crouched down, playing Shogi against himself. Staring for a minute longer, I turned away and headed for the school exit.

Maybe it was just me, or maybe I was just imagining things. But for a moment, he looked really... lonely.

Then again, it would be nonsense for the Red Emperor to feel that way at all.

~+~+~

Eyes scanning the list, I let out a weak scoff when I found it. On the midterm exams, I was ranked 103rd. My parents would flip when they found out. Kazuno was ranked 41st, which was pretty average, and of course, Akashi was ranked first.

Stepping back, I sighed. It was time to brace myself for a long lecture and scolding about my academic performance and its rate of decrease. Sluggishly dragging myself through the rest of the school day, I was even more reluctant to go back home. Groaning, I trudged back home.

When I reached my front gate, Iifted my hand to open it, but paused before I touched the cool metal. Closing my eyes and pursing my lips in determination, I slammed the gate open with more force than necessary. I cringed at the noise before shutting it softly. Lightly knocking on the front door, I waited for what seemed like hours, but was only a few seconds, for Mom to open the door.

I gave a strained smile, and she returned it, quietly ushering me into the living room. Dad was sitting on the couch, and Mom went to stand by the arm of the couch. I stayed standing by the entrance way to the living room. "You're grades have been dropping recently," Mom started.

I said nothing.

"Is Rakuzan too much for you?" she questioned.

"No!" I immediately blurted out. Realizing what I did, I composed myself and continued. "I-I'm just not used to high school yet. I swear I'm getting into the swing of it."

Dad sighed, "Well either way, your mother and I have already agreed on getting you a tutor."

My eyes widened while I processed the new information that was presented to me. "What...? Wait, why wasn't I a part of that discussion?!"

Mom avoided my question, "He should be arriving any second now, actually."

"Wha--?" The ring of the doorbell interrupted me in the middle of my statement. Mom brushed past me to answer the door. She seemed to exchange a few words with the person on the other side before stepping to the side to let him in.

First it was his red hair.

And then it was the dual-colored eyes that looked at me.

~~