"You're both on cleanup duty for the rest of the week," Mr. Kanda declared, slamming the chalk down with a finality that echoed louder than the bell.
Yuuji didn't flinch. Of course he didn't. He'd never had detention in his life—until Ren Sakamoto came along.
Ren, sitting sideways in his chair with one leg stretched out, gave a mock salute. "Aye, sensei."
Mr. Kanda didn't even bother responding. He just walked out muttering something about "goddamn teenagers."
Yuuji rose slowly from his seat, ignoring the whispers already circling the classroom. He could feel the stares. The class rep getting punished? Unheard of. Embarrassing.
Ren met his eyes with a look of innocent mischief. "Guess we're bonded by fate now, partner."
"I don't do partnerships," Yuuji said, brushing past him. "And I don't appreciate theatrics during class."
Ren fell into step beside him, undeterred. "You sound like a textbook, you know that? All neat lines and no margins."
Yuuji shot him a sharp glance but said nothing. He wasn't going to let Ren win again—not after yesterday's stunt. Not after he'd taken his seat and somehow made it look like he was the problem.
The library smelled of old paper and lemon polish. The afternoon sun slanted through the windows, casting gold onto shelves and shadows.
"You sweep. I'll shelve," Yuuji said crisply, already moving to organize the return cart.
"Nope," Ren said, flopping into a chair. "I shelve better. You look like you'd cry if a speck of dust landed on you."
"I'm not here to banter with you," Yuuji snapped. "Just do your part."
"You're real bossy for someone who's one more warning away from losing his perfect record."
That hit. Yuuji froze for a second, then reached for the books with a tighter grip.
They worked in tense silence for nearly twenty minutes. Or rather, Yuuji worked. Ren occasionally lifted a book, flipped through it, and made sarcastic comments under his breath.
Then, Ren held up a poetry collection and grinned. "You'd like this one. It's full of metaphors that pretend to be deep."
Yuuji didn't look up. "Unlike you, I don't pretend."
A beat. Then Ren's voice came softer, almost thoughtful.
"No. You just hide."
The words struck like static in the air.
Yuuji's hands paused mid-shelving, but he didn't turn around.
Outside, the rain had started again.
--