Chapter Text
Juzo Sakakura:
From that day forward, you deemed Juzo Sakakura your enemy. Luckily for you, he didn’t spend too much time in class. He preferred to spend his days beating on a punching bag in the school’s gym. However, it seemed that the universe liked to piss you off since you had been running into him quite a bit since the first time you met. Every time you passed by one another, you would glare at him and he was more than happy to return the favor. He also seemed to jump at any chance to annoy you. Everything he did pissed you off. What reason did he really have to be mad at you anyway? It wasn’t like you had meant to bump into that guy, who you later learned was the student council president. It had been an accident, really! And with the way he had spoken to you, could he really blame you for snapping at him the way you had? “What an asshole…” you muttered to yourself, not realizing that anyone was around to hear you since few people came around this area. That was part of the reason that it was your favorite place on campus to study or relax. A voice spoke from behind you.
“Hm, what was that?” a vaguely familiar voice asked, causing you to look over.
Standing behind you was the same guy you had bumped into..something Munakata, if you were remembering correctly. Worried that he had heard what you had said and thought you were talking about him, you quickly responded.
“Nothing, nothing! I was just talking to myself!” you insisted with a sheepish smile.
Skeptical but accepting, he nodded slowly, watching you with calculating eyes. “Anyways, I’m glad I noticed you. I wanted to apologize for Sakakura. He is a bit rough around the edges,” Munakata said.
He didn’t actually sound all that apologetic. This was clearly more of a formality. Like when an owner apologizes for their dog snapping at someone else’s. They aren’t really all that sorry but, if they don’t say something it will reflect badly on them. The thought of Sakakura as some unruly dog made you smirk a little bit.
“Is he your guard dog or something?” you asked with a raised eyebrow.
To your surprise, Munakata cracks a smile at that. “I wouldn’t say that necessarily but, he certainly acts that way sometimes.”
“Well maybe you should buy him a shock collar. Something with skulls so his ego isn’t damaged,” you joked. Well half-joked.
Munakata made a noise, something that you chose to interpret as a laugh cause it boosted your own ego. Sakakura was an ass but, this Munakata dude wasn’t too bad.
“I’ll have to invest in one.”
He appeared rather amused. That was until a cheerful voice called out.
“Kyosuke! We were looking everywhere for you!” the girl in their little group called out as she ran over, waving with one arm. The other was dragging a rather disgruntled green haired dickwad.
The amused smile on Munakata’s lips slipped away. “Sorry. I needed to talk to Y/L/N for a moment. Thank you for listening to me, I’ll consider your suggestion.” Despite his serious tone, you couldn’t help but snicker at what he was saying.
“What’s so funny?” Sakakura asked, seeming even grumpier than he normally did. You supposed the guard dog thought you were mocking his master.
“Sorry, can’t tell you. It’s an inside joke between Munakata and me,” you said with a smirk, knowing that you two having an inside joke would likely bug him.
It had the desired effect. Sakakura’s frown deepened and his eyes narrowed at you. Before he could attempt to get an edge in on you, you walked away with a wave over your shoulder and a casual goodbye to Munakata. Seeing how much you being friendly with the white haired boy annoyed Sakakura had given you an idea that put a smirk on your face.
(A/N: Sooo I’m really sorry that literally no interaction with Sakakura has been positive and probably won’t be for a little bit. I promise it is making things aka planning for future scenarios super difficult on me so I hope that makes up for the waiting. God it is so fun imagining someone coming in and them and Juzo just not getting along even a little bit. Plus, it feels more realistic that the first time most people meet Juzo that they piss him off or vice versa. Writing for him is fun though.)
Kyosuke Munakata:
You weren’t quite sure of how to feel about Munakata. Truly, as you watched him he both made more sense to you and confused you at the same time. Your assessment of him hiding something became evidently more correct. He was too perfect, too calculated. No normal person casually moved the way that he did, spoke the way he did, thought the way he did. It seemed that everyone else was too busy hanging on his every word to actually realize this. Not that you could blame them. The way he spoke was captivating. Despite the relative calmness of his voice, he spoke with such passion sometimes. He believed every word he spoke and never once appeared to have any doubt about whether the direction the student council was going in was right. He believed it was right, it had to be. There was something about him that was so compelling. You were focused on the deeper things though, as interesting as he was on the surface, you were far more intrigued about what Mr. Perfect President was keeping hidden underneath that calculated exterior. That was the part that confused you the most. You had run through plenty of different scenarios as to what caused someone his age to act the way he does. You considered maybe an abusive family had caused him to set up a mask of perfection. It would explain the way he seemed to know how to react to every situation. However, he never shied away from physical contact or yelling so you dismissed that theory. Were his parents perfectionists? Had he been trained in a way that made him this way? This was a popular theory of yours until you saw the way his parents interacted with him one day after he gave a speech to the students and parents. They doted on him so lovingly, seeming to be the type to be proud no matter what. So what the hell was it? You supposed a better question was ‘why do I care anyway?’ That question was something equally as hard for you to answer. You supposed it was because he was a challenge, a puzzle that your brain couldn’t solve for once. Everyone had faults yet, you couldn’t find one to attribute to him. Normally, you could write someone like him off as being to antisocial, focusing on duty and school work more than personal relationships. However, he had a fairly healthy personal life too with two close friends. He wasn’t rude or callous with the other members of the club, not even when faced with an idiotic question or suggestion. He had a clear idea of what he wanted but, accepted realistic suggestions and criticisms gracefully. You were almost convinced he was a robot programmed by the school to set an example. Honestly, you knew that you were dedicating far more time to him than you should. With a sigh, you pushed away the thoughts of him for the time being. For now you had to focus on the other thing weighing on you...the bags of supplies you were carrying towards the student council room. They actually weren’t all that heavy actually but, it was better to focus on them. You doubted anyone would be in the club room since it was lunch time but, when you entered you saw Munakata sitting with his back to you with papers, likely plans for some upcoming event, on the table in front of him.
“Good afternoon, President,” you said casually and set the supplies down.
You were met with silence. That’s odd. You eyed him carefully. Was he so focused on his work that he hadn’t heard you? His normally perfect posture seemed to be affected by his focus since he was more hunched over. No...that was more than hunched over. Had he fallen asleep while working? You walked over and shook his shoulder slightly to wake him up before anyone else came in. It was then you noticed the slight raggedness to his breathing and the light flush on his cheeks, his eyes scrunched. Your eyes widened as you brought your hand up to touch the back of your hand to his forehead. He was burning up!
“He must have overworked himself...idiot…”
Your normally clear thoughts were panicked. How were you supposed to react? It wasn’t as if you could carry him to the infirmary. You couldn’t leave him either. He would be embarrassed if you got just anyone to help. There was no way you could care for him here either.
“Dammit…”
Where were those friends of his when you needed them. The big one would be very useful right now. The sudden thought that it was very likely that Munakata had a phone with his number sunk in and you quickly checked his pockets. It didn’t take long for you to find it. You pulled it out and began searching through his contacts.
“What was his name…?” you muttered to yourself as you look through his contacts.
Thankfully, he didn’t have many contacts. His parents were there, some student council members, a Yukizome, and Sakakura. Yes! That was it! Sakakura. You clicked the contact and sent a simple message.
‘In the student council room. Help.’ And sent.
While you waited for him, you kept an eye on the student council president. So even he could get overworked. It seemed that your message had worked as it wasn’t long before a certain boxer came barging into the room, eyes panicked. He skimmed the room before his eyes landed on you and then the passed out boy next to you.
“What did you do?”
“Easy there, tiger. I’m the one who sent you the text. He’s burning up and needs to be taken to the infirmary. I figured he would prefer if someone close to him took him there. Tell him to stop overworking himself...he isn’t a robot after all,” you told Sakakura before passing him the phone and leaving him to take care of Munakata on his own.
Ryota Mitarai
This boy worried you constantly with his awful sleeping and eating habits. More often than not, someone had to force him to tear his attention away from his animating long enough to take care of himself. Usually it was you. Though the other Mitarai, who you had taken to calling Imposter or Ryotwo when you visited the real Mitarai at the same time in order to keep things from getting even more confusing, was also often trying to get the anxious animator to take breaks as well. It seemed that he had been trying for long before you. Though it doesn't appear that he had been very successful. After you introduced yourself to him, Ryota had been flustered and nervous for a bit. Honestly, he still got pretty flustered when you came over since he wasn't used to having a girl in his room, especially when said girl would bring him a homemade boxed lunch. Unbeknownst him, you specifically brought him boxed lunches you made since you had been easily able to get him to eat them. The first time you brought food. He actually attempted to refuse it.
“I...I really can't take this...I have to focus, I don't have time to eat…”
“I made it just for you though...I suppose it's probably for the best though. It probably wouldn't have been good anyway,” you said, sadly. Tears welling up in your eyes.
His own eyes widened. “I'm sure it's delicious!” He insisted. However, when it became obvious that, that alone wasn't going to comfort you, he nervously spoke up again. “I-if it'll make you feel better...I'll eat it,” he relented.
A happy smile spread across your lips, a couple blinks enough to get rid of the fake tears. “Thank you!”
Was it manipulative? Yeah. Did it make you a bit of a bad person to play off his obvious anxieties of upsetting someone? A bit. It got him to eat though. So you didn't feel too bad about it. When the two of you spoke, he was very polite, as if afraid he would offend you or say something silly despite him never having done either in your presence. Of course, that could be due to the fact that he didn't speak much in general. Your attempts at small talk would often end in awkward pauses as you searched desperately for another question to ask him. Eventually, you gave up on small talk. He would eat in silence before muttering a thanks, never making eye contact with you. You weren't exactly sure what to say either so it wasn't as if you were much better. Around your fourth visit, you began filling the uncomfortable silence between you two by telling him about your other classmates and their weird antics. There was plenty to talk about on that front. The class of ultimates was constantly doing something noteworthy whether it was Souda failing to tear Sonia’s attention from Tanaka or Mikan’s latest accident. Even just talking about the lessons Yukizome-sensei would teach was fun since she was so bubbly. Sometimes you would just do your homework and complain about how you didn't understand it one day before coming in the next excited because someone explained it to you and now you could breeze through the small amount of homework that you were assigned. Today you were telling him about how the class had held another gaming contest. You had almost managed to win at a couple of the games that you guys had played this time. You figured that you confidently boasting about how much ass you kick at Mario Kart was probably annoying but, it didn't seem like he minded too much. That or he just didn't want to complain.
“Of course, Nanami won in the end but, what else can you expect from the Super High School Level Gamer,” you mused with a smile, shrugging your shoulder in an ‘oh well’ kind of way.
Ryota nodded, despite his focus on the food in front of him you knew that he was actually listening.
“Next time we hold a gaming competition, you should come! You are technology savvy so you might have some chance at beating Nanami!”
“That would be a bad idea...it would ruin Imposter’s disguise and then I might be forced to go to class daily by your teacher…” came his soft response, he glanced up at you for a moment before looking away again, fiddling with the chopsticks in his hands.
“Our teacher. You are apart of our class too, Mitarai!” You reminded him.
He didn't respond to that. You knew that he was antisocial but, you just knew that joining up with the class would be good for him! They would all accept him without a second thought and include him in their activities. Plus, then she could make sure he was eating enough without having to come here. Maybe all of their antics would tire him out enough that he would actually fall asleep at a reasonable time. There was no negative side to him coming to class. Part of you was tempted to tell Yukizome-sensei about him and let her take care of getting him to class but, you knew that forcing him wasn't going to be helpful. Ryota had to come to class on his own otherwise it wouldn't mean anything. Maybe you would get Imposter to try and give him delicate pushes when he was here as well. You were certain that you two would eventually be able to convince him to give it a shot!
Sonosuke Izayoi
To say that the little group of three that had helped you was odd was an understatement. They were a nice kind of odd. Kimura was a nervous girl who was constantly stumbling over her words. She was sweet though. Always worried about others and their well being. You hoped one day she would worry more about her own. Ando was a bossy girl, necessary for the other two to really be friends. She was the glue that held them all together. Charismatic and sassy. Sometimes a little manipulative. Clearly hiding a lot of insecurities. You liked her even so. She seemed to have good intentions most of the time. And then there was Izayoi. In the short amount of time since you had been included in the group, you hadn't really noticed too much about him. Of course, there were the obvious things such as his seemingly undying loyalty for Ando and his love for sweet things. There was also his incredible talent, his stoic personality, and his reflexes that led you to wonder how much he must have trained to become that way. But, all there seemed to be to him was the surface. With the other two, you could see more just by talking to them how much deeper their personalities and insecurities ran. You were fairly certain that they were clear to most people though, the girls weren't particularly good at hiding them. For Kimura, you could see how nervous she was just by looking at her. Ando’s insecurities were given away by her insistence that people eat her sweets (you were pretty sure you had put on a couple pounds by being around her). Izayoi though...he was a locked book to you. To everyone. Except maybe Ando, since they were pretty close. Though, for all of the whole stoic, badassness, all of that melted away when sweets came into play. Right now he sat in front of you, the most pleased look on his face as he chewed on a piece of chocolate cake that Ando had made. He chewed slowly, savoring the taste of it. Placed in front of you was a half eaten piece of the same chocolate cake, it really was heavenly. To Izayoi it looked as if he couldn't be happier. Kimura, on the other hand, seemed uncomfortable as she fidgeted in her seat, a plate of untouched chocolate cake in front of her. You weren't sure why but, she never at Ando’s sweets. When the plate in front of Izayoi was empty, he reached over and grabbed Kimura’s plate. It was your instinct to take the action as rude. That was how you were raised to believe. Part of you wanted to say something but, the relieved look on Kimura’s face accompanied by the way her entire body just seemed to relax stopped you. Unlike with the first, he ate this piece rather quickly before sliding the plate back to its original position. The fact that all of the pieces were eaten seemed to please Ando when she came back from the kitchen. It didn't seem to matter too much that Kimura hadn't eaten it, just that it was eaten. It made you wonder whether he had eaten the other piece to ease Kimura’s discomfort or to please Ando. Maybe both. Maybe neither. You honestly couldn't tell. He didn't seem to have any reaction to Ando’s excitement about her cake being eaten nor Kimura’s reaction. He did react when he looked up and saw you staring at him. It wasn't a big reaction; his eyes narrowed a little in confusion, his head cocked ever so slightly to the side, the straight line of his lips turned down slightly. You flushed slightly in embarrassment at having been caught and quickly looked down, mumbling an apology that was too quiet to hear anyway. By the time you looked back up, his attention was off of you but, he wasn’t far from your thoughts.