Chapter Text
Ryuunosuke was always one of the quieter students in his class - he'd accepted his role long ago. An average student who didn't stand out all too much, approachable enough to speak to but too shy to become good friends with. He was absolutely fine with this kind of life. He'd foresaw the rest of his college days to pass like this. A mild presence, striving for good enough grades to get by. Not sure yet of where he was headed with his English major, but not fretting too much about it, taking it one day at a time.
Well, all of this was what he'd expected. But actually, soon after his college days began, a certain hot-blooded man sorta…wedged himself into his life.
"Good morning, Naruhodou!!"
Ryuunosuke found himself automatically going to sit next to this guy everyday for their English lecture after they'd discovered that they shared a class. Honestly, he wasn't sure why…the guy seemed friendly enough, he supposed. For some reason, he felt obligated.
"Morning, Asou-," that day, he cut himself off, blinking. Uh, hm. There was something strange about his classmate…he was wearing a new flashy red hachimaki. But that wasn't the strange part. It's just, the long ends of it seemed to be….fluttering? Indoors? He could only stare.
"What's the matter?"
"A-ah! Sorry! It's nothing much but, um…h-how are you doing that?"
His classmate seemed totally clueless somehow…so Ryuunosuke just reached out and gave the red cloth a very gentle tug. Even with a momentary disturbance, it wouldn't cease its fluttering. "This hachimaki is freaking me out a little."
"Ah! So you've noticed it?!"
"N-no, it's a bit difficult to miss!! How is it doing that?!"
"Hmph, relax. You know, in my youth, my father wore something similar - a pure white hair tie. The ends of it constantly fluttered in the wind, even indoors. It's perfectly normal."
"Th-that's absolutely not normal!! Are you saying it's hereditary?! Is your family actually magic or something?"
His classmate threw his head back and let out a booming laugh. Ryuunosuke winced, feeling most of the eyes in the lecture hall turn to them. "You sure ask the strangest questions Naruhodou!"
"I-I think they're perfectly reasonable. Also, watch your volume!"
"Hmph, why should I? Lecture hasn't even started yet."
"B-but…" Ryuunosuke's eyes darted, somehow simultaneously avoiding and trying to look toward the people staring at them. His classmate seemed to understand that look, giving a sigh.
"Pay the prying eyes no mind, friend. Who cares what they're thinking?"
' I kinda do,' Ryuunosuke thought with a grimace. Though, as he paused to think further, maybe his classmate was right. Ever since he'd started hanging out with this guy with his terrifyingly bold attitude, he'd been rethinking his irrational thoughts and anxieties. He'd grown aware of all the times each day where he'd try to recede back into his shell, sometimes at even the slightest inconvenience. And he'd catch himself - resist the urge, and stand his ground. Maybe that was one of the reasons why he allowed this guy to continue being loud at his side. That, and that gallant aura of his just never ceased to amaze.
Kazuma Asougi…honestly, Ryuunosuke didn't know much about him before they met. But for some reason, after they competed against each other at that speech contest, he'd started hearing his name everywhere he went. Excited whispers of passing conversations - he heard snippets here and there. Asougi-kun - the top of his class, a strict perfectionist, aspiring attorney, an expert swordsman, both an inspirational and intimidating individual. After meeting up in lecture, after starting to sit next to each other, he finally realised that he'd somehow made a very high-profile acquaintance. And by that time, it felt too late to back out. It made him extraordinarily nervous at first, after hearing all the rumors. But…him managing to make a friend like this was also kind of incredible.
“Hey!”
One day, a hearty pat on his back along with the loud voice made him stop in his tracks in the hall and let out a weak startled yelp. He’d been spacing out, trailing after his usual lunch group, he completely failed to hear the confident footfalls coming up behind him. Before he could realise what was happening, he was face to face with a grinning Asougi.
“Fancy meeting you here, Naruhodou.”
“A-Asougi-kun?!”
Asougi gave a short sigh. “Didn’t I tell you, just ‘Asougi” is fine? We’re more than mere acquaintances, after all.”
“Umm…we are?” Ryuunosuke’s look was blank as he blurted out the question.
“We did battle on a grand stage! The bond we’ve forged from such an encounter is something truly unique. That’s what I think.”
“E-er, if you say so?” Ryuunosuke blinked. ‘This guy is really dramatic,’ he thought.
“Better dramatic than leaving no impression.”
“Wh- huh??”
Asougi’s sigh was a bit heavier as he patted him firmly on the shoulder again. “You know, Naruhodou, you have a bad habit of letting your ‘inner thoughts’ leak out…anyway, what’s up with those guys?”
Ryuunosuke followed his gaze to the group ahead of them - his lunch group had continued walking without him, like they hadn’t even noticed his absence. Well, one or two of them had clearly noticed. They were glancing back at Ryuunosuke with uncertainty, looking like they wanted to say something, but the presence of Asougi was making them hesitant. The rest were all absorbed in cheery conversation, as usual.
“Ah, well, I usually just tag along with them for lunch,” Ryuunosuke mumbled, scared of them overhearing him even when he didn’t have anything incriminating to say.
“Your friends?”
“I guess,” this response came out even quieter. Well, the truth was, they only hung out during lunch. And everyone else did most of the talking…though he was grateful that they let him sit with them, and it was fun to listen! It was…nice…he could feel Asougi’s judging gaze on him. When he heard the other suddenly take a deep breath, it was too late to react.
“Hey, you lot!!!”
The entire group halted immediately at the booming voice - the other unrelated students in the hall all froze up as well, all eyes falling on this pair…Ryuunosuke started sweating. But Asougi glared forward with only one concern on his mind.
“One of your friends has fallen behind, and you don’t even notice?! Worse yet, some of you saw him and said nothing?! Leaving one of your own behind, isolated! How shameful! Have some consideration for your peers!”
Those guys looked…totally stunned, if not already starting to cower. Asougi’s angry aura really was something else - Ryuunosuke felt like he was going to melt into a puddle just by standing next to him. To ever be the target of this…he couldn’t even imagine how he’d cope. It was so scary. Though the next thing that happened was enough to bring him near death - Asougi threw an arm around his shoulders, starting to steer him away.
“Well, if you don’t show him the respect he deserves, then I will! I’ll be taking this one with me. Let’s go, partner!”
“P-’partner’?!” Ryuunosuke stuttered, his face burning up. “Wai- wha- wh-where’re we going???”
“To lunch, of course! Come on!”
“E- ehh?! ” He couldn’t even find any words as he was helplessly dragged along. Once they left the limelight, Asougi released his shoulders only to grab his hand, leading him through the gaggles of students. Ryuunosuke flinched, trying his best not to think about how sweaty his hand probably was right now. It was just one more tiny anxiety flung on top of the mountain. But, now that they’d been walking for a bit, he somehow felt…happy. Staring at this man’s back, tilting his head slightly to avoid a hachimaki fluttering into his eyes, he couldn’t help a little smile. This guy…stood up for him, huh. While he didn’t mind going unnoticed, this felt alright, too, once he got past the initial shock…
“Naruhodou, what do you feel like? It’ll be my treat today.”
The question snapped him out of his thoughts. “H-HUH?? N-no no, you really don’t need to-”
“Have you tried the cafeteria’s beef hotpot?”
“EH- beef hotpot…isn’t that a bit on the expensive side?!”
“A ha ha ha ha!! Don’t worry about it! Like I said, it’s my treat!”
“B-but…!!”
“If it bothers you that much, just treat me next time!”
“Next-??” This guy was far too assertive. Ryuunosuke didn’t stand a chance. But, the prospect of a ‘next time’ made him flush pleasantly. “Alright, fine, It’s my treat next time. That’s a promise, right?”
“Hah! That’s the most confidence I’ve heard from you all day. It’s a promise!”
The taste of that first beef hotpot was unforgettable. It brought tears to his eyes…truly incredible. While he knew it was expensive, he was determined to have this again. At least once…no, twice…three times. A week. Surely he could afford it, he just needed to make a few calculations (and some apologies to his parents). Asougi laughed when Ryuunosuke turned towards him after that first bite - it was clear that his emotions shone through completely.
Aside from being introduced to some amazing food, having Asougi as company for lunch was also surprisingly relaxing. The man never ran out of things to talk about - nary a moment for an awkward silence. They chatted about so many things, from English lecture to tongue twisters to politics. With everything he spoke about, there was an air of passion to it that Ryuunosuke couldn’t help but feel resonating deep within him. There was something special about how Asougi carried himself…and then he stumbled on a tongue twister, and that fiery passion would flare into a comical flustered inferno. What an interesting guy, indeed. Their lunch period flew by, and Ryuunosuke had the premonition that they’d be doing this many, many more times in the future.