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Midterm exams were fast approaching at Tokyo University, a period that filled the student body with resounding dread.
Even Makoto, who normally took pride in being on top of her studies, had fallen behind.
Recently her mind had been wandering... elsewhere.
The library was overrun at this time of year. Students who hadn’t appeared for the better part of the semester would suddenly emerge to dither over piles of notes.
Though she had frequented the library over much of her schooling, it was this time of year that Makoto tended to avoid it, finding it difficult to concentrate amongst the sudden influx of congestion and stress.
Instead, Makoto had opted to confine herself to her dorm room to go over her notes.
It wasn’t actually her preferred choice.
She had taken a liking to doing her revision over some freshly brewed coffee from Leblanc, but in recent weeks had started to find being there a bit too… distracting.
All thanks to the presence of a certain barista.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate properly if Amamiya-kun was around. Her thoughts would drift. She would become fixated instead on studying him , trying to spot anything familiar, anything that lent credence to her suspicion about his identity.
Any similarity between him and the mysterious stranger who had danced with her that night at the masquerade party.
Of course, Amamiya-kun wouldn’t always be at the counter. He was only a part-time hire. He’d said as much himself, and he surely had studies of his own and, presumably, a social life to juggle.
There was always the chance she could turn up when he wasn’t working, but Makoto didn’t want to risk it.
Particularly when Boss could ask about her on his behalf, for all she knew.
Still, she knew the longer she put off going, the more her absence would stick out.
Leblanc had its regulars, one of which she’d become in recent weeks.
If they were to ask about where she’d been, it would be hard for Makoto to give an honest answer. She could only chalk up so much of her absence to time spent studying, particularly when it was something she would often visit the café to do.
Amamiya-kun was sharp and seemed to have taken a liking to her. He might have already been growing worried.
Makoto could imagine that eventually; he might suspect there was another reason behind her recent absence.
Sure enough, it had only been a few days into the study break when Makoto received a message.
R: Hey, I haven’t seen you around lately. Hope you aren’t hitting the books too hard.
R: Don’t forget, it’s just as important to take breaks, here and there.
As she read the message over, an oddly warming feeling rose in Makoto’s chest. The last time she could remember someone dotting over her like this was when her father had still been alive. The waking of that fond memory and the call of Leblanc’s premium roasts, were perhaps why Makoto relented, despite her earlier trepidation.
M: Yes, you’re right. I suppose I could use a break.
R: Great. You in the mood for coffee?
Makoto smiled fondly. Business must have been slow at Leblanc. She’d barely had time to set her phone down before she’d received a reply. Amamiya-kun was probably desperate for company.
While Makoto had been doing her best to avoid him, she supposed there wouldn’t be any harm in stopping by for a few minutes.
M: Yes. I’ll see you at Leblanc in about five minutes?
R: Actually, that won’t be necessary.
M: What do you mean?
R: Check your window.
Makoto frowned, re-reading the cryptic message. She couldn’t quite explain why, but something about it gave her an uneasy feeling.
Ultimately, her curiosity won out as she turned towards her shades, pulling them back.
She almost lost her balance, startled by the familiar face that waited on the other side. Watching her with a sheepish, expectant smile was Amamiya, perched at her windowsill.
Four stories in the air.
“Amamiya-kun?! What are you doing?”
Collecting herself quickly, Makoto fumbled frantically with the lock, eventually managing to pry the window open.
“Hey,” Amamiya grinned, charming as ever. Though the façade slipped briefly as he readjusted his grip with a wince, the skin in his knuckles starting to turn pale. “Any chance you could make some room?”
Too taken aback to protest, and concerned for the man's wellbeing, Makoto quickly shuffled aside, all the while offering a hand to help pull him the rest of the way into the room.
Tumbling to ensure a safe landing, Amamiya dusted himself off, before removing a backpack and setting it down on her floor.
"Phew. Thanks."
Makoto could only stare at him, mouth hanging open uselessly. Several thoughts rang throughout her mind, as she struggled to settle on which should be addressed first.
How long had he been out there, waiting for her? What had possessed him, of all ways, to try and enter her room like that? Did he have a death wish?
From a quick glance outside it looked as though he had managed to scale the outer walls of the dorm using a rope made from bedsheets fastened together. The feat alone must have taken a lot of core strength and balance. That’s without factoring in the backpack he had slung over his shoulder.
Surprisingly, though, he didn’t appear to be sweating or breathing particularly heavily, and his clothes didn't look askew. All things considered, it appeared he'd climbed up without much trouble, leading Makoto to believe it wasn't the first time he'd attempted something like it. A prospect that both impressed and terrified her.
She could only imagine the problems the University would face if he were to have fallen and injured himself, and how heavily seeing a kohai hurt would weigh on her conscious.
That was all she wanted to attribute the flash of horror she felt to when she saw hanging him there. Not because of any specific feelings she had for him in particular.
At least, that's what she told herself.
"Are you insane? What if you fell?"
"Dunno," Amamiya shrugged, now pulling the rope of sheets up behind him. "Hasn't come up yet."
Amamiya-kun's athleticism surprised her, given his smart clothes and unassuming demeanour. Though, she supposed he was friends with Sakamoto, the track star. Perhaps they went running together?
Makoto didn't have much longer to muse over this though, as Amamiya began to step further into her room, glancing around.
"Nice place, by the way. It's cute. Suits you."
Makoto flushed, suddenly self-conscious. If she were honest, she was perturbed by how easily Amamiya managed to slip from being in a near-life-threatening situation to casually talking with and teasing her.
It was a good thing that she tended to keep her room clean and organised. She would have been mortified if her underwear or something equally embarrassing had been lying out in the open, like one of her Like a Dragon Blu-rays, or motorcycle magazines.
Still, there was a more pressing matter at hand.
Should a teacher or member of staff catch them, she suspected they would let her off with a warning; given her position, academic status, and all she did for the school. Still, Makoto wasn’t sure she’d be able to live with herself. Particularly with how stringent she had been on other students with regard to Campus rules.
“Thank you," she answered. "Although, visitors of the opposite… sex, aren’t usually allowed in each other's dorms.”
“For real? Oh, okay. Hang on then.”
Without a word, Amamiya moved back to perch on the windowsill once more, making sure to keep his upper body out of her room.
“There we go. Not technically in your dorm room anymore.”
“That's not really the issue here.”
“Really? Oh. Well, I’ll tell you what. I’ll promise not to tell any RAs that I was here if you do too. Deal?”
With a playful grin, Ren dragged his fingers across his lips as though fastening a zip.
Paying little heed to her warning, Ren continued to open his backpack, unperturbed, retrieving a thermos, some Tupperware containers and plastic crockery.
He cracked the lid off of one of the containers, the aroma catching in the cool evening breeze and drifting into her room. Makoto’s stomach grumbled in anticipation as she was hit by the waft and heat of not just the coffee, but a generous serving of Leblanc’s staple curry.
Looking up, Amamiya noticed Makoto, still standing at a distance. Rolling his eyes, he patted the empty space across from him on the windowsill, beckoning her over.
“Well? What are you waiting for? Come on, it’s gonna get cold.”
"You know, for service like this you'd usually expect to be charged a delivery fee."
"It's on the house this time: compliments of the Chef."
"Oh. Well, I'll have to thank Boss the next time I'm in.”
"Ouch."