Chapter Text
My mind was completely blank as I tuned out the last presentation of the day. An old grandfather clock in the corner ticked on at what seemed like a snail’s pace. There were still 10 excruciating minutes left in English class.
The presenter, Akari, had done a great job with her powerpoint. She spoke confidently, in a way that assured the audience that she knew exactly what she was talking about. I tried my best to pay attention to her–to show respect for her hard work–but I was completely out of energy. I planned to go straight to the library after this period, so that I could study for the next class. Akari’s presentation provided the perfect amount of time to give myself a brain break before switching subjects.
My eyes began to wander around the room, searching for something, anything, to think about. My gaze landed on a boy who sat across the room from me.
Megumi Fushiguro was a quiet boy with gelled black hair, constantly wearing a look of indifference on his face. He was incredibly smart, seeming to effortlessly find the solution to any given problem. The way that he conducted himself in class told anyone that he cared a lot about his education. As I studied his face further, I realized that he was considerably handsome. Not really my type, I concluded. He hung around almost exclusively with extroverted people, including my roommate, Nobara; that was how I knew him. I found it surprising that the two were so close, especially considering how quiet he was compared to Nobara. My stare shifted to the seat next to Megumi, where his best friend sat.
Yuuji Itadori was a muscular boy with short, light hair. He had a captivating smile, which he showed off almost constantly. He seemed to charm everyone in the room, and was always surrounded by friends. Yuuji could not have been more opposite to Megumi when it came to his studies. He proved as much with his presentation earlier. He laughed the whole time, for some reason finding incredible humor in failing it. He even made the professor laugh. He is definitely not my type, I thought. Of course, the two of us had never actually spoken, but I could tell that we would be entirely incompatible because of how extroverted he was compared to me.
My thoughts were interrupted by Akari, when she loudly thanked the class for listening to her presentation. As she made her way back to her seat, the professor stood up again and dismissed us. On my way out the door, I caught a glimpse of Yuuji and the professor smiling and laughing with each other. I shook my head. He thinks he can just talk the professor up to not fail him. I scoffed and turned my attention toward the library.
+++
I was deep in my study session, sitting alone at my table in the library. The jazz playing in my headphones gently blocked out any unwanted noise. I felt calm and focused, happy to be left to my own devices. In a way, it felt relaxing. It was just me, myself, and my textbook.
At some point during my studying I had to turn on the noise canceling in my headphones, as the music alone was not able to block out the buzz of voices, of people shuffling, of the turning of pages. Eventually, I had to turn up the volume of my music, because the buzz turned into coherent voices. Finally, just as I was about to turn the volume up one more notch, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head to see none other than Yuuji Itadori smiling shyly down at me. I paused my music.
“Excuse me, uh,” Yuuji whispered, “is that seat taken?” He pointed to a chair directly across the table from me. I gave him a polite smile and shook my head, but decided not to say anything. He grinned and plopped his backpack down. I took a deep breath and resumed my music, trying to refocus myself. No more than five minutes passed before I was interrupted again. Yuuji tapped his pencil on my textbook to get my attention.
“Whatcha studyin’?” He tried to read the book upside down. I stared blankly at him. I can’t believe this. Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes, I told him.
“Environmental Science.” I answered shortly, in hopes that he would get the message and leave me alone. He unfortunately did not seem to notice.
“Oh, cool.” He gave an exasperated sigh. “I just can’t seem to focus on this stupid math!” He tossed his pencil in exaggerated frustration. My lack of a reply seemed to dishearten him a little bit, but he decided to continue the one-sided conversation.
“I’m Yuuji, by the way.” He extended his hand toward me, smiling when I took it. As if the whole school doesn’t already know him, I thought.
“Y/N,” I told him. The chances of me returning to my original level of focus were slim, so I decided that my studying session was officially over. I took my headphones off, which seemed to make Yuuji happy. He leaned back in his chair.
“You’re the one that gave that awesome presentation in Gojo’s today, right? The one about The Great Gatsby?” He asked. The way that he casually called the professor by his name made me cringe. He’s your teacher, not your friend , I wanted to say, but I appreciated that he at least paid attention to my presentation.
“I wouldn’t say awesome,” I shrugged, “but it was about The Great Gatsby, yeah.” Yuuji shook his head excitedly.
“No, no,” He assured me, “it was an awesome presentation. I love that book!” He looked me directly in the eyes when he said it, as if to make sure that I knew the volume of his sincerity.
“Okay,” I laughed, “whatever you say.” Yuuji nodded, seeming happy with himself for convincing me. The conversation grew quiet and slightly awkward when I didn’t offer anything else. Eventually Yuuji got up quietly and began to pack his things, searching for his pencil that he had thrown. When he found it, he turned to me and gave me yet another smile.
“Well, I guess I’m gonna go.” He said it slowly, deliberately; like he wanted me to convince him to stay. When I did no such thing he added, “It was really nice to meet you, Y/N.” He made direct eye contact, once again convincing me of his sincerity.
“It was nice to meet you too, Yuuji.” I smiled politely at him. With that, he turned around and made his way out of the library, waving to other study groups as he went. He even smiled at the librarian on his way out.
With my study session interrupted, I decided to pack my own things. I texted Nobara that I was going to be back sooner than anticipated. I said nothing to anyone as I made my way out of the library and back to my dorm.