The auditorium had long emptied, leaving rows of vacant seats bathed in the golden haze of the late afternoon sun.
Akatsuki, as usual, had claimed the last row, sprawled across it like he owned the place. His breathing was slow and steady; his head lolled slightly to the side. A soft snore escaped his lips as he drifted further into a peaceful nap.
Yuki Shibata, still glowing with the poise and elegance of the top ranker, walked quietly down the aisle. Her crimson eyes scanned the empty seats until she spotted him—slouched, utterly careless, completely asleep.
A small smile tugged at her lips. With silent steps, she lowered herself onto the bench beside him.
He shifted lazily, turning his head ever so slightly… and then rested it on her shoulder.
Her body stiffened. What? His head… on my shoulder? She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks instantly.
"Quite a carefree person, huh?" she murmured, unable to keep the fluster from her voice.
The warmth of the sun and the strange intimacy of the moment began to tug at her eyelids. Within moments, she found herself leaning slightly, letting sleep creep in alongside him.
Half an hour passed in this stolen calm.
When Akatsuki finally stirred, the hall had taken on the soft orange glow of evening. He blinked awake to find Yuki beside him, her head still leaning lightly on his shoulder.
"Yuki…" he whispered, nudging her gently. "It's already evening."
Her eyes fluttered open, crimson meeting blue, and she froze. A panicked, stammering blush spread across her face.
"W-w-w-what…?!" she squeaked, words stumbling like a broken record. "Y-y-y-you h-h-have g-g-got it w-w… wrong! I saw you sleeping and… wanted to wake you… but I… I also… slept…"
Akatsuki's lips curved in a small, amused smile.
"Oh… it's like that, huh."
He sat up, offering a hand. "Shall we go then?"
Yuki hesitated for a heartbeat, then placed her delicate hand in his. Together, they walked toward the exit gate of the auditorium.
As they passed the soft glow of the windows, she finally dared to speak.
"C-c-can I… talk with you, Akatsuki-kun?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Already on the first-name basis?"
Her blush deepened, heat crawling up her neck. "I-i-i… didn't know your l-l-last name, s-s-so I didn't know about i-i-it!"
He shrugged lightly, resting a comfortable hand on her shoulder.
"Well… it's Akatsuki Fujimoto. But you can just call me Akatsuki."
She nearly froze entirely. "A-a-Ak-Akatsuki-kun!!"
Akatsuki's eyes met hers, holding them for a brief, charged second. Then he smirked slightly.
"Welp… you didn't have that hard a time the first time, huh?"
She swallowed, flustered, her thoughts a jumble, but her heart thumped faster than it should.
The golden sunlight followed them as they stepped out of the auditorium, carrying a quiet, shared warmth neither of them wanted to end.