She asked cheerfully, leaning slightly towards Obanai who was trying to maintain his stoic demeanor despite being visibly happy to see her. Obanai mumbled something incoherent, avoiding eye contact with Mitsuri as she beamed at him. Sanemi rolled his eyes at the obvious tension between them.
"It was fine. Giyuu finished first, as usual."
He said bitterly, unable to resist bringing up Giyuu again.
Mitsuri turned to Sanemi, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Oh? Giyuu-san did? That's amazing! He's so smart and focused."
She clapped her hands together excitedly, completely missing Sanemi's annoyed expression. Obanai shot Sanemi a warning glare, silently telling him to drop the subject. Sanemi ignored him and continued.
"Yeah, well, he's also insufferable. Always acting so perfect and untouchable."
He grumbled, stabbing his food with his fork. Mitsuri tilted her head, looking confused.
"Sanemi-san, you should be nicer to him. Giyuu-san is actually really sweet once you get to know him!"
She defended Giyuu, causing Sanemi to scoff.
"Sweet? Tomioka? That's a joke." Obanai facepalmed, while Mitsuri pouted slightly.
"You're just saying that because you're jealous of how good he is at everything."
She teased, poking Sanemi's arm playfully. Sanemi's face turned red again, this time from anger rather than embarrassment.
"Jealous? Of that emotionless bastard? Don't make me laugh."
He snapped, crossing his arms defensively once more.
"Well you and Tomioka study today alone." Obanai whispered loud and Mitsuri giggled, her eyes dancing with mischief.
"Ooh, a study date! How romantic."
Sanemi nearly choked on his food, his eyes widening in horror at her choice of words.
"It's not a date! It's just studying!"
He exclaimed, looking panicked as he glanced around to see if anyone else heard.
Obanai couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, while Mitsuri continued to tease Sanemi mercilessly. "Sure, whatever you say, Sanemi-san. Have fun with your 'study session'."
She emphasized the last part with air quotes, making Sanemi groan in frustration.* *Sanemi stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I'm leaving. This is why I hate talking to you two."
He stormed out of the cafeteria, ignoring the stares from other students. After the last class Sanemi reluctantly made his way back to the dorm, mentally preparing himself for the study session with Giyuu. He was still fuming from the cafeteria incident. He entered the room to find Giyuu already seated at the desk, books spread out neatly. The air was tense as Giyuu looked up at him with his usual stoic expression.
"You're late."
Giyuu stated bluntly, his voice cutting through the silence. Sanemi slammed his bag down on the floor, glaring at Giyuu. "Yeah, well, I had to deal with some annoying people."
He sat down opposite Giyuu, avoiding eye contact as he pulled out his notes. Giyuu raised an eyebrow slightly, the only sign of his curiosity.
"Was one of those people Mitsuri?"
He asked, surprising Sanemi with his perceptiveness.
Sanemi's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing at Giyuu. "How did you know?"
He demanded, trying to hide his surprise that Giyuu even remembered Mitsuri's name. Giyuu shrugged, flipping a page in his textbook. "She's friends with Shinobu. They talk about you a lot."
He said casually, as if discussing the weather. Sanemi's face flushed again, this time from anger mixed with embarrassment
"Those girls... they're gossiping about me? What the hell do they say?" He growled, leaning forward aggressively. Giyuu glanced at Sanemi, his expression unreadable.
"Mostly about how hot-headed you are and how you always get into fights." He paused, then added with a hint of amusement.
"And how cute you look when you're flustered." Sanemi's jaw dropped, completely taken aback by Giyuu's comment. His face turned an even deeper shade of red.
"I'm not cute! And I don't get flustered! Can we study now?!" He protested loudly, slamming his fist on the desk. Giyuu nodded, finally showing a slight smirk at Sanemi's reaction.
"Sure. But try to keep your temper in check while we study." Sanemi grumbled something under his breath, trying to regain his composure. He opened his textbook with unnecessary force.
"Just tell me what we're studying first." Giyuu leaned closer to show Sanemi the chapter they needed to cover.
"We're reviewing biology today. Specifically, the respiratory system." His shoulder accidentally brushed against Sanemi's as he pointed to a diagram in the book. Sanemi tensed at the contact, his heart rate picking up slightly. He quickly shifted away, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Right. The lungs and all that."
He tried to focus on the diagram, but his mind kept wandering back to Giyuu's earlier comment and the warmth of his shoulder. Giyuu noticed Sanemi's discomfort but chose not to comment on it. He began explaining the functions of the respiratory system with his usual calmness.
"The lungs are responsible for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. Do you understand how the alveoli work?" Sanemi listened intently, trying to focus on the biology instead of the way Giyuu's voice sounded. He found himself getting lost in the rhythm of Giyuu's explanation.
"Yeah... they're like tiny air sacs, right? And oxygen passes through them?" Giyuu nodded approvingly, his eyes meeting Sanemi's briefly.
"Correct. The capillaries transport oxygenated blood from the lungs to the rest of the body."
He then pointed to another part of the diagram.
"Now, what about the bronchi?" Sanemi furrowed his brow, thinking hard. He hated not knowing something.
"They're like... branches that connect to the bronchioles?"
He ventured uncertainly, hoping he was right this time. Giyuu's expression softened slightly, sensing Sanemi's uncertainty. He moved his finger along the branching pathways. "Yes, they lead from the main bronchi to the bronchioles. Good job."
He then added with a hint of teasing in his voice.
"Maybe you're not as bad at biology as you think you are." Sanemi scowled at the teasing, but there was no real anger behind it. "Shut up. I'm just trying to get this right."
He looked back at the diagram, determined to prove Giyuu wrong about his intelligence.