The Morning After

 Mitsu’s wavering tail had woken up Akari on a peaceful Friday morning. The small cat rubbed herself against his head as he emitted a sleepy grumble. With both Mitsu and the sunlight striking directly at his eyes, Akari gave in and decided to get up from the comfortable futon.

Trying to stretch his arms, he found himself unable to move his left one as he became aware of a weight resting delicately upon him.

Akari shifted over to his side and slowly blinked open his eyes to see what was pinning his arm down only to find his face just inches away from Ayano’s. The brown-haired girl was still lost in serene slumber with her head nestled cozily against his arm, her breaths soft and gentle. Akari stared at her sleeping face for a few seconds before his mind finally comprehended the situation.

A wave of panic struck Akari as he realized Ayano had cuddled up directly next to him, using his arm as her pillow. His mind raced furiously as he tried to think of a way to escape the situation without disturbing Ayano’s peaceful rest.

Carefully, Akari inched his arm from beneath Ayano's head. Every breath or slight movement she made would cause him to freeze up and wait a few seconds before he continued his escape plan. With how delicate his movements were, Akari couldn’t even tell if he was moving his arm or not.

Just as he almost removed his arm, Ayano let out a soft yawn that caused the young gangster to pause instantly. Akari could feel his heartbeat getting louder as Ayano’s eyes slowly blinked open. Her gaze met his and she stared at him, unaware of their close proximity. But as she finally realized the boy who was in front of her, a mix of embarrassment and surprise washed over Ayano’s face.

“Kyaaa!” Ayano delivered a heavy slap to Akari’s face as she flushed a deep share of red. The confused gangster rolled back upon impact while Ayano swiftly retreated from the futon to create distance between herself and Akari.

“What on earth are you doing?!” Ayano screamed, her voice laced with a defensive tone as she positioned herself against her bed. "Do you think it's alright to attack a defenseless girl while she's sleeping?!"

“Me?! I did absolutely nothing!” Akari protested as he lifted a hand to his burning cheek. “You were the one who ended up in my sleeping space!”

Ayano opened her mouth to argue but paused as she examined her surroundings. The rolled-up blanket she had set up had been pushed towards Akari’s side and she had indeed woken up not on her bed. Slowly, her planned words turned into stuttering as the embarrassed girl covered her face with both of her hands.

“Ahhh… it happened again, didn’t it?” She muttered to herself in a wary tone. “Why yesterday of all nights?”

“Do you have bad sleeping habits?” Akari cautiously asked as he slowly sat up on the floor.

“It’s too embarrassing to admit…” Ayano replied as she peeked at Akari through her hand. “I’m sorry about that slap…”

“It’s fine,” Akari stood up and brushed his crumbled pants. He strolled over to Ayano and extended a hand. “We all make mistakes, right?”

Ayano stared at the young gangster who had a gentle smile on his face as he offered her assistance. Hesitantly, she accepted his hand and was pulled to her feet in one sudden pull. Ayano slightly stumbled forward as she tried to catch her balance, tumbling into Akari’s arms.

“Careful!” Akari helped her stand as she glanced up at him. The two were locked in a silent stare as they stood motionless in the center of the bedroom.

“S-school!” Ayano abruptly turned away and rushed over to her drawers. “We can’t be late for school and I overslept today!”

“It’s alright if we’re late. I’ve never missed anything from being late.” Akari countered. Ayano shot her attention towards the tired gangster and began nudging him towards the front door, pushing his back with both her hands.

“You need to get going already!” She declared sternly. “You still need to change and have breakfast!”

“Stop shoving!” Akari protested as he tried to resist Ayano’s efforts.

“H-hey! Watch where you’re pushing back!” Ayano warned, concerned about his precarious hand positions. Immediately, Akari moved his hands away, allowing Ayano to pull open the front door and shove him outside into the blinding outdoors.

“Anyway, go home and prepare for school!” Ayano instructed before slamming the door shut behind him. “I’d better see you in class!”

Akari stood dumbstruck staring at the closed metal door in his wrinkled clothes. He let out a disappointed sigh and glanced down at his feet only to realize that Mitsu had followed him outside. The calico cat stared up at Akari and gave an adoring meow.

“I guess she didn’t see you come outside, did she?” Akari gave the kitty a gentle smile as he kneeled down to stroke her head. Mitsu purred affectionately in response before her ear twitched upon hearing the next-door click open.

“Inmura-kun, Mitsu! Good morning!” She greeted them with a surprised smile. “What are you two doing out here?”

“It’s funny that you’re asking me that,” Akari replied as he stood back up with Mitsu standing by his side. “You’re the one who brought me here.”

Nanami paused to ponder Akari’s statement with a confused glance before she finally remembered their encounter last night. She held her hands out in front of her and bowed immediately.

“Ah, I’m so sorry for leaving you yesterday!” She apologized while Akari crossed his arms. “I had completely forgotten about you!”

“Are you okay?” Akari asked, concerned about her forgetting such an important thing. “Is your health alright?”

“Yes! I am,” Nanami let out a sheepish smile as she twirled her hair around a finger playfully. “There’s just been a bit more on my plate than usual…”

“Is that so…”

“Oh, I really have to get going now,” Nanami finally remembered the current time. Her first period would be starting real soon. Slinging her navy bag over her shoulder, she gave Akari a quick wave before running down the stairs. “We can talk more later! I’ll text you, okay?!”

“Nanami-san, wait—” Akari tried to stop her but the lively girl had already run off down the sidewalk, too far away to hear his words. He let out a sigh as he glanced down at Mitsu who stared back up at him as if expecting something.

“Mitsu…” Akari said to the cat. “What am I supposed to do?”

♦_______✭❀✭_______♦

It had been a hassle for Akari to just return home for a change of clothes and breakfast. Yuuta had been worried about the boy as none of the text messages he sent were ever replied to since last night. The brother-like gangster bombarded Akari with several overly worried questions during breakfast before Misha finally dragged him away for Akari’s sake.

Upon arriving in his classroom and sitting at his desk, he continued to notice the several eyes glancing at him and whispers around him. However, something felt different about the glares and mumblings. Rather than the usual harsh and cold remarks, his classmates seemed rather curious and intrigued by the young gangster.

“Akari-kun,” Ayano’s voice interrupted him from his thoughts. Glancing to his right, Akari saw the class president standing next to his desk.

“How may I help you, class prez?” He asked.

“Ryoichi-san told me to remind you since he was busy but please don’t forget that our next study session is tomorrow.” Ayano declared.

“Tomorrow?!” Akari sat up straight. Ayano nodded her head calmly.

“If you have any complaints, take it up with him.” She directed before whipping her hair behind her and walking away.

“Tomorrow…” Akari let out a frustrated sigh as he glanced outside the window. On such a sunny day with the petals of cherry blossoms flowing through the light breeze, he felt so devastated by having to come to the library tomorrow just for some pointless studying.

Before he could think about it anymore, the morning bell chime knocked him out of his daze, indicating the start of the class.

"Good morning, class. Before we begin today's lesson, we have a new transfer student joining us," the teacher announced, his words sparking a ripple of anticipation among the students.

Excitement swept through the students as the classroom door slid open. Their chattering consisted of the transfer student’s striking looks and Akari could hear many of the girls swooning over the newcomer already.

Swiveling his head from the window to finally meet the new transfer student, Akari’s eyes widened upon locking his gaze on the calm student standing at the front of the room.

“It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Shinji Akihara.”