Lunch was going fine. Peaceful, even.
Zay was silently dismantling his rice balls with chopsticks like they'd offended him.
Kiro read the back of a juice carton like it was poetry.
Ryusuke was humming some tune that definitely didn't match the vibe of his curry bread.
And me? I was halfway through my bento and starting to believe I'd make it through the day without any weird interruptions.
...Until the door slammed open.
"NAKAHARA!!"
The whole class turned. Even the teacher on break next door probably flinched.
Two boys from Class 3-B stood there, both panting, both looking way too excited for a lunch break.
"Yo, Nakahara!" the taller one called again, grinning like he'd found buried treasure. "There you are!"
I blinked. "...What."
"Ohhh man, you really forgot, huh?" said the other, waving something in his hand. "The art club meeting! You promised to help us with the banner designs, remember?"
"No," I said, flatly. "You begged. I said maybe."
"Same thing!" they shouted in perfect sync.
Laughter rippled through the class.
Akiyo Nakahara: Destroyer of Peace, Reluctant Art Club Savior.
Ryusuke leaned in, grinning. "Nakahara's got fans?"
Kiro quirked a brow, mildly interested. Zay didn't react at all—until I started standing up.
"You leaving?" he asked quietly, without looking.
"Yeah. Apparently I got guilt-tripped by Color Palettes A and B over here."
"You love us," called the taller 3-B boy, arms wide.
"I tolerate you," I corrected, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
As I walked past Zay's desk, he passed me something underhand—smooth like earlier in math.
It was my notebook.
...Oh. Right. I'd forgotten it there.
"Thanks," I said simply.
He didn't answer. Just nodded once, like it wasn't a big deal.
"See ya, chaos crew," I muttered to the trio, earning a dramatic salute from Ryu and a rare amused smile from Kiro.
The two 3-B boys immediately latched onto me like overly enthusiastic golden retrievers.
"So, anyway," one said, "we're thinking cherry blossom theme, but also maybe tigers? Thoughts?"
I sighed. Loudly. "It's April. Why would we need tigers?"
"No reason," he said cheerfully. "Just vibes."
Behind me, I swear I heard Zay mutter, "That's actually worse than the math note."
"Shut up."