Chapter Text
Three minutes. It's all Osano needed to spot you from within the throng of students that crowded the Akademi walkway. Brushing aside the stray Sakura petals that landed in his apricot hair, he stepped forth while locked onto you like a target.
You perked up at the sound of your name being called and swirled around to be met with your longtime childhood friend, Osano Najimi. He smirked, waving a bento in your face. "Forgetting something?"
Your lips curled into a smile as you placed the sakura-patterned bento into your schoolbag. "Thanks a lot, Najimi. I hope making two lunches doesn't cause you any trouble.."
"That's Osano to you!" He huffed incredulously, hand over his face to hide the growing blush and slight frustration that bubbled up within him. ".. And it's no trouble. No trouble at all. So don't go acting all stupid.."
You let out a small chuckle and followed him into the main building. Near the shoe lockers, an abundance of colorful posters would catch your eye and you'd wander close to it while waiting for Osano to put on his uwubaki. One poster in particular stood out to you.
"The drama club?"
"Oh? Are you interested in joining?"
A warm breath ghosted across your cheek and you were overwhelmed with the scent of roses. Over your shoulder a handsome, purple haired boy stood over you with a snobbish smirk.
Before you knew it your chin was enveloped in his warm palm, cheeks squished together as the mysterious stranger pushed your face from side to side in quiet contemplation. What caught your eye however was the bright red armband that was stark against the dark fabric of his uniform.
"Not bad." He mused as his other hand poked at your cheek. "You've certainly got some charm to you."
You weren't able to get a word in until a flash of blonde swept over you, causing you to jump in surprise as yet another stranger wretched the eggplant head's hand away from your sore face.
Students watched on in curiosity and intrigue. Several phones were whipped out in the anticipation of a fight to occur whereas you were still gathering your bearings from the strange confrontation.
The newest addition, a blonde with beautifully tanned skin, shot you a toothy smile before his gaze settled onto your unwanted pursuer. "Harrassing girls now, Kizano? I thought you couldn't get any lower!"
'Kizano' scoffed and an aggravated look formed across his face. "You know I wouldn't do such a thing. Merely examining her, is all." He turned his gaze back to you with a judgmental stare. "If you're as smart as you are attractive," He tapped the Drama club poster. "Then you'll know that the drama club is the most interesting— if not the best club to join here at Akademi, should you have any sense."
Tossing his ponytail over his shoulder, Kizano sauntered off. Your gaze lingered on the Drama club poster that proudly advertised the club room number and the date for auditions. Your attention however was quickly diverted back to the energetic blond before you.
He stuck his hand out while awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. Kizano's always been so.. Unique. I'm Aso Ruto by the way. This is your first time at Akademi, right? I don't think I've ever seen you here before."
You shook his hand and nodded, discreetly admiring his pronounced forearm muscles. You cleared your throat and told him your name. "Something like that. I'm a transfer student."
"Oh? Do you need help loo—-"
Osano forced out a string of coughs, forcing the two of you to look his way. Osano's arm quickly snaked across your shoulders with his other hand pinned to his hip. "She's with me." He grumbled. It was easy to notice the small pinkness dusted across his features, making you purse your lips in amusement.
Almost oblivious to the animosity radiating off of Osano, Aso nodded in understanding while still retaining that same sunshine-y demeanor. "I see! I guess that makes us all 2nd years then? That's great!"
"Right. Great." Osano replied through gritted teeth. For a second his eyes met yours, almost as if he wanted to check up on you after what happened. He was quick to avert his gaze however, this time coughing into his fist as to hide a growing blush.
"Osano?" You piped up. "Are you okay? You've been coughing an awful lot and you're all red too."
"Maybe I should take him to Nurse Kina."
"Shut up! The both of you!"
__________
Much to Osano's dismay, you found yourselves eating on the rooftop alongside Aso Rito who, after finding out all three of you shared a homeroom class, invited himself to your little lunch spot.
"So you've been dealing with Najimi since childhood?" Aso whistled, almost as if he was impressed before plucking a broccoli from his bento. "Didn't think you'd have such a deep relationship."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Osano shrieked. His grip on his green tea tightened significantly, nearly crushing the liquid out from the clear plastic bottle.
Aso smiled cheekily. "You just don't seem very popular with the ladies."
"He's not all that bad." You mumbled in between chewing. Using your chopsticks, you held up an octopus shaped sausage Osano had packed into your lunch. "He's a great cook and always wakes up on time. He's got a difficult personality but.. it's at least better than whatever that Kizano guy had going for him."
"Thanks.. I guess? And don't talk about me like I'm not here, moron!" Osano couldn't hide the prideful smirk that began to form. He cleared his throat, forcing his smile into a thin line. "If you dislike him that much, don't even think about joining the drama club. That Kizano Sunobu guy is just bad news. You're much better off joining the cooking club with me." Osano huffed.
"Or the swim team! You have very impressive calves!" Aso chimed in. You could feel his bright blue eyes raking over your body. Osano shot him a glare, eliciting an awkward chuckle out of you.
"Honestly, what I'm most interested is the student council." You hummed thoughtfully. You remembered how those white uniforms stood out from a sea of black and blue, and how you were just barely able to see what the council members looked like through a swarm of their adoring fans.
Osano and Aso seemed to tense up at the mere mention of the student council. "Don't tell me you're gonna join one of their weird fan clubs?" Aso smiled awkwardly before adding in a more quiet grumble, "I don't even know how they got faculty permission—-"
"Absolutely not!" Osano exclaimed. ".. as if you'd even get in, I mean."
There's no way he'd allow you to join a club with the most eligible, handsome, and single students of Akademi. Of course you didn't know it, but Osano couldn't help but feel a little overprotective when you were still so new to the school and its interesting cast of students.
"Oh, that's right." Aso leaned back on the bench to stare at the cloudless sky above you. "The student council president chooses its members. Super difficult to join. I heard he rejects a ton of applications every year. I've met him before, he's a very prickly guy, that one.."
"Just join the cooking club." A happy expression settled onto Osano's face while he imagined you in a pink, frilled apron. "It's very welcoming to newcomers. The club president is nice, we get free food and, above all, it means we get to walk home toget——-"
Osano caught himself smiling and immediately felt his face heating up. Suddenly your gaze made him feel ever the more vulnerable. "But you don't have to!"
Suddenly the sound of soft laughter could be heard accompanying a gentle breeze. Looking up you'd see a beautiful brunette with a mint apron over his school uniform. An armband was nestled around his shoulder, a stark red against the pale white of his white button up. What interested you the most would be the tray of sweets he held out to you, his warm smile making your heart flutter.
"Amao! How was the bake sale?" Aso stood up from the bench and pinched a strawberry off of a pastry, eliciting another sharp glare from Osano.
"It went wonderfully." This 'Amao' fellow retained a polite expression, seemingly unfazed by Aso's antics before his gaze settled onto you. "And you're the new transfer student Osano seems to have taken an interest in? Please, have some. They're leftovers, so eat to your hearts content."
Osano began to sputter and choke with garbled grumbles mixed with excuses. 'It's not like that! We're just childhood friends! She means nothing to me!', but you were too preoccupied with a chocolate croissant to even care.
You introduced yourself to Amao who reached out to swipe a chocolate smudge from your cheek, fueling Osano's simmering jealousy. "I'm Amao Odayaka. Osano says you're interested in the cooking club. We'd be delighted to have you."
Your brows furrow. "I never said I was—-"
"I see.. Well, our doors will always be open. I'm sure Osano would love to have you at there as well."
"Amao!"
Your upperclassman broke out into a string of laughter at the sight of a blushing Osano. You'd gotten so used to it by now that you hadn’t even considered the ridiculousness of seeing such an irritable boy so flustered. The realization nearly made you forget that he tried to sneakily sign you up for the cooking club.
Aso smacked Osano's back in what seemed to be a comforting gesture, even as he let out a few snickers of his own.
Suddenly the blonde's intense blue eyes settled onto you like a target. "I'm serious though." Aso said. "Swim team. You look like you'd be good at it. And we could always use a few more members!"
"You're just pestering her because you scared all the first-years away with all your pain-in-the-ass training." Osano grumbled.
"Hey!"
Amao retained a level-headed demeanor even as Aso pestered him for the nutritional facts of the pastries or when Osano chided him for being so 'touchy' with an underclassmen. That unshakable smile of his left a strange, almost familiar feeling to plant itself deep inside your heart. You'd begin to feel uncomfortable if not for the school bell's peals to interrupt your spacing out.
You allowed yourself to be dragged off by Osano as the four of you barreled back to your classes. Thoughts of what was so important to you went away as quickly as Aso was shoveling the rest of his food into his mouth.
_____❀_____
Classes had finally ended. Vibrant yellow hues pierced the clear windowpanes of the classroom as you packed your belongings and headed out. You had left the Osano and Asu with a halfhearted promise to mull over their club invitations before you parted ways and they left for their respective clubs.
You strolled down the busy halls of Akademi, a pair of earphones sitting snugly in your ears. A faint blue light illuminated from your phone while a ridiculous video played on the smudged screen:
In front of a dark setting you'd recognize to be the girls' bathroom, a bright red circle is drawn around what seems to be a blurry figure reflected in one of the mirrors. Paired with creepy background music, a voice (heavily modified for anonymity— or perhaps just to sound cool) raves on about the supposed 'ghost' that haunts the 3rd floor bathroom.
The uploader goes by the name of 'Akademi Apparitions'. After overhearing their name from various students throughout the day, you couldn't help but feel curious even if it was predominantly brushed off as fear-mongering bullshit.
"Are you interested in The Seven Mysteries?"
You jump at the feeling of hot breath hitting your ear, instinctively yanking out the wired earbuds before snapping your head back to meet a scruffy haired, awkward-looking young man with a striking red armband.
“A little bit.” You mumble, stuffing your earbuds into your skirt pocket. “What’s it to you?”
"Well, would you.. perhaps be interested in joining the occult club?"
"The occult club?" You could vaguely remember their dark-colored poster sitting stark against a sea of bright ones on the school bulletin.
The young man nods. His plum-colored eyes, hidden behind a moppy curtain of navy blue hair, settled onto your phone screen. "I'm sorry for intruding. You don't have to if you don't want to. It's just.. Your interests seem to align with our club—- unless I’m mistaken-“
“No, no!” You flash him a sheepish smile. Something about his standoffish demeanor made it difficult to reject the poor bastard. “You’re right. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about these ‘Seven Mysteries’ everyone seems to be talking about. You wouldn’t mind telling me more, right?”
Suddenly, as if something had been sparked in the young man’s heart, he perked up ever so slightly with the faintest shimmer of excitement twinkling in his dark, broody eyes. Before you knew it, you found yourself trailing behind him and toward a club room obscured by dark velvet curtains.