Chapter Text
The student lounge smelled faintly of stale coffee and sun-warmed textbooks, mingling with the faint scent of old wooden shelves and a hint of Mitsuri’s sweet floral perfume.
Sunlight spilled in through the tall, slightly dusty windows, casting lazy squares of light across the worn carpet and mismatched furniture. Giyuu sat at the edge of a low, threadbare couch near the corner, shoulders slightly hunched, hands fidgeting with the strap of his bag.
Across from him, Mitsuri perched on the armrest of another couch, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, feet tapping lightly against the carpet in a restless rhythm, as she always did when excited or anxious. A stack of half-read romance manga lay at her side, from the hours she spent sprawled here between classes.
Shinobu lounged in her usual spot in the worn leather armchair beside the window, one leg draped casually over the arm. Her black hair glinted in the sunlight, and her eyes were half-hidden behind the page of Flora of the Japanese Archipelago, a thick, illustrated botany book she carried everywhere.
This corner of the library had become their habitual afternoon refuge, the place where they could decompress, argue, laugh, or just exist without interruption from their busy university life.
Until now, that is.
“I… need advice,” Giyuu said, breaking the quiet that had settled around them.
“Oh! I love giving advice!” Mitsuri’s face lit up immediately, her hands clasping together on her knees. “Tell me everything! What’s wrong? What happened?”
Shinobu glanced up from her book, one brow raised, her tone dry. “I’m already regretting agreeing to this. But I love seeing you suffer. So, go on. I’ll listen.”
Giyuu exhaled slowly, fingers twisting the strap of his bag. “Yesterday… I was hungry, so I went to the fridge. There was a snack sitting on the middle shelf, and it wasn’t wrapped, so I thought it was something I had forgotten I bought. So, I just… grabbed it.”
“Being hungry is terrible! What kind of snack was it?” Mitsuri asked, leaning forward.
“Ohagi,” he said, voice even. “I… ate it.”
Shinobu blinked once, expression completely deadpan. “You… ate an ohagi. That’s… your biggest disaster of the day?”
“That’s not all. I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish all of it,” Giyuu continued, shrugging slightly. “I told myself I would leave some for later. But before I knew it, I finished everything.”
He paused.
“When I realised how things are, I tried to make tea to… apologise, but I spilled it on the lab report that’s due today.”
Mitsuri gasped softly, fully resting her elbows on her knees. “Ohhh… that’s awful! Giyuu! How could this happen?”
“Yes,” Giyuu said evenly, though the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.
“The tea soaked through only three pages. I tried to blot it, but the pages stuck together. I… may have smoothed my hand across the first paragraph in the process. The writing is ruined.”
Shinobu tilted her head, voice flat. “Let me get this straight, you stole some ohagi, spilt tea, and ruined someone’s homework. And you want advice? For which part exactly?”
“Everything? Because I also kind of tripped on the chair while reaching for the report,” Giyuu added, rubbing the back of his neck.
“The tea sloshed farther, and when I grabbed the table to stop myself, I accidentally grabbed the report… and tore it.”
Mitsuri’s eyes softened with concern, glimmering faintly in the sunlight from the window. “Oh… Giyuu. Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“Yes, I only hit my chin and twisted my arm a little. Nothing serious,” Giyuu said quietly, hands clenching slightly in his lap. “But, I really need to fix the situation and apologise properly.”
Shinobu’s lips twitched, barely restrained amusement. “You… and I thought being human was simple. Truly, your life is a series of disasters.”
“I just… didn’t want things to be worse. But they are,” Giyuu muttered.
Mitsuri leaned closer, resting a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Giyuu. You didn’t do it on purpose. Accidents happen… It’s not entirely your fault!”
“You think so?,” Giyuu asked unsure. “Still, I don’t think an ordinary apology would suffice this time. I need something effective. Something… well-thought.”
Shinobu’s eyebrow twitched. “Well-thought? You need a… tactical apology? Really?”
“Yes. I looked up how to properly apologise to someone on the internet last night,” Giyuu’s hands clenched slightly.
“And the results showed that it must show responsibility, acknowledge the mistakes, offer reparation, and avoid provoking further anger. But I already did all of those, and none of them worked. So, I need your advice.”
Mitsuri clapped her hands together softly. “Ohhh! That’s… that’s so thoughtful! You’re really trying!”
Giyuu folded his hands. “But I’m not sure how anymore. My effort seems to have only… intensified his frustration.”
Mitsuri bounced lightly. “Ohhh, Giyuu! That’s… that’s already really sweet of you. It shows how much you care! But… wait… who is this person?”
Shinobu set her book down on the table, eyes narrowing slightly. “Wait… you live alone in your apartment right now, right? You said Tsutako-san was away on a trip. So… who is this person, and why do they have snacks in your fridge?”
Giyuu tilted his head, slightly confused. “…Sanemi?,” he said quietly.
Mitsuri’s eyes went wide, then she blinked rapidly. “Sanemi?” she echoed. “… Shinazugawa-san?!”
Shinobu’s smirk softened into a look of disbelief. “You’re going to apologise to him?”
“Yes,” Giyuu said. “…And I need advice on how to do it properly, like I said.”
Mitsuri’s eyes were wide. “Oh. I see! But… why are you apologising to him?”
Giyuu exhaled slowly, hands twisting in his lap. “Because I did something wrong?”
Shinobu leaned back, eyebrows arched. “Yes, we gathered that. But what we meant is,” She paused looking straight at Giyuu, “why is it such a big deal? Was he not always mad at you?”
Giyuu paused, blinking. “No. That’s not true. That’s just how he usually is, just all bark no bite. And I don’t want him to be mad at me.”
Mitsuri tilted her head. “But, why does it matter so much? You always seem… to not be bothered with how he treats you.”
“ But now, I really did do something wrong and,” Giyuu’s voice dropped, “he matters to me. A lot. So, I want to make things right.”
Shinobu leaned forward, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Wait. Wait. Wait. You mean… you care about him that much?”
Giyuu nodded once, deliberately. “Yes. Well. He is my boyfriend.
“Mitsuri’s lips parted, and she whispered, ‘Boyfriend? Like a lover?’
Her voice slipped into a dreamy mutter. “Like the type who brings you breakfast before your 8AM? Or walks across the whole campus just to meet you between classes? Or waits outside your dorm in the rain with an umbrella…’”
Giyuu paused, then nodded slowly. “Yes? I thought you knew.”
Shinobu made a faint choking sound, leaning back in her chair. “I cannot. This is impossible. He insults you, unnecessarily minds your business. And somehow… he dates you? Are you into that?”
“Yes.” Giyuu kept his tone calm, almost eerily so. “But we may no longer be if he does not forgive me for failing to apologise properly.”
Mitsuri’s hands flew to her cheeks, eyes widening in surprise. “Oh my gosh! I didn’t expect that. But, you two actually look really cute together!”
Shinobu groaned, covering her face with one hand. “I can’t. I refuse to believe it. This is… it does not make any sense.”
“Giyuu. What the hell are you still doing here?” Sanemi roared through the room, interrupting their conversation.
Mitsuri squeaked, leaning forward as if she were about to intervene. “Ohhh! He’s mad! Really mad!”
Giyuu exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I thought you might not want to see me for a while. And I haven’t fixed our report yet either,” he muttered, trailing the words, voice quiet and careful.
Sanemi’s lips twitched, irritation barely hiding something softer. “Shut up. We’re still lab partners. I can’t be the only one doing the work. And I already asked if they could extend the deadline.”
He stepped closer, brushing a stray strand of Giyuu’s hair back without meaning to, then grabbed him gently by the upper arm. “Come on. Don’t make me drag you all the way. You’re walking with me, got it?”
Giyuu blinked, a faint warmth rising in his chest. “…You’re not mad at me anymore?”
Sanemi’s grip remained firm, but his eyes softened fractionally. “I’m still mad. Now, replace the ohagi you ate.”
Giyuu’s eyes widened. “I’ll double them!”
“Triple,” Sanemi corrected, voice clipped, though the corner of his mouth twitched, almost a smile. He nudged Giyuu lightly toward the door. “…And don’t try to make excuses on the way there.”
Giyuu glanced at Sanemi, the way Sanemi’s grip was firm but careful, the way he hung Giyuu’s bag on his shoulder, and he kept pace to match Giyuu’s shorter stride. “You really don’t need to drag me everywhere,” he murmured.
“Shut up,” Sanemi muttered, tugging him. “I do.”
Giyuu let himself fall into step beside him, almost smiling, feeling the warmth in his chest.
“Bye, you two! See you tomorrow!” Giyuu called, looking back at their friends with a smile tugging at his lips. Sanemi’s hand also rose, giving a short wave, but he did not look back.
Mitsuri’s hands flew to her cheeks, eyes sparkling. “Ohhh. They really are a couple. Our advice wasn’t even needed!”
“I guess they really do make sense. Still disgustingly domestic though.” Shinobu said while shaking her head, a smile tugging at her lips.