It was the night before finals. Fuyuka and Asahi had finished eating their dinner in a hurry so they could get to studying as soon as possible. Their sessions were always meticulously planned out, and tonight was no different. Their objective was to thoroughly pore over the exam material.
They both were aware it would do more harm than good if they tried to desperately cram new information, so they opted on quizzing each other instead. One would give the other a problem to solve and vice-versa—that way, they would make up for the gaps in each other’s knowledge. Things were proceeding smoothly until a sharp snapping sound disrupted their concentration.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Asahi grumbled. He heaved a sigh as he pressed the top of his mechanical pencil. It appeared to be broken, as there were no clicking sounds and no lead being fed through the pencil. Taking it apart and assembling it again yielded similar results.
“You use that one quite a bit, I’ve noticed,” Fuyuka noted.
“I do. Never expected it to give out on me the night before the exam, though. I’m pretty sure I have a spare, at least... I can always buy a new one later anyways,” he said as he grabbed a cheap-looking replacement from his pencil case.
“Is that a different type?” she asked.
“Yeah. The one I broke was on the heftier side. I figured it would last longer, but guess not.”
“I see.”
That mechanical pencil had been Asahi’s favorite—it was of high quality and boasted an elegant design which had certainly warranted its expensive price tag. It had also been quite durable, as Asahi had been using it since middle school. He was confident he hadn’t treated it poorly, so the only natural conclusion was that it had simply reached the end of its lifespan.
With that out of the way, Asahi shifted his attention to his studies. Fuyuka, however, still appeared to be troubled. “Is something the matter, Asahi? Are you tired?”
“What makes you say that?” he asked.
“You’re sighing more than you normally would...”
Asashi didn’t feel particularly drained. On the contrary, he felt excellent—both mentally and physically. He had never noticed until Fuyuka pointed it out, but it seemed that he sighed frequently on a daily basis.
“Shall we take a break?” she continued.
“Nah, it’s all good. I’m not tired at all. I guess it’s just become a habit of mine.”
“I think a break would do us good either way. There’s no need to work yourself to the bone,” she declared with determination, leaving no room for discussion. She proceeded to stand up and head toward the kitchen. When she finally returned, she held two cups in her hands.
“Would you care for a drink?” she asked.
“Yeah, I could use some coffee. Sorry to trouble you,” he apologized.
“It’s no trouble at all,” she assured him as she walked back into the kitchen. “Please make yourself comfortable.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but, like I said, I’m not actually tired or anything,” he insisted as he watched her brew the coffee. She appeared to know what she was doing, so Asahi decided to laze around on the sofa for a while. He continued to sigh heavily, although he did so on purpose. It wasn’t that he was fatigued—he was simply fed up with the heavy workload and formidable pile of questions they still needed to go through.
“Sorry for making you wait,” she said as she brought him a steaming-hot cup of coffee.
“Thanks a bunch,” Asahi said. He blew on it before taking a sip. The unique bitterness of coffee spread along his tongue, followed by a creeping tinge of sweetness. It was the same familiar taste he always enjoyed. “That hits the spot.”
“I’m glad you like it. You add a spoonful of sugar and just a small splash of milk to it usually, correct?” she noted.
“Yeah. I see somebody did their homework.”
“I’ve seen you prepare your coffee like that before, so I ended up learning how to make it myself...”
“Your memory is freakishly good. I wonder why it’s not the same—” he quickly cut himself off. He was about to say, with cooking. Judging by Fuyuka’s progressively sulking expression, this was a prudent choice on his end. “... I mean! You’re really good at making coffee,” he frantically added as he scrambled to change the conversation.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as though he was successful. Fuyuka eyed him suspiciously and said, “I feel like you were about to say something entirely different...”
“Me? Nah, you’re imagining things. Why would I—”
“I knew it. It was something rude, wasn’t it? I won’t get angry with you... Just be honest with me.”
“That’s what they all say before all hell breaks loose!” he exclaimed. Now I’m positive she’ll freak out if I tell her... I’ve gotta resist, no matter how relentless she is!
As if conveniently timed, his phone came to his rescue. The electric ringtone began to echo throughout the room.
“I believe that would be your phone,” Fuyuka pointed out.
“Looks like someone’s calling me. Could you excuse me for a sec?”
“Of course. Take your time,” she assured him. At the same time, though, she stared at him with the piercing gaze of a predator that had lost the chance to lunge at its prey.
Asahi feared for his well-being, so he left in a hurry and rushed for another room with the phone in his hand. He leaned against the door and checked the caller’s ID, and another sigh escaped him.