The classroom had settled into its usual rhythm after the initial chaos of project pairings.

Students whispered about their luck, or lack thereof, while others had already started making plans.

The rustling of paper and the occasional shuffle of chairs filled the air.

At the very back of the room, however, Nagi Seishiro remained completely unbothered.

He was slouched in his seat, legs stretched out lazily, eyes locked onto the screen of his phone.

His fingers moved effortlessly, tapping and swiping as he navigated through the game, his expression blank aside from the slightest crease of concentration.

Bright colors flashed across the screen as his character dodged an incoming attack, executing a perfectly timed counter.

A notification popped up, announcing his victory, but even that didn't spark much enthusiasm.

He simply hummed in satisfaction and moved on to the next level, completely detached from the real world around him.

Unfortunately for him, the real world wasn't going to leave him alone for much longer.

A shadow fell over his desk, blocking out the warm glow of sunlight that had been streaming through the window.

"Hey."

Nagi barely reacted. His eyes flickered upward for half a second before dropping back to his phone.

Y/N stood in front of him, arms crossed, her expression firm.

She weren't surprised by his lack of response, but that didn't make it any less irritating.

"Nagi."

Still no reaction.

If anything, he seemed even more absorbed in his game, his thumb swiping across the screen as he muttered under his breath.

Y/N's patience, already thin from the unfortunate pairing, began to wear even thinner. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that losing her temper wouldn't get her anywhere.

Instead, she leaned down, fingers tapping against the edge of his desk.

"Hey, partner."

That finally got a reaction.

Nagi sighed dramatically, tilting his head back against the chair. His dull gray eyes met theirs, half-lidded and unreadable.

"Haaah... what do you want?" he muttered, his voice dragging as if the mere act of speaking was exhausting.

Y/N resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"We need to talk about the project."

Nagi blinked, processing her words at a pace that felt painfully slow.

"...What about it?"

Y/N inhaled sharply through her nose.

"We need to figure out when and where we're working on it," she said, speaking slowly, as if explaining something painfully obvious. "It's a huge part of our grade, and I'm not about to fail because you don't feel like doing it."

Nagi groaned, dropping his phone onto his desk and rubbing the back of his neck. "Ugh... so annoying..."

Y/N's fingers twitched. She was beginning to understand why Reo always looked like he was either amused or exasperated when dealing with Nagi.

"You do realize you have to contribute, right?" she pressed.

Nagi slumped further into his chair. "Can't you just handle it? You're smart, so it'll turn out fine either way."

Y/N's eye twitched.

This guy.

This lazy, impossible, infuriating guy.

They inhaled deeply, counting to three in their head.

"No," she said, voice clipped. "You're going to help, whether you like it or not."

Nagi pouted slightly, like a kid being told he had to do chores. "Haaah... but that's so much effort."

Y/N placed both hands on his desk and leaned forward, meeting his eyes with unwavering determination.

"I don't care."

Nagi blinked again, seemingly surprised by their persistence. Most people would have given up by now, sighing in frustration and walking away. But Y/N wasn't most people.

She weren't going to carry him through this.

Nagi sighed, rubbing his temple. "Fine... I get it."

Finally.

Y/N straightened. "Good. Now, when are we working on it?"

Nagi tilted his head, considering. "...Never?"

Y/N deadpanned.

His lips twitched, almost like he was trying to suppress a smirk.

They scowled. "Be serious."

"Haaah... I am serious," he said, stretching his arms over his head. "It's just... working on it here is annoying."

Y/N crossed their arms. "Then where?"

Nagi hummed lazily. "Dunno. Anywhere but here."

Y/N exhaled slowly, willing themselves to be patient. "Okay. What about a café?"

Nagi wrinkled his nose. "Too many people."

"The library?"

"Boring."

Y/N narrowed their eyes. "Your house?"

Nagi blinked, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that works."

Y/N frowned, slightly taken aback by how easily he agreed. "Wait, really?"

Nagi nodded, already picking up his phone again. "Yeah. Less effort that way. You come over, we work, then you leave. Simple."

Y/N didn't particularly like how he phrased it, but at this point, she'd take whatever cooperation they could get.

"Fine," she said. "What day?"

Nagi yawned. "Whenever."

Y/N's patience was officially gone.

"Tomorrow."

Nagi blinked at their firm tone, then sighed again. "Haaah... fine. Tomorrow."

She pulled out her notebook and quickly scribbled down a few things. Then she paused.

She didn't have his number.

She frowned slightly before looking back up at him. "Give me your phone number."

Nagi blinked, finally looking at her again. "Huh?"

"Your number," she repeated, tapping her pen against her notebook. "So I can text you when I'm on my way."

Nagi stared at her for a long moment, as if debating whether or not this was worth the effort. Then, with a sigh, he held out his phone. "Here. Put it in."

Y/N took the device and quickly typed in her contact information before handing it back. "There. Now you have mine, too."

Nagi glanced at his screen before giving another noncommittal hum. "Mm."

Y/N resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'll text you later, so actually check your phone, okay?"

Nagi hummed noncommittally, already absorbed back in his game.

Y/N stared at him for a long moment, debating whether they should say something else. But no, pushing further would probably just make him shut down entirely.

Instead, she turned on their heel and walked away.

From the back of the classroom, Reo, who had been watching the entire interaction with great amusement, leaned toward Nagi with a grin.

"You're actually letting her boss you around, huh?"

Nagi let out a long sigh, tilting his head back. "It's too much effort to fight her."

Reo chuckled. "I like her. She's feisty."

Nagi hummed in agreement, his thumb idly tapping at his phone screen. "Yeah... she's kinda scary."

Reo smirked. "Scary enough to make you do your homework?"

Nagi yawned, stretching lazily. "Dunno... guess we'll see."

But even as he went back to his game, there was a slight, almost imperceptible curve to his lips.

with Y/N, she took her seat again, her friend leaned in with a grin.

"You look so done."

Y/N groaned, dropping her head onto her desk. "Because I am."

Her friend chuckled. "Well... at least you got him to agree."

Y/N exhaled slowly. "Yeah. Somehow."

Still, as much as she wanted to be relieved, she couldn't shake the feeling that working with Nagi was going to be more exhausting than she ever imagined.

And tomorrow?

Tomorrow was just the beginning.