The next day, the school day had finally come to an end, and Y/N found herself standing near the front gates, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

She checked the time on her phone. Nagi was late.

Of course he was.

She sighed, tucking her phone away and crossing her arms. Maybe she should've expected this. Nagi didn't exactly seem like the type to rush for anything, much less something as "annoying" as a school project.

Just as she was debating whether she should call him, she spotted him.

Nagi strolled toward the gates, his white hair messy as always, hands shoved into his pockets. Walking beside him, Reo Mikage was talking, though Nagi looked only half-invested in whatever his best friend was saying.

Y/N didn't waste any time. She walked straight up to them, stopping right in front of Nagi.

"You're late."

Nagi blinked, head tilting slightly as if he was just now remembering their arrangement.

"Haaah... am I?" he mumbled, rubbing his neck. "Didn't realize."

Y/N exhaled sharply through her nose. "We agreed on meeting right after school. It's been ten minutes."

Reo smirked, glancing between them with interest. "Wow, she's really on your case, huh, Nagi?"

Nagi sighed, stretching his arms over his head. "Yeah... so annoying."

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "If it's so annoying, then maybe you should show up on time so I don't have to chase you down."

Reo chuckled. "I like her. She keeps you in check."

"Don't encourage her," Nagi muttered.

Y/N rolled her eyes before turning toward Nagi. "We're going to your place now."

Nagi blinked, then shrugged. "Alright."

Reo raised an eyebrow. "You actually agreed that fast? No whining?"

Nagi yawned. "Too much effort to argue."

Y/N stared at him. Was this how he handled everything? By just deciding it wasn't worth fighting over?

Shaking her head, she turned on her heel. "Let's go."

And so, they began their walk.

The streets were filled with students heading home, their chatter filling the air. But despite the lively surroundings, the atmosphere between Y/N and Nagi was... painfully awkward.

Y/N had expected him to at least make an effort to talk, but Nagi seemed completely unbothered by the silence. He walked at a slow, lazy pace, eyes half-lidded, as if he could fall asleep at any second.

Y/N clenched her fists. This was going to be unbearable.

"So," she started, deciding to break the silence herself, "do you live far from here?"

Nagi blinked, seeming to process the question before shrugging. "Not really."

Y/N waited for him to elaborate. He didn't.

She inhaled deeply. "Okay... cool. So, uh, how long have you known Reo?"

Nagi's response was immediate. "Too long."

Y/N glanced at him. "That bad?"

"Haaah... nah," Nagi mumbled, rubbing his neck. "He just talks a lot."

Y/N snorted. "And you don't talk at all."

Nagi hummed. "Talking's a hassle."

Y/N stared at him, trying to figure out if he was serious. From the looks of it, he was.

This guy...

She sighed. "Okay, then what do you even do for fun?"

Nagi perked up slightly. "Games."

Y/N waited for more. He gave nothing.

She pressed her lips together. "That's it?"

He nodded. "And sleeping."

She groaned. "You're impossible."

Nagi yawned, stretching his arms behind his head. "And you talk too much."

Y/N glared at him. "I wouldn't have to if you actually contributed to the conversation."

Nagi gave her a lazy side glance before looking ahead again. "Haaah... but that's so much effort."

Y/N resisted the urge to strangle him.

By the time they finally arrived at Nagi's house, Y/N felt like she had aged five years from sheer frustration.

Nagi, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered.

"This is it," he mumbled, stopping in front of a modern apartment complex. It wasn't particularly fancy, but it was well-maintained.

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "You live in an apartment?"

"Yeah," Nagi muttered. "Too much effort to take care of a big house."

Y/N wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

Shaking her head, she followed him inside. They took the elevator up, and after a short walk down the hall, Nagi unlocked the door to his unit.

Inside Nagi's Apartment

The moment Y/N stepped in, she immediately noticed two things.

One: The place was incredibly neat. Almost suspiciously so.

Two: It was empty.

"You live alone?" she asked, looking around the minimalistic space.

Nagi yawned. "Nah. Parents are always out for work. So yeah, pretty much."

Y/N blinked. "And you don't throw crazy parties or anything?"

Nagi gave her a blank look. "Sounds like too much effort."

Of course.

With a sigh, Y/N set her bag down and pulled out her notebook. "Alright, let's get started. We need to go over the main points for our project."

Nagi, instead of sitting at the table, flopped onto the couch like a dead fish.

Y/N stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Resting," he muttered, stretching his arms over his head. "This is exhausting."

Y/N's eye twitched. "We haven't even started."

"Haaah... exactly."

Y/N took a deep breath, reminding herself that murder was illegal.

She walked over, standing in front of the couch with her hands on her hips. "Nagi."

No response.

She leaned closer. "Nagi."

Still nothing.

Y/N narrowed her eyes, then, without warning, she yanked the pillow out from under his head.

Nagi groaned, peeking one eye open. "Haaah... why are you so aggressive?"

"Because I refuse to let you slack off," she shot back. "Come on, get up."

Nagi rolled onto his side. "Can't we just... talk about the project from here?"

Y/N crossed her arms. "No. You'll just fall asleep."

Nagi made a noncommittal noise, which only confirmed her suspicions.

Y/N sighed, rubbing her temples. "Okay, what if I make it interesting for you?"

Nagi raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Y/N thought for a moment before smirking. "Let's make a deal."

Nagi blinked slowly. "A deal?"

She nodded. "If you actually help me get through this today, I'll owe you one favor."

Nagi hummed, suddenly looking a little more interested. "Any favor?"

Y/N hesitated. "...Within reason."

Nagi considered this. Then, slowly, he sat up. "Haaah... fine. But you better not back out."

Y/N exhaled in relief. "Deal."

She extended her hand, and after a moment, Nagi lazily shook it.

Now, all she had to do was make sure he actually followed through.

Y/N sat at the dining table, flipping open her notebook, while Nagi slouched in the chair across from her. He had his head resting on his hand, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Alright," Y/N started, clicking her pen. "Let's go over the topics we need to cover."

Nagi groaned, dragging his palm down his face. "so annoying."

Y/N ignored him. "The project is on historical figures and their influence, right? We need to pick one and explain their impact."

Nagi blinked at her, then slowly nodded. "Yeah... okay."

Y/N stared at him expectantly.

Nagi stared back.

Silence.

"...So?" Y/N pressed.

"So what?"

"What historical figure are we choosing?"

Nagi shrugged. "Dunno. Pick whoever."

Y/N's eye twitched. "No. This is a partnership. You need to give input."

Nagi slumped further in his seat. "too much effort."

"Seishiro."

Nagi's ears twitched at the sound of his first name. His eyes flickered toward Y/N, who was now leaning forward, her gaze sharp.

"You made a deal, remember?" she reminded him. "If you help, I owe you a favor."

Nagi groaned but sat up slightly. "Fine... um... that one guy. Napoleon?"

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Napoleon? Why him?"

Nagi shrugged. "He was short, right? Kinda funny."

Y/N pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh my—we are not picking him just because you think it's funny."

"Haaah... but he was strong, too, wasn't he?"

Y/N paused, surprised by his reasoning. "Well... yeah, he was a strategic genius. But we need more than that."

Nagi tilted his head. "Didn't he also lose in the end? Like, he won a bunch of battles, but then it all came crashing down."

Y/N blinked.

That... was actually a good point.

"Yeah, he did," she admitted. "He rose to power quickly, but his downfall was just as dramatic."

Nagi yawned. "Sounds kinda interesting."

Y/N tapped her pen against the table. Okay, maybe he's not completely hopeless.

"Alright," she said, "Napoleon it is. Now we need to break down his influence and what led to his downfall."

Nagi groaned again, but this time, it was half-hearted. "Haaah... okay, okay."

Y/N pulled out her textbook, flipping to the right chapter. "Here, read this section and take notes."

Nagi glanced at the page. Then, instead of taking the book, he turned to Y/N with an innocent expression.

"Can't you just summarize it for me?"

Y/N slammed the book onto the table.

"Nagi!"

"Worth a shot."