Chapter Text
“You’re such a wimp- You’ll crush it! Just get yourself together and go in there. Trust me, Ed, you got this.”
He sighed, unconvinced, resting his hand on the steering wheel of his car. “But… What if I completely bomb it? My only other option would be some sort of sport, and we both know how it would turn out if I was allowed on a basketball court.”
Lucy giggled at his grumbling tone. “Yeah- we don’t want the whole accidentally-knocking-the-principal’s-toupee-off incident to happen again,” She teased.
“It was one time, will you just drop it already?” Poe groaned, embarrassment at the memory making his cheeks flush red. He was glad it was a phone call and not a video call- Lucy already had enough things to make fun of him for, considering that they’d been best friends since middle school.
“Besides,” She continued, “You’ll certainly never win if you just sit in your damned car the whole morning and miss the tryouts.”
He knew she was right, like always. That's what he liked about Lucy Maud Montgomery- despite her teasing and short temper, she always had a solid head on her shoulders and talked sense into him when his anxiety got the better of him.
She was probably what he’d miss most about his old home. His family had moved from America to Japan last week- his mother had just been promoted to the head of the Japanese branch of her company, and the rest of the family had chosen to move with her. Of course, that meant Edgar would have to transfer to a Japanese high school right at the start of his senior year- or fourth year, as he supposed he’d have to begin referring to it. His mom was natively Japanese, having been raised in Hiroshima before she moved to the states to continue her studies abroad, so he was fairly fluent in Japanese. Because of that, the language barrier wasn’t a main concern of his, but he was still worried about the cultural differences and social differences and- oh, how he wished Lucy was with him in person to knock some sense into him like she always did.
Though it wasn’t the same, her voice through the phone did help a little bit. He took a breath, mentally preparing himself for what he had to do. “Thanks, Lucy. I’ll call you after?”
“No problem, Eddie.” He smiled at the familiar nickname, repressing another surge of homesickness. “Oh, what would you do without me… And yes, you better call me afterward! I wanna hear everything, especially if there’s any hot guys-”
“Oh my god,” He laughed, trying to sound annoyed. She was just like a big sister, despite being a year younger. “I haven’t even started school yet, I’m not going to be getting a boyfriend anytime soon.”
He heard a faint squish sound, and knew she was sticking her tongue out at him on the other side. “You’re so boring. Fine, but if you see any cute people that might be interested in yours truly, feel free to give them my number.”
He rolled his eyes. Another difference between them- where he was shy and reserved, she was the flirtiest person he’d ever met. She was the kind of person who’d flirt with a wall (and still somehow get its number). Back in middle school, she was constantly trying to set him up with her friends, and after he’d come out to her, she’d started sending any guy she deemed attractive (but not her type) his way. He’d humored her in the past, and had had a few boyfriends, but nothing ever seemed to stick. Anyways, he had more on his mind than romance at the moment.
“I think I’ll spare the poor Japanese population from your antics for the time being,” He joked, continuing over her sounds of fake-offended protest, “But I should really head off if I don’t want to be late.”
“Alright- go beat their asses for me! And yes, I know it's a nerd competition, so beat them with your, uh, mathy-ness!”
“Got it. Bye, Luce.”
“See you later, Ed.”
He tucked his phone into the pocket of his slacks, grabbing his book bag from the passenger seat before slipping out the car door. He locked the car, glancing at his reflection before heading into the building. His longish hair was down, the tips falling over his shoulders. He’d put a simple dark-brown knit vest over his white button-down, the strap of his book bag over one shoulder. He pulled a hair tie off of his wrist, tugging his hair into a ponytail at the base of his skull, and tucked his bangs behind his ear before deciding he looked decent enough. Before he could chicken out and drive away, he spun around, heading towards the building with a determined gait.
He was so focused on trying to locate the place where he was supposed to sign in without looking like a complete idiot that when he turned a corner, he instantly collided with something. Something small, and very human.
The boy he’d knocked into fell to the ground, the candy bar he’d been snacking on sent flying.
Poe’s apology died in his throat when he saw the boy’s face. His brain practically short-circuited, and all he could think was, Oh no… he’s cute .
Common sense slammed back into him when he realized he’d been staring, like an idiot, for longer than he should have. He scrambled to help the boy up, trying to stutter out an apology, during which he realized two things at once:
- Not a boy
- They were wearing a nametag, which meant that they were Poe’s competition and possible future teammate.
Ah, great first impression, Poe , he thought.
The girl, whose name he found was “Ranpo Edogawa” after reading her nametag, shot him a glare once she was back on her feet. “Ever heard of watching where you’re going? You made me drop my snack!”
He glanced at the candy bar she’d dropped, which was lying on the floor a few paces away. “I’m terribly sorry, I promise I’ll repay you-”
The girl seemed to forget her anger when he spoke, interrupting him, “Oh, you’re the new transfer student, aren’t you? Eda Allen Poe, was it?”
He paused, blinking in surprise. “Edgar, actually. And, um, yeah. But,” He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, as he hadn’t gotten his own name tag yet, “How did you know that, exactly?”
The girl shrugged. “Well, by your accent, it's obvious you’re American. And I heard about the transfer of power in the Japanese branch of that one tech company, and that the new head’s name is Poe. Since those happened around the same time, I just connected the dots.”
Wow, her powers of deduction are phenomenal.
“But what about my first name?” He inquired, his curiosity piqued.
She glanced at him, her tone matter-of-fact. “Your name is printed on the strap of your book bag.”
He glanced down- and sure enough, there it was, printed in his scratchy cursive handwriting. His face flushed in embarrassment. “Oh,” He mumbled simply, cheeks bright red
She grinned. “I assume you’re here for the tryouts? Sign-in desk is down that hall.”
“Thank you,” He responded, both grateful for the directions and for the change of topic.
She winked at him. “I’d wish you luck, but you have the misfortune of having to compete against me,” She tapped on a pair of glasses that peeked out of her shirt pocket, “Which means you have no chance. I am the smartest kid in all of Yokohama, probably all of Japan!”
Her words were arrogant, but for some reason, her boastful expression set off a flutter in his chest. Something about her haughty outburst was cute, in a way.
Without waiting for him to respond, she walked off, disappearing through the hall behind him.
What an interesting person , he thought to himself as he headed for the sign-in desk.
~~~
Ranpo Edogawa was a smart kid. That's what her uncle, Yukichi Fukuzawa, always told her. And he was a lawyer and the smartest guy she knew, so he had to be right.
Some people told her she flaunted her intelligence too much. She didn’t understand that- she was smart, one only had to look at her grades and all the awards she’d won to know it- so why shouldn’t she be a bit confident? If anything, she was just self-aware.
In any case, today of all days was one where she had every right to boast about her intelligence. It was tryouts for the Academic Decathlon club- a competition in which Ranpo had gotten first place every year since she was eligible to compete; in middle school. And she wasn’t planning on ending that tradition any time soon, especially since it was her last year on the junior level. Next year, in college, she’d really be competing with the so-called “best of the best”- and she had no doubt she’d crush them, too.
Before every competition she went to, she’d always seek out the vending machines and buy herself a candy bar. It wasn’t for luck, or anything- it wasn’t like she needed it- she just had a terrible sweet tooth.
As she nibbled on her candy bar- she’d decided to go with a KitKat- the last thing she expected was to run into the new transfer student. And she meant literally run into him. She hadn’t expected him to be so much taller than her (seriously- he was like a giantl), but he basically sent her flying.
She was distracted from mourning her candy bar when he opened his mouth to apologize. His voice was so interesting- an American accent. It was kinda pretty, actually. She fought back the urge to laugh at his flustered apology, but her amusement caught in her throat when she got a good look at him. Oh. Hot damn.
The kid wasn’t like anyone she’d ever seen before- his dark, purple-tinged hair was a grown-out mullet that he’d pulled into a low ponytail. He had kind-looking grey eyes, under which he sported slight eye bags (that were definitely not attractive in the slightest). But what really caught her eye were the pieces of metal all over his face- In that quick glance, she spotted a lip ring, an eyebrow piercing, a bridal bridge, and oh damn, was that a tongue piercing ; along with dozens of various studs and cuffs adorning his ears. He was like a walking contradiction- his appearance screamed delinquent, but he was so soft-spoken that Ranpo couldn’t picture the boy hurting a fly.
She glanced at his bookbag, spotting the English inscription at the base of the strap. Her English wasn’t great, but she made her best guess at the pronunciation. “Oh, you’re the new transfer student, aren’t you? Eda Allen Poe, was it?”
“Edgar, actually.”
Eh, close enough.
“And, um, yeah. How did you know that, exactly?”
She almost considered telling him about the bookbag right away, but she hesitated, deciding this boy would be fun to mess with.
“Well, by your accent, it's obvious you’re American. And I heard about the transfer of power in the Japanese branch of that one tech company, and that the new head’s name is Poe. Since those happened around the same time, I just connected the dots.”
He looked bewildered. Oh, how she loved being right.
“But what about my first name?”
“Your name is printed on the strap of your book bag,” she admitted, holding back a snicker as he turned beet-red.
Figuring he was probably pretty lost in the unfamiliar building, she offered directions to the sign-in desk to send him on his way. But before she left, she made sure to give him her whole spiel- it was a fact that she was the smartest, so why shouldn’t she inform him of it?
She leaned back, stretching her arms behind her head as she wandered the halls. Might as well kill some time before the competition.
~~~
Getting signed in was easy enough- it was a bit of a struggle for the administrator to pronounce his name, but Poe had been ready for that. The next part, and arguably the worst part, was waiting for the tournament to begin. He’d usually sneak out for a quick smoke to calm his nerves, a bad habit he’d picked up from his father, but he didn’t want to risk missing the start of the tournament. He sighed, deciding to head to the waiting room.
He glanced around the room upon arrival. There was a messy-haired kid sprawled out in one of the chairs, looking bored out of his mind as he tried to balance a pencil on the tip of his nose (and failing miserably). Bandages peeked out from under the sleeves of his hoodie, Poe noticed.
In the corner, a frail-looking kid with straight black hair was perched on a plastic chair, a book in his hands. His violet eyes flashed to Poe’s for a split second, before he blinked in disinterest, looking back down at the book.
To the side, there was a kid with an odd haircut, something like a cross between mullet and a stick-straight bowl cut. He had bright orange sunglasses over his eyes and was perched over something that looked like a lemon. He just bit into the lemon(?), straight through the skin. Edgar felt a shiver go up his spine, and looked away immediately.
There were a few other kids that seemed to be around his age in the room, of all genders, but he didn’t spot the girl from earlier. He felt a pang of disappointment- it wasn’t like they knew each other, but at least he knew her name. That was more than he could say for the rest of the people in the room.
He chose a seat by the violet-eyed kid, deciding that he was the most likely not to strike up a conversation. As he sat down, Poe realized that the book he was reading was in Russian- interesting.
He busied himself with a word search game that he’d downloaded on his phone for the flight last week- he’d gotten quite engrossed, considering that he’d had a lot of free time since then, with no Lucy to pass it with.
Eventually, the time came. A few more students had filtered in since he arrived, including a boy with peculiar snow-white hair, the tips tinged red. His eyes were closed- he was blind, Poe realized.
An administrator in formal attire came in to take them to the testing rooms. He didn’t look much older than them- he had swept-back dark hair, and round glasses perched on his angular nose. When he spoke, his tone was a bored drone, as if he’d have rather been anywhere but there at that moment. Poe almost pitied him- the man honestly looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet.
“Hello. I’m Sakaguchi Ango, the sponsor for the Academic Decathlon club. For those of you who don’t know, the tryouts will consist of two tests- one over mathematics, and the other on literature. You will all take both tests, and your two scores will be added together to get your final score. The top 10 highest scores will become members of the school’s Academic Decathlon club. In the case of a tie, which is very improbable, there will be a tiebreaker lightning round. Any questions?”
The man finished his monologue-like speech, pushing his glasses up his nose. He barely waited a few seconds, not nearly enough time for questions to be asked, before continuing: “Good. You’ll be split into 4 rooms, each with a testing proctor. Group 1 will be…”
He began listing names, flipping through the sheets on his clipboard. Poe was in group 2, and he noted that Ranpo was in group 4. Once all the names were called, the students split into their respective groups and headed to their testing rooms.
The two tests went by without interruption. Poe found himself stuck on a few questions, but overall, it was easier than he’d expected.
After all the tests had been completed, there was a two-hour waiting period while they were scored. Poe decided to wait at a nearby cafe so he could call Lucy.
“So, how’d it go? Did you completely bomb it like you thought?”
Her red hair was currently in a messy bun on top of her head, and she was currently spreading some sort of green substance onto her skin as she talked to him. She had to bobby pin her bangs out of the way and Edgar had to hold back from teasing her about it.
He still wasn’t quite used to the time difference between Japan and Maryland, so he hadn’t realized it was midnight for her when he decided to FaceTime her. But, of course, despite it being 1 AM in Baltimore, she picked up immediately. She’d given him the excuse that her self-care routine usually went on until the wee hours of the night, but that didn’t really make him any less confused at her appearance.
“Actually, it wasn’t so bad. It…”
He suddenly went quiet, his gaze fixed on something behind the camera.
“What? What is it?” Lucy asked, but he was too distracted to answer her.
His gaze was on the two people who’d just entered the cafe. The shorter one of the two was talking about something passionately, her hands waving around in the air, while the taller one listened with an amused expression on his face. He realized that he recognized the taller one when he saw the bandages around his neck and wrists- he’d been in Poe’s group for the tests. Poe vaguely remembered the administrator, Ango, referring to him as Dazai.
He watched as the Dazai kid laughed at something his companion said. Recognition shot through Poe- it was the girl from earlier, Ranpo.
It was obvious that the two were friends as they sat down at a table in the corner together, continuing their conversation after giving their food orders to a waitress.
He snapped out of his staring trance, looking back at his phone. Lucy was glaring at him impatiently. “Hello-o?” She drew out the last syllable, obviously irritated, “Earth to Edgar? Snap out of dreamland, I don’t have all day, you know.”
He winced apologetically. “Sorry- something caught my eye. What were you saying?”
“Actually, you were telling me about the tryouts? The oh-so-important competition you’ve been talking my ear off all week about?”
“I haven’t talked about it that much, have I?”
She didn’t respond, but the look she shot him was an answer in itself.
“Okay, okay. Sorry. The test was fine. We should get our scores in…” He paused, checking his watch, “About forty-five minutes. Anyways- I didn’t get a chance to ask earlier. How’s your week been?”
The rest of the wait passed by fairly quickly. Lucy rambled on about a girl she met in her history class- Louisa- that she thought was cute, but also really shy, but that was also kind of endearing in a way, you know? But she totally has a thing for the head of the tennis team, Francis, even though he has a girlfriend…
Poe found it harder and harder to pay attention, his gaze continuously darting back to the table in the corner. It didn’t look like the two were on a date- but then again, maybe dating looks different in Japan.
He didn’t know why he cared, exactly. There was just something about the dark-haired girl- who he figured had quite the sweet tooth after watching her wolf down three matcha cookies in the span of five minutes- that intrigued him.
Once it was time for him to head back to the competition building, he said a quick goodbye to Lucy before ending the call (after making her promise that she would go to sleep soon after, of course). He eventually found his way to the auditorium, where the results would be announced. He took a seat in the back, trying to avoid unnecessary social interaction, while he waited for the ceremony to start.
~~~
“... She bet me three chocolate bars that I couldn’t solve that riddle in a minute, so, of course, I took the bet. You can probably guess how that ended.”
“With a stomach ache, I’m assuming?” Dazai guessed.
“The most satisfying stomach ache ever,” Ranpo replied, a dreamy look entering her eyes as she sighed contentedly, earning a chuckle from her friend.
They walked into the auditorium together, a few minutes before the ceremony was to begin. Neither of them was particularly anxious, as most of the other participants most likely were. Where Ranpo had always come in first, Dazai always placed close second- but there wasn’t any sort of rivalry between them because of it. Academics weren’t exactly a passion of Dazai’s, but he was so naturally gifted that he’d basically been begged to join the club by the team’s sponsor. Despite his lazy attitude and obvious pleasure in the way he messed with the professor, he managed to win them gold in the biology portion at every competition, so Ango couldn’t exactly complain.
They were in the same year and had met at their first tryouts for the school’s Academic Decathlon club, where they’d both made the team. They’d bonded over their intelligence and shared love for causing chaos- not to mention that they had a mutual friend in Yosano Akiko, another fourth-year. The three of them were, academically, at the top of their class, but they were known more for their antics than for their grades. While they were perfectly behaving teenagers by themselves, when they came together, they were all mutually bad influences on each other. A perfect friendship, if you asked Ranpo.
The lights dimmed, a spotlight appearing as someone walked onto the stage. He was dressed in semi-formal attire, similar to Ango, but was much more lively than the zombie-esque professor.
“Hello, and welcome, students of Yokohama Academy! Before we begin, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge how truly exceptional each and every one of you are. You, in this auditorium, are the best of the best…”
Ranpo rolled her eyes as the man droned on. “Sounds like someone likes the sound of his own voice,” She murmured to Dazai, whose resulting snort earned him a glare from a teacher a few chairs away.
Eventually, he began calling out the names of those who made the team. Some were returning students who’d been on the team last year, like Dazai, Kunikida, and Haruno, but others were new. Most of the names didn’t mean anything to Ranpo, but she caught a few. There was some kid with a Russian-sounding name, another one called Youno, and Oguri Mushitaro. The last one sounded familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly where she’d heard it before. But she cast the thought aside, as the top score was about to be announced.
“And finally, we have…” The announcer paused for effect, “Ranpo Edogawa!”
And once again, I am victorious…
“And,” He continued.
Ranpo froze. And?
“... Edgar Allen Poe, tied for first. Congratulations to all…”
The announcer kept talking, but Ranpo wasn’t listening.
Huh?
~~~
Poe was pacing back and forth across the tiled floor, his thoughts racing. He couldn’t stop thinking about the announcer’s words as his anxiety ramped up inside his chest.
“Ranpo Edogawa and Edgar Allen Poe, tied for first. Congratulations to all! Of course, we’ll be holding a tiebreaker to determine first and second place. This tiebreaker will be a lightning round, which is…”
The man had gone on to explain how the two of them would, in front of an entire audience of the event’s administrators and other contestants, be asked particularly challenging questions. Whoever answered first and with the most accuracy would win that round. Whoever finished with the most rounds won would take home first place, and be granted captaincy of the Academic Decathlon team.
It wasn’t the questions that Poe was freaking out about, but the fact that he’d have to do it all on stage , with a time limit , and an audience - Oh god, where was anti-anxiety medication when he needed it? (the answer was ‘gone’, considering he’d taken a couple every time he felt a panic attack coming on within the last hour, which was a lot , and had reached the end of the bottle at some point. [Don’t try this at home, kids]).
He was seriously considering booking the next flight to Baltimore and running back to Lucy’s in order to cry his eyes out, but the opportunity was stolen right out from under him as an administrator came to collect him for the tiebreaker. He followed her to the stage, trying to calm his nerves (and failing miserably). Ranpo was already there, looking ten times more calm than he felt. A lollipop hung out of her mouth as she leaned on the podium, looking almost bored . He found himself envying her nonchalance.
Professor Sakaguchi cleared his throat as he walked onto the stage, cringing away when he made the mistake of looking straight into the bright stage lights. He sighed as he straightened his papers on the podium in the center of the stage, before tilting the microphone towards himself.
“Welcome to the tiebreaker lightning round. Seeing as Principal Taneda already explained the procedure, I won’t waste your time by repeating him. We will now begin. Contestants, are you ready?”
Poe nodded, mumbling out an anxious, “Yes, sir,” while Ranpo gave him a glare that screamed: can we get this over with, already?
“Alright. The first question is:
In the equation ‘y equals two sin parentheses negative 3 omega minus pi over 2, end parenthesis, plus two, what is the amplitude of the sine curve?”
As he spoke, he wrote the equation down on the whiteboard to his side.
Poe slammed his hand onto the buzzer on the podium in front of him, milliseconds before Ranpo. “The amplitude is the absolute value of 2,” He called out, earning an approving nod from Ango.
“Nice work. 1 point for E.A. Poe, please, Tsujimura.”
As Ango’s blue-haired assistant flipped the tile down on Poe’s side of the scoreboard, Ranpo pouted from the other side of the stage. Nothing to worry about , she thought, he’s definitely smart, but I’m still smarter.
20 Minutes Later:
E. RANPO: 21
E.A. POE: 19
Ranpo grit her teeth. There were still 5 questions left, and while she was in the lead, it wasn’t by a reassuring amount.
More determined and focused than she thought she’d ever been in the past 5 years, she slammed her fist on the buzzer. “The force of friction has a magnitude of mu cosine theta!” She called out.
“That answer is accurate.”
Point Ranpo.
“The confidence interval is 95%.”
“That is the right answer.”
Point Poe.
“5 pi over 3 radians converts to 300 degrees.”
“Correct again.”
Point Poe.
“The formula for a z-test statistic is the sample statistic minus the null value, over the standard deviation.”
“That answer is correct.”
Point Ranpo.
“The phase shift is 5 pi over 2 to the left.”
“That answer is… incorrect.”
Poe’s blood froze in his veins. He hadn’t made a mistake up until this point- he was so close, why did it have to be now?
As Ango turned to Ranpo, Poe silently begged that she would slip up as he did.
Unfortunately for him, her voice rang clear as she called out, “The phase shift is 5 pi over 2 to the right .”
Ango nodded. “That is the correct answer. That was the last question, so, Tsujimura- the final scores, please?”
The young woman anxiously nodded, her voice shaking a little as she read the scores,
“E. A. Poe finishes with 21 points, and E. Ranpo finishes with 23, putting her in the lead by 2 points.”
“Thank you, Tsujimura,” Ango continued, “And congratulations, Ranpo. You are our first-place winner.”
Ranpo grinned as the audience cheered, but Poe didn’t hear any of it. All he could hear was the rush of blood in his ears as he watched people mill around Ranpo, giving her celebratory hugs and high-fives. It looked so… nice, to be praised like that. To be loved because of your skills. As he watched Ranpo laugh and smile with her friends, he started to wonder if he’d ever truly know what that felt like.
He averted his gaze, knowing it wasn’t helpful to wallow in self-pity. As he began gathering his papers from the podium, he felt someone’s hand tap against his back. When he turned around, his eyes met light-brown irises behind a pair of round spectacles- it was Professor Ango.
“Don’t feel bad, kid. You should be proud of yourself: no one’s come that close to beating Ranpo since she was 12. Because of her, we’ve never needed to have a tiebreaker- until now.”
Poe followed his gaze, back to the other side of the stage, where Dazai was currently giving his friend a fist-bump. “Really…?”
Ango nodded, turning his gaze back to him. He readjusted his glasses as he pulled a notecard out of his breast pocket. “Anyways, you still have a spot on the Decathlon team. We meet every Thursday, after school, in room 1-C. I know you’re new to the school, so I wrote it down, just in case you forgot. We’ll go over the specifics of this year’s competitions and events at our first meeting next week, so try not to miss it.”
Poe nodded, accepting the notecard gratefully. Ango gave him a firm handshake before disappearing down the stairs of the stage, seemingly ignoring the fact that Edgar’s hands were trembling. He shot one last glance at Ranpo before taking his own leave, who almost looked overwhelmed by the attention and like she was ready to escape. He turned away, tracing Ango’s steps down the stairs.
~~~
Ranpo briskly tugged the uniform skirt up her legs, scrambling to tug a brush through her tangled hair. Her first day, and she was already going to be late. It wasn’t like she was particularly known for her punctuality, but this was pushing it a little bit.
She practically tumbled down the stairs once she was presentable, hopping on one foot as she tugged her shoe on.
“ByeFukuzawaI’mlateI’llseeyoulaterafterschoolhaveagreatdayIloveyoubye-”
Her uncle appeared in the kitchen doorway, and it was obvious by his expression that he wasn’t surprised by his niece’s tardiness in the slightest. “Do you have your bento?”
She quickly scrambled into the kitchen, returning to stuff the box into her school bag. “Yep!”
He sighed in exasperation. “All your books?”
She quickly flipped through the items in her backpack- everything was accounted for (along with a few snacks and candies, just in case). “Yep!”
“Breakfast?”
“I’ll just grab something at the cafe on the way!” She called out over her shoulder as she pulled her bag on, slipping out the door before he could lecture her about how “A healthy meal at the start of the day is the best way to have energy throughout the day, blah blah blah.”
Fukuzawa sighed as the kid disappeared through the door. That kid was going to get herself into trouble one day if she wasn’t careful.
~~~
Ranpo half-walked, half-jogged down the street, tugging her hair into a short ponytail. She groaned in irritation when the short strands slipped out of her fingers again - why’d she have to cut it so short last time?
Once she eventually got her hair to behave, she pulled her phone out of the pocket of her skirt (They didn’t come with pockets, usually, but Yosano was a magician with a thread and needle and had added them to all of her uniforms). Her heart fluttered when she saw a text from ‘ Rui :D <3’ , and she opened her phone to read it.
Rui :D <3 [8:23 AM]: u still up for studying tonight?
Rui :D <3[8:24 AM]: how am i not surprised that ur still asleep -_-
She snorted as she imagined him saying the text in his affectionately teasing voice.
Ranpo[8:57 AM]: i thought you said my sleepiness was adorable!!!
She held back a grin when he replied a few minutes later, as she was walking down the block to the school. He usually took longer than that- which she didn’t mind, she knew he was busy, but it was nice when he did respond quickly.
Rui :D <3[9:04 AM]: of course it is princess
She giggled at the nickname, but her smile drooped when the next text came through.
Rui :D <3[9:04 AM]: so what about studying?
It wasn’t like she was opposed to helping him study, or anything. He was her boyfriend, after all, and it wasn’t his fault that he struggled in school a little bit. Her only qualm with it was that sometimes, more often than not, their study sessions went from studying the material to studying… other things.
She shook the thought out of her mind. Maybe this time he was genuinely asking to study- he did mention a test when she called him the day before, after the tryouts.
The second she had a moment to herself after everyone had given her their congratulations (which she appreciated, of course, but let a person breathe , goddamn) , she’d slipped around the back of the building, easily finding her boyfriend’s name in her phone contacts.
He picked up after a few rings, mumbling out a “Hello…?”
A smile spread across her lips at the sound of his voice. “Hey, Ru, it's me.”
“Oh, hey, babe. Hey, there’s something I wanted to ask you-”
“Oh, uh, actually, I wanted to tell you something first. Real quick,” She tentatively cut him off, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater sleeve. She had no reason to be nervous, it was her boyfriend, after all, but still… she couldn’t help the anxiety that thrummed in her chest.
“What’s up?”
“So, uh, remember the Academic Decathlon tryouts I was telling you about? Well, erm, they were today. I got first place.”
“Yeah? That’s good for you, babe.” She tried not to take offense at his disinterested tone. It was better than anger, at least- since he wasn’t as academically gifted as she was, sometimes her boasting annoyed him a little. It was a habit she’d tried to quash, knowing it probably came off as egotistic, but she still felt bad whenever she accidentally said something that sounded like a brag.
“Hey, anyways, are you free tomorrow night? I was thinking we could study together.”
“Rui…” She winced, trying to think of a way to decline without making him angry, “Tomorrow’s the first day of school for me, and I kinda don’t wanna ruin my sleep schedule too early on, you know?” She decided sprinkling in a joke would be the best way to avoid a straight-up ‘no’. She didn’t wanna hurt his feelings.
“Oh, c’mon, princess,” He whined, “You know my school started two weeks ago, and I already have a pretty big test tomorrow. You know I can’t pass it without you… I need you.”
A blush appeared on her cheeks- he needed her?
“Ok, fine,” She caved, “9 tomorrow night?”
“Sure, babe. See you then!”
Before she could say her own goodbye, the phone beeped, telling her he’d ended the call. She felt a pang of disappointment. She’d kinda hoped he’d talk to her a little longer, considering they’d hadn’t really talked in the two weeks since he’d started school… but she knew he was busy with baseball practices and games, so she pushed the feeling away.
She nibbled on her lip as she typed back,
Ranpo[9:05 AM]: yeah, i’m still good if you are!! :)
Rui :D <3[9:07 AM]: awesome :D you’re the best babe
A small smile brushed across her lips at the pet name. She tucked her phone back into her pocket as she walked up the steps to the school building.
She walked through the crowded halls, her bag slung over one shoulder as she waved and grinned at people she knew. She wasn’t exactly popular , per se, but she wasn’t unknown, either. She’d built herself quite the reputation, since she’d been at the top of her class consistently since first year. Despite that, due to her outgoing personality, she’d managed not to get herself too many enemies. Yosano always told her how much people liked her, but Ranpo could never read people that well, so she just decided to take her friend’s word for it.
Yosano had been Ranpo’s best friend since first year. Ranpo still had no idea how it had happened, exactly- Yosano was the popular, attractive girl who had half the school wrapped around her little finger, while Ranpo was a social inept, tomboyish nerd. And yet, they’d hit it off the second they met, when Yosano had offered her a packet of strawberry pocky.
“Hey, do you want this? I’m not really a fan of this flavor,” She’d said.
Ranpo had eagerly snapped up the packet, causing the other girl to laugh at her enthusiasm. They’d started talking more, after that, and soon enough they were practically inseparable. Despite being a few months younger, she almost felt like an older sister to Ranpo.
Ranpo instantly spotted her best friend as she walked into the classroom- Yosano was perched on top of a desk, her uniform loafers on the chair below her and one leg gracefully crossed over the other. She was talking to a couple of third-years, but immediately lost interest in them when she noticed Ranpo walk in.
Her face lit up, and she slid off the desk to give her friend a hug. “Ranpo!” she cried excitedly, grinning as she barreled into the smaller girl.
Ranpo couldn’t help but smile at Yosano’s enthusiasm, wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist and giving her a quick squeeze.
“I missed you soooo much,” Yosano groaned dramatically as she pulled away.
“It’d literally only been a week since we saw each other,” Ranpo snorted, even though it was obvious that she’d missed Yosano just as much.
“That's still way too long! It's been so long since I made a stupid decision or enabled one that I think I’m in withdrawal. Withdrawal , Ranpo-” She cut herself off, snorting when Ranpo lightly kicked her in the shin.
Ranpo glanced around, noticing the lack of two specific faces. “Where are the others?”
Yosano shrugged. “Chuuya’s at morning volleyball practice, and I’m guessing that Dazai’s with him. Somehow those two are even more inseparable since they started dating.” She rolled her eyes.
“I’ll bet you 700 yen that Dazai somehow managed to convince Chuuya to skip practice entirely, and are currently in some storage closet sucking each other’s faces off right now,” Ranpo giggled.
Sure enough, as if on cue, two familiar faces appeared in the doorway, with their self-consciousness written all over their expressions. The taller of the two, a messy-haired teen with bandages wrapped around his lanky limbs under his uniform, headed over to them once he spotted them from across the classroom. A shorter, indignant-looking kid with his hands stuffed into his pockets trailed after him, his bright-red hair tucked into a ponytail at the top of his skull. The pair looked like they’d been doing some sort of activity, and it definitely hadn’t been volleyball.
Ranpo smugly wiggled her eyebrows at Yosano, as if to say, pay up, bestie .
“Oh, come on! I didn’t even take the bet!”
“I still won, though~”
Yosano groaned, digging into her bag for her purse. “Fine- how’d you know, anyways?”
Ranpo snorted. “Have you met them?”
Before Yosano could respond, Dazai and Chuuya appeared at their side. “What are you two betting on, this time?”
“Oh, nothing- just on whether or not you two were spending some quality time together before class, is all.”
Chuuya’s face went beet red, and Dazai looked away in embarrassment, confirming Ranpo’s suspicions.
“I have no idea what you’re thinking- we would never do such things,” Chuuya grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Mmhmm- Oh, by the way, you got a little something on your neck, there,” Ranpo added, pointing at where Chuuya’s collarbone peeked out from under his uniform shirt (which had its top button undone, probably forgotten in his rush).
Chuuya’s blush deepened, and he shot a glare at his boyfriend. “Dazai, what were you thinking?” He hissed.
Dazai smiled sheepishly, holding his hands up in defense. “Sorry- I didn’t mean it!”
Ranpo rolled her eyes, stepping away. “I’m gonna go grab something from the vending machine,” She called over her shoulder.
“Grab me some chips, will you?” Yosano shouted after her.
“Only if you pay me back!”
~~~
Poe glanced at the classroom numbers as he made his way down the hall, dodging various groups of students that mingled in the halls, crowded around lockers and doorways.
He was looking for class 2-F - floor 2, room F (as he’d eventually figured out after an embarrassingly long time that he’d rather not admit to anyone). It was going to be his homeroom for the rest of the year, apparently; quite different from how American high schools functioned, but he was sure he’d adjust soon enough.
He eventually found it, breathing a sigh of relief at finally having finished his search. He wrapped his fingers more tightly around the strap of his bookbag, taking a moment to mentally prepare himself before going in. He found himself desperately wishing he had Lucy by his side- but she was thousands of miles away, on the other side of the Earth. He took a breath, deciding to open the door before he could talk himself out of it-
Only for the door to open seconds before his fingers closed around the handle, and two moss-colored eyes appeared in front of him.
“Oh, it's you,” He gasped, recognizing the girl from the tryouts.
Ranpo blinked, cocking her head at him. “Erhm… do I know you?”
He faltered for a moment. Did she really not recognize him?
“Y-yeah, from the competition, yesterday, I, we- you,” He stammered, half from shock, half from confusion.
“Uh-huh. Well, if you don’t mind, could you move so I can get out?”
“Oh, uh, sure,” He managed to mumble, stepping aside to give her room to pass by.
He tried to forget the confusing interaction as he found an empty seat next to a kid with fiery-red hair, who seemed to be furiously attempting to cover something on his neck with a great deal of concealer. He had more important things to worry about- like his grades, for one.