"Sure you're not. That's why you look like you're plotting his murder less often these days."
He glanced at Giyuu, who was trying to hide his amusement. Sanemi's face turned red with anger and embarrassment.
"I do not! I still hate him!" He insisted, but the way he kept glancing at Giyuu betrayed his words. Obanai chuckled and pushed off the wall.
"Whatever you say, Shinazugawa. Just don't deny it too hard, you might pop a blood vessel." Giyuu finally spoke up, his tone calm and collected.
"Leave him alone, Obanai. He's just having a crisis about our new living arrangement."
He said casually, watching as Sanemi sputtered in protest. "We're roommates now."
"You two are disgusting. Now sit down and shut your mouth, chihuahua." Sanemi growled at the nickname, his temper flaring again. "Who are you calling a chihuahua, you little-"
He was cut off by Giyuu grabbing his arm and dragging him into the classroom.
"Come on, Sanemi. Let's just get through this day without you starting another fight."
"Did you just call him by his first name? What is wrong with you Shinazugawa? Holy fuck my friend is a shitty homo...ew." Sanemi's eyes widened in shock and horror as he heard the word "homo" and realized what it implied. He yanked his arm free from Giyuu's grip.
"What the hell did you just say?!"
He shouted, his voice echoing through the classroom as he turned to face Obanai with a murderous look. Obanai smirked again, clearly enjoying the chaos he had caused. "Oh, nothing. Just stating the obvious. You two are awfully touchy with each other lately."
He taunted, pointing at Giyuu's hand that was still on Sanemi's arm. Sanemi looked down at Giyuu's hand and then back at Obanai, his face a mix of rage and embarrassment.
"Shut up! We're not... we're not like that!" He struggled to find the right words, his heart racing as he tried to deny the accusation. Finally the teacher walked in looking at them. The teacher cleared his throat, eyeing the three boys with a stern expression.
"Is there a problem here?"
He asked, sensing the tension in the room. Sanemi quickly stepped away from Giyuu and sat down at his desk, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
Giyuu sighed and took his seat as well, trying to appear nonchalant despite the awkward situation. "No problem, sensei. Just a misunderstanding."
He replied smoothly, shooting Obanai a warning glare. "Good... now to the tests from yesterday... I am disappointed how bad it was." The teacher began passing out the tests, and Sanemi's face paled as he saw his grade. He had completely bombed it, which was unusual for him.
Giyuu glanced at Sanemi's paper and couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern. Sanemi crumpled the paper in his fist, his expression darkening further. He knew he had to study harder or he'd fail the class, which would mean more time spent with Giyuu.
He looked over at Giyuu's perfect score and scowled. "You had everything right?!"
Giyuu shrugged modestly, showing his test with all the correct answers marked in red.
"I guess I did. Studying pays off."
He said casually, knowing it would annoy Sanemi even more. Sanemi slammed his fist on the desk, drawing attention again.
"Of course you did. You're such a damn know-it-all." He hissed under his breath, trying to keep his voice low enough so the teacher wouldn't hear.
The teacher shot them another warning look.
"Shinazugawa, Tomioka, no talking during class. Focus on your grades."
Giyuu smirked at Sanemi and mouthed "I told you so" before turning his attention back to the front of the room. Sanemi clenched his jaw and forced himself to stay quiet, seething with frustration. He couldn't believe he was being lectured by both Giyuu and the teacher.
He spent the rest of the class glaring at his test and occasionally glancing at Giyuu with a mixture of anger and... something else he refused to acknowledge. As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Sanemi quickly packed up his things and stood up.
"I need to study. Don't follow me."
He growled at Giyuu, heading for the library with determination.
I can help you again. Sanemi paused, his back still turned to Giyuu.
"I don't need your help. I can do it myself."
He said stubbornly, though his voice lacked its usual conviction. Giyuu stood up and walked over to him, standing close enough that their shoulders brushed again.
"You clearly can't. Look at your test."
He pointed at the crumpled paper in Sanemi's hand. Sanemi's grip on the paper tightened again, his knuckles turning white.
"Shut up! I said I don't need your help!"
He repeated more forcefully, but his body language betrayed his resistance. He was leaning slightly towards Giyuu, almost as if he wanted to accept the offer.
"Shinazugawa."Giyuu's voice was firm.Sanemi finally turned to face Giyuu, his eyes narrowing at the use of his last name.
"What? Are you going to force me to study with you?"Giyuu met his gaze steadily, unflinching.
"If that's what it takes to get you to pass, then yes. You're going to fail if you keep this up."
He crossed his arms, standing his ground."Let's go, we're going to be late." Sanemi followed after him, grumbling under his breath.
"You're so annoying, Giyuu. I swear, I'll make your life hell." He caught up to Giyuu and walked beside him, their shoulders occasionally brushing against each other as they made their way to class.
The walk to class was filled with their usual bickering, but there was a new undercurrent of familiarity and comfort between them. Sanemi found himself stealing glances at Giyuu, still processing everything that happened last night.
Giyuu noticed the glances and smirked again, pretending not to see them as he quickened his pace slightly. Obanai was waiting outside their classroom, leaning against the wall with a bored expression. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Giyuu and Sanemi approaching together.
"What's with you two? Did you finally decide to stop fighting and become best friends?"
He teased sarcastically, eyeing their close proximity. Sanemi immediately tensed up at Obanai's comment, stepping away from Giyuu.
"Shut up, snake boy. We're not friends."
He snapped defensively, crossing his arms again. Obanai smirked, clearly enjoying Sanemi's reaction.