A/N

Majority of this takes place sometime in year 2, but after all four of the rookies join. Just a warning that there's some cursing and stuff since it's... well, Banri. Ah, and in case it wasn't clear, the flashback scene happens a year before year 1, meaning before Banri meets Juza and the rest of Mankai. It's also loosely based on the vibes of 18 by Anarbor...

"Tadaima~!" I grinned as I yelled out while entering Mankai's dorm.

"Okaeri — wait wasn't that a girl's voice?" one of the boys in the living room answered before an entire scuffle ensued, everyone scrambling to see who entered.

"It's a bonafide highschool girl!" a dyed blonde I'm pretty sure was named Kazunari yelped.

"She's in a Hanagaku uniform!" a boy with fluffy hair, probably Muku, supplied as he ran upstairs to call everyone else.

"Eto, maybe you got lost, Onee-chan?" an older brother type, I think he was the scriptwriter, Tsuzuru, asked me in a concerned manner.

"Nah. I'm here to game with Senpai. And crash for a few days if he ain't chicken," I couldn't help but smirk at the chaos.

That was when Itaru snapped his fingers in realization, "You're NAI, right?! That brat who got to Top 14 without pay to win?"

"Ohhh, still bitter about that Taruchi-san?" I couldn't help but snicker a little bit.

"I'm more annoyed about how NEO can't shut up about you bein' a better gaming partner."

"Tch. Even though I'm the one who got him hooked on games, ungrateful kid..." he shook his head in mock gloom.

"You act like getting a student addicted to gaming is a good thing," a green haired man I knew to be Itaru's roommate sighed.

"So...um...who are you again?" the director finally managed to interrupt.

"Ah, I forgot I haven't met some of you yet. L/n Y/n, third year at Hanasaki Academy. Ban-chan was my senpai," I bowed slightly as I greeted her.

"Oi! Nai-chan, the hell you doin' here?!" when Banri came down, or stomped down, most of the spectators took this as their cue to go back to minding their own business.

"I'm here for a gaming sesh, duh. Ever since ya started Uni we only ever gamed at my place. S'boring. 'sides, the folks are actually home today," I shrugged my shoulders, one hand on a strap of my backpack, the other carrying a small suitcase.

And that was the moment a blonde man wearing glasses came home with a tall black haired boy. I was pretty familiar with the autumn troupe since I always went to Banri's shows, so I knew immediately that they were Sakyo and Azami, the rookie.

Sakyo took one look at my bags and sighed deeply, "Oi oi don't tell me we got another runaway here?"

"This the old yakuza guy with a tight hold on yer purse strings?" I whispered to Banri just to see if I could start a fight.

"Nai-chan, be nice. We gamers were once at the mercy of Sakyo's curfew," Itaru, who apparently never left, wiped away a fake tear as Izumi and Sakyo shook their heads.

"Eto...this is L/N Y/N, she's Banri's former kouhai from Hanagaku. I didn't get much about what they said, but apparently she's going to be gaming with him for today and...staying here for a few days due to personal circumstances?" the director attempted to explain to Sakyo.

"Personal circumstances my ass, she just can't stand her folks' mugs," Banri snorted before I elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"Eh? Where's she gonna be staying?" Azami glanced at me almost...warily?

"Kantoku-chan's room is a mess, you won't be able to find a spot of the floor to curl up in. Not like we have any other rooms either. So just slap on a smile and play nice 'til your parents leave again, 'kay?" Banri sighed.

"It's not that messy..." Izumi twirled a piece of her hair as she pouted.

"What're you talkin' about, dumbass? I'm obviously crashin' in your room," I huffed as I crossed my arms.

"She's...that's...in-indecent!!!" the rookie started stuttering.

"Hah?!" Banri raised an eyebrow.

"Relax, I don't wanna fuck you, ya idiot. I just sleep better when someone I know's in the room. And 'sides how many times have ya fallen asleep while gamin' at my place? Just payback an' all," I shook my head as I weaved around them to climb the stairs.

"Eh? Ehhhh?! Sakyo... what do we do?!" Izumi was clearly panicking.

"If she was a boy I would've removed her by force by now...!" Sakyo clicked his tongue.

"Ah...s'fine. I'll take care o' it. She'll be out of here by dinner if I beat her enough times," I smirked to myself as I heard Banri follow after me in partial defeat.

"That sounds so wrong..." Itaru had the gall to comment as I was about to open the door to Banri's room.

"...in the game, ya perverts!" Banri yelled down once he realized what Itaru meant.

I turned around once I'd recovered a bit and expected to see his perfectly pissed off face, only to realize that he was also blushing just the slightest bit...

So obviously, I burst out laughing.

"This is your fault you know?! Just enter the goddamn room!" He hit me lightly in the back of my head as I tried to calm down.

"My fault? You're the one who said you were gonna beat me even though I'm way better than you in everything but racing games!"

"Then I'm digging out a racing game, simple as that!"

I heard a gruff voice complain as I opened the door, "What're you being so loud for, bastard? Some people have essays to do!"

When Juza noticed me, he sort of froze.

"Oi, Settsu—!" he slowly turned to him with a glare, and I could just tell he was gonna ask something like, "Who said you could bring a girl home?!"

"I'm just gamin' with him for a bit. Want some macarons?" I'd placed my backpack on Banri's desk and taken out the box of confections before either of them could bicker.

"Ah...sure," he hesitated for just a few seconds before accepting.

"I'm Hyodo Juza," he said as he started munching contentedly.

Smiling at the expected response, I answered, "L/n Y/n, but a lotta people just call me NAI."

"NAI, huh?" he asked between bites.

"It's my gamer handle. Like Ban-chan's NEO and Itaru-san's Taruchi," I explained as I rummaged around my backpack to find what I needed.

"Hah...leave it to Nai-chan to know what items the final boss is weak to..." Banri shook his head at how easily I got Juza to warm up to me with some sweets and started setting up.

"You complain about Hyodo-san a lot, so it's your fault~!" I plopped down on the seat next to him with a light laugh.

"Ah?! Not my fault you have that weird memory capacity. Whatever, just equip your gear already so we can start the raid~" he reached over to mess my hair up, laughing when I huffed and unsuccessfully dodged.

"...you think it's actually possible for me to forget something you said?" I muttered as the game's loading transition finished.

"What was that?!" he yelled over the sounds of gunfire.

"Nothin'!" I shook my head and entered my gaming mode.

...

"Wooh! That was a great bloodbath!" I stretched my arms above my head as we beat our eleventh battle in a row, "You've gotten soft, though~ At least follow me up right, Ban-chan~!"

"I've been meanin' to ask, but seriously where'd the 'Ban-chan' come from? I graduate and you take that as a sign that you can start bein' a brat?" he clicked his tongue as he popped open a can of soda.

"Eh~ you always call me Nai-chan though...do you prefer Neo-chan? Neo-kun? Don't tell me you actually liked it better when I called you Banri-Senpai? Eh~!" I casually checked from the corner of my eye to make sure Juza had already left before I moved closer to tease him.

"Don't get so full o'yourself. Just 'cause you got decent grades now and a name in the gaming community..."

I quickly interrupted him with a scoff, "Only an OP person like you would think my grades are just decent. So what if you were always top 5 in your year? Top 10 or so ain't bad for someone who doesn't study."

"See? You got all cocky now, like me! Honestly, where's the cute puppy that used to follow me around going all 'Settsu-Senpai, please notice me!' or something?" he ignored what I said and simply smirked up at me as our eyes met.

"Yeah right, like that ever happened," I pouted as I tried to stop the heat surging up my cheeks.

"Did too~!" he reached up to mess up my hair and I immediately dodged on instinct.

Unfortunately, I ended up tripping on a wire cable, which was really annoying 'cause I thought I'd have to go ask for an icepack for whatever I'd twist. But I suddenly felt sturdy arms around me.

I stared up in surprise at first, unnable to understand the expression on his face, but I soon recovered and smiled slightly, "Well ain't this a nasty cliche?"

He snorted as he sat me back down and let go, "Sure is."

Looking down at the controller in my hands, I opened my mouth to say something, anything, before he suddenly started speaking, "Say, what're you gonna do once you graduate?"

I was half expecting him to bring it up at some point, but I still froze when I actually heard it.

"Y'know, I feel like you've changed a bit," I rubbed the back of my neck, still avoiding his eyes.

"Don't go all dramatic on me now. I just asked ya a simple question. Seriously..." I could practically hear him shaking his head in amusement.

I groaned and slid down the beanbag onto the floor, "Dunno man. Probably try to be a pro-gamer or somethin' and do a buncha part time jobs when I'm hard on cash."

"Hah? Weren't you going to some prestigious-as-shit Uni or somethin'?" I placed my arm on my face so I wouldn't have to see his piercing glare.

"S'what the folks want so I'm not letting them have their way," I half-joked as I got up suddenly.

"...dumbass."

"Back at ya. Imma see if I can swipe some scones from Omi-san, so take care o' my character, yeah? Don't just leave it on autocombat again..." I looked over my shoulder as I opened the door, only to see that he'd already started another round.

Suppressing the urge to click my tongue, I left after shutting the door as quietly as I could.

"Omi-sannn..." I called out as I lazily draped myself over a kitchen counter.

"Need something, Y/n-chan?" he popped out from behind the fridge's door with a small smile.

"D'you happen to have any snacks around? I once heard from Ban-chan that you usually make scones around this time o'day..." I grinned as I tugged at a stray piece of my hair absentmindedly.

"Ah, it's a good thing I kept some then. Juza came earlier and almost ate all of them with some macarons he got..." he rummaged around the cupboards until he found the container he was looking for and handed it to me.

"Ah yeah, I was the one who gave him those."

"I see. Want some cream and jam with that?" he asked as he scanned the cupboards, hand on his hip.

"Cream would be nice, but I'll pass on the jam please..." I giddily sat down and popped the lid open.

"Here you go," he said as he placed the cream in front of me.

I thanked him politely before saying, "Itadakimasu!" and digging in.

"Heh," I turned to look at him in question when I heard the small laugh.

"Ah, it's nothing. I just thought you'd be the type to forget the 'Itadakimasu' and never talk formally, you know, like Banri..."

I couldn't help but snort a bit at that, "You'd think we'd both turn out lookin' like we were raised by wolves, yeah?"

"Ah, I didn't mean to offend or anything..." his brows furrowed in concern.

"Nah, no worries. I get it a lot. We're like this but our parents are both kinda elite. No matter how much I hate it, we're Hanagaku kids through and through after all. Banri's pretty far removed from the mannerisms 'cause he's a damned high spec loner, but I actually kept around a few...let's say straight-laced people before I met him, so I guess I haven't completely turned into a savage..." I shrugged off the complicated feeling weighing down on me.

"I see..." when I turned to look at him, I only saw a gentle, understanding expression in his eyes.

"Most o' us are kinda messed up and hard to understand, actually...glad that Sakuya kid didn't turn out this way," I looked away hurriedly and said whatever to change the topic.

"Haha, you know he was in Banri's year, right?"

"Doesn't matter if he's my senpai. He seems like a cute kid so he is a cute kid," I crossed my arms and huffed as I bit into my third scone, stubborn smile back on my face.

"Ah, should I get more cream? It's all gone but you have two more."

"No thanks, I'm actually bringing this up for Ban-chan. I don't think he likes cream on his scones..." I got up from my seat as I finished my last scone and closed the container.

"...gouchisousama..." I muttered before leaving, cheeks growing a bit warm when I heard Omi chuckle a bit in amusement.

"Yo, senpai! Brought back a few scones for ya!" I announced as I walked in.

"Oi, knock before you enter! NEO and I are recording right now!" Itaru yelled at me briefly before turning back his attention on the game they were streaming.

"Geez...when did my room become a gaming base? Did Chikage-san actually throw you out?"

"Tch I'll have to edit this out...Nah, he's just making a real scary face while typing away on his pc, and I'm afraid I'll accidentally glimpse what his work is...and get terminated for knowing international secrets or something," he replied as I sat down next to them and opened the container.

"Thanks," they said in varying levels of coherence as I placed a scone in each of their mouths.

"You're really playing a two player game without me when I'm the one who came all the way here for a gaming sesh..." I sighed as I sprawled out behind them.

"Not like I had a say in it..." Banri muttered before Itaru exclaimed, "Oi oi you left your back open! Get your head in the game or I'm yeeting the girl out the window!"

"Rude. You're way too weak to yeet me outta anywhere anyway," I sat up straight and glared at him as Banri simply chuckled.

"Taruchiii let me play next..." I groaned after a short stretch of silence, save for the game's sound effects of course.

"I don't associate with non pay to win rankers."

"Hah?! NEO doesn't whale like you either!" I could practically feel a vein about to pop.

"Yeah, but his rank's below mine right now..." he shrugged without looking away from the screen.

"Tch. Hey, if I say our names Taruchi has to waste his time censoring it out, right?" I grinned evilly as I whispered to Banri.

He snorted but nodded in a way that meant he didn't care if I caused some chaos.

"Banri-senpai~ I'm bored... Itaru-san's so meannn, right?" I spoke breathily into Banri's ear just loud enough for the mic to pick up, the hitch in Banri's breath was definitely just a bonus.

"Gross. Teenagers," Itaru sighed but nonetheless continued his game.

Rolling my eyes at how unaffected Itaru was, I gritted out, "If you don't let me play next I'm gonna shout both of your names like I'm in a fucken porno. How much you wanna bet that's gonna be a pain to edit?"

"I. Actually. Live. With. Absolute. Savages," Itaru threw his controller up into the air and let himself fall back onto his beanbag in defeat as I smirked contentedly and Banri simply snickered at the sight.

"Anyway, since I'm a super magnanimous and easilly blackmailable Onii-san, we have NAI here as a guest to take my place!" Itaru announced into the mic as I took the controller and Banri resumed the game.

"I don't want to be your little sister," I stuck my tongue out as I hurriedly switched out his gear to ones that worked better for my play style.

"And I don't want you for a brother-in-law," Banri clicked his tongue as we began massacring our enemies.

"Smooth proposal there, NEO," it seemed that Itaru would be hanging around for commentary, unfortunately.

...

"So, NAI...your gamer handle's kinda similar to NEO, huh? Did you plan that? That'd actually be kinda cute," Itaru continued his intermittent questions while playing some cat raising game on his phone.

"This is really becoming a podcast..." I sighed before cursing at a particularly irritating boss monster.

"Don't you have a policy on not giving away personal info or somethin'?" Banri grunted as we just barely cleared the insane stage.

"I'm bored since Nai-chan ever so kindly kicked me out, and she isn't doing anything to entertain my viewers, so..." I didn't even have to turn my head to know Itaru had his annoying 'can't be helped' face on.

"So it's fine if it's not your personal info, eh?" in the corner of my eye, I could see Banri looking like he couldn't decide if he should laugh or sigh.

"Isn't it entertainin' enough that a cute girl is willing to be in the same room as a two-faced man-child?"

"You have to clarify which one of us you're talking about, and are we not going to talk about the fact that she just called herself cute? Who does that?"

"Like she'd ever call me a man-child when she practically idolized me," Banri smirked in his typical overconfident way.

"Whatever."

"Oya. She's not denying it," Itaru's voice was really grating on my nerves at this point.

"Honestly, do you really expect me to have some big reason for my gamer handle? When yours is literally just Taruchi?" I asked before elbowing Banri for missing a target.

"What, kantoku-chan thinks it sounds cute!"

"If I tell you her reason will you shut up?" Banri rolled his eyes, taking them off the game for the first time today.

"He...really does get worked up when it's got something to do with kantoku-san huh...guess Hyodo-san's not my only rival..." I mumbled softly, so that no one would be able to hear over the sounds of gunfire.

"Ooh~ Nai-chan went all quiet and pensive. Guess the reason's embarassing or something?"

"So she had this light novel series she liked that also got turned into an anime, I think it was No Game No Life or somethin' and the main characters there were like a joint gaming legend who always had a blank username..." Banri started as I shook my head and elected to ignore everything to just focus on the game.

"...and you shoulda seen how pissed she was when she realized that a lotta games don't accept a username that's just spaces! Still, she found out that the author said in an interview that their last name was 'Nai' and thought NAI would be cool too since it even kinda matched mine—" he continued as I groaned, "I never said that last part...!"

"Heh," Itaru's snicker made Banri stop his story and raise an eyebrow.

"You can really go on and on if it's about Nai-chan, that was unexpected~ Bet my viewers are gonna be raving about how cute you two would be together~ " it's not like his words weren't true, but for some reason it pissed me off how misleading it sounded.

I knew that Banri could never like me in the way Itaru was implying. I would only ever be that pain in the ass kouhai that imprinted on him just because he patched me up after I got injured once.

"C'mon man, find another way to get ratings besides making shit up about people's love lives," Banri didn't even blink.

Of course he wouldn't get worked up. That would be stupid. I wasn't named Hyodo Juza or Tachibana Izumi after all. Just L/n Y/n, an idiot who never did learn how to get over her first love, even if he was just a cocky bastard.

...

I strode into the bathroom with a sigh, "So fuckin' tired of PE and math being the first two periods after lunch. This school's a damned wreck. Who goes on a mile run after eating?"

"Heh. Seems like even the jack of all trades of first year can run outta steam sometimes?" a girl in high heels and a typical gyaru way of dress entered as I splashed my face with cold water.

"Lol, you skippin' too?" I sat on the sink counter, crossing my legs.

"Something like that," she smirked as I raised an eyebrow at her answer.

She didn't say anything after that so I shrugged it off, popping a lolipop in my mouth before heading down to the field since it was as nice a place for a nap as any on a cloudy day.

I guess I was too preoccupied spacing out that I didn't notice the leg that came from behind me and tripped, falling all the way to the landing. Thankfully I had quick reflexes and caught myself before my head got bashed on the ground, but when I got up, a flash of pain traveled up my leg, causing me to stumble. I definitely would have fallen again if I hadn't grabbed onto the railing in time.

I gritted my teeth in pain, half-eaten lolipop long forgotten on the floor, "Must've twisted my ankle..."

I looked behind me with a glare to see if the culprit was still there, but all I got was the sound of a distant giggle. Well, whatever. It was probably the girl I met in the bathroom.

I gritted my teeth again as I began limping down the stairs, my new destination the school clinic.

"Damn hypocrites..." I sighed as I roughly shoved the sliding door open.

The room was dimly lit and no one else was there save for a tall guy with longish hair boredly applying antiseptic to the wounds on his hands and face.

"Yo, you got beat up?" I greeted with a smirk as I did my best to hide my limp while walking over to the shelf full of disinfectant and bandages.

He clicked his tongue before answering, "The day I lose to anyone'll be interesting. I just forgot to wrap my hands before punching the daylights outta some punks, guess their bones got a bit harder after I broke 'em last time."

"Eh~ it's kinda refreshing how overconfident you are. Then again, most delinquents are, huh?" I shook my head as I sat down to finish disinfecting some scrapes on my knees before I started unwrapping the bandages for my ankle.

"And it's refreshing that you don't know who I am," I could hear a smirk in his voice and almost yelped in surprise upon looking up and coming face to face with him.

"Well then, who is the oh so important person I'm talking to?" my surprise melted away quicker than I expected as I calmly turned away from him to wrap my ankle.

"Wow, you're not gonna introduce yourself first?"

"Fine. L/n Y/n, first year class A, so could you just tell me your name already? We have study period next and I for one can't wait to sleep in the air-conditioned library," I raised an eyebrow as I waved the scissors I was using.

"Settsu Banri, second year," he said, his eyes glinting dangerously when he spotted the tell-tale signs of recognition on my face.

"Damn, at least tell me I gave you a hell of a first impression, Settsu-Senpai."

He chuckled, "My impression is that you've never done this before. That's definitely the wrong way to wrap it. I'll do it for you this time but don't complain if it hurts, yeah?"

...

"Otsu otsu~ you two did surprisingly well today. I might get more viewers than last week's upload," Itaru pat us both on the head, knowing we couldn't dodge as easilly since we were sprawled out, half on our beanbags and half on the floor.

"Ugh, otsu," I sighed as I gave up on trying to fix my hair and closed my eyes.

"Otsu~ buy me some high class gear if you get more followers 'cause of us, 'kay?" Banri yelled out to the suddenly quickly retreating Itaru.

"Ah? How come only you'd get some?"

"You're already weirdly good at gaming without pay to win," he scoffed as he sat up.

"It's all I have, though..." I whispered, but I didn't really care if he heard.

He clicked his tongue once and I heard him get up, so I opened my eyes to see where he was going.

I bit my cheek to stop myself from yelling when I came face to face with him again, "Ah geez, you always do this."

He didn't say anything but just kept staring at me as if he was trying to figure out how to solve the world's hardest rubik's cube or something. Just when I was gonna ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, his hand moved to gently cup my cheek.

My mind went absolutely blank but I still tried to say something to stop him from whatever he was gonna do. And then he headbutted me so hard I fell back onto my beanbag and forgot what I was going to say.

"WHAT THE FUCK, BANRI?!"

"Ah, so noisy. Was your head always this hard?" he rubbed his own forehead as he sat down next to me with a sigh.

"Like yours isn't! Honestly, if I lose a buncha brain cells and forget how to game..." I sat up and gestured wildly.

"Yeah, yeah...my bad I guess. I just got pissed off with how often you put yourself down when it's obvious how great you are," he closed his eyes as if to avoid seeing my reaction.

"You literally could not have expressed your concern and support in a more hostile and insensitive way," I groaned at realizing just how out of touch the prick I used to idolize was...

"I once threatened to beat the shit out of Autumn Troupe up if they caught a cold..."

"I know!" I tried really hard to stay angry, but couldn't help but burst out laughing.

After a while, he joined in, and everything was normal again.

...

"Itadakimasu!"

"Chigasaki, remind me again what Settsu said earlier about getting her to leave?" Sakyo glared daggers at Banri seated next to me at the dinner table.

"Eto...something like he'll beat her in enough games that she'll willingly leave by dinner time?" Itaru just gave the two of us the shit eating grin that I was growing allarmingly accustomed to.

"Maybe he meant dinner time tomorrow or the day after~" I supplied as I dug in, glad that Omi-san was the one who cooked today and I didn't have to suffer through curry hell on day one.

"Tch. There's plenty of good kids in Hanagaku but he just had to bring home someone almost as cheeky as you," Sakyo turned to sigh at Izumi as she just laughed lightly.

Banri blatantly ignored the stares and silently scarfed down his food.

"It's fine isn't it, Sakyo? I had some of the boys help me clean up and Matsukawa found a spare futon in the storage, so she can sleep in my room. It's only for two nights at most..." the director tried to soothe the near fuming yakuza.

He sighed before resuming eating, "I guess. She better not stay up gaming, though. Lights out stays the same."

"Heartless as ever..." whined Taichi from across the table.

"He's a money-grubbing yakuza, what did you expect?" Yuki shook his head at the sulking puppy.

...

"Oi...you've got to be kidding me. Didn't everyone agree you'd be sleeping in Kantoku-chan's room?!" Banri whisper yelled upon opening his door to see me carrying a pillow and a futon while in my pajamas.

"Izumi-san sleeptalks...and trust me, you don't want to hear what it's about. I'll just have nightmares if I sleep there..." I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Hyodo snores like a helicopter, though..."

"Yeah, I can hear, but it sounds just like the heavy construction near my place, so I'm used to that kinda thing," I shrugged.

Putting on my best pleading face, I begged, "Please, Banri-Senpai. I feel safe next to you."

"Gross, cut it out. You're such a spoiled kouhai..." he shook his head but moved to the side to let me through.

"Nyahaha and you're the best senpai ever!" I gave him a quick hug before laying my futon next to his desk and curling up.

"You need anything before I go up to sleep? You can have my blanket, it's hotter up here anyways," he called down as he climbed the ladder to his bed.

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Liar! You get cold real easy!" I looked up to argue back only to get hit in the face with his blanket.

"Fine. Good night," I gave up and bundled myself in the blanket since it was soft and smelled surprisingly nice.

"G'night~"

A long stretch of silence followed as we both tried to fall asleep.

Suddenly, I couldn't suppress a snicker at a thought I had.

"Ah?" he shifted in his bed above me.

"S'nothin'. I was just thinkin' how funny Hyodo-san's reaction'll be tomorrow..."

"Tch. Just sleep already. I don't wanna think about the headache and scolding I'll get so early in the morning..."

"Yes sir!" I grinned.

It was nice to fall asleep with a smile on my face for once. If only I could live in this little bubble called Mankai forever...

...

A loud crash woke me up, and as I sat up and blinked blearily, I saw Juza hurriedly righting the objects he'd knocked over in his surprise.

When he noticed I was awake, he froze and eyed the door.

"Wait, I have an explanation, Hyodo-san—!" I yelled out desperately as I untangled my self from the sheets, but it was to no avail as he bolted out of the room before I could stop him.

Internally panicking, I hurriedly stood up and gathered my things as quickly as I could. Maybe if I moved fast enough — and Sakyo was officially here.

I was about to exit when the door almost slammed into me and I came face to face with the scariest expression you could ever see on a thirty one year old man.

"SETTSU!!! EXPLAIN! NOW!" it was Banri's turn to wake up, bonk his head on the ceiling, and unceremoniously tumble down onto the ground with a thud.

...

"Blah blah blah and so I'm throwing you out if I find you sleeping on anywhere but the living room couch!"

"Yadda yadda yadda and you better keep your promise of only staying one more night! Got that, you brat?" Sakyo grumbled out the last bit of his lecture before storming out of the room.

"Ah, normally I'd be happy to have another member of the Anti-Sakyo Association, but you just made his morning lecture three times longer than usual..." Azami sighed as he shook his head and left with his breakfast in his mouth.

"Mannn, I wish a cute girl would sneak into my room too~!" Taichi groaned as he overdramatically fell over on the couch, evidently tired from the lecture.

"Look at this bastard...actin' like everything's normal when he just sold us out to Sakyo without stopping to listen..." Banri grumbled as we glared at Juza happily munching away on Omi's breakfast waffles.

"Now now, let's all calm down and eat or it'll get cold. Y/n-chan and Taichi have class today, right? You might be late if you don't hurry up..." before we knew it, Omi had ushered the two of us to our seats at the table.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Eto...it's amazing that the other boys didn't wake up from all that racket..." Izumi smiled awkwardly as we started eating rather aggressively.

"Rather, it'll take either kantoku-chan or an army to wake Masumi up in time for school...even Sakuya has a hard time..." Banri clicked his tongue.

"Gouchisousama..."

I stretched my arms above me as I finished eating and said, "Must be nice not having morning classes...

"It really is," Banri and Omi smiled insultingly bright at my and Taichi's sulking forms.

"Wah, if only I went to Hanagaku too! Then I'd be able to walk to school with a cute girl and learn more about Ban-chan!" Taichi was practically crying as the two of us brought our plates to the sink.

I simply laughed and pat him on the head, "Don't worry! I'll tell ya plenty o' cool Ban-chan stories when we get home! And some embarassing ones too!"

"Woah! Y/n-chan's the best!" I could've sworn I saw a tail wagging behind him...

"Tch. Spreadin' my secrets when I took such a heavy scoldin' for her... what a fuckin' kouhai huh..."

"I'm the best, right?"

...

"So then he said, in this totally try-hard macho voice—" I continued once Taichi's laughter finally calmed down a bit.

"I'm revokin' your gaming rights for talkin' shit about me," Banri was apparently waiting for us at the entrance and boy was he glowering.

"Mmm, s'fine if it's just a day, I guess. We can just do karaoke or play some darts," I shrugged and turned back to Taichi, fully intent on continuing my story.

"Then we're doing karaoke right now," he stomped over to me and grabbed my wrist to drag me off.

"Uh...bye then, Taicchan?" I called out with a wave as I found myself running after him.

"Have fun!" he called out in equal confusion before he disappeared into the dorms.

"Oi, what's got you this worked up, Ban-chan?" I raised an eyebrow as we slowed down upon nearing the karaoke place he often went to with Tenma.

"I just need to destress. The Hyodo bastard's been extra annoying lately..." he let out a breath as we entered.

Ignoring the prick in my chest at the name, I laughed lightly, "You know you're gonna look like a skirt chaser 'cause you didn't let me change out of my uniform first, right?"

"Tch. As if I look that old," he shook his head as he payed for an hour in his usual booth.

"Keep furrowing your eyebrows like that and A-chan'll start comparing your wrinkles to Sakyo's!"

"I'm one year older than you, brat!" he hit my shoulder and I almost dropped the drink menu I was holding.

"Yes sir. Just pick a song already~!" I shoved him back after taking off my uniform's blazer.

He clicked his tongue at my antics but nonetheless glanced at the song selection quickly before entering a familiar one.

"Gotta Tag 'Em All? Really?"

"Don't look at me like that. Tenma got it stuck in my head."

"Pfft..."

"This is a duet, you know!" he shoved a mic in my hand before I could erupt into laughter.

"What the heck..."

...

"So? Told ya EVE's songs are great. Don't understand why you refuse to listen to vocaloid so much," I panted as our fifth or so duet ended.

"I'll just turn into a cooler copy o' Itaru if I do that..." he chugged down a soda as I popped my own open.

"Modest as always," the soda almost went up my nose when I snorted at his remark.

"I gotta set a good example as the senpai, after all~" we locked eyes, and for some reason his drawling voice sent shivers down my spine.

I guess I was so distracted by him brushing back his slightly damp hair that I didn't notice him inching closer until we were face to face and I felt his ragged breath on my cheek.

"...Ban...Ban-chan?" my voice suddenly sounded weak and distant as my cheeks flared up.

"I told you to call me senpai," I barely registered what he muttered before I felt something surprisingly soft and cold on my lips.

"Mmph..." my eyes shut on reflex as I felt our lips began moving in a surprisingly fluid rhythm.

My mind was utterly blank, amazed at how in sync we were...at the tingling sensation I felt. I can't say I had experience kissing, but damnit wasn't he way too good at this too? The cool sensation of his lips were intoxicating yet the hot and flustered feeling almost made me want to break away... almost.

Just when I began to regain my sense of time, his tongue pushed against my teeth, practically demanding entrance.

"Banri...senpai..." I could feel him smirk into the kiss before he took advantage of my slight gasp and slipped his tongue in.

Of course I forgot what I was going to say next. All I knew was that our tongues were pressing against each other...and that I was probably gonna lose in the fight for dominance...

"I'll stop...if you want," he murmured as we broke away for air, foreheads pressed together, still reeling from the high.

I looked away to hide my burning face, unconsciously pushing my thighs together for a reason even I didn't quite know.

"Nai-chan?" he asked, way softer than I thought someone like him capable.

When I didn't answer, he took my chin in one hand, making me look at him, and for some reason he had the gall to look surprised when he saw my expression.

"Heh. So that's all I needed to do to see my Nai-chan's cute embarrassed face again?" my head cleared a bit as I tried to restrain the urge to sock him in his stupidly pretty face.

"You douche," I spat out while getting up.

For a moment, a look of something that resembled guilt passed over his face, but I didn't have time to ponder over it if I didn't want to chicken out, so I surged forward to bite his lower lip lightly and continue where we left off.

He growled softly as I tugged at his hair to deepen the kiss, his hands finding their way to my hips.

I let out a small gasp as he pulled me down to straddle his right thigh, which earned me a rather dangerous smirk. He sure could get his confidence back easy, this bastard.

"Tch, you've done this before, haven't you," I clicked my tongue as I loosened the top few buttons of my blouse, the room suddenly a bit too hot for my liking.

"Only on a dare~" he started laughing as if to tease me for my inexperience, only cutting himself off with his own groan when I bit his ear just above a piercing.

"Damn it, I don't know why girls do that..." he complained, but I could clearly see how his face flushed from the contact.

I was definitely going to tease him about it, but forgot everything when he breathlessly pulled me down to start kissing up my neck.

I bit my tongue to suppress a moan as he moved up to my jaw, licking and sucking every so often, his tongue somehow still cold from the soda making me shiver.

Just when he broke away to kiss me on the lips again, the door slammed open with a bang.

"Oi, I can't believe I had to hear you were going to karaoke from Taich—AAAAAHHHH!"

I hid my face in Banri's shoulder on instinct as Tenma practically hacked his lungs out at the position he caught us in.

"Damnit Tenma," Banri sighed as he lifted me off him and onto the couch we were sitting on.

As soon as Tenma had closed the door, he whirled around on us with a face almost as bright as mine and began yelling to his heart's content, "What is even the fuckkk?!!!"

"Relax man, we were just blowing off some steam..." Banri rolled his eyes and desperately tried to act cool despite the fact that his face was clearly also the color of a tomato.

"She was — ! You were — ! You're not even dating!!!" he waved his hands wildly.

"Goddamnit, teenagers!" he concluded oh so eloquently as he grabbed a soda on the table to cool himself off.

"I'm literally your age, you hack!" I grabbed my blazer and threw it in his face before hiding my face behind my hands again.

"So...wanna sing duet? Nai-chan can go on tambourine duty," Banri overenthusiastically said as he zoomed to the song selection and tossed me a tambourine.

Tenma chugged down half of his soda before answering, "You seriously — ! Ah, forget it. Fine."

"But you so owe me. Next time I ask a favor and you turn me down, the whole company'll hear about this..." he raised a finger at us before striding over to Banri's side and inputing a song.

"Woah~ Tenma-sama's cooler than I expected!" I clapped my hands and forced a close eyed smile.

"Hmph. Of course. It's me after all," he gave a smirk that was way more smug than it had any right to be.

Suddenly, he reminded me of Banri and I tossed him a glance, to which he muttered, "Stop that line of thought. My ego's not that easy to stroke."

"I'm not hearing any tambourine!"

...

"Tadaima!" we called out as we took off our shoes at the entrance

"Okaeri!" came scattered voices from across the dorm, bringing a small smile to my face.

"What took you so long — a co-op event's starting in half an hour!" Itaru popped his head from upstairs to glare at us.

"Let's just say they were too busy with their hormon—" Tenma started grumbling before I came up from behind him and clamped his mouth shut with the full force of both my hands.

"Tenma-san, I will break your perfect nose if you say another word. I don't care if your agency sues me," I growled before releasing him with a slight push.

"Damn, Banri. She might actually be more of a delinquent than you are..." Tenma shook his head before heading off, probably to figure out where the kitchen was and get Yuki some juice.

"Is his nose really perfect?" Banri mused as we started walking up the stairs.

"That's your takeaway from this?"

On our way to Itaru's room, we ran into Taichi showing Muku a new yo-yo trick he learned online, and Banri snapped his fingers in realization of something.

"What?"

"You're still banned from playing games today! Guess you'll have to find something else to do while Itaru and I outrank you~"

"You want me to deck you?"

"Go ahead, I've never lost a fight to anyone but Hyodo," he looked back at me with a smirk.

"...I know your sister's number, and you and I both know how much she dotes on me..."

"Tch. Fine, I'll play darts with you and Hisoka then," he gestured as if it was such a hard sacrifice to make and I scoffed.

"You're in charge of the marshmallows, though!" I threatened before dragging him to Hisoka's room.

...

"He's not human, right?" I groaned as I lost the tenth round in a row.

"...zzz...I'm a marshmallow..."

"Wouldn't that be cannibalism then?" Banri sighed as he plopped down next to me, gesturing at the empty marshmallow bags around us.

"Zzz..."

"S'not fun when you always win, but always losin' ain't great either..." I stretched my arms above me.

"Wanna get some snacks from Omi-san? We'll have to get Hisoka more marshmallows anyway if we want him to stay awake long enough for the next round..." he got up and looked back at me in question as he swung the door open.

"Mmm...you go ahead. I ate a few of his marshmallows when he was playing..." I slouched back as I closed my eyes.

"Honestly...so that's why they ran out so fast..." he didn't even have it in him to sigh anymore as he left the room.

"...Y/n."

"Hm? You're awake, Hisoka-san?"

"Mmh... here, have some sakura marshmallow. Banri told me you like sakura," he reached inside his hoodie to reveal a small bag of the flavored marshmallow.

"Eh? You're really giving me this?" I stared at him, a little shocked since I knew how much he treasured his marshmallows, especially non value pack ones.

"...you're as independent as Azami, but I feel like I need to protect you sometimes. Like Azuma," he simply said before opening it and eating some himself.

"Me? But we've only met a couple of times? You must be really nice, then..." I smiled as I popped a few marshmallows into my mouth, eyes sparkling slightly at the taste.

"...not particularly...it's just..."

"Those games are your way of forgetting, right?" I froze for a second before turning my head to look at him.

"...forgetting what?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow, unnable to comprehend the expression on his face.

"Anything...anything you don't want to remember."

"I mean...sure..." I averted my eyes to the ceiling, unsure what I was supposed to say.

"...It's normal. I think fighting was Banri's way of forgetting. Mine was not sleeping," he said as he munched on another marshmallow.

"...I see," I looked back at him and found myself nodding.

"Kazu's the one who's good at pep-talks about the future, but I just think you should do whatever you want."

"It doesn't matter if your parents don't want you to game if you want to. And it doesn't matter if they want you to go to University if you also want to. You shouldn't do things to please people, but doing things to spite them is the same thing, I think..." his eyes locked with mine and I suddenly felt like he understood a lot about how life worked.

"...how did you...?"

"The walls are thin. And I can't control where I fall asleep," was all he said, with a soft laugh at the end.

Finding myself laughing as well, I realized how glad I was I met everyone in Mankai thanks to Banri.

"...well, it's not like I actually figured out what I wanna do from this conversation, but I still feel like a huge weight's been lifted. Thanks, Hisoka-san," I threw my last marshmallow into my mouth and got up to see what was taking Banri so long.

"...zzz...tell Banri to get marshmallows from Azuma...Arisu's are always value pack..."

...

Somehow, that night passed by peacefully and without much incident. I slept on the couch, and while it took me longer to fall asleep alone, it was much better than hearing the director sleep talk whole lectures on the history and beauty of curry.

I woke up early to the shouts of the way too energetic Summer Troupe and ended up going hunting for triangles with Misumi before eating breakfast. Azami got up a bit earlier than usual despite his school being closer, so I ran into him on my way out to school and got lectured because I apparently didn't put enough sunblock on and was going to ruin my skin.

When I got back, Tsumugi offered to help me with my homework so I finished it even faster than usual. While waiting for Banri or Itaru to come home, I hung out with Muku, Kazunari, and Kumon for a bit, talking about manga, art, sports, and random topics like how many triangles Misumi actually has already or if there was even a dish on Earth that Omi couldn't make.

Of course, once they arrived, I played a few intense rounds with Itaru and Banri, complete with more swearing and gamer lingo than...anything else, really.

But soon enough, dinner time came, and with it, my last day at Mankai neared its close.

"So this is the famous curry. I don't like curry in particular, but even I can tell this one's better than most..." I commented after taking my first few bites but quickly added once I felt the nervous glares of most of the actors at the table, "I definitely don't think eating this every day would be enjoyable or healthy, though. At all."

Ignoring the scattered sighs of relief, Izumi simply beamed at me, "I'm glad it's to your liking, Y/n-chan! I made it with some new spices Chikage happened to get me and actually I've been meaning to find out if this one technique blah blah blah and it'd probably go well with chicken or yadda yadda yadda..."

"Ah...she must get along well with Sakyo-san and A-chan..." I whispered to Banri, who only snorted in response.

"Oh yeah, what'd you tell your parents? You said they're back for once but you just up and left with a backpack and suitcase?" Azami nonchalantly asked as he finished, since he ate quicker than most of us.

"Ah, I left a few hours before they arrived. Told 'em in advance that my club had a training camp or somethin'. They don't really care enough to be suspicious, so I didn't even have to effort to make an excuse," I shrugged as I emptied my glass of water, having finished and uttered my 'gouchisousama' as well.

"Y/n-chan's so cool!" Taichi's eyes sparkled at my words.

"Hm..." across the table, Omi's brows furrowed, donning an incredibly concerned face.

"But they're gone now, right? You're not just gonna go sleep under a bridge after you leave later?" Juza asked in between bites of the extra serving of dessert he got.

"Yeah, they actually messaged me to say they left this morning," I started wiping my face with a napkin.

"...you still got a little on your cheek...no, the other side..." Banri pointed to his own as I followed his directions, "Thanks."

"Still, it's already starting to get dark out...is it really alright for you to go back now?" Izumi pursed her lips.

"Tch. Let her stay here another night and the next thing you know we'll have adopted another stray, and this one can't join a troupe! Do you know how big a dent she's been on our budget these past few days? I need you all to remember that we're just barely lower middle class — one wrong move and this company goes under and blah blah blah..." Sakyo started, causing Azami to click his tongue and hurry to bring his plate to the sink.

"But Sakyo-nii...that's so heartless...! We can't just abandon Y/n-chan out into the scary night!" Taichi sternly burst out as Tenma who was seated right next to him held his ears in pain.

"Pretty sure a savage that threatened to break my nose is scarier than whatever's lurking in the dark..." Tenma muttered once the ringing in his ears stopped, to which Itaru nodded sagely.

"She's practically family now! And don't say you won't miss her even a bit," Taichi was on the verge of crying as he held onto my arm overdramatically.

"Hah? I never said that. Obviously, Settsu's gonna have to walk her back. I'm a gentlemanly yakuza, I don't make girls carry their own luggage," Sakyo scoffed.

"Gentlemanly?! Then you carry her heavy ass stuff!" I could practically see a tick mark on Banri's forehead.

"You're the one that brought this little gremlin disguised as a high school girl, so she's your responsibility, you punk!"

"It's literally only a backpack and suitcase..."

"Shhh, the fight's getting good—"

...

After one last lecture from Sakyo on road safety, I fondly received a bunch of tearful farewells.

"Take care, Y/n-chan! It was nice seeing a former kouhai!" Sakuya cheerfully sent me off before turning to help with the dishes.

Masumi simply nodded in acknowledgment to my existence before going upstairs, which was really already something considering I wasn't the director.

Tsuzuru shook his head at the troublesome yandere before smiling at me gently, "Stay safe, L/n-chan. Sakyo-san may seem real prickly, but I know you're actually always welcome here at Mankai."

"You better do your best in next week's event, so I can feel great about kicking your ass and outranking you," Itaru reached over to mess up my hair as I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Y/n's a wood kid! You must come back soon!" Citron nodded and handed me something foreign-looking that probably wouldn't be of use to anyone.

"You mean good. Make sure to always be on alert, you have fast reflexes but not as much fighting experience. And you seem like the type to take a hit for someone else on a battlefield," Chikage smiled unnervingly, but I somehow still felt an inkling of concern in his teasing.

Tenma pat me on the head with an incomprehensible grumble, to which Yuki clicked his tongue and butted in, "The Hack's a tsundere to everyone, so sorry about that, I guess. Your clothes aren't completely uncute, which makes sense since you hang with the Neo Delinquent a lot."

Smirking slightly, he added, "Don't worry, I'll have a fitting nickname for you next time you drop by. And it'll be way cooler than whatever the heck 'Nai-chan' is..."

"Eto...I actually started digging around my collection the other day and found a complete collection of the manga you were talking about. You said you lost your volume seven, right? Kazu helped me photocopy it, so..." Muku offered the manga to me, causing me to smile.

"Of course, it's fine if you don't need it! I'm just a shriveled old radish in the bottom of the fridge who wasted paper for no reaso—" he started rambling before I dove in to hug him.

"Thanks a lot, Mukkun!" I grinned ear to ear once I let go of him, and giggled a bit at how red he got.

"Hurry up already, Nai-chan. I've got stuff to do..." Banri whined from the couch.

"Don't mind Banri~ you deserve a super triangular bye-bye! I made you a super-duper special Mr. Sankaku to keep you safe! Let's look for triangles again next time~" Misumi bounced over to us and handed me the cute keepsake.

I'd barely managed to thank Misumi before Kazunari barreled into the room like a hurricane, paintbrush behind one ear and voice frantic, "Aw, c'mon guys! Can't believe you didn't tell me N/n-chan was leavin' already! It'd totes be a bummer if she left before we exchanged DMs, you know?!"

Yuki sighed at the noise, "We did tell you, you yapping dog. You were just hyper-focused on your project..."

"Hehe..." Kazunari rubbed the back of his neck, and I had to bite my cheek to suppress my laughter upon seeing that it smeared a bunch of green paint on his neck and hair.

While we were trading contact info, Kumon asked, "You're definitely gonna play baseball with me sometime, right, Y/n-chan? Promise!"

"It's not my best sport, but sure, Kumon-kun!" I laughed at how cute his pleading eyes looked.

"Good for you, Kumon. And uh..." Juza averted his eyes from me as I realized what he was gonna say next.

"Don't worry, I'll get you some madeleines the next time I pass by the sweets shop near my place!" I whispered with a mischievous smile, to which he didn't know what to say besides a hesitant thanks.

"Y/n-channn—! Uuuuu do you really have to leave? It's way too soon! You better come visit bright and early tomorrow! I'll show you a cool yo-yo trick!!!" I couldn't help but pat Taichi's head as he whined with teary eyes.

"Now, now. It'll be fine, Taichi," Omi emerged from the kitchen to gently lead Taichi upstairs.

Before disappearing completely from view, he called down to me, "Make sure you eat your meals properly and sleep on time! Gaming is fine and all but your health comes first!"

"Yes, Omi-kaa-san!" I called back up just as Azami popped his head in.

"And you better make sure to wash that sorry excuse for a face properly when you get home. Use a moisturizer too, preferably XXX brand, and a face mask couldn't hurt either. Your face is better than some of the guys here, but it's still a far cry from decent. And that lipgloss I found in your bag doesn't suit your skin tone at all! You might think blah blah blah but your undertones are actually yadda yadda yadda, got it?!" he snuck in one last lecture before going back upstairs.

I heard Tsumugi, Tasuku, and Azuma enter as the summer troupe started debating on what TV channel they should watch.

"Ah, I completely forgot the time. This always happens when I'm taking care of the garden and talking about acting...it's Taa-chan's fault we missed dinner..." Tsumugi lightly sighed.

"Tsumu...stop it with the Taa-chan," Tasuku furrowed his eyebrows but he looked like he was actually quite used to it.

"Mmm I wasn't hungry anyway. I'll just have some Sake in my room with Guy..." Azuma mused as they finally came close enough to see me.

"Oh, you're leaving now, Y/n-chan? Take care. Just drop by anytime you need help with your homework. Even if I'm not around, Chikage-san and even Sakyo-san are very reliable in that area," Tsumugi gave me a soft smile before heading up to his room with Tasuku.

"Take care, L/n-san," Tasuku nodded before following after his roommate as I thanked them both.

"I'm also always here if you need help for anything, our cute Y/n-chan. I'm afraid I'm only knowledgeable on more adult topics, though~" Azuma teased as he passed by me and ruffled my hair, to which I only laughed and thanked him nonetheless.

"Fumu. I have brought Hisoka-kun and Guy for their farewells," Homare came down with the said two in tow.

"I have been informed by Arisugawa that it would be incredibly rude to let you leave without expressing my farewell. Take care, L/n-san," Guy bowed a bit and left before I could even thank him.

"Mmm...was going to give you a bag of marshmallows but I fell asleep...and ate half of it..." Hisoka handed me another bag of the sakura marshmallows we ate earlier.

"Hehe, thank you Hisoka-san—" I started but got cut off by Homare clearing his throat, "And now, the grand finale. I shall bestow you with a work of genius to remember me by once you have left the nest."

"Gentle child's heart, shaking...Cut-out wings, blooming...Our farewell, fading. Que sera, sera, S'il vous plaît!" with a flourish of his hand, he finished his so-called poem with a content smile.

"I...see. It's truly avant-garde!" I simply clapped blankly as Hisoka bestowed me words of wisdom, "It's hard being Arisu's friend..."

"That was everyone, right? Let's gooo," Banri appeared from behind me, my backpack slung over one shoulder and suitcase tucked under his other arm.

"Rude!" Kamekichi suddenly swooped in and landed on my...hair?

"You better teach me some good dating spots to take the director to next time. Aight, toots?" Kamekichi squawked directly into my ear as I winced.

"Yeah, yeah..." I muttered as he flew over to the Manager's shoulder.

"Get me some CDs too if you find the chance!" Matsukawa called out as I shoved everything I got from the actors into my backpack Banri was carrying.

"Why are they acting like I'm going on a trip and need to get them souvenirs...?" I shook my head before finally following Banri out of the door.

"Bye-bye, Mankai. You were a great home, if only for a few days..." I whispered as we turned the corner, giving one last wave to the director who was watching with a gentle smile from the door.

...

For most of the twenty-minute or so walk over, Banri and I had lapsed into a comfortable silence. Just as my house finally came into view in the distance, I finally mustered my courage to ask about the thing that'd been bugging me for a while now.

"So...what are we?"

"Hah? What are you goin' on about?" he turned to look back at me with an incredulous expression.

"...tch," I sighed as I craned my neck to avoid his gaze and looked up at the stars instead, "I'm asking if you kissed me just 'cause you were stressed,"

"...does it even matter? It'd only matter if you actually like me," he shrugged his shoulders simply.

I didn't say anything after that. Just suddenly found the stones on the road interesting and began kicking them in a childish game.

When we got to the front of my house, sure enough, the lights were all turned off and no car was in the driveway. He placed my bags on the doorstep as I fished for the keys in my pockets.

After unlocking the door, I turned to him to thank him, but realized I wanted to say something else when I was greeted by the sight of his vibrant blue eyes.

I swallowed once and was about to say it, but when he averted his eyes, I decided that I would probably regret saying it.

"Thanks for this, I'll probably drop by next weekend," I bit my lip as I opened the door and brought my stuff in.

"Good night, Ban-chan. You know you're a prick, right?" I gave him a tired smile before moving to close the door.

"Yeah, I do. See ya, Nai-chan," it was too bad that I'd already closed the door before I could see the expression he was wearing at that moment.