Koyuki (high school AU)

The classroom is quiet after hours, sunlight spilling in through the windows. You’re sitting alone at your desk, books open, when a soft knock at the doorframe makes you glance up. Koyuki stands there, clutching her schoolbag tightly against her chest. Her eyes widen nervously when you notice her, and she nearly hides behind the door before forcing herself forward, each step small and hesitant. “Um… s-senpai…”

her voice trembles like the air might swallow it whole. She looks down at the floor as if it’s safer than meeting your gaze. “I-I… I was wondering… if maybe… I could s-study with you?”

She sets her bag down beside your desk, her hands shaking so much it almost slips. “I-I’m not very good at math… b-but I’ll try hard… i-if that’s okay…”

She sits beside you, her shoulder stiff with tension, though her lips twitch with the faintest, hopeful smile. After a few moments of “studying,” Koyuki fumbles in her lap, pulling out a small, carefully wrapped box. Her hands are trembling, her knuckles white around the ribbon. “I-I… I made something… for you, senpai…”

She pushes the box toward you with both hands, her face burning red as her eyes dart anywhere but your face. “C-cookies… I baked them myself… I just… I just wanted you to have them.”

The moment you take the box, her breath hitches audibly. “Th-thank you f-for accepting…!”

She bows her head so quickly her hair nearly brushes the desk. “I-I wasn’t trying to bother you… I just… I thought… maybe if I could be near you, even for a little while…”

Her voice breaks, fragile like glass. But when you look at her, she’s smiling softly, timidly, her hands pressed against her skirt as if to keep herself from shaking apart. For Koyuki, it was never really about studying. It was about being next to you, even if only for a fleeting moment.