The courtyard was unusually still that afternoon. Sunlight fell in long ribbons through the ironwork branches, the air thick with the scent of rain and lilac. Toji sat on the stone bench beneath the werewolf statue, one leg stretched, lunch balanced neatly on the other. He ate with the steady rhythm of someone who'd spent most of his life not wasting movements—bite, chew, sip, silence.
When a hand dropped on his shoulder, the reaction was instant. His eyes sharpened, shoulders tensed—the same way a wolf might before deciding whether to bite. He didn't move, just turned his head slightly, enough to see who thought that was a good idea.
Xavier Thorpe, smiling like the world had never once threatened him.
Toji blinked, slowly, then said, "Most people introduce themselves before they touch me."
Xavier's grin faltered for half a second before he forced it back. "Right, yeah, my bad. You just looked… approachable."
"That's concerning," Toji said evenly. He went back to his food. "You must've mistaken me for someone else."
"Hey, don't be like that." Xavier circled around the bench, planting himself in front of Toji. "I was hoping to talk to you."
"You're already doing that."
"Well," Xavier rubbed the back of his neck, "I was wondering if I could maybe, uh, cash in that favor?"
Toji set his fork down, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and glanced up. "The favor from when you retrieved my bag before Ajax tripped over it? That one?"
"The very same," Xavier said, forcing a hopeful smile.
Toji hummed quietly. "If I'd known the interest rate, I would've told you to keep the bag."
Xavier chuckled nervously. "It's nothing big, I promise."
"That usually means it's something incredibly stupid."
Xavier exhaled, determined now. "Poe Cup."
Toji tilted his head. "That's not an explanation. That's a word and an object."
[He knows what Poe cup is after all he has seen Wednesday]
"It's a school competition," Xavier said quickly, hands moving animatedly as if that would help. "Sort of like a race. Obstacles, clues, teamwork—the works. Named after Edgar Allan Poe, obviously."
"Obviously," Toji repeated in that smooth, deadpan tone that made the word sound like a knife sliding into its sheath.
"Anyway, every dorm forms a team. We need one more person."
"To do what exactly? Chase ravens and solve riddles?"
"Something like that."
Toji's expression didn't change, but his silence spoke volumes. He took a slow sip from his drink, eyes on Xavier the entire time. "So, you came here to ask me to play tag in the woods."
"Well—"
Toji raised a hand. "I don't run, I don't play, and I don't like group activities that involve yelling."
"You make it sound like summer camp."
"That's because it is," Toji said. His voice stayed polite, even friendly, but there was no warmth in it. Just precision. "And I'm not exactly the team-building type."
Xavier groaned softly. "You're really not going to make this easy, huh?"
"I never do."
He went back to his meal, leaving Xavier standing there, awkward and unsure whether to press further. After a moment, Toji added without looking up, "You know, there's a fine line between persistence and stupidity."
"Which one am I on?"
Toji's lips curved faintly. "That depends on whether you walk away right now."
For a second, Xavier actually considered it. But then he remembered who the opposing team was. "Bianca's leading Ophelia Hall."
That got a reaction—a single eyebrow raised. "Ah. So this isn't about school spirit. It's about pride."
Xavier smiled, relieved at the flicker of interest. "Something like that."
Toji took a moment, as if genuinely thinking it over, then said calmly, "You're asking me to join a student race out of petty rivalry."
"Pretty much."
He let out a quiet breath, stood, and brushed the crumbs from his hands. "At least you're honest. That's rare."
"So that's a yes?"
Toji gave a small shrug. "You'll find out on race day."
Xavier blinked. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
He started to walk off, unhurried, slipping his phone from his pocket. As he passed the fountain, he added over his shoulder, "Tell Bianca if she tries to trip me, I'll consider that self-defense."
Xavier grinned, shouting after him, "You know, you're kind of terrifying when you're polite!"
Toji raised a hand lazily in response without turning around. "And yet you're still talking to me."
He walked on, slipping through the archway, the faintest ghost of amusement in his eyes. Somewhere behind him, Xavier sighed in relief, already planning strategies that Toji would definitely ignore.
By the time Toji reached the shadow of the library, the calm expression was back. But under it, something flickered—faint, human. The tiniest satisfaction of getting his hand on bianca ASS.
He would never admit it, but it lingered.
He looked down at the reflection in the glass door. His own face stared back, sharp and unreadable. "Teamwork," he muttered under his breath, voice almost mocking. "What a terrible idea."
Still, he didn't delete the message Xavier had sent him with the Poe Cup rules.
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How you been guys good l hope