[Third Person Pov]
After the lunch period came to an end, classes gradually returned to their usual rhythm. The lively chatter that had filled the hallways earlier faded into quiet murmurs as students settled into their seats. Exam papers were currently being graded, a fact that lingered heavily in the air, as everyone knew they would be handed back before the end of the day.
Clark had his head down on his desk for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before he suddenly lashed out and kicked the seat in front of him. The seat belonged to Itsuki, and the sudden jolt made her jump.
She spun around sharply, startled and clearly irritated, glaring straight at him. "What was that for?" she hissed through clenched teeth, doing her best to keep her voice low.
"Would you stop being so anxious?" Clark whispered back, lifting his head just enough to glare at her. He made sure not to raise his voice, though it was still sharp enough to carry. "It's distracting. I can hear you fidgeting every five seconds."
"Shut up," Itsuki snapped, her face flushing as she was called out. "I wasn't fidget—"
"Itsuki!" the teacher interrupted immediately, his voice cutting through the room. "You've disrupted this class enough times already. Go stand in the hallway."
"What? But it was Clark—" Itsuki protested, motioning toward him.
When she turned back, she found Clark with his eyes closed, head tilted slightly to the side, faintly snoring as if he were fast asleep and completely uninvolved.
Itsuki wasn't a violent person—at least, she hadn't been until that exact moment. An indescribable urge to smack the absolute hell out of Clark surged through her. Her hand even twitched as if ready to act on the impulse, but before she could, the teacher spoke again.
"I won't repeat myself," he said sternly, causing a few students to snicker behind their hands.
Clicking her tongue in frustration, Itsuki shoved her chair back and stood up. She stormed out of the classroom, sliding the door open far more aggressively than necessary.
Out in the empty hallway, she crossed her arms tightly and leaned against the wall, her entire body radiating irritation. As the seconds dragged on, she muttered curses under her breath, replaying the incident over and over in her mind.
The classroom door eventually slid open again. Itsuki looked up just in time to see Clark step out and casually join her. She ground her teeth and shot him a venomous glare.
"Finally got yourself into trouble, huh?" she spat.
"Nope," Clark replied calmly, leaning against the wall beside her with his hands laced behind his head. "I just felt strangely guilty and decided to join you."
"You seriously expect me to believe that?" Itsuki scoffed.
"Believe it or not, it doesn't really matter to me either way," Clark said, closing his eyes again, clearly uninterested in meeting her glare.
Itsuki didn't respond right away. Instead, she continued to stare at him, baffled by his behavior. A full minute passed in silence before she finally snapped.
"Just what is seriously your deal?" she demanded.
"Huh?" Clark replied, half-opening one eye.
"One moment you're the most infuriating, hateful person in the universe," Itsuki continued, her voice tight with frustration, "and the next you do something that completely contradicts yourself. You act nice out of nowhere. I don't get you, no matter how hard I try to wrap my head around it."
She clenched her fists. "For example—you bullied Yotsuba. You called her fat, spat in her face, pinned her down in a submission hold. And then later you pick her up when she falls asleep, carry her to bed, and tuck her in like nothing happened. You're seriously the most irritating person I've ever met."
Clark let out a long sigh. "Fine. Since you seriously want to know," he said, his tone suddenly heavy and solemn, "I was born with bipolar disorder. My mood constantly shifts without warning. I don't have any control over it, and it affects me all the time. That's why I don't have many friends. My disorder makes me push people away."
He looked away as if hurt by his own admission. "There. Happy?"
"Oh…" Itsuki muttered. Guilt immediately weighed down on her chest. She hadn't expected anything so serious. She wasn't even sure what she had expected—but it definitely wasn't that. Her expression softened, and she looked away. "I'm… I'm really sorry. I had no idea—"
"Phttt."
Itsuki froze.
She looked up just as Clark turned his face away further, his shoulders trembling. A laugh escaped him, barely contained. "Oh wow," he said between chuckles, "I honestly can't believe you fell for that. Scam callers are going to have a field day with you."
Itsuki began to tremble where she stood. Her face burned red, blood boiling as anger surged through her veins.
Without hesitation, she kicked off her shoe and hurled it at Clark with all her strength. He ducked just in time, the shoe slamming against the wall behind him. Before he could react, Itsuki ripped off her other shoe and flung that one too.
Clark yelped and pushed himself off the wall, taking off down the hallway as Itsuki chased after him in socks fueled by pure, unfiltered rage.
Itsuki scooped both of her shoes up from the floor and immediately took off down the hallway after Clark, her socks sliding slightly against the polished surface as she ran. She held the shoes high over her head like improvised weapons, her expression twisted with pure, unfiltered fury.
Clark burst out laughing the moment he glanced back at her. To him, the sight was absurd—Itsuki charging after him, red hair flying wildly, shoes raised like she was about to cast judgment upon his soul. For a brief second, she almost resembled some kind of vengeful yōkai.
She hurled one of the shoes at him with all the animosity she could muster. Clark ducked, weaving to the side as it sailed past his head and clattered loudly against the wall.
"Get back here, you motherfucker, and let me hit you!" Itsuki yelled, her voice echoing down the corridor.
She slid slightly as she ran, socks offering far less traction than shoes. Skidding to a stop, she grabbed both shoes again and flung them one after the other in quick succession.
Clark dodged and bolted up the stairwell leading to the second floor. Itsuki shot past the base of the stairs due to the slick floor, scrambling awkwardly to recover her balance. For a few humiliating seconds, she remained running in place before finally regaining control and charging after him.
By the time she reached the second floor, Clark had already slipped into an empty classroom. Itsuki immediately circled around and entered through the opposite door, correctly guessing that he would try to escape that way.
Sure enough, Clark came skidding to a halt when he saw her blocking the exit.
She launched a shoe at him without hesitation. Clark ducked behind one of the desks, the shoe smacking loudly against its metal leg.
"Okay," Clark said calmly, peeking out from behind the desk, not even sounding winded, "what is seriously up with you and throwing your shoes?"
Itsuki was panting heavily, chest rising and falling as she glared at him. "I know you wouldn't sit still long enough for me to hit you," she snapped, "so this is my best option, you bastard."
The two of them circled the desks, each trying to anticipate the other's movements. Itsuki feinted left, then lunged forward, but Clark reacted quickly and slid over the tabletop, narrowly avoiding another swing.
Just as he landed, Clark's expression shifted. His hearing picked up something else—light footsteps in the hallway, hurried but careful, accompanied by hushed voices and suppressed giggling.
"There's an empty classroom there," someone whispered. "We can go this way."
"Hey," Clark said quietly, backing away from Itsuki as she advanced again, "there are people coming."
"Liar," Itsuki snarled, advancing relentlessly. "You're not escaping me that easily. You got me into trouble and almost made me feel sorry for you."
Clark forced a wary smile. Being caught alone with Itsuki was already bad enough, but being discovered together during class hours would look even worse—especially with how chaotic the situation already was.
He decided it might be best to just walk out and take his chances—
—but the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, accompanied by laughter and whispered chatter that echoed clearly into the classroom.
"Wait until we're inside," a voice giggled. "You're so impatient."
Itsuki's face drained of color.
Her eyes widened in horror, and for a brief moment Clark almost laughed at how fast her confidence evaporated. While Clark didn't care much about appearances, the same could absolutely not be said for Itsuki.
The thought of being caught alone in a classroom with Clark while class was still in session sent a spike of panic through her. Rumors would spread instantly—rumors she would never be able to live down.
She glanced desperately around the room, noticing the faint shadow forming beneath the classroom door.
Without thinking, she grabbed Clark by the sleeve and dragged him toward the supply locker at the back of the room.
Before he could protest, she shoved him inside, squeezed in after him, and slammed the door shut just as the classroom door slid open.
Muted voices filled the room beyond the locker, along with hurried movement and rustling fabric and the small smacking sound of lips clashing. The door closed again, sealing Clark and Itsuki inside the cramped, dark space.
Clark opened his mouth to ask why both of them needed to be inside—
—but Itsuki clamped a hand over his mouth.
She raised a trembling finger to her lips, her wide eyes silently begging him to stay quiet. Her entire body was tense, barely daring to breathe.
"Ahh~ Don't be so rough Hiki-kun~ Hehehe, I'm not going anywhere"
"Hahaha, sorry I just can't help myself"
The sound of a belt buckle being undone and it clinking to the floor echoed in the room followed by heavy breathing.
Through the narrow gap in the locker door, he caught the sight of what they were doing before deliberately looking away.
'…Okay,' Clark thought. 'What the actually fuck is happening'
He glanced down at Itsuki.
Her face was as red as her hair, her entire body trembling with shame and mortification. She looked seconds away from crying, overwhelmed by the situation and the closeness of the cramped space.
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