Chapter 36: Shifting Gears
It was another day in Section E, and as usual, the classroom was filled with chatter and noise. The air felt heavier today, as if there was an unspoken tension lingering between Y/N and Yuri. After the basketball game, she couldn’t help but replay their interactions over and over in her head. Was she imagining things, or was Yuri’s attention on her different now?
The bell rang, signaling the start of the lesson, but Y/N’s focus was nowhere near the board. Her eyes kept flickering over to where Yuri sat, talking animatedly with Keifer, laughing at something Felix had said. But what caught her attention wasn’t his smile or the way he laughed. No, it was the fleeting moments when his gaze landed on her, and for just a second, his expression softened before he turned back to his friends.
Was she reading too much into it?
"Y/N! Earth to Y/N!" Jay Jay's voice broke through her reverie.
Startled, Y/N looked up to see Jay Jay grinning at her mischievously. "What’s going on with you today?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "You’ve been spacing out for the past five minutes."
She gave him a sheepish smile, hoping to cover up her thoughts. "Nothing, just tired."
Jay Jay leaned in closer, eyes narrowing in a playful way. "Uh-huh. So you’re not thinking about Hanamichi, then?"
Y/N’s cheeks flushed red, but she quickly covered it with a cough. "No! Why would I—"
"Come on, it’s obvious," Jay Jay teased. "I see the way you look at him. It's like a puppy staring at a treat, just waiting for permission to jump."
Y/N shot him a glare, though there was no heat behind it. "Jay Jay, stop," she muttered, but inside, her heart was racing. Was it that obvious? She couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or frustrated at her own inability to hide her feelings.
"Okay, okay," Jay Jay said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I’ll stop. But just know, I’ve got my eyes on you two." He winked dramatically, then turned back to his own work.
Y/N exhaled, trying to focus on the lesson, but she couldn’t shake the image of Yuri’s face. Was he really that different around her? And why did it feel like there was more happening than she was willing to admit?
---
Later that day, during lunch, Y/N sat with her friends as usual. The table was buzzing with the usual banter, everyone laughing and eating, but something felt different today. As soon as Yuri walked into the cafeteria, his eyes searched for hers. When they met, Y/N quickly looked away, focusing on her food. Why did he have to make it so hard to keep things casual?
"Hey, Y/N," Keifer greeted, sitting down beside her. "You okay? You seem off today."
Y/N smiled at him, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes. "I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess."
Keifer tilted his head, clearly not convinced. "If you say so. You know, you don’t have to act like everything’s fine all the time. We’re friends, you can talk to me."
She gave him a small nod, appreciating his concern, but she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. She wasn’t even sure she understood what was going on in her own head.
Just then, Yuri walked up, his usual confident stride faltering slightly when he reached their table. "Mind if I sit here?" he asked, glancing at Y/N as if he were unsure whether she wanted him there.
Y/N hesitated for a moment but nodded. "Sure."
Yuri took a seat across from her, his eyes flickering to hers briefly before he focused on his food. The silence between them was strangely comfortable, but Y/N couldn’t shake the feeling that something unsaid hung in the air.
"Everything okay?" Keifer asked, looking between Yuri and Y/N.
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?"
Keifer shrugged, his smile easy. "Just making sure. You two look a little... quiet today."
Before either of them could respond, Jay Jay’s voice rang out from across the table. "Y/N, are you and Hanamichi in some kind of silent war? You’re both acting like you’re too cool for the table, what’s up?"
Y/N flushed, feeling the attention shift to her, but before she could speak, Yuri let out a low chuckle.
"We’re not in a war," Yuri said, his tone light. "Just trying to figure things out."
The words hung in the air, and for a second, Y/N’s heart skipped a beat. Trying to figure things out? What did he mean by that?
Keifer shot them both a knowing glance, but didn’t press further. Instead, he grinned and changed the subject. "Well, let’s not get all serious now. I’m starving. Anyone else want to go for a round of pizza later?"
The conversation shifted, but Y/N couldn’t shake the weight of Yuri’s words. They weren’t just talking about lunch plans. Something was shifting between them, something she couldn’t quite grasp.
---
That night, after a long day filled with confusing glances and moments of tension, Y/N found herself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She kept replaying Yuri’s words in her head. Trying to figure things out. What did that even mean?
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, interrupting her thoughts. She reached for it, her heart giving a small flutter when she saw it was a message from Yuri.
Yuri: Hey, sorry if I’ve been acting weird today. I just... I don’t know, I feel like we’re not really talking as much lately. But I want to make sure everything’s okay.
Y/N stared at the message for a long time, unsure of how to reply. What could she say? Was she really ready to acknowledge that things were changing between them? Did she even know what she wanted from him?
After a few moments, she typed out a simple reply.
Y/N: It’s fine, really. I’m just... figuring things out too.
She hit send and set her phone down, her mind still spinning. The more time she spent around Yuri, the more complicated everything felt. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she was starting to realize that whatever it was, it wasn’t going away anytime soon.
---
