Kaito stared at the clock on the library wall, his fingers tapping lightly against the desk. Three hours. Three hours, he thought, his frustration growing with each passing minute. He had arrived at the library on time, ready to dive into the project. But Ryu *predictably* was nowhere to be found.
Kaito had tried calling him twice, but both calls went straight to voicemail. Typical, he thought bitterly. I knew I was going to have to do everything myself.
He glanced over the research materials he'd gathered, but there was no escaping the fact that he couldn’t finish the project alone. Not without Ryu's part of the presentation. He sighed, closing his laptop with a soft click. Where the hell is he?
Another hour passed, and Kaito was just about to pack up when the library door creaked open. He looked up, ready to snap at Ryu for making him wait all this time. But what he saw made him freeze.
Ryu stood in the doorway, his arm in a bright white cast, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Yo," Ryu welcomed, his voice laced with that usual nonchalance, as though showing up three hours late with a broken arm was normal.
Kaito blinked, still processing the sight in front of him. "What happened to you?"
Ryu winced slightly, as though the question caught him off guard. "Oh, this? Just a little accident on my way here. Got into a little… tussle, you could say."
He stepped further into the library, leaning slightly to one side as he adjusted to the weight of the cast. "I wasn’t expecting to get into a fight over a parking spot, but here we are."
Kaito stared at him in disbelief. "You got into a fight? Over a parking spot?" He shook his head, exasperated. "You’re unbelievable."
Ryu laughed, the sound light and carefree. "Eh, it was nothing serious. Just a few punches. I’ll be fine. No big deal."
Kaito groaned, rubbing his temples. "And you’re just now showing up? After making me wait for three hours?"
Ryu’s grin didn’t falter. "Yeah, well, I figured I’d keep you on your toes. You didn’t expect this, did you?" He leaned against the nearest bookshelf, still looking far too comfortable for someone who had just gotten out of a fight.
Kaito stood up, frustration creeping into his voice. "We have a project to finish, Ryu. What are we supposed to do now?"
Ryu's carefree expression softened a bit. "Hey, don't worry. I can still help. I might be one-handed, but I can still brainstorm, right?"
Kaito shot him a skeptical look. "Brainstorm? You’re going to brainstorm with one hand?"
Ryu shrugged, glancing at his cast with a smirk. "Guess we’ll find out. But I came prepared." He pulled a small notebook from his backpack and handed it over to Kaito. "I’ve been making some sketches. You can take a look at those while I figure out the rest."
Kaito took the notebook reluctantly, flipping through the pages. Ryu’s sketches were surprisingly good. Ideas for the presentation that might work. Kaito frowned, unsure whether he should be impressed or annoyed.
"How did you even do these?" Kaito asked, still flipping through the pages.
Ryu shrugged again. "I’m good with one hand, man. Besides, I’ve got plenty of time to think now that I’m stuck with this cast." He smiled, clearly unbothered by the inconvenience.
Kaito let out a frustrated sigh. This guy is something else. But despite his irritation, he couldn’t deny that Ryu was still somehow pulling through cast and all.
"Alright," Kaito said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let’s at least go over what we’ve got. But next time, I’m not waiting three hours for you. Got it?"
Ryu flashed that carefree grin again. "Got it, man. Now let’s get to work. We’ve got a project to finish, and I’m not about to let a broken arm stop me."
Kaito shook his head, but a small, reluctant smile tugged at his lips. Maybe this project wouldn’t be a complete disaster after all.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqI237RIzuv
