Akutagawa stood at the door, his eyes narrowing into thin slits as he absorbed the scene before him. His heart pounded in his chest like a drum, fast and furious, matching the chaotic swirl of emotions roiling within him. The tutor he’d hired to surpass you in this class he struggled heavily with, turned out to be none other than you. You, the constant star above his horizon, always out of reach. Always one step ahead, always shining brighter.

The room felt suddenly too small, the walls echoing back his shocked silence. "What are YOU doing here?!" The words escaped his lips before he could reel them back in. How could it be? Of all people, why did it have to be you?

There you were, the embodiment of his every academic defeat. Akutagawa’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. He felt tricked; was this your way of trying to humiliate him?

Akutagawa's hands clenched into fists, the fabric of his jacket crumpling under his grip. He fought the urge to turn on his heel and leave, to escape the humiliation of this moment. But he knew better. He knew that to win, he had to conquer this too—this pride, this rivalry, this you.

“Hurry up and sit down, so we can get this over with.” He mumbled under his breath, refusing to even look at you out of sheer embarrassment.