Quite the Arrangement
—x for @cherryblossombankai
⊪ “I still cannot BELIEVE you and Renji got housed together! What are the freaking chances! Did you cheat and pay off admissions or something?“ He knew he was being rather loud for a public setting, yelling into his phone in one of the few commons rooms the campus had. The glances he was getting from the other students confirmed this, though it only served to lower his tone a fraction. “Rangiku managed to get housing with Gin, and Tetsu found some place off campus. I’m gunna be left with some random! If I end up with a creep that murders me in my sleep, I’m gonna haunt your ass!!”
“–I am not being dramatic!”
Shūhei ended the call before he was ushered out, not wanting to face an altercation while already in a foul mood. He had been counting on living with his blond friend since the previous summer, when (admittedly) they had had a brief discussion about it. But Shūhei had found out much too late into his application that housing would not be left up to their choice.
Freshmen were required to house with sophomores, as part of the school’s initiative to help new students adjust to life on campus. Once all sophomore had been paired up with a freshmen, the remaining freshmen were paired off and roomed together in the same dorm/apartments. Shūhei had been hoping for the second option, imagining sharing a room or at least a floor with a few of his friends. The freshmen numbers this year had hit record numbers, and exceeded the number of sophomore by at least 25 heads.
He headed down to the housing offices and waited in line behind the other excited freshmen. Shūhei hardly knew anyone from the sophomore year, other than a handful from the Sciences Department, Renji, Izuru, and Momo. Akon had already been roomed with a freshman, although Shūhei was almost glad for it. He had visited the biology major a few times while he had been a freshman, and he had seen enough 'specimens' to silently hope he didn't get housed with him. The line moved quite fluidly with each student walking away from the desk, paper in hand, faces mixed with emotion. Once he reached the front, Shūhei gave his name to the woman and waited. Maybe he might get lucky and he is roomed with a hot, older girl.
"Here you are, apartments A, room 106. Your sophomore should already be in the room." Taking the sheet and thanking her, Shūhei walked away from the desk before glancing down at the sheet.
There, in bold print, before his name: KUCHIKI, BYAKUYA.
It was a name Shūhei was well familiar with. Renji had spent much of his preteen years chasing after the younger of the two Kuchiki, Rukia. The family was one of those better than well-off, mansion in the hills type; at least, that was what Shūhei had pictured about them. Much of the information passed between class-men was gossip, and Rukia had only tolerated a few questions from him and Renji before snapping that they should mind their own business. Byakuya was her stoic, silent brother that had always seemed unimpressed by all other humans. Shūhei had not formed a great opinion of him from Renji's stories, and he found himself practically dragging his feet as he headed in the direction of his room.
Why was someone like that guy housing on campus? Didn't his family have enough money to put him up in an apartment in the city? Shūhei made sure to wipe his displeasure from his face before he reached the room, knocking twice. "Let's just start fresh, Shūhei. He doesn't know you, you don't really know him. Maybe this won't be so bad.."