<div class="floatleft">(http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/characters/6/159571.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Sakurai Yuuji<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Cafeteria<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Tachibana Hanako<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Immediately after asking his question, from Hanako's face he already knew how her studies were going: not well at all. Yuuji almost regretted asking because her nice smile was torn away leaving behind a sullen look of failure. He felt like a demon that stole her happiness, but his face remained neutral as he just nodded at her answer, signalling that he understood. It wasn't surprising that she heard of him through his academic successes, although studying for fun was a bit much. He just studied for a while after finishing his homework just like every student was supposed to.<br/><br/>Yuuji also noticed a change in the tone of her voice, it was an amalgam of envy and depression. Envious at his own academic ability and depressed at her own lack of such ability. He had been blessed with natural intelligence since birth. He didn't need to do much in order to grasp and understand material. If there was something he would describe himself as in that regard it would be a sponge, soaking up and retaining any and all information he needed.<br/><br/>Yuuji continued to drink his milk as Hanako sighed and started to speak about her own circumstances. She was not gifted with academic talent but she was artistically talented, but she didn't feel as if that were a real profession. She wanted to be taken seriously.<em><strong>"That's why I have such respect for you, Sakurai-san...,"</strong></em>Hanako said as he saw her cheeks visibly flushing and she just stared at him with that look in her eyes. And that lower lip biting, although innocent, was a potent weapon that girls could use against boys. To have such a cute girl employ these tactics just for him was mind-shattering for him. It was the Holy Trinity of weapons to attack a boy's heart: the blushing, the longing stare and the lower lip biting. Together in unison and used by an especially cute girl, they could crush any defense known to man.<br/><br/>Yuuji had immediately stopped drinking from his milk,<em>"I-idiot! Why are you looking at me like that?! You're giving off signals that I'm sure you're not meaning to give out! Stop making me misunderstand the situation!"</em>He felt himself slowly heating up as well,<em>"Ah! She cracked my armor! Quick! Sweet Retreat, go!"</em>His mouth swiftly attacked the straw and he drank his milk. Yuuji came up with a response but he finished his milk in the process which meant that if she threw him off again, he'd just have to suffer. Hanako assisted in his calming down by returning her attention to the anpan she had been eating before,<em>"Ah, thank goodness."</em><br/><br/>Yuuji responded to her,<strong>"I appreciate your words of kindness, Tachibana-san. I wish I could do something to help you in your studies."</strong>He crossed his arms over his chest and continued,<strong>"And are you not being taken seriously? Are you being bullied by someone? I'll report them to the teacher if you want me to."</strong>Maybe that was the issue? Her art was pretty good, so good in fact that she could become famous across the country, maybe even the world if she kept at it. Were people putting her down? Yuuji pushed up his glasses and then returned his arm to its original crossed position,<strong>"Also, I'm not the most artistically gifted person, but I like art. So if you draw or paint well enough to get noticed, why wouldn't you be taken seriously?"</strong><br/><br/>He started to think of a multitude of artists from history and how they were all crucial to the advancement of human culture,<strong>"Don't let yourself be put down by others. Everyone has their own role to play in life. I have mine and you have yours. And I don't mean to say that whatever you are trying to do is futile and that you shouldn't even bother. Studying and doing well in school is important. If I can help in anyway, please do tell me."</strong>He offered a slight consolatory smile with his usually stern eyes now being a little more gentle.