The broom behind the door got stuck today.
It hadn't fallen over or broken. Its bristles had merely caught on a little splinter jutting out from the crack in the door. Naruto reached in to grab it. He failed the first time, then pulled too hard the second time, making the door thud loudly.
Several people in the classroom looked over at once.
Naruto froze by the door. "I haven't started breaking things yet."
Iruka-sensei turned over the duty roster. "Who's sweeping the row by the windows today?"
Sasuke looked up. "Me."
Naruto looked down at the broom, then at Sasuke, his face plainly reluctant. It wasn't that he didn't want to hand it over. His hand had already reached behind the door, and he had almost pulled the broom free. Letting go now was harder for Naruto than sweeping the whole room again.
Che sat nearby without saying anything.
Kiyo looked up from the little notebook he had borrowed from the East Corridor, his mouth already half open. Morita Yu kicked him under the desk. Kiyo closed his mouth, looking miserable, as if he had swallowed an unripe bean.
Naruto pulled the broom out for the third time. This time, he slowed down. The bristles came loose from the splinter, scattering a little dust. He gripped the handle and stood there for a moment before turning the broom sideways and handing it to Sasuke.
"Your row," he said.
Sasuke looked at the broom without taking it right away.
Naruto frowned. "You don't want it?"
Sasuke reached out and took it, his fingers avoiding the dust on the bristles.
"I do."
The single word was quiet, but it seemed to ease the classroom a little. Iruka-sensei didn't praise anyone. He simply told Sasuke to start by the windows. Sasuke carried