[Aezel's POV]
After yesterday test today was the peaceful
As I walked down the hallway toward class, my mind was racing. Mission: Find a partner for Reina.
I'm talking about the perfect partner. The one who could understand her cold exterior, make her heart warm, and maybe—just maybe—get her to crack that ice fortress she's built around herself. Yeah, I've made progress. A little or a lot, I wasn't sure yet, but it was progress nonetheless. Small wins, baby!
Now the next big question was,What type of guy does Reina even like?
Hmm... If I ask her directly, would she just stare at me with that icy glare and leave me frozen in place? Wait, no, that's a bad idea. If I asked her, she might just strangle me with her killer glare. Maybe I'd accidentally provoke her into a full-on rage mode. I can already hear her scolding me for being too curious.
Okay, plan B. I'll figure it out subtly. Like a smooth operator. The kind of person who'd sneakily gather intel from her besties, or—wait for it—conduct an undercover survey. Yes, I'm definitely going to start asking other people what they think Reina's "type" is.
No one would suspect a thing.
I started to get lost in my thoughts. Should I be straightforward? Or a bit sneaky? Maybe both? No, no..if I was too sneaky, Reina would definitely notice. She was sharp. She'd see right through me, and then my plan would fail before it even started. Ugh, this was harder than it should be.
That's when it happened.
I wasn't paying attention, and boom...WHAM!
I bumped straight into someone. Hard.
Aeron.
I looked up, and there he was, standing like a rock, staring down at me with those cold, indifferent eyes. The students around us shifted uncomfortably, clearly aware of the scene.
Oh great, just my luck. This day couldn't get more awkward.
I didn't even have time to apologize as I rubbed my head where we bumped...wait, he was rubbing his head? Oh my god. His cold eyes stared down at me like I was some... what? Some nuisance? I could feel the intensity of his gaze. It sent an icy chill down my spine.
But no. I would not back down. Not today, Aeron.
I straightened up, took a deep breath, and glared back at him. His icy stare was met with my fiery, "I-will-not-flinch-even-if-it-kills-me" glare.
Take that, mister. I win this one.
I kept walking into the classroom first, leaving him standing there in awkward silence. I couldn't help but feel a small victory bubbling inside me as I walked past him. He could've moved aside. But no, he didn't. Ha.
[Reina's POV]
I had already settled into my seat in the classroom, staring out the window as usual. The sun had started to peek through the clouds, and I wasn't really paying attention to the people around me.
Suddenly, Aezel slid into the seat beside me, her usual energetic self, as if she hadn't just gotten into a standoff in the hallway.
"Hey, Reina!" she chirped, her voice surprisingly upbeat. "How's your morning?"
I glanced at her, eyebrows raised. Her cheery tone made me suspect that something had gone on in the hallway. But it was too early in the morning to care. So, I sighed and gave her a typical response.
"I'm fine," I said curtly, my voice as flat as possible.
I knew exactly how I sounded.That cold, detached tone I'd perfected for years. But that was how I was. Always the "tsundere" type, I guess. Not that I cared. Who needed to act warm and fuzzy with everyone? That kind of thing never worked out anyway.
Aezel, however, smiled wide like she had just received the warmest compliment ever. I was pretty sure she didn't understand the depths of the icy wall I'd built around me. But... that was kind of why I liked her. She didn't shy away from it.
She leaned in a little closer, with that overly enthusiastic gleam in her eyes. "You sure? You don't look like 'fine.' You look like a secretly-murdered-by-school-stress kind of 'fine.'"
I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help but suppress the tiniest smile. "I'm perfectly fine. Just... tired. The usual."
She chuckled, and for a moment, I found myself wondering if maybe she was starting to chip away at my wall without me even realizing it. No, that's impossible.
[Aeron's POV]
I was not in the mood for this. But as usual, I found myself caught in yet another awkward moment, thanks to that idiot in the hallway.
Aezel.
I couldn't figure her out. One moment she was bright and annoying, and the next, she was somehow managing to make things... Noisy. And that annoying attitude of hers..that stare, as if she wasn't fazed by my presence at all. It... irked me.
Why do I even care?
I rubbed my head where she bumped into me, still feeling the shock from the impact. It wasn't like her to not apologize, but then again, Aezel was one of those people who didn't let something like "etiquette" get in the way of her ideas. She was... different from the rest.
The eyes of the class followed me as I stood there for a moment longer, wondering what they were all thinking about yesterday's relay race. To be honest, I didn't care about the race itself. I won, but it meant nothing to me.
But the way Aezel had walked away after that bump...leaving me in the dust,felt... unsettling.
[Aezel's POV]
The bell rang. Finally.
I was getting way too comfortable with my thoughts, zoning out through the class. Honestly, I don't think I even heard half of what the teacher was saying. Something about history or math, I think? My mind was more focused on how I was going to get the information I needed from Reina about her type without being strangled by her.
I glanced over at her during class, but she was already giving me that look,the one that said "stop looking at me like I'm your personal therapist."
I stifled a laugh. Reina was so easy to read. But I had to keep my cool. I couldn't let her know what I was planning. It would ruin everything.
[Reina's POV]
Class ended too quickly for my liking. I wanted to just leave and go back to my quiet corner, but Aezel was already up, practically skipping out of her seat.
She turned toward me with that usual gleam in her eyes, the one that meant she had a thousand ideas running through her head. What now?
She leaned over. "Let's talk after class."
I sighed. This was going to be interesting.
[Aeron's POV]
I didn't look up as Aezel walked past me, her usual annoyingly cheery self. She didn't even acknowledge the coldness between us. I guess that was just how she was, unbothered by everything.
But one thing was clear...she wouldn't be ignored...