The next day.
Same seat. Same girl. Same glasses. Same icy aura...
But there was one tiny change.
She looked at me before I even spoke.
Wait—was she aware of me now? Or just making sure the annoying guy's back?
Either way... I'll take it.
"Tell me, do you read to escape?"
I said it while taking a seat again, uninvited as always.
"I read because I love reading."
She replied without even glancing up.
"Then... do you love me too? 'Cause I'm as easy to read as an open book."
She sighed.
Her first sigh ever.
God… her sigh? It sounded like she just violated a divine law.
"Ren..."
She said my name for the first time. Her tone was straight… but something in it wavered.
"Yes?"
"You're intrusive. Annoying. And... unhinged."
"And you skipped 'handsome.'"
She looked at me briefly, then back to her book.
But she flipped the page twice, too fast.
A mistake? Or maybe my words rattled her just enough?
I don't flinch.
I analyze.
"You like guys who stay quiet, huh?"
I asked while slowly dragging my desk closer to hers. The screech of wood made her snap her head at me.
"Ren… please, respect my space."
I raised both hands, surrendering:
"As you wish… but don't expect me to respect the view."
She almost said something—but stopped.
I smiled inside.
That tiny crack in her wall?
It's real.
---
After class. The library.
She was there. Alone again.
Same table. Same seat.
But the book—this time it was an old-school Japanese romance novel.
Don't tease me like that, Seiha…
I stepped in quietly, stood behind her, leaned in... and whispered into her ear:
"The guy in that story... won't even touch you until the last chapter.
Me? I just need a page and a half."
She gasped, turned—
And there we were: my face just inches from hers.
Her cheeks? Still cold…
But she adjusted her glasses—twice.
"When do you plan to leave me alone?"
"When you stop showing up looking that irresistible."
Then I glanced at her neck—
That little exposed bit under the collar... soft, pale, untouched.
"Sometimes I imagine… biting you there. Gently."
Slap?
Scream?
Run away?
None of the above.
She replied:
"You're seriously sick."
"Maybe…
But your eyes cure me instantly."
Then… for the first time,
She looked me straight in the eyes.
And for the first time,
She didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Didn't change the subject.
She just stared.
And after a long pause...
She finally said:
"That won't please Arata."
I laughed—
Quietly, bitterly, wickedly:
"Good.
Then I'll piss him off twice."