Monday came too quickly.
One minute I was unpacking my field trip bag, and the next I was dodging sleepy students in the school hallway, pretending like nothing weird happened in the woods.
Except something had happened.
And I couldn't stop thinking about it.
---
"Good morning, awkward girl," Hinata said as she twirled into class beside me. "Did you sleep? Dream? Mentally marry anyone?"
"Hinata, please."
"Just asking," she said, grinning. "Because you look like someone who's either deeply in love… or accidentally swallowed her feelings whole."
I ignored her.
Mostly.
---
We entered the classroom. Most of the seats were still empty, except
There he was.
Shinbou.
Sitting at his desk already, tapping his pen against the table.
I froze mid-step.
Hinata leaned toward me. "Should I drag you over, or are we pretending not to know him today?"
"We're pretending not to be disasters."
"Too late."
---
I walked to my seat. Slowly. Calmly. Like I wasn't internally combusting.
"Hey," I said, setting down my bag.
Shinbou looked at me and nodded. "Hey."
Silence.
I sat.
More silence.
He looked like he wanted to say something.
So did I.
But neither of us did.
So naturally, my pen rolled off the desk and landed directly in his lap.
…
"Sorry!" I reached for it at the same time he did, and our hands collided again.
That stupid spark jumped up my arm. He flinched slightly too.
And because the universe is cruel of course Hinata chose that exact moment to arrive with two drinks.
"Oooooh," she sing-songed. "Am I interrupting something? Should I leave?"
"I dropped my pen!" I snapped.
Shinbou casually placed the pen on my desk and said nothing. Of course.
Hinata whispered, "You two are the most awkward romantic tension I've ever seen."
---
Later, during lunch, we got the announcement:
> Group Project: Assigned Pairs. Topic: Social Behavior in Teens. Due Friday.
I stared at the board like it just called me ugly.
Assigned pairs.
Because fate doesn't sleep.
And there it was next to my name:
Kuroyuki Kenyu & Shinbou Ryusei.
"Okay," Hinata said, leaning over my shoulder. "Are you in a drama? Like, an actual TV drama? Did I miss the theme music?"
I groaned. "Why does this keep happening?!"
"Maybe the universe ships you two harder than I do."
---
After class, I approached Shinbou by the lockers.
"So… I guess we're partners now."
"Yeah."
A pause.
"I can come to your place to work on it," he said, almost too casually.
I blinked. "My— Oh. Right. Yeah. Sure. That works."
We stood there, staring at each other, neither of us moving.
Just when it started to feel too weird, Hinata walked by with Itsuki, waved, and stage-whispered,
"Say hi to your study date!"
Shinbou raised an eyebrow. "Is she always like that?"
I sighed. "Yes. And she's only getting worse."
He gave the smallest of smiles.
And I hated that it made my heart flutter.
---
As we left the school together, our hands accidentally brushed again.
Neither of us pulled away.
Neither of us said a word.
But that silence?
It was getting louder.