"..."
The morning sun filtered through the leaves of Brisden, scattering soft light across the sleepy suburb.
The town stirred gently awake—shopkeepers flipped open signs, the elderly took their morning walks, and students in uniform made their way to school in small clusters, voices light with early chatter.
Among them walked Luke Harris and his adoptive little sister, Lily Whitmore.
Luke, dressed in his school uniform, looked mostly normal from the outside. But inside? He was a storm of nerves.
Today was the day he'd decided to finally ask Sarah—the woman who raised him, the one whose gaze made his heart twist—on a date. And not just any date. A real one. To the amusement park. Like a confession out of a romantic anime.
He didn't even know how to ask. What do couples do on dates? Was it handholding first? Or snacks? Or rides? What if she laughed at him? What if she said no? What if she said yes?
"...I need to talk to Sani," Luke muttered under his breath. "He's the only one who might understand. That guy has, like, twenty years of anime wisdom."
Beside him, Lily blinked.
She'd been watching her brother's face the whole time. It was going through a whole animated sequence of expressions—smiling like an idiot one second, then frowning like he'd seen his life flash before his eyes. His brows furrowed and relaxed so many times, she was starting to get dizzy just walking beside him.
Finally, she had enough.
"Umm… hey," Lily said, tilting her head, her voice laced with hesitant concern. "Y-You good, Luke? You're making weird faces again. Like… really weird ones."
(A/N: I Change Lily Talking Style To Cute,Embarrassed & Little Sis Type "...")
Luke snapped out of his thoughts like he'd been dunked in cold water.
"Ah! Lily—sorry. N-Nothing's wrong," he replied quickly, flashing her a tired smile. "I just didn't sleep well, that's all."
Lily squinted. "Hmm… suspicious."
She didn't press further, though. She folded her arms and looked ahead, cheeks puffed just a little.
[08:24 A.M., Brisden High School]
In Class, the sun poured in from the wide windows, catching strands of golden hair that shimmered like a dream.
Shan, the quiet transfer student from the city, sat by the window, completely absorbed in his thoughts.
He was tall, almost annoyingly so, with delicate features that made the girls in class whisper every morning.
"Do you think Shan looks even more handsome today…?" one girl muttered behind her notebook.
"Ugh, totally! That golden-hour lighting? Unreal!" her friend replied.
"But Luke's kinda glowing up too, don't you think?"
"Hmph. Shan still wins. Obviously."
The boy in question wasn't listening. Shan stared out the window, ignoring the hum of chatter, his chin resting on his palm.
In the few weeks he'd been in Brisden, he'd already turned down multiple confessions—some cute, some bold, and one from a girl who tried to bribe him with limited edition game merch.
But none of them caught his interest.
Meanwhile, the door opened. Luke entered.
Jet-black hair, sleepy eyes, quiet aura. Girls turned their heads. Whispered again.
"...Did he get taller?"
"Maybe it's just the light, but he looks kinda… hot today?"
Luke ignored it all. He walked straight to his desk where his best friend, Sani, was waiting, legs crossed, already deep into a light novel titled 'Lust & Furry: Volume 9'.
The cover had been censored with a school folder. Classic.
"Oi, Luke," Sani waved without looking up. "Come here, my apprentice. Sit. You look like you just lost a duel with your own hormones."
Luke dropped into his seat with a sigh, arms crossed on the desk.
"I feel like a clown."
Sani raised an eyebrow. "You look like a clown. Did something happen?"
"I'm tired."
Sani squinted. "It's not even first period yet. Don't tell me you stayed up late watching... educational videos again?" He smirked. "Or wait—did FlowOver season 2 finally drop and you binged it?"
"No," Luke muttered. "I'm planning to ask someone out on a date… but I've got zero clue how a date actually works. What do normal people do? I've only got anime logic and like… two rom-coms worth of imagination."
Sani gasped. "YOU…?! You're going to confess?! Bro! This is huge! Tell me who it is! Wait—don't. Wait—yes, tell me."
Luke smirked faintly. "If I succeed… I'll tell you."
Sani pouted dramatically. "Rude. Denied by my own student. Shame upon this dojo of love and wisdom."
Luke chuckled. Just a little. The nerves were still there, but somehow… lighter.
The bell rang a moment later. Mr. Dalton walked in, arms full of worksheets.
"Eyes front, class. No, I don't care about your weekend—unless you failed your math test, in which case I very much care."
Class began.
[1:00 P.M., Brisden High School]
The final bell rang, and a wave of relief swept the halls. Students poured out, backpacks slung over shoulders, chatting about plans for the weekend, gossip, or the newest episode of whatever they were watching.
Luke and Sani exited side by side.
"Okay, I'm gonna go see if Lily's ready," Luke said, adjusting his bag.
They made their way down the corridor to Lily's classroom, only to find her seat empty. Standing there instead was Lima, one of Lily's talkative classmates.
"Heya, Luke! Lily said she had to run to the restroom. She told me to tell you she'll meet you at the school gate, okay?" Lima said with a chipper smile.
"Thanks, Lima," Luke said, and waved. He and Sani turned to leave.
On the other side of the building, Shan was preparing to escape the school. Again, a group of girls intercepted him.
"Shan-kun! Wait! Do you have LINE? Or maybe WeChat?"
"I… uh… have to go. Urgently. Bathroom emergency," he lied, pointing vaguely down the hall before briskly walking away.
As he turned a corner toward the hallway by the restrooms, wham—he collided with someone.
A soft gasp.
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
A girl had stumbled backward, clutching her bag. Her wavy blonde hair caught the sunlight like silk. Sky-blue eyes wide and flustered.
Shan blinked.
She blinked back.
"I-I didn't mean to bump into you! I was in a hurry and—and my shoe almost came off and—and I thought I saw a cat but it was actually a bag, so I panicked, and—!!"
She cut herself off, realizing she was word-vomiting. Her cheeks turned pink.
Shan smiled. Just a little.
"It's okay," he said simply. "I'm fine."
Lily, mortified, nodded quickly. "R-Right! O-Okay! Um, sorry again! I-I gotta go—my brother's probably waiting and he gets all grumpy and stuff if I'm late, not that he's scary or anything, haha… B-Bye!"
And with that, she scampered off like a startled bunny.
Shan stood frozen for a moment, watching her disappear around the corner.
"…Interesting," he said softly, the smile lingering.
---
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