Chapter 2
Emilia Laurent does not rush.
If she is going to do something, it will be deliberate.
The next morning at Seiryo Academy feels deceptively normal.
The ranking board still hangs in the main hall.
Students still glance at it.
Whispers still linger.
But today, Emilia does not look.
She already knows.
Second.
Temporary.
She adjusts the strap of her bag and walks toward her classroom with practiced composure.
Yui falls into step beside her.
"You look dangerous," Yui says cheerfully.
"I always look composed."
"Same thing."
Emilia ignores her.
She has decided something.
If Ren Takahashi will not react to victory—
She will measure him another way.
The classroom fills gradually.
Chairs scrape.
Voices rise and fall.
Ren enters quietly, as always.
Silver hair slightly tousled.
Expression neutral.
Gaze steady.
He takes his seat behind her.
Not directly behind.
Two rows back.
Near the window.
Far enough to avoid proximity.
Close enough to observe.
Interesting.
Emilia sits down.
Opens her notebook.
And waits.
The teacher begins reviewing yesterday's exam.
Projected solutions appear on the board.
Emilia answers questions correctly.
Predictably.
Then—
The teacher turns.
"Takahashi. Can you explain how you approached the final problem?"
A small pause.
Ren stands.
Not hurried.
Not dramatic.
He explains calmly.
Efficiently.
No embellishment.
His method is slightly different from Emilia's.
Not better.
Just... simpler.
She feels something tighten in her chest.
He wasn't lucky.
He was efficient.
That is irritating.
When he sits back down, the classroom settles again.
Emilia closes her notebook softly.
Then—
She shifts in her seat.
Not dramatically.
Just enough to lean slightly to the side.
Enough that her voice will travel backward without drawing attention.
"Your approach was efficient," she says calmly.
There is a slight rustle behind her.
Ren answers without hesitation.
"Thank you."
Simple.
Polite.
Neutral.
She tilts her head slightly.
"You cut three steps from the solution."
"Yes."
"Why?"
A brief pause.
"I didn't think they were necessary."
She almost smiles.
"You didn't think they were necessary."
"No."
The quiet confidence in his voice is unsettling.
Students around them continue copying notes.
No one is paying attention.
Good.
Emilia lowers her voice just slightly.
"Tu es plus intelligent que tu ne le montres."
(You're smarter than you show.)
Silence.
She watches from the corner of her eye.
Nothing.
No stiffening.
No confusion.
No reaction.
He simply turns a page in his notebook.
As if she had said nothing unusual.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
She sits back in her chair slowly.
Internal Emilia:
Did he not hear me?
Of course he heard me.
I wasn't whispering that softly.
Then why—
Is he pretending not to notice?
The corner of her mouth lifts faintly.
She tries again.
A few minutes later, when the teacher turns back to the board, she leans slightly once more.
"Tu es vraiment calme... c'est frustrant."
(You're really calm... it's frustrating.)
This time she watches more carefully.
A blink.
Nothing more.
He doesn't even tilt his head.
Her pen taps lightly against her notebook.
That is unacceptable.
Behind her, Ren stares at the lines of text on his page.
He heard her.
Every word.
His pulse, however, does not remain calm.
Internal Ren:
She switched languages.
That's new.
Was that directed at me?
Of course it was directed at me.
Stay normal.
It's probably just... a habit.
Or a test.
Don't overreact.
He keeps his expression steady.
He does not look at her.
He does not respond.
Because if he responds—
What would he say?
At lunch, Yui drops into her seat beside Emilia with exaggerated energy.
"Well?"
Emilia looks up.
"Well what?"
"Did you talk to him?"
"Briefly."
"And?"
"He is infuriating."
Yui beams.
"So you're going to destroy him?"
"I am going to understand him."
"That sounds worse."
Emilia glances toward the back of the classroom.
Ren is sitting with Kaito, listening more than speaking.
He doesn't appear troubled.
He doesn't appear victorious.
He simply exists.
Calm.
She rests her chin lightly on her hand.
Fine.
If subtle does not work—
She will escalate.
Just slightly.
After lunch, the hallway is quieter.
Students drift back to class in clusters.
Emilia notices Ren standing by the window alone.
A rare moment.
No Kaito.
No crowd.
She approaches.
Measured steps.
He senses her before she speaks.
He turns.
Their eyes meet again.
Up close, she notices something she hadn't yesterday.
His gaze is not indifferent.
It is observant.
That makes this more interesting.
"You don't seem particularly pleased," she says evenly.
"With what?"
"First place."
He considers the question.
"I didn't aim for it."
She raises an eyebrow.
"You didn't aim for first place?"
"I aimed to understand the material."
That answer is dangerously reasonable.
Her pride bristles.
"Most people aim to win."
He tilts his head slightly.
"I didn't know it was a competition."
Her lips curve faintly.
"It is."
"Between who?"
She steps half a pace closer.
Close enough to lower her voice again.
"Between us."
A pause.
He studies her face for a moment longer than before.
There is no mockery in his expression.
Only quiet recognition.
"If that's what you want," he says.
Not dismissive.
Not arrogant.
Just calm.
Her heartbeat stumbles.
That was not resistance.
That was acceptance.
She narrows her eyes slightly.
"Tu vas regretter."
(You're going to regret it.)
She watches carefully.
A flicker.
Very small.
Almost imperceptible.
But there.
His fingers tighten slightly around the strap of his bag.
Then release.
He meets her eyes again.
Still calm.
Still unreadable.
But not untouched.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The bell rings.
Students begin moving again.
Emilia steps back first.
She turns toward the classroom.
But before she does—
She lets one more line slip quietly between them.
"Fais attention."
(Be careful.)
This time, she doesn't look back.
Ren remains by the window for a moment longer than necessary.
Internal Ren:
She thinks I don't understand.
That makes this dangerous.
She's not just irritated.
She's curious.
And that's worse.
He exhales slowly.
If this is a competition—
He's not sure he wants to win.
But he knows one thing.
She has officially begun.
Emilia Laurent has confirmed something important.
Ren Takahashi does not react outwardly.
But he does react.
The flicker she saw near the window had not been imagination. It had been small — almost disciplined — but real.
Which means he is not immune.
Which means this is possible.
The afternoon drifts toward the final bell with a tension she pretends not to feel.
During literature class, the teacher assigns a short analysis exercise.
"Work in pairs."
The words ripple through the room like controlled chaos.
Chairs scrape.
Students turn instinctively toward friends.
Yui immediately looks at Emilia.
"We're—"
"No," Emilia says smoothly.
Yui freezes.
"...No?"
Emilia rises before further protest can form and walks calmly toward the back of the room.
Toward Ren.
He looks up as her shadow crosses his desk.
There is a pause.
Very small.
But present.
"Partner with me," she says.
It isn't a question.
Kaito looks between them with open interest.
"Oh?" he murmurs.
Ren closes his notebook slowly.
"Alright."
No hesitation.
No visible discomfort.
Emilia takes the seat beside him.
Closer than she has ever been.
The desk space is limited.
Their elbows nearly touch.
She can feel the warmth of proximity through the thin air between them.
Good.
Let's see how calm you are now.
The assignment is simple: analyze a short passage and identify the underlying theme.
Emilia reads quickly.
Efficiently.
She knows the answer within seconds.
Ren reads at the same pace.
She notices.
He finishes at the exact moment she does.
Interesting.
"What do you think?" she asks.
"Isolation," he says.
She almost smiles.
"That's too obvious."
He glances at her briefly.
"Is it wrong?"
"No."
"Then?"
"It's incomplete."
A faint pause.
"What's missing?"
She leans slightly closer to the paper.
Close enough that her shoulder brushes his sleeve.
Intentional.
"Isolation only matters if there's something to compare it to."
He doesn't move away.
"Connection?"
"Yes."
Their eyes meet.
Closer now.
Neither looks away immediately.
The air feels tighter.
She lowers her voice just slightly.
"Tu comprends vite."
(You understand quickly.)
There it is again.
French.
Soft.
Measured.
He keeps his gaze steady on the paper.
"Maybe."
She tilts her head.
"You're not curious?"
"About what?"
"That I keep switching languages."
A small pause.
He shrugs faintly.
"I assumed you were comfortable with it."
That answer throws her slightly off balance.
Comfortable.
Not secretive.
Not dramatic.
Not strange.
Just comfortable.
Her lips press together briefly.
"You don't ask what I say."
"Do I need to?"
That is dangerous.
Is he mocking her?
Testing her?
Or—
Does he truly not care?
She leans even closer now.
Close enough that her hair brushes his shoulder lightly.
The scent of clean soap and faint paper dust lingers between them.
"Peut-être que je dis des choses importantes."
(Maybe I'm saying important things.)
Silence.
His fingers tighten around his pen.
Very slightly.
There.
She sees it.
He exhales quietly.
"Then I suppose they're important to you."
Her pulse stutters.
That is not indifference.
That is carefulness.
He isn't dismissing her.
He's... stepping around something.
Kaito leans forward across the aisle.
"You two flirting or analyzing?"
Emilia doesn't look away from Ren.
"Analyzing."
Kaito grins.
"Sure."
They finish the assignment efficiently.
Too efficiently.
The tension hums quietly between them, unnoticed by most.
As the teacher collects papers, Emilia shifts her bag onto her lap.
She should move back to her seat.
She doesn't.
Instead, she says softly, without looking at him—
"Tu ne me regardes jamais quand je parle français."
(You never look at me when I speak French.)
That's sharper.
More direct.
More dangerous.
A beat.
Then—
"I don't look at you when you speak normally either," he replies calmly.
Her eyes widen faintly.
That wasn't what she meant.
He glances at her then.
Directly.
And holds it.
"I listen," he adds.
The simplicity of that statement unsettles her far more than any reaction would have.
He listens.
Not ignores.
Not dismisses.
Listens.
The bell rings.
Students begin moving.
Emilia stands first this time.
She adjusts her bag carefully.
Then, without fully thinking it through, she says one more thing.
Soft.
Close.
Barely audible over the noise.
"Je pourrais tomber amoureuse... fais attention."
(I might fall in love... be careful.)
She steps away before he can answer.
Walks toward the front.
Doesn't look back.
Ren remains seated for a moment longer than necessary.
Internal Ren:
That's new.
She's escalating.
She thinks I don't understand.
She's saying these things casually.
But she's watching me every time.
His heart does not feel casual.
He closes his notebook slowly.
If this is a game—
He is not sure how long he can pretend not to play.
As Emilia returns to her seat, Yui leans over immediately.
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing."
"You leaned way too close for nothing."
Emilia keeps her expression neutral.
"It was academic."
Yui narrows her eyes.
"You are terrifying."
Emilia's gaze drifts briefly toward Ren.
He looks composed.
Calm.
Almost unchanged.
But she saw it.
The tightening of his fingers.
The pause in his breathing.
He is not immune.
Which means—
This is going to be interesting.
Very interesting.