Chapter: "Rakki's Confession"
(Jay's POV)
I didn't expect my day to turn into a love consultation session.
I was walking near the canteen when someone called my name softly.
"Jay?"
I turned around.
It was Rakki.
She looked nervous. Way too nervous.
"Hey," I said carefully. "You look like you're about to faint."
She laughed awkwardly. "Can we talk?"
Uh oh.
Whenever someone says can we talk, it's never something simple.
We moved to a quieter corner near the corridor. She kept fidgeting with her fingers.
"What happened?" I asked.
She took a deep breath.
"It's about Cin."
My brain paused.
"… What about him?"
Her cheeks turned pink.
"I like him."
Silence.
I blinked once.
Twice.
"You… what?"
"I love him," she corrected softly.
I stared at her.
Cin?
Our loud, dramatic, food-stealing Cin?
"You're serious?" I asked carefully.
She nodded. "Yes."
I crossed my arms slowly. "Does he know?"
She hesitated.
"I think… he does."
"What does that mean?"
She looked down shyly. "He told me he likes me too."
Now it was my turn to freeze.
"He what?"
"He said he likes me," she repeated, a small smile forming on her face. "Not as a joke."
For some reason, my chest tightened slightly.
Not in a bad way.
Just… protective.
"When did this happen?" I asked.
"Last week," she said softly. "We've been talking."
I processed that information slowly.
Cin… talking seriously to someone? Without dramatic nonsense?
That was new.
Rakki looked at me anxiously.
"You're his… close person," she said carefully. "I just wanted to tell you."
Close person.
Right.
I sighed softly.
"Does he treat you properly?" I asked.
She blinked. "Yes."
"He doesn't make you cry?"
"No."
"He doesn't ignore you?"
"No."
"He respects you?"
She smiled gently. "Yes."
I studied her face.
She looked sincere.
Happy.
That soft kind of happy.
I felt something strange.
Like when your younger brother suddenly grows up and you didn't notice.
"So… you both like each other," I said slowly.
She nodded.
"And you're not playing games?"
"No."
I exhaled.
"Okay."
She looked surprised. "Okay?"
"Yeah," I said calmly. "If he makes you cry, though… I'll handle him."
Her eyes widened slightly. "You would?"
"Yes. He's like my younger brother. That's my job."
She smiled softly. "You really care about him."
I nodded without thinking.
"He's annoying. Dramatic. Loud. But… he's good."
She looked relieved.
"Thank you, Jay."
I shrugged. "Just don't break his heart."
"I won't," she said firmly.
As she walked away, I stood there for a few seconds.
Cin… in love.
That idiot.
Later, when I returned to Section E, Cin was laughing loudly at something Felix said.
Completely normal.
Completely chaotic.
I looked at him differently for a second.
He noticed.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," I said calmly.
He narrowed his eyes. "That's dangerous."
Keifer leaned back in his chair.
"What did he do?" he asked casually.
"Nothing," I repeated.
Cin looked between us nervously.
"Why do I feel like I'm in trouble?"
I smirked slightly.
"You're not."
Yet.