2 — Misaki

THE WOMAN stood up from her chair. It was time for class to begin and she stood at the front of the now full class, hand in hand, an elegant professional soft smile on her face. In perfect timing, June rushed in at the last possible second, sliding into the seat next to Sera just as the teacher stood, prompting a few quiet laughs from the class. Sera, meanwhile, was still reeling from the intensity of the moment just a few minutes earlier, only managing to give a gentle wave to June, with the best forced smile she could muster.

The teacher’s poised figure was framed by the soft morning light filtering through the windows. The quiet murmur of students quickly died down as her cool, authoritative presence took command of the space. With a small smile, and a steady gaze that swept across the class, she adjusted her glasses slightly and spoke in her calm, elegant voice.

“Good morning, everyone. My name is Ame Misaki, and I’ll be your instructor for your Business Foundations class this semester. I expect each of you to take this class seriously, as you can learn a lot from the features of business and marketing. I hope this class will set the groundwork for your futures, and regarding the Business majors—the groundwork for your potential careers.”

Ame smiled wide, her words, though measured, carried an unmistakable weight, as if every syllable had been meticulously chosen to reflect her high expectations of her students.

“To that end, I also hope I will be able to help each and every one of you to the best of my ability, if you ever have any questions do not hesitate to ask me, understood?” Misaki confirmed, scanning the classroom.

Her introduction seemed to have won the classroom, as most of the classroom in unison answered her with a strong: “Yes Miss Misaki!!”

Hearing the classroom, burst into energy for a moment startled Sera, who was still out of it for the most part.

Ame was happy with her student’s response and clapped her hands together, taking in a breath. “Very good.” She smiled contently.

For just a moment, before continuing Ame couldn’t help but notice there was one student, who was not particularly concentrating.

Sera.

Ame scanned the room, her piercing gray eyes landed briefly on Sera, who had been unable to stop herself from stealing a glance with her earlier.

Sera could practically feel the weight of her intense gaze and, unable to resist, she subtly shifted her eyes—without turning her head—to meet hers.

Upon their eyes meeting, Ame’s gaze once again took her breath away. There was a flicker of recognition in Ame’s gaze, a subtle moment where their eyes met. Though brief, it held an unspoken intensity, as if Ame had noticed Sera’s earlier staring and was acknowledging it, almost challenging her.

Misaki’s eyes narrowed, and it was at this moment that Sera could swear she could see the ends of Ame’s mouth curving into a smile, only for a split second. But in the next instant, Ame’s expression returned to its composed, unreadable mask, and she continued addressing the class. Sera quickly stopped staring, blankly studying her black laptop screen which mind wasn’t even turned on yet, her mind was racing.

“…Let’s move onto our Syllabus, shall we? In this class, we will focus on the core principles of business strategy, leadership, and decision making. These skills are not just concepts but the foundation of how you'll navigate the real world. I trust that with your newfound determination, you are ready to meet those expectations—"

Interrupting Ame in the least rude way she could think of, Sera raised her hand desperately trying her best to keep her hand from shaking as it stood in the air. She had to get out of the classroom, she couldn’t focus like this. Something was wrong and she didn’t know what. Maybe some air, and a bathroom break was all she needed.

Great, interrupted her too. Amazing start. What a mess. Sera thought.

“Yes?” Ame said, pokerfaced.

Sera, hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding. She knew she would be unable to hold Ame’s gaze, and answered her whilst staring at the floor.

“S-Sorry. M-may I go to the washroom, M-Miss Misaki.”

Sera stammered uncharacteristically, her voice trailing off at the end of sentence. Though she tried her best to hide her nerves.

Ame’s expression remained unreadable, her gray eyes studying Sera for a moment before she gave a subtle nod.

“Go ahead.” She replied, her voice as composed as ever.

As Sera lifted from her seat however Ame’s calm, authoritative voice cut through the quiet atmosphere once more.

”Ah, it’s at this moment I realize, I seem to have missed the attendance. How silly.~”

She said lightheartedly, prompting a couple of laughs from the class.

Sera froze as she stood from her seat, her left hand grabbing her right wrist to stop it from shaking.

Ame quickly picked up the class attendance from her desk and turned back to the face the classroom on a dime. She glanced briefly at the class list, and she tilted her head as she looked at Sera, her gaze almost like hawk.

“Before you go to the washroom. What’s your name?”

Sera felt her chest tighten. She hadn't expected to be addressed so directly, especially by Ame. Did she do this on purpose? This has to be a cruel joke. She thought.

Her throat went dry, and she could feel a rush of heat creeping up her neck, her face starting to flush as she fumbled to respond.

“S-Sera…Tsukiko” She stammered, barely above a whisper, her eyes darting to the floor again, wishing she could shrink under Ame's gaze.

Ame gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, her piercing gray eyes lingering on Sera for just a moment longer before turning back to the list. Sera’s heart was still racing, her face growing hotter by the second.

Needing an escape, Sera abruptly attempted to speed walk out of the room, making a subtle but hasty exit. June, seated beside her, glanced over with confusion written all over her face, silently mouthing, Are you okay? But Sera was too flustered to respond. Her body felt hot, anxiety rising, as she fought the urge to run out of the room.

As she moved, she could feel Ame’s eyes following her every step. The intensity of that gaze sent another wave of embarrassment through her, as if she were under a spotlight. Sera’s hands clenched slightly at her sides; her legs shaky as she tried to make her exit as discreet as possible.

Her face felt like it was on fire by the time she reached the door. Every second felt like an eternity, her anxiety driving her straight down the hall to the washroom, where she could finally breathe and escape the suffocating weight of the moment.

At last, Sera sat in the bathroom stall, hunched forward with her head cradled in her hands, letting out a heavy sigh that echoed softly in the quiet space.

“This is bad. This is sooo bad.” She muttered under her breath.

What happened?  She thought. Everything seemed to be going perfect that morning up until Ame walked in. What’s gotten into me?  It was just some woman, some teacher. She thought once more. What did she really have to worry about? Though, her mind started to betray her, and her thoughts started to linger in the opposite end of the spectrum, as she lifted her head from her hands, staring at the bathroom stall door.

That’s right.

It wasn’t just some teacher, it was Ame Misaki. Once the revered student council president, her genius was so undeniable that the university broke convention, appointing her as a professor without hesitation.

Yet it wasn’t Misaki’s accolades or brilliance that captivated her—no, it was something else entirely… something far more intoxicating.

As she stared at the stall door, she fought to push away the persistent, distracting thoughts of Ame. The image of Ame’s flawless, porcelain skin and those piercing gray eyes flashed vividly in her mind. Sera squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shake it off, but it lingered—Ame’s composed beauty had captivated her since the moment she stepped into the classroom, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t erase the way it had pulled her in.

“Ugh.” She groaned restlessly, going through her hair, almost pulling her hair out.

Why can’t I just focus?  she thought, frustration rising. Sera had many crushes before and a couple relationships with boys in high school but none of them came close to this feeling, never had she gotten this feeling. She had never felt this way before, especially not about someone like her. Her voice, her gaze, her scent as she passed—it was all too much.

Every time she replayed that moment just now, her face flushed with embarrassment, a hot wave spreading across her cheeks. She hated how her thoughts kept drifting back to Ame’s presence, her allure, and how utterly powerless she felt to stop it.

With a frustrated, irritated, longer sigh, Sera pushed herself up from the toilet seat. She couldn't let this distraction overwhelm her, not today, her first day at Aina University. Today was the perfect first day, and one weird, foolish moment wasn’t going to ruin it all.

She stepped out of the stall and made her way to the mirror, her reflection staring back at her, pale and slightly flustered. Her fingers brushed through her blonde hair, trying to calm the mess of thoughts swirling in her head.

“You can do this, no more silly distractions.” She muttered to herself, leaning over the sink and gripping the edges tightly, as if the physical act of holding on would somehow anchor her racing mind.

She stared hard at her reflection, searching for a sense of control, a way to suppress the confusion and desire that had surfaced so unexpectedly.

You’ve been waiting for this day, just finish it strong. Focus. Don’t get distracted by her again. She thought.

With a deep breath, Sera straightened her posture, determined to push through the flurry of emotions Ame had stirred up. She nodded slightly to her reflection, finding a flicker of resolve in her ocean blue eyes before heading back out, preparing herself to face the rest of the day without letting Ame’s presence overwhelm her again.

After her trip to the washroom and her little peptalk in the bathroom mirror, to Sera’s relief she came back to the classroom and was able to concentrate a bit more, albeit still difficult.

Ame had finished the attendance just as Sera had come back and she went on about the syllabus for the school year. To finish she assigned a prompt for the class to complete by the beginning of next class, simply about why they decided to take her class, and they also had a little roundtable discussion doing some icebreakers for the class.

Sera felt way more at ease talking to the other students, she was back to her natural self that way. Her voice was steady and confident in the icebreaker sessions, no longer fading when she was around her classmates. She had always thrived in the company of others, enjoying the chance to meet new people and naturally embracing her outgoing nature.

After a little awhile she made two new friends, along with June who was ecstatic to get new friends on her first day.

“I can’t believe you know how to play that many instruments!” Luca, a boy they had met just now exclaimed, his eyes wide as he looked at June.

Sera’s eyes widened as she too turned to June with a wide smile. “Wow June! You really can play three instruments?”

June laughed, a slight blush flushing her face.

“Yeah! I know how to play Flute, Piano and the Guitar. Oh, and I can sing!” June glittered.

“Wow! Amazing, that must’ve taken so much time and effort, you should be proud of yourself.” Luca complimented.

“Honestly, my family is so into music, it just came naturally…” June tried to downplay, trying to stop her big grin, her gaze dropping to the floor.

“Stop downplaying it! How about you play for all of us one of these days?” Luca asked.

“What? No, no, no! I’m good but I am not that good…” She crossed her arms, looking away.

“Whaa… come on June…why not…” Luca looked like the world just ended.

“Awh… come on June, at least think about it, it would be fun. I want to hear you play too.” Sera added, smirking a little between Luca and June.

June made a really pouty face, making a cute little distressed noise. She then sighed hard, her whole body relaxing as she faced the group again.

“Ahhh…fine! Okay, maybe I will play for you guys… but not anytime soon!” June finally said, now convinced.

“Haha, cool! Well, Ren and I are going to go now, gotta get to our next class.” Luca grinned and laughed.

“It was nice to meet you both, June and Sera.” Ren said modestly. For someone who spoke so calm and modest, he was dressed so classy and so outwardly.

“It was nice to meet you both too!” June grinned wide and waved.

Sera smiled small and nodded. “Same here, see you later!”

“Take care!” Luca waved.

The boys left the room, as did most of the class. Business class was over for this section.

June almost bounced with contentment.

“Did you hear that?! They were impressed by the fact I do music!” She exclaimed.

Sera chuckled, nodding trying to keep up with June’s everlasting supply of energy. “I heard, I heard. Hey, I want to hear you play too you know.” Sera frowned playfully, crossing her arms.

“I can play for you no problem.” June confirmed, quickly.

Sera raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Ooh? What’s that supposed to be mean? You have trouble playing in front of boys?”

"THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!” She exclaimed way too loud.

“June?! Shh!” She covered her mouth with one hand laughing, with the other clutching her stomach.

“Ahhh… Sorry.” She giggled.

Only a few students remained in the business classroom, casually chatting away. Sera and June sat on tables at the back of the room while, the teacher, Ame, seemed to be busy dialed in looking at her papers and scrolling on her laptop.

After awhile, talking about various things they did last weekend, the topic landed back on today and it seemed June had something on her mind.

“Hey… so, were you alright earlier? You looked as white as a ghoul… you were shaking too. Are you sick or something?”

Sera drinking water, blinked twice for a moment, thinking about the look she shared with Ame earlier once more, prompting her to choke on it a bit.

“W-wh-what?” She coughed as she shook her head, putting the cap back on the water bottle and sliding in back into her backpack.

“See, your coughing! Are you okay Sera?!” June held Sera’s hand for a moment, worried for her friend.

“I’m good, totally fine! There’s nothing to worry about, June.” Sera confirms, not wanting to raise her suspicions.

June pouts, slightly concerned, but takes her new best friend’s word for it.

Unbeknownst to Sera, Ame was basically done her work, and caught had heard the tail end of their conversation just now.

June turned to Sera with a smile. “Hey, want to grab lunch together Sera?” June asked cheerfully, already halfway to the exit.

Before Sera could answer, a familiar, silky voice cut through the air.

"Tsukiko.”

Sera froze, her body went rigid. She turned slowly, locking eyes with Ame, who sat at her desk with an unreadable expression. Sera swallowed nervously, her voice catching in her throat before she responded quickly, “Y-yes!”

“Could you come here for a moment?” Ame’s eyes softened slightly, though her tone remained composed.

Sera nodded and walked over, the sound of her own footsteps seeming deafening in the quiet room—at this point all the rest of students had left.

June looked back in confusion, wondering what was going on with her friend. Was she in trouble? She didn’t say anything, watching from a distance.

When Sera reached Ame’s desk, she was met with that intense gaze again, making her stomach flutter.

“You seemed... distracted today,” Ame said, her voice calm but with a hint of concern.

“Are you feeling alright? Perhaps you’re sick?” She proposed, one hand on top of another as she tilted her head ever so slightly to look up at Sera from her chair.

Sera's face grew warm, her heart pounding in her chest.

“N-No, I’m fine…” she answered shyly, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Ame for more than a second, the embarrassment rising again.

Ame studied her for a moment longer, then nodded slightly.

“Alright. But if anything's wrong, don’t hesitate to let me know, okay?” Her voice was firm, but there was a subtle gentleness that made Sera’s heart skip a beat. That look in her eyes, usually so intimidating, had a hint of softness.

“Y-yes, Miss Misaki.” Sera stammered, her cheeks flushing as she hurriedly turned away to join June, who watched her with a curious expression.

Without another word, the girls left the room, and the door closed softly behind them. Ame paused, her gaze drifting toward the windows where the fading sun was slowly swallowed by gathering clouds. For a moment, she stood still, seemingly lost in a thought, before allowing strands of her sleek, dark hair to fall loosely over her face. With a quiet sigh, she turned her attention back to her laptop, her fingers tapping methodically on the keys.

At this point, anything that could distract Sera from her thoughts of Ame Misaki felt like a victory. During lunchtime, she and June found themselves at Aina University's stunning student lounge, located in the heart of the campus. Surrounded by food vendors and bustling seating areas, the centerpiece of the lounge was a beautiful water fountain, where groups of students gathered to eat, relax, and chat, creating a lively yet serene atmosphere.

“So yeah, I’m not gonna be living not too far from campus, I’m going to be staying at this new apartment. It’s pretty nice. Wanna see?” Sera stated, playfully waving her phone in her friend’s face.

“Sure! Show me, Show me!” June grinned, waving her hands around like a baby.

June took the phone and swiped through pictures of the apartment. “Wow! It’s kind of gorgeous.”

“I know right? I found the perfect deal over the summer and I’m so thankful cause everything about it is great. Space, commute, price… all that’s left is to actually see it for real and be there tonight.” Sera answered.

“You weren’t there this morning?” June asked, perplexed.

“No actually, I came straight from my parents place today I was in such a rush. I said a big goodbye to them this morning and they wished me well living in this apartment for this semester, ill still check in with them from time-to-time though.” Sera explained in-between bites of her sandwich.

June nodded, smiling contently as she handed back Sera her phone. “Hope you settle in well tonight!” She grinned.

“Thank you, June, I will.” She nodded.

Sera and June continued to eat together in the student lounge, enjoying their lunch as the sounds of chatter and laughter filled the air. Between bites, the two found themselves caught in a fit of giggles over a story June was telling about a classmate's ridiculous presentation mishap. Sera’s laughter felt light, a welcome distraction from her earlier nerves, and she leaned into the moment, grateful for the ease and comfort of June's company.

After eating, the two decided to take a stroll around campus. They wandered through the beautiful gardens and passed by the stunning buildings, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze. June pointed out her favorite spots, while Sera marveled at the hidden corners of the university she hadn’t yet explored.

Eventually, they found themselves at the crossroads where they’d have to part ways. With a warm smile, June gave Sera a quick hug.

“I’ll see you Wednesday?” She asked, still grinning.

“Of course!” Sera replied, returning the embrace, her heart feeling full and light after the time spent together.

As they waved goodbye, Sera turned and made her way toward the train station. The familiar hum of the city surrounded her as she ascended the stairs, tapping her card before stepping onto the train platform. When the train arrived, she boarded and found a seat, leaning back as the train began to move.

After getting off the train, Sera quietly enjoyed her night walk home, listening to music and checking in with her parents. It was finally time to check into her new place and see what it was all about. Sera walked up the path to her apartment building, a warm sense of comfort washing over as she tapped her keycard, and she stepped inside. The lobby had a cozy, inviting vibe, with soft lighting and plush chairs that made the space feel more like a home than a complex. The area had a warm yellow and orange hue, jazz music filling the ambience. The scent of freshly brewed coffee from the small café near the entrance only added to the welcoming atmosphere.

She nodded politely to the secretary at the front desk, who smiled in return, and made her way to the elevator. As the doors closed behind her, she pulled out her phone, scrolling through her messages to find the room information that her parents had sent her, looking for the room number.

"Room 708," she murmured to herself, heart fluttering as she prepared to finally meet the person, she’d be sharing her space with. The elevator chimed, and she stepped out onto her floor, her footsteps soft against the plush carpet.

After passing a few doors, Sera realized she had walked right by her own and quickly retraced her steps, stopping in front of it. "Oh, here it is." She chuckled, excitement bubbling up as she stood there. Sera knocked on the door promptly, awaiting her new roommate to greet her.

Her heart raced a little as she knocked on the door, her mind filled with curiosity about who her new roommate might be. She smiled to herself, feeling eager to make a good first impression. Soon, the soft sound of footsteps echoed from the other side, growing louder until, at last, the door slowly creaked open.

Sera beamed as the door slowly opened, her excitement brimming over. "Hello! I’m really sorry I couldn’t be here this morning to settle in like we planned. Things got a bit—" Her voice trailed off, the words catching in her throat as her eyes landed on the person standing in the doorway.

Sera couldn’t believe her eyes… in front of her was;

Ame Misaki.

Sera's smile froze, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. Her new roommate—her roommate—was none other than the mesmerizingly beautiful teacher she had spent all day trying to forget.

Ame, equally stunned, stood rooted in place. Her composed expression slipped for a brief second, her usually impassive face betraying her own shock. The two girls stood staring at each other, the weight of the coincidence—and the unspoken tension—hanging in the air between them.

Sera's mouth quivered as she tried to speak, but no words managed to escape, her thoughts swirling in confusion and surprise. Before the silence could stretch any longer, it was Ame who finally broke the silence between the two, accepting her prior apology.

“It’s okay, come on in.” Ame said firmly, her calm demeanor quickly reasserting itself.

Without another word, Sera stepped inside, slipping off her shoes on the entrance mat. The door behind her creaked softly, then clicked shut, sealing the two of them inside the apartment.