Ch.08 Bread, Blushes, and Battle Letters

Lunch break had just begun. Aurora and Amber sat together, unwrapping their lunchboxes. The classroom was lively, though—as usual—one person was missing.

"K's out wandering again…" Amber muttered, stabbing her rice with chopsticks. Then she turned to Aurora. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?" Aurora tilted her head, clearly confused.

"The school, duh."

"Oh, that." Aurora thought for a moment. "It's nice. Teachers are good, classmates are friendly… except for one." She didn't even need to say his name; both of them knew she meant K.

"Right?" Amber smirked. "But at least we don't have any delinque—"

She was cut off by the loud slam of the classroom door.

A boy stomped in. He had messy yellow-blond hair streaked with black in the middle, and sharp golden eyes. His presence immediately killed the peaceful lunch mood.

Aurora blinked. "…You were saying something, Amber?"

"Nope. Absolutely nothing. Forget I opened my mouth." Amber quickly waved her hands.

The boy scanned the classroom, his eyes darting toward an empty seat. "K!" he barked, striding forward. But when he saw the seat empty, he froze.

Then—unbelievably—he turned toward Aurora and Amber. His face suddenly went red. "Uh, uh…" His confident voice cracked, and instead of finishing his sentence, he panicked. "N-nevermind!"

Without another word, he bolted out of the room.

"…What was that?" Aurora muttered.

Amber had her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Pffft… amazing entrance, tragic exit."

Aurora rolled her eyes, but something shiny caught her attention on the floor. She bent down and picked it up. "Huh? He dropped something." She flipped the envelope over. "A challenge letter… for K."

Amber and Aurora shared a knowing glance. Considering K's personality, it wasn't surprising he had enemies lining up already.

The sliding door rattled again, and this time, K strolled in—bread hanging lazily from his mouth.

"K!" Aurora called.

He turned mid-bite. "…If you're gonna ask me for this, I'm not giving it. Buy your own bread!"

Aurora's cheeks puffed up. "I'm not that cheap, you idiot!"

Amber sighed. "Says the guy eating classroom bread like it's gourmet cuisine."

Aurora shoved the letter at him. "Some blond streak-haired guy was looking for you. He dropped this."

K snatched the letter with one glance. "What's this… a love letter?"

"It's a challenge letter," Aurora snapped.

"Ohhh. I see ...oops my hand slips." Without hesitation, he ripped it into tiny pieces and tossed it into the trash.

Amber's jaw dropped. "Seriously?!"

"Yeah, if he asks, just tell him you never got it." K dusted his hands off casually, unfazed.

Both girls stared at him awkwardly. Eventually, they nodded, too confused to argue.

K sat down, but then his eyes suddenly narrowed. "Hmm. This feeling…" He stood up dramatically. "I need to leave. My spidey-senses are tingling. If I stay here for one more minute, disaster awaits."

Before either girl could react, he bolted out of the class.

Amber blinked. "Did he just—"

"He is NOT Spider-Man," Aurora muttered firmly.

Almost immediately after K's escape, Blond Boy stormed back into the room again, eyes darting around nervously. When he spotted Aurora and Amber, he froze, blushing furiously—then retreated again, hands covering his face.

Amber threw her arms up. "What is this, some school comedy anime?!"

Aurora nodded slowly. "Feels like it."

And with that, lunch ended.

---

The final bell rang, classes ended, and students packed their bags. Aurora and Amber lingered together, walking down the hallway.

Back in the classroom, K paused at the door. "Hmm… another weird feeling. If I don't leave in the next 280 seconds… I'll be in serious trouble." He sprinted off again before they could respond.

Aurora and Amber exchanged stares.

"…He's *really* not Spider-Man, right?" Amber asked, half-convinced.

"…Right… I think."

As they left the gates, they spotted Blond Boy hovering near the walls.

"Maybe I should tell him K left?" Amber said thoughtfully.

"Wait—!" Aurora tried to stop her.

Too late. Amber jogged over. "Hey—um!"

The boy looked up, panicked. For a brief shining moment, Amber thought he might answer.

Instead, his face turned bright red. "I-I'm sorryyyy!!" he yelped, and dashed away.

Amber stopped in her tracks, head hanging low. Aurora caught up to her. "…Are you okay?"

Amber clenched her fists dramatically. "Why does it feel like I just got rejected…!"

Next Morning

Aurora arrived at the school gates, rubbing her sleepy eyes. But she froze when she noticed that same blond-haired boy standing there nervously.

"Umm… hello?" she greeted.

He startled, panicked—and in his rush to escape, tripped over his own feet, crashing face-first into the ground.

Aurora gasped. "Are you alright?!"

"…Fine," came his muffled voice.

She reached out and offered her hand. He hesitated—but finally accepted, allowing her to pull him up. His face was flushed cherry red.

"Thanks," he muttered.

Aurora smiled warmly. "It's nice to finally talk to you. I'm Aurora. And you are?"

"…Rex," he said softly.

"Rex, huh? That's a cool name!" she replied with a bright grin.

Rex's cheeks turned crimson. Unable to handle it, he spun around and sprinted away again, yelling incoherently.

Aurora sighed. "Eh?! What did I say this time?"

Out of nowhere, a hand patted her shoulder. She turned to see K, already munching on bread again, casually walking past.

"Good job," he said. Then he left her standing in confusion.

Aurora blinked twice, still stunned. "I don't get it…"