Reikou scrambled out of his house, but he wasn’t fast enough to catch up to the graceful pace of the Sazanami Heiress.
"Hey wait up!" Reikou shouted.
Meiyu stopped and turned, her dark hair catching the sunlight. "Huh? Reikou-kun?"
Huff… Huff… "So—so—sorry!" Reikou panted, sweat dripping from his forehead. "I was just joking back there! I’m sorry if I offended you."
"No, it is fine," she replied with perfect, aristocratic manners.
She began walking again, and naturally, Reikou followed. Meiyu noticed him from the corner of her eye. "Are you... chasing me?!"
"No—no!" Reikou shook his head frantically. "Actually... I want to ask you something. Can I?"
"Go ahead," she said coolly.
The morning was brilliant sun shining, birds chirping, and a soft breeze making the trees wave hello. The distant sound of water made the moment feel like a scene from a high-budget anime.
"I heard that you have some... rules," Reikou asked hesitantly.
"Yeah... so what?"
"Can you tell me what they are?" Reikou asked directly.
This time, Meiyu didn’t respond. She kept walking. They were walking together now, the 0.5-meter gap still perfectly maintained between them.
"Why do you want to know?" Meiyu asked.
"Because I’m curious. Why do you have them? What is the reason?"
Meiyu’s eyes widened in genuine shock. "But... why does it matter to you?!"
‘BECAUSE I FALL DEEPLY INTO YOUR EYES YOUR SOUL EVERY TIME I SEE YOU. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS FEELING IS, BUT—’ Reikou screamed in his mind.
"Where did you go?" Meiyu’s voice startled him. "Answer me. Why do you want to know?"
"Huh—Ah—Ph..." Reikou looked down, his face heating up.
"Speak up! Say it!" Meiyu demanded, her annoyance growing.
"Because... I want to reach your heart and show you how beautiful this world is without rules!" Reikou blurted out.
His eyes went wide as he realized what he’d just said. He instantly covered his mouth with both hands. Meiyu froze. Her face turned a deep, unmistakable pink, and she suddenly increased her pace.
"Don't try to come closer, you baka (fool)!" she stammered and started power-walking away.
"Wait! Where are you going?!" Reikou whispered, but she didn't stop. She was practically sprinting.
The Next Day
The next morning, Reikou walked toward school with his hands in his pockets, grumbling to himself. ‘I crossed the line yesterday. I’m such an idiot.’ He rubbed his hair in frustration. ‘Control, Reikou! Why am I losing my tempo?!’
Meanwhile, inside a luxury sedan, Meiyu stared out the window. ‘That fool... he doesn’t know what he’s saying half the time.’
Both were lost in their thoughts until
"Yo! Reikou-san!" Ryuuto.whispered from behind, dropping a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Ryuuto-san What's up?"
"The news is up, buddy. But your luck... is definitely down," Ryuuto said with a pitying expression.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"The video of the fight with Shiun. It went viral on social media," Ryuuto explained. "Someone edited it to make it look like you were the villain, or just a total creep. And honestly..."
Ryuuto covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking.
"What? Who did this?!" Reikou asked, getting tense.
"It's just that..." Ryuuto finally exploded into laughter. "In real life, you look way more 'ugly' than in that viral video! Your face in that thumbnail is gold!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Reikou delivered a mule-kick that sent Ryuuto flying toward the school wall, but Ryuuto just kept laughing while rolling on the ground.
As they entered the school, the buzzing was everywhere.
"Look, that’s him!"
"He looks even weirder in person than in the video."
"Yeah, his face is absolutely... unique."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Reikou roared, making a truly distorted, "Donkey-Gryphon" face at a group of students.
"Eeeeek! Mommy, he's scary!" a girl shrieked and burst into tears.
Before things got worse, Ryuuto grabbed Reikou and dragged him into the nearest restroom to hide.
"Why are we in here?!" Reikou snapped.
Ryuuto was leaning against the wall, trying so hard not to laugh that his entire body was twitching.
"RYUUTO!" Reikou growled. No response. "YOU BASTARD! ARE YOU LAUGHING WITH YOUR REAR END?! IS THIS THAT FUNNY?!"
Reikou grabbed Ryuuto in a headlock, shaking him violently. "STOP IT!"
"HA HA HA! I CAN'T! SORRY!"
Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed through the small room.
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