Cold Girl and Scammer

The bell that signalled the end of class rang.

"Alright everyone, that's all from me today. Don't forget to do your homework which will be collected next week. Good morning," said Mr Takeshi.

"Thank you, Mr Takeshi," the whole class replied.

I stretched my arms and body after sitting at my desk for a few hours.

"Hey Valdo, I'm really glad we were able to finish on time. I was also surprised when Ayame came up to you. She's like an ice beauty. You'd better not get too close to her," Kazuki said.

"Don't talk ill of girls. That's not the behaviour of a gentleman," I retorted.

"Woohoo, look who's trying to be manly. Okay, I get it. Or maybe you do like her," Kazuki teased.

"Who, me? Who likes a cold girl who hits you twice the first time they meet?" I responded defensively.

Once on the back, and once on the stomach.

"Have you ever talked to her before?" Kazuki asked.

"It was crazy, to be honest. I couldn't think straight about everything that happened," I admitted.

"Come on, don't lie. Maybe fate will change for you. Maybe you'll stop being a loser and make your brother proud," Kazuki teased again.

"Why do you look so much like my sister? Are you teasing me now?" I asked, half-joking.

"Haha, because you look cute when you're angry," Kazuki chuckled.

I slapped his stomach softly.

"Ouch, sorry, sorry. Now, back to the topic. What happened the first time you met her?" Kazuki asked, getting the conversation back on track.

"She was very cra..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Ayame walked towards us, interrupting our conversation.

"What are you going to say, Valdo? Remember what happened before? Want to feel it again?" she challenged, her hostility obvious.

"Cut it out. Why are you so hostile towards me? I saved you last time," I retorted, frustration creeping into my voice.

"I didn't ask for your help," she snapped back.

"I also didn't ask you to bother me all the time," I retorted, unable to contain my irritation.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Ayame's anger flared up.

Kazuki interrupted, trying to defuse the situation. "Hey, hey, can you guys not bring the love quarrel here, please don't bring it here. I don't want to get involved in it."

"None of your business," Ayame and I replied simultaneously.

"Okay, but can you keep it a little quieter? The whole class is currently watching us," Kazuki advised.

I looked around and realised that the whole class was watching our conversation.

"Fine, let's end it here. We can settle this later, but I won't back down," I said as I walked out of the classroom.

Konohana, who had been observing the situation, commented, "I didn't know that Valdo was actually close to Ayame."

After that, I went to the cafeteria, needing a break from the tension.

"Hello, student. What can I buy for you today?" Fuyuki, one of my best friends from first year, greeted me.

"Ahh, why are you here, Fuyuki!" I exclaimed, surprised to see her in the canteen. We ended up being in different classes this year.

Fuyuki, who was known for being smart and having good grades, always had a knack for making money and looking for opportunities to profit. She was also a member of the student council and helped manage the canteen with the school staff. Despite my envy, she remained a close friend of mine.

"I'm just here to make money, and it's even more special because my best friend from last year came to me while I was on duty," Fuyuki said with a slight cough.

"What can I order for you today?" he asked with a smile, ready to take my order.

"Can you stop that? It creeps me out. I know you'd rob me until I'm left with not a single penny," I said, feeling wary of Fuyuki's nature of only pursuing profit.

Fuyuki nodded and smiled. "I'll take your order and be right back," she said before walking away from the cashier.

"Hey, I haven't even ordered yet," I exclaimed.

Fuyuki returned with a piece of bread and handed me a coupon for the drink machine. "Here's something for you, customer," she said with a smile.

"Whatever, Fuyuki. How much is it?" I asked, still suspicious of her intentions.

"Since I know you're in a bad mood, I'll give it to you for free this time," Fuyuki replied, her smile unwavering.

"Really? You won't trick me again like last time," I said, looking at her sceptically.

Fuyuki had once charged me 500 yen for a piece of bread that normally costs 200 yen. But I don't want to argue with him here, because I'm pretty tired from my problem with Ayame.

"What do you mean I'm going to trick you?" Fuyuki asked, slightly exasperated.

"Come on, you must be hiding something," I retorted while pointing a finger at him.

"Look, I have other customers to serve. Please leave," Fuyuki said as he pointed towards the queue that was getting longer.

I turned my head back and saw several people queuing, "Sorry, sorry. Go ahead," I said, realising my mistake.

I walked towards the drink machine and entered the ticket Fuyuki had given me. Choosing cola over coffee, I took the drink and found a seat in the canteen to enjoy my bread.

"Huh, I don't even know what he gave me this time. I hope it's not spicy bread again," I thought to myself.

Spicy food does not go well with me, and I have a weak tolerance for it. There was one time when Fuyuki added two spoons of hot sauce to my ramen, and I ended up spending hours in the bathroom.

Alright, let's open it and see. Wait, no way! This is melon bread, my favourite! I couldn't believe it. Fuyuki actually did something nice for once, instead of fooling me. I secretly thanked him in my mind, but I decided not to say it out loud because I knew I would regret it later.

I enjoyed the melon bread while flicking through my mobile phone, looking for the latest game news.

"Hello, customer. What can I buy for you today?" Fuyuki asked.

"Can I get the same item that that guy has?" the customer asked.

"Oh, you mean that loser?" Fuyuki's comment was clearly heard by me.

"Yes, that guy," the customer confirmed.

I tried to ignore Fuyuki's comment, hoping he wasn't referring to Ayame. She was always being rude to me these days. I went back to enjoying my melon bread and continued watching the professional gamer's video.

"What are you watching?" the customer asked, the voice sounding familiar.

"I'm watching a professional gamer play a game," I replied, still focused on my phone.

"Sounds like someone just wasting time on unnecessary stuff," the customer commented.

"It's a hobby. Why would you say that?" I asked, finally looking up to see Ayame standing there.

"Oh, it's you again! Wait, you also ordered the same thing as me. Stop stalking me!" I panicked, feeling surprised by the coincidence.

"It's just a coincidence. Who deliberately ordered the same thing as you?" Ayame replied while opening her bag.

"What do you mean, you lied to me, Fuyuki!" I exclaimed, turning my head towards the cashier where Fuyuki was last seen.

It turned out that the school staff had already taken over Fuyuki's duties.

"Whatever, I don't care," I muttered to myself, trying to ignore the situation.

Ayame, surprisingly, chose to sit very close to me, despite her unfriendly demeanour. I continued eating my melon bread, staying focused on what I was doing. She unwrapped her own and started eating her melon bread as well.

After finishing my melon bread, I decided to open my cola bottle. Wait, please don't think that I was so weak and incapable of opening a water bottle. At least I can do it.

Pocketing the mobile phone in my pocket, I took a sip of the fizzy drink. I glanced at Ayame, only to see that she was struggling to open her water bottle. Since I felt sorry for her struggle, I decided to help her out.

"Give it to me," I said as I reached for the bottle.

"What do you want now? You want to rob me?" Ayame pulled the bottle away from my reach, suspicion evident in her eyes.

"Just give it to me," I pleaded, determined to help her.

Reluctantly, she handed me the cola bottle, and I quickly opened it for her.

"Here, I don't want to see you struggle to open it again," I said, returning the opened bottle to her.

She took back her own cola bottle, clearly looking annoyed. "I didn't ask for your help."

"Fine, just get away from your annoying gimmicks then," I retort.

"Well then, just stop that annoying trick of yours," I retorted.

"It's annoying, whatever. I'll leave this place." With that, Ayame left the canteen, leaving me behind.

"Why am I always on the wrong side?" I sighed in frustration.

"You really don't know how to handle women," Kazuki commented while sitting next to me.

Surprised, I asked, "Oh! When did you get here?"

"A little while ago."

"So, you've seen everything?"

"Maybe. But to be honest, you're not good at talking to women."

"Huh, I hope this won't be my downfall," I muttered.

"Yeah, well, I have to get back to class now. Goodbye. Oh, and by the way, it's on the house. No need to pay me back."

"Alright, thanks as always," I replied gratefully.

As Fuyuki left the cafeteria, I went out as well.