Definitely The Love Interest

With hope brimming in my heart, I eagerly observe the imminent occurrence. It's akin to luring a rare deer—I simply have to wait for the trap I've set to ensnare the unsuspecting creature, and then I can walk away from the scene, triumphant. Oh, the anticipation is electrifying.

"Excuse me..." The deer even volunteers to walk right into the trap, drawing it towards her. "Do you happen to know where the principal's office is?" she asks in a soft tone. Too soft, I must say. It feels artificial to me as if she's deliberately trying to create an impression. She even tucks a strand of hair behind her ear to accentuate her charm.

Nikki remains silent in front of the girl. A significant pause. It seems to be working. I can't see Nikki's expression, but I sense that this encounter is taking a positive turn.

"How beautiful..." A familiar voice suddenly echoes behind me. It's Noa.

"Tch," my frustration is evident to Noa, even from behind.

“Wait, is that his girlfriend?” she’s asking excitingly.

"Soon..." I mutter under my breath.

But then, a thought crosses my mind. "Wait a minute. Isn't Noa supposed to feel... jealous or something? Wasn't she also a potential love interest for Nikki?... No, that was just my assumption from yesterday. But what about her position now? If she becomes entangled in their love story, it might complicate my role as a witness to this event..."

Suddenly, Nikki does something completely unexpected, She's holding the girl's head, tilting it back and forth as if inspecting something on her head.

"What are you doing?!" the girl suddenly shouts, pushing Nikki's hand away. "I knew it... you're... Mirin, right?"

The girl's face shows a surprising mix of shock and confusion. I never expected that kind of expression from her beautiful face. "Y-y-you... Nikkaido...?" she stammers.

"Haha, it's me, Nikki. Come on, aren’t you the one who gave me that nickname?" Nikki says nonchalantly.

"WHY. ARE. YOU. HERE?" the girl stomps on Nikki's shoes while he’s laughing.

What's going on? This dynamic doesn't resemble a rom-com at all. Plus, it seems like the girl was hiding her true nature earlier. I didn't see that coming.

"Wait, could they be childhood friends who haven't seen each other in years? This could still fit into the rom-com narrative!" I ponder in my mind.

"Kai... look at that," Noa whispers softly. "Kai?"

I simply nod in response. I have a habit of envisioning scenes like they're in manga or animated form, so I instinctively imagine where the camera would be. And in this scene, the camera is undoubtedly positioned on the right side of Nikki and the girl, capturing the two sides of their faces as they release their expressions in this long-awaited reunion moment.

"Kai... sometimes... when you're lost in thought, your face tells a thousand stories," Noa suddenly remarks, catching me off guard.

I turn around swiftly, my expression a mixture of confusion, surprise, admiration, and a hint of awe. I never realized that Noa was paying such close attention to me.

"What?" Noa asks, slightly taken aback by my reaction.

But my uneasiness suddenly intensifies. "The camera... it changed focus!" I shout in my mind.

And sure enough, as I turn around, Nikki is already pointing at me and Noa, as if introducing us to her childhood friend.

"This is my friend... Kai," Nikki introduces me while walking towards me. "...And... he..." Kai's confusion builds as he looks at Noa.

"I'm 'Girl A.' Nice to meet you!" Noa greets with enthusiasm.

"She's Noa, I'm 'Boy B'," I say, pointing towards Noa. "...and I'm not his and her friend," I continue.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Miya Harukarin," the girl introduces herself, concealing the wild nature that she displayed in front of Nikki earlier.

"Mirin. Just call her Mirin," Nikki interjects, causing Miya's eyebrows to twitch as if about to break the formal smile she had been wearing all this time.

"Oh, by the way, Noa... can you take Mirin to the principal's office? Kai and I need to go to the library," Nikki asks Noa.

"You don't know where the principal's office is either, right?" I mutter silently.

"Oh, sure!" Noa accepts Nikki's request.

"Yay! I'm being ordered by Nikki!" Suddenly, Noa's inner voice seems to infiltrate my ears through the exuberant smile displayed right in front of him.

✽✾✽

We find ourselves in the library, where Nikki still insisting that I should start working on the homework given by our homeroom teacher. But honestly, I'm just too lazy to interact with him right now. I decided to show him a YouTube video of a tutor explaining the subject.

Nikki's head rests heavily on the table, his constant plea of "Teach me, teach me" echoing in the library. It's grating on my nerves.

"I can't, alright? My grades are average, my communication skills are average, and my motivation to interact with you is, you guessed it, average. So why don't you seek someone who has more interests with you for a non-debate learning process?" I half-shout, trying to keep my voice within the library rules.

"I don't have anyone like that..." Nikki says dejectedly.

"Nonsense, didn't you see the reaction of the girls in class when they saw you earlier?" I retort.

"Not my type..." Nikki mumbles, still refusing to lift his head.

Judging by his date story from yesterday, well, it seems his type is nowhere to be found in our class. It's truly vexing...

"Listen, when it comes to matters of the heart, you shouldn't confine yourself to a specific type. Sometimes, unexpected encounters can sow the seeds of something remarkable..." I begin, hoping to offer a piece of wisdom.

"Oh, Kai. Are you experienced in romance?" Nikki suddenly interrupts. I can only fall silent and forget all the words I was about to pretentiously say.

"Has it ever happened to you? Such an encounter..." he continues.

I'm tired.

"That girl earlier... if you approach her, who knows? She might just become someone truly special to you. Take the chance, get to know her better," I say dismissively, rising from my seat. I intend it as a final statement, a parting gift of advice. Little do I care about its credibility. Whatever his take on this, I hope Nikki distances himself from me.

As I walk towards the door, Noa is there, seemingly returning from the principal's office.

"Oh, right. In that case..." As if reflecting my uncertainty in my statement, Nikki suddenly lifts his head and turns around. "Noa..." he calls. "Would you like to go on a date?"

Before Noa can respond, my hand instinctively blocks her path, preventing her from entering the library. "Not her," I interject firmly.

"Eh?” Noa's expression morphs into one of surprise, surpassing even the reaction she had when Nikki made his previous proposition.

After a few seconds, I realize the meaning of my gesture and snap back to reality. "Eh?"