Miss Perfect Attractive Side

I was trying to head back to my classroom still lost in thought, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Suddenly, I slammed into someone. Hard.

“Whoa!” I muttered, stumbling backward.

The girl I collided with wasn’t as lucky. She let out a high-pitched yelp as she fell, books and papers flying everywhere. And, to make matters worse, her skirt flipped up as she hit the floor, flashing her underwear for a split second.

Before I could even apologize or avert my eyes, she screamed.

“Pervert!” she shrieked, loud enough to echo through the entire hallway. My face went pale as she scrambled to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury. She barely gave me a chance to speak before her hand shot out and slapped me hard across the face.

I staggered back, holding my cheek, completely shocked. “W-What?! It wasn’t on purpose!”

“Like hell it wasn’t!” she yelled, her face red with both anger and embarrassment. She was clearly one of those girls who wasn’t used to being anything but the center of attention—and not in the good way. Her short, messy brown hair whipped around as she straightened her skirt, glaring at me like I was the lowest of the low.

Before I could even process what was happening, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see none other than Ami Suzuki, standing a few feet away, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the scene. Of course, she had just finished her lunch, and now she had front-row seats to this disaster.

The girl who slapped me quickly turned to Ami, her tone changing in an instant. “Ami! Did you see that? This… this pervert just knocked me over and—ugh!” She shot me another glare before fixing her hair, trying to regain her composure.

Ami’s eyes flicked between me and the girl, her expression cold and unreadable as usual. “Yes, Ayane, I saw,” she said, her voice as even and proper as always.

Ayane? Of course. This girl—Ayane—had to be one of Ami’s friends. Because that’s just my luck.

“I-I didn’t do anything!” I stammered, still holding my stinging cheek. “It was an accident. I wasn’t even looking—”

“Save it,” Ayane cut me off, narrowing her eyes. “Guys like you are all the same. Thinking you can get away with anything.”

I was about to defend myself again when Ami spoke up. “Ayane, enough.” Her voice was calm, but firm, and it was enough to make Ayane fall silent. Ami turned her gaze back to me, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was trying to decide whether or not I was guilty. “You really should watch where you’re going.”

I stood there, caught between two extremes—Ayane, still fuming and glaring at me like she wanted to slap me again, and Ami, cool and detached but clearly unimpressed by the whole scene.

“I wasn’t trying to do anything,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. “This is just… one big misunderstanding.”

Ami didn’t respond. She just gave me a slight nod, as if she wasn’t convinced but didn’t want to escalate the situation further. “Let’s go, Ayane,” she said, her voice calm but final.

Ayane shot me one last glare before gathering her books, her head held high as she stormed past me, clearly trying to salvage whatever dignity she had left. Ami followed her, walking with that same graceful composure she always had.

I stood there for a moment, rubbing my cheek, watching them go.

I made my way back to the classroom, rubbing my cheek where Ayane had slapped me. The sting was still there, a sharp reminder of the chaos that had unfolded earlier.

When I entered the classroom, I plopped down at my desk and leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes for a moment. The sound of the teacher’s voice faded into the background. I just wanted to blend in and forget about the whole day.

After a few minutes, the door opened, and Ami Suzuki entered the room. She walked in with her usual quiet confidence, her presence commanding attention without effort. I didn’t expect to think much of it.

Ami glanced around the room, her expression cool and composed, but I caught a fleeting look of concern on her face as her gaze landed on me. It was gone in an instant, replaced by her usual aloof demeanor. She walked over to her desk, and I tried not to stare.

Just as the teacher began another round of lectures, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Ami standing beside me, an ice bag in her hand.

“Here,” she said, her tone still proper but with a hint of softness that caught me off guard. “You should put this on your cheek.”

I blinked in surprise, taken aback by her unexpected kindness. “Uh, thanks,” I said, taking the ice bag from her. “You didn’t have to…”

“I know,” she replied, crossing her arms. “But it looked like it hurt.” There was a slight crease in her brow, something I hadn’t seen before. For a moment, the cold façade slipped, revealing a hint of genuine concern.

As I pressed the ice bag to my cheek, I couldn’t help but find her caring side attractive in a way I hadn’t expected. I had only ever seen her as the perfect, proper girl everyone admired, but this was a different side—one that felt more human.

“Is it better?” she asked, glancing at me with those piercing eyes. I noticed that she hadn’t fully turned away, as she usually did when we spoke.

“Yeah, actually,” I replied, trying to keep my composure. “Thanks for the ice. I didn’t know you cared.”

Her expression hardened again, but there was a brief flicker of a smile before she turned her attention back to the teacher. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” she said, her voice cool once more. “It’s just common sense.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her response. Typical Ami. Just when I thought I might see a different side of her, she went right back to being her usual self. But I found myself intrigued.