Yuki Aihara sat in the back of her classroom, staring at the back of Haruki Minato's head like a hypnotized rabbit. Haruki was three rows ahead, absorbed in his own world—too cool, too perfect, too... out of her league.
He didn't know she existed. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He probably knew she existed, but only in the way that one knows the names of background characters in a drama. His name might pop up once in a while, but she wasn't a main character. She was... background noise. The kind of person who melted into the wallpaper, unnoticeable and completely safe from embarrassment.
Which, of course, is exactly why her heart beat ten times faster whenever she saw him.
It wasn't even that Haruki was super handsome—though he was certainly attractive. He had this aura about him, this calm, intellectual vibe that made him look like he belonged in a 19th-century novel. He didn't smile much, didn't joke around, and when he did speak, his voice was so smooth it was like listening to a well-read audiobook.
All that would be fine, except for the one tiny problem: Yuki was absolutely not cool. She was socially awkward, and in her mind, this made her automatically disqualified from having anything to do with someone like him.
Today, however, was different. Yuki had a plan. A brilliant plan that was foolproof—except she was probably the fool.
"Okay," she muttered to herself as she clenched her fists under the desk, "Just walk up to him. Ask to join the literature club. It's no big deal. You can do this."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Yuki shot up from her seat like a startled cat and began shuffling toward the door. Her backpack clinked with the sound of textbooks, but the rest of her body was completely frozen, locked in an internal battle between logic and emotion.
As she made her way down the hall, her legs began to feel like jelly. The literature club's meeting was starting, and Haruki would definitely be there, probably reading something deeply philosophical, like War and Peace or The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe. Yuki's heart thudded louder. Could she really do this? Could she really walk up to him and just... ask?
She turned the corner and—there he was—Haruki, standing by the door of the literature club. He was flipping through a book, completely oblivious to the storm of panic swirling inside Yuki.
For a moment, her body refused to move. She was rooted to the spot like a statue, her eyes wide and her mouth dry.
"Okay, Yuki, no turning back," she whispered to herself.
Taking a deep breath, she marched toward him. Or at least, she thought she was marching. In reality, her feet were barely lifting off the ground. She looked like a toddler learning to walk for the first time.
Haruki glanced up from his book and saw her approaching. He gave her a small nod, his face remaining neutral, like he had just acknowledged a passing cloud.
"Uh... you're here for the literature club, right?" Haruki asked, sounding completely calm, like they were talking about the weather.
Yuki blinked. Was she here for the club? Was she? Was she really? She had spent the entire day imagining how she would walk up to him, say something smooth and impressive, maybe even quote some classic literature to impress him... but now? Now, she was mentally trapped in an infinite loop of what is my life.
"Y-Yes! Absolutely!" Yuki responded, way too enthusiastically. "I've always wanted to join, like, forever. You know? Since... um, forever."
Haruki blinked, clearly a little surprised by the speed and volume of her response. "I see. Well, you're welcome to come in."
Yuki smiled like someone who had just survived an apocalypse. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she managed to make her legs work as she stepped into the room. She wasn't going to turn back now. No way.
But then, her brain hit a roadblock. She had no idea what to do once she was inside. Sit down? Stand awkwardly by the door? Should she say something profound? Or should she just sit in silence, hoping no one noticed her awkwardness?
Before she could overthink it any further, Haruki turned to face the group and gave a quick, casual gesture for her to join the circle.
Yuki stumbled over her feet and almost tripped. Smooth, Yuki, real smooth. She barely caught herself on the chair next to Haruki, and of course, her foot immediately tangled in the leg of the chair, sending her toppling sideways into someone else.
The poor girl next to her, a second-year student, yelped as Yuki crashed into her. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"Are you okay?" Haruki asked, looking over with mild concern. He wasn't panicking, of course, because he never panicked.
Yuki turned bright red. "I'm fine! Just—uh—testing the gravity here. Just... making sure the floor's still there."
There was a brief silence as everyone stared at her.
Haruki looked almost amused, like he was trying to hold back a smile. "Well, if you're done testing gravity, you can sit here." He motioned to the chair next to him.
And then it hit her—she was sitting next to Haruki. Her brain immediately short-circuited as her legs moved of their own accord.
She plopped down in the chair, but somehow, her knee collided with the desk, sending a stack of papers flying into the air. Yuki's face turned crimson as the papers scattered around her like confetti.
"Well, that's one way to make an entrance," Haruki said, his voice a mixture of amusement and dry sarcasm.
Yuki wanted to disappear into the floor.
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