mischief boy! nishimura riki

08: question...?

he wasn't sure what had possessed him.

a strange fluttery feeling bubbled up in his stomach as he watched umi disappear.

he used to do things with purpose, with a motive.

but what has happened to him now?

why did he follow umi? he knew he looked at her the same way as he always had for the past 6 years. obnoxious, annoying, the know-it-all.

or not?

he looked down at his palms for a moment, the hands that once touched umi, mind full of thought.

🪄

things have not been looking up since the catastrophe. it's been a week, and only damage had been done.

umi had been the centre of attention the entire week, and not for any good.

she had become the laughing stock of the school population.

but of course, there were exceptions.

the most amazing friends she loved and cherished so so much.

eunchae and kazuha took the time to visit umi's dorm to give her words of comfort and a peace of mind. chaewon and yunjin were especially mad, so mad that they even managed to get into a fight with other students, which, unfortunately, had to be dealt by umi herself.

it was in times like this, that umi felt blessed and loved for having sweet friends like them.

but there were more important things to take care of. and that was the case of nishimura riki.

she couldn't let riki off just like that.

he deserved punishment. dealt solely by the head girl.

🪄

umi headed off to her first charms class of the year, carrying her books under her arm as she walked with yunjin, kazuha and chaewon. this year, they were going to have a joined charms class with selected slytherins.

of course, umi prayed riki wouldn't be there. but knowing the school, they were bound to be together.

umi chose to latch on to the tiny piece of hope she had left.

her fingers were crossed unknowingly and her eyes were shut tight as she entered the charms classroom.

a gust of wind blew on her face, and she opened her eyes, quickly scanning the room for a familiar blonde haired person.

just when she thought the coast was clear, a figure brushed past her and sat on one of the last remaining pairs of desks.

and the last desk, which belonged to umi, was beside the figure's.

the figure had blonde hair.

🪄

her blood was boiling, but the chilly classroom cooled her down a little.

her fingers gripped the pencil so tight, the pencil was about to break into two, her knuckles turning an alarming white.

a deep frown was plastered on her face as she could not concentrate on the lesson at all.

knowing that the presence of nishimura riki was beside her was enough to make her go insane.

she definitely could not last a year having class prankster riki as her deskmate.

"umi! give me an example!" professor flitwick shouted from across the room where the stout figure was standing atop a stack of books.

because umi had been zoning out the entire lesson, (it was the first time, ever) she was in a state of panic, unsure as to how to answer, when she didn't even know the context. she decided it was better to-

"umi! quick!"

mutter out a random charm.

"um...ascendio?"

"umi, we are talking about weather-modifying charms."

"oh, uh...atmospheric charm?"

"NO! i'm asking HOW to remove the charm. class, it's meteolojinx recanto. please write it down, especially you, head girl. please pay attention."

umi sat back down in her seat in embarrassment, her face turning a deep red. this was the first time she ever zoned out, and got caught for it.

it happened again.

the giggles, the whispers.

even the person beside her had the chick to let out a snicker.

she had enough.

umi brought out her wand, aimed it at riki, and angrily cried out, "SILENCIO!"

riki knew the spell. he tried to talk, but his mouth felt like it was shut tight with glue, except it wasn't glue. he stared at umi, looking at her fuming face.

the whole class fell silent.

professor flitwick looked at umi, and could only say, "to the office. 2pm."

in charms, you were not allowed to use unauthorised spells. especially on others.

umi knew that very well, but this time, she couldn't care less about the rule.