CLASSROOM OF THE ELITE X QUINTS: Complicated Feelings

Stay with me

Temperature gradually rises as the season slowly shifts to summer. The heat waves snatch away everyone's energy to perform their club activities, and prefer to stay locked up inside their room, embracing the AC, rather than going outside in this hell of an earth. While those who belong in groups went to the open pool of the school, or visited the numerous cafes in the school for cold drinks.

A short-haired girl wearing simple clothes passes through the crowd in the Keyaki Mall lobby. Her dainty figure steals the gaze of many, but it's not entirely the reason as she once had gotten involved in a recent incident.

Nakano Nino, a first-year student from Class C, was the stimulus of a big issue that forced the whole student council to move, and intervened before it turned into a bigger mess.

That particular trouble was between the known hot guy, – yet infamous for being a playboy, and always the center of attention in the past month, – Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, and a class leader who's slowly growing his name, – in the bad light –, and leads a group of violent delinquents, Ryueen Kakeru.

Those discerning eyes find her worrisome for being caught in the middle of those troublesome fellows. She's honestly attractive and seems like an interesting person, but associating with her is out of the question.

Nino went inside the elevator. The machine starts to ascend as she pushes the button to the third floor.

Being all alone made her start to recall how she ended up here.

She touched her flustered face, feeling her hot temperature, just by simply thinking of it.

A familiar number that she lost contact with ever since the midterm exam, suddenly messaged her to meet up in a certain cafe this noon.

Nino couldn't believe herself. She's supposed to at least give it a thought, not immediately accept.

Well, it's all too late now as she's already near her destination.

The metallic door split apart. Nino saw the scene of students in their casual outfits actively engaged in their conversation through the full glass door of the cafe.

She felt nervous. Nino couldn't recall the last time she went alone somewhere, she’d always been together with her sisters or with her friends no matter how unimportant the business is.

Nino released a heavy sigh. “I can do this.” she mumbled before pushing the glass door.

•••

Lively chatters greeted her. Almost everyone inside was so immersed in the other person that she felt relieved for not attracting any kind of unwanted attention.

She strolls away from the door, scanning the sea of crowds, searching for one particular person.

There in the left corner near the wall, sat a brown-haired boy with a trench coat that would without doubt attract anyone since who's sane would wear one in this hot weather.

A soft giggle slipped out of her mouth, thinking how strange their first meeting for a while turned out. After receiving their punishment, there was no trace of Ayanokouji anywhere in the school. Neither anyone saw him going out to buy groceries, nor wandering around in the Keyaki Mall.

She was worried about his health, considering he enjoys eating junk foods out of anything else, but felt relieved that he looks healthy.

Nino silently went to Ayanokouji who was fully immersed in reading a book.

“Can I sit here?” she asked.

The brown-haired lifted his head to the source of the voice. Nino was greeted with an indifferent gaze, but colors returned as he recognized her.