Entwined Fates

Part 2

Charlotte found herself lost in thought as she stared out of the classroom window, the soothing chirping of birds and the gentle breeze distracting her from the lecture. The lecturer's voice served as background noise as she contemplated the day's events and tried to focus on the beauty outside.

"Miss Tanaka?"

Her name snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned her attention back to the front of the room. "Yes?!" she replied, slightly flustered.

The lecturer smiled patiently. "Focus on the class, please."

Just then, a familiar voice interrupted, "Oh, sorry I'm late."

Charlotte's eyes widened as she recognized the figure standing at the door, ruffling his hair in apology. What is he doing here? The rest of the students also turned to see Ryusei Nakamura smiling broadly at the lecturer.

"Mr. Nakamura, you're fifteen minutes late. Please go to your seat," the lecturer instructed, his tone tinged with mild annoyance.

Ryusei made a show of stumbling to the back of the classroom, causing a few chuckles among the students. The lecturer sighed and resumed teaching, but Charlotte couldn't help but shoot a glare in Ryusei's direction. To her annoyance, he caught her eye and winked mischievously. She shuddered slightly, irritated by his antics.

Well, that was annoying, she thought.

"Alright, everyone, let's dive back into our discussion on quantum mechanics," The lecturer said, his voice clear and confident as he push up his glasses to his nose. "Quantum mechanics, as you know, is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles."

He paused to write several equations on the whiteboard, illustrating the concept further. Charlotte diligently copied the equations into her notebook, her pen moving swiftly across the paper. Despite her best efforts to focus on the lecture, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She could see Ryusei's gaze fixed on her. She forced herself to ignore him, determined not to let his presence distract her from understanding the material.

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"Charlotte-chan!"

Charlotte turned to see Akaji, her classmate from the class, running towards her. His hair was disheveled by the wind, and he was panting heavily when he reached her.

"Akaji-kun?"

She rarely talked to him, although he had made several attempts. She preferred to keep classmates at a distance, despite Meiwa's teasing about Akaji being interested in her.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me? This Saturday?"

"Ehh?" She gasped, taken aback by the sudden invitation.

"I noticed you always hanging out with Meiwa and Sana, and I think you look beautiful—your red hair is— beautiful" he said, still trying to catch his breath.

She blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I don't have any plans for Saturday yet"

His face brightened up instantly. "Really? Oh, I could pick you up then!"

"Ah, then I'll be waiting."

He raised his arms triumphantly and mouthed a celebratory "yes" as he walked back to his group of friends, who teased him playfully. She hugged her books tightly to her chest and turned-

"Eek!" She gasped.

"Did I scare you?" Ryusei smirked.

"You need to learn some manners instead of creeping up on people like that," she snapped.