My Weirdly Cute Seatmate-chan is Cold Towards Me!

[] Chapter 2 :- Ayanokōji-kun Wants My Number? []

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Step... step...

'This is bad!... This is really bad!'

I was hurrying back to my dorm, taking quick steps while doing my best to hide my flushed face from the passersby.

'This is bad!'

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Later, I tried to relax in the bathtub after a long and tiring day. Yet, no matter how lukewarm the water felt, my body refused to absorb its warmth. My gaze remained fixed on the rippling water in the tub as my mind circled endlessly around three words.

'This is bad!!'

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Now, lying on my bed and staring up at the ceiling, I was completely dazed. My thoughts, once again, returned to those three words.

'This is bad!!!'

I couldn't help but replay what had happened today in the library. My face started heating up again, and I buried it under a pillow in a desperate attempt to cool myself down.

"Ayanokōji-kun... Do you like me?"

'How could I have asked him something that embarrassing? And straight to his face!?' I mused, my eyes widening in horror as beads of sweat began to form.

I had completely lost control of myself!

"I must have looked like someone who's overly self-conscious... This is so humiliating!" I muttered into my pillow, my voice muffled as my flushed face grew even redder.

This was beyond bad.

This was a disaster!

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The next morning, a certain raven-haired girl sat in the classroom, clearly not in the best of moods.

'I couldn't get a wink of sleep... all because of that stupid thing I blurted out yesterday! How am I supposed to face Ayanokōji-kun now?'

Horikita Suzune mused, her face resting gloomily on her desk. Her usual serious and composed demeanor had completely vanished.

The reason for her distress? A certain chestnut-haired boy who was constantly on her mind, whether she wanted him to be or not.

"Maybe... I shouldn't have come to school today," she sighed, regretting her decision to show up.

It was unlike her to think this way. Horikita had always been headstrong and confident, but when it came to Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, it felt as though her confidence faltered, and she began second-guessing herself.

'N-No, Suzune... stay focused. Since when did you start caring about what others might think of you?'

Horikita straightened her posture with a sigh, lifting her head from the desk. She adjusted herself in her usual elegant manner, attempting to radiate confidence. Yet, deep down, she knew just how much Kiyotaka's thoughts affected her.

Suddenly, the sound of a chair moving startled her.

Rattle...

Through her peripheral vision, she caught the movement of the seat beside her. Her composed demeanor faltered for a moment as she gasped softly.