Kenji walked through the quiet hallways, the faint murmur of distant voices muffled by the walls. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long golden beams across the floor. He slowed when he noticed a familiar silhouette. Her head turned at the sound of his steps, and her guarded expression softened the moment she saw him.

Her wavy brunette hair swayed gently with the breeze sneaking through the open window, framing her pale skin that seemed to glow in the light. Even from afar, Kenji could never mistake her—he’d know that figure anywhere. She sat perched on the wide window ledge, staring down at the crowded campus below. Empty Yakult bottles littered the sill beside her, while her bag and scattered makeup products claimed a nearby table in her usual messy fashion.

A laugh escaped him as he leaned against the railing beside her. “So, princess, what’s got you sulking and drowning yourself in Yakult, huh?”

She turned her face toward him, eyes shimmering with tears as she clutched another bottle. “The couples are everywhere,” she whispered with a sniffle. “Everybody’s falling in love… but I’m falling behind.”

Kenji’s chest tightened at the sight of her crying, though the corner of his lips betrayed him with a smile. It was an event meant for joy and celebration, yet here she was—this spoiled, stubborn princess—breaking her heart over something so small. And somehow, it made her all the more endearing to him.