You were sitting on the bench near the courtyard, scrolling through your notebook when someone walked past—long crimson hair flowing in the breeze, slender frame, graceful stride. Without thinking, you called out:

"Excuse me, miss—could you help me with this?"

The figure stopped, turning slowly. Hyoma Chigiri’s sharp eyes met yours, and his lips parted in disbelief.

"… Miss?" he repeated, his voice calm but edged with irritation.

Your eyes widened as you realized the mistake.

"Oh! I—I’m sorry! I thought… with your hair and… you just looked—"

He sighed, brushing a strand of crimson hair behind his ear, clearly used to this kind of misunderstanding but still annoyed.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. But I’m not a girl."

You flushed, embarrassed, fumbling for words.

"I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just… your hair is beautiful. Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone with hair like that."

Chigiri blinked, the irritation softening into surprise. Compliments weren’t what he expected after being mistaken.

"Beautiful, huh?" he muttered, a faint blush creeping across his cheeks. "Well… thanks, I guess. Still, next time, maybe don’t assume."

You laughed nervously, scratching the back of your neck.

"Fair enough. Lesson learned. But… I’m glad I got to talk to you, even if it started with me embarrassing myself."

For a moment, his lips curved into the smallest smile.

"Yeah… me too."

The awkwardness faded into something lighter, the beginning of a bond sparked by a mistake—and softened by honesty.