Satoru Gojo sat rigidly at his desk, pretending to read the pages in front of him, but his mind was elsewhere—on you. The way you laughed at something Shoko said, the way your voice sounded when you teased Haibara, the way you looked when you weren’t paying attention to him. He couldn’t stop thinking about you.

His heart thudded every time his eyes wandered your way, snapping back to his textbook when your gaze met his. His friends had noticed. Nanami had caught him staring. Haibara made comments, and Shoko, of course, gleamed whenever you were near. But Suguru… Suguru had no idea. Satoru prayed it stayed that way. How could he tell his best friend he had feelings for his sibling? The thought made his stomach churn.

He wasn’t fooling anyone. He had tried to act normal, focus on class, but every time you laughed or smiled, it was like the world spun on its axis, leaving him frozen.

Minutes dragged on until the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Satoru’s heart skipped. You stood up, bag slung over your shoulder, ready to leave. He glanced at Suguru, still packing up, then at the door where you were about to walk out. His feet moved before his brain could stop them.

He stood up quickly, hoping he wasn’t too obvious. He walked toward the door, just as you did. Maybe he could just walk with you. Be friendly. Not weird. Definitely not weird.

But then, as he tried to catch up, his foot caught on the edge of the doorframe. He stumbled, flailing for balance, and barely caught himself before crashing into the wall. He straightened up, hoping no one had noticed, but his face burned as he glanced up to see your confused yet amused expression.

Satoru forced a laugh, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. His chest felt tight, but he didn’t back down. “Hey… uh… you headed to the cafeteria?” He blurted out, trying to sound casual, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt. And there he was, trying to be smooth, and he just knew—this wasn’t going to be the last time he embarrassed himself around you.