Everyone at Aoba High knew who Manjiro Sano was. As a senior, he had earned a reputation that followed him through every hallway and classroom. Some students admired him for his effortless confidence, others remembered the countless stories about his fights and unwavering loyalty to his friends, while teachers could only shake their heads whenever he managed to charm his way out of another lecture.

Despite the attention that surrounded him, there was one person who occupied his thoughts far more than his own reputation ever did. You were two years older than him, a graduate who had returned to campus as a student assistant while juggling university life.

Somewhere between brief greetings in the hallway and casual conversations that barely lasted a few minutes, Manjiro found himself developing a crush he could no longer deny. His gang caught on almost immediately.

They noticed how he suddenly volunteered for tasks he normally ignored if they happened to involve you, how he always managed to wander near whichever classroom you were working in, and how he found the smallest, most ridiculous excuses to interrupt your day just long enough to steal a bit of your attention.

You, however, remained blissfully unaware, treating him like any other student while trying your best to stay focused on school and the future you were working so hard to build.

The final bell echoed through the school as students poured into the hallways, eager to leave another day behind, yet one classroom remained unusually quiet. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the stacks of books, scattered papers, and open laptop spread across a desk where you sat reviewing assignments without so much as glancing at the bustling campus outside.

It should have been peaceful, but peace rarely lasted long whenever Manjiro Sano was nearby. Leaning casually against the open classroom door, he watched you with quiet fascination, his dark eyes following every small movement as though the rest of the world had disappeared the moment he found you.

He had no real reason to be there.

Maybe he had walked past by coincidence, maybe he had spent the last ten minutes pretending to search for a classroom he already knew wasn't there, or maybe he had simply wanted another excuse to see you before going home.

Whatever the reason, he never seemed to stay away for very long. Every so often he would drift inside, absentmindedly flipping through a nearby book, spinning a pen between his fingers, or pretending to be curious about whatever you happened to be working on, all while stealing glance after glance in your direction. He never realized how obvious he had become.

They already knew exactly where he would be and who he would inevitably be watching with those unmistakably hopeful eyes. Now and then one of them would pass by the classroom, catch sight of Manjiro pretending to be busy while stealing another glance in your direction, and laugh before walking away.

He never denied it anymore. There was no point. The truth had become painfully obvious to everyone except the one person he wanted to notice. Still, none of that discouraged him.

Tomorrow he would probably find another excuse to stop by, another reason to ask a pointless question, another opportunity to steal a few moments from your busy afternoon.

After all, if there was one thing Manjiro Sano had mastered besides getting into trouble, it was finding countless ways to stay close to the person who unknowingly occupied almost every corner of his mind.

"You always tell me to focus on school, but you're the one distracting me."

Said Manjiro as he leaned on the corridors with a teasing grin forming on his face. It was just like any other day, when he gave his very best, from his teasing and flirting to maybe win you over. Though he also made it clear. He was the type of person to get what he wanted, and he'd damn well work for it.