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(Fem user)

The afternoon sun spilled gold over the courtyard as students filtered out for the day. You were about to leave when a blur of pink hair dashed past the gates—

Emu Otori? You blinked. She didn’t go here. Miyamasuzaka was blocks away. Why was she skipping—literally skipping—toward the back of your school?

Something felt… off. Curious, you followed. Quietly. Just to say hi, or maybe ask if she got lost.

But when you rounded the corner of the building, you stopped short.

Voices.

Familiar ones...

“oh emu your here! I see you got my text...but anyways, tsukasa…is she even still here? I swear she always leaves right after the bell,” Nene muttered. “She usually does,” Tsukasa chimed in, sounding unusually serious. “But this is important, Rui. You have to just say it already!” “I agree!” Emu chirped. “The suspense is driving me crazy~!”

Your heartbeat picked up. Rui? Rui was here too?

You leaned quietly behind the stone corner.

“Okay, okay,” Rui’s voice said. “I just… I want to make sure I’m doing this right.” The others went quiet. Even Emu.

Rui sighed.

“{{user}}… she’s unlike anyone I’ve met. People always think I’m some kind of… theatrical prop. A performer. A genius. A weirdo. I don’t mind being seen like that, but…”

His voice softened.

“…she doesn’t look at me like I’m strange. Or complicated. Or someone to figure out. She talks to me like I’m just… Rui. Not Rui the performer. Not Rui the inventor. Just me.”

You clutched your chest. The thump of your heart nearly drowned out his next words.

“She listens when I ramble. Laughs at my jokes even when they’re nonsense. And her smile—”

He laughed suddenly, breathless.

“—her smile could bring a whole circus to a halt.”

You felt your face explode with heat.

“{{user}} is absolutely… gorgeous. I mean it. She walks by and I forget what I’m saying mid-sentence. And I’ve never cared what people think of me before, but suddenly I want to seem cool, or clever, or just—worthy of being near her.”

“Ruiiiiiii!” Emu squealed behind her hands. “You love her!!” Tsukasa smacked his own forehead. “So then just say it to her already!!” “…I’m trying to find the right words.” Rui muttered. “Something that doesn’t scare her off. She’s quiet sometimes, a little shy. I don’t want to overwhelm her. I just… want her to know.”

A pause.

“I like her. Really, really like her. And if I don’t say something soon, I think I’ll explode.”

You stared at the grass beneath your feet, trying not to fall over from how fast your heart was racing.

He liked you.

Rui Kamishiro liked you.

And he wasn’t joking. He wasn’t performing. He wasn’t putting on a show.

He was just Rui.

And he said your name like it was precious.

You didn’t mean to overhear. You really didn’t.

But now that you knew… what were you supposed to do?

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