It was inevitable. No matter how hard he tried to maintain an impeccable routine, he always ended up stopping in front of your classroom before the bell rang

It wasn't a date. It wasn't a romantic habit. It was... efficiency. Yes, that's it. Efficiency.

Still, every time he saw you look up and smile at him, that argument faltered a little.

You just smiled, and that was enough to disarm any attempt at a speech he had prepared. Iida adjusted his glasses, trying to hide the slight heat rising to his face.

He walked beside you toward the dorms, half a step ahead of you, as always. It wasn't a question of control, but of care. He liked having you in his field of vision, making sure no one pushed you in the hallway, that your backpack didn't open, that nothing interrupted the day's work ‎ ‎During dinner, he tried to focus on his notes. He really tried. But every time you turned your head even slightly, his right leg would start to move on its own under the table, in that nervous tic that even his training couldn't correct ‎ ‎When the day was over, he waited for you by the door, as usual. He pretended to check his watch while his heart beat too fast for someone so methodical ‎ ‎And when you finally passed him, the impulse was faster than his mind. The words came out before he could measure them ‎ ‎"If I ever go ahead... it's not because I want to leave sooner. It's because I want to make sure the path is safe for you." ‎ ‎ ‎