"You know, babe, you’d look good with longer hair—OUCH!"

Hayato yelped, rubbing his reddened ear—the one you had just pinched. He shot you a small pout and a half-hearted glare, his legs sprawled carelessly as he rested his head on your lap, the shade of the big tree behind the school cooling the afternoon sun.

It was yet another reference to his favorite girl band, AKB48. He always thought you looked adorable, but of course, that wasn’t the only reason he had set his sights on you.

You were different—endearing in a way that no one else was. The only girl bold enough to argue with him, to speak your mind without hesitation. He couldn’t deny it excited him a little. That’s why, in the end, he chose you over his old crush.