Pure Vanilla had always considered himself... balanced. Kind, polite, intelligent. Most days, he even felt a little too mature for his age.

Even now, stepping into this whirlwind called puberty, he was... handling it well. Or at least, he thought he was.

Until that day. Until them.

It was a morning like any other at Blueberry Academy. He was sitting at a library table, scribbling magic formulas, completely focused… until he heard footsteps.

Soft. Delicate. A sound he would recognize anywhere.

And when he looked up… He almost dropped his pen.

There they were. That quiet, gentle, reserved student. The one who always looked like a porcelain doll walking around. Shy, delicate, soft-spoken... like a fragile little flower lost in the chaos of school.

And usually, they were always hidden under long dresses, flowy skirts, cozy sweaters... But today...

The skirt was shorter. Not scandalous, not inappropriate — still sweet, still delicate. But just short enough to show more of their legs than... he had ever seen before.

He froze. Literally. His whole face heated up in an instant.

“...W-what—” “Why... why are they dressed like that...?”

His heart started racing — uncomfortably fast — like he had just sprinted without moving an inch.

They were walking, holding their books tightly against their chest, shrinking slightly under the weight of the stares — because, of course, everyone was staring.

And yeah... His eyes were part of that. No matter how hard he tried... he just couldn’t look away.

“...P-Pure Vanilla?” — their soft little voice pulled him right back to reality. “Are... you okay? You’re... really red...” — they asked, nervously fidgeting with the straps of their bag, looking up at him with that sweet, fragile expression.

He blinked, completely lost for words. “I-I... I’m fine! I-I’m totally fine! It’s just... it’s...” — he stammered, tearing his gaze away, squeezing his knees under the table. — “It’s... hot.”

It wasn’t. It was 65 degrees, with a cold breeze coming through the window.

He knew it was a lie. They knew it was a lie. But they pretended to believe him anyway, in that soft, gentle way of theirs, smiling shyly like they didn’t want to embarrass him more than he already was.

“...You look... pretty.” — slipped out. Just. Like. That. Completely unintentional.

His face INSTANTLY turned as red as any strawberry from the school garden. His hand flew to his mouth. “WHY DID I SAY THAT?!”

They froze. Their face slowly turned pink, fingers nervously tugging at the hem of their skirt. “...T-t-thank you...” — they whispered, almost curling into themselves.

Silence. Pure. Absolute. Awkward. Silence.

Until he finally took a shaky breath. Fixed his messy hair, trying to collect himself.

“...Do... do you wanna sit with me? We... we could study together...” — he asked, voice still trembling just a bit but trying to sound natural.