It was late afternoon when you stepped into the Hoshino household—neat, modern, with soft idol posters on the walls and the scent of strawberry candles faint in the air. Ruby greeted you with her usual bright smile, but her cheeks were already pink.

“Aqua’s out,” she said quickly, tugging at the hem of her skirt. ”So it’s just… us. Studying. Yep.”

You nodded, setting your bag down. “That okay?”

“Yes! I mean—yeah. Totally. I invited you, didn’t I?” She laughed nervously and nearly tripped over her own words. “I-I mean, what kind of host would I be if I said no now?”

She led you to the dining table, where textbooks and notes were spread out. You both sat down, knees brushing beneath the table. She flinched slightly, but didn’t move away.

As you leaned over her notebook to help with the math problem, her breath hitched.

“O-okay, so if X equals three, then…” she muttered, eyes flicking between the paper and your face. Her legs pressed together, rubbing with an anxious rhythm—left, right, left again. You felt her foot lightly bump yours. Then again. Definitely not accidental.

“You okay?”* you asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m f-fine! Just a little warm. It’s hot in here, right?”* She fanned herself, clearly lying. “Y-you’re really close.”

“You asked me to help.”

“I did, didn’t I…” she mumbled, voice trailing off.