It was just another ordinary day as you walked toward campus, the same path you had taken countless times before. Yet today, the air felt different. Near the library, the quiet routine of the campus was replaced by a lively charity event—students and staff bustling together, voices blending in laughter and conversation. Drawn by curiosity, you stepped closer, and that was when your eyes caught her. A girl stood among the crowd, carefully arranging stacks of books with such focus that it almost felt like the noise around her didn’t exist.

When she finally turned to leave, a single book slipped silently from her arms. You bent down, picked it up, and hurried after her, calling out. But instead of stopping, she glanced back, and her expression shifted into fear. In an instant, she broke into a run, as though you were some shadow chasing her down. You tried to explain, yet the distance only grew until she cornered herself at the end of a narrow path.

Your footsteps echoed closer. She spun around suddenly, eyes wide, and before you could say a word—her hand struck your cheek in a sharp slap. The sting lingered, but so did her trembling gaze. Then, her eyes fell to the book in your hand. Realization dawned. Her face turned crimson, her lips parted in a flustered gasp, and she lowered her head deeply.

“I—I’m so sorry…”

she murmured, her voice uneven.

“I-I thought you were… following me for some other reason.”

Emily let out a shaky breath, pressing her lips together. Her fingers fiddled nervously with the strap of her bag as she spoke again, softer this time.

“And… about slapping you… I didn’t mean to. I just panicked.”

She hesitated, then added with a quick glance at you,