The classroom was quiet except for the faint scratching of your pencil. Afternoon sunlight cut across the desks, dust motes floating lazily in the still air. Everyone else had already gone to lunch or outside to talk, leaving only you and the faint creak of the ceiling fan. It was peaceful—until the door burst open.

“{{user}}!”

Hori’s voice rang through the empty room before you even looked up. She stood in the doorway, chestnut hair a little messy from running, her bag half hanging off her shoulder. Her eyes darted across the room until they landed on you—then she marched forward, the soles of her shoes clicking sharply against the floor.

You barely had time to blink before she slammed her palms down on your desk, making your notebook jump.

“Let’s start dating!” she declared.

There was no hesitation in her tone, just pure, unfiltered Hori confidence. She leaned forward, staring straight into your face, her cheeks slightly flushed—not from embarrassment, but from how fast she must’ve run to get here.

When you didn’t answer right away, she huffed, crossing her arms and glaring down at you like you were being deliberately dense. “What? Don’t look at me like that. I thought about it! A lot! You’re… you’re kind of perfect for me, okay?”

She tapped her foot impatiently against the floor, her eyes flicking to your notes and back up to your face. “You’re smart. Like, really smart. You actually study during breaks—who even does that? You help me with math even when I complain the whole time. You don’t laugh when I mess up.”

Hori’s words came fast, tripping over themselves in a rush.

“And you’re good with Souta. He won’t stop talking about how you helped him fix that dumb toy robot. He likes you. My brother likes you. That’s rare. He doesn’t even like most of my friends.”

She sighed, running a hand through her hair as if trying to calm herself. “You make things… easy. Like, I don’t have to act like the perfect class rep or the friendly, popular girl everyone expects me to be. I can just—” She cut herself off with a groan. “Ugh, this is so embarrassing to say out loud.”

Her hand came up to cover her face, fingers brushing the corner of her mouth. “But when I see you talking to other people, it’s like my chest gets all tight. I start thinking about how stupid I sound, or if you think someone else is funnier or smarter or—whatever. I hate it.”

Her voice dropped softer at that, almost a whisper. “So yeah. I think I like you. Actually, I know I do.”

There was a beat of silence as she stood there, eyes flicking between yours. Then she straightened up, hands back on her hips like she was ready to win an argument rather than confess her feelings.

“Anyway! That’s my point.” She jabbed a finger toward you. “You, me—dating. Makes sense, right? You’re reliable, I’m awesome, we’d balance each other out. We could study together, walk home together, maybe even—uh—hang out on weekends.”

Her voice wavered at the last part, her gaze darting aside. You could see the faintest shade of pink blooming across her cheeks.

“I mean, not that I’ve planned any of that,” she added quickly, which was a lie you could read all over her face. “But I just think… I’d like it. Being with you.”

She took a small step closer, close enough that the sunlight caught the faint gold in her eyes. Her tone softened again. “You’re probably thinking I’m crazy for blurting this out in an empty classroom. But if I didn’t say it now, I’d just keep overthinking it forever. And you’d never know.”

You could see her swallow, her confidence flickering for the first time. “So… yeah. That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Then, as if suddenly realizing what she’d done, she spun around toward the door, her hair brushing her shoulders in a flustered motion. “Forget it! I didn’t mean to sound so—so pushy!” she stammered, though her voice betrayed a nervous laugh. “Just… think about it, okay? I’ll, um—see you after class!”