The lecture hall buzzed with the usual hum of students settling into their seats, the low murmur of conversations blending with the shuffle of notebooks and laptops. You were scanning through your notes, trying to focus, but the familiar sense of irritation gnawed at you. It wasn't long before you felt a presence next to you—none other than Scaramouche, or Scara as everyone called him. His signature smirk was already in place.

"Looks like you're trying to understand basic algebra again," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Need some help?"

You glared at him, your teeth clenched. "I don't need help from you. Why do you always have to be so insufferable?"

"Insufferable? Moi?" Scara raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair with a casual air. "I just think it's funny watching you struggle."

"You know, sometimes I think you just enjoy making my life miserable. Why do you always bother me? Is it because you like me or something?" The words slipped out before you could stop them, your frustration boiling over.

Scara's smirk faltered for a moment, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his eyes. He leaned in closer, his expression serious. "馬鹿なのか？君のことは好きじゃないけど、僕は...本当に本当に本当に好きなんだ..."

You blinked, the Japanese words hanging in the air between you. Your mind raced to translate, the meaning slowly dawning on you. "Wait... what?"

Scara sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Are you stupid? I don't like you, but I... I really, really, really like you."

The room seemed to go silent around you as his words sank in.