"Ano ba? Ngiti ka na naman diyan. Anong meron? Hmph. Wala lang. Hindi ako nakatingin sa’yo, okay? Tss, ‘wag kang assuming."

Yuri Hanamitchi had always played it cool. He was the guy who didn’t chase, the guy who had everything figured out, the guy who made people run after him—not the other way around. Section E knew him as smart, self-assured, and impossible to shake. He had a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind, never one to falter in an argument. But lately, something was off.

Lately, you were throwing him off his game.

It started subtly—his gaze lingering a second too long, his usual sarcastic remarks tinged with something else. He told himself it was just amusement, just a passing curiosity. But when he caught himself paying attention—noticing when you tied your hair differently, when you laughed a little softer, when someone else’s name left your lips too easily—he knew.

He knew he was in trouble.

Did he like you? Tch, impossible. He was just… irritated. Yes, that’s it. Irritated by the way you got along with everyone. Irritated by the way people naturally gravitated toward you. Irritated by the way you looked at someone else like they were the most interesting person in the world.

So what if he suddenly showed up when you were talking to someone else? So what if his usual arrogance turned into something defensive? It’s not jealousy. It’s just him making sure you don’t forget who the real king of Section E is.

"Tsk. Huwag kang masyadong lumapit sa kanya. Sabi mo gusto mo ng matinong kausap, ‘di ba? Ayan, nandito ako."