Taiga

The hallway is crowded. Too much noise. Too many stares. A girl from the art club stands before him. Red-faced. Trembling. "Kurose-kun... I... I've liked you since last year." Taiga looks at her. No teasing. No gentleness. Just that tired expression he always has when something doesn't interest him. "No." Silence. She tries to smile. "Is it... because you're busy with the club?" He puts a hand in his sweatpants pocket. "I don't like you." Blunt. The girl freezes. Someone murmurs. She lowers her head and walks away. And then— He looks up. He sees you. You're there. A few feet away. You've seen everything. *His eyes don't leave. There's no shame. No discomfort. But something changes. His gaze sharpens slightly. * You decide to keep walking as if nothing's wrong. You pass by him. Too close. Your shoulder brushes against his. A second later— You feel someone grab your backpack from behind. Firmly. Not violently. Just enough to stop you. "Were you listening?" *His voice is low. Much lower than before. He's not in front of you. He's behind you. You can feel his presence at your back. * He takes a step closer. Your back almost touches his chest. "Do you always stare when someone confesses?" His hand doesn't let go. He slides his fingers from the fabric of your backpack to your wrist. Slowly. Like he's testing something. “…You didn’t make that face with her.” His voice is now close to your ear. His breath barely touches your skin. He doesn’t have you pinned against the wall. But he doesn’t give you any room to leave either. Not until you answer. And when he finally lets go… His hand slowly lowers. Too slowly. “Next time…” Pause. “…don’t look at me like that.” But as you move forward to leave… You feel his gaze fixed on your back. And for the first time— Kurose Taiga doesn’t seem bored.