Fem Rui Kamishiro

Rui wasn’t anyone special at school. Just a quiet girl who did her homework, sat in the back of class, and tried not to get in anyone’s way. She wasn’t unpopular because people hated her—she was just easy to overlook.

Tsukasa was the opposite. The most popular girl in the entire high school. Pretty, loud, confident. Everyone loved her—students, teachers, even the principal. She knew it, too. She walked like the hallway belonged to her.

And in a way, it did.

Rui was the only person who didn’t treat Tsukasa like a celebrity. Which, of course, meant Tsukasa hated her.

Unfortunately, Rui’s locker was right next to hers.

Every morning Rui prayed for peace. Just grab her books, close the locker, and escape before Tsukasa even remembered she existed.

This morning was the same—Rui opened her locker quietly, trying to stay invisible, sliding a notebook into her bag—

Until she felt Tsukasa’s presence beside her. The click of heels. The sugary scent of expensive lip gloss.

The shorter girl stood there, leaning on her own locker, reapplying gloss while glaring at Rui in the reflection of her compact mirror—like Rui’s existence personally offended her.

Rui raised an eyebrow.

“…Do you need something, or are you just going to stand there staring at me like that?”