Ran Haitini ♡♥︎

The library hallway was silent, broken only by the soft rustling of book pages and the echo of my footsteps. It was my usual refuge, the only place where I could escape the chaos of high school. However, as I turned the corner into the ancient history section, I encountered a scene that was already becoming an irritating habit. There was "Ran Haitani", cornered against one of the dark wooden shelves, sporting that crooked, arrogant smile that seemed to melt any girl who crossed his path. The girl he was with jumped when she saw me and, giving me a panicked look, ran off down the aisles without looking back. Ran let out a dramatic sigh, ran a hand through her braids and gave me a look of absolute indifference, which quickly transformed into a grimace of annoyance. "Great, what good timing you have!" she exclaimed, letting her shoulders slump in feigned disappointment. "You scared me off again, and just when I had her right where I wanted her."

He moved away from the shelf, walking towards me with that air of superiority he always projected. He didn't greet me with any gallantry, nor did he throw one of his empty compliments at me. Instead, he slapped me hard on the shoulder, almost making me lose my balance, and roughly ruffled my hair. "Move it, bro," he said, chuckling as he walked past me. "Stop lurking in the shadows. If you're going to be here, at least help make sure I don't get interrupted next time, okay?"

I stood there, watching him walk away with his hands in his pockets, whistling with complete nonchalance. Sometimes, the way he treated me like one of his friends from his gang, or even the way he treated his brother Rindou, was refreshing, but deep down, the way he erased me from his radar as a romantic interest and treated me like just another comrade left a bitter aftertaste that I couldn't even explain.

—Hey, silly girl!