Chapter 1.3: Innocent Young Lady
"Hey, what's your ability?"
"...I can bend sticks."
"...What?"
I silently stared at my piece of cake as I overheard a conversation.
'Good for him...'
I sighed as I let my head rest on the head of the chair.
5 minutes have already passed, and everyone has already received their abilities.
...Except for me.
I agitatedly cried out in my mind,
'Where in the world is my ability?!'
"—You okay?"
An unfamiliar girl suddenly called out to me.
"H-huh?"
I quickly turn my head to the left, where a beautiful young lady was smiling at me innocently.
Her hair was a dark purple, and her innocent-like eyes showed a beautiful amethyst color. Her skin was as pale as snow, and her lips were a fruity pink color. All in all, her entire appearance yelled out "I am the heroine!". In an instant, I was immediately amazed by her beauty.
'She's like Snow White but the purple long-haired version...'
"You looked really pale, Are you okay?"
"...Ah? Oh, I'm fine. I'm sure it's just the lighting."
I said with an awkward smile, scratching the back of my head.
"Oh... I see... Haha..."
The girl let out an embarrassed chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked almost as if she was a princess, Not that I'd be surprised if she was one though.
As I observed the girl even further, I suddenly remembered Yuuto, who left early because of his disdain for crowds.
'...The atmosphere around them is exactly the opposite.'
While Yuuto's was icier, tougher, and more intimidating, her's felt more like the moon. Mysterious, beautiful, and calm. While Yuuto's was telling me not to come near him, her's was telling me to come closer.
"Um... I'm Haru Kobayashi, what's your name?"
I lightly shook off the thought and asked the girl for her name. She'd definitely be a great friend candidate!
"My name is Reika Fujikawa, it's a pleasure to meet you."
She introduced herself, doing a curtsy. Heck, she probably really is a princess!
"R-right... It's a pleasure to meet you too!"
I nodded my head vigorously, which for some odd reason made Reika giggle lightly.
"...?"
Confused by her sudden reaction, I stopped nodding my head.
"Ah... Sorry, It's just that, um..."
She tried to explain herself with a flushed face, avoiding my eyes.
'What did I do?'
Was I that funny? Or maybe I did something embarrassing?
I silently panicked in my mind. W-what did I do wrong?
Shortly after, Reika regained her usual composure and answered me honestly.
"Sorry, Kobayashi-kun. I just thought you looked cute."
"...Ah?"
I managed to calm down as well, but as I heard the last sentence she said, I immediately blushed.
'W-what did she just say?!'
I thought in a panicked tone. In the mangas I liked to read, they often portrayed romance between a popular girl and an average guy. What if... Maybe this was...?!
"K-Kobayashi-kun? Your face is burning!"
Reika frantically said, seemingly concerned.
"A-ah? Oh, right!"
As I snapped back into reality, I slapped my cheeks strongly, calming myself down.
"....Y-you okay?"
Reika asked with a concerning gaze, raising both of her eyebrows.
"Y-yea..."
I assured her that I was fine, but she scolded me with a worried expression.
"You shouldn't slap yourself like that, Kobayashi-kun."
She said as she squished my cheeks.
'...?!'
I flinched slightly, surprised by her sudden action.
'W-what is going on?!'
I thought as my head began to steam again. I just met this girl, why is she acting so casually towards me?
"Hm... It looks you're having a fever Kobayashi-kun. Should I accompany you to the infirmary?"
She asked in an innocent tone, tilting her head slightly.
"Ah...! No thanks! I'll go by myself!"
I said in a panicked tone as I took her hands off my cheeks and immediately ran to the exit.
***
Reika chuckled slightly as she watched the boy run to the door.
Ever since she was young, Reika always loved to play with cute things.
'I found such a cute rabbit~'
She thought as she shifted her gaze to the slice of cake the boy had left on his seat.
