Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 71595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Vivi and I hurry to the locker hall, and we both have an ‘aha’ moment when letters flood out the moment I unlock my locker. My heart jumps to my throat as I watch her kneel down and pick one of the letters up.
It’s happening. It’s started. It’s—-
“A love letter,” Vivi exclaims.
It’s a what?
Vivi hands the letter to me, and my eyes widen when I start reading its contents. It is a love letter, or more to the point, an anonymous confession along with a phone number scrawled at the end, in case I choose to reply. Crouching down next to Vivi, I hurriedly go through all the letters, and they’re all the same.
What in the world?
Vivi shrugs when I look at her in askance. “Beats me.”
Oh no. It’s the first time Vivi gets her idiom right. It feels like a bad omen – and I’m right. When we emerge from the locker hall, we bump into the associate dean of the Performing Arts Department, who then beams while greeting me by name. “Konnichi-wa, Chariot-san.”
We get waylaid multiple times after that, with every teacher in campus seemingly hell-bent on saying hi to me. It had gotten so bad that by the time Vivi and I have to head separately to our classes, my back has started to ache from too much scraping and bowing.
“I no longer understand what is going on,” Vivi whispers, “so please just watch your butt.”
Despite everything, I can’t help giggling a little. “Back,” I whisper. “I think you mean I should watch my back.”
“Yes, I meant that, of course.” Vivi squeezes my hand. “Take care.”
As I enter my afternoon Mecha class, I can’t help fretting and wondering if maybe I have it all wrong and it’s the faculty I should be worried about. In Minami Kanan’s Ren-Ai Shijou Shugi, the chemistry teacher was so obsessed with the hero of the manga that she did all sorts of things to make him break up with his girlfriend. What if this is exactly like it, just on a grander scale and with every teacher about to conspire against me?
When I receive my test results and it’s a big red C, I’m even more convinced. This is the reprisal I’ve been expecting. But when I confide my suspicions to Seiji, Yuki’s friend only snorts. “Sorry to disappoint you,” he drawls, “but I think this is merely a result of you sucking at drawing robots.”
Mm.
Good point.
The class ends quickly enough, and I find Yuki leaning against the opposite wall when I step outside of the classroom. He’s changed into a black V-necked shirt with a dark denim jacket thrown over it, and the sight of him leaves me dumbstruck, more so when he starts walking towards me oh...so...slowly.
Just like he used to, I can’t help thinking as my throat dries up at the sheer magnificence of him.
Although he seems to enjoy forcing me into a walking marathon these days, it wasn’t always like that. It used to be that he’d take his time with everything, his every word or gesture precise and graceful. Not that he’s anything less now – he’s still perfect – but back then, he tended to do things in slow motion because he knew...
People liked having him take their breath away.
Just like he’s doing now, I think dizzily when he finally reaches me.
“Senpai.”
My toes curl hard at his too-innocent tone. This is like before, too, and it usually serves as a precursor for—-
“You’re drooling.”
That.
He just loves to say things that rattle me, but I’m not going to complain about it. A provocative Yuki is still a hundred times better than no Yuki at all, and so I just make a face. Does he seriously think I’d fall for that?
Yuki shrugs. “Up to you, senpai.”
Oh, blast it. Did I accidentally drool? He is worth drooling over anyway, and he is looking a lot sexier than usual. I touch my lips to be sure, but they feel dry to me. “I don’t think—-”
“Let me help you.”
Oh no, you don’t. I know what those words mean now, but before I can even move away, he already has an arm wrapped around my waist, and he’s pulling me close. “It’s this spot here.” Yuki bends his head to lick the corner of my lip, and my knees knock against each other.
AAAAAAH.
Just like that I’m wet again, and when Yuki lifts his head, the smirk that’s curved on his lips tells me he knows this – and it’s exactly as he planned.
“This is what you call taking things slow?” I choke out.
“It’s not my fault if my kind of slow is still too much for you.” He nips my lower lip afterwards, and I give up pretending I can still keep myself upright. I cling to him, and he throws his head back with a laugh. It’s the sexiest sound, but I also know tomorrow is guaranteed to be the ultimate test. I may have survived Day 1’s bullying (never mind if it’s nonexistent), but after Yuki’s 360-degree turn from Mr. Icy to PDA Prince, I won’t be shocked if his fangirls start sharpening knives the moment they see me.