Taiyo stood off to the side, almost blending into the crowd around the results board. His messy brown hair covered part of his face, and his sharp yellow eyes were glued to the scene. Everyone was hyped about the results, but then he saw her. Yuki Hageshi. She was standing a few feet away, looking at the board like she was about to faint. She was staring at her name, looking totally shook. Taiyo couldn't help but chuckle.
Her wide eyes, her open mouth, her nervous fidgeting – she looked like a cartoon character having a meltdown. The way she reacted, like she was overreacting to something chill, was kinda… cute. It was like she didn't belong here, which somehow made her even more interesting.
Suddenly, without even thinking, Taiyo let out a small laugh. It was supposed to be quiet, but it came out way louder than he meant. Big oof.
Yuki's head snapped towards him, her eyes wide with alarm. She froze, her face turning bright red. Taiyo's eyes widened. Double oof. He hadn't meant for that to happen.
But it was too late. Yuki looked right at him, and then, in a flash, she turned and *zoomed*. She basically sprinted down the hallway like she was being chased by a horde of zombies or something.
Taiyo blinked, confused. "Wait, what? Did I say something? Was my laugh that bad?" he mumbled, trying not to laugh again.
But watching Yuki run, he started to panic. Was she okay? She looked like she was running for her life. Taiyo's hand went out instinctively, but she was already gone, lost in the crowd.
*This wasn't the plan.*
His mind raced. Was she embarrassed by him? Did he make her freak out? He'd only laughed because it was funny – she was funny, in a good way. But now he felt like a total jerk for making her run like that.
He ran after her, looking everywhere. The hallway was full of students, but he couldn't see her anywhere. He pushed through the crowd, his eyes darting around, but Yuki had vanished.
"Wait!" Taiyo called out, even though he knew it was pointless. "Hey! Are you okay?"
But the hallway was emptying out, and Yuki was gone. Taiyo stood there for a second, not knowing what to do, feeling a sudden wave of worry.
She hadn't looked like someone who'd just run away for no reason. He felt kinda guilty, his stomach twisting. Maybe he'd messed up big time. Maybe she wasn't just funny and cute – maybe she was actually super nervous.
He tried to shake off the worry. He wasn't about to let her just disappear without saying anything. But he had no clue where to find her, and by the time he'd figured things out, the hallway was empty, leaving him standing there alone.
Taiyo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess I'll have to find her… later." But the worry stuck with him. He couldn't shake the image of Yuki's scared face and her quick getaway. It was giving major unresolved plot vibes.