The soft light of dawn filtered through the windows, casting a warm, golden hue across the kitchen. I sipped my tea slowly, the subtle bitterness calming my nerves as my mother continued her usual morning chatter. Her voice, playful and teasing as always, was like background noise at this point—a sound I'd long since gotten used to tuning out. Yet today, for some reason, her words seemed to dig under my skin a little more than usual.
"So, Yuna," she began with that all-too-familiar smile, "what's today's plan? More bossing around the student council, I assume?"
I sighed, placing my cup down a little harder than necessary. "I'm not bossing anyone around, mother. They're just… incapable of handling things themselves." My voice was steady, but I could hear the slight edge in it. I didn't have the energy for one of her playful interrogations this early in the morning.
"Oh, is that so?" she responded, clearly enjoying herself. "And here I thought being student council president meant you had everything under control. Perhaps you need to delegate more."
I stood up, pushing my chair back with my heel, the legs scraping against the floor as I made my way to the counter where the stack of documents awaited. It was a hefty pile—an assortment of paperwork that none of the other council members could be trusted to handle properly. The weight of it was familiar in my arms, and yet still irritating. Of course, it had to be me.
As I adjusted the documents, my mother's voice chimed in again, this time with a tone that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Isn't that a bit too heavy, Yuna? Maybe you should have a boyfriend to help you with things like this."
I could feel my eye twitch, but I kept my face perfectly neutral. Years of practice with her had made me an expert at this—appearing unaffected by her constant teasing, even when it was aimed directly at the soft spots I'd rather she didn't poke.
Internally, I sighed. "Why does she always bring this up?" As if I needed anyone to help me with anything. I could handle things just fine on my own, thank you very much.
Deciding not to dignify her comment with a response, I mumbled a quick goodbye, turned on my heel, and pushed the door shut behind me with my foot. The cool morning air hit my face, and I took a deep breath, adjusting the documents in my arms. There was something soothing about the crispness of the morning, as if the world was still waking up along with me.
That sense of calm lasted for all of thirty seconds.
As I walked down the street, my eyes caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance. The unmistakable white hair, shining even brighter in the morning light, immediately caught my attention. Raven Gray. He stood out like a beacon against the backdrop of the city—his stride confident, his gaze distant and aloof, and his sharp features making him impossible to ignore. Even from afar, you could sense the aura of mystery that surrounded him. It was almost comical how much he resembled the brooding love interest from some high-budget otome game.
I couldn't help but smirk to myself. Raven Gray was practically a celebrity at school, though he didn't seem to care about it in the slightest. Girls admired him from a distance, too afraid to approach, while the boys mostly hated him for effortlessly being better than them at… well, everything. The only person he was close to was Rika Nakamura, and that alone was an enigma. What connected them? Rika was painfully average in every sense of the word—kind and polite, sure, but otherwise completely unremarkable. And yet, there they were, an inseparable pair.
"How strange," I thought as I adjusted the stack of papers in my arms. Curiosity got the better of me, and before I knew it, I was heading straight toward Raven.
Sneaking up behind him, I was ready to greet him with my usual dose of playful mischief when, out of nowhere, he stopped dead in his tracks. I raised an eyebrow, watching in amusement as he began inspecting his clothes—patting himself down as if he was worried something was out of place. A smirk tugged at my lips. "Did I traumatize him that much from that pajama incident?" The thought was more amusing than I cared to admit.
"Good morning," I called out, unable to resist any longer.
Raven flinched. Not just a small flinch either—his entire body tensed like he'd been hit by a gust of freezing wind. He turned toward me with an exaggeratedly stiff motion, his neck almost creaking as he forced himself to face me. His expression was a mix of surprise and dread, and I couldn't help but grin. Seeing him flustered like this was… oddly satisfying.
"He really is something else," I thought, watching him struggle to compose himself. For someone who projected such confidence, it was surprisingly easy to throw him off balance.
"Could you help me carry these papers?" I asked, gesturing to the stack in my arms. My tone was casual, but the playful glint in my eyes was impossible to hide.
Raven blinked, clearly caught off guard, but he recovered quickly enough. With a mechanical nod, he reached out and took the papers from me. I watched, slightly impressed, as he lifted them effortlessly. "Well, I guess the rumors about him being athletic are true."
Without another word, I began walking toward the school, and Raven, now carrying the documents, followed behind me in silence. I could feel the shift in his demeanor immediately. His earlier confidence was gone, replaced by a kind of gloomy resignation, like a man walking to his execution.
"Why does he look so defeated?" I wondered, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. "I'm not that scary, am I?"
The walk stretched on in silence, and the longer it went, the more I felt the need to break it. I wasn't sure if I was trying to ease his obvious discomfort or if my own playful nature was simply getting the better of me. Either way, I decided to go for it.
"So, about that pajama thing…" I started, my voice casual.
The moment the words left my mouth, Raven practically froze. His eyes widened in panic, and before I could say anything more, he interrupted me.
"Please, I'll do anything, just don't tell anyone about it," he blurted out, his voice pleading.
For a moment, I was too stunned to respond. I blinked, taken aback by the sheer desperation in his voice. "Anything?" My mind began to race, and a slow grin spread across my face. Oh, this was going to be fun.
"Anything…" I murmured thoughtfully, tapping my chin with a finger. I could feel Raven's tension growing by the second, but I couldn't help myself. The opportunity was too good to pass up.
Finally, I relented, deciding not to push him too far—yet.
"Well, I'll think about it," I said, my grin turning into something a little more mischievous. "But for now, just help me carry these documents."
Raven let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world was on them. He gave me a look that could only be described as wounded, but I merely smiled, enjoying the small victory. As we continued walking toward the school, I couldn't help but think, "This is more entertaining than I expected."
As we neared the gates, I began to notice the usual whispering among the students. I didn't even need to listen to know what they were saying. Being the student council president meant I was used to being the subject of gossip, and walking beside Raven Gray, of all people, was sure to spark even more whispers than usual.
I overheard snippets of their conversations as we passed by.
"Is that Yuna Kishimoto with a guy?"
"Who is he? He's pretty cute."
"Isn't that the foreigner who's always with Rika?"
I rolled my eyes internally. "They're not wrong about him being cute," I admitted to myself, though I'd never say it out loud. Still, the idea of any rumors about us was more of a nuisance than anything. "As long as Raven doesn't do anything weird, everything should be fine."
Finally, we reached the student council office, and I turned to face Raven, holding out my arms to take the documents back. He handed them over without a word, but I could see the irritation in his eyes. I stifled a laugh—he looked so defeated. I almost felt bad for teasing him. Almost.
"Well, that's all. Thanks for the help," I said, my voice cool and composed.
Raven narrowed his eyes at me, but instead of saying anything, he simply nodded and turned to leave. He practically bolted down the hallway, eager to get away, and I watched him go, shaking my head in amusement. "He really is interesting," I thought, my usual cold expression softening ever so slightly. "Not many people can keep me this entertained."
As I turned to enter the office, my mother's voice echoed in my head. "Maybe you should have a boyfriend to help you with things like this."
I paused for a moment, the thought lingering longer than I expected. "A boyfriend?" The idea was laughable, and yet…
"If I had a boyfriend…" I murmured quietly to myself, before shaking my head and pushing the thought away. "As if that'll ever happen."
With a final chuckle, I closed the door behind me, leaving the morning encounter behind as just another curious moment in my otherwise meticulously controlled life.