"3Why… won't you just stay away from me?" Ryan asked in exasperation, staring at the girl before him. Her lustrous black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her blue eyes stared intently at him with a curiosity that always unnerved him.
"I just found out something interesting," she said with a cheeky smile, completely ignoring his question.
Sigh.
He glanced around the lecture hall. There were plenty of people here, but the spot he always sat in was more isolated—until she started sitting there too. Ever since, he'd been receiving death glares from some of the other students, the worst of them coming from a certain guy.
"Can you just leave? I don't like the attention you bring, so just go back to your boyfriend," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes.
"Ugh," he groaned and opened his eyes, startled to see her hand resting on his arm as if she had just punched him.
What the hell is wrong with this girl?! he thought, quite shocked by her boldness.
And why is she so damn strong?! It was baffling. She looked so fragile yet packed a punch.
Most people, if not all, had heard about his past, which was why they kept their distance. They knew he wasn't exactly right in the head. After all, one of the things he'd done back then was pull the trigger on some kids.
"I have problems, you know," he said, trying to remind her that he was dangerous. But again, she ignored him.
"I don't have a boyfriend… and I've told you that countless times," she said, then added, "As I said, I just found out something interesting." She reiterated, and at this point, Ryan gave up trying to chase her away. He remembered the huge scene he caused last time, even acting like he'd get violent, but here she was again, acting as though they were best friends. This all started a week ago, after an encounter with her "boyfriend," as he called him, the morning before a lecture.
But what made this all the stranger was that, no matter how annoying she was, he always felt relaxed when she was around—a fact he'd rather die than admit.
"What?" he asked in an exasperated tone.
"Our names are similar. I mean, we have the same first letters," she said with a cheeky smile.
"Really?" he replied, feigning interest. "So, what's your name?" he asked.
"Ugh," he groaned as she punched him again. "Do that again, and I'll—" he began, but, "Ugh!" he groaned once more as she punched him again, this time wearing a pout.
What…
I think this girl is actually the crazy one, he thought, bewildered beyond description. She never ceased to surprise him.
Perhaps he was the one who should be avoiding her. She might be more dangerous than he was.
"How do you not know my name?" she asked.
"…Because I don't care?" he said flatly.
"Fine." She grabbed his bag.
"Hey, give that back," he snapped.
"Just wait a sec," she said, then wrote something on the bag with a pen eraser. "R + R."
"Why the hell did you write that?" he asked, annoyed, snatching the bag back and trying to wipe it off.
"That way, you won't forget it," she said with a smile.
He decided he'd had enough. "Aww!" she cried as he leaned back, satisfied after knocking her lightly on the head.
"Why did you do that?" she asked, frowning and rubbing her head.
"…," he remained silent.
"Fine then," she said, smiling before falling quiet.
After a while, he spoke again. "What does the R stand for?" he asked.
"Just look," she said.
He opened his eyes, only to realize she'd done something even worse—she had written on his shirt, and he hadn't even noticed.
"Ryan has a crush on Renay," it read in bold letters.
"FUCK YOU!" he shouted.
...
...
Ryan jolted awake, his breath heavy. His eyes met darkness.
"Huh? What happened?" he muttered, realizing he was on a bed. But the place was dark, and he couldn't see a thing.
"A bunk?" he muttered again, his hands brushing against cold metal as he stretched them upward.
"Zel," he called out, but there was only silence.
"Zel!" he said again, louder this time. Still, no response.
It was then he realized something was wrong.
Very wrong.
This was the first time the voice hadn't responded when he called.
"Wait…" His eyes widened as he felt a familiar sensation, one he hadn't experienced since before his awakening.
"My mana… it's back! How?!"