In the afternoon, Shi Hai barely made it to his elective class in the lecture hall, arriving in the last few seconds before the class started.
Since he was late, all the seats in the back were taken, so he had to sit in the third row, closer to the front. It was just an elective course for earning credits, so everyone preferred to sit in the back and slack off.
After sitting down, Shi Hai was still worried about the whereabouts of the letter, replaying the earlier events in his mind. After much thought, he concluded that the senior girl, Tian Shui, must have taken it.
She must have taken the letter when she jumped down and he rushed to catch her, causing the book to be thrown aside and the letter to fall out. Tian Shui probably took the letter while he was still dazed.
Though they had just met, Shi Hai could already tell what kind of person Tian Shui was from their brief conversation.
She was a thrill-seeker.
Yes, the kind who would do anything just for fun.
She must have taken the letter on a whim because she thought it would be interesting.
This was really messing with his mind.
If the letter contained a straightforward confession, it wouldn't be a big deal. But if it included a plan for a face-to-face confession, not knowing the time and place could mean he'd have to stand someone up.
Should he just confront her and ask for the letter back?
Shi Hai felt a bit nervous.
If everything Tian Shui said was true, confronting such a well-known figure could make him the talk of the school the next day.
And asking for a love letter back would only make it worse.
He imagined Tian Shui pulling out the letter in front of everyone, shocking them all.
Maybe that's exactly what she wanted to see?
It seemed he was destined to be her plaything...
He needed to come up with a roundabout way to get the letter back.
"Eh?!"
A surprised voice broke the drowsy atmosphere. The voice belonged to a girl sitting in front of Shi Hai to his left.
The lecturer adjusted his glasses and asked, "Do you have a question?"
"No, no question..."
"Then let's continue..."
The lecturer, not wanting to waste time on the interruption, resumed reading monotonously from the textbook. The other students went back to daydreaming.
Shi Hai remembered that the girl with the bob cut had been sleeping since he arrived. Maybe she had a nightmare?
Just as he thought this, Shi Hai felt her gaze.
She turned around and stared at him with a look of disbelief.
Did he have something on his face?
Shi Hai touched his face, wondering if the shoe print was still there...
She kept staring.
Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Shi Hai looked back at her and tilted his head in inquiry.
But as soon as their eyes met, she turned back around and buried her face in her arms.
Looking closer, he saw her shoulders and body trembling. Was she trying to stifle laughter because of the shoe print?
Shi Hai felt even more frustrated.
Before long, she turned around and looked at him again.
This time, their eyes met and they both fell into a prolonged silence, like they were playing a game to see who would look away first.
Shi Hai felt awkward, not knowing why she was staring at him.
But as they continued to stare, Shi Hai had a chance to observe her more closely.
She was quite cute and had a distinctive look.
Her unique appearance was mainly due to the medical eye patch she wore.
Her bangs were long enough to cover her right eye, and that eye was further concealed by the eye patch.
The double layer of concealment gave her a mysterious vibe.
But why the eye patch? Did she have an eye condition?
Or was she... a chunibyo?
Recently, Shi Hai had read a light novel called "Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!" and had seen news of its upcoming anime adaptation.
This girl resembled the main character from that novel a bit.
Although she didn't have a hair antenna and her hair wasn't tied up, she would make a great cosplay of Rikka.
Lost in these thoughts, Shi Hai was relieved when she finally turned around and stopped staring.
Today had been overwhelming, from receiving a love letter to encountering two beautiful girls, leaving him feeling exhausted.
It wasn't that Shi Hai was being overly sensitive, but it was genuinely a lot to take in.
It was like someone on a strict diet suddenly being taken to a gourmet restaurant and seeing two top-grade steaks, creating a mix of desire and confusion.
But the immediate concern was getting the love letter back.
His best bet was to return to the old dormitory rooftop after class and hope to meet Tian Shui again.
After the class ended at three, Shi Hai prepared to leave when the girl in front suddenly turned around and called out to him.
"Um, excuse me!"
"Yes, me?"
"Yes, you, uh... um... I... uh..."
She seemed incredibly nervous, her breath quickening and her words stumbling.
Seeing her so flustered, Shi Hai calmed down and said, "Take your time. I'm not in a rush. I'll listen to whatever you need to say."
"…Okay."
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down.
"Phew... thank you..."
"It's nothing. So, what do you need?"
She nodded and then hesitantly asked, "Uh... do we... know each other 'now'?"
What kind of question was that?
And why emphasize "now"?
Shi Hai figured she meant something like "Have we met before?"
Since he had just gone through the mental list of girls he knew earlier, he quickly had an answer.
"I don't think we do."
"Oh, I see..."
She lowered her head, visibly disappointed.
Shi Hai felt like he could see imaginary cat ears drooping in dismay.
But then she looked up and asked, "Can we get to know each other?"
Though phrased as a question, it was more of a request, almost a plea to get acquainted.
It felt like a standard conversation starter, but Shi Hai was the one being approached, giving him a sense of disorientation.
"Oh, of course. I'm Shi Hai, a second-year computer science major."
"Yes! I'm Jian Sichun! Jian as in simple, Si as in longing, Chun as in spring!"
It wasn't strange for her to introduce herself, but spelling out each character of her name was unusual.
Both Tian Shui and Jian Sichun had done the same, making a strong impression on Shi Hai.
So next, they should exchange contact information, right? Ask for a phone number or add each other on social media...
But Jian Sichun didn't follow the usual script.
"You don't have any more classes this afternoon, right?"
"No, I'm done for the day..."
"Can I come to your place?"
Shi Hai was shocked.
Are girls this forward nowadays?