"W-What is that?"
Rin's voice cracked in horror as she gaped at Sayu, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Sayu blinked, glancing down at herself. "...Clothes?"
"No, Sayu!" Rin flung her arms up dramatically. "That is not 'clothes'—that's a 'please ignore me and my zero effort' uniform!"
Sayu tugged at the hem of her oversized yellow hoodie, unfazed. "It's comfortable."
"You're going to a freshman party, not sneaking into a 2 a.m. anime binge session!"
"Sigh… you said I could just be me, Rin. Let's just go."
Rin opened her mouth to argue but froze mid-breath. Sayu stood there, her dark blue-black hair cascading past her shoulders, her light blue eyes glinting with quiet defiance.
The oversized yellow hoodie swallowed her frame, its vibrancy clashing playfully with her white knit beanie—tilted just slightly off-center, as if she'd thrown it on without a second thought. Paired with loose jogger pants and scuff-proof high-top sneakers, —stylishly casual, yet undeniably lazy by Rin's standards.
"Rin," Sayu pressed, "you know I like casual looks. Besides, what time is it?"
Rin glanced at her watch—then shrieked.
"W-Well, it's… WHAT?! 7:30?! How did—? Ugh, the girls are gonna kill us!"
Before Sayu could protest, Rin had already dragged her out the door.
By the time they reached their destination, they were awed by the venue's grandiosity
******
As Sayu and Rin arrived at the location they were told, they were shocked to see the breathtaking scene.
"Are you sure this is the place, Rin?" Sayu asked, eyeing the ornate façade. Maybe they'd mixed up the directions.
"I know, right? Gorgeous." Rin's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Relax, I heard senior Park Dae‑woo booked it. Oh, to be rich…"
Sayu was starting to understand how such a luxurious, fine establishment could be rented by a bunch of third years who were supposed to be counting every little monthly expense, with the looming shadow of student debt knocking on their doors.
But it would all make sense if Park Dae-woo—the heir to Park Entertainment—was the one who booked the venue.
Shaking off their surprise, they began walking into the building. The air was filled with the scent of grilled meat and barbecue, as students' chatter and music grew louder the deeper they entered.
Looking around, Sayu and Rin searched for their best friends—Kanna and Mio—among the crowd.
"Rin~! Sayu~!" a voice suddenly called out to them.
They turned toward the sound and spotted their friends waving from the back, sitting with the rest of the Science Department students. Kanna was the one calling them over, while Mio simply waved and gestured for them to come join.
Rin eagerly moved toward them first, followed by Sayu, who trailed behind as they weaved through the crowd with quiet apologies. "Sorry—excuse us—coming through—"
BUMP.
A shoulder slammed into Sayu, knocking her a step sideways. She turned to look at the person responsible—but instead of apologizing, the boy muttered, "Watch yourself," and kept walking.
Sayu, already not in a great mood, felt her irritation spike. "Hey! You're not even going to apologize after bumping into someone—?"
Before she could finish, he had already reached the exit and stepped outside. She stood stunned—not only did he bump into her, but he didn't apologize or even look back.
She was just about to shout again when Rin grabbed her arm, followed by Kanna and Mio. Sayu turned to ask her best friend why she stopped her—but froze when she saw the expression on Rin's face. It wasn't just her; Kanna and Mio were shocked too.
"D-Did you just talk to Hayato Arisaka?" Rin asked, still staring at the door. Outside, Hayato stood by a tree across the street, phone in hand, seemingly in the middle of a call.
'Hayato?' The name rang a bell. Sayu searched her memory—until it clicked. 'Ahh', she realized, 'him!'
Hayato Arisaka. One of the top three most handsome guys on campus—alongside Park Dae-woo and some other guy. They were every girl's dream crush, at least according to Rin, who'd gushed endlessly about them during orientation.
Well, it wasn't like Sayu had seen him in person before. She only remembered his name because Rin brought it up so often it would've been weird if she hadn't.
Rin's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Oh my God, Sayu… you—you just talked to Hayato! What did he say?!"
"Yeah, what did he say?" Kanna added eagerly. Even the usually quiet Mio looked interested, though she didn't say anything. Her expression gave it away.
Sayu couldn't understand how her friends were so interested in someone like that. Was he handsome? Sure. But to her, looks and status didn't mean much. It'd be nice if a guy was good-looking, but with behavior like that? She was sure he was nothing but a jerk. And after everything with Hans, the last thing she wanted was to fall for another walking red flag.
Sigh… She exhaled inwardly. Why was she thinking about him again?
"Come on, girls, let's enjoy ourselves. That's what we came for, right?" Sayu said with a forced smile.
Seeing she was trying to change the topic, Rin and Kanna kept pestering her, playfully teasing while Mio quietly followed along.
Soon, they arrived at their table.
Rin, who had still been holding Sayu's arm, suddenly stopped as a delicious smell reached her nose. The beef being grilled, the aroma of booze and other food—it was like a switch flipped. Rin rushed to her seat.
Sayu sighed and followed her, sitting beside her as Kanna and Mio sat across from them.
**
Cheers!
They raised their glasses together and took a sip.
"Ahh... that's better," Sayu said, setting her glass down. But her mind drifted elsewhere.
She stared into her drink, swirling it as her thoughts spiraled.
"Hey, Sayu?" Mio's concerned voice cut in. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Just lost in thought," Sayu replied with a weak smile.
The mood began to dip again. Rin and Kanna, sitting across from each other, exchanged glances and smirked.
"So… girls," Rin began. "Why don't we play a game? To lift up the mood."
Kanna seemed to have expected this and instantly agreed, leaving Sayu and Mio confused.
"A game?" Mio asked. "What kind?"
"Truth or Dare," Rin grinned. "Whoever loses at rock-paper-scissors gets picked."
"I'm in," Kanna said confidently, giving Sayu no chance to protest. Sayu opened her mouth to object, but seeing everyone already on board, she reluctantly gave in.
"Rock~! Paper~! Scissors~!" they chanted together.
Seriously? Sayu groaned internally. This just isn't my day. She wondered if she should've checked her horoscope.
She was the only one who picked paper; the others all chose scissors. With a resigned sigh, she turned toward them to hear her task.
"Hehe~ So Sayu," Kanna and Rin giggled. Sayu immediately felt uneasy. "Truth or Dare?"
"Hmm… Dare," she said. What's the worst they could ask? Compared to her awful day, nothing could surprise her.
"Okay, you see Hayato over there?" Rin asked, pointing outside. "Ask him out."
Three words.
That was it, but Sayu couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
"What?" she asked, stunned.
"You heard me," Rin repeated, grinning. "Ask Hayato out."
Sigh… Sayu thought. 'It really isn't my day.'