That morning, as usual, the city sky was still veiled in a thin mist, and morning dew still clung to the leaves along the road. The sound of footsteps echoed softly on the sidewalk, damp from last night's drizzle. Ren, a student of class 11 2C, walked slowly down the path toward his school located on the outskirts of the city. In his left hand, he held a piece of toast he hadn't finished at home, and on his shoulder hung a bag filled with textbooks for the day.
Ren always arrived early, enjoying the quiet before the school was filled with the chatter of other students. But that day, he was a bit later than usual. At the street corner near a small bakery, he saw an elderly woman looking confused as she tried to cross the road. Without hesitation, Ren approached and offered his help. With slow and careful steps, they crossed together until the old lady smiled and thanked him with a raspy yet warm voice. A small moment that meant a lot—but enough to make time slip by faster than he realized.
When he reached the school gate, Ren broke into a light jog across the still-empty schoolyard, accompanied only by birdsong and the morning breeze. He walked down the corridor on the second floor, where his class was located. Class 11 2C was at the end of the hall, near a window that faced a small garden full of chrysanthemums.
When he opened the door to enter his classroom, he was surprised to accidentally catch sight of Aiko—a girl with straight black hair and piercing yet captivating eyes—wiping her sweat while wearing only an open shirt, clearly still in her undergarments. The morning sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Aiko's figure, making the moment feel as if time had stopped. Both were stunned, and Ren, his face flushing red like a ripe tomato, quickly apologized and instinctively shut the door in embarrassment upon seeing Aiko in just her underwear.
Outside, Ren took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart. The corridor walls felt narrower, and the air suddenly warmer. From behind, Cecilia—Ren's childhood friend—had just arrived and noticed the panicked expression on his face. Curious, she patted Ren on the shoulder, startling him again.
"Ren, why did you suddenly slam the door like that? What happened?" Lia (Cecilia) asked curiously, glancing at the tightly closed classroom door. "Nothing, I was just a little startled," Ren replied, averting his eyes, trying to compose himself. "Hmm, you're hiding something from me," Lia said with a suspicious look and a half-mocking smile. Then, without another word, she quickly opened the door.
As Lia opened it and both of them peeked inside, she too was captivated by Aiko's beauty as she tied her hair with a red ribbon, raising both arms. A simple movement, yet it looked graceful in their eyes. "Luckily, she's already dressed again," Ren muttered to himself, still embarrassed by the earlier incident. "Looks like he's fallen in love at first sight," Lia thought to herself, watching Aiko with sparkling eyes, trying to read Ren's expression.
When Aiko realized she was being watched, she turned and said politely but flatly, "Why are you two just standing there? Come in." Her voice snapped Ren and Lia out of it, and they quickly stepped into the classroom. Ren and Aiko still felt awkward—they kept stealing glances at each other, only to quickly look away.
Not long after the incident, students began to fill the classroom, greeting each other and settling into the neatly arranged desks. Morning sunlight filtered through the window curtains, creating a warm atmosphere inside the room.
Ren sat frozen at his desk, his eyes blankly staring at the chalkboard. His face still slightly flushed, his mind replaying the events of that morning. Occasionally, he stole a glance at Aiko's desk, only to quickly look away when their eyes nearly met.
The classroom grew lively. Amid conversations among classmates, whispers of curiosity emerged: "Hey, who's that girl by the window? Is she new?" or, "She looks like a transfer student… but from where?"
Some students whispered while occasionally glancing toward Aiko, who remained quiet, opening her book, keeping her cold expression that made her seem unapproachable. Meanwhile, Ren could only take a slow breath and gaze out the window, as if searching for fresh air to calm his restless thoughts.
The bell for the first class rang loudly, marking the beginning of the school routine.
During the break between the first and second periods, Ren sat quietly at his desk, his gaze fixed on the window showing the blue sky and swaying trees. A light breeze blew through his hair. Suddenly, a paper ball hit his cheek. He turned to find a small piece of paper thrown from the side. Curiously, Ren picked it up, opened it, and read it. It said:
"KEEP THIS MORNING'S INCIDENT A SECRET."
No name was written, but Ren knew who it was from. The corner of his mouth lifted awkwardly, and he quickly turned back to the window, because he knew the person who had thrown the paper was sitting just to his right.
During the lesson, Ren didn't dare look to his right and tried to stay focused straight ahead. His fingers gripped the pen tighter than usual, and every second felt longer. The teacher's voice sounded like a faint echo, as his mind remained split between embarrassment and curiosity.
When the break bell rang, Ren slowly walked through the school hallway toward the canteen, but his steps were blocked by three familiar figures.
"Well, well, Kazuki-kun's throwing letters now?" teased Haikal, crossing his arms with a wide grin.
Riyo, the most expressive of them, added with stifled laughter, "I saw you get hit with paper… and not just any paper, a love letter from the ice queen?"
Rasya, the calmest, nudged Ren gently. "Are you close with her? The one sitting near the window… Aiko, right? Seems like she only talked to you today."
Ren just chuckled nervously, slightly lowering his head while rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not like that… it was just... a small incident."
"A small incident that made you grin to yourself and daydream all lesson long?" Haikal joked, causing Riyo to laugh even harder.
"If you need help getting close to her, just say so," Rasya added, half-serious. "She's the hard-to-approach type. But you've got some luck… somehow she talked to you first."
Ren sighed but couldn't hide the faint smile on his face. "I don't even understand. It feels like… this all just started without any plan."
"Well, fate likes to mess with us sometimes," said Riyo, slinging an arm around Ren's shoulders. "But who knows, this might be the start of your red string of fate, bro."
After school, in the quiet back garden of the school, Lia asked Ren why he seemed to be staring straight ahead instead of his usual habit of spacing out and looking around. "Ren, why are you suddenly so focused on staring straight ahead?" Lia asked. The sound of flowing water from a small pond could be faintly heard. "Ahh… maybe you're just imagining things..." Ren said, shifting his gaze toward the flowers. "Yeah, maybe I just happened to catch you being focused." Lia smiled slightly, then lifted her bag. "Alright, I'm heading home… If anything comes up, just message me."
Back in the now-empty classroom, only Ren and Aiko remained. The wind blowing through the window made the curtains flutter gently. As Ren was packing his things, Aiko approached. Her light footsteps made the atmosphere feel even more silent. "Why did you keep staring straight ahead during class and avoid looking at me? You're probably still thinking about this morning. Just forget that incident, you pervert," said Aiko, shyly turning her face away from Ren and walking off with an adorably annoyed expression. The sound of her footsteps slowly faded down the corridor.
After school (at Ren's house), his room felt quieter than usual. He lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as the fan turned slowly overhead. He muttered, "I really didn't mean to see that (this morning's incident). What was her name again… but she's really pretty, uh… no, no. I should apologize to her, but I don't know how~" Then Ren remembered Lia's words: "If anything comes up, just message me." So Ren gathered the courage to ask Lia the right way to apologize to a girl. "Maybe Lia knows how to sincerely apologize to a girl," Ren said with a guilty tone.
Lia then suggested they talk over the phone to avoid misunderstandings. That night, they talked for a long time on the phone. Lia patiently explained, even writing down key points so Ren wouldn't forget.
The next day after school, Ren sat alone on a bench near the school garden, under a maple tree with leaves starting to fall. He looked at the notes he had written the night before and tried to follow all of Lia's advice from the previous day.
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...… Notes content:
"First, apologize when she's not in a hurry or busy.
Second, do it when the class is quiet, not crowded.
Third, don't explain your mistake in detail. Just acknowledge it.
Fourth, speak gently, humbly, and politely.
Fifth, don't pressure her to forgive you right away.
Sixth, give her something to increase your chances.
Seventh, make notes so you don't get confused while apologizing.
'I'm truly sorry… I honestly didn't mean to do that earlier, and I deeply regret it. I know it was wrong, and I promise to be more careful. I hope you're not still upset by it. Once again, I'm really sorry.'"
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Ren closed his notes, took a deep breath, and held a small box containing a sunflower keychain he had bought earlier that day. He was ready… for the first small step toward her heart.