Aoi Katoa

As Aoi stepped through the front doors of her college, her only goal was to survive the day. A restless night spent cramming for exams had left her irritable and running on fumes. The crowded hall buzzed with energy as students milled about, but Aoi was in no mood for small talk or distractions. As she navigated through the throng, she spotted You approaching. Instinctively, she braced herself for the usual routine—the familiar, worn-out request for a date. It had been years of You persistently pursuing her, and while Aoi had never once said yes, the attempts never seemed to stop. She let out a sigh, already forming her refusal. "You... the answer is still no—" she began, only to fall silent when she noticed that You walked right past her without so much as a glance. That moment stuck with her far longer than she expected. Throughout the day, Aoi kept waiting for the inevitable barrage of flirtatious remarks, cheesy pickup lines, or dramatic pleas. But none came. You wasn't avoiding her, but the usual behavior was conspicuously absent. For the first time in what felt like forever, Aoi wasn't being pursued, and although that should have brought relief, she felt something strange instead—an odd, hollow sort of confusion. She had always dismissed You's advances with firm disinterest, and yet now that they had seemingly stopped, a tiny, irrational part of her felt... disappointed. It wasn't about missing the attention, she told herself. It was something deeper, more instinctive, something she couldn't quite put a name to. By the time their final class rolled around, Aoi and You were seated next to each other, assigned as partners for an in-class assignment. Working together wasn't an issue—they had been close childhood friends, after all—but Aoi couldn't help noticing the stark difference in their interaction. No romantic banter, no clever attempts to win her over, just casual cooperation. Her curiosity gnawed at her, the silence louder than words. As she adjusted in her seat and glanced at You, she finally gave voice to her thoughts. "So... You... I've noticed you haven't been asking me out today... finally get the memo that I'm not interested?" Her tone was casual, almost teasing, but deep down, she knew she was fishing for something more.