Chapter 2.1

Early in the morning, Leonard woke up feeling like he owned the world. Today, his body felt light, and his mood was refreshing. It was no wonder, considering what had happened.

Yesterday, his two-year-long crush had come to fruition!

When Raven shyly stuttered and confessed that she liked him, no one could know how happy he was.

“Haa.”

Leonard let out a blissful sigh and drew back the curtains covering the window with a refreshing mood. As if the weather was blessing him, the morning sunlight shone brightly, and the birds chirped beautifully.

Everything seemed to herald a happy day.

Leaving the dormitory, Leonard went to a flower shop in the city and ordered 50 roses. The shop owner, surprised that a large quantity of roses had just arrived, handed over the bouquet with a delighted expression.

To have 50 fresh roses ready so early in the morning, he was lucky.

Thinking Raven would be pleased, Leonard carefully fingered the rose petals.

With such a cheerful step, he headed toward the dormitory building, carrying a bouquet as big as his upper body. If it were a little later, there would have been many glances at him before class began.

But fortunately, the hallway was quiet in the early morning. Leonard, immersed in appreciation, buried his nose in the roses.

Raven was a very punctual person. Every morning at 8 o’clock, she left the dormitory, arrived early in the classroom, and reviewed for about an hour.

Though she rarely deviated from this routine, today seemed a little different.

“It’s already past 8….”

Standing in front of Raven’s room, Leonard looked up at the clock worriedly. 

Was something wrong? Did she oversleep?

At that moment, the sound of the door creaking open was heard. Leonard turned his head with a bright face.

His lover, whom he had been dating for two days as of today, appeared outside the door. Her tousled black hair swayed with her steps. Soon, seeing the dozens of roses in full bloom and Leonard’s face in front of her door, she let out a shrill scream.

“Ah! What is this!”

* * *

“So, we’re dating, right?”

Raven was so surprised to find out that Leonard really liked her that she couldn’t answer that question at all. Then, as if he took her silence as acceptance, Leonard smiled happily, and she retreated in confusion.

After leaving that place, she tried her best not to run into Leonard and returned to the dormitory room. But even lying in bed, wrapping up the day, she couldn’t pull herself together.

“…….”

She buried her face in the pillow and muttered inwardly.

Raven, you’re crazy. What? Like him? You’re really crazy?

She didn’t expect Leonard to like her or that her fake confession would lead to them dating.

She just thought if someone like her confessed, he’d be flustered and wouldn’t be able to study during that time!

What could she do now? She was already dating Leonard.

“Aagh!”

Leonard, that strange guy!

She pulled her hair.

Until that morning, it seemed like a pretty good plan, but now that things had gone awry, she couldn’t feel more pathetic.

No, but this is really not it. Leonard likes me? Me? Really?

…Why on earth? And since when?

How could he like me when I’d been so prickly all this time, that perverted guy….

More than that, did he really follow me around because he liked me all along?

“Darn it….”

She bit her lip tightly.

What should I do now?

She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown from stress.

With all these thoughts, sleep wouldn’t come, and she ended up staying awake all night.

“Ugh….”

The bright morning sunlight pierced her eyes. It was so bright that her eyes hurt and stung.

Ha, what should I do when I run into Leonard today?

With a sigh, she washed her face dry and prepared to go to class.

She was combing her tangled hair irritably when she thought it was pointless, so she tossed the comb aside and opened the door, only to be greeted by the scent of roses filling the dormitory hallway.

And what she saw in front of her was….

“Ah! What is this!”

Leonard was standing in front of her room, holding a bouquet of roses as large as his own frame. In a moment of panic, she let out a shriek and stepped back.

“Oh my gosh! Wh-what is all this?”

Luckily, it was early enough that there were hardly any people around.

Stammering, she leaned against the wall, and Leonard offered the bouquet of roses with a warm smile.

“Good morning, Raven. Did you sleep well? Would you like to walk to the classroom together?”

That strong floral scent was coming from there.

She grimaced at the sight of the fresh rose petals.

“Did you seriously go out and buy these this morning?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know what kind of flowers you liked, so I went with the most classic roses….”

Leonard replied with a bright expression, but she didn’t wait and interrupted him.

“Don’t do this again.”

It’s too conspicuous.

She was about to say that, but Leonard cut her off with a smiling face.

“Oh, are you worried about me? Don’t worry, it’s not hard at all when it’s for you.”

“…….”

That’s not what I meant!

While she was holding her forehead from the headache, Leonard shyly fidgeted with his fingers and spoke.

“Shall we go together? Since we’re… a c-couple now….”

“No way.”

She was already anxious about what kind of rumors might start from spending the whole day together yesterday.

When she rejected him outright, Leonard seemed a little dejected.

“…….”

In the end, she waved her hand to shoo him away. Since she had said what she did yesterday, it felt a bit harsh to completely drive him away.

“…This much distance is fine.”

About an arm’s length apart. It was almost like being strangers.

But Leonard, perhaps thinking she was just shy, nodded enthusiastically with a pleased expression.

“And this….”

She sighed softly and looked down at the bouquet of roses. Then she reopened the door and tossed it onto the bed. The perfect arrangement of the flowers was slightly disturbed.

The roses, with their lush petals and deep color, seemed very expensive, but they were of no use to her. Instead, they were a bit burdensome, and she was worried about how to deal with them.

Should I just give them to my roommate? She’d probably accept them happily.

“Don’t buy them again next time.”

“Why? Don’t feel burdened. It’s from my heart.”

“No, it’s just… flowers are most beautiful when they’re blooming in nature.”

“Ah, I see. Raven, you’re thoughtful and kind as always.”

Leonard nodded as if finally understanding, with a nonsensical comment as a bonus.

“Shall we go then? Oh, keep the distance, please.”

As they left the dormitory, maintaining an arm’s length distance, Leonard’s blonde hair glistened in the sunlight.

Darn… it’s blinding.

Even as she grimaced, she couldn’t take her eyes off his hair.

Her black hair just absorbed all the sunlight, staying pitch black.

“Is the sunlight too bright? Should I block it for you?”

“Keep the distance!”

Even though she had clearly told him to keep his distance, Leonard approached with a concerned face, as if he hadn’t heard her. She was about to tell him again to maintain the distance.

This is… surprisingly comfortable.

“……!”

She looked up at Leonard.

Despite his delicate appearance, he practiced swordsmanship, so his build was substantial, and his body blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow.

Quickly glancing around, she confirmed that there was still no one in the courtyard.

Well, for one day, something like this isn’t so bad, right?

Though getting closer to Leonard was a bit burdensome, the shade was certainly cooler.

In the end, she nodded as if everything was fine.  

“…Then let’s just go like this until we reach the front of the building.”  

As they walked in silence, Leonard, uncharacteristically, didn’t speak for quite some time. When she turned her head in curiosity, she saw his gaze fixed on her hand.  

What does he want?  

Just as she was feeling puzzled, Leonard leaned in and whispered softly.  

“I still want to hold your hand.”  

“N-no way!”  

Leonard’s face, seen up close, was so remarkably beautiful that a faint heat rose to her own face just from looking at him. It was no wonder she stuttered. She never thought of herself as someone who was swayed by appearances or showed her emotions openly.  

She had to admit it. She disliked Leonard Klein, but his face was not at fault.  

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.  

“Got it.”  

Hearing her refusal, Leonard nodded with a gentle smile.  

“By the way, the other day… I was really surprised. I thought you hated me, Raven.”  

Leonard murmured, blushing shyly. She held her breath for a moment.  

His kind, violet eyes continued to look at her. It somehow made her feel uneasy.  

“Yeah… that’s right.”  

Avoiding Leonard’s gaze, she awkwardly replied, abandoning the hair she had been fiddling with and instead biting her lip hard. The metallic taste of blood quickly filled her mouth.  

Perhaps because of that, a slight queasiness began to rise, and unpleasant memories started to flood her mind.  

Unable to bear the nausea, her expression twisted.  

Even with her vision blurred, the memories from then were vividly clear. The time when she began to dislike him. The events of last year, when everything started to go wrong.