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#02 | knight in shining armor "i- wait what? he's the school's heartthrob?"
you belong with me • taylor swift "and you've got a smile that can light up this whole town..."
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At lunch, Leeseo bid Rina farewell as she joined her friends, whom she had introduced Rina to. They were all very welcoming, and surprisingly, Rina managed to remember their names — a feat she often struggled with. They were Yujin, Wonyoung, Gaeul, Rei, and Liz. "It was great meeting you, Rina," Rei smiled warmly. Leeseo had mentioned her earlier in class, noting their shared Japanese background.
"You too. I hope we see each other around," Rina smiled before waving and leaving to sit next to her friends. "You're friends with Leeseo now?" Chaewon asked as soon as Rina took a seat with them and began eating.
"Oh, yeah. She's in my class," the younger girl smiled. "Ah, I've known her and her friends for almost three years now" Kazuha said, chewing on her food. Rina chuckled and continued eating as the five other girls chatted about their first day. Everyone seemed to have had a pretty good time. While Kazuha excitedly discussed the after-school dance course, Rina's mind kept drifting back to the guy who had helped her in class today. His sweet demeanor lingered in her thoughts, and the image of his face replayed in her mind like a slow-motion video, each detail etched vividly in her memory.
Suddenly, a familiar face caught Rina's eye. Was he... walking towards her table? Indeed, he was. The boy who had helped her with the answer in class stopped in front of Rina. "Rina, right?" he asked with a polite smile. "Yeah," she returned his smile, feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she resisted the urge to run her hand through his smooth hair. "You, uh, forgot your phone in class," the boy handed Rina the device. "Ah, I was wondering where it went. Thank you so much," Rina thanked him warmly. "Anytime," he gave her a small wink before walking away, leaving Rina's heart pounding with excitement and her cheeks flushed red.
Yunjin cleared her throat, "Now what was that all about?". "W-What was what about?", It seemed as if Rina was still in a daze from the boy. "I've never seen him so nice to anyone — he's always quiet when he's without his friends", Eunchae said, "Looks like you've stolen the heart of the school's heartthrob, Rin", she beamed. "I ─ Wait, what? He's the school's heartthrob?", Rina's blush seemed to deepen.
"Yep, his name's Nishimura Riki — the talk of the town," Chaewon chimed in and sighed as she scrolled through her social media feed, obviously used to everyone obsessing over the boy. "But he's actually quite sweet," Rina added. "I may not be familiar with this Riki guy, being a new transfer myself, but it seems our dear Rina has a little crush~," Sakura teased. "Oh, cut it out," Rina shot back, giving her older sister a threatening glare which only made Sakura laugh harder.
"First day of school and you've already got the Nishimura Riki simping over you," Kazuha continued the teasing. "You're talking about him like he's some celebrity," Rina shook her head and denied what the older girl was trying to refer to. "Well, he practically is!" Kazuha exclaimed. "Aside from being popular and smart, he's one of the best dancers I have ever seen and has quite a lot of followers on his social media. I bet he's going to be in the after-school dance course!". "He'll be there?" Rina asked, feeling her heart flutter with excitement for no apparent reason.
"You seem quite excited", Yunjin observed, raising a brow with a smirk playing on her lips. "I-It's not that!", Rina said quickly, "I-It's just that I'm excited to work with good dancers and...he's really sweet", she struggled to speak without stammering, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. The whole table burst out laughing, catching the attention of a few students nearby.
"Can you idiots never shut up?" some girl from a table across glared at the six. "Mind your own business, Kaori," Yunjin snapped back, her smile immediately flipping into a frown. "It's not like you're always quiet either". Kaori rolled her eyes and mocked Yunjin, who was ready to throw hands but was immediately pulled back by Chaewon, Eunchae, and Kazuha. The Miyawaki sisters, unfamiliar with Kaori, noticed her penchant for conflict as it seemed like she frequently clashed with Yunjin and the others.
"Hey, hey. Let's all just calm down", Rina interjected, noticing how Kaori and Yunjin were quite literally bristling with anger. "None of your business, new girl," Kaori hissed, but her tone softened as a boy next to her gently urged her to calm down due to the unwanted attention they were receiving. "Just forget about them, sweetheart. They're not worth our time. We can find another spot if they're bothering you," he said soothingly, his handsome features radiating reassurance as he gently held Kaori's hand. He must have been her boyfriend.
The display of affection between Kaori and her boyfriend was enough to make the other six girls feel queasy. "Eww," Eunchae muttered under her breath. "No offense, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was pressured into that relationship." The other five snickered under their breaths as the youngest rolled her eyes and mimicked Kaori silently. The bell rang, indicating the end of the lunch break.
"See you all at the apartment, me and Kazuha have to go to that after-school dance course", Rina said. "I bet your knight in shining armor is going to be there too", Chaewon winked. Rina shot a glare in response before turning away to head to her next class.
Knight in shining armor. Chaewon's teasing comment unexpectedly made Rina smile as she made her way to class, stealing a glance at Riki before sitting down. Okay, now what the hell is wrong with me? , she thought, puzzled by her own reactions.
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author's note ᯓ★
sorry for the short chapter loves, i'm currently going through a very annoying writers block 😞😞 i'm really committed to this book so i'll try making the future chapters a bit longer 💪💪 anw, ily all sm 🫶🫶 ─ eve 💞💞
