📌PASSING DOWN A LEGACY! ━━ cj series fic.

Close. or just friends ?

"Are we close?" Charles asked Emilia who was walking in front of him. His tone, tinged with eagerness, clearly revealed his impatience to move away from the unwelcome attention he was receiving.

Jiwon, keenly observant, picked up on Charles's underlying emotions without hesitation.

"Yeah, it's just around this corner," Emilia responded, gesturing toward the direction ahead, oblivious to Charles's discomfort and preoccupied with reaching their destination swiftly."Okay," Charles replied lamely, trying to mask his uneasiness with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jiwon inquired softly, sensing Charles's inner turmoil.

"No! Of course not!" Charles retorted with a strained smile, masking his true feelings. "I'm just very excited to meet...Mr Forest!"

Jiwon, catching onto Charles's apprehension, teased, "Excited? Weren't you once his biggest challenge?" Their light banter aimed to diffuse the tension hovering over them.

Charles rolled his eyes dramatically. "Really? You're going to bring up an ancient history now? So, dating me is an excuse to bully me now?"

"Maybe so," Jiwon teased back, the playful twinkle in his eye betraying his mischievous grin.

The charming exchange between Jiwon and Charles soon gave way as Emilia announced their arrival at the teacher's office, causing the group to abruptly halt in their tracks.

"Oh! I'm so nervous!" Mia admitted, her voice quivering with a mixture of fear and anticipation. Joni bantered light-heartedly, "Why? It's not like you're a student about to face the wrath of Mr Lawson or something," eliciting laughter from the group and easing the tension surrounding them.

"Ms. Miyuki!" The girls exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with excitement, as they dashed towards her. Startled by their unexpected visit, Ms. Miyuki's face wore a visible expression of surprise, eyebrows raised and eyes widening in disbelief.

"It's me, Joni!" Joni exclaimed enthusiastically, her finger pointing towards herself, ensuring she was unmistakable amid the crowd.

"Oh!" Ms. Miyuki gasped, setting aside her work momentarily. "Joni! You've grown so much! And these charming young ladies must be Emilia and Mia?" Her eyes drifted towards the two girls, observing their smiles of affirmation. However, as she peered past them, she failed to immediately recognize the presence of Charles and Jiwon quietly standing behind the trio.

With a gesture from Joni, introducing the boys, Ms. Miyuki's eyes widened in sudden recognition. "Oh," she murmured in realization. "You must be here to see Mr. Forest then?"

"Yes," Charles confirmed, a grin forming on his lips in response to her assumption.

Her gaze lingered on the two boys, noticing their intertwined hands. Though she acknowledged the unspoken connection, Ms. Miyuki wore a knowing smile without a word on the subject. "If you're seeking him, he should be at the far end of this row," she informed them, pointing the way for their pursuit.

"Thank you, Miss," Charles expressed his gratitude with a slight bow, before departing with Jiwon in tow.

As the boys left, Ms. Miyuki casually remarked to the remaining girls, "They're dating, aren't they?"

"Yup," Joni affirmed with a mischievous grin, sharing in the 'not-so-secret' with Ms Miyuki.

*****

"Kent! This is the fourth time this week you have failed to submit your homework," Mr Forest scolded with a strict tone, disappointment etching his features as he towered over the young boy named Kent, who lowered his head in shame, unable to meet his teacher's penetrating gaze.