Complexity

INTJ and ENTP

The afternoon breeze swept across the school rooftop as the three of us lay sprawled under the open sky. It was the perfect escape—just me, Nien, and Kotone, stealing a moment of calm in the chaos of school life. The sound of distant chatter and footsteps filtered up from below, but up here, it was just us and the endless blue. Don't ask how we got access. Thanks to Nakyung.Nien shifted slightly, her head resting on my arm, while Kotone lay on Nien's other side, her hand lazily stroking Nien's hair. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful, until Nien broke the silence.

"I'm still curious," she began, her voice laced with amusement.

"What did you do to Sohyun? She's changed so much. We all noticed." Kotone hummed in agreement; her gaze fixed on the clouds.

"Yeah. She's... different now. More open, more alive. What's your secret?"

I laughed softly, the sound carried away by the wind.

"Secret? I don't think I did anything special. It's not like I waved a magic wand or something."

Nien raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"Don't play dumb, Xinyu. On the first day, she wouldn't even look at you. Now she's practically glued to your side. It's like watching a completely different person."

I sighed, propping myself up on my elbows.

"Honestly, I think she just needed someone to show her it was okay to open up. I was patient, that's all."

Kotone turned to me, her eyes narrowing.

"Patience? You? You're not exactly known for that."

"Hey!" I protested, earning a chuckle from both of them.

"Okay, fine," I admitted.

"Maybe I just really wanted to get to know her. She's... different. In a good way. And I guess she realized I wasn't going anywhere, so she gave me a chance." Which make Nien smirked, nudging me with her elbow.

"Sounds like you're smitten."

I felt heat rising to my cheeks.

"It's not like that," I mumbled, but my voice lacked conviction.

"Oh, it is like that," Nien teased, her grin widening.

"You're so obvious."

Before I could retort, Kotone interjected, her tone shifting to something more mischievous.

"Speaking of obvious... What about you two?" I gestured between them.

"What's going on here?"

Their reactions were immediate. Nien turned her face away, her cheeks flushing a deep red, while Kotone simply chuckled, her usual cool demeanor unshaken.

"Nothing," Nien said quickly, but her voice cracked, betraying her.

"Really?" I sat up, pulling my arm out from under Nien's head not caring that Nien's head hit the floor.

"Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like something."

"We're not dating!" they exclaimed in unison, the synchronized denial making them even more suspicious and also, I smirked.

"Sure, sure. Your red faces definitely scream 'just friends.'"

Kotone shrugged nonchalantly.

"Believe what you want."

"Hey, I'm just saying what everyone's thinking," I teased.

"But let's not change the subject. What about Sohyun? She's been acting different around me too."