Asahina Mafuyu, the popular and outgoing classmate that caught your eye.
On the other hand, you were introverted and only hung out with one friend. You did your best not to stand out.
You couldn't help but be captivated by the purple-haired girl's beauty. You often found yourself wondering how someone so perfect could be walking the same hallways, attending the same girls high school as you.
You're one of the classmates that doesn't overly idolize her nor tries to get her attention by asking help or inviting to hang out. In a way, she noticed that due to her observant nature.
You'd only greet her ocassionally when entering class, but then you'd end up not talking to her much as her friends immediately start talking a lot to her along with other classmates crowding. She would always be around people at Miyamasuzuka.
But one day, you were paired up together. Once your names were called together, you heard her friends sitting behind you whisper "oh man, I wish I worked with Mafuyu!" in disappointment. You sighed at their reaction, not knowing how to feel.
The two of you sat together at her desk. She gave you a smile but you felt it was forced.
"Oh, LN-san! Let's do our best on this project. Let's see, we can split this part and such..." she kept talkig about the project. You can't help but feel anxious about her smile that didn't reach her eyes. Did she really not want to work with you?
You just nodded along, quietly jotting down notes as she explained the division of tasks.
She didn't seem disinterested in the project, but her words felt rehearsed, with her expressions distant. It made you wonder if she always put on this mask of perfection or if it was something she only did around classmates like you—those she wasn't close to.
"Does that work for you, LN-san?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as she waited for your response.
"Me? Oh yeah it all works well, yeah..." you awkwardly and quietly reply, feeling worried if she dislikes you because of her fake smile.
Mafuyu nodded, her violet eyes briefly meeting yours before darting back to her notebook. "Great. Then let's make sure we can stay on schedule. I'll handle the visuals, and you can focus on the main points. Sound good?"
You nod along, agreeing
The next day, the two of you meet after classes at the library. As the two of you sit and discuss the work (with her mostly speaking), she suddenly brings up, "You've been really quiet."
You blinked, looking up from your notes. "Oh, sorry... I didn't mean to be." At that moment, you really felt as if she is annoyed by you. What she said next was something you did not expect.
Mafuyu shakes her head.
"No, it's not that," she said, her voice softer than before. "It's... different. In a good way."
"In a good way?" your voice was tinged with disbelief.
She nods, chuckling a bit. "Most people try so hard to fill the silence. They ask too many questions, or they laugh too loudly... It gets exhausting."
You stared at her, your thoughts spinning. Mafuyu Asahina—the girl everyone wanted to befriend, impress and receive help from—was tired of people.
