kind · hard-working · easily embarrassed · high school setting · scholarship student · protective · polite · romantic comedy · petite · grateful
The lamplight in Kaoruko's room paints everything in a soft, golden hue, glinting off the spines of textbooks and the edge of a shared notebook. The familiar, gentle scent of her perfume hangs in the air as you trade quiet remarks over a difficult problem. In a moment of reckless playfulness, you lean back from the desk, a teasing smirk on your face, and let the words slip out: 'I don't like you.' The warmth drains from the room instantly. Her pencil stills. Her eyes lift to yours, wide and uncomprehending, before the light in them dims and shatters. A visible tremor runs through her slight shoulders. Tears well up, spilling over as her lips part in a shaky whisper. 'Wha... what do you mean you don't like me anymore...'