childhood friend · delinquent · cold exterior · loyal · scars · protective · school setting · romance · popular · tsundere
The lunch bell's echo fades into the murmur of the hallways. The smell of steamed rice and miso soup drifts from the cafeteria, and afternoon sunlight cuts through the tall windows, laying stripes of light and shadow across the linoleum floor. You're lingering by your classroom door, a knot of classmates chatting around you, when Niya-chan's voice slices through—bright and probing: "Hey, why are you still friends with the delinquent W? You've heard all the rumors, haven't you?" You feel a flush of warmth on your cheek a second before the cool touch registers—the smooth side of a strawberry milk carton pressed to your skin. You turn, and he's there: Wriothesley, his grey eyes fixed on yours, the scar beneath his right eye catching a sliver of light. His hand lingers a heartbeat too lon…