The lecture began as usual.
"Please take out today's materials," the professor said while writing on the whiteboard.
My eyes immediately locked onto Kazuha. This was it, the moment of truth, my time to shine!
She reached into her bag.
I stretched my neck to the side, trying to peek around the gigantic guy sitting behind her.
A little more... Just a little...
She pulled out her textbook, then her notebook, then her pencil case, then another notebook.
Where was it? I frowned.
She had to notice it eventually. Maybe she simply hadn't reached deep enough into her bag yet.
I nodded to myself. That had to be it.
The professor began explaining today's lesson, but not a single word entered my brain. Every few minutes I found myself glancing toward Kazuha instead of the whiteboard.
Come on... You always drink strawberry milk in the morning before class. Why today of all days?
The more I waited, the more impatient I became. At one point I leaned so far sideways trying to see inside her bag that the student next to me slowly scooted his chair away.
"What?" I whispered.
He didn't answer. He just looked slightly concerned.
Before I knew it, the professor clapped his hands together. "That's all for today. Don't forget to read the next chapter before tomorrow."
Already? The lecture was over? No way!
Students immediately began chatting as they packed their belongings. Chairs scraped across the floor while bags were zipped shut one after another.
Then... I saw it. Kazuha reached into her bag one last time.
My heartbeat sped up. This was definitely it.
Slowly... Very slowly... She pulled out the strawberry milk.
There it was. In my eyes, it sparkled like a legendary item that had just dropped from the final boss.
YES! Unable to contain my excitement any longer, I shot to my feet so fast my chair nearly toppled over. This time I'd finally get to see her reaction up close.
"Kazuha." A male student walked over before I could even take two steps.
"Oh." Kazuha looked up and smiled politely.
Wait...
She was smiling. She actually smiled. And without hesitation, she held out the strawberry milk. "Here."
The guy blinked. "For me?"
"You said this morning you forgot to buy breakfast, didn't you? I don't really feel like drinking it today."
He accepted it with a grateful smile. "Seriously? Thanks."
"No problem."
The two of them left the classroom together, chatting casually as though nothing had happened. The classroom door quietly slid shut behind them.
...
I remained standing in the middle of the room. A gentle breeze drifted in through the open window, rustling the curtains. Somewhere outside, birds chirped cheerfully. It felt like the entire world was mocking me.
My strawberry milk...
She'd given away...
My strawberry milk...
To another guy...
I slowly lowered my head.
At that moment, I understood exactly how the second male lead in romance dramas felt.
The guy who watched the heroine walk away with someone else while a sad piano melody played in the background.
"I even chose the prettiest carton in the whole store..." I said, desperately holding back my tears.
"Listen carefully, Kaoru!" Joseph suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders with enough force to nearly shake my soul out of my body. His expression was unbelievably serious. "You've got this!"
Several students walking through campus turned toward us.
"That was only one strategy!" Joseph declared dramatically. "Out of one thousand!"
I felt my fighting spirit ignite. "Osu!" I immediately dropped into a karate stance.
Joseph nodded proudly. "Excellent!" He began circling around me like a martial arts coach preparing his student for the national championship. "A true warrior never fears defeat!"
"Osu!"
"Every failure tempers the heart!"
"OSU!"
"Pain is merely another lesson!"
"OSUUU!" I answered each sentence louder than the last while striking increasingly ridiculous poses.
By now, several passing students had completely stopped walking.
"What are they doing?"
"I don't know."
"Are they rehearsing for a play?"
One girl covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Joseph and I glanced around. Our eyes met.
"Let's stop," Joseph suggested.
"Osu..." I nodded without hesitation.
Without another word, we both straightened our backs and continued walking normally as if the previous thirty seconds had never happened.
The students behind us immediately burst into laughter.
Joseph lasted exactly five seconds before snorting. "Pfft..." His shoulders started shaking.
"Don't..."
"Hahahaha!" He bent over, clutching his stomach. "I'm sorry! I really am!"
"No, you're not."
"I am!"
"You are absolutely not."
"Hahahaha!" He wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. "Kaoru... how are you this unlucky?"
"Shut up bro."
"You specifically bought the one she drinks almost every morning."
"I know."
"You secretly put it into her bag."
"I know."
"And then..." He couldn't even finish the sentence before laughing again. "She gave it to another guy!"
I buried my face in my hands. "Please stop saying that part."
"I can't!"
"I wanted to bury myself alive right there."
"I would've paid money to watch your face."
"You're the worst."
He laughed for another minute before finally calming down enough to breathe normally.
I sighed. "Oi... you've enjoyed my suffering enough. What's Strategy Number Two?"
Joseph folded his arms, the grin on his face slowly changing into one of complete confidence. "Don't worry."
"I am worried."
"I really have a thousand ideas."
"You overestimate yourself."
"No." He pointed confidently at my chest. "You underestimate just how hopeless you are."
"That's somehow more insulting."
"It's also true."
I couldn't even argue with that.
Joseph suddenly took one step back and transformed into Coach Joseph again. He thrust his fist toward the sky. "KAORU!"
I instinctively stood at attention.
"BE CONFIDENT!"
"Osu!"
"Louder!"
"OSU!"
"Good!"
Several nearby students immediately turned toward us again. "They're doing it again."
Joseph coughed awkwardly before lowering his fist. "We'll work on that later."
"I agree."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice into a conspiratorial whisper.
"Tomorrow..." His mischievous grin slowly widened. "We move on to Operation: Shadow Mission, Step Two."
I swallowed.
Somehow... Despite his confidence... I had a horrible feeling that tomorrow was going to make today's disaster look like a complete success.