Monday mornings had always felt ordinary.
But this one was different.
Even before I stepped inside the classroom, my eyes were already searching for someone.
Why…?
I didn’t know.
Maybe because of the rain.
Maybe because of what had happened at the bus stop.
Or maybe…
Because I wanted to know whether he had really seen the little flower I had left behind.
I tightened my grip around my sketchbook and quietly walked into the classroom.
The familiar chatter filled the room.
Students laughed.
Some complained about unfinished homework.
Others were still half asleep after the weekend.
Then…
I saw him.
Takoru Ryuzaki was already sitting beside the window.
For once…
He wasn’t sleeping.
His elbow rested against the windowsill while his chin leaned lazily on his palm.
His dark eyes were fixed on the cloudy sky outside, as if the conversations around him didn’t exist.
Sunlight slipped through the glass, softly illuminating the side of his face.
He looked strangely peaceful.
Almost…
Lonely.
Without realizing it, I slowed my steps.
He never looked my way.
Not even once.
I quietly sat beside him.
The distance between our desks felt exactly the same as before.
Yet…
Something had changed.
My eyes slowly drifted toward his desk.
Nothing.
No tiny flower.
No folded paper.
No sign that it had ever existed.
A small ache settled inside my chest.
Maybe…
he threw it away.
Maybe he never even opened it.
I lowered my eyes.
What was I expecting…?
He was Takoru Ryuzaki.
The most popular student in Mirae Academy.
Leader of the school’s biker group.
Someone who lived in a completely different world.
Why would someone like him care about a flower drawn by an ordinary girl?
I quietly opened my notebook, trying to ignore the strange disappointment growing inside me.
“Good morning!”
A loud voice suddenly shattered my thoughts.
Nesmin practically bounced into the classroom carrying two cartons of milk and three pieces of bread.
“Why does Monday exist?” he complained dramatically.
“I’m officially protesting.”
Several students laughed.
Stevan entered right behind him, carrying his bag over one shoulder.
“You say that every Monday.”
“Because every Monday deserves it.”
Nesmin dropped into his chair before looking toward me.
“Oh!
Morning, Rubi!”
“Morning,” I replied with a small smile.
“What did you do this weekend?”
“I stayed home…”
“…and drew.”
“I knew it!” Nesmin pointed at me proudly.
“You artists are all the same.”
“Meanwhile, my mother forced me to clean our entire garden.”
Stevan looked up from his notebook.
“You pulled out three weeds.”
“They were emotional weeds.”
Stevan sighed.
“They were grass.”
The classroom burst into laughter again.
Even I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
Nesmin noticed immediately.
“There!”
“I finally made the quiet transfer student laugh!”
“I deserve an award.”
Emmi giggled from the seat ahead of us.
“I think you deserve another homework assignment.”
“That’s cruel.”
“It’s called justice.”
Their conversation continued naturally, filling the classroom with warmth.
For the first time since transferring here…
Mirae Academy didn’t feel so frightening.
Out of the corner of my eye…
I noticed movement.
Takoru had slightly turned his head.
He wasn’t joining the conversation.
He wasn’t smiling either.
But…
He was listening.
Only for a moment.
Then his attention returned to the cloudy sky outside.
It was strange.
The classroom felt alive.
Yet he always looked like someone standing outside the world.
The first bell rang.
Students hurried back to their seats.
A few seconds later, Mrs.
Sharma entered carrying a thick stack of papers.
She placed them neatly on her desk before looking around the room.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, Ma’am.”
“I hope all of you enjoyed your weekend…”
“…because from today onward, things become much more serious.”
Instantly…
Even Nesmin stopped whispering.
Mrs.
Sharma adjusted her glasses.
“Exactly one week from today…”
“…your First Monthly Examination will begin.”
A collective groan echoed through the classroom.
“Oh no…”
“Already?”
“We just transferred!”
“I haven’t even unpacked my books!”
Some students dramatically dropped their heads onto their desks.
Nesmin raised both hands toward the ceiling.
“I reject this announcement.”
“It has emotionally damaged me.”
Stevan calmly replied,
“You’ll survive.”
“I don’t want survival.”
“I want vacation.”
Even Mrs.
Sharma struggled to hide a smile.
Then—
Thud.
A soft sound came from beside me.
I turned.
Takoru had slowly lowered his forehead onto the desk.
Without lifting his head, he spoke in the calmest voice imaginable.
“I’m already dead.”
For one full second…
Nobody reacted.
Then the entire classroom exploded into laughter.
Even Mrs.
Sharma smiled.
“Mr.
Ryuzaki.”
“If you spent half as much time studying as you do sleeping…”
“…perhaps your situation wouldn’t be so tragic.”
Without moving…
Takoru answered,
“It’s too late to save me, Ma’am.”
More laughter echoed around the room.
I quickly covered my mouth.
Before I realized it…
I was laughing too.
Not loudly.
Just enough for a tiny smile to escape.
For reasons I couldn’t explain…
The boy I had feared only a few days ago suddenly looked…
…human.
Mrs.
Sharma waited until the laughter slowly faded before placing both hands on her desk.
“I’m glad all of you still have enough energy to laugh.”
Her smile disappeared.
“I hope you’ll keep that same confidence after seeing your examination papers.”
The classroom immediately fell silent.
She picked up one of the papers from the stack.
“The First Monthly Examination isn’t just another class test.”
“It is one of the most important examinations of the semester.”
“It helps us decide student rankings, academic programs, scholarship recommendations, and future project groups.”
Several students straightened in their seats.
Even the ones who had been chatting moments ago were now listening carefully.
Mrs.
Sharma continued,
“And this year…”
“We’re adding something new.”
The entire class became curious.
She smiled.
“The top three students will receive special academic privileges.”
Whispers instantly spread across the room.
“Really?”
“What kind of privileges?”
“Library access?”
Mrs.
Sharma nodded.
“The top three students will receive full access to the Academy’s Premium Library.”
“You’ll also receive cafeteria meal vouchers for the rest of the semester.”
Nesmin suddenly whispered loudly,
“I’m listening…”
The class laughed again.
“And…”
Mrs.
Sharma continued,
“The three highest-ranking students will also have the privilege of choosing their own partners for future academic projects.”
Now everyone became serious.
Even Emmi quietly looked toward Yuri.
Yuri simply adjusted his glasses and calmly wrote the announcement inside his notebook.
I quietly stared at my own notebook.
A Premium Library…
I’d heard students talking about it before.
Thousands of books.
Professional art collections.
Rare sketch references.
Books I could never afford to buy.
My fingers slowly tightened around my pencil.
I want to see that place…
No…
I need to.
At that moment…
I accidentally glanced toward the seat beside me.
Takoru lazily stretched his arms before speaking without opening his notebook.
“Sounds troublesome.”
Nesmin immediately turned around.
“Boss!”
“Free food!”
Takoru blinked.
“So?”
“You like food.”
“I like sleeping more.”
Another round of laughter echoed through the room.
“If sleeping were an examination…”
“…you’d finally rank first.”
Even Takoru let out a small breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
“That’s probably true.”
Mrs.
Sharma rubbed her forehead.
“I don’t know whether I should encourage you…”
“…or send you directly to detention.”
The classroom once again burst into laughter.
For the first time…
I wasn’t laughing because everyone else was.
I was laughing because…
Takoru wasn’t the person I had imagined.
He wasn’t loud.
He wasn’t arrogant.
He wasn’t constantly showing off like everyone described.
He simply…
Didn’t care what people thought of him.
That thought stayed with me long after the class became quiet again.
Mrs.
Sharma finally picked up another file.
“Since the examination begins next Monday…”
“Every subject teacher will start revision from today.”
“I also expect everyone to complete every homework assignment.”
She slowly looked around the room before stopping beside the window.
“Especially you…”
“…Mr.
Ryuzaki.”
Takoru slowly looked up.
“…Yes?”
“If you fail another test…”
“…your father will personally receive your report.”
The classroom became completely silent.
For the first time that morning…
The relaxed expression disappeared from Takoru’s face.
Only for a second.
“…Understood.”
His answer was short.
Quiet.
Almost emotionless.
But somehow…
It felt heavier than everything he had said before.
I looked at him without realizing it.
He simply lowered his eyes again.
No jokes.
No sarcasm.
Nothing.
For reasons I couldn’t explain…
I suddenly remembered the lonely boy sitting beside his motorcycle beneath the old oak tree.
Maybe…
Sleeping wasn’t because he was lazy.
Maybe…
There was another reason.
The bell rang, ending first period.
Students immediately stood up.
Some discussed the upcoming examination.
Others complained about homework.
Nesmin threw an arm around Stevan’s shoulder.
“We’re doomed.”
Stevan calmly replied,
“Only you are.”
“I believe in miracles.”
“I don’t.”
They walked out together.
Emmi also stood.
“Rubi!”
“Let’s go before the hallway becomes crowded.”
“I’m coming.”
I placed my notebook inside my bag.
As I stood…
Something caught my attention.
A folded paper had quietly slipped from beneath Takoru’s notebook.
He picked it up before anyone else noticed.
For only a brief second…
I recognized the tiny corner of the paper.
A tiny hand-drawn daisy.
My breath stopped.
He hadn’t thrown it away.
He had kept it.
Takoru quietly folded it again and slipped it inside his wallet before standing up.
He never noticed me watching.
Or perhaps…
He did.
Without saying a single word…
He walked past me toward the classroom door.
For the first time…
The tiny disappointment I had carried since morning quietly disappeared.
A smile slowly found its way onto my face.
Not because he had thanked me.
Not because he had spoken to me.
But because…
The flower I thought had been forgotten…
…had been kept.
And somehow…
That tiny secret became my own little promise.
Maybe…
This new beginning wouldn’t be as frightening as I had once believed.
To be continued….
Thank you for reading Chapter 11.
Sometimes, the smallest actions leave the deepest impressions.
A single flower…
a quiet smile…
or a secret that no one else knows can slowly change two people’s lives.
If you were Rubi, would you have left that flower on Takoru’s desk?
And if you were Takoru, would you have kept it?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
The First Monthly Examination is getting closer, and not every challenge can be solved with courage alone.
New friendships, unexpected moments, and difficult choices are waiting ahead.
See you in the next chapter.