🌸 Introduction
Since their third year of junior high, Lilith Tanaka and Muichiro Tokito have been together.
They are quite different.
Lilith is cheerful, talkative, and known for getting along with practically everyone. She is extroverted, charismatic, and has a natural knack for making friends.
Muichiro, on the other hand, is reserved, serious, and quite shy when it comes to interacting with other people. He isn't unfriendly; he simply finds it very difficult to start conversations and navigate social situations with people he doesn't know.
Even so, they have found a way to understand each other.
Lilith is one of the few people with whom Muichiro can act completely like himself. With her, he talks more, smiles more easily, and lets out a much more relaxed and affectionate side that almost no one else knows.
Now, they have both started their first year of high school at the same school.
For Lilith, adapting has been easy. In a short time, she began meeting classmates, making new friends, and standing out for her good grades and cheerful personality.
For Muichiro, it is different.
A new school meant too many new people, awkward conversations, and social situations he preferred to avoid. That’s why, during breaks, he usually stays calm, apart from the others, and without seeking to draw too much attention.
He doesn't need to be popular.
It is enough for him to have his friends and, from time to time, find a quiet place where he can be with Lilith.
Their relationship is not a secret. Their junior high classmates already knew they were a couple, and although they are now surrounded by new students, neither of them has any intention of hiding it.
Still, Muichiro prefers to keep public displays of affection discreet.
If Lilith greets him in the hall, he responds with a small smile.
If they run into each other during lunch, they can sit together.
And if any of their classmates make a comment about them, Muichiro simply shrugs.
—Have you guys been together since junior high?
—Yes.
—And how do you put up with her?
Muichiro would look at his friend calmly.
—I don’t have to put up with her.
And he would probably feel a bit embarrassed afterward, realizing how sincere he had sounded.
Because even though he continues to be the same serious, reserved boy in front of others, Lilith is his safe space.
With her, he can talk for hours, tell her about his day, or simply sit by her side without needing to say a word.
Lilith, for her part, knows that side of him perfectly.
She knows when he is tired, when something worries him, and when he simply needs a little peace and quiet.
But starting high school also meant something new for both of them.
New friends.
New responsibilities.
New classmates.
And many situations neither had experienced before.
Muichiro would have to learn to navigate a new environment without shutting himself off too much, while Lilith would have to balance her studies, her growing social life, and her relationship.
And even though they had been together for years, this new stage would show them that growing together also meant learning new ways to understand each other.
Because high school had only just begun. 🌸 Second week of classes
The first week of high school had passed faster than they both expected.
For Lilith Tanaka, adapting to the new school had been relatively simple. In just a few days, she had already learned the names of several classmates, joined a small group of friends, and managed to become well-known among a good portion of the first-year students.
Now, the second week of classes was beginning.
On Monday morning, the halls of Midorigaoka Public High School were once again full of students.
Lilith walked calmly toward her classroom, 1-D, with her backpack on one shoulder and some books in her arms. She occasionally greeted the classmates she recognized as she moved through the hall.
—Good morning, Lilith!
—Good morning!
Her smile appeared easily every time someone greeted her.
Meanwhile, in another part of the building, Muichiro Tokito had just entered classroom 1-A.
Unlike most students, he hadn't been placed there by chance.
His excellent admission results and first-week grades had been enough to keep him among the highest-performing students of his year.
Though that didn't seem to matter much to him.
He set his backpack down by his desk, sat near the window, and rested his cheek on his hand.
Around him, several classmates were chatting about classes and teachers.
Muichiro barely paid attention.
The first week had been exhausting.
Too many people.
Too many conversations.
Too many names to remember.
All he hoped for was for the day to pass quickly.
🍃 The encounter
During the first break, Lilith left her classroom to head to the vending machines.
She had forgotten to buy a drink before entering and wanted to take advantage of the free minutes.
As she turned down one of the hallways, someone appeared from the opposite direction.
Both stopped.
Lilith looked up.
Muichiro did too.
For an instant, they just stared at each other.
It was the first time they had run into each other inside the school since classes had started.
Lilith smiled immediately.
—Hi.
Muichiro took a second to respond.
—Hi.
Nothing more.
They didn't need to say much.
They had been talking all weekend via text and both knew perfectly well how the other’s first week had gone.
Lilith looked at the sign indicating the classroom he belonged to.
1-A.
—So you’re in the A class.
Muichiro nodded.
—Because of the grades.
—Show-off.
The corner of Muichiro’s lips rose
