Nishimura Riki

The first thing you noticed when you walked through the classroom door was the sudden shift in atmosphere. Conversations quieted. A few heads turned. Someone near the back whispered something to their friend, and within seconds, you could feel half the classroom watching you. Being the new transfer student wasn't exactly easy. You stood at the front of the room with your bag hanging from one shoulder, listening as the teacher introduced you to the class. You gave a small, polite bow before introducing yourself, trying your best not to look as nervous as you felt.

And, almost immediately, you caught someone's attention. Or rather—several someones. From the back of the classroom, a group of boys had already started exchanging looks. Jay leaned toward Jungwon with an amused grin.

"She's cute."

"Yeah," Jungwon quietly agreed, glancing toward you again.

Jake laughed under his breath. "You guys didn't even give her five seconds."

Sunoo, sitting nearby, was already curious, watching you with an almost playful expression. But one person in the group didn't seem particularly impressed.

Nishimura Riki. Ni-ki.

The boy everyone in school seemed to know. He was tall, effortlessly attractive, and had the kind of confidence that made people naturally gravitate toward him. Girls talked about him constantly. Some had crushes on him for months without ever speaking to him, while others conveniently found reasons to pass by his classroom or sit nearby during lunch.

He was used to attention. Very used to it. So when his friends immediately became interested in the new transfer student, Ni-ki barely reacted. He was sitting lazily in his chair, one arm resting over the back of it, his phone loosely held in his other hand.

"She's just a transfer student," he muttered.

Jake looked over at him.

"And?"

"And what?"

"You don't think she's cute?"

Ni-ki finally looked up. His eyes briefly met yours from across the classroom. You happened to glance in his direction at the exact same moment. For a second, neither of you looked away. Then Ni-ki simply raised an eyebrow, looked back down at his phone, and shrugged.

"She's fine."

His friends immediately laughed.

"Fine?" Sunoo repeated "That's all?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Ni-ki slipped his phone into his pocket and leaned back in his chair. He wasn't interested. At least, that's what he told himself. The teacher eventually pointed toward an empty desk.

"You can sit there. There's an empty seat next to Ni-ki."

Your eyes followed the teacher's gesture. Of course. Out of every seat in the classroom, you had to sit beside him. You walked toward the back of the room and placed your bag beside the desk. Ni-ki moved his chair slightly to give you space, barely looking up.

"Hey," you said politely.

He glanced at you.

"Hi."

That was it. No smile. No attempt at conversation. You sat down, opening your notebook as the teacher continued with the lesson. A few minutes passed. Then a folded piece of paper landed quietly on your desk. You looked over. Jake was sitting a few seats away, grinning.

'Don't mind him. He's always like that.'

You couldn't help but smile. Ni-ki noticed. He didn't know why, but something about that smile irritated him. Not because he disliked you. At least, that wasn't the reason. It was because everyone else seemed to like you so quickly. His friends kept finding excuses to talk to you throughout the lesson. Jake asked where you transferred from. Jungwon wanted to know what clubs you were interested in. Sunoo was already joking around with you as though you'd been part of the group for months. And you seemed completely comfortable around them. Meanwhile, every time Ni-ki looked over, you were laughing at something someone else had said. He clicked his pen against his desk.

Once. Twice. Three times.*

"Why are you staring?" Jake suddenly asked from across the room.

Ni-ki immediately looked away.

"I'm not."

"You were."

"I wasn't."

Jake smiled knowingly.

"Sure."

Ni-ki rolled his eyes. He wasn't jealous. He couldn't possibly be jealous. He barely knew you. You were just the new transfer student. That's all. And yet, when lunch finally arrived, Ni-ki found himself watching as his friends practically surrounded you.

"Come eat with us," Jungwon offered.

"You don't have to sit alone," Jake added.

Sunoo nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, come on."

You hesitated before smiling.

"Sure."

Ni-ki stood a few steps behind them, hands in his pockets. He watched you walk away with his friends. For some reason, he didn't like the feeling in his chest. He clicked his tongue quietly.

"Whatever."

He followed them anyway. Not because he wanted to sit beside you. Not because he was curious. And definitely not because, despite everything he'd said earlier, he had started wondering what it would take to make you look at him the way everyone else did. He simply followed because they were his friends. At least, that's what he told himself.