"Some distances are smaller than a heartbeat."
The next day at school, Yui Sakuraba was determined to avoid Mika Asakura at all costs.
She had spent the whole evening replaying their rooftop meeting over and over, each memory more humiliating than the last.
How could she just let a stranger touch her hair like that?
Why had her heart pounded so fast?
And why, why had Mika looked so... so cool doing it?
Yui groaned into her pillow at home, burying her face in sheer embarrassment.
But now, at school, she steeled herself.
Avoid eye contact.
Walk fast.
Stay invisible.
Easy.
She clutched her bag to her chest like a shield as she hurried down the hallway.
Students bustled around her, laughing and chattering.
To Yui, they all felt like giant, overwhelming waves she had to slip through unnoticed.
Almost there—
Almost to her classroom—
"Yo, Yui-chan~"
The voice drifted down the hall like a lazy breeze.
Yui froze.
She didn't even have to turn around.
She knew.
Slowly, like a condemned prisoner, she twisted to look.
Mika was leaning casually against the wall, hands stuffed into her pockets, wearing that same lazy, troublemaking grin.
Her ash-brown hair fell messily across her forehead.
Her eyes, the color of a storm at sunset, gleamed mischievously.
And she was staring directly at Yui.
Yui squeaked softly.
Mika pushed off the wall and sauntered over, her steps unhurried.
"Trying to run away?" she teased, tilting her head.
"N-no!" Yui squeaked, backing up instinctively. "I was just...um...going to class!"
Mika laughed.
"Relax," she said, falling into step beside her. "I'm not gonna eat you."
Yui didn't answer. She kept her gaze firmly locked on her shoes, cheeks burning.
Mika, sensing a golden opportunity, leaned a little closer.
"You always this shy?" she asked, voice low and teasing.
"I—I'm not shy," Yui protested faintly.
Mika chuckled.
"Sure, sure. And I'm a world-class ballerina."
That earned a tiny, involuntary giggle from Yui.
Mika's grin widened triumphantly.
"See? Told you you're not boring," she said.
Yui peeked at her from under her bangs, heart hammering.
'Why is she like this?' Yui thought helplessly.
'Why does she make me feel like I'm the only person in the world?'
Mika slung an arm around Yui's shoulders suddenly, making her squeak again.
"Since we're officially rooftop buddies now," Mika declared, ignoring the stares from nearby students, "you're stuck with me, Yui-chan."
"I—I don't remember agreeing—"
"Too late. It's destiny."
Yui flailed internally.
Meanwhile, Mika steered them down the hallway like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Students whispered as they passed:
"Is that Asakura talking to someone?"
"Whoa, she's actually smiling."
"Who's that girl? She's kinda cute."
Yui wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Finally, mercifully, they reached the classroom.
Mika peeled off, giving Yui a lazy salute.
"Catch ya later, Yui-chan," she said, winking.
Yui stumbled into her seat, heart racing.
Across the room, Mika plopped into her own desk, kicked back, and smirked at her.
---
Later that day:
Yui thought maybe, maybe, she could get through lunch without another Mika attack.
She tiptoed toward her usual hiding spot — a small bench tucked behind the library.
Safe. Quiet. Mika-proof.
She unwrapped her sandwich with trembling hands, glancing around.
No Mika.
Good.
She took a small, relieved bite.
"Yo."
She nearly choked.
Mika flopped down beside her, holding a can of soda and looking unreasonably pleased with herself.
"Found you," she said brightly.
Yui stared at her, aghast.
"H-how—"
"You smell like strawberries," Mika said matter-of-factly, cracking open her soda.
Yui turned scarlet.
"I—I do not!"
Mika took a casual sip, her eyes glinting with laughter.
"You do. It's cute."
Yui covered her face with her hands.
Mika leaned back, watching the clouds drift lazily overhead.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not gonna steal your lunch."
Yui peeked at her between her fingers.
"...Why are you following me?" she asked softly.
Mika shrugged.
"Because," she said simply. "You're interesting."
Yui blinked.
"No one's ever called me that before," she said quietly.
Mika turned her head, studying her seriously for once.
"Then they're idiots," she said. "Their loss."
Yui felt her throat tighten.
She looked away quickly, pretending to focus on her sandwich.
They sat in silence for a while — not awkward, just…comfortably quiet.
The sun warmed their backs.
Birds chirped somewhere nearby.
The library walls hid them from the rest of the world.
After a while, Mika stretched, her joints popping.
"You know," she said lazily, "I think you're my favorite person here."
Yui nearly dropped her sandwich.
"I—I've only talked to you twice!" she squeaked.
Mika grinned.
"Yeah. And that's twice more than anyone else worth talking to."
Yui didn't know what to say to that.
So she just sat there, cheeks burning, heart thudding crazily.
Mika yawned, standing up and brushing crumbs off her skirt.
"C'mon, Yui-chan. Walk me back."
"W-why me?"
"Because you're my destiny buddy, remember?"
Mika held out her hand expectantly.
Yui stared at it like it was a bomb.
Slowly, shyly, she reached out.
Their fingers brushed — a tiny, electric spark leaping between them.
Mika grinned.
"See? Perfect."
And just like that, Yui was dragged into Mika's orbit — a warm, dizzying world she didn't understand, but couldn't resist.