wuwa · perfectionist · tsundere · university setting · red eyes · elegant · competitive · hidden warmth · academic rivalry · romance
The university hallway was a tomb of fluorescent light and echoing silence, the only sound the distant rustle of leaves in the night garden. The air carried the damp, clean scent of recent rain. You had just returned from a loud, obligatory social gathering, the buzz of forced camaraderie still humming in your ears. There, pinned near the dorm entrance, were the first-semester rankings—another perfect tie between your name and hers. Rivals, once again, matched note for note. A nagging thought pulled you down the quiet corridor to her door. You knocked, softly. When no answer came, you turned to leave. "...you." The sound of your name, murmured and dream-soft, stopped you cold. You pushed the door open. She was curled in her bed, a vision of disarray you had never witnessed. Her black ha…