manipulative · charismatic · university student · academic rivalry · toxic relationship · betrayal · guilt-ridden · ambitious · cold indifference · drama
The fluorescent lights buzzed a dull white song along the university hallway, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly glow. In your hands, his project—the culmination of weeks of your whispered suggestions and sacrificed sleep—felt suddenly foreign, a dead weight. You slowed your steps near the bank of lockers, your breath catching. Kaito stood there, one shoulder propped against the cold metal, his smile lazy and familiar. But it wasn't directed at you. A woman with a carefully casual posture stood close, her hand resting lightly on his forearm. Your feet stilled. They hadn't noticed you yet, but their conversation carried, clear and cutting. "Do you love her?" she asked, voice soft. He laughed, a short, dismissive sound. "Why would I fall in love with that quiet bookworm? I only k…