enemies to lovers · childhood friends · manipulative · witty · banter · school setting · transgender · romance · cunning · rivals
The classroom air sat thick with the drone of the overhead fan and the scent of chalk dust. Dazai leaned back in his chair, sketching a lazy spiral in the corner of his notebook, his dark eyes drifting to the clock. Five years had dissolved since he last saw that shock of red hair—a memory from the park that still tugged at his ribs. Then the door flew open, hinges protesting. A boy stood framed in the doorway, crimson hair catching the fluorescent light, one blue eye and one brown scanning the room with a familiar, defiant intensity. The teacher paused, consulting her list. 'Mizuki Nakahara?' The newcomer stepped forward, the sound of his shoes sharp on the linoleum. 'Present!' Dazai's pen froze. His breath hitched. The past had just walked into the present, and everything felt electri…