The classroom was calm. Birds were chirping outside. The fans were humming softly. The teacher was writing something boring on the board, and half the class was either daydreaming or drawing doodles of battle robots fighting cats with lightsabers.

  Renji sat near the window, head resting on his palm, casually glancing around… until—

  “DUCK!!!”

  WHOOSH—

  A volleyball—no, a missile of doom disguised as a volleyball—came flying through the open window like it was sent by destiny to destroy.

  Its target?

  Ayame.

  Sitting peacefully, quietly taking notes, totally unaware.

  Renji didn’t think.

  He launched out of his seat, arms spread wide like a heroic anime protagonist.

  “NOT TODAY, BALL.”

  SMACK!!

  The ball smacked straight into his face with an epic THWOMP, his head snapping back like a bobblehead. His glasses flew off dramatically in slow motion.

  He dropped back into his seat, face red, eyes spinning like an old TV with bad reception.

  Ayame turned slowly.

  And the second she realized—

  Her face: shocked. Then: blushing. Then: melting.

  “R-Renji…” she whispered.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  She slid under her desk like a character fading into lava, hands over her face, completely red.

  The class paused.

  One kid clapped. Another whispered, “Bro just tanked that like Levi Ackerman.”

  Meanwhile, Renji sat upright, dazed. “...Did I win?”

  —

  Later, hallway.

  As if that wasn’t enough drama for one day, Ayame was walking alone, heading back from the library when…

  They showed up.

  A bunch of those annoying bullies who always acted like NPCs with glitchy brains.

  “Yo, you think you're special now? Just ‘cause you're hangin' with the volleyball shield?”

  One stepped forward, smirking, reaching out to grab her shoulder—

  He missed.

  She was gone.

  Vanished.

  Poof.

  He blinked. “...Huh?”

  He turned around. She was five feet behind him, hands behind her back, smiling sweetly.

  “What the—?!”

  He lunged again.

  Missed. Again.

  This time she was on top of a table, feet together, standing tall and calm.

  She hadn’t even blinked.

  Another try. Another miss.

  Ayame glided across the hallway like she was on invisible rollerblades, face still calm, smile gentle, like she was saying “silly humans.”

  One kid dropped his juice box out of fear.

  Renji stood a little further away, eyes wide.

  And that’s when he saw it.

  As Ayame turned slightly, her hair moved just enough to reveal something—

  On her neck.

  A tattoo.

  A wolf.

  Not a basic one.

  It looked… alive. Detailed. Fierce. Elegant.

  But Renji didn’t say anything.

  Just stared.

  Confused. Impressed. Maybe a little scared. Definitely blushing.

  Back in the class, Ayame quietly sat back down, acting like nothing happened.

  Renji slowly returned to his seat, rubbing his cheek where the volleyball hit earlier.

  He looked at her.

  She looked at him.

  He raised a brow.

  She smiled softly.

  A

  nd then—

  He sneezed.

  Hard.

  Ayame placed a tissue on his desk without saying a word.

  Cue dramatic background music.