We arrived at the nurse's office, and I placed Katsuna firmly on the examination table, urgency surging through me. The nurse, a compassionate woman with graying hair, approached quickly, her expression instantly showing concern.

"What happened, Mr. Moroboshi?" she asked, her voice steady.

I recounted the incident: how Yuki and her crew had cornered Katsuna, how we had tumbled down the stairs. "She needs medical attention," I asserted. "She was pushed—this wasn't a fight."

The nurse nodded and began her examination. "You did the right thing bringing her here," she affirmed, assessing Katsuna's injuries.

As Katsuna's breathing stabilized, I kept a watchful eye on her, feeling the gravity of the situation weigh down on me. "She's going to be alright, right?" I pressed the nurse.

With a reassuring smile, she looked up at me. "Given the severity of the incident, I suspect this isn't the first time she's experienced bullying." My heart sank; I instinctively adjusted my glasses to mask my shock. "How can you tell?"

"These faded bruises and scars indicate she's been hiding injuries for months," the nurse explained with a heavy sigh.

I fell silent, the weight of her words settling over me.

The nurse must've sensed my unease, as she gently patted my shoulder. "I'll ensure she receives the care she needs." Time dragged on as I anxiously stood by Katsuna's side, rubbing my hands together to keep them steady. Miko's taunting words echoed in my mind.

" 'Right. Because you care about her. Doesn't that break your heart, Moroboshi-kun? It's a shame no one else does.' "

Frustration bubbled within me as I questioned my feelings toward Katsuna: 'Why did I care? Should I feel grateful, or did it feel meaningless? Here I was, tending to someone I barely knew.' I glanced at my watch, realizing everyone else had already left the academy by now. Only Katsuna and I remained in this building. 

Earlier, I had reported the bullying to the Principal, who had suspended the girls for a month of after-school cleaning. That brought some relief, but my thoughts remained clouded. Katsuna's uncle was due to arrive four hours after his boxing match, likely exhausted. It struck me how much he must worry about her. 

I envied her, knowing she had a relative who would fight for her outside the ring as fiercely as inside it. As a child, my twin brother and I played together, our parents always joining us after work—until that nightmare struck. Terrorists invaded our home, murdering them before my eyes and leaving me the sole survivor. 

Since that day, the world had been a gray, dark place. 

Then I met Katsuna on that bus.

She transformed my life. The darkness lifted, and colors returned. Initially, I resisted her intrusion into my solitude, but after defending her and making her my project partner, I realized she was different. She engaged with my interests, followed my instructions effortlessly, and never made me repeat myself.

Katsuna was more than just a classmate; she was a bright spot in a world I'd thought forever dull. I shook my head as I took a seat and leaned against it to take out a different book titled "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" by Thomas Piketty from my bag and began reading in a comfortable silence.

That silence was interrupted by a faint yet soft groan coming from my right. I noticed her doe-grey eyes making eye contact with me. "Wh-what happened?" Her gentle voice spoke in a whisper. She blinked ever so slowly, and I found myself momentarily entranced, only to snap out of it and hide the blush creeping over my face with the book.

"You fainted," I quickly replied, not looking up from my book. "Those girls pushed you down, and I made sure you didn't get hurt worse." Despite my discomfort with comforting others, I found myself wanting to do just that for Katsuna, someone I still considered...attractive?

Katsuna's gaze softened as she processed my words, and I dared to glance up from my book, momentarily entranced by her look of genuine relief mixed with lingering confusion. The faintest hint of a smile curved her lips, but it quickly faded, replaced by a more serious expression.

"Moroboshi-kun, you didn't have to—"

"I know," I interrupted, my voice sharper than intended, perhaps to shield myself from the warmth of her unexpected gratitude. "But I couldn't just leave you there."

She looked down, her fingers tracing the edge of the examination table. A small silence filled the space between us before she spoke again, her voice almost a whisper, "Thank you for coming to my rescue..."

That simple acknowledgment wrapped around my chest tightly. I thought I couldn't breathe; perhaps the cause was something I couldn't fully understand. Why did she have this power over me?

"It's—it's nothing," I stammered, caught off guard by the depth of my own emotions. Fidgeting with the pages of my book as if they were some sort of shield only drew more attention to my discomfort.

'So much for the distraction I aimed for.'

With a mental sigh, I glanced at Katsuna, who was now looking down with a brooding frown. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this," she continued, "And you didn't have to save me anyway..."

The moment those words left her lips, frustration flared within me. I snapped my book shut, startling her. "...' didn't have to save you' Is that what you want?" I carefully questioned her, pushing up my glasses and suppressing the anger lacing my voice. I leaned closer, grabbing her shoulders to lock eyes with her. "If that's what you want, then I wouldn't have intervened at all! I don't care about what those girls did to you, Katsuna. What matters is you." 

My finger jabbed at her chest, and while she winced, I pressed on. "You didn't deserve that. You deserve to be safe, not vulnerable while letting them bully you!" Katsuna's eyes widened. I felt a moment of vulnerability in my outburst, questioning whether I had overstepped. 

But I had to say it. The intense emotions that had been building inside me since the moment I witnessed her being bullied had to be expressed. How could I have just stood by? The gnawing thought followed me, and the overwhelming impulse to protect her took root.

"I—" She stammered, taken aback by my urgency. Her expression was a blend of surprise and something deeper, perhaps anger. Each breath seemed deeper as if she were mustering the courage to respond, "Why would you care?" She snapped back, catching me off guard: "You've never considered me a friend or anything else!"

Her eyes began to glisten, threatening to spill over. The words hit me like a slap, silencing my racing heart for a moment. "That's not true!" I shot back, urgency lacing my voice. "I've—I've always treated you differently than anyone else." Frustration and confusion swirled in my chest, my hands dropping from her shoulders, feeling the weight of her accusation seep in.

"Differently?" she echoed, brows knitting together. "Define 'differently,' Dan Moroboshi-kun. Oh wait, I get it! Like some sort of charity case? Because that's how you swoop in to be the knight in shining armor, but you don't really see me!"

I blinked, taken aback by the bitterness in her tone. "How can you say that? I—" My voice faltered under the weight of her words for a brief moment, but I shook it off. "It doesn't matter! All I know is that I care!... I care about you, Katsuna. More than I can explain," I said, the intensity of my feelings erupting into the air between us like a shockwave.

Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fists, trying to regain some composure. But as I blinked rapidly, I noticed uncertainty flicker in her doe-grey eyes. At that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of exposure, and vulnerability wrapping around me in a way I'd never experienced before. 

This was new territory, and if I'm being honest, it terrified me. Without warning, I turned away, needing to regain my sense of control.

"Dan..." Katsuna's voice trembled slightly, pulling me from my thoughts.

I clicked my tongue in frustration, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do you really think I risked my life just for the hell of it? I did it because I saw you, Katsuna. I could see how smart and determined you are, trying to handle that awful situation all alone. Watching you get hurt, it... it made me furious. I simply couldn't allow that to happen again."

Katsuna's eyes searched mine, softening as if she was trying to break down the barriers I'd built around my heart. "But Dan, you don't even know me. Why do you care so much?"

I hesitated, my gaze drifting away as a knot tightened in my stomach. "Honestly, I can't quite explain it."

Her expression shifted to one of bewilderment, the silence that enveloped us now heavy with unspoken tension. "You can't explain why you feel this way?"

"I've been observing you these past few weeks. I find your energy... infectious," I admitted, feeling slightly vulnerable. "You're so spirited, and it annoys me at times, but it also draws me out of my shell."

Katsuna's eyes widened in surprise, and I realized I was inching closer to exposing everything hidden within me. "Really?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief, as if she was still trying to process my words.

I nodded sincerely.

"Does that mean we can hang out?" she asked, excitement dancing in her gaze.

"If that's how you want to put it," I muttered, my cheeks slightly warming as I looked away, "then sure."

Before I could process my own answer, she flung her arms around me in a surprising embrace. My body stiffened, momentarily frozen as a rush of warmth enveloped me. I could feel her heartbeat against my chest, racing with a mix of relief and sheer joy, and I was left in a whirlwind of confusion, unsure whether to push her away or pull her closer.

"Thank you, Dan!" she exclaimed, her voice muffled against my shirt. The weight of her gratitude hung in the air between us, but beneath it all was something deeper—was it acceptance? My heart thumped erratically at the realization, yet I was intensely aware of how awkward I felt, rooted in place like a statue.

Clearing my throat, I wrestled to regain my composure. "You probably should let go now," I managed to say, my voice trembling slightly. When she didn't budge, I gently nudged her shoulder. "Seriously, this is... complicated."

She pulled back, her eyes sparkling as they met mine, smiling with a warmth that sent a surge of unexpected emotions coursing through me. "Complicated? You care about me, and I care about you. Isn't that simple?"

The sincerity in her voice sent my mind spiraling. How was she able to make it sound so straightforward?

"Complicated, my ass," I groaned, half-exasperated and half-amused. The sound of a revving motorcycle engine erupted from outside, breaking the moment.

"Oh, that's Uncle Jack!" Katsuna exclaimed, suddenly bouncing on her feet. She rushed to gather her things, a flurry of activity that surprised me.

I made an exaggerated 'tch' sound of annoyance at the sudden shift in focus, but before I could say anything more, I felt a soft kiss planted on my cheek. I froze again, caught off guard by the sweet gesture. At that moment, my heart raced, and I felt an unexplainable warmth blooming in my chest.

Leaving me so flustered that I tried to go after her, "Wait, Katsuna!" I called, scrambling to keep up as she darted toward the door. The impact of her kiss lingered on my skin, a warm reminder of the unknown connection Katsuna had put upon me, and it seemed like she didn't even notice it. 

"What's up?" she tilts her head in confusion, locking eyes with me. As I hesitated to speak, her Uncle Jack's presence only fueled my frustration. "Meet me at Tokyo Square on Saturday, at 8 am. We need to finish the final project before the due date," I stated firmly, adjusting my glasses and maintaining a strong and composed demeanor.

Uncle Jack nods: "You both got my permission. C'mon, Katsuna, we're heading home." He revs his engine and Katsuna waves goodbye at me as I watch them disappear into the night.

Two words I could describe these emotions right now. 

Love.