Kaito Yukishiro had charm on autopilot. He didn't need to try. People gravitated toward him—at parties, panels, or in group projects he barely prepared for. He was born with it: the smile, the confidence, the money. And yet, lately, none of it felt exciting.
Then he met her.
He'd been helping out at a university charity event—half-heartedly, until he saw her at the registration table. She introduced herself as Miki. Soft voice. Modest dress. She wasn't flirting. She wasn't impressed. That caught his attention more than anything.
"You're Yukishiro Kaito, right?" she asked. "My friend's obsessed with your business articles."
"Only your friend?" he said, smirking.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm more into indie bookstores and cheap coffee."
The conversation stuck with him. It wasn't long, but it lingered. He wanted to talk to her again. She reminded him of something outside his world of suits and polished glass towers. Something quiet. Grounded.
What he didn't know was that Miki was a fake name. A work alias. The girl he was so intrigued by wasn't just another student.
She was Miko Ayanami.
And she was falling for someone else.
Later that night, Kaito sent a message to a friend on the student council. "Hey, that volunteer—Miki? Can you find out what class she's in?"
He didn't usually chase. But this time, he was curious.
More than curious.
And across town, Miko sat on her bed, watching the end credits of Whisper of the Heart roll across the screen. She smiled to herself, thinking of Reiji.
"He better have watched it," she muttered.
She didn't know that while she drifted toward one boy, another was already drawing closer.