Chapter 3
Emilia Laurent does not wake up thinking about Ren Takahashi.
She wakes up thinking about improvement.
Strategy.
Control.
But as she ties her hair neatly behind her shoulders and glances at the faint lavender shade of her own eyes in the mirror, something lingers from yesterday.
Je pourrais tomber amoureuse... fais attention.
She had said it casually.
Strategically.
But she had watched him carefully after.
And she had seen it.
The pause.
The tension.
He wasn't immune.
He just wasn't reckless.
Which makes this more interesting.
Seiryo Academy hums with normalcy the next morning.
Shoes line the entrance.
Students shuffle through the hallway.
Someone laughs too loudly near the lockers.
Emilia walks in composed.
Second place no longer feels like humiliation.
It feels like motivation.
As she steps into the classroom, she notices something immediately.
Ren is already there.
And he is smiling.
Not faintly.
Not politely.
Genuinely.
Across from him stands Hana Mori.
Short honey-blonde hair tucked behind her ear.
Bright amber eyes.
Sunlight energy wrapped in a school uniform.
She's laughing.
Ren says something in response.
Emilia freezes just inside the doorway.
That smile.
It's softer than the one he gives Kaito.
Less restrained.
Unaware.
He looks comfortable.
She doesn't like that.
Yui bumps lightly into her from behind.
"Why did you stop—oh."
Yui follows her gaze.
"Ooooh."
Emilia resumes walking.
Calmly.
Measured.
Controlled.
"They're just talking," Yui whispers.
"Yes."
"You look like you're preparing to assassinate someone."
"I am not."
"You are."
Emilia takes her seat.
Opens her notebook.
Keeps her expression neutral.
But she watches.
Hana leans slightly forward as she speaks.
Ren tilts his head when he listens.
He nods.
Then—
He laughs softly again.
Emilia's pen presses too hard against the page.
The ink blots.
Internal Emilia:
Since when does he laugh like that?
He doesn't laugh like that with me.
Why would he?
I'm not trying to make him laugh.
That's not the point.
Then why does it matter?
It doesn't.
It absolutely does not matter.
The teacher enters.
Students scatter toward their seats.
Hana gives Ren a final bright smile before returning to hers.
Ren turns forward.
Back to calm.
Back to unreadable.
Back to controlled.
As if that warmth had been momentary.
Emilia does not look at him.
Not yet.
Halfway through the first period, the teacher asks a question.
Hana answers.
Confidently.
Correctly.
Ren glances at her briefly in approval.
Emilia's jaw tightens.
The reaction is subtle.
Almost imperceptible.
But Emilia sees it.
And something unfamiliar twists in her chest.
Yui leans slightly toward her.
"You're glaring again."
"I am observing."
"Same thing."
Emilia closes her notebook carefully.
If this is a competition—
It is not only academic.
During the break between classes, Hana approaches Ren's desk again.
Emilia pretends not to notice.
Which requires far more effort than she would like to admit.
"Thanks for explaining that solution yesterday," Hana says.
Ren shrugs faintly.
"It wasn't complicated."
"It was to me."
She smiles brightly.
"You're good at simplifying things."
There it is again.
That smile.
That ease.
Ren shifts slightly in his chair.
"You would've figured it out."
Hana laughs.
"You're too nice."
Emilia's chair scrapes faintly as she stands.
Both Hana and Ren glance up.
Perfect.
Emilia walks toward them.
Unhurried.
Graceful.
"Hana," she says smoothly.
Hana brightens.
"Emilia! Congratulations on second place!"
There is no malice in her tone.
Just sincerity.
Emilia smiles.
"Thank you."
She shifts her gaze to Ren briefly.
Then back to Hana.
"You seemed quite comfortable discussing exam strategy."
Hana tilts her head slightly.
"Oh, Ren just explained something to me."
"Did he?"
Emilia turns toward him now.
Full attention.
"Tu sembles très occupé."
(You seem very busy.)
Her tone is light.
Almost playful.
Ren meets her gaze.
Calm.
"Just talking."
That answer irritates her more than it should.
"Tu souris plus avec elle."
(You smile more with her.)
It slips out sharper than intended.
Hana blinks.
"Sorry?"
Emilia blinks once.
Composure returns instantly.
"Nothing."
Hana laughs awkwardly.
"Oh! Right, French. You're so cool when you switch languages."
Emilia smiles politely.
"It's a habit."
She looks at Ren one more time.
He is watching her more carefully now.
Not confused.
Not indifferent.
Watching.
Good.
She turns to leave.
But before she does, she leans slightly closer to him.
Not enough for Hana to notice.
Just enough for him.
"Tu es jaloux quand je parle à d'autres garçons ?"
(Are you jealous when I talk to other boys?)
Her voice is soft.
Measured.
A challenge.
Ren's fingers tighten faintly around the edge of his desk.
Internal Ren:
That's new.
She's testing something.
Why?
Is she actually—
No.
Don't assume.
Outwardly, he only says,
"Are you?"
Her eyes widen a fraction.
That was not the answer she expected.
She straightens slowly.
"Je n'ai aucune raison de l'être."
(I have no reason to be.)
Their gazes lock.
Neither looks away immediately.
The tension hums.
Then Hana speaks again.
"Are you two studying together after school? Because I was thinking—"
"No," Emilia says smoothly.
Ren says, "Not today."
Simultaneously.
They both pause.
Hana laughs lightly.
"You two are weirdly synchronized."
Emilia steps back.
"Excuse me."
She returns to her seat.
Her heart is beating faster than it should.
Internal Emilia:
Why did I say that?
That wasn't strategic.
That was—
Impulsive.
I don't care if he smiles at her.
I don't.
Then why did I ask?
She refuses to look at him again for the rest of the period.
Which is noticeably more difficult than she anticipated.
Ren watches her from the corner of his eye once.
Just once.
Internal Ren:
She noticed.
That wasn't about French.
That was about Hana.
That was—
Jealousy.
No.
Maybe.
Don't overinterpret.
But he knows something shifted.
The competition has changed shape.
And neither of them has acknowledged it aloud.
Yet.
Unnecessary Reactions
Emilia Laurent does not get jealous.
Jealousy implies insecurity.
Insecurity implies weakness.
And Emilia Laurent is not weak.
She tells herself this three times on the walk home.
It does not settle.
The image of Ren smiling at Hana replays in her mind with irritating clarity.
The angle of his eyes.
The softness in his voice.
The absence of calculation.
It had not been polite.
It had been easy.
Which is unacceptable.
At home, she sets her bag down with more force than usual.
Her room remains immaculate.
Orderly.
Predictable.
Unlike her thoughts.
She sits at her desk and opens her notebook to review tomorrow's material.
The words blur.
Instead, she hears herself:
Tu souris plus avec elle.
You smile more with her.
Why did she say that?
That wasn't strategic.
That wasn't measured.
That was—
Personal.
Her fingers tighten around her pen.
It doesn't matter if he smiles at Hana.
He is free to smile at anyone.
Of course he is.
She leans back in her chair slowly.
Then why did it feel—
Wrong?
Across the city, Ren sits at the low dining table while Mina draws exaggerated stars on a sheet of paper.
"Big brother," Mina says seriously, "you're quiet."
"I'm always quiet."
"Not like this."
He pauses.
She squints at him suspiciously.
"Did you do something bad?"
"No."
"Did someone make you mad?"
"...No."
Mina tilts her head.
"Did someone make you think too much?"
He exhales faintly.
"That might be closer."
She beams triumphantly.
"I knew it."
He doesn't tell her about Emilia.
He doesn't tell her about French.
He doesn't tell her about the question she asked.
Are you jealous when I talk to other boys?
He stares at the grain of the wooden table.
Was she?
No.
She's too composed.
Too controlled.
Too intentional.
If she were jealous—
She wouldn't let it show.
Right?
The next day at Seiryo Academy feels different.
Subtly.
Emilia arrives earlier than usual.
She sits at her desk with her back straight and her expression neutral.
When Ren enters, she doesn't look up.
Which requires effort.
He notices.
Of course he notices.
He sets his bag down quietly.
Takes his seat.
Does not initiate conversation.
The distance feels deliberate.
Good.
If she created imbalance yesterday—
She will correct it today.
During morning class, the teacher assigns a group review for the upcoming quiz.
Students rearrange into small clusters.
Hana drifts toward Ren again.
Of course she does.
Emilia watches from the corner of her eye.
Hana leans over his desk.
Ren shifts slightly to give her space.
He doesn't look uncomfortable.
He doesn't look overly comfortable either.
Just neutral.
But Emilia doesn't miss the way Hana laughs at something he says.
Yui nudges her again.
"Breathe."
"I am breathing."
"You're about to snap your pencil."
Emilia looks down.
Her grip has tightened.
She loosens it immediately.
This is ridiculous.
She is reacting to nothing.
Ren is allowed to have conversations.
She does not own his attention.
She doesn't even want his attention.
She wants—
His reaction.
That's different.
Isn't it?
When the teacher calls for attention, Hana returns to her seat.
Ren looks forward again.
Emilia decides something.
Fine.
If proximity unsettles her—
She will control proximity.
When class ends, she rises smoothly and walks toward the back once more.
This time, there is no academic excuse.
No assignment.
Just space.
Hana is still standing beside Ren's desk.
Perfect.
Emilia stops just close enough to insert herself naturally into the triangle.
"Hana," she says lightly, "are you struggling with today's material?"
Hana blinks.
"A little."
"I can help."
Hana smiles gratefully.
"That would be amazing!"
Emilia shifts her gaze to Ren.
Calm.
Measured.
"Tu veux rester ?"
(Do you want to stay?)
The question is soft.
But sharp.
Ren studies her face.
She is smiling.
But her eyes are not.
"I can," he replies evenly.
They sit.
The three of them.
The air tightens slightly.
Emilia explains the concept clearly.
Efficiently.
Hana listens attentively.
Ren watches both of them.
He notices the shift in Emilia's tone.
It's precise.
Polished.
But slightly faster than usual.
Almost—
Competitive.
At one point, Hana leans closer to Ren to see something in his notebook.
Their shoulders nearly touch.
Emilia's explanation falters for half a second.
Half a second is enough.
She corrects immediately.
"Tu es distraite."
(You're distracted.)
She doesn't realize she said it aloud until Ren looks up.
Hana tilts her head.
"Sorry?"
Emilia smooths her expression.
"I said the equation can be distracting."
Hana nods.
"Oh."
Ren's eyes linger on Emilia a second longer.
Internal Ren:
That wasn't about math.
That was about me.
She is jealous.
The realization is quiet.
But clear.
After Hana leaves, the classroom empties gradually.
Ren begins packing his bag.
Emilia remains seated.
She pretends to review her notes.
Silence stretches.
He finally speaks.
"You don't have to compete with her."
The words are gentle.
Not accusatory.
Emilia looks up slowly.
"I am not competing."
He tilts his head slightly.
"Then why were you trying to prove something?"
She meets his gaze fully now.
Calm.
Controlled.
Because if she hesitates—
She loses.
"Perhaps," she says lightly, "I simply dislike losing."
"That wasn't about losing."
Her heartbeat stumbles.
He sees too much.
She leans back in her chair.
Smiles faintly.
Then, softly—
"Tu réfléchis trop."
(You think too much.)
He almost laughs.
Almost.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
She stands.
Picks up her bag.
Walks past him toward the door.
But just before leaving, she pauses.
And without turning around—
"Je ne suis pas jalouse."
(I'm not jealous.)
She exits.
Ren sits there for several seconds.
Internal Ren:
She absolutely is.
But why does that make me—
Relieved?
He exhales quietly.
The game is shifting.
It's no longer about first place.
It's about something neither of them wants to name yet.
And that—
Is far more dangerous.