Evening sunlight spilled through the windows, warm and lazy, brushing gold over faces that were far too energetic for the hour. The field trip had ended. Normal life with School and the mundane daily schedule awaited just ahead.

  I sat by the window.

  Unfortunately, Yui sat beside me.

  Takafumi-senpai occupied the front seat next to the driver, posture straight but gentle, hands folded neatly over his knees. Every few minutes he glanced at the mirrors, adjusting his glasses with that calm, dependable air of his.

  The road narrows ahead," he said politely to the driver. "Please take the curve gently."

  .......................

  "Harukiiiiiiiii !!"

  Yui leaned far too close to my face. Her one pointy teeth sticking out as she spoke. Breath, smelling faintly of the strawberry candy she'd been hoarding, tickled my ear, as she continued to chant my name.

  "What?" I replied with a tired expression

  "You ignored my message."

  "You sent seventeen stickers."

  "Communication was attempted." She beamed proudly.

  I turned away

  She leaned even closer. “Come on, why are you ignoring me?” she said, pouting so hard it almost touched her chin.

  “I’m not,” I sighed.

  "Haruki’s been sighing for five whole minutes," she announced loudly to the entire bus.

  I exhaled again, On purpose.

  She pointed dramatically.

  "See? There! He did it again!" She laughed. Loud. Bright. Unapologetic.

  She’d always been like this. Loud, annoying and carefree. I still had no idea where she stored all this energy in her tiny body. She’d always been boyish and rowdy, though her short bob somehow suited her perfectly.

  Suddenly, the bus hit a minor uneven patch.

  Chiho flinched. "S-sorry!"

  Mei blinked softly. "Chiho, the bus moved. Not you."

  Chiho nodded quickly, gripping her bag like a small frightened animal.

  Mei sat beside her with perfect posture. Legs aligned, hands folded, elegant even on a rattling bus seat. As the daughter of Mr. Yamada, the owner of Yamada Corp, she looked every bit the refined young lady: tall, slender, long black hair flowing smoothly, her quiet sophistication radiating around her.

  Compared to her, Chiho looked like a small meek bird. soft spoken, easily startled, practically living in the library. Her frame was as delicate as a flower. Despite her introverted behaviour she was undoubtedly very beautiful. Her beauty was a fragile. Skin white and pale as snow with large clear emerald eyes like lakes.

  Behind them, Olivia sat beside Hiroshi. Her Blonde drills swaying with the bus' rhythm.

  She had been silent for exactly twenty minutes. That was her limit.

  “Must I truly endure this seating arrangement?” she announced to no one in particular, voice regal and perfectly projected.

  Hiroshi didn’t look at her. “You’re enduring fine,” he said, still staring out the window.

  “I was referring to being seated beside a brute.”

  He finally turned slightly, expression calm.

  “You’ve called me that three times.”

  “It remains accurate,” Olivia replied, covering her mouth theatrically as if stating an undeniable truth.

  “You’re the one raising your voice like you’re leading a parade,” Hiroshi said, tone flat and unbothered.

  Olivia released a dramatic ho ho ho, crisp and ringing, as if the bus were her private ballroom.

  “You mistake projection for performance. One must raise their voice only when surrounded by those with low… auditory comprehension.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “You mean 'I shout because I want everyone to pay attention to me.' That’s the translation, right?”

  Olivia stiffened, elegant outrage blooming across her features, an expression only someone born with generations of theatrical ancestors could pull off.

  “Hmph. I do not require attention. Attention seeks me. Naturally.” She flicked her hair, hiding her smirk behind her fan.

  “Yeah, sure…” Hiroshi muttered, looking back out the window.

  “Ara~! What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He ignored her.

  “Telllllll meeee!” Olivia grabbed his shoulder and shook him vigorously.

  Hiroshi continued ignoring her, smiling slightly, clearly enjoying her rising frustration.

  From her seat ahead, Mei commented in a calm, cutting tone:

  “You call yourself civilized, yet still act like a spoiled child.”

  “Ara~? Are you looking for a fight, Miss Mei?” Olivia asked, shifting attention towards her.

  “Unlike you, I don’t indulge in such behavior,” Mei replied calmly, still facing forward.

  “Is that so?” Olivia snapped her fan shut, the sharp clack echoing through the bus.

  “Ohhhh myyyy godddd! Haruki, look! The rich ladies are fighting again!” Yui shrieked from beside me.

  I resisted the urge to bury my face in my hands.

  Seriously, how dumb is this girl…?

  Olivia was a foreign exchange student, and as fate would have it, her family and Mei’s father were rival businessmen. Because of that, their “friendly” arguments were practically a daily attraction.

  But why does this stupid girl announce everything like she’s hosting a live show?

  Someday she’s going to drag me down with her.

  I sighed, already tired of the chaos unfolding around me.

  Chiho hid her face behind her bag as things started to get heated between mei and olivia

  Takafumi senpai finally cleared his throat from the front.

  “That’s enough for now, both of you,” he said, gentle but firm. His voice carried that strange authority only he could manage without raising the volume. “We’re all tired. Let’s keep the atmosphere calm until we reach school.”

  Olivia huffed and turned away. Mei closed her eyes, accepting the reminder with quiet dignity. The tension deflated, if only temporarily.

  Yui leaned toward me again, practically vibrating in her seat.

  “Harukiii. Did you see that? If Mei and Olivia actually fought—like really fought—it would've been sooo cool!”

  I stared at her. “…Cool?”

  She nodded rapidly, eyes sparkling like she was discussing fireworks. “Yes! Imagine it! Elegant Noble vs. Elegant Noble! Fans snapping! Hair swishing! Drama exploding everywhere! It would’ve been like one of those high-class duels in movies!”

  “That’s not cool,” I said flatly.

  “It is!” She poked my shoulder insistently. “I mean, come on. Olivia snapping her fan shut like ‘clack!’ And then Mei doing that calm-but-scary smile she does right before someone dies of intimidation? Epic!”

  “Epic, or a disaster?”

  “Both!” Yui grinned proudly. “The best things in life are both!”

  “You’re insane.”, I declared

  She gasped. “Haruki insulted me again!”

  “I didn’t insult you. I described you.”

  “That’s worse!” she said, clutching her chest dramatically before bursting into laughter.

  I sighed once more.

  She pointed immediately.

  “There it is! Sigh number eight!”

  I looked forward, ignoring her victorious smirk.

  Annoying and way too excited about unnecessary things.

  And yet… somehow, that's exactly her. Yui.

  ………………..

  Meanwhile, behind us, Olivia too let out a long, dramatic sigh.

  “I cannot believe I must suffer such barbarism on the final stretch of our day…” she said, voice dripping with despair.

  Hiroshi actually turned toward her this time.

  “Rough one eh?” he asked, surprisingly calm.

  Olivia blinked, caught off guard that he’d responded at all. She pouted. “They ganged up on me. Mei, and that insolent boy sitting next to me.” Her sarcasm made it obvious she meant Hiroshi himself.

  Hiroshi raised a brow. “Well, it was your fault in one of those cases.”

  “Which means it wasn’t mine in the second,” she said smugly.

  She huffed, crossing her arms. “Honestly, that Mei… What is her problem?”

  Hiroshi leaned back slightly, still relaxed. “Sounds frustrating.”

  Olivia paused, surprised by the empathy.

  “…You understand my plight?”

  “Sure,” Hiroshi replied with a small, warm shrug. “Everyone has days where things feel stacked against them.”

  For a moment, her eyes softened briefly.

  “Then… perhaps you are not entirely a brute.” She smiled.

  “High praise, coming from you” he said, amused.

  She lifted her chin, regaining her composure. “I did say- not entirely.”

  Hiroshi chuckled, fully entertained.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome.”