"Kasumi, your friend is so very tiny and adorable!" Juuna gushed, her hold on my wrist unfaltering. She must've understood that if she did unhand me, I'd run. "Hikari, huh? I definitely want to tease her!"

I shivered, goosebumps bristling my exposed arms. Swallowing hard, I glanced upwards into her gorgeous violet eyes. "What do you want from me?"

She smiled. "Is there a reason you skipped out on this morning's meeting? Shuuhei invited you didn't he?"

My heart rate spiked in my chest. I wasn't sure why I was so freaked out, but for some reason, I was. Although she was as innocent as an angel right now, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't mutate into the witch she was at any given moment.

Therefore, I played dumb.

"Th-there was a meeting?"

Juuna pushed out her lower lip and situated her hand upon my cheek. I stiffened immensely. Tilting her head to the side, she positioned her other hand near her ear. "Come on, Kasumi! You're seventeen, aren't you? If your memory is already so bad we should add some more fish into your diet."

"W-we?" I echoed.

Her eyes were so very mesmerizing, a never-ending spiral I couldn't keep my gaze off of. Even her face was glossy—the tiniest marks or blemishes nowhere to be found.

Holy shit. Maybe she really wasn't human.

"I know you're stubborn but us, the Student Council, only want to help you," she said, full pink lips forming into a provocative pout. "Your behaviour needs a lot of improvement and the last thing we'd want is a student of ours to get expelled—on our watch no less."

She lifted her hand off my face, leaving tingles in its place. Juuna then dropped it onto my head and gently caressed my hair.

"Do you understand, Kasumi? You don't have to listen to Shuuhei and the rest of those in the committee. Just listen to Master Juuna and she'll be sure to wash away all your worries and flaws and shape you into a perfect role model for the academy. Okay?"

Maybe it was the petting, or maybe it was her smooth, hypnotic voice.

Despite my conscience screaming for it, I couldn't refuse her the way I did Shuuhei yesterday. I didn't want to cuss her out either, despite her obviously eerie implication.

All I wanted was to do everything she said.

Holy cheesecakes.

All I wanted was to do everything she said.

"Will you forget to show up to the Student Council sanctuary from now on?" Juuna asked, smiling wider than before.

"No, Master Juuna."

"Good girl," she cooed. With one last pat, she giggled and retreated. "I only wanted to chat a little before rendezvousing with the guys in the cafeteria. If you'd like, you can join us."

"I'm fine, Master Juuna."

She was grinning fuller now, elated by my obedience.

"Then, I'll see you after school?"

"Yes, Master Juuna."

"Such a cutie." She spared me one last cheerful pat. "See, I told Shuuhei all you needed was a firm talking to," she said. "Bye, Kasumi. Be sure to behave!"

With a final wave of her manicured nails, Juuna spun on her excessive heels and clicked her way down the hall. My breathing went awry again, as well as my irregular paced heart.

It was a couple seconds after I stood, dazzled, that I was knocked back to my senses. I fumbled forward as if by an invisible shove from my conscience and fluttered to the floor, onto my hands and knees. All colour drained from my complexion.

What the hell happened to me?

What did that witch do to me? I shivered, gulping hard. Well, whatever voodoo magic she worked, maybe agreeing wasn't such a bad thing. It'd definitely make this all end better for me, as they wouldn't be on my back all the time.

Still, swallowing my pride and forcing myself to submit to their dangerous fetishes... That was suicide in itself.

No, I could do it. If I told myself I could, then I'd do it. If those people wanted to see me behaving then I'd show them. And when I did, they'd finally leave me alone and I'd be freed from the Student Council and potential expulsion. I'd be able to go back to my ordinary life.

Such a pipe dream, but I was reaching it. For sure.

I inhaled and exhaled deep breaths to calm myself. When I opened my eyes, it was to my least expectations to see a pair of refined indoor shoes propped right beside my hands. Eyebrows high, I followed the beige dress pants and burgundy blazer; white dress shirt and green tie.

My heart immediately seized beating when they settled upon their long, slender fingers extended for me to receive, their other hand gripping their trademark journal against their thigh.

No.

It couldn't be.

There was no way it could be...

My head jerked up in a start only to have my jaw plummet automatically. Tall and broad-shouldered, a mop of dark hair and heavy eyebrows offset by a gentle grin. A pair of eyes the colour of the sea, gleaming brighter than they typically did whenever I admired him from afar. But this time, it wasn't from afar. And they were staring directly at me.

His smile grew more genuine as he crouched beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Neither my fixed gaze on his handsome face nor my bulged eyes moved. I tried setting my jaw back into place as well but it, exactly like the rest of my body, had grown as rigid as a board.

My mind was the only thing functioning. However, it merely echoed three spiralling sentences over and over, enough times to drive me mad.

'Junto Anzai is touching me.'

'Junto Anzai is staring at me.'

'Junto Anzai is talking to me.'

He was really interacting with me, Kasumi Yonamine.

He wasn't a figment of my imagination, right? He was really in front of me, right?

As it all began settling in, my senses hit me like a brick to the face. I came to terms then that Junto had already steered me onto my feet, his firm hold despite his lithe stature keeping me steady. Popping his head before mine, his wowing irises once again met mine.

But, being the elegant and poised human being I was even in the proximity of my crush—I melted like a stereotypical popsicle.

A gooey, hopeless popsicle incapable of mustering any means of words, or a humane response.

But could you blame me? Ever since the first day I arrived at Rokura High three months ago, I knew I liked Junto Anzai.

I'd never been the type to fall for someone so easily—much less in the timespan of a day—but for some reason he'd snatched up my infatuation with that gentle though cryptic smile, and gorgeous face. While the rest of the school spent their time fawning over those (now I know to be) devil reincarnations, my feelings always resided for Junto alone.

And now my said crush I'd admired from afar was now within reach. His lustrous, dark hair, glabrous skin, heart-stopping eyes and flushed, pink lips.

Holy flipping shits.

He was in dangerous, dangerous reach.

Oh how I wanted to press my mouth to his—

Insurmountable heat consumed my face at once at the thought—both uncharted and utterly ridiculous—and I lurched away from him with no delay. My gaze darted left and right, down and up, attempting to regain my composure. What the hell, me! I had to maintain my rationality!

This was my chance! For the first time ever my prince Junto had taken the initiative to talk to me! Did I want to scare him away? No, I did not!

I had to behave as normal as possible. I could do this.

Heaving a strangled breath, I finally fixed my attention up. Junto's eyelids fluttered in confusion, and I melted inwardly at his lost puppy look. How could somebody be so cute—

No! Stop! Keep your cool, idiot!

"You're Kasumi Yonamine, right?"

Junto's unsure question snapped me awake. My neck whipped up, my mouth falling.

He knew my name. Crappity, crap, crap. He knew my name.

"Oh, um," I stammered pathetically, "th-thus is my title."

Junto, albeit frazzled at my 'your-crush-is-talking-to-you-holy-glob-glob' jargon, still maintained his poise. A soft smile graced his lips, oozed in amusement.

"Are you sure you're all right? I was passing by and was worried because you were on the floor."

"Kasumi is pleased with Upperclassman Anzai's concern but she is fine."

Holy crabcakes. What was I saying? I said to act normal, not illiterate!

I peered at his countenance to see if I'd sealed my fate, but Junto eyebrows had elevated on his forehead, as if caught off guard. The puppy look was back, smothered with a cute swell of awe. "You... know my name?"

That was what I said! I said that, too! "Yes Kasumi is aware of Upperclassman Anzai," I spoke my euphoric, yet jumbled thoughts before I could process it. "Upperclassman Anzai is a popular third-year around campus and since Kasumi's seen him before she knows him."

Disbelief slumped my shoulders, mortification slithering through my veins.

Was I okay? That was way worse than the first time! Let alone flirt, I couldn't speak to save my life apparently!

Fortunately, Junto wasn't turned off and timidly laughed. He scratched his cheek. "'Popular' is an exaggeration. You're more popular considering you're a transfer student and still fairly new to this school. I've heard a lot of rumours about you."

Rumours? I had to internally pray they weren't the strange rumours Kakeru had brought up yesterday.

Come on, me. Now to respond like a fellow human being. I could do it. Go at three.

One.

Two.

"Yes, Kasumi is only three months old in this school."

Fuckity, fuck, fuck.

That was it. Stop talking, me. Stop breathing for that matter. Drop dead right here—right now.

I'd made a complete fool of myself, that was an undeniable fact. However, Junto, being the kind-hearted saint he was, never dropped his charming smile.

"You're really funny, Yonamine."

I was just about to open my mouth to gush a nervous thank you, but knowing it'd lead to further embarrassment, I clasped my hands over my mouth and nodded instead.

"Say," he started.

I blinked rapidly only to discover he was scuffing his feet. In his hand was the journal he carried with him everywhere; his fingers anxiously tapping against the outer cover. Fiddling with the strands hovering at his nape, he faced me appropriately, chewing on his lower lip.

I was puzzled beyond compare. Why was he staring at me like that? He was bashful, I could tell that, but that didn't answer why it was aimed towards me. But if he kept staring at me like that I seriously would combust again.

Pressing his lips together, Junto's eyes regained newfound courage and he dropped his arms flatly by his sides. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he opened his mouth. "Yonamine, would you like to—"

"AH! PERVERT!"

"PEEPING TOM!"

"GET OUT OF HERE!"

The raucous shouts nearly sent me flying from my own skin. Junto and I rounded to face the nearby locker room. Girls' shrieks resounded against the walls as a boy came lurching out of the room, colliding with the window directly behind him. He grunted in pain, but wasn't let off the hook as shoes, bags, and articles of clothing alike came flinging out, smacking him in the face.

My mouth fell considerably as other students who'd overheard the ruckus, stampeded here to check things out. A teacher did her duty to settle the furious girls who were changing in the locker room, all the while judgmental eyes remained glued to the blond-haired culprit.

Dyed hair? I guessed. A delinquent?

Still, peeping in this day and age? What a creep.

"Yonamine."

Junto's serenading voice reached my ears and I swerved back to face him. Oh, right. My heart was being socked around by my crush right now.

"Yes, Upperclassman Anzai?" I asked with curious blinks.

Junto had seemed to lose the diffident behaviour he once withheld, and this time, sent me another full throttle, heart-stopping grin.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

Let's just say I forgot how to breathe.