Jiko thought about it. This kind of attention was new. He hadn't gotten it in his past life, even after he’d gotten in shape. Sure, girls had thought he was good-looking – it ran in his family, after all. But for some reason, they’d never seemed ied in him romantically. He wondered why. Maybe he just hadn’t had good luck with girls back then?

  But that’s only the beginning. As the days pass, the ges tio mount. irls in his css—those he never even thought to pay attention to—start treating him differently. They smile at him more often, their voices less guarded, and they invite him into versations with an ease he wasn’t used to.

  “Hey, Jiko,” one of them named Ni says to him during lune afternoon, her voice casual but friendly. “You’ve been w out a lot, huh? Looks like it’s paying off. You seem… different.”

  Jiko blinks, unsure of how to react but he gave her the same ahat he gave to Mei. “Yeah, I’ve been trying to stay active.”

  Ni leans in slightly, her expression more curious now. “You should join us for a study group sometime. I’m sure we could help you out with anything you need.”

  Jiko feels a flicker of fusion—study group? She’s inviting him? And she actually seems ge’s strange, unfamiliar. Ba the inal timeline, girls like Ni barely aowledged his existence. Yet now, they’re showing i—curiosity even.

  Word starts to spread, though it doesn’t happen all at o first, it’s subtle: small smiles exged during passing periods, slightly warmer hellos in the hallways. But soon enough, it bees more obvious—friendly banter, light teasing, and even invitations to do things after school.

  “Hey, Jiko,” anirl named Akhi says, joining him on his way to gym css one day. She nudges his shoulder lightly. “Want to grab a bite after school? Nothing serious—just a few of us hanging out.”

  Jiko’s heart races. Grabbing lunch after school? With them? He’d never been in a position where he was io join something like this. It feels surreal, almost too good to be true. “Uh, yeah, sure,” he replies, unsure of how to react but uo hide the excitement creeping into his voice.

  It feels strange—like he’s suddenly someone else. Someone who people want to talk to, someone who gets io things. This is not the Jiko he remembers from before. He was always the one who sat quietly on the sidelines, unsure, blending into the crowd. But now? People—especially girls—are starting to notice him in ways he never expected.

  Still, with every pliment, every passing ghere’s a nagging doubt in the back of Jiko’s mind. He ’t shake the uneasy feeling that things areirely as they should be. This attention feels nice, but it also feels…dangerous.

  Oernoon, Jiko and Julie were walking home from school, their usual easy banter filling the air. Suddenly, Ni crossed their path, a bright smile lighting up her face as she approached Jiko. “Hey, Jiko!” she greeted him, her voice warm and friendly. Julie, however, felt a subtle shift in Ni’s demeanor, a ess that seemed directed specifically at her.

  “Hey,” Jiko replied, returning the smile.

  Ni tiurnitention fully to Jiko. “Like I said the other day,” she reminded him, “let’s get that study group going. I know you’re one of the top students in our year, and I’m also iop ten. I think we could really help each other prepare for the board exams if we studied together.”

  Jiko hesitated for a moment, gng at Julie. Julie, in turn, watched Ni with a narrowed gaze before turnitention back to Jiko, a silent question in her eyes. “Who is she?” she asked, her tone carefully ral, but with an underlying edge that Jiko couldn't quite pce.

  “She’s a cssmate of mine, from 10A,” Jiko expined, feeling a little awkward under Julie’s scrutiny.

  Julie raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “And what are you two talking about? What study group?” she inquired, the edge in her voice being more pronounced.

  “You know,” Jiko stammered slightly, feeling increasingly unfortable, “a study group. Where students… study together. We , you know, help each other learn and prepare for the exams.”

  Julie’s eyes narrowed slightly. She seemed to be mulling something over, her gaze fixed on Ni. After a brief pause, a decisive gliered her eyes. “Fine,” she decred, her voice firm. “I’ll joiudy group too.”

  Ni, who had been pointedly avoiding eye tact with Julie, finally turo face her, a forced smile pstered on her face. “Well,” she said, her tone a bit strained, “that’s fioo. You’re wele to join us, Julie.”

  Jiko internally groaned. He hadn’t even decided if he wao be part of this study group, and now it was turning into some kind of… petitiohought to himself, *I didn’t even say I wao join! This is getting out of hand.* He just shrugged, a weak, nonittal gesture. He could feel the tension in the air, thiough to cut with a knife. Julie's earlier lightheartedness had pletely vanished, repced by a subtle but palpable jealousy. It was a side of her he hadn't seen before, and it made him wonder what he'd gotten himself into.

  *Maybe she just doesn’t want to lose to anirl academically,* Jiko thought, trying to rationalize the sudden tension. He vely ighe rather rge detail that Julie wasn’t even in css 10A where smart kid's live. It was a flimsy expnation, but it was the one he chose to g to in that awkward moment.

  A couple of days ter, Jiko and Julie walked up the driveway to Ni’s house for their study group. When they reached the front door, Ni’s mother, Mrs. Shima, greeted them with a warm smile and ushered them inside. Mrs. Shima was a kind, matronly woman, and she immediately made them feel wele, them chilled juid snacks.

  The house smelled faintly of vender and freshly baked cookies, a bination that instantly put them at ease. The living room was cozy, with sunlight streaming through sheer curtains and casting a soft glow on the few textbooks and notebooks scattered across the coffee table.