Ravian stood there a moment longer than necessary, watching Blanca’s retreating figure as she argued—no, bickered—with the man beside her like it was a competitive sport.

A slow smile tugged at his lips.

"Blanca..." he murmured. "It suits her."

It really did.

Soft.

Simple.

Deceptively harmless.

Wrong.

Her name was completely misleading because nothing about that girl was normal.

Not the way she talked or the way she panicked and definitely not the way she grabbed a stranger and declared they were "doing the same thing" with a straight face.

He let out a quiet chuckle.

Their first meeting had been... memorable.

Bold, ridiculous, and for some reason, very entertaining.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Earlier that day (Before the chaos and before the... "documentary incident")

Ravian had been doing his duty as a responsible member of the Student Council.

Which meant, babysitting freshmen, seniors, and delinquents.

He and Silvano Orientaly had been assigned to roam the academy grounds, making sure no students skipped orientation like rebellious little disasters.

He glanced at the time.

It was almost time for their introduction yet Vivienne and Stephano were nowhere to be found.

His eye twitched slightly.

He could already feel a headache forming as he recalled Vivienne’s bright and cheerful voice from earlier.

"We’ll roam around the garden, Ravi, so you take the grounds!"

He should’ve known.

Well...

He did know and yet he let them go anyway.

It was a mistake.

A recurring one.

He sighed, already preparing to go drag them back himself when he paused because not far from the garden path, a white-haired girl was crouched behind a bush very stealthily, or at least she thought she was.

Ravian raised a brow. ’A student was still hanging out here and not listening to the orientation?’

He silently concealed his presence and moved closer, crouching beside her without making a sound then followed her line of sight.

He immediately found the two person he’s planning to drag, locked in what could only be described as a complete abandonment of responsibilities.

Ravian’s lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "So this is your ’rounds,’" he muttered under his breath.

He was already preparing to storm forward and drag Stephano away by the collar—consequences, dignity, and possibly lives be damned—when the girl beside him spoke.

"...How are they breathing?" she whispered, genuinely puzzled, her head tilting slightly as if she were observing a very confusing scientific experiment.

Ravian paused mid-annoyance and mid-murder intent.

’Did she just say... breathing?’

He slowly turned his head toward her.

She was still staring ahead, eyes narrowed in deep concentration.

"Do they... breathe inside each other’s mouth?"

"..."

For a split second, Ravian forgot why he was even there.

The irritation? Gone.

The responsibility? Forgotten.

Stephano’s impending punishment? Postponed indefinitely.

Because now, he was dealing with something far more unexpected.

’Does this girl seriously not know what they’re doing?’

He raised a brow, studying her more closely.

Up close, she was... striking.

Pretty, yes—but not in a loud, attention-grabbing way. There was something oddly soft about her features, contrasted by those sharp, crimson eyes that looked like they belonged to someone far more dangerous than her current thoughts suggested.

And then, he noticed—the leopard ears.

Snow leopard, if he had to guess, though her red eyes were unusual for that species, adding an intriguing and mysterious edge to her appearance.

They twitched slightly.

Once.

Twice.

His gaze lingered there longer than necessary.

His hand lifted—almost unconsciously—like he was about to touch them then stopped immediately.

’What am I doing?’

He lowered his hand, clearing his throat lightly.

Touching their ears or tail without permission is considered improper unless you were family or lovers.

Neither of which applied to him.

He looked away for a second before looking at her again.

She was still focused on watching, unbothered, and completely invested in what she was witnessing like it was some kind of educational material.

Ravian’s lips slowly curved into a grin.

’Is she watching this like it’s research... or does she genuinely not understand?’

Either way, this was too amusing to ignore.

He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice just enough. "Hey," he whispered, amusement laced in every syllable, "do you have popcorn with you?"

"Do you think I’m eating one right now?"

He blinked at her response, momentarily thrown off by how serious she said it.

"Must be fun watching those two have—"

"Sshhh!" she cut him off immediately, eyes still locked on the scene ahead like she was guarding state secrets. "Don’t you know I’m learning something here?"

’Rude. Doesn’t she know how to act like a noble or she just doesn’t care who she’s talking to?’

"What?" he said, lowering his voice again. "Have sex?"

"Yes," she answered without even a second of hesitation.

Ravian slowly smiled. ’How bold.’

Most girls would’ve choked on that word. Maybe even blush, panic, or pretend they didn’t hear it.

This one?

She said it like she was confirming the weather.

’Interesting.’

"I can teach you instead," he offered smoothly, leaning just a little closer, confidence fully intact.

"No thank you," she replied instantly.

"..."

His smile froze. ’Excuse me?’

He was... rejected?

Just like that?

No hesitation?

No consideration?

Nothing?

’Impossible.’

Many women would line up just to get his attention and yet this girl dismissed him like he had just offered her expired bread.

His pride took a direct hit.

A critical one.

He remembered something.

’Maybe because she hasn’t seen my face yet. For sure once she sees me, she’ll change her mind.’

Confident again, he shifted slightly, making sure the light hit just right before offering her his most charming, devastating smile.

Perfect angle.

Perfect expression.

Maximum impact.

That’s when she turned to look at him.

There was a pause.

’What? Cat got your tongue haven’t you? Now tell me I’m handsome—’

She frowned instead. "...Who the hell are you?"

"..."

His smile twitched.

’What...? That was not the script.’

Mission Failed!

Abort!

’I need to change the topic immediately or I’ll look a man who has just gotten rejected!’

"So did you have fun watching live porn?" he smoothly redirected the topic.

"N-No!" she stammered as she took a hesitant step back. "I told you it’s—"

’No! Don’t—’ he instinctively reached out to grab her wrist, intending to pull her close to him, but it was too late.

Crunch!

Before he could react, she grabbed him, pulling him close, and using him as a human shield.

He froze for exactly half a second.

’Did she just—’

"Continue... we were also doing the same thing."

"..."

He almost laughed. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Almost.

Because before he could even respond, she shoved him aside to selfishly protect herself, and leaving him there alone.

Luckily he managed to run away before the two could even see him.

End of Flashback

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Ravian exhaled slowly, straightening up as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened—which, to be fair, was already a lie.

"...Blanca," he repeated under his breath, the name settling far too comfortably in his mind.

"Ravi! What are you doing there? We still have to set up the whole place for later!"

He snapped out of his thoughts as the entire very questionable garden incident was shoved neatly into a mental drawer labeled: Deal with it later (or probably never).

He turned around smoothly, his usual composed smile already in place like it had never left.

"Coming, Viv," he said lightly, waving at her. "I just talked to the new students about the after-party."

Vivienne immediately beamed and looped her arms around his, clinging to him like she had every right to be there—which, unfortunately for everyone else, she did.

"Really?" she said brightly. "By the way, who’s the girl you were talking to? She looks pretty!"

Ravian didn’t even hesitate.

"You’re way prettier, Viv," he replied casually, reaching out to pat her head like it was second nature.

Direct hit.

Vivienne flushed instantly.

"D-Don’t tease me like that!" she protested, though she made absolutely no effort to move away.

Right on cue—

Stephano inserted himself between them like an aggressive third wheel with a mission.

"He’s right, Viv," he added, completely serious. "You’re the prettiest girl here."

Vivienne’s blush deepened.

"Stop it, you guys!" she pouted, lightly stomping her foot. "You’re teasing me again!"

Ravian chuckled under his breath, but his mind—unfortunately—was not entirely present.

Because somewhere in the back of it, there was a white-haired girl crouching behind bushes, asking how people breathe while kissing, rejecting him without hesitation, calling him "who the hell are you..."

His smile twitched ever so slightly.

"Ravi?" Vivienne called, tilting her head. "You’re spacing out again."

"Hmm?" He blinked, snapping back instantly. "Not at all."

Stephano narrowed his eyes slightly. "You’re thinking about something."

Ravian only calmly smiled. "Just thinking," he said lightly, "that tonight’s after-party might be more entertaining than I expected."

Vivienne perked up immediately. "Really? Why?"

He glanced back—just for a second—towards the direction where Blanca had disappeared.

"Oh nothing..." A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "Just that there are... new, interesting students this year."

Vivienne narrowed her eyes at him, already suspicious. "You’re being secretive again!"

"I’m not," he replied smoothly. "If you want, I can get you your favorite suncakes."

That worked instantly.

"Yay!" she cheered, all suspicion gone in less than a second.

’Predictable.’

Ravian sighed quietly as he glanced at her.

Bright smile, cheerful energy, and that same innocent charm she always carried so effortlessly.

Now... there was something else layered over it.

Something he hadn’t paid attention to before or maybe something he hadn’t wanted to notice.

’...Maybe,’ he thought quietly, ’you’re not as cute and innocent as everyone thinks.’

His expression didn’t change nor his tone didn’t shift but for the first time he wasn’t looking at her the same way anymore.