After Togawa Sakiko finished filling her water bottle and returned to her seat, she barely managed a few more words with Kikukawa Kyo before the class bell abruptly rang. Instantly, Sakiko entered her diligent, class-ready state, sitting upright and preparing to listen attentively.
Kyo, however, still looked half-dead. Slumped over her desk, she appeared to be staring blankly into space, but mentally, she'd drifted off a while ago(?).
Only when the teacher walked into the classroom did Kyo lift her head. She placed the oversized water bottle Sakiko had refilled for her on the desk, its lid connected to the built-in straw.
This time, Kyo rested her head partially against the bottle, holding the straw in her small mouth. Her usually supple lips easily dried out today, and if it weren't for her frequently sipping water every few moments, they would have shriveled long ago.
Suck, suck, suck… Kyo drew the water from the bottle drop by drop. Each time, before swallowing, she allowed the water to moisten her lips briefly, then licked them lightly before actually drinking.
I really want to gulp down water, Kyo thought, forcefully suppressing the urge to twist the lid off and chug directly from the bottle. If I finish this now, it'll be trouble later…
Although a few classmates had given her drinks earlier during break, the problem was that beverages often made her thirstier. They seemed hydrating but only temporarily quenched her thirst, leaving her craving pure water again shortly afterward.
For Kyo, this feeling was particularly intense. Conversely, if she spent time in places like an aquarium—surrounded by the mere presence of water—her internal thirst felt oddly satisfied, greatly reducing her urge to drink.
As she sat sulking, something poked her gently from behind.
Slowly turning around, Kyo spotted Sakiko. While her eyes dutifully remained fixed on the teacher at the podium, appearing perfectly attentive, her hand stealthily slid a bottle of mineral water toward Kyo under cover of the desk.
Realizing she'd been noticed, Sakiko maintained her usual expressionless face. Her eyes never shifted directly, but her peripheral vision closely tracked Kyo.
Her lips barely moved as she whispered, voice softer than a mosquito's buzz: "Just take it. I can't bear watching you anymore."
Kyo accepted the bottle with immense gratitude. If they weren't in the middle of class, she probably would've joyfully hugged Sakiko. To Kyo, this bottle was nothing short of lifesaving.
Only after Kyo turned back around, determinedly facing the front, did Sakiko finally relax. Previously, she'd been discreetly watching Kyo from the corner of her eye; now, she directly admired the back of Kyo's slender figure.
Now equipped with this unexpected supply of water, Kyo naturally intended to first indulge her thirst freely. She could resume sipping cautiously from her own bottle once she got thirsty again later.
Watching the eagerness and childlike delight with which Kyo hastily unscrewed the cap—akin to a kid receiving their favorite toy—Sakiko could faintly hear Kyo humming quietly, lost in her own little melody.
Honestly… Sakiko chuckled silently, strangely charmed by Kyo's surprisingly adorable, almost childish antics.
Realizing she had let her amusement slip, Sakiko quickly restrained her expression, relieved when she saw the teacher hadn't noticed.
Ahem, you're still in class, Sakiko. Focus.
She chastised herself inwardly, thankful no one had noticed, and returned fully to the lesson at hand.
But had truly no one noticed?
In an unnoticed corner of the classroom, precisely timed for when the teacher turned toward the blackboard or when students' views were blocked, a few tiny paper notes passed swiftly back and forth among certain classmates.
If one were able to intercept these notes and peek at their contents, they'd discover conversations scribbled in various handwriting styles, all expressing humanity's deepest, most universal, and bone-deep emotion: gossip.
"See, didn't I say Kyo-chan and Sakiko-san's relationship isn't normal?"
"Hey, I gave Kyo drinks earlier too. If she was that thirsty, why didn't she drink mine? Sad—"
"This clearly proves how special their relationship is! Outsiders simply can't interfere!"
"Even though Kyo-chan's nice to everyone, it seems Sakiko-san dominates most of her attention. Now, even tiny details show special treatment… Are they really a thing?"
"They're totally real, 100% legit! Can't get more real than this!"
"Control your emotions above! Your handwriting's turning into an unreadable mess!"
"Heh, typical CP fan behavior. Can't you appreciate deeper things, like Kikukawa-sama's alluring sweat-covered body…hehe, I don't dare imagine how nice she smells…"
"You call this depth???"
"Heh, typical solo-fan antics."
"But seriously, Kyo sweats a lot. Outdoor PE classes start next week; will she really be okay?"
"I'll prepare at least ten bottles of water for Kyo-chan!"
"Hehe, when I say they're real, it's not just Kyo's preferential treatment. Didn't you see Sakiko's eyes? Pretending indifference when Kyo turned around but immediately staring at her once Kyo turned back…this is way too real—!"
"Again, you! Your handwriting is terrible enough without writing essays!"
"Wait, we all have phones. Why are we passing paper notes?"
"I'm traditional."
"Nonono, these topics need to be passed by paper notes—this is real youth!"
The classmates became increasingly excited, completely forgetting they were still in class. When one of them tossed a note to the next person, it veered off-course and landed squarely on the desk of a classmate who had never joined the conversation before.
Oh no! It was the class rep, universally known as the model student. They were surely done for; it would get reported straight to the teacher!
As the class rep opened the note, their glasses reflected glints of ambiguous light, hiding their true expression, but everyone imagined a stern, righteous anger about to manifest in immediate punishment!
But unexpectedly, the class rep sat quietly, carefully reading the note's contents. Then, without hesitation, they wrote something quickly, balled it back up, and returned it.
?
The student who had thrown the misdirected note nervously opened it again, trembling as they read:
"Pay attention in class. Stop passing notes."
Whew! Class rep was indeed fair, merciful, and truly enlightened!
But a second line followed:
"Kikukawa-san came very early today. During her chat with Sakiko-san, I faintly heard the word 'hug,' after which Sakiko-san looked rather…shy."
Class rep, even you're secretly shipping them?
---
T/N: LMAOOOOO YESSSS IM PART OF THEM!!!
T/N2: yeah no excuse this time :sob: WAIT NO I WAS STARTING NEW TLS SO HA! yeah sorrrey heres the 4 chapters!
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl