"Okay, Raya girl! As someone with significantly more experience in love and drama than you, I officially declare myself your shifu," Eli announced, one hand on his hip, the other holding a pink glittery pen like it was a weapon of authority.
His tone carried the confidence of someone who believed he was about to change lives.
Mayari let out a quiet breath, unimpressed—but amused.
"Fine. I accept your guidance, Master Shifu."
Eli clapped once. "Good. Let's get to work. Step one—write this down."
He slid her pastel notebook across the table like it contained classified information.
"Operation: Make. Him. Mine."
Raya picked up her pen, slow and deliberate.
Not rushed. Not nervous. Precise.
"Title finalized."
"Next," Eli continued, voice dropping into something more serious, "Objective: Make Primero Azriel Madrigal fall in love with you…"
She didn't react. She already knew where this was going.
"…without chasing."
A small smile curved at her lips.
"Of course."
"Status?" Eli asked, leaning back like a mentor evaluating his student.
"In progress."
Eli nodded, satisfied. "Good. Because this isn't just a crush anymore. This is a full-scale operation—calculated, controlled, and perfectly timed."
Raya flipped to the next page.
At the top, in clean, flawless handwriting, she wrote — Operation: Decode the Madrigal Attraction Formula
"Because we are not moving blindly," Eli continued, pointing at the notebook. "We gather intel. We analyze patterns. We strike when it matters. Understood?"
Raya didn't look up.
"Yes, Master Shifu."
Mayari Saige Reigo didn't do things halfway.
Top of her class. Quiz bee champion.
People liked to think she was just competitive.
They were wrong.
She studied.
She calculated.
She adapted.
And when she wanted something—
She didn't chase it.
She positioned herself until it came to her.
And now—
There he was.
Primero Azriel Madrigal.
The academic weapon. The golden boy. The standard everyone else tried to reach.
Disciplined. Untouchable. Admired. And interesting.
Not because he was out of reach—
But because he looked like he was.
And she wanted him.
But she would never chase.
That was the first rule.
If this was going to happen—
He would be the one moving toward her.
He would be the one adjusting.
And her?
She would remain exactly where she stood.
Unmoved.
Unforgettable.
Raya tilted her head slightly, watching him from a distance in her mind.
A challenge.
And she liked challenges.
She didn't need to say it out loud.
But she had already decided.
She wanted him.
"Alright," Eli said, leaning forward again. "Let's build the plan. You're not just some random girl with a crush. You're Mayari Reigo. This? This is Operation: Make him mine."
Mayari smirked faintly.
"Ambitious. I like it."
Eli raised a finger.
"Step 1: Determine his ideal type." Raya tapped her pen once against the paper.
"Basic principle," she said calmly. "Know the target"
Eli nodded eagerly. "Exactly. What catches his attention? Personality, looks, behavior—everything."
"Does he prefer girls who challenge him?" she murmured. "Or the ones who stay quiet and observe?"
"Bookish or bold? Soft or sharp?" Eli added.
Raya wrote something down.
"Smart. Controlled. Intentional," she said.
"That's the baseline."
Eli leaned closer. "And you?"
She didn't hesitate.
"I can be anything," she said simply.
"Depending on what's necessary."
"Step 2," Eli continued, lowering his voice,
"Romantic patterns." Raya's pen paused
.
"History leaves traces," she said.
"Exactly! Any rumors? Any past situations?"
"TOTGA?" she added casually. "Someone he almost had?"
Eli shook his head. "No one knows. Whoever she is—she's a mystery."
Raya resumed writing.
"If there's a pattern," she said quietly, "I'll find it."
And if there wasn't— She'd create one.
Because if Primero Madrigal had a type?
Mayari wasn't about to shrink herself to fit it.
She wasn't here to copy, adjust, or audition for a role she didn't ask for. She was here to rewrite the standard. She didn't need to be his "ideal girl." She'd be the exception. The one he couldn't explain. The one that didn't make sense on paper—yet somehow made everything else feel lacking. Because wanting him didn't mean losing herself.
She wasn't going to soften her edges, hide her flaws, or twist her identity just to be easier to love.
No.
If anything, she'd stand exactly as she was—sharp, complicated, imperfect— And make him fall and chase her anyway.
"Step 3," Eli said, snapping his fingers lightly,
"What makes his heart move?"
Raya's lips curved—slow, knowing.
"This is where it gets interesting."
Eli leaned in. "Why?"
"Because this," she said, voice lower now, "is where people become predictable."
She wrote as she spoke.
"Everyone has a weakness. Something that breaks through control."
"Like?" Eli asked.
"Admiration. Understanding. Challenge. Familiarity," she listed. "It depends on what he lacks—and what he thinks he doesn't need."
Eli grinned. "So what's the plan?"
Raya closed her notebook.
"I find the gap," she said.
"And I become it."
—•—•—•—•—
The bell rang.
Eli stood. "Let's go. We'll continue later."
Raya nodded, closing her notebook with a soft click.
It wasn't just notes.
It was structure.
A plan.
And plans—
Always works
Right?
"Come on," Eli said, casually taking her bag and pulling her along.
She bent down to grab her tumbler—
And stopped.
Primero walked in.
His laughter carried effortlessly through the hallway—low, unforced, the kind that didn't need attention to command it.
He didn't look at her.
Not yet.
But she noticed everything.
The way people adjusted around him.
The space he occupied without trying.
Effortless.
Interesting.
Time slowed—but not for the same reason.
Not because she was overwhelmed. Because she was mesmerized —observing she meant
"You're very attentive today," she murmured to Eli, her neutral tone.
Eli smirked. "You're buying me lunch. Of course I am."
But Raya wasn't listening anymore.
Her gaze followed Primero as he disappeared down the corridor.
This wasn't a crush.
Crushes were impulsive.
Messy.
Uncontrolled.
This?
Why would i go so far for a crush?
Let everyone else chase him.
Let them orbit around him.
Not her.
She wouldn't follow.
She wouldn't compete.
She wouldn't even reach.
She would position.
And slowly—
inevitably—
she would become the one thing he didn't plan for.
The one variable he couldn't ignore.
Primero Madrigal wouldn't notice it at first.
But when he did?
It would already be too late.
Because by then—
He wouldn't be the one being pursued.
He'd be the one falling.
(Authors note: Please do tell me if there's any inconsistencies that you have notice, and any feedback that i could possibly change and work on)