The afternoon sun bathed the campus courtyard in a warm glow as Scaramouche leaned against a stone bench, arms crossed and an ever-present scowl etched onto his face. Beside him sat two familiar faces-Heizou with his usual mischievous grin and Sethos, casually scrolling through his phone with an air of indifference.
"So..." Heizou smirked, tilting his head towards Scaramouche. "Word on the street is that someone's been acting a little... soft lately."
Scaramouche shot him a deadly glare. "What are you talking about?"
Sethos didn't even glance up from his phone. "Oh, you know... following a certain blonde girl around like a lost kitten. Quite literally, sometimes."
Heizou snickered, nudging Scaramouche with his elbow. "You've been hanging around Lumine a lot lately, Scara. Don't tell me you've caught feelings?!"
Scaramouche's expression twisted into a mix of annoyance and disbelief. "Fallen for her? No! Are you two out of your minds?"
Heizou raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, hey, no need to get defensive, man. We're just saying-it's kinda obvious."
Sethos finally put his phone down, resting his chin on his hand. "You glare at every guy who talks to her for more than ten seconds, and don't even get me started on that library incident."
Scaramouche rolled his eyes and looked away. "You two are insufferable."
But Heizou wasn't done. "Oh! And let's not forget how you refused to let anyone else sit next to her during lunch last week. Not subtle at all, buddy."
Sethos smirked. "You're in denial, Scaramouche. Big time."
Scaramouche clicked his tongue, pushing off the bench and shoving his hands into his pockets. "You're both idiots. I don't have time for this nonsense."
Heizou and Sethos exchanged amused glances as Scaramouche walked a few steps away, his shoulders tense with frustration.
"You know," Sethos called after him, "for someone who claims not to care, you sure do act like you do."
Scaramouche froze mid-step but didn't turn around. Instead, he muttered something under his breath and kept walking.
Heizou cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Admit it, Scara! You're totally head over heels for Lumine!"
Scaramouche's only response was an exaggerated roll of his shoulders before he disappeared around the corner.
Sethos leaned back on the bench, a rare chuckle escaping him. "This is going to be entertaining."
Heizou grinned. "Oh, absolutely."
As the two of them sat there, basking in their successful teasing session, Scaramouche walked away with a storm of emotions swirling inside him.
Fallen for her? No.
But deep down... even he wasn't entirely sure anymore.