Ohayo!!

Nuts stared at Coyra from his seat by the window, tapping his pencil nervously against the desk. She was sitting at the opposite corner of the classroom, pretending to read her notes, but her occasional glances in his direction gave her away.

Ever since their kiss on the date, things had been... different. Blushing, stammering, and an uncanny ability to avoid direct eye contact had replaced their previously easy (though awkward) dynamic.

Nuts' thoughts were interrupted by a sharp nudge from Toysi, who smirked knowingly. "You're going to burn a hole in her face if you keep staring like that."

"I'm not staring," Nuts hissed, his face turning red.

"Sure," Toysi replied, stretching lazily. "Why don't you just go talk to her, Romeo? She's obviously waiting for you."

"Waiting for me to what? Trip over my own feet again?"

Macber, seated beside them, sighed. "You two are exhausting." He didn't bother looking up from his book, his hair hiding most of his expression.

The Not-So-Subtle Attempt

The next period was a group project session, and Nuts couldn't have been more relieved—or terrified—when the professor paired him with Coyra.

"Alright," the professor barked, her voice muffled slightly by her habit of munching on snacks mid-lecture. "Get to work, people. And don't make me repeat myself!"

Nuts awkwardly shuffled over to Coyra's desk. She glanced up at him, her cheeks pink. "Hi, Acidy," she said softly.

"Uh, hi," he replied, gripping the edge of the desk like it was the only thing keeping him upright.

"Should we start with the first question?" Coyra asked, her voice as gentle as ever.

Nuts nodded furiously. "Yes! Absolutely. First question. Logical. Makes sense. Let's do that."

Coyra blinked at him, her lips twitching into a small smile. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Oh, I'm fine," Nuts said quickly. "Totally fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? I'm the epitome of fine."

Toysi, who was working nearby, snorted loudly. "Smooth, Acidy. Real smooth."

Nuts glared at him before turning back to Coyra, who was now giggling behind her hand.

The Chaos Begins

Things went downhill fast. As they worked through the project, Nuts tried his best to focus, but every time Coyra leaned closer to point something out, he froze. At one point, he dropped his pen, and in his attempt to pick it up, knocked over her water bottle, which promptly spilled all over their notes.

"Oh no!" Nuts exclaimed, grabbing a handful of tissues. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," Coyra said, laughing as she helped mop up the mess. "At least it wasn't on my sketchbook this time."

"Yeah, small mercies," Nuts muttered, his face burning.

But the chaos didn't stop there. When Coyra suggested using her laptop to look up some information, Nuts leaned over to see the screen—and accidentally hit the power button.

"Did you just shut it off?" Coyra asked, staring at him in disbelief.

"I didn't mean to!" Nuts said, panicking. "My hand slipped!"

Coyra sighed but couldn't suppress her smile. "You're something else, Acidy."

Lunchroom Disaster

During lunch, Coyra invited Nuts to sit with her at a table near the window. It was supposed to be a casual meal, but chaos followed Nuts like a loyal pet.

As he tried to carry his tray over to the table, someone bumped into him, sending his soda flying. The bottle hit the edge of the table and erupted like a volcano, spraying both him and Coyra.

"Oh my gosh!" Coyra exclaimed, grabbing napkins.

"I swear, the universe is out to get me," Nuts groaned, attempting to clean up the mess.

Coyra laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Or maybe it's just trying to keep things interesting."

By the time they sat down, Nuts felt like he had used up all his bad luck for the day. Coyra didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Do you always have this much trouble with basic tasks?" she teased, resting her chin on her hand.

"Pretty much," Nuts admitted, chuckling. "But hey, at least I keep life exciting."

A Romantic Turn

As the day wound down, Nuts found himself walking Coyra to the library. The sunset cast a warm glow over the campus, and the air was filled with the faint scent of blooming flowers.

"Thanks for today," Coyra said as they reached the library steps. "It was... fun."

"Fun?" Nuts echoed, surprised. "I thought it was a disaster."

Coyra shook her head, smiling. "It was chaotic, sure. But it was also sweet. You're sweet."

Nuts felt his heart race. "I, uh... I think you're sweet too," he said awkwardly.

Coyra laughed softly, stepping closer. "You're terrible at compliments, you know that?"

"I'm working on it," Nuts said, his voice barely above a whisper.

For a moment, they stood there, the world around them fading away. Coyra reached out, her hand brushing against his.

"You don't have to be perfect, Acidy," she said gently. "Just be you."

Nuts smiled nervously. "Well, I've got the 'me' part down. It's everything else I'm struggling with."

Coyra chuckled before leaning in, her lips pressing softly against his cheek once more. This time, Nuts didn't freeze or panic. Instead, he smiled, feeling warmth spread through him.

As she pulled back, Coyra gave him a shy smile. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Nuts said, his grin widening. "See you tomorrow."

As Coyra disappeared into the library, Nuts stood there for a moment, his heart lighter than it had been in weeks.

"Maybe I'm not so hopeless after all," he muttered to himself, walking away with a spring in his step.

As Nuts opened the door to his house, the sound of video game music filled the air. His younger brother paused his game and turned to him with a knowing grin.

"Well, look who's back," he teased, eyeing Nuts' flushed face. "What's with the goofy smile? Let me guess—someone finally says 'Ohayo!' to you every morning?"

Nuts groaned. "Not now."

The teasing continued. "Admit it, you've got an 'Ohayo girl' now. Must be nice having someone to say your favorite word back to you."

"Can you just stop?" Nuts muttered, though his face burned.

His brother laughed, turning back to his game. "Fine, fine. Just don't forget to thank her for making your dreams come true, Romeo."

Nuts sighed but couldn't fight the small smile creeping onto his face. Maybe there was some truth to it after all..