The next morning at school, Renji walked in with the confidence of a CEO. Hood up, hands in pockets, that same serious face he practiced in the mirror.

  He wasn't just a student anymore.

  He was a mindset.

  A lifestyle.

  Sigma.

  "I don’t simp. I invest in myself," he whispered to no one as he walked past the classroom door.

  Ayame was already inside, spinning a pen between her fingers, lost in thought.

  Renji took a deep breath and stepped in. “No feelings. No weakness. I am the wolf of success,” he muttered.

  He sat two benches away from her, pulled out a book he wasn't gonna read, and stared dramatically out the window like he was in an anime opening.

  And then...

  “Good morning, Renji-kun~” Ayame smiled.

  That voice.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  That smile.

  He blinked once. Twice.

  “Stay focused,” he mumbled to himself. “It’s just a greeting. Don’t fall. She’s a distraction. A–a baddie trap. You’ve trained for this. Breathe.”

  But then she scooted closer. Just a bit. Not enough to raise eyebrows, but enough to make his soul scream.

  “I was wondering…” she tilted her head, resting her chin on her palm. “Are you always this serious? Or do I just have that effect on you?”

  ERROR. SIGMA SYSTEM OVERLOADED.

  He coughed into his sleeve. “I–I’m just focused. Y’know. Success. Grindset. 4AM wake-ups. Cold showers. Uh...ice baths.”

  Ayame leaned in a little, raising a brow with a teasing smirk.

  “Mm~ So what you're saying is... you wake up thinking about me?”

  He froze. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

  “I–No–I mean–that’s not–well–technically I didn't say that but also–why are you like this?!”

  She giggled softly. “Because your reaction is cute.”

  He looked away so fast he almost snapped his neck. His ears were red. Bright red.

  “Stop,” he said. “You’re breaking my discipline.”

  “Aw~” she leaned back with a sweet look. “You mean you had discipline?”

  “Of course I did!” he snapped, flustered. “I was the sigma king yesterday!”

  “That was yesterday,” she said, poking his arm gently, “and today you're my adorable classmate who flinched when I said his name.”

  Renji was silent.

  Blushing. Melting. Dying.

  He finally gave up, collapsed onto his desk, and groaned, “I hate you.”

  Ayame tilted her head again and smiled with that kind of innocent mischief that could cause wars. “You’re smiling though.”

  “…shut up.”

  She poked his cheek. “Sigma boy got feelings~”

  He mumbled something into the table that sounded like, “Leave me alone, you pretty menace.”

  And that was the day Ayame became the one girl who could turn the most dramatic boy in class into a puddle of emotions with just a grin.