Chapter 15
"Come here, Lerah! You hurt yourself again—just stop running around!" Nehan's voice carried clear worry as he hurried toward her.
"B-but I also want to make friends… y-you know…" Lerah said, her voice breaking slightly as tears gathered.
"You already have me, right? But fine… you can make more friends too." His tone softened, gentle and calm.
"But still… I want to be friends with girls too," she added, still upset.
"No, you don't!" Nehan said quickly, concern sharpening his voice. "You don't need to be friends with people who don't respect you. Just ignore them—then they'll start valuing you."
"Y-you are right…" Lerah said, her expression slowly easing as she returned to her usual light mood.
"Good girl," Nehan said without thinking.
"Good girl?" Lerah tilted her head in confusion.
"I—I didn't mean it like that!" Nehan immediately looked away, his face warming as he tried to correct himself.
"Huh? Fine, then I'll go now. I'm getting late for class," Lerah said, brushing it off.
"Okay… bye for now," he replied casually.
"Goodbye!" she said with a small smile before turning and walking away.
"Lerah… Lerah!"
Mimi's voice pulled her out of the moment again and again.
"What?" Lerah suddenly snapped awake, startled.
"What were you dreaming about, girl? I called you like five times and you didn't even respond. It must've been a good dream, huh?" Mimi teased with a mischievous grin.
"You're right… I was dreaming about something from my childhood," Lerah admitted, still slightly lost in thought.
"Ooooh~ what is this? Your childhood crush or something?" Mimi leaned closer, instantly curious.
"Hm… you're actually good at guessing these things, aren't you?" Lerah said with a faint smirk.
"Just leave that! Tell me who it is already! Oh my god, I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it—hurry up!" Mimi insisted, practically vibrating with curiosity.
"Fine, fine… but calm down first," Lerah replied with a teasing tone.
"Okay, okay! Just tell me!"
"It's… Nehan Senoria."
Silence fell between them.
"W-what? N-no way… don't joke like that. Tell me the truth," Mimi stammered, stunned.
"It's not a joke," Lerah said softly. "I had a crush on him… and I think he might've felt the same back then too."
"Oh… I see…" Mimi blinked, processing it.
"You're not shocked anymore?" Lerah asked.
"At this point, nothing about you surprises me," Mimi said with a complicated look. "But… how can you be in love with your enemy?"
"I know," Lerah said quietly. "But I fell for him when he was my best friend. And now… I can't just undo that."
Mimi's expression softened slightly. "So that's why you were so calm during your interaction with him… you were sure he wouldn't hurt you?"
"No," Lerah replied gently. "I just believed my childhood best friend would never hurt me."
Mimi gave a small, uneasy smile. "Sounds like you're the heroine of a romance fantasy."
"Okay, okay… now tell me how your story actually started!" Mimi said, excitement returning.
"It started when I was in 5th grade," Lerah began.
"I had hurt my ankle again—like always—and I was taken to the dispensary. Nehan was there helping the doctor, taking care of patients."
Mimi listened silently, not interrupting even once.
"I don't know why… but I started liking him there," Lerah continued softly. "He came to me, applied the ointment, and encouraged me. He was kind…"
"We slowly started talking… and became friends. And then… we both ended up liking each other."
Mimi's eyes widened. "Wait—he also had a crush on you? No wayyy…"
End of Chapter 15