He's really handsome too

As the school day came to an end, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the campus.

Students streamed out of the classrooms, heading towards their respective homes.

Akira, having washed the bento earlier in the cafeteria, found himself on the familiar path home, unintentionally trailing behind Saki.

In the gentle twilight, Saki walked briskly, unaware of Akira's presence behind her.

The shared route seemed to be more than a mere coincidence, and the rhythmic click of footsteps echoed in the quieting surroundings.

Not long after, the peaceful atmosphere shattered as three scrawny-looking thugs intercepted Saki.

Leering grins adorned their faces as they attempted to engage her in conversation.

"Hey, sweetheart, you're looking fine." 

"Yeah, real fine. What's your name, beautiful?" 

Saki, with a timid defiance, stammered, "I-I'm not interested. Please leave me alone."

"Oh, come on! Don't be like that. We just want to get to know you better."

"Yeah, you know we're just trying to be friendly."

"Maybe she needs some convincing."

The thugs, undeterred, continued their unwelcome advances, their intentions growing more menacing by the moment.

'What the hell!, I just got rid of a scumbag yesterday and now more are coming'

Akira, sensing the escalating tension, couldn't stand idly by. He immediately went beside Saki as fast as possible and hugged her sideways. "Saki-chan!! I thought you would not come. I missed you".

"Eh!?... Akira-kun?" She turned her head to see Akira's face, she was stunned because the guy whose hugging her was the handsome classmate who saved her the day before and her face revealed a healthy blush.

The thugs were dumbfounded when they saw the handsome man hugging their prey.

"Who the fuck are you?" one of the thugs asked in an irritated tone.

"Oh hello guys, I'm Akira, Saki's boyfriend, right Saki?" he said nonchalantly with a smile while releasing some killing intent towards the thugs.

"Hnn." Saki just nodded meekly.

But the thugs were terrified, the guy was smiling beautifully but they could feel the sinister aura he's emitting, the aura of a man that already killed hundreds or maybe thousands of people.

Saki didn't know what to do, she was blushing madly and her heart was beating wildly after Akira said that he was her boyfriend.

one of the thugs, a hint of fear creeping into his voice, muttered, "This ain't right, guys. Something's off about this dude."

Even though they had a number advantage, they felt it wouldn't make much of difference facing this enigmatic figure before them.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, they exchanged uneasy glances.

"Ah! We're sorry for disturbing you." Fear etched across their faces as they hastily retreated. 

After a few minutes.

"Umm... How long do you plan to hug me?" Saki asked shyly while blushing.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" He said. 

"It's alright, thank you for saving me, again" She said in a meek tone.

"We should really stop meeting like this" he chuckled in amusement, trying to lighten the mood.

Saki, a hint of playfulness in her eyes, pouted in mock irritation. "Yeah, I'm starting to think trouble follows me."

Akira grinned, appreciating the levity she injected into the moment. "Well, maybe trouble just needs to learn when to stay away."

"Hey Saki-chan, how about I escort you home" Akira smiled at her.

Saki looked at him and her heart starts to beat louder. 'Why am I feeling this...' she thought

"Un." she nodded.

"Alright then, let's get going" 

.

.

.

The place where Saki lived wasn't that far off from my place it would seem.

After dropping her at her house.

"Thank you, Akira" She kept her head down, her cheeks flaming red.

She barely dared to look into Akira's eyes "Um, would you like to come for a drink of water?"

"Sure." Akira replied instantly.

"huh?" Saki was taken aback.

she lifted her head, gazing blankly at Akira.

Her tiny cherry lips slightly parted, appearing quite adorable and stunned.

A breeze blew by.

Blowing her bangs on he forehead.

Akira saw her full face.

Even though he had seen it a few times, it still made his heart skip a beat.

Some people, they do nothing at all.

But by simply standing there, they are dazzling.

"What, was that a polite suggestion?" Akira pretended to be upset.

"No, no, come in please, Akira." Saki quickly opened the door.

Her heart was about to jump to her throat.

This was the first time she brought a boy home.

Luckily her parents weren't home, otherwise, she didn't know what she would do.

Saki's home was simple.

However, it was clean, providing a comfortable atmosphere.

As she went to the kitchen while he waited, he noticed some family photos on the wall.

But what drew his attention was a girl with her black hair divided into two neat braids, her blue eyes accentuated by the frames of her glasses. 

He felt something weird, like he saw that hairstyle and glasses before, not from his memories from this world, but from his original world.

'Don't tell me' 

As he was deep in thought, a hand came in front of him, blocking the photo of the girl out of sight.

"Uwah!... d-don't look" Saki voice came from beside him, she was blocking with a hand and holding a cup a water in the other.

"Huh? why tough ?" he asked, startled by her reaction.

"I d-don't want you to see... how plain and gloomy I was before" she murmured.

"That's not true!!" I exclaimed, which took her by surprise.

"You looked kinda cute back in middle school if I had to say" I continued

"C-cute ?" the young girl bit her lip, feeling a strange tingle in her heart.

"But I couldn't make a single friend" a tinge of sadness flashed in her eyes.

"Really? I thought you didn't like being disturbed and just focused on studying" he replied, scratching the back of his head.

"H-huh?" she was dumbfounded

"Hey Saki, you know... I noticed that you seemed nervous and on edge while staying with those girls. Like you are afraid of them discovering something, is this what it's about?" 

Saki's eyes widened in surprise that I noticed that.

"In middle school, despite your reservations, there were likely people who appreciated you for who you were. There were instances where classmates who genuinely liked you tried to include you, demonstrating that your authentic self had value."

"True friends are drawn to sincerity and genuine personalities. By being yourself, Saki is more likely to attract friends who appreciate her for who she is rather than for a superficial makeover."

Saki hesitated, her eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and doubt. Akira continued, "I get that high school is a chance for a fresh start, but don't forget the sincerity that drew people to you before."

Akira concluded with a reassuring smile, "You don't need to completely reinvent yourself to fit in. Embrace the parts of your old self that made you happy, and you'll find friends who appreciate you for the amazing person you've always been."

"D-do you really think so, Akira?". Saki absorbed Akira's words, contemplating the balance between her past and present.

'Now that I think about it, there were many classmates who approached me before and even invited me to hang out, but I was always afraid they would look down on me or reject me, I was a coward' Saki mused. 

"I know so." Akira replied confidently.

Saki looked at his confident demeanor and couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Well, your makeover did seem to work, though a bit too much.. haha". he added with a teasing grin before draining the cup in his hand.

"Stop teasing me Akira." she pouted in mock dissatisfaction.

"Oh yeah, let's exchange contact information so can stay in touch!" he suddenly said.

"O-okay" she replied shyly.

"You know, your reactions are so adorable that I can't help but tease" Akira couldn't help but say with a warm smile.

She didn't answer but her face became even redder.

Saki could feel the sincerity in Akira's heart.

'My heart is fluttering when he smile at me, and he's really handsome too'

'Am I.....

..

..

in love with him?'.

She shook her head.

Feeling embarrassed about her thoughts, she picked the empty cup from Akira's hand.

"Darling, we're home."

Saki's hand wavered, almost causing her to drop the cup she was holding.

she panicked immediately.

"Why are mom and dad home so early tonight? Where should I hide? No, where should Akira hide?"