The school library was quiet.
Too quiet.
Only the soft sound of pages turning and a distant chair scraping across the floor.
Lucas sat near the back window, his notebook open, pen moving in clean, steady lines.
He wasn't trying to look serious.
He simply was.
A shadow fell across his desk.
Lucas stopped writing.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
She was standing there.
The same girl.
The one who had laughed.
The one who had said it out loud.
In front of everyone.
Her hands were tightly gripping the strap of her bag.
"…Lucas."
He waited.
She took a breath.
"Why… are you ignoring me?"
Lucas closed his notebook.
Gently.
Then he looked straight at her.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Just distant.
"Why does it matter to you?"
Her lips parted.
"I—"
"You never talked to me before," Lucas said quietly.
"You never even looked at me."
His voice was flat.
Calm.
"So tell me."
He paused.
"…why does it matter now?"
Her eyes trembled.
"That's not fair," she whispered.
"You don't know what I was thinking back then."
Lucas tilted his head slightly.
"And you didn't care what I was thinking either."
Silence.
A few students nearby had slowed their reading.
They were listening.
She stepped closer.
"…Do you still have feelings for me?"
The question was soft.
Almost fragile.
Lucas answered immediately.
"No."
The word was clean.
Sharp.
Final.
Her breath hitched.
"You changed," she said.
"You're different now. I just… maybe I was wrong."
Lucas stood up.
Pushed his chair in quietly.
"I didn't change so you could feel different."
He picked up his bag.
"I changed because I was tired of being small."
He turned toward her.
And his tone hardened.
Just a little.
"You didn't reject me."
Her eyes widened.
"You humiliated me."
Then he walked past her.
Rumors
They spread before the last bell even rang.
"She confessed to him in the library."
"He shut her down."
"Not even softly."
"Cold."
Some girls whispered in disbelief.
Some boys laughed.
Others looked at Lucas differently.
With caution.
With curiosity.
With envy.
By the end of the day, everyone knew.
Lucas Cole didn't bend anymore.
The Courtyard
During free period, Lucas crossed the open courtyard.
The system's perception was already active.
He didn't need to open anything.
It was part of him now.
Two girls near the benches glanced at him and whispered.
[Intent: Curiosity – Neutral]
A boy leaning near the basketball rack stared at him silently.
[Intent: Jealousy – Mild Ill Will]
Lucas walked past without reacting.
He wasn't interested in managing emotions that had nothing to do with him.
Then—
Someone passed beside him quietly.
No sudden pause.
No staring.
No hesitation.
He turned slightly.
Asha.
She was holding a thin file close to her chest.
When their eyes met, the system reacted softly.
[Intent: Goodwill – Genuine]
Lucas froze for less than a second.
Not because of surprise.
But because it felt… rare.
Not attraction.
Not curiosity.
Not admiration.
Just—
Goodwill.
Clean.
Undisturbed.
Study Room
Later that day, the small self-study room beside the science lab was almost empty.
Asha knocked gently on the open door.
"Um… you said yesterday I could ask you if I needed help."
Lucas looked up.
"Yes."
She walked in and sat across from him.
Carefully placed her notebook on the desk.
"This part… I can't understand why the second condition changes the answer."
Lucas leaned forward.
Explained slowly.
Line by line.
No shortcuts.
No showing off.
She followed every step.
Her brows tightened.
Then—
Her eyes widened.
"…Oh."
She smiled faintly.
"I get it now."
Lucas nodded.
"That condition changes the entire range."
She hesitated.
Then spoke softly.
"Can I ask something… not about studies?"
He didn't stop her.
"…About her."
Lucas already knew who she meant.
"You don't have to answer," Asha added quickly.
But Lucas spoke first.
"I don't hate her."
Asha lifted her eyes.
"I just don't go back to places where I learned how little I mattered."
The room fell silent.
Asha lowered her gaze.
"…That makes sense."
She didn't defend.
She didn't question.
She didn't try to soften his words.
She simply accepted them.
The system responded quietly.
[Intent – Asha Verma]
Goodwill: Stable
Lucas closed his notebook.
For the first time since returning to this life, he clearly understood something.
Popularity was loud.
Regret was noisy.
Jealousy was obvious.
But real goodwill…
It never tried to pull him closer.
It simply stayed.
And for Lucas—
That was enough.