"…Looks like my problems aren't over yet."
The moment I saw her, my body instinctively tensed.
Those cold eyes…
She was definitely looking at us.
Or more specifically—
At Meera.
"Did you say something?" Meera asked, tilting her head slightly.
"…No, it's nothing," I replied quickly.
I didn't want to drag her into whatever this was.
But it was already too late.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the corridor.
Slow.
Calm.
But each step felt heavy.
And then—
She stopped right in front of us.
The cold-eyed girl.
Up close, her presence felt even more intense.
Her gaze shifted from me to Meera.
"Move."
Her voice was quiet.
But it carried authority.
Meera blinked in surprise.
"Eh?"
"I said, move," she repeated, her tone slightly sharper this time.
For a moment, the air between them felt… tense.
I quickly stepped in.
"H-Hey, there's no need for that—"
"Stay out of this," she said without even looking at me.
Ouch.
That hurt.
"Um…" Meera looked a bit unsure, but she didn't move.
Instead, she spoke softly.
"We were just talking. Is there a problem?"
Silence.
A few students nearby had already started watching.
Great.
Not again.
The cold girl's eyes narrowed slightly.
"There is," she said.
"And it's him."
She pointed at me.
I froze.
"Me?"
"Don't act surprised," she said coldly. "You have a habit of causing trouble, don't you?"
"That was a misunderstanding!" I protested.
"Twice in one day?" she raised an eyebrow.
"…Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds bad."
Meera let out a small laugh.
Wrong timing.
Very wrong timing.
The cold girl's gaze immediately shifted to her.
"And you find that funny?"
The atmosphere dropped instantly.
"No, I didn't mean—" Meera quickly shook her head.
"Then don't laugh," she said.
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it was enough to make the surrounding students go completely silent.
I clenched my fist.
"Hey, that's enough," I said, stepping forward.
This time—
She looked at me.
Directly.
"And what are you going to do about it?" she asked.
There was a challenge in her eyes.
A dangerous one.
"I…" I hesitated.
Damn it.
Why was she so intimidating?
Before things could escalate further—
"It's okay."
Meera gently touched my arm.
I froze.
"It's really fine," she said softly.
Then she looked at the cold girl.
"We'll leave."
For a moment, I wanted to argue.
But something in her expression stopped me.
"…Fine," I sighed.
We turned around and started walking away.
But just as we passed her—
"Be careful."
I stopped.
That voice again.
I turned slightly.
She was still standing there.
Watching us.
"Not everyone in this college is as simple as they look," she said.
Her eyes lingered on Meera for a second longer.
Then she walked away.
Just like that.
Silence filled the corridor again.
"…That was scary," I muttered.
Meera gave a small smile.
"Yeah… a little."
"A little?" I looked at her. "She almost killed me with her eyes."
This time, Meera laughed properly.
And somehow…
That eased the tension.
But deep inside—
I couldn't ignore what just happened.
That wasn't normal.
Not at all.
And for some reason…
I had a feeling this was just the beginning.
Of something much bigger.