Hope!

Hugo stood awkwardly outside the bathroom, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, staring at the ceiling like it held all the answers to his miserable life choices.

His mind was a chaotic mess of frustration, hope, and utter disbelief.

"I can't believe I'm still standing here… Like some rejected side character in a cheap romance drama. She actually screamed. Who does that?!"

He dragged his hand down his face, groaning internally. 'And yet… here I am. Waiting for the same girl who just tried to blast my eardrums into the afterlife.'

The door finally creaked open. Hugo's eyes shot toward it, half-expecting another ambush scream.

But instead, Loli stepped out quietly, her usual confidence nowhere to be found.

She had a slight gleam of satisfaction on her face, like she'd just scored a personal victory, but Hugo didn't miss the most important detail—her eyes were a little red, just the tiniest bit puffy.