Raise Love-7-He's like wildfire

Aria lifted her eyes to look at him, quietly holding the glass of sparkling drink and watching the people play games on the other side, occasionally taking small sips.

Like a little kitten.

Ryder sneered, opened a new can of beer, and shifted his gaze back to his phone.

Maya Brooks wasn't the type to stay still for long. After sitting for a while, she couldn't help herself, downed a cocktail, and without hesitation, pulled Aria into the game as well.

Finn Alvarez and a few others were deeply engrossed in a game of Werewolf, their cheers and noise continuous. Seeing the two approaching, they immediately made room for them.

"Maya, come join us."

"Maya hasn't been introduced yet. Is this beautiful girl also from our school?"

It was Finn Alvarez's turn. He casually spun his phone and said with a nonchalant smile, "She just enrolled today, she's quite young. You guys, don't scare her off."

"Oh, so she really is a junior?"

Aria started school late, making her younger than them. Even with a year of repeating, she was the same age as the current freshmen, which meant she was a year or two younger than them.

Everyone was very friendly, exuding warmth. Aria smiled gently and greeted them, "Hello."

"Alright, what's the junior's name?"

"Leave some contact info. If you run into any trouble at school, come find us at the student council. We seniors can help you out."

Someone said with a smile, "If we really can't solve it, just find Ryderoo. He's the student council president, he's got a lot of authority. Right, Ryderoo?"

At the mention of Ryder, the group teased and laughed again.

He was popular wherever he went.

Ryder just glanced at them indifferently, not bothering to respond.

"Ryderoo's not available, you can also find Finn..."

Everyone likes beautiful girls, especially someone like Aria who looks good and seems very well-behaved. The group of guys laughed and asked Aria for her QR code, saying they wanted to add her on Instagram.

Aria paused imperceptibly for a couple of seconds.

The thought that had vaguely surfaced in her mind after returning to the dormitory from the anime base in the afternoon suddenly stirred. She swallowed the words she had been about to refuse.

...These people are all his friends.

She glanced at the person leaning against the sofa, drinking without paying attention to this side, and that thought became even stronger, like a sudden fire that met the grass, spreading rapidly.

She had already come this far, standing in front of him.

At least... she had to try.

She had liked him for so many years, striving to climb up and become better. She knew she didn't have a bright and gorgeous appearance, she wasn't the kind of person he could see in his eyes.

She knew it, she knew it all.

But knowing was useless.

Knowing was sad, knowing was enduring, knowing was letting go.

She just liked him.

At this moment, the vague bold thought that had supported her for a year became clear, like clouds parting to reveal the moon.

What did she want to do?

The anime base in the afternoon, her roommate's discussion, the chaotic dreams, his casual reminder... the mood that had been stuffy for the whole afternoon finally brightened up.

—She wanted to pick the moon.

She wanted to hold the moon in her arms, to be seen in Ryder's eyes.

Only in this way could she not regret so much.

He could see so many people, why couldn't he see her?

"Junior?"

"—Junior! What are you thinking about, junior?"

Aria suddenly came to her senses, lowered her eyes, and said with a hint of apology, "Sorry, I was a bit distracted just now."

She gently pressed the corner of her eye, dispelling that figure, pursed her lips and smiled, found her Instagram QR code, and handed her phone over flatly.

The crowd didn't mind, they laughed and scanned the QR code with their phones.

Finn Alvarez already had Aria's Instagram and didn't join in the fun. He folded his arms and leaned to one side, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Maya Brooks' face that was already a bit red: "Didn't you hear what your brother just said? Girls should drink less when they're out."

"None of your business," Maya Brooks glared at him.

Finn Alvarez snorted and said with a sense of righteousness, "How is it not my business? His sister is my sister, and in terms of seniority, you should call me 'brother.'"

"Of course, a brother should take care of his sister when she's out drinking."

Maya Brooks: "..."

"Hmm? Maya?" Finn Alvarez leaned in with a mischievous smile, lowering his voice, "Why don't you call me 'brother' and see how it sounds?"

"Maya your grandpa!!"

Maya Brooks expressionlessly threw her phone at him, "You dog! Get out of here!!"

Finn Alvarez dodged nimbly, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Maya Brooks was so angry that she gritted her teeth. After throwing the phone, she felt it wasn't enough to hurt the guy, so she picked up other objects on the table and threw them one by one.

She threw them while gritting her teeth.

"Finn Alvarez, do you want to die? Remember this, I'm your father!"

"What father, you should call me 'brother'—" Finn Alvarez caught it smoothly and teased her like a child.

"Get out—!"

These two are the student council's jokers. They always bicker when they see each other, and everyone is used to it. They just ignored it, teased them a bit, and then went up to mediate.

After a while of fussing, they continued to play. Suddenly, someone looked towards the corner and called out to Ryder.

"Ryderoo! Come join us in the game. What's the point of sitting there drinking by yourself?"

"Yeah, yeah, Ryderoo, come play with us!"

Everyone turned to look.

Aria, using the action of drinking, also looked over, with a hint of anticipation in her heart.

Ryder played with the can, glanced over twice, finished the beer in a few gulps, threw it on the table, smiled, and slowly got up.

Maya Brooks murmured to herself, "Damn, the sun is rising from the west."

Finn Alvarez: "Tsk."

Ryder rarely participated in their games.

Usually, they would just play and make noise on their own, and when they called Ryder, he would just pass by. No one expected him to actually come over, and the atmosphere suddenly became even more lively.

Lila Torres didn't expect it either.

She stared blankly at the still indifferent guy.

She paused, then looked at Aria.

A woman's sixth sense made her instinctively feel hostile.

But Aria's indifferent and quiet demeanor made it impossible to discern anything.

In the end, she could only frown and look away, making room for him before anyone else noticed, and waved with a smile, "Brother Si, over here!"

Ryder paused, then walked over.

"How do we play?" His low voice was a bit hoarse, like the pleasing sound of a cello, yet casual, causing a slight itch in the ear.

Aria casually glanced at him.

He lowered his eyelids and lazily hooked the glass bottle on the table.

"The usual rules, truth or dare. If you lose, you answer a question, or if you can't, you punish yourself with three drinks. How about that?"

"Let's play." Ryder lifted his chin, hooked a stool over with his foot, sat down in front of the coffee table, and casually propped his elbow on the surface.

Just as they were about to start, he suddenly lifted his eyelids, his gaze circling around the coffee table, not finding what he wanted, and finally looked slowly at Finn Alvarez.

"..."

Finn Alvarez cursed under his breath, feeling both annoyed and amused, and said irritably, "Cigarettes or alcohol?"

Ryder pressed his tongue against his cheek: "Candy."

"..." Finn Alvarez really wanted to scold him. The guy had princess syndrome, with one annoying habit after another. Who comes to this place looking for candy?

He stood up to leave.

At that moment, Aria suddenly called out to him, "Don't go, I have some."

That was convenient. Upon hearing this, Finn Alvarez raised his eyebrows, stopped in his tracks, folded his arms, and slowly returned to sit in front of the coffee table.

Aria opened her small bag that she always carried with her, rummaged through it, grabbed a handful of candy, and directly offered it to Ryder with her palm open.

"Which one do you want to eat?" she asked.