Chapter4:Hearts Entangled in Moonlight.

Gabu's Diary Entry:

Today was a disaster. No, scratch that—it was the disaster. The kind that only happens when fate decides to turn your life into a bad comedy. How do I even begin to put it into words? My head's still spinning, my heart's still racing, and my pride? Long gone.

It started as a perfectly normal day. I survived school without any major incidents, managed to avoid Rei for the most part (okay, not really, but I tried), and even had a decent lunch. For a moment, I dared to think that maybe, just maybe, the universe was cutting me some slack. Ha. What a joke.

The walk home was supposed to be peaceful, uneventful even. The sun was setting, casting this warm, golden glow over everything, and I thought, "Wow, this is kind of nice." Then I saw her.

Rei.

She was standing outside the convenience store, laughing with her friends. Her voice carried across the street, light and melodic, like she didn't have a care in the world. My chest tightened instantly. Of course she looked perfect, leaning casually against the wall, her hair catching the fading sunlight like she was the star of some romantic drama.

"Don't look," I told myself. "Don't think. Just walk."

And I tried—I really did. But my eyes betrayed me, sneaking glances at her as I walked by, my heart doing its usual erratic dance. I thought I was safe. I thought I could just pass by unnoticed.

That's when my bag strap decided to snap.

I didn't even have time to react. One second, I was walking calmly, and the next, all my belongings were scattered across the sidewalk. Books, pens, my wallet, an empty water bottle, and worst of all… my diary.

Yes, that diary. The one that Rei had already gotten her hands on once. The one filled with my most private thoughts and embarrassing dreams. The one that I'd rather set on fire than let her see again.

Panic set in immediately. I dropped to my knees, frantically gathering my things, praying no one had noticed. But, of course, the universe wasn't done with me yet.

"Hey, need a hand?"

My blood ran cold.

I looked up, and there she was. Rei. Standing over me, holding my diary like it was some kind of priceless treasure. Her expression was unreadable, but the slight tilt of her lips told me she was enjoying this far more than she should.

"This looks familiar," she said, flipping the diary open casually, as if she had every right to invade my privacy.

"Don't you dare!" I shouted, lunging forward with more desperation than dignity. But in my haste, I tripped—yes, tripped—over my own foot. The next thing I knew, I was face-first on the pavement, groaning in both pain and humiliation.

Rei burst out laughing. Not a polite chuckle, not a restrained giggle—full-blown, can't-breathe laughter.

"Are you okay?" she managed to ask between fits of giggles, holding out a hand to help me up.

I wanted to yell at her, to tell her to stop laughing and give me my diary back. But my body refused to cooperate. My cheeks were burning, my hands were shaking, and my brain was too busy screaming to form coherent words.

Eventually, I accepted her hand, the warmth of her touch sending an unwelcome jolt through me. My pride was already shattered, so what was one more blow?

"Relax," she said, handing the diary back to me with a smirk that made my stomach flip. "I didn't read anything… this time."

"This time?" I echoed, clutching the diary to my chest like it was the only thing keeping me alive.

Rei shrugged, her smirk widening. "What can I say? You make it hard to resist."

"Why are you always like this?" I snapped, my voice shaky and uneven.

"Like what?" she asked, tilting her head with an innocent expression that I didn't buy for a second.

"Annoying!" I blurted out, instantly regretting it as the word left my mouth.

Rei didn't seem offended. In fact, she laughed even harder, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "You're cute when you're mad," she said, her tone so casual it felt like she was stating a fact.

Cue my brain shutting down completely.

I stood there, frozen, while Rei gave me one last teasing smile before turning to rejoin her friends. I barely made it home after that, my thoughts a chaotic mess of humiliation, confusion, and… something else I didn't want to acknowledge.

But just when I thought the day couldn't get any worse, I discovered the final twist: the notebook.

It wasn't mine. In my rush to grab my things, I had accidentally taken Rei's notebook instead.

At first, I panicked, thinking it might be something important—like her homework or class notes. But when I flipped it open, I found something far more shocking.

Doodles.

Of me.

They were everywhere. Some were silly—little caricatures of me glaring at her, steam practically coming out of my ears. Others were… different. More detailed. One showed me sitting at my desk, staring out the window with this soft, wistful expression. Another captured me mid-laugh, my hair falling into my face.

My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it might burst. What did this mean? Was this Rei's way of teasing me? Or was it… something else?

I don't know. I don't want to know. All I know is that tomorrow, I have to face her again. And I have no idea how I'm going to survive it.

End of Diary !