The Bombshell

It was another typical day in class. Kikidori and Ere'ana sat side by side, like always, the whole room filled with the usual noise of students scribbling notes and whispering to each other. Ere'ana was leaning back in her seat, her legs stretched out in front of her, while Kikidori tried to pay attention to the teacher at the front.

It wasn't exactly a quiet day, but that didn't stop Ere'ana from deciding that, for some reason, now was the time to drop the wildest bombshell she could think of.

"Kikidori, I think I like you," she said casually, as though she were discussing the weather.

Kikidori froze mid-sentence. His hand, which had been scribbling notes, stopped mid-air. He blinked several times, almost unable to process the words that had just left Ere'ana's lips. It felt like the whole classroom had gone silent, though he couldn't tell if that was just his own mind going blank in disbelief.

Ere'ana just kept looking at him, as if she hadn't just said something that would likely change their entire dynamic. She didn't care that the entire class had heard it, either. She wasn't fazed in the slightest.

Kikidori's face was *on fire.* He couldn't decide whether he wanted to curl up into a ball and die or just vanish from the planet entirely. His mind was racing, and every inch of his body felt like it was about to combust from the awkwardness. His heartbeat picked up, and he could feel his pulse pounding in his ears.

"Wait—what?" Kikidori stammered, his voice barely audible as he tried to recover from the shock. "Y-You *what?*"

Ere'ana blinked, her expression completely nonchalant. "Yeah, you heard me. I like you, Kiki. I've been thinking about it for a while now." She then glanced around the room as if the students around them were just as irrelevant as the dust on the floor. "Whatever. It's not a big deal."

Kikidori's face reddened even more, if that was even possible. He stared at her, wide-eyed, completely speechless. His mind was going a million miles an hour. *Why is she saying this now? Why in the middle of class?*

The room seemed to have gotten a lot quieter, though he could feel the weight of the awkwardness pressing down on him from every angle. Students were definitely whispering, and even the teacher had paused for a second, eyes darting between them, unsure if they should intervene.

Ere'ana, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed by the reaction. She was probably used to shocking people with her bluntness by now. "What, did you think I was just going to keep this all to myself forever?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, her tone still light and easy.

Kikidori's mind was in absolute turmoil. He couldn't think of anything to say—*at all*. His hands were clammy, and he felt like the temperature in the room had just spiked by a hundred degrees. *No way... No freaking way. Did she seriously just—*

He finally managed to croak out, "Why... why would you say that now?"

Ere'ana leaned back in her chair, her expression shifting slightly to something more mischievous. "Why not? You and I are practically attached at the hip. I know you don't want to hear it, but honestly, I just figured you should know." She flashed him a grin, the same grin she always wore when she was up to something.

Kikidori couldn't meet her gaze for a moment, his eyes fixed on the desk in front of him. His brain couldn't handle this. He was just her **best friend**, right? She *couldn't* be serious, could she? The thought of it sent a confusing rush of emotions through him.

"You—" Kikidori cleared his throat, his voice suddenly much louder than it had been a second ago. "You can't just say stuff like that, Ere'ana!" he hissed, though it came out more as a desperate plea than an actual objection. "We've been friends forever. What are you trying to do? Mess with me?"

Ere'ana shrugged nonchalantly, clearly enjoying how flustered he was getting. "I'm not messing with you, Kikidori. I'm just being honest. I think it's time you knew, don't you think?"

Kikidori groaned internally, sinking into his chair, his face burning hotter by the second. Everyone in the class could definitely hear them by now, and he could feel their eyes on him. Some were whispering, some were staring at them like they were watching a live soap opera.

He just couldn't deal with it. Not now, not like this. He wanted to scream, "This is so messed up!" but he couldn't bring himself to.

But Ere'ana? She looked completely unfazed by the situation. "Hey, at least I'm being honest. It's not like I'm asking you to do anything about it," she said, her voice almost too casual. "I just thought you should know."

Kikidori swallowed hard, his heart racing, still in disbelief. He glanced up at her for a second, then quickly looked away, trying to hide the red tint on his cheeks.

"Yeah, well… I'll, uh, think about it. *I guess*."

Ere'ana raised her eyebrows, still casual as ever. "Sure. Take your time. I'm not in a hurry."

As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Kikidori grabbed his bag in a hurry, desperately trying to escape before things could get any more awkward. Ere'ana stood up, stretching and looking completely unbothered by the whole ordeal.

"Later, Kiki," she said with a wink. "Let me know when you've figured it out."

Kikidori mumbled something incoherent as he rushed out of the room, his face still burning. *What the hell just happened?*