[Girls' Dorm – Early Morning]
Ami quietly turns the doorknob and tiptoes into the dorm room like a ninja on a mission. The sun barely peeks through the curtains.
"You're back."
Ami jumps like she's been caught stealing national secrets.
Soha's sitting on her bed---arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"Mind telling me why you were out all night? Or should I guess?"
"Option A: You were saving kittens.
Option B: You fell asleep in a hot senior's bed after a drinking party."
Ami groans, tossing a pillow over her face.
"I swear it's not what it looks like…"
Soha's eyes sparkle.
"So there is something to look at???"
Ami peeks from under the pillow, her voice a whisper.
"I woke up… in his bed."
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH---"
Soha tackles her, grabbing both shoulders like:
"DID YOU TOUCH?? DID YOU KISS?? DID YOU—YOU KNOW—EXCHANGE ENERGY???"
"WHAT!? No!! We just—fell asleep. That's it!"
Soha leans back, nodding like a detective.
"Hmm. So, Dio's bed is comfortable, huh?"
Ami throws a blanket at her.
"Shut. Up."
"Did he spoon you??"
"NO—"
"Big spoon or little spoon??"
"SOHA I WILL END YOU."
Soha flops dramatically on her bed.
"God, why is your life turning into a Webnovel fic and mine's still a documentary on loneliness?"
Ami sighs, cheeks flaming.
"It meant nothing. I'm not falling for him."
Soha stares at her, deadpan.
"Girl, you cuddled with him. You cried on him. You confessed in your sleep."
Ami hides under the blanket again.
Soha pulls it down and whispers softly:
"But seriously… are you okay?"
Ami nods slowly.
"Weirdly… yeah. Just don't want to feel too much, too fast."
Soha grins.
"Too late. Your heart already packed its bags and booked a Dio-trip."
Ami hurls a slipper at her this time.
[Next Morning – Breakfast Hall]
The dining hall buzzes with the chaos of sleepy students and clinking plates.
Ami walks in, hair slightly messy, face trying to be expressionless—but inside? Screaming.
She grabs a tray, avoids eye contact with everyone, especially him.
Soha catches up.
"Sooo… how's your back? Still sore from Dio's death grip?"
Ami glares.
"Soha, I swear to God--"
"You slept beside him," she sings softly, "you cuddled him… he called you puppy---"
"SHHHHH!"
Ami looks around, cheeks red.
Soha giggles into her juice.
"Relax, nobody knows." She pauses. "Except everyone who saw you two walk out together this morning looking like you just survived an apocalypse."
Ami groans.
From across the room, Dio sits with his friends. He notices her, gives a small smile.
Ami tries to act cool.
"Why is he so casual??"
"He's a guy," Soha shrugs. "They recover from emotional damage in 0.2 seconds."
Ami sits down. Her tray untouched.
Just then, Dio walks over holding a piece of toast in his mouth and a coffee in hand like it's a rom-com.
He sits next to her like it's the most normal thing in the world.
"Morning, my fav pillow" he says, sipping. "Sleep well, cuddles?"
Ami chokes on air.
"Don't. Call me. That."
Dio grins.
"You started it."
"No, your drunk ass started hugging me like a body pillow!"
"Hey," he says dramatically. "I thought you were my body pillow. It was dark. I was cold. You were warm. Don't blame me."
Ami turns away, muttering,
"This is the most embarrassing trip of my life."
Dio leans closer.
"You sure? It's just getting started."
[ Later that day, beach trip]
Soha squeals beside Ami.
"BEACHHHHH~! Finally something exciting."
Ami smiles, soaking it all in. She glances down at her swimsuit—fitted, stylish, not too revealing, but definitely better than the pink flower disaster her sister made her wear years ago.
"Finally wearing something that's not borrowed," she mumbles.
Just as she's setting down her towel, a voice cuts through:
"Whoa…"
She turns. Dio's standing there in an open short-sleeved shirt, board shorts low on his waist, hair slightly messy from the wind. He's staring. At her.
"You look…" He blinks once. Twice. "You look amazing."
Ami raises an eyebrow.
"What, expected me to show up in a nun outfit?"
Dio smirks.
"Kinda. You always dress like you're hiding from the FBI."
She crosses her arms.
"Well, not today."
Dio's eyes trail down and snap back up.
"Yeah. I noticed."
Meanwhile, Ami's eyes flick to his chest. Ripped. Just casually existing. In broad daylight.
Soha, standing nearby, bursts out laughing.
"You're drooling."
"I am NOT---!"
"Your mouth literally opened---girl---CLOSE IT---"
Dio walks closer, towel slung over his shoulder.
"What are you two whispering about?"
Ami: "World peace."
Soha: "Her checking you out."
Ami: "SOHA--!"
Dio laughs.
Later, while everyone's splashing around in the water, Ami finds a moment of quiet sitting near a rock formation. The waves brush her feet.
Dio sits beside her.
"Nice view," he says.
She glances at him.
"The sea or the chaos behind us?"
"Both," he shrugs. "But mostly this."
He lets the silence hang for a few seconds before speaking again.
"You're kind of a mystery, you know that?"
Ami raises an eyebrow.
"Mystery?"
"Yeah. Like… sometimes you speak like an adult who's been through hell and made it back alive. Then the next minute, you're arguing with Soha over ice cream flavors."
Ami chuckles softly, looking down at the sand between her toes.
"Maybe I'm just really good at confusing people."
Dio tilts his head, watching her.
"Or maybe you've got layers. Like an onion. Or a tragic anime backstory."
Ami smirks.
"Wow. Thanks for comparing me to an onion."
"Hey, onions are intense. They make people cry."
"So do I," she says with a sly grin.
Dio stares at her for a beat, caught off guard.
"See? That. That's exactly what I mean."
Ami sighs, the smile fading into something softer.
"People expect me to be simple. I'm not."
Dio doesn't press, doesn't pry. He just sits beside her, thoughtful.
"Well, for what it's worth... I don't think simple is ever interesting."
Ami looks at him, eyes glinting.
"Careful. Keep saying stuff like that and I might start liking you."
Dio blinks, surprised, then gives a low chuckle.
"I'll take my chances."
And then, Ami walks away, Dio watches her go---amused, a little thoughtful.
But not far behind, another pair of eyes are watching.
Alia stands at a distance, towel wrapped tight around her arms, expression unreadable.
She doesn't speak, but her thoughts are loud.
Her brows are slightly furrowed, her lips pressed in a thin line.
Wrapped in her expensive beach cover-up, she stands still---while groups of students laugh and run around her.
But her eyes? They're fixed. Calculating.
"Since when did Ami start glowing?"
"What's with this sudden confidence… this attention?"
She clenches her jaw lightly.
"This is not how things were supposed to go."
Her nails dig into her own palm.
"She was supposed to be a background character. Quiet. Pathetic. Mine to control."
A slow smile creeps across her face.
Cold. Sharp. Empty.
"Fine. You want to play the lead, Ami?"
"Let's see how long you last once I flip the script."
She turns and walks away, her gold anklet chiming softly with each step.
The waves crash behind her.
But the real storm?
Is just about to begin.