They said that in this world, women were the most complicated creatures. People claimed that their minds were filled with countless thoughts, yet the things they spoke often strayed in a completely different direction. Because of that belief, Zildan had always kept his distance from them. He never wished to involve himself with what he saw as unnecessary trouble, especially when it came to the girl standing in front of him now.
Syrena Marvelle.
"Zildan Vale, I like you!" Syrena confessed with a smile on her face. Her bright eyes stayed fixed on Zildan alone, ignoring every other curious gaze that gathered around them. It was clear she had no shame, no hesitation, just simple honesty in every word she said.
Hearing such an unexpected confession escape her lips, Zildan frowned, his expression tightening in displeasure. It was obvious that he did not appreciate what he heard. Without giving her even a hint of consideration, he turned around, fully prepared to walk away and let her words fall to the ground.
But Syrena was never the type to let things slip by so easily. Before he could take a single step forward, her hand shot out and grabbed his arm, stopping him abruptly.
"Hey, you haven't answered me yet." She said with a confused tone.
"No." Zildan shortly responded. He brushed away her hand that was pulling his arm, clearly uninterested in any further interaction.
"Huh, why?" Hearing his rejection, Syrena tilted her head, her confusion deepening. She looked genuinely puzzled, as if the idea of someone rejecting her simply did not make sense to her heart.
Indeed, Syrena was in disbelief. She never imagined that her very first confession would be met with such coldness. She had not even prepared herself for the sting of rejection, yet here she was, holding it in her hands.
"Do I need to have a reason for saying no?" Zildan asked, annoyed at her pestering. Without waiting for her replies, he hurriedly walked away. This time, he managed to leave because Syrena stood frozen in place, still caught in a trance.
She truly got rejected.
Even after Zildan disappeared from sight, Syrena remained standing in the middle of the school corridor where students were passing by. Only then did she become aware of the eyes surrounding her. Some students were snickering, amused at her bold confession failing so publicly, while others tried to comfort her, saying that Zildan was not good enough for her.
No matter how kind or mocking the comments were, one thing was certain. News of this incident would spread across the school before the day ended.
Syrena lifted her head slowly. The confusion from earlier faded away, replaced by her usual calmness. With a soft smile, she thanked the students who tried to comfort her before walking away with steady steps.
Everyone assumed that Syrena would fall into heartbreak after being rejected by Zildan Vale, the head of the student council. However, all of them were wrong. Syrena did not even let the rejection graze her heart. She simply moved on as if the moment meant nothing.
"You confessed to Zildan Vale?" Syrena raised her head from her book the moment she heard that familiar voice. When she looked up, she saw her three close friends coming in through her bedroom door, each wearing a look of dissatisfaction and clear concern.
"The news has spread?" Syrena asked back as she gently closed her book. She placed it on the coffee table and relaxed her posture, sinking lightly into the couch.
"Obviously!" Ayra exclaimed in anger. Her face reddened as she repeated the things she had heard, "Everyone is talking about you, Syr! They said you were so shameless to confess to Vale and you deserved to be rejected."
Syrena rolled her eyes. She could not understand why Ayra seemed even more furious than she was. Before she could speak to calm her down, Zayyan jumped in.
"That is not what we should talk about, Ayra. Why should we care about what those peasants think? We shall talk about why would you even like that guy, Syr?" Zayyan pulled Ayra down beside him while he stared at Syrena across the room. Beside her, Hayyan quietly took a seat. His expression remained calm, untouched by the outburst of his twin and Ayra.
"That's right. What do you even see in him?" Ayra snapped back to herself and quickly agreed with Zayyan, her focus shifting to Syrena as she waited for an explanation.
Frowning lightly, Syrena grumbled. "What? Is it wrong for me to like him?"
"Yes!" Both Zayyan and Ayra answered together without hesitation.
Still unhappy with their answer, Syrena turned toward Hayyan, silently asking for his opinion. Was she really so wrong for liking Zildan Vale?
Noticing her gaze, Hayyan simply shrugged his shoulders.
"It's not wrong but we are just curious. You never talk about him all this time and you suddenly confess to him. Have you had feelings for him for years?" Unlike the other two who asked with frustration, Hayyan spoke gently. He tried to understand her rather than judge her. It was natural, since among the four of them, Syrena and Hayyan were the closest.
Syrena shook her head, then paused as if reconsidering her own thoughts. Rubbing her forehead, she offered a sheepish smile.
"I just saw him in the corridor and he looks so handsome so I confess." Her answer was so sudden and straightforward that it stunned her friends completely.
Zayyan shot up from his seat, shocked. He pointed a finger at her and exclaimed, "Are you saying that you confess to him just because of his handsome look?"
"No, Zay. You are asking the wrong question!" Ayra looked at him and shook her head firmly. Then she turned back to Syrena, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"Are you saying that you confessed to him out of mere admiration and not because you truly fell in love with him?" Her voice trembled with the kind of danger that suggested she might leap over the table if Syrena dared to confirm it.
But Syrena never feared her friends. She did not even blink as she nodded without shame.
"Of course. Do you guys think I've always liked him or something?" Syrena replied with a small laugh, thinking they were overreacting for nothing. Yet the three of them shared a look before answering in unison.
"Yes!"
They really believed that Syrena had harbored feelings for Zildan for a long time and had finally gathered the courage to confess. Ayra was even slightly hurt that she had not known her best friend might have had a secret crush.
Seeing their dumbfounded look, Syrena burst into laughter, the sound light and bright as it echoed through the room. She shook her head in disbelief, her shoulders trembling from laughing too hard. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, slipping down her cheeks as she tried to catch her breath.
"I didn't even know his name before this and you guys think I've liked him for so long?" She couldn't believe her friends actually imagined she would hide a crush from them, not when she had always been open about everything else in her life.
With a small sigh, Syrena brushed away the loose strands of hair that had fallen over her face and leaned comfortably against the soft couch cushions, letting her body sink deeper into them.
"I didn't have someone I liked before. But I do now." Syrena looked at her friends with a charming smile, one that showed she had fully embraced her own whimsical decision.
"Zildan Vale." She uttered his name slowly, almost tenderly, as if she was carving the sound of it into her thoughts, making sure it stayed there.
"Shall we befriend him?" She asked softly, her voice warm as she shifted her gaze toward the clear sky outside the window, the sunlight brushing against her features.
It was nothing more than a simple decision born from a spark of mischievous curiosity, a small impulse that tugged at her heart in that brief moment.