Grinder Seems to Be Trying to Win Me Over

"I feel like... Kenma is trying to win me over," Mingcheng said hesitantly.

"Huh, Kozume?" her best friend, Yuejie Seo, asked. "What makes you say that?"

"He brings me milk every morning, offers to take notes for me, and out of nowhere gave me homemade heart-shaped chocolates. Most importantly, I accidentally heard him muttering to himself, [Why hasn't Mingcheng [Meichou]'s affection level gone up yet?]"

After counting them off on her fingers, Mingcheng said gravely, "Does he have a crush on me?"

Yuejie Seo waved a hand. "Oh, Mingcheng, you still can't read the room."

"Kozume is your neighbor, after all. He brings you milk because he thinks you're a little too short to work as a model. He takes extra notes to build up good karma. And, "

Yuejie pulled out her phone to show off the latest game. "The 'Meichou' he mentioned is the heroine of this conquest game. Oh, I also made too much homemade chocolate in cooking class. Want some?"

Mingcheng: ...

Mingcheng nodded, convinced. "No. It looks disgusting."

Nearby, the catlike Kenma Kozume peeked out: …

*

Kenma Kozume silently pulled his head back and entered item number twenty in his phone's notes:

[Using my signature chocolate to show my feelings: failed]

[Conquest progress]: At a standstill

(Note: She's still closer to Kuroo than she is to me. I don't feel like setting the ball for Kuroo today, either.)

[Lesson learned]: Before trying to win over the boss, get rid of the scheming adviser at their side.

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[Childhood friends' awkward little romantic battle of wits ()]

(Blurb posted December 5, 2024)

Theme: Love is hard to hide.