The night deepened, and their tea circle turned into a cozy mess of giggles, warm steam, and stolen marshmallows. Bo was narrating some exaggerated story about how he once tamed a mountain lion—"It looked into my eyes and bowed, like this!"—while Rei Han rolled his eyes for the fiftieth time.
Meiqi wrapped herself in her blanket like a cocoon. "No one take my fluff. I'm guarding it with my soul!"
Just then, Xie Luan tossed an extra blanket toward Jin. "Here, you looked cold—" but the throw was too strong.
The blanket smacked Jin right in the face, making him lose balance—he tumbled backward… dragging Yooha down with him!
They both crashed into the grass, tangled in the blanket, faces inches apart.
Everything froze.
Bo dropped his tea. Meiqi squeaked. Rei Han gasped softly. Even Xie Luan's eyes widened.
Yooha blinked up at Jin, cheeks warming with the softest pink hue. Jin's heart skipped. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to—"
Yooha, in rare flustered mode, turned her face slightly. "It's… fine. Just… don't breathe so close."
The tension broke when Bo yelled, "THEY'RE HAVING A MOMENT!"
Meiqi dramatically fainted onto Rei Han. "IT'S HAPPENING! IT'S HAPPENING!"
Xie Luan smirked. "First to fall… not in battle, but in blankets."
Jin quickly helped Yooha up, both of them avoiding eye contact. But when their hands brushed again—neither pulled away.
The night ended with laughter echoing through the academy gardens.
But something had definitely changed in the air between Jin and Yooha
To be continue....