My Adorable Little Rascal

7:00 PM.

Knock knock knock.

"Coming..." Skylar calls out as she rushes to the door.

But the moment it opens, her heart skips a beat.

Oh. My. God.

It's the first time she sees that annoying guy out of uniform. And for some annoyingly mysterious reason, Julian looks—irritatingly handsome tonight. She bites her lip, trying to keep a straight face, but her cheeks are already blazing red.

Julian frowns, leaning in a little: "Hm?"

Skylar jumps back, instinctively covering her face.

"W-What are you doing?! Why are you leaning so close?! Are you nuts?!" she yells, her whole face flaring.

Julian narrows his eyes. His voice is low, calm, not angry: "Why is your face so red?"

He raises his hand and touches her forehead, his expression serious, like a doctor diagnosing a patient.

"You're not running a fever. So why the redness?" he mutters, analyzing the situation like a math puzzle.

Skylar internally panics: AHHH! Why is he worried?! W-Why is he actually being NICE for once?!

"I-I'm fine! You don't need to worry!" she shouts, swatting his hand away.

Julian's face dims slightly: She saved me. How can I not worry?

Silence. The air gets weird. Both of them freeze—startled, confused.

Julian thinks: Is she... shy? I read somewhere online this might be a sign. But what kind of sign? He glances at her again, eyes lingering just a little longer.

And then, for no reason at all, his own cheeks begin to flush.

"W-Wait! Why is your face red now?!" Skylar stammers.

Just then, Sunny pokes her head out of the room, grinning like a fox: "Why are you two frozen at the door like that?"

A little voice in Sunny's head whispers: Something fishy's going on here. Hehe... Time to tease.

Leaning on the doorframe, her eyes sparkle: "Weird... It's not even hot tonight. And we've got the fan on. So why do you both look like overripe tomatoes, hmm...?"

"Ah! I-It's nothing!" Skylar blurts.

Julian just scratches the back of his head.

To break the awkward silence, Skylar forces a laugh: "A-Anyway, let's go solve that game… ha ha..."

Inside, she's screaming: WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING, SKY?! Since when do you act like this?!

Julian returns to his usual stoic face: "Okay."

He pauses, then asks: "By the way… did you two eat already?"

Sunny puts her hands on her hips: "Of course! You think I'd starve our little angel?"

Julian nods like a teacher checking attendance: "Good."

One and a half hours later...

After an hour and a half of intense struggle, the school's top two students are utterly defeated. Julian clenches his jaw, turns to Sunny, and speaks in a tone full of pride-swallowing agony:

"Help... me beat this game."

He avoids eye contact, as if saying: I didn't lose. I'm just being generous.

Skylar, meanwhile, is deep in thought:

If the person you love most suddenly disappears, how would you feel?

Sounds emotional. Probably a literature-style question. Needs introspection, proper reasoning...

But the answer choices are all weird:

"Laugh like a maniac"; "Lock myself in a room and go insane"; "Cry a little, then move on"...

Skylar frowns. None of these feel right.

"Um..." she mumbles.

Sunny watches them both suffer and bursts into laughter: These two are getting wrecked by a ROMANCE game?!

She leaps up, pulls a pen from her pocket like a wand, raises it skyward, and shouts: "By the powers of logic and love! Hand it over! Let me solve it!"

10 minutes later...

TING TING TING!

Congratulations! You've cleared the 20 hardest emotional questions in the game! You've earned 2,000 diamonds!

Julian and Skylar stare at each other, stunned.

So... it was a romance game.

Sunny collapses onto the floor, laughing her heart out: "HAHAHAHA! Look at your faces! S-So cute~"

"Oh my god! The school's top brains got wrecked! If I posted this online, it would explode!"

Skylar blushes furiously and pinches Sunny's cheek: "Quit laughing! We didn't know it was a romance game!"

Then, softer: "I don't know about you... but I know there's a gap in me... when it comes to emotions..."

Julian's gaze flickers. His fingers, resting on the keyboard, pause briefly.

Sunny pauses. She doesn't push. But inside, she wonders:

What has Skylar been through...?

Still, she cherishes this moment. Like Skylar is trying... to live.

She grins, jumps on the bed, swinging her legs: "Anyway! I knew it. You two are only good at logic."

Then she gets serious: "Be honest. Have either of you taken an EQ test before?"

"Never," they say in unison.

Sunny sighs: "Sigh... I got this app. Answer sincerely, okay?"

"Okay..." Skylar beams.

Julian just nods.

15 minutes later...

Sunny's eyes go wide.

Skylar Trinh's EQ: 21/100

Julian Jiang's EQ: 10/100

Her jaw drops. Then she explodes.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?! Are you guys emotionally disabled or something?!"

After the storm, she sighs again: "Fine... one last chance."

"Thank you," they say, bowing like monks.

Sunny narrows her eyes: "Now tell me honestly—how do you see other people?"

Skylar: warm, friendly gaze.

Julian: cold, distant stare.

Skylar tilts her head: "But this morning... you were kind of sweet, weren't you?"

Julian shrugs: "Depends on the moment."

"Oh... So you only borrow seats when the moment is right?"

Julian turns to face her fully. Or more precisely, tries to look into her soul. But it's harder than he thought. He smiles softly: "Depends... on who's sitting in front of me."

Skylar freezes. For just a second, she catches something deep in his eyes. A flicker of guilt? Of something unspoken?

Did... he just smile? At me?

She tilts her head cutely, but her words are savage: "Don't smile. You look bad. Stop."

Julian freezes. He lowers his gaze and mutters: "That was my first real smile... and it got roasted. Harsh."

Sunny almost chokes: "MY ANGEL IS SO CRUEL!!!"

Skylar blinks, confused: Huh? I was being honest. Why is Hoan Hoan staring at Julian like that?

Sunny clears her throat: "Okay, how do you two see me then?"

Skylar: loving, friendly.

Julian: neutral. No longer cold.

Sunny raises an eyebrow: "Same eyes, totally different reactions. Huh."

She whips out two test sheets: "Here. National-level math. Solve it."

Skylar: handles it like gold.

Julian: careful, respectful.

5 minutes later...

Sunny screams: "THAT'S IT!!!"

They both flinch.

"How can you look at a TEST more lovingly than a PERSON?! EXCUSE ME?!"

Julian calmly raises a hand: "Respecting the test shows we take it seriously."

Sunny: "IT'S A PIECE OF PAPER!"

Julian: "People change. Tests don't."

Sunny: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Do you have negative EQ or what?!"

One final sigh. She raises her phone: "Alright. Final test. Measuring your emotional connection to exams. Be serious."

Skylar mumbles: "This better be real..."

Somehow, even though she speaks under her breath, Sunny hears it.

She glares: "You doubting me?"

Skylar sweats: "N-No way..."