"Tell me, do you have a favorite romantic scene from a book or manga?"

"A favorite scene?"

"Yeah... you said you like romance, you probably have a favorite romantic scene from stories you've read, right?" I asked.

"Well yeah...there are a few that come to mind..."

"Then describe one to me..."

"I'd rather show you."

He went to his bag and pulled out what looked like a manga book.

"I have a favorite scene from the latest volume of the romance manga I'm reading..."

"Go ahead and show it," I said, walking over to him. "I hope the scene doesn't involve kissing or anything dirty?"

"No, of course not... it's just a normal scene."

I looked at the cover of the volume and saw that it looked like the cover of a shojo manga.

"Oh, shoujo manga?"

"Yes..."

"Your favorite?"

"Yeah..."

He flipped through the pages and stopped at one of them.

"Here..."

It was a large panel showing a girl and a boy in a classroom lit by soft sunlight.

The girl was sitting on a desk, and the boy was standing in front of her, holding her hand. A light breeze blew through the open window behind the girl, ruffling her hair. As they looked into each other's eyes, the boy said, "You're beautiful."

I gave him a sideways glance.

Does he enjoy such clichéd scenes? How unexpected.

"You like that sort of thing?"

"Yes," he replied calmly, without a trace of embarrassment.

He really was a mystery. Sometimes he was embarrassed by little things, and other times he was so confident and calm.

"What do you think of this scene?" he asked.

"Hmmm... a little cheesy, but I like it. Let's play it!"

I immediately sat down on the table in front of him.

"Take my hand," I ordered, holding out my hand to him.

Putting down the manga he was holding, he slowly walked over to me and obediently took my hand in his.

There was a slight awkwardness in his movements, as if he was afraid to touch me.

His hand was quite soft, a little bigger than mine, and warm...

"Don't be too embarrassed, it's just a game, that's all."

"I know..."

Even though he said it, his grip on my hand was a little strange, there was no tenderness or love in it, just awkwardness.

Ah... he's such a virgin. I guess I'll have to take the initiative.

"You have to hold my hand properly, not like this…"

Gently and slowly, I turned his palm toward me, then deftly intertwined our fingers.

He didn't resist.

When I raised my eyes to him, I found that he was looking down...

"Look into my eyes," I commanded.

He looked up at me a little hesitantly, and I couldn't help but giggle.

For some reason, I couldn't stop giggling when he was around...

"Why are you laughing again?" he asked, a little embarrassed.

"It's just that when we first met you seemed so calm and indifferent for some reason, I didn't expect to see so many new sides to you. Turns out you really are a little awkward."

He paused for a moment.

"Well... I got to see a lot of sides of you too..."

"Really? Like what?"

"Like you're not as scary as you seemed at first."

"Pfft... What else?"

"You're funny..."

"Hahaha. Really?"

"Also, you're..."

"Yeah?"

"You're very... you're really... beautiful."

"What are you talking about? Taking the chance to hit on me? What a sneaky bastard."

"That's the line from the manga!"

"Oh yeah yeah...sure, like I believe you, hahaha."

He just scratched his head a little awkwardly and looked away.

I tilted my head slightly to look into his eyes, but he turned away even more.

"You're not good at making eye contact, are you?" I asked.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I can't look into your eyes right now."

"Then let's practice..."

"Practice?"

"Look into my eyes."

I moved closer and looked into his eyes.

Looking at him from such a close distance, I couldn't help but notice that his features were quite soft…

He had kind eyes and a cute nose...

"See? There's nothing wrong with looking into my eyes..." I said.

"It's just a little awkward..."

Despite his words, his gaze grew bolder with each passing second.

"Which part is awkward, exactly?"

"Looking into your eyes..."

"Why?"

"Because you..."

"Yeah?"

"Beautiful..."

"Are you repeating that manga character's line again? How corny."

"No... this time..." he paused. "This time it's my line."

"Oh really?" I asked, not taking my eyes off him.

"Yeah..."

"Then tell me... how beautiful I am?"

"Very beautiful..."

"Am I cute?"

"Yes..."

"Do I have pretty eyes?"

"Yes..."

"You're repeating yourself..."

"Because you keep asking the same thing..."

"Are you getting bolder?" I asked.

"Thanks to you..."

"See, it's not that hard..." I said. "It's just a game after all..."

"Right..." he said.

"Still, you're like a robot... You look tense."

"I guess I'm still a little embarrassed..."

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

"Probably a little..."

"Hold my hand normally..." I said. "Relax a little..."

He moved his hand, and one of his fingers brushed gently across the surface of my palm.

Noticing this, he immediately said, "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay..."

His touch was pleasant and soft...

For some reason, I felt a little embarrassed.

I could feel my face getting a little hot.

"Ok... I think that's enough practice for today..."

My hand slipped gently from his, and I turned away, unable to look at his face.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked a little anxiously, obviously noticing my sudden reaction.

"No..."

He walked over to me and tried to look at my face, but I looked away even more, trying to hide the redness of my cheeks.

It's like we switched roles...

I'd played romantic scenes before, but I'd never felt anything like this. All those scenes were always just acting for me, nothing more, nothing special. So why is my heart pounding so hard right now? Why does this moment seem so tender and special?

"I definitely did something wrong..." he said.

I remained silent.

"I'm sorry..."

"Stop apologizing. I just..." I was silent for a moment, sighing. "You were good..."

"Really?"

His voice sounded genuinely pleased.

"Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?" he added with a little doubt.

"No... you were good..." I said, still refusing to look at him. "Maybe even too good..."