Hearts under the same root

Chapter 2: Awkward Beginnings

The classroom chatter died instantly when Luna Hayashi strolled in late, her phone pressed to her ear. Spotting Kai Moriyama sitting quietly at the back, she paused. His eyes found hers. Great, she thought. How was she supposed to face him, her new husband in all but name, in her math lecture?

Before she could escape, Professor Ishida began calling roll. “Moriyama? Hayashi?” The entire class turned. A ripple of interest passed around as Luna turned in her seat to face Kai. They sat side by side now, only an empty desk between them. Luna’s lip curled in a smirk.

“Marry the nerd, huh?” someone whispered behind Luna.

She ignored the jeer. Instead, in a stage whisper, she addressed Kai. “Guess I’m stuck with you,” Luna said. Her voice was low, almost half-sincere.

Kai’s face warmed. He managed a quiet, “I’m sorry about this.”

“Sorry? For what?” Luna folded her arms atop her desk. Outwardly confident, Luna’s heart fluttered at the awkward vulnerability in his tone. “It’s not your fault.” Yet her voice bore a trace of bitterness she couldn’t hide.

The lecture trudged on. Numbers and formulas blurred into Kai’s focus—except for Luna. He found himself glancing at the curly-locked fringe brushing her forehead, at the gentle set of her shoulders when she laughed at something the girl next to her whispered. Luna was surprisingly easy to look at, and Kai’s chest tightened at how alive she seemed in class.

Afterward, Luna tried to slip out early, but Kai gently blocked her path in the narrow corridor. “Luna, wait,” he said softly.

She turned, frustration crossing her face like a storm cloud. “Look, I’m not into this, okay? Not into you. I—”

His quiet eyes held hers. “I know,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “This is all overwhelming. But… maybe we can… talk?”

Luna hesitated. No one had ever asked her that before. Her heart thudded, and she snapped the strap of her satchel tighter around her shoulder. “Fine. What about?”

“A cup of coffee? I promised to answer questions about our project.” Kai clutched a stack of college club flyers. The weekend had a mathematics club fair; she was unlikely to go but he needed a partner.

Luna’s annoyed scowl faltered a moment. Studying an equation together sounded almost normal. “Whatever,” she grumbled, turning and starting down the hall. After a few steps she glanced back. “But don’t expect any sugarcoating, Mr. Moriyama.”

Kai’s throat warmed with relief and something he caught himself calling hope.