"Xin," she whispered, her gaze fixed on his, and Xin t her eyes without flinching.
For so reason, he treated ilyn just as he always had before they were even dating — like soone he simply knew.
"How have you been?" Xin asked, the words slipping out almost automatically, driven by the familiarity of their past interactions.
"Uhm . . ." ilyn hesitated, her gaze shifting to the side as if unsure how to answer the question.
A classmate approached her with an air of excitent. "Guess what, Xin? ilyn and her boyfriend broke up, so she’s single again."
While Xin was surprised to hear the news, his classmates seed oblivious and proceeded to cheer and tease ilyn, and him as they had done in the past.
"ilyn is single again."
"Do I sll a second chance here?"
"They’re childhood sweethearts, so it’s only natural."
"You two should get together."
"Yeah. Obviously. Don’t let the five years go to waste!"
The teasing and laughter filled the air, but amid the commotion, Xin overheard whispers in the background.
"But isn’t Xin dating Seraphina Fey?"
"There’s even a video about it."
"I doubt it. No offense to Xin, but there’s no way Seraphina would like him."
"Besides, do you know how many videos are out there claiming that Seraphina Fey is their girlfriend?"
"Soone must have just made it up."
Despite the emotional turmoil, Xin blocked out the noise and focused on ilyn.
"Are you alright?" he asked, feeling compelled to offer her so semblance of support, if only for old tis’ sake.
ilyn sadly smiled. "I’m fine. It just didn’t work out in the end."
"Ahahaha! It’s because you love Xin no matter what, right?! Now that he’s here, those past feelings will surely resurface," one of Xin’s classmates interjected, fueling the teasing further.
As they pushed ilyn forward towards Xin, he instinctively reached out to steady her, his touch gentle as he held her shoulders to prevent her from stumbling.
The teasing grew more intense, and ilyn’s face flushed with embarrassnt.
Despite wanting to set the record straight, Xin felt that now wasn’t the appropriate ti or place for such a conversation.
Before he could interject, a booming voice cut through the chatter, drawing everyone’s attention to Rever, who appeared alongside Yuzuro.
Rever imdiately squeezed himself into the crowd, draping an arm over Xin’s shoulder with a wide grin. "You really did co. I thought you wouldn’t. We should really play Guildbane again."
"Hey, Rever, this is a reunion party. Stop talking about that ga," soone in the crowd admonished.
Rever turned to the speaker with a smirk. "Oh, you’re here too? Don’t you play Guildbane? Sucks to be you then."
"What?! I play that ga too. It’s just that we should be socializing at the reunion, not playing video gas here."
"Whatever."
"Xin, I’m glad you ca," Yuzuro added softly, her words barely audible over the commotion as everyone turned their attention back to Rever, berating him for his attitude.
As usual, Rever remained the life of the party, his exuberance filling the air with energy and excitent.
"Alright, now that everyone’s here, all of you who just arrived, go to your rooms and settle your bags, then let’s et up at the beach."
"Yeah!" The enthusiastic response echoed through the lobby as everyone dispersed to prepare for the upcoming beach gathering.
Xin watched as his classmates scattered, feeling a mix of emotions swirling inside him.
Despite the chaos and the unexpected twists of the reunion, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
He really need to socialize more.
=======
"Hey, even if it’s cold and winter, it doesn’t stop the girls from rocking their bikinis."
"But aren’t they freezing?"
"Co on, dude, that’s why we’re at the beach, enjoying this exact view."
"Speaking of views, it’s gotta be Trixie. She’s smoking hot in that two-piece."
"Wait, what about the vice president? She always looks so serious, but she’s definitely hiding a killer body under those conservative clothes."
"You guys are blind. The real beauty is ilyn. She’s got that adorable charm and curves in all the right places."
As the boys continued their playful banter and admiration of the girls’ beach attire, Yuzuro found herself feeling increasingly isolated.
She watched quietly from the sidelines as her classmates engaged in lively discussions about the girls’ appearances, their admiration evident in their animated gestures and eager exclamations.
Amidst the chatter, Yuzuro couldn’t help but feel a pang of insecurity.
She glanced down at her own outfit — a simple shirt and shorts chosen for practicality rather than style — and couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy.
Why hadn’t she thought to bring a swimsuit like the other girls? Perhaps then, she wouldn’t feel so out of place on the beach.
Her gaze briefly flickered over to Xin, who seed imrsed in conversation with Rever.
Yuzuro’s heart skipped a beat as she observed him, her thoughts drifting to the monts they had shared in the past.
If only she had known Xin would be here, she might have made different choices regarding her outfit.
anwhile, on the sidelines, Xin and Rever remained oblivious to the commotion around them as they tended to the grill.
Amidst the sizzle of cooking at and the tantalizing aroma of barbecue, they engaged in a conversation.
"It’s been a while since we last ventured into Guildbane together, huh?" Rever remarked, flipping a piece of at with practiced precision.
Xin nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, it has."
"I’ve been swamped with guild-related duties lately, and the holidays are packed with guild activities. Maybe next month I’ll finally have so free ti? We could go on another dungeon run," Rever suggested, his eyes alight with excitent at the prospect.
Xin’s smile. "Sure, that sounds like a plan."
"And let’s make sure to bring Yuzuro," Rever added.
Xin nodded in agreent. "Definitely."
Their conversation was interrupted by the playful scolding of the girls, who had caught Rever sneaking a piece of grilled at before lunchti.
"Hey! Stop eating that! It’s for lunch!" one of the girls reprimanded, her hands on her hips as she glared at Rever.
Rever grinned mischievously, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Eh? Don’t be stingy. It’s just a piece."
"Even so, this is for lunch. Now give it to ," another girl insisted, reaching out to snatch the at from Rever’s grasp.
Rever stuck out his tongue playfully. "Stingy."
As the girls continued to scold him, Rever couldn’t help but laugh, his carefree deanor adding to the jovial atmosphere of the beach gathering.
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