School periods went by too slowly for Tzuyu’s liking.

For every other student, they were passing way too fast.

Never been one to like constant attention, Tzuyu always tried the damndest not to attract looks from her fellow classmates. She only wore the lightest amount of makeup possible, chose to wear the most non-descriptive and inconspicuous kind of clothing that they came, and she never styled her hair before class. In class she sat in a corner, wholly concentrated to the lecturer, not speaking to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. It might or might not have spread a rumor of her being aloof and pretentious, but she did not really mind it that much. She was nice to those nice to her, and what they said about her mattered more, and certainly spread just as much.

For today however, the appearance of Chou Tzuyu at her university left almost the entire male population- and a portion of the female counterparts- dazed and drooling. Her silky brown hair was curled flawlessly, cascading down her back and bouncing lightly with every step. She actually took time putting on careful make-up this time around, which served well in highlighting her bright eyes and perfectly-shaped rosy lips. Tzuyu even took a step further and added a striped ribbon around the collar of normally plain white uniform shirt. All in all, she was elegance and cuteness combined.

And, to top it all, she was smiling all the time. With the sparkle in her eyes and the adorable dimple on her left cheek perpetually present throughout classes, the other students found it incredibly difficult to focus on the lesson and not sneak a dreamy glance at her direction every now and then.

It was at the third period when Chaeyoung could no longer take it.

“Okay Tzuyu, spill.”

“Spill what Chaeng?” Tzuyu tilted her head to the side cutely, feigning innocence. Chaeyoung rolled her eyes frustratedly.

“Oh come on, I’ve lived with you for years now. You don’t dress up to school, like, ever. What did the students do to ever deserve this godsent-level eye candy again?” Chae asked sarcastically. The last part was honest though, because Tzuyu practically redefined the term beauty today, and it could not be without a reason.

“I’m going out with Jihyo-unnie today.” Tzuyu disclosed excitedly. This got Chaeyoung out of her sardonic mood, and she smiled widely.

“Aw really? That’s cute!” Tzuyu nodded, feeling extremely satisfied with herself. “So she’s not mad at you or anything?”

 “I don’t think so. Goes to show how great of a person she is.” Tzuyu smiled fondly, her negative thoughts long forgotten. Chaeyoung couldn’t help but feel happy for her friend; Tzuyu’s elation was simply contagious at this point. The smile never left the Taiwanese girl’s lips even as they spoke, and every so often she’d have that glazed look on her face- a look that indicated she was lost in another of her romantic fantasies. She’d catch herself doing that a few seconds after, and when she did, she would shake her head furiously while cupping her blushing cheeks. It was your typical hopeless girl in love, and for that Chaeyoung was glad.

Being the sensible one in the maknae line however, the younger rapper could ill afford to sit still and imagine the best would happen, which was exactly what Tzuyu was doing in her mind.

“Tzuyu-ah, I still find it a little hard to believe though. You just straight out asked Jihyo-unnie to go on a date?” Chaeyoung inquired, stressing on the last word. Tzuyu’s aura got a bit dimmer, and she pouted.

“Well not really. I just said I knew this nice coffee shop, we could take some photos and enjoy some time together. That’s basically a date, no?”

Chaeyoung could not care less about the later part of her friend’s response. She immediately bristled at Tzuyu, who jumped a bit at her sudden outburst.

“Photos!? Again!? What the hell is with you and taking photos, Tzuyu-ah?”

Tzuyu’s mouth opened as if to answer, but was promptly shut as Chaeyoung continued.

“It’s bad enough that you want to go with her to a deserted island just to have free photos, but now you’re actually planning to go through with it? Aish, I can’t understand you sometimes.”

The rapper was full-on Tiger mode, but before she managed to unleash anymore of her frustration onto her friend, the bell chime resounded in the classroom, signaling the start of the next period.

As the class noisily shuffled back to their seats, Chaeyoung gave one last warning.

“Tzuyu-ah, I do hope I’m just overthinking this. It’s great if your so-called ‘date’ goes the way you imagine it to, but if anything goes wrong, know that it’s your fault.”

_____

Chaeyoung’s words haunted Tzuyu for the remainder of school. Her friend had always been right, especially when it concerned emotions and relationships.

It was almost enough for her to question the validity of the upcoming date. Did Jihyo really think of it as one, or did she only agree to go along with Tzuyu’s request out of her own good nature? Or worse, did she perhaps think she was going to fulfil the leader’s role by being at her member’s beck and call?

No, it couldn’t be. Jihyo was nice, angelic even, but no one could be that selfless.

Despite Chaeyoung’s reasoning, deep down, Tzuyu still had another reason to believe otherwise. She remembered, always, how happy Jihyo had been in every occasion where photographing was involved. The brunette was always the first to grab hold of any camera within reach to capture Tzuyu’s various expressions, be it annoyance or amusement. It was kind of strange at first, but seeing how the older girl was so enthusiastic about it, Tzuyu decided to not think much into it and just enjoy being the impromptu model. Before long, she took the initiative and began to take photos of the older girl- who was surprised, but gladly agreed soon after. Sure enough, the finest pictures of the Taiwanese singer were taken by Jihyo, who had memorized by now Tzuyu’s best-looking angles, just like how she knew Jihyo’s by heart.

It was that delighted shimmer in Jihyo’s eyes, her overzealous attitude, and her melodious, heartfelt laughter that led Tzuyu to believe Jihyo enjoyed the activity as much as she did. After all, it was Jihyo who got her into liking photography, and it was a private thing that had kept them close to each other.

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