Yangvik fanfic modern au part 4
lot of dialog but i like it, part 2 of part 4.
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Yangchen picked up the last sheet as it came out of the printer. The paper was still warm between her fingers. She gently tapped it against the stack she'd already prepared, then checked one last time to make sure nothing was missing.
She'd told Kavik to meet her after school, in the library.
At the infamous table behind the exam prep books.
An amused smile tugged at her lips as she remembered his reaction.
His voice had been dripping with sarcasm, but that was exactly what had made her laugh. Kavik was so easy to rile up, it was almost unfair.
She tucked the documents under her arm and made her way between the library's tall shelves. As always, the room was quiet, broken only by the occasional turn of a page and the faint tapping of a keyboard somewhere in the back.
She spotted him almost immediately.
With his back to her, he was already sitting at their table, slightly hunched over his phone. One leg bounced restlessly beneath his chair, a clear sign that he was already getting impatient.
He was early, which didn't really surprise her.
Yangchen deliberately slowed her steps. Her shoes barely made a sound against the floor as she slipped between the shelves almost effortlessly.
When she reached him, she stopped at a reasonable distance behind his chair.
She knew Kavik well enough by now to know he hated having his personal space invaded.
Annoying him was one thing. Startling him was another.
She leaned forward slightly.
-What are you looking at?
Kavik jumped anyway, his phone slipping between his fingers. He barely caught it before it crashed onto the table.
Yangchen struggled to hold back a laugh.
She hadn't even spoken that loudly.
Kavik immediately looked up at her, one hand still gripping his phone.
-Do you do that on purpose or what?
She tilted her head slightly.
-I didn't think you'd jump that much.
She calmly set the folder down on the table and took the seat across from him. As he locked his phone with an annoyed sigh, she discreetly studied him.
His cheeks had barely changed color.
His ears, on the other hand, had turned slightly red.
She'd already noticed that detail several times. The day before, outside his house, or when she'd grabbed his sleeve.
Every time, his ears betrayed him first.
Blushing that easily had to be particularly exhausting to live with.
She rested her chin against her hand.
Maybe his ears are sensitive...
Or maybe that was simply where his embarrassment showed before anywhere else.
She made a mental note of the theory.
Kavik suddenly looked up.
-Why are you looking at me like that?
Yangchen blinked, caught in the act. Then an innocent smile appeared on her face.
It wasn't entirely a lie. She was simply thinking about the best way to test her theory.
Yangchen only smiled before finally placing the papers in front of Kavik.
Her voice returned to its usual serious tone.
-Before the vice principal can officially approve your appointment, you need to fill out an application form. Nothing too complicated.
-I thought I'd already been appointed?
Yangchen shrugged as she closed the folder.
-As my assistant, I can choose whoever I want whenever I want. It's not really an official position. Treasurer, on the other hand, means you'll be handling money. Sometimes a lot of it. I can't exactly pick the first guy I come across.
She looked up at Kavik as she handed him the papers.
Kavik took the folder by the edges, looking slightly surprised by how thin it was.
He started flipping through the pages.
Yangchen settled a little more comfortably into her chair, her hands folded in her lap.
The library was almost empty at this hour.
A few students were still studying for tests the following week. At the back of the room, a printer hummed every now and then while the librarian methodically stacked books onto a metal cart. The fluorescent lights cast a steady white glow across the room, softened only by the sunlight streaming through the large windows.
Kavik seemed to completely forget about the rest of the world, his eyes scanning the pages with surprising speed. He immediately picked up the pen.
He'd pause over each question for maybe two seconds, then his hand would move.
No hesitation. No crossing anything out.
Even from across the table, Yangchen noticed that his handwriting, slightly slanted to the right, remained surprisingly neat despite how quickly he wrote.
Every now and then, he absentmindedly twirled the pen between his fingers.
A faint smile tugged at Yangchen's lips. She'd thought it would take much longer to convince him, but Kavik seemed unusually cooperative today.
Had the meal they'd shared brought them at least a little closer?
If I'd known the way to convince you was through your stomach...
Kavik suddenly looked up.
She folded her arms on the table and rested her chin on them, her gaze still fixed on his blue eyes. The position probably wasn't very professional, but it gave her a different angle to look at him from, and she noticed the soft curve of his chin.
-You could at least be a little more subtle about it.
She thought for a second before adding with complete seriousness:
-But I'm also making sure you don't make a run for it.
Kavik let out a quiet snort.
Yangchen held his gaze for a few seconds.
Then, after the slightest pause, she added with almost disarming calm:
-Besides, it's not like I don't know where you live.
Kavik's smile vanished instantly.
-Stop using that against me...
Yangchen couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. That sentence alone convinced her she should absolutely never stop using it against him.
She gave him a small smile that made her intentions perfectly clear.
He let out a long breath and shook his head.
-You're seriously unbearable.
This time, Yangchen deliberately looked away.
She pulled her phone from the pocket of her cardigan and forced herself to casually check the notifications that had piled up throughout the day.
A few messages from the student council, some reminders, an Instagram Reel her sister had sent her.
She scrolled without really reading any of it.
Her eyes drifted back to Kavik almost against her will.
He was still writing with the same concentration, one eyebrow slightly furrowed, completely absorbed in the questionnaire.
I'm really terrible at sticking to my own resolutions.
She quietly set her phone back down on the table.
This time, she would at least pretend not to watch him.
She'd barely had time to get lost in her thoughts when Kavik set down his pen and held the folder out to her.
Yangchen took the folder, set it down in front of her, and glanced over his answers.
She'd expected to correct two or three mistakes, maybe fill in a question he'd forgotten to answer.
She definitely hadn't expected this.
“Why do you want to become treasurer?”
“Because I was appointed.”
“What are your main strengths?”
“I can count to ten without using my fingers.”
“How would you describe your sense of responsibility?”
“We decided to go our separate ways.”
Yangchen silently inhaled before looking up at Kavik.
He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, completely relaxed, a smile on his lips.
“Why do you think you'd be a good candidate?”
“I'd lean more toward the term ‘hostage.’”
Yangchen's jaw tightened slightly. She'd known there was something suspicious about how easily he'd agreed to all this.
“How do you react when faced with a challenge?”
“How do you prefer to work?”
“Sitting down, preferably.”
Yangchen slowly closed her eyes.
He tilted his head slightly, smiling innocently.
-You're filling out an administrative form, not competing in a sarcasm contest.
-I think I'm doing pretty well, actually.
She let out a very quiet sigh, already imagining the vice principal's face if he ever read any of this.
Yangchen set the application down on the table.
-You could've written something a little more substantial.
-You told me to answer honestly. That's what I did.
She stayed silent for a few seconds.
Infuriatingly frustrating.
-Would it kill you to open up to people a little?
If she wanted to get through that shell of his, apparently she was going to need a power drill.
She ran her index finger along the page. After one last sigh, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and regained her composure.
She picked up her pen and carefully crossed out one of his answers.
-Alright... Since you refuse to make even the slightest effort, we're doing this together.
-I am making an effort. I showed up.
She deliberately ignored him.
-First question: Why do you want to become treasurer?
Yangchen immediately put pen to paper.
-“I would like to put my skills to use for the student council and contribute to the responsible management of its resources.”
Kavik watched her write and grimaced as if the words physically disgusted him.
-But that's what you meant.
-You're literally making things up.
She moved on to the next question.
-Why do you think you'd be a good candidate?
-“Motivated and willing to contribute.”
Then immediately continued.
-What are your main strengths?
He waved both hands in front of her, revealing a thin leather bracelet around his right wrist.
-It gets harder after fifteen.
Yangchen's pen immediately started moving again.
-“Rigorous, organized, and good with numbers.”
-How do you react when faced with a challenge?
Yangchen wrote without hesitation.
-“Takes a step back to assess the situation before acting.”
Kavik stared at her for a few seconds.
-That's complete bullshit...
She continued as if she hadn't heard him.
-How do you prefer to work?
Her pen stopped moving, and Yangchen slowly looked up.
-Are you messing with me?
He shrugged with a perfectly innocent expression.
Yangchen closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, she'd regained her composure. She quietly crossed out his answer.
-“I appreciate methodical work and cooperating with other members of the team.”
-I don't particularly appreciate other people. I hate everyone equally.
He pointed an accusing finger at her.
-Some people more than others, though.
Yangchen put a hand over her heart, feigning a touched expression.
-Aw... why have a fan for an assistant when I can have my biggest hater?
-If you ever run out of haters at this school, it means I'm dead.
She turned the page, ready to correct the rest of his answers. Kavik slouched even farther down in his chair.
-You just censored my opinion.
-I'm protecting your application.
She shot him a satisfied look, a smile on her lips.
He looked at her for a few seconds before letting out a quiet laugh.
Yangchen stopped writing.
It wasn't sarcastic. It wasn't nervous either.
The sound was soft, almost muffled, but it was there. It was the first time she'd heard him laugh without using it as some kind of defense.
Strangely, she thought it suited him.
She stayed still for a second, realizing that she was starting to enjoy these kinds of exchanges more and more.
Kavik's laugh had already faded, yet Yangchen was still smiling.
They'd spent the last several minutes contradicting each other, correcting each other's answers, trading jabs back and forth.
And somehow, against all expectations, she'd had fun.
It wasn't really a confrontation anymore, but it wasn't quite a conversation either.
As if, for a few moments, they'd both stopped trying to win.
Was Kavik starting to enjoy this too?
She quickly lowered her gaze to the form before he could notice her staring at him again.
They went through a few more questions together before Yangchen checked one last time that every required signature was there.
She carefully slipped the form into the folder before putting it away in her bag.
-There. You're officially a candidate for treasurer.
He pushed his chair back with a faint scrape and grabbed his bag.
He slung one strap over his shoulder.
-Have a good evening, President.
Yangchen raised an eyebrow, and before he could even get out of his chair, she spoke.
He stopped halfway up and looked at her, mildly surprised, before raising an eyebrow of his own.
-Home? You just said we were done.
-The treasurer part is done.
She paused briefly, then a smile slowly spread across her lips.
-Now it's time for the assistant part.
She opened her bag and pulled out a second folder, this one much thicker.
She dropped it onto the table, its weight making a dull thud.
Kavik's gaze slowly dropped to the stack of papers, lifted back to her, then dropped again as the strap of his bag slipped from his shoulder.
-The clubs' budget requests.
She handed him the folder, and he opened it.
His eyes quickly scanned the first few pages. Yangchen noticed the slight twitch of his eyebrows.
He kept flipping through the pages as if they would never end. Each club president had filled out a form outlining their club, their goals for the year, and their expected expenses.
-You want me to go through all of this?
-I've already gone through almost everything. There are only three left to review.
She gently closed the folder, leaving only the files for the three remaining clubs inside, then stood up from her chair.
-And for that, there's nothing better than going straight to the source. We're going to talk to the club presidents ourselves.
He stayed quiet for a second before looking back down at the documents.
-Literature, theater, and sports... Why do you want to go see them? Everything's already written down here.
Yangchen picked up her bag and nodded for Kavik to follow. He did, gathering his things while keeping his eyes on the papers.
-I prefer going over everything with them one last time before submitting it to the treasurer and the council. First, it helps me understand what they actually want and what's urgent or not. That way, if the council rejects something, they'll be less disappointed.
They left the library. Behind them, the librarian pushed her cart between the shelves while a handful of students continued working in almost religious silence.
The moment they stepped through the doors, the noise of the school swallowed them again. Laughter echoed through the hallway, lockers slammed shut...
But Yangchen barely seemed to notice, her mind still focused on the task at hand.
Kavik asked from just behind her.
-Good, you're actually following the conversation.
-And second, it gives me a chance to get closer to the students and understand them better. In the end, it's just as useful for them as it is for me.
A few students smiled at her as they passed, and Yangchen gave them a small wave.
Kavik stayed slightly behind her. She almost suspected he was annoyed that he was taller than her and couldn't hide properly behind her back.
There couldn't have been more than three centimeters between them,but apparently, those were three centimeters too many.
-I don't get it. This is all about the budget, right? Shouldn't this be the treasurer's job?
Yangchen felt a small spark of satisfaction at hearing Kavik take an interest. Luckily, from where he was walking, he couldn't see the slight curve of her lips.
-The treasurer's job is mainly to manage and monitor the budget. During meetings, you'll have to check whether projects are financially realistic, point out any issues, and suggest alternatives when necessary. But the final decision belongs to the council.
Kavik kept walking behind her, his eyes moving from one file to another.
-So basically, the treasurer doesn't really need to know why the presidents want one project or another?
Yangchen glanced back at him.
-I wouldn't go as far as saying it doesn't matter.
She adjusted the strap of her bag as it started slipping off her shoulder.
-But technically, you could do your entire job without ever setting foot inside any of their clubs.
She slowed down enough to let him catch up beside her.
-You could read the applications, look at the numbers, and walk into the meeting with a perfectly valid opinion.
-Then why are we wandering all over the school?
-Because I hate working like that.
Kavik finally looked up from the documents. Yangchen continued.
-An application can tell you a club is asking for a certain amount of money for new equipment. It won't necessarily tell you that half their old equipment is still perfectly usable. Or that another club already owns exactly what they need. Or that a project they're presenting as absolutely essential might not be nearly as important as something else they barely mentioned.
She nodded toward the three files in his hands.
-And most importantly, a form doesn't always tell you what people actually want.
This time, Kavik closed the folder.
-Hence the interrogations.
Yangchen shot him a look and raised one finger to correct him.
-Which consists of you tilting your head and staring at people until they start talking.
Yangchen tried not to react to that.
She hated that little habit of hers, the way she tilted her head without even thinking about it. She thought it made her look far too perceptive. The worst part was that she couldn't control it because half the time, she didn't even realize she was doing it.
She eventually answered with as much tact as she could manage.
-You're terrifying when you listen carefully.
A laugh escaped her despite herself. She wasn't offended in the slightest.
-Anyway. Things worked differently under Szeto. He read the reports, consulted the treasurer, and made his decisions during meetings. He was very good when it came to numbers. Much less so when it came to the people behind them.
Kavik thought about that for a few seconds.
Yangchen turned her head toward him.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
The obvious answer would've been yes.
She knew a huge number of students. Not personally, far from it, but enough to remember a name she'd only heard once, to know that one student was in the music club or that another had gotten into an argument with a teacher a few weeks earlier.
She knew how to listen, but more importantly, she knew how to observe.
A few minutes of conversation were usually enough for her to figure out how to approach someone. Some people needed to be allowed to talk until they'd gotten everything out. Others preferred getting straight to the point. Some needed reassurance, others needed their ego stroked just a little. She could joke with certain people and remain perfectly serious with those who would take even the slightest familiarity as disrespect.
She'd always been good at that.
But being good with people and enjoying being around people were two completely different things in her mind. Spending an entire day going from one student to another could leave her more exhausted than a volleyball practice.
No one could really tell, though.
She'd learned not to show it.
And she didn't want anyone to see it.
President Yangchen smiled, listened, remembered names, and asked people how they were doing.
Yangchen sometimes desperately enjoyed silence.
And despite all that, she still hesitated to call herself good with people.
Was Szeto really bad with people?
His name crossed her mind almost against her will.
She didn't like comparing herself to him.
That had never stopped her from doing it.
There was still something about Szeto she envied: that almost infuriating ability he had to make people move.
He'd settled conflicts that had been dragging on for months. Convinced students who categorically refused to work together to sit at the same table. Gotten concessions out of teachers everyone considered impossible to negotiate with. Problems that had taken several meetings to untangle could somehow disappear after twenty minutes alone with him.
He knew who to talk to,when to talk to them and most importantly, what to say.
Yangchen wished she had that kind of ease.
Not because she wanted to be like him.
But because she wanted to at least match him.
Szeto could get a lot out of people because he had no problem giving them something in return.
And sometimes, he gave away things that weren't really his to give.
A better time slot for a club he liked.
A budget approved more easily because he personally knew its president.
A rule that suddenly became much more flexible when it applied to someone he cared about.
And that was exactly what Yangchen refused to reproduce.
She wanted his talent without his methods.
His influence without his favoritism.
She wanted to be able to walk into a room full of people who disagreed with each other and walk back out with a solution, without having to hand out favors to get there.
The problem was, she still wasn't sure that was always possible.
Szeto had solved major problems. She could criticize his methods all she wanted, but the results were still there.
And sometimes, that thought irritated her more than anything.
Because she wanted to be able to say with absolute certainty that she could do better.
More cleanly. More fairly.
But she wasn't there yet.
So simply answering yes to Kavik suddenly felt unbearably arrogant.
Beside her, Kavik immediately smiled, a faint dimple appearing in his left cheek.
Yangchen narrowed her eyes.
He took a few steps backward in front of her, continuing down the hallway while walking in reverse.
-If I'd answered one of those questions like that earlier, you would've given me a whole lecture about how I wasn't actually answering the question.
He had that insufferably satisfied little smile she was starting to recognize.
Yangchen searched for something to say, but for once, nothing came to her immediately.
His smile widened, and somehow, his face became incredibly annoying all of a sudden.
-I'm exceptionally good with people.
-Better, but still not convincing enough for me.
She lightly smacked him with the folder in her hand. Kavik snickered as he finally moved back to walk beside her.
Yangchen shook her head, but she was still smiling.
She should've been annoyed by how easily he managed to turn her own words against her.
Instead, she found it strangely pleasant.
He paid attention. Not just to what she explained about the council, either. He remembered the little things too, and it gave her the unusual feeling that he was actually listening to her.
She gestured toward the files in his hands.
-Since you seem so invested, you can put that talent to good use.
Kavik's smile faded slightly.
-I don't like the way you just said that.
-Your first official assignment as my assistant.
-I like it even less now.
Yangchen opened her bag as they walked and pulled out a blank sheet of paper, handing it to him along with a pen.
Kavik looked at the paper.
Then at her,then back at the paper.
-Secretary with a better title.
-If that makes you feel better.
He finally took the paper, still wearing that vaguely suspicious expression he always seemed to get whenever she gave him something.
-What exactly am I supposed to write down?
Yangchen slowed slightly.
She could've given him a precise list.
The club's needs, the amount they were asking for, their priorities...
But that wasn't what she wanted.
She wanted to see what he noticed without pointing him in any particular direction or telling him what to look for.
-Anything that seems important to you.
-I'll let you figure it out, then.
She started walking again before he could protest any further.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him examining the sheet as if she'd just handed him a particularly suspicious riddle.
Yangchen held back a smile.
He always took things far too seriously whenever he didn't immediately understand what was expected of him.
-And I have to fill the whole page?
His lips pressed into a thin line.
He stared at her for a few seconds before folding the sheet against the folder so he could write more easily while walking.
This should be interesting.
They turned at the end of the hallway and went down a short staircase leading to one of the older wings of the school.
It was already much quieter here.
The students' voices grew more distant, footsteps echoed more clearly against the tiled floor, and a few doors had already been locked for the day. Evening sunlight streamed through the tall windows in golden bands, cutting bright rectangles across the floor.
Yangchen slowed in front of a light wooden door, its paint beginning to chip around the edges.
A handmade sign hung from it.
Underneath, someone had added in purple marker:
“We promise we don't just sit around reading in silence.”
Then, in different, smaller handwriting:
Kavik looked up at the sign.
Yangchen raised a hand to knock, then turned toward him one last time. The blank sheet was still folded against his folder, the pen tucked between his fingers.
-Remember your assignment?
Yangchen nodded, knocked twice, then gently pushed the door open.
The familiar smell of paper, tea, and still-warm cookies immediately wrapped around them.
The room barely looked like a classroom anymore.
The desks had been pushed against the walls to make room for a large round table in the center. Several bookcases covered an entire wall, packed with novels, manga, poetry collections, and a few books so thick Yangchen still wondered who actually had the courage to borrow them.
Four students turned toward them.
The club president, a girl with brown hair tied into a high ponytail, gave her a welcoming smile.
-President Yangchen. I was just starting to wonder when you'd get here.
The other three looked up as well and greeted them.
Yangchen gave them a genuine smile.
-Good evening. Sorry it took me so long to get here. I got held up a little.
The club president's eyes finally landed on Kavik, who had stayed slightly behind near the door.
Yangchen slowly turned toward him.
Kavik was already looking at her, and she could tell from his expression that he was waiting for her to handle the introductions. She could perfectly imagine him saying something along the lines of:
You forced me to come. Don't force me to socialize too...
An almost imperceptible smile tugged at her lips.
She put on her most serious expression.
-He's currently banned from three public libraries for arson.
All four girls turned toward Kavik at the exact same time.
He blinked several times, as if his brain needed a moment to process what she'd just said.
-What?! Of course not! That's not true!
-It's a sensitive subject.
The club president muffled a laugh behind her hand while the two younger girls burst out laughing. Even the last one, half-hidden behind a thick book, had a faint smile on her lips.
Kavik slowly turned toward Yangchen, clearly ready to retaliate, but the club president gestured toward two empty chairs around the table.
Yangchen sat down naturally. Kavik hesitated for a second before taking the chair beside her.
Her tone shifted slightly.
Not by much, just enough for all four members to understand that the joking was over and they were moving on to business.
Yangchen knew they were perfectly capable of being serious. They just needed to be reined in every once in a while.
The club president immediately straightened in her chair.
Yangchen opened their budget request.
-You're asking for an increase compared to last year.
The president explained that the additional money wouldn't only go toward buying more recent releases, even though the members agreed that the club already had far too many classics that were rarely ever borrowed.
Their main priority was making the room more welcoming for students who came by after school, sometimes simply to read, talk, or spend some time there. They wanted to improve the space itself, while also creating more opportunities for activities within the club.
Yangchen wrote down a few things in her notebook.
Beside her, she'd noticed Kavik had spent most of the conversation bent over his sheet, his pen constantly moving.
That was probably a good sign.
She finally clicked her pen shut.
The club president looked surprised and glanced at the clock at the back of the room.
Yangchen nodded as she began putting her things away. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Kavik looked almost as surprised as the club president.
-I have everything I need. You've all been very efficient.
She briefly looked around the room.
-I think I understand what you're trying to create here, and I like the ideas.
-Do you think it'll get approved by the council?
Yangchen didn't answer immediately. She never liked giving people false hope.
-I think your request makes sense. That doesn't mean everything will be approved, but I'll do my best to defend it.
The president visibly relaxed.
-That's already a lot. Thank you so much.
She stood up, and the other club members followed almost naturally.
-Thank you for listening to us.
Yangchen gave them a genuine smile before turning toward Kavik, who quickly put his pen away.
They said goodbye to the club members one last time before stepping outside.
The door quietly closed behind them, leaving them in an almost empty hallway.
Yangchen took exactly three steps before stopping and holding out her hand.
-Alright. Let's see how you did.
-I'm not three, you know. I still know how to take notes.
Yangchen tilted her head slightly.
He sighed before finally handing her the sheet.
She was about to thank him when she suddenly froze.
Technically, there were notes.
She just had to find them.
Yangchen brought the sheet slightly closer to her face.
In the upper left corner, Kavik had drawn a steaming mug with a tiny sleepy face. Right beside it was a stack of books so tall that a tiny stick figure appeared to be getting crushed underneath it.
Farther down, there was a shark with four legs.
Next to the shark was an unnecessarily detailed sword, followed by a tiny house with a chimney, three stars, an eye, a cat's head that had clearly taken less than five seconds to draw, and what vaguely resembled a dragon breathing fire onto a stick figure.
She kept inspecting the page.
A series of tiny cubes filled the entire right margin. Some were shaded, others fitted into one another in increasingly complicated patterns.
He had also started a maze without apparently bothering to plan an exit.
Why is there so much stuff on this page?
Her eyes moved farther down.
A few words appeared between the drawings.
“new releases = borrowed quicklymore people than membersarmchairs probably usefulworkshops -> they work”
Yangchen paused for a moment.
At least he'd been listening.
And actually, he'd listened pretty well. He'd managed to pick out the important parts without mindlessly copying down everything the club members had said.
She was almost ready to give him credit for that when a drawing at the bottom of the page caught her attention.
Yangchen narrowed her eyes.
A tiny figure stood behind an enormous desk.
Long hair, a headband, a folder tucked under one arm, while her other hand pointed authoritatively toward a second, much smaller figure who appeared to be dragging a ball and chain around his ankle.
Above the first figure, Kavik had drawn a speech bubble:
Yangchen went perfectly still.
She looked at the drawing.
Then at Kavik,then back at the drawing.
-Is that supposed to be me?
Kavik leaned over slightly to look as she pointed at the caricature. He considered it with an insulting amount of seriousness.
-She's wearing the exact same headband as me.
-Lots of people wear headbands.
Yangchen slowly looked up at him.
-She's holding the exact same folder as me.
-And why is she holding someone prisoner?
Kavik looked back at his masterpiece, rubbing his chin to emphasize his fake contemplation.
-Okay, I'll admit the similarities are starting to pile up.
Yangchen pressed her lips together to keep herself from smiling.
She needed to stay serious.
But for some reason she couldn't quite understand, Kavik was apparently hilarious today.
She looked back down at the sheet and noticed another detail.
-Why am I wearing a crown?
-I'd rather not influence your artistic interpretation.
He held her gaze with admirable seriousness while she fought every instinct in her body not to show even the slightest sign of amusement.
She turned back to the sheet.
-Kavik, there's a shark with legs.
She slowly inhaled through her nose.
-And a maze with no exit.
Yangchen looked up, genuinely intrigued this time.
-No idea, but it sounded smart.
A laugh nearly escaped her, but she swallowed it just in time.
-And in the middle of all this, you wrote four lines.
-I asked you to take notes.
-There, there, there... and there.
-Three quarters of the page are drawings.
Kavik raised his eyebrows as if she'd just proven his point for him.
-What? The instructions were to fill the page, weren't they?
Yangchen opened her mouth, then stopped.
She thought back to exactly what she'd told him.
Anything that seems important to you.
And then, when he'd asked whether he had to fill the entire page:
She closed her mouth again.
Kavik immediately realized she'd caught herself. His dimple appeared.
-Don't look so pleased with yourself.
She pointed at his face with the edge of the paper, while Kavik merely frowned as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
Yangchen finally folded the sheet and slipped it into her own folder.
Kavik frowned again, genuinely this time.
-You're seriously keeping that?
His eyes dropped toward the sheet, now safely out of his reach.
Yangchen calmly started walking again without looking at him.
-Especially the drawings.
A smile appeared on her lips.
-Too late. It's officially a student council document now.
She heard him sigh behind her.
Yangchen's smile widened.
She wasn't sure what amused her more: the fact that she now owned a caricature of herself as a tiny dictator, or the fact that Kavik had apparently paid enough attention to her to draw even her headband.
The drama club was located in the old auditorium on the other side of the building.
Yangchen could hear its members before they even reached the double doors. Someone was delivering a line with far too much conviction, someone else shouted for them to watch out, and then a loud thud came from somewhere behind the doors.
-And that doesn't worry you?
Yangchen placed a hand on the door handle.
She pushed the door open.
The room was a mess that, strangely enough, seemed perfectly organized to the people working in it. Pieces of scenery rested against the walls, several clothing racks overflowed with costumes, and open paint cans lined the edge of the stage.
At the back, two students were struggling to move a wooden structure Yangchen recognized immediately.
The club president quickly came over to meet them.
-President Yangchen! Are you here about the budget?
Yangchen gestured toward Kavik.
-And this is my assistant, Kavik. He's a part-time street performance manager.
He turned his head toward her.
The club president stifled a laugh.
Yangchen opened the file while Kavik looked around. She hoped the fact that they were staying on their feet would keep him from filling another page with drawings.
-I went over your request again. You mainly want to repair the costumes and sets rather than replace them, right?
-Yes. We actually did an inventory this time.
Yangchen quickly looked it over. Every damaged costume had been listed, along with the materials needed to repair it. The same had been done for the sets.
It was considerably more thorough than the year before. She was glad they'd listened to her advice.
Beside her, Kavik had wandered a few steps away to inspect the infamous balcony with growing interest.
-Why do I feel like I've seen this before?
He pointed toward several posters hanging on the wall.
On the first, two students in period costumes stood beneath a balcony.
On the second, the costumes were modern.
On the third, Romeo was wearing something that looked dangerously close to a silver jumpsuit.
-Do you guys perform Romeo and Juliet every year?
The club president gave an embarrassed little laugh.
-For about four years now. Szeto never gave us enough of a budget to switch to a different play, so we learned to adapt.
For years, the club had owned costumes and sets that were particularly well suited to Romeo and Juliet. With a limited budget, rather than starting from scratch every year, the members had developed something of a tradition: they performed Romeo and Juliet again, but completely changed the setting each time.
Classic. Eighties. Contemporary...
One year, they'd even attempted a futuristic adaptation, and Yangchen still hadn't understood half of the artistic choices.
Kavik turned back toward the club president.
-And people still come to see it after all these years?
-More than you'd think. I think everyone just wants to know what Romeo and Juliet are going to look like each year.
She suddenly turned toward Yangchen, and her smile changed.
Yangchen saw it and immediately understood.
Kavik looked between the two of them.
-Last year, we had an excellent idea to bring in even more people.
The president announced it cheerfully while Yangchen briefly closed her eyes.
-It was not an excellent idea...
-We asked President Yangchen to play Juliet.
Yangchen would've preferred it if the floor had opened up beneath her feet.
Kavik very slowly turned his head toward her.
Yangchen refused to look at him.
She didn't answer, still ignoring his stare.
She could already feel his smile without even having to see it.
The club president continued, far too delighted to be telling this story.
-We figured that if we announced the student council president was playing the lead, it would bring in a bigger audience.
-And she said no? Kavik asked.
Yangchen remembered the whole thing perfectly.
Three members of the club had shown up at the student council office with a script, a rehearsal schedule, and so much hope in their eyes that she hadn't had the heart to tell them what she was actually thinking.
They'd even offered to let her choose Romeo herself for the kissing scene.
She'd smiled and thanked them for thinking of her. Then she'd explained that acting unfortunately wasn't really her thing and that she'd rather leave the role to someone with more experience.
A diplomatic, thoughtful, presidential response.
What she'd actually been thinking was closer to:
I'd rather set myself on fire in front of the entire school.
She had obviously never said that out loud.
Kavik, meanwhile, was now staring at her with far too much interest.
-Why are you looking at me like that?
-President Yangchen standing on a balcony, declaring her love in front of three hundred people...
-It could've been beautiful.
The club president cut in.
-The offer still stands, by the way.
Yangchen immediately turned toward her.
-Even for one performance?
-I can also reconsider your budget.
Very poor choice of threat.
She had literally spent the last few months trying not to repeat Szeto's methods.
She immediately clarified.
-I'm kidding. The budget isn't changing.
-She, on the other hand, is officially dead.
The club president raised her hands, amused.
Beside her, Kavik muffled a laugh. Yangchen shot him a look.
When she saw he was still trying to hold back his laughter, Yangchen lightly smacked his arm with the folder.
He snickered and finally looked back down at his sheet.
Yangchen returned her attention to the inventory.
Fortunately, there was barely anything left to check. The club was mainly asking for supplies to repair their most worn-out costumes, replace some of the fabric, and restore several pieces of scenery. They had even planned to reuse some materials from previous years to keep costs down.
For once, their application was almost flawless.
Yangchen closed the folder.
-Alright. I don't need anything else.
Yangchen gave her sweetest smile.
She grabbed Kavik by the sleeve and dragged him toward the exit before anyone got the idea of putting a script in her hands.
Kavik's laughter followed her all the way into the hallway, and Yangchen immediately knew she was going to regret letting him find out about this.
The auditorium door closed behind them, instantly muffling the voices of the drama club.
Yangchen kept walking for a few more steps, but Kavik's laughter still hadn't completely died down. She could hear him quietly snorting behind her.
-Are you planning on laughing for much longer?
Yangchen turned her head.
His dimple was still showing.
He took a second before answering.
Yangchen narrowed her eyes.
He'd just used her own line against her.
She decided to ignore it.
Instead, she simply held out her hand.
Kavik looked down at her palm.
-Again? Are you seriously going to check after every club?
-It's your first assignment. Of course I'm checking.
He muttered something she didn't catch before finally handing her the sheet.
This time, Yangchen knew what to expect.
The left margin was now occupied by a particularly detailed sword surrounded by several tiny stars. Again. Farther down, Kavik had drawn what looked like a ghost wearing a crown. An unfinished game of tic-tac-toe filled one corner of the page, even though he clearly had no opponent to play against, and a tiny frog sat on a throne in the middle of nowhere.
Yangchen skimmed past them without even reacting. She was starting to get used to it.
That realization might've been more concerning than the drawings themselves.
Instead, she looked for the actual notes.
And, to her surprise, there were quite a few.
“Sets reused every year.Repairing = cheaper than replacing.Detailed inventory.Costumes = priority.They actually performed Romeo and Juliet in space.”
Yangchen pressed her lips together.
Almost all of it was relevant.
He'd even written several amounts beside the main expenses and circled two items that matched exactly what she'd considered priorities herself.
Yangchen continued examining the page, rather pleased with her assistant.
She was almost ready to hand it back when she noticed something at the very bottom.
She brought the sheet closer to her face.
Kavik had drawn a balcony.
Standing on it was a tiny figure with long hair, wearing an absurdly voluminous dress. On her head sat an unmistakable headband.
Below her, a second figure had both arms raised toward the balcony.
Kavik kept walking as if nothing had happened.
She read the two speech bubbles.
The figure beneath the balcony declared:
“O Juliet, grant me your love!”
And tiny Yangchen replied:
“Your request will be reviewed at the next council meeting.”
Kavik took another two steps before realizing she wasn't following him anymore.
She slowly raised the sheet.
His eyes dropped to the drawing.
-I'm not talking about the notes.
She pointed at the balcony.
Kavik stepped closer to examine his own drawing as if he were discovering it for the first time.
Yangchen pointed at the tiny figure.
-She's wearing my headband.
-Lots of people wear headbands.
-You've already used that excuse.
-And why am I responding to a declaration of love like it's a funding request?
-I was trying to stay true to the character.
Yangchen opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
He added, completely serious:
-I thought it was more believable than making you recite Shakespeare.
She felt a laugh rising in her throat and did everything she could to hold it back.
He did not deserve that satisfaction.
-Because I'm asking you to.
She immediately smacked him on the shoulder with the sheet.
This time, he laughed openly.
-Never call me that again.
He clasped his hands together and adopted an overly theatrical voice.
-O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
-This is a hostile work environment.
Yangchen shook her head and started walking again, but her smile stubbornly refused to disappear.
She glanced at the page one last time.
Then something else caught her attention.
Next to the drawing, Kavik had written in tiny letters:
“Idea to increase revenue: put President Yangchen on the poster.”
-Did you seriously write that down as a financial strategy?
He glanced over his shoulder.
-Technically, their logic checks out.
-You'll lose your treasurer.
-You're not even treasurer yet.
-Then hurry up and get my application approved before you kill me.
Yangchen stared at him for a few seconds before carefully folding the sheet. Then, just like the previous one, she slipped it into her folder.
-Wait. Why are you keeping this one too?
Yangchen calmly started walking again.
-There's literally a drawing of you as Juliet on it. Give it back.
He quickened his pace to catch up with her.
Yangchen tightened her grip on the folder slightly.
She could've told him she wanted to keep his notes so she could see how they evolved over the course of the visits. That was true.
She could've also claimed they were part of his evaluation. That would've been defensible.
But the real reason she had absolutely no intention of giving the sheet back was considerably less professional.
Something she categorically refused to admit, even to herself.
-Because I'm your superior.
-I should've drawn you with horns.
-There's still one club left.
Kavik looked at her, then slowly looked down at the last blank sheet he had left.
He let out a quiet laugh.
Yangchen, meanwhile, looked down at the final file.
The smile on her lips faded almost immediately.
