**Zane POV**
The late afternoon sun painted the sky in apricot streaks, clouds drifting like lazy ships. I didn't bother moving when footsteps crunched across the gravel—I'd recognize that militant stride anywhere.
"What do you want?" I drawled, still staring upward.
Sona hovered at the edge of my vision, her shadow stretching over the grass. When she spoke, her voice was uncharacteristically small. "I… thought you *liked* me."
I sat up slowly, grass sticking to my school shirt. "Never said I didn't."
Her glasses slid askew as she fidgeted with her sleeve. "Rias' advice was… ill-considered. I shouldn't have—"
"Wait." I held up a hand, squinting. "Hold on. Are you apologizing? The great Sona Sitri?"
Her cheeks flushed the same violent pink as the hydrangeas by the fence. "Yes,"
"So let me get this straight." I rose, closing the distance between us. "You ambushed me with… whatever *that* detention stunt was… because *Rias* told you I'd like it?"
She nodded stiffly.
"Really? And here I thought you were smarter than that red headed bitch? My voice took on a dark turn
"I panicked!" The admission burst out of her, sharp and raw. "You—you *vanished* when I… when we…"
For once, my smile or whatever it was faltered. The breeze carried the scent of her shampoo—lemongrass and something sweet, nothing like Rias' cloying strawberry. Her nails dug crescent moons into her palms.
"Look," I said quietly. "I'm gonna be blunt. I like you. Not whatever act you pulled yesterday. *You*. The control freak who plans everything for fun."
Her breath hitched. "I… l-like you too."
The words hung between us, fragile as a soap bubble. Then, before she could overthink it, I pressed a kiss to her cheek—quick, chaste, *warm*.
"*Now* we're even," I muttered, already backpedalling toward the house.
She stood frozen, one hand hovering where my lips had been. "Z-Zane—!"
"Detention's tomorrow, right?" I called over my shoulder. "Bring screwdrivers. That Neo Geo ain't fixing itself."
The door slammed. Through the window, I watched her sink onto the lawn, glasses fogged, muttering what sounded like a *very* un-presidential curse.
*[Romance Route: Sona Sitri — Status: Complete]*
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