Castillian #1: Sinner's Formula

Scarlet could've had such a good night's sleep. Like, finally! No mental reruns of the "Just relax, Scarlet" scene. She didn't even wake up to the usual "Don't touch me there, Mico!" line playing in her head.

For once, the night was peaceful.

But the next day, the moment she stepped onto the university campus…

Boom.

Four students she passed looked at her. Then looked at each other. Then burst out laughing.

Scarlet blinked. What the hell?

When she got to the hallway…

"Hey, it's 'Quadratic Intimacy!'" An architecture student shouted, nudging their friend.

"W-what?!" Scarlet snapped her head in their direction, then speed-walked away.

As she approached her classroom, her friend group chat pinged with messages.

Liza:

SCARLET!!!

GO ON TWITTER RIGHT NOW!!!

LIKE, NOW NA!!!

Kathryn:

Search for "#MicoTutorSession"

OMG. IS THAT YOU GUYS?!?!

Scarlet shut her eyes, chills crawling over her skin. No way. Nope. Please no.

She opened Twitter/X.

Top trending in University: #MicoTutorSession

Memes. Everywhere.

— A screenshot of a whiteboard filled with math formulas. Caption:

"When Law of Sines turns into Law of Attraction 💋"

— A photo of the Engineering lounge door:

"The crime scene. RIP silence."

— And the worst of all…

A blurry photo of her and Mico.

She was sitting. He was standing behind her, hand on hers. Shot from a distance, but the body language was crystal clear.

"Quadratic Intimacy: A Love Story"

Scarlet screamed—internally.

IT BLEW UP. THE WHOLE CAMPUS KNEW.

That day was hell.

In the cafeteria, someone shouted, "Hey, are you the Mico-tored?!" Cue obnoxious laughter.

In the library, someone left a sticky note on her desk: "Don't worry, Scarlet. We all dream of being held like a compass too."

Even in the restroom, she overheard:

"That Scarlet girl—she's bold, huh? Like damn girl, she's so lucky."

Scarlet wanted to evaporate.

- 🏀 -

Meanwhile…

Castillian House, Men's Dormitory

"DUDE, THAT'S REALLY YOU IN THE PIC?!" Uno screamed between fits of laughter.

"Scarlet + Mico = SCICO. HAHAHA. Ship name UNLOCKED!" Lynx yelled, changing the group chat name.

[Castillian GC]

From: 'Uno's Cologne Squad'

To: 'Quadratic Intimacy Supreme'

"Your faces in that pic, bro—like a slow-mo scene from a movie," added Jairo while munching on cereal. "There's even hand-holding! And the lean-in! Looked like you were about to kiss!"

"We were not about to kiss!" Mico shot back, clearly torn between embarrassment and fury.

"Then why did your eyes look like you were ready to propose?" Felix chimed in, placing milk tea in front of him. "Here. Your reward! For momentum!"

Mico threw a pillow at Felix's face. "DO YOU GUYS HAVE NO MERCY?!"

But even as Mico pretended to be mad... He couldn't quite hide the small smile as he scrolled through the chat.

And then came a message from Lynx—unexpected, and quiet:

Lynx:

Honestly bro…

You've been stone cold for so long.

This is the first time we've seen you look… human again.

Keep her. She makes you look alive.

Mico didn't reply.

But it was true.

- 🏀 -

Later that day, Scarlet hid behind a bench near the gym, trying not to break down.

Suddenly—

"Are you hiding?"

Mico's voice. Low. Calm. Familiar.

Scarlet jolted. "W-what?! I'm not!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're literally sitting behind a tree. You look like a mushroom with all that slouching."

"…I just don't have the courage to face the entire university thinking I have a love life," she mumbled, looking away.

Mico sat beside her.

"So many rumors. So much gossip. Even the restroom has hashtags now. Someone even said I'm pregnant—pregnant with trigonometry! For God's sake."

Mico stayed quiet.

"Scarlet."

"Hm?"

He turned to her. Steady eyes. Calm voice. "Sorry. I should've kicked Felix out a long time ago."

She blinked. "It's not your fault."

"I should've stopped all this. But—" he paused. "I didn't want to."

Scarlet's breath caught. "What do you mean—?"

"I didn't want to stop it," Mico repeated.

"Because I like being with you."

BOOM.

Scarlet.exe has stopped working.

"Is that… true?" she whispered.

Mico nodded. "And I don't care if the whole university finds out."

They stared at each other.

Then slowly… Mico leaned closer.

No more embarrassment. No more hesitation. No more cut-off moments.

Just them.

And finally, finally—

Their lips met.

Soft. Certain. Real.

And in that moment, Scarlet didn't care if someone was secretly taking another photo.

She didn't care if "SCICO" would trend again tomorrow.

All she cared about… Was that the untouchable King of Street Basketball had just kissed her.

And the prince?

Was no longer cold.

- 🏀 -

Scarlet was still in a daze.

As in, dazed. Floating. Semi-comatose.

Because last night? Mico Cein freaking Esguerra kissed her. No—claimed her. No—KISSED HER WHILE CLAIMING HER. And he wasn't even sorry about it.

"I like being with you."

"I didn't want to stop it."

"I don't care if the whole university finds out."

The nerve. The audacity. The emotional damage.

And the worst part? She liked it. She wanted it to happen again. She wanted to replay it on loop while eating Lucky Me Pancit Canton.

Right after the kiss, Scarlet slowly pulled away, cheeks flushed, heart on fire.

"Mico…" she whispered. "You can't just say those things."

"Why not?" He looked at her, his gaze still intense. "Don't you feel the same?"

"Oh my god…" she muttered, biting her lip. "That's not it. I like you too, okay?"

Mico's eyes softened. "Then what's the problem?"

Scarlet sighed and covered her face with both hands.

"You have so many fans. Like, literal cult level. One even brought a tarp with your face to the cafeteria last week, remember?! And the tweet caption said: 'Even if you get a girlfriend, I'm still number one.' And there was a hashtag—#NoOneCanStealMicoFromMe. I'm scared, okay?!"

He blinked. "I thought you were brave."

"I'm only brave in math! When it comes to girl fights? I'm allergic."

Mico chuckled. As in, a legit, soft, husky chuckle."So… you want to keep it a secret?"

"For now," she nodded firmly. "Please."

Mico nodded too, though his eyes showed a hint of disappointment. "Okay. But if anyone harasses you—even from an anonymous account—I'll handle it."

"Wow, look at you, Mr. NBI," she teased.

"No. I'm Mico Cein Esguerra. And you're mine."

Scarlet had to bite her own soul just to keep herself from combusting.

THE NEXT MORNING

Scarlet. Act normal. Act cool. You are not in love. You just happened to kiss the hottest guy in the university. That's nothing.

Also Scarlet: Smiling while brushing her hair. Smiling while walking. Smiling while talking to the security guard.

"Good morning, ma'am—"

"G-GOOD MICO! I mean… GOOD MORNING!"

Why the heck did I say Good Mico?!

When she entered the classroom, all her classmates turned to look at her. Liza and Kathryn gave her death stares.

"What now?!" she whispered as she slid into her seat.

"Scarlet," Kathryn whispered, "do you have any idea how famous you are right now? You're still trending! #TutorWithAHeart and #QuadraticLoveStory are hot topics!"

Liza leaned in. "And tell us now: Are. You. Dating. Mico. Cein. Esguerra."

Scarlet gulped. "There's no such thing."

"REALLY?!" They shouted in unison—thankfully, a professor walked by, so they stopped.

But after class, they still wouldn't leave her alone.

Even her other classmates joined in.

"Scarlet, is the pic real?"

"Are you and Mico a thing?"

"Damn, is he really just tutoring you? Or... tutoring you in other ways?" Jay, the class clown, added with a wink.

Scarlet raised both hands like she was surrendering to the police.

"Guys, chill! He's just my tutor. Seriously. Nothing's going on. Zero. No romantic involvement."

Kathryn narrowed her eyes. "You're lying."

Liza smirked. "You only smile like that when someone's making your heart flutter. Spill or we riot."

Scarlet groaned and covered her face.

"Lord, take me now. Or just the chair. I hope it opens up and swallows me whole."

---

Meanwhile, at the Castillian House…

"Hey bro," said Uno while holding a strip of bacon, "how does it feel to be the most famous tutor in the entire university?"

Mico, casually typing notes for Scarlet, replied, "If this is about those damn posts again, I'm just helping her."

Felix: "HELPING?! Are you writing the formulas in her mouth or what?!"

Lynx: "Actually, the better hashtag is #HowToGetATutoR—R for Romance."

Mico glared at them. "Keep it down. She wants it quiet for now."

Jairo: "So it's confirmed?! We're in the secret tutor-girlfriend arc?!"

Mico didn't answer.

But the half-smile on his lips said it all.