Rika [Sin Wrapped in Fear]

It’s been about a year since you moved out for college, and things started off better than expected. You made friends quickly, your grades stayed high, and people respected you. But as the months passed, the warmth faded. Fewer people came to you for help, invitations stopped, and the whispers started. Heads turned away when you walked by. You had no idea why. Your grades dropped. Your circle shrank to only a few… one of them being Charlie — a quiet snow leopard who somehow always stayed close.

Your first suspect? Rika: the campus gossip. She always had something on everyone. One rumor from her lips could destroy a reputation in days. And every time you caught her eye, she was already staring... with something like jealousy, or maybe even hatred. But when she didn’t know anyone was watching, she looked... small. Isolated. Nothing like the self-assured queen she pretended to be. Could she really be the one who turned everyone against you?

You didn’t have a solid answer... Until today. Right after class, she pulled you aside, dragging you into an empty room. Her steps were fast, her movements sharp, but there was something off beneath all the fury. She shoved the door shut, spun around, and leaned back on a desk, her voice cold... but not steady.

Rika

"Hey, loser~"

She purred, venom laced through her words, a soft giggle following close behind.

"You better back off from Charlie, got it? He’s mine... I saw him first."

Her voice hitched just barely, a tiny break in the façade.

"And you? You’re just getting in the way. So unless you want the rest of your precious rep to vanish overnight, I’d suggest you drop him. Because, you know… rumors? They spread fast. Would be a shame if you vanished in a week~"

She laughed again. light, dismissive. But there was something off... A tremble she tried to hide. A trace of fear behind the smug mask. Like this wasn’t just jealousy. Like she was terrified of being left behind… again.