The next morning, Leo woke up twenty minutes before his alarm.
He sat in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling fan turning slowly above.
Maybe it was the unfamiliar bed. Or the nerves. Or the fact that he was now enrolled in the most elite high school he'd ever seen in his life.
Either way, he was up early.
---
After showering and slipping into his freshly ironed uniform, Leo grabbed a protein bar and stepped out into the hallway. The dorm was quiet, but sunlight streamed through the tall windows, painting golden lines on the polished floor.
He made his way toward Building A—his first class was Introduction to Modern Strategy, whatever that meant.
As he reached the corner of the corridor—
He saw her again.
Rin Hoshino.
Standing alone beside the vending machine, inserting coins with the kind of precision you'd expect from a heart surgeon.
She looked calm, perfectly composed. Her silver ponytail rested on her shoulder, and her schoolbag hung neatly from one arm.
For a second, Leo hesitated.
Should he say something? Pretend he didn't see her? Nod? Smile?
Before he could decide, Rin glanced up and met his eyes.
She froze for a fraction of a second.
Then, as if flipping an internal switch, she turned back to the machine.
Leo stepped forward. "Hey… morning."
"…Morning," she said softly, still facing the machine.
He nodded awkwardly and waited.
A can of black coffee dropped with a clink.
She picked it up, adjusted her bag, and looked at him again.
"You're heading to A-2?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"I am too."
They walked together—sort of.
Side by side, but with a gap wide enough to fit another person between them.
---
Their classroom was on the second floor. The hallway was starting to fill with students, many chatting with friends or complaining about the early hour.
Inside Room A-2, desks were arranged in rows of four. A few students were already seated, some looking sleepy, others furiously rewriting their homework.
Leo took a seat in the third row.
To his surprise, Rin sat in the desk beside him.
He glanced at her.
She stared straight ahead.
"…Assigned seats?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. I just don't like the front row."
"…Me neither."
Another pause.
Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook, flipping it open to a blank page.
Leo couldn't help but peek.
Her handwriting was absurdly neat—like, typewriter neat.
> Is she human? Or a robot in disguise?
---
Class began, and Leo focused as best he could. The teacher, an older man with glasses and a serious tone, dove straight into strategy theory—talking about decisions under pressure, risk assessment, even referencing historical battles and psychological games.
It was actually... kind of interesting.
He noticed Rin occasionally scribbling notes, underlining key points. She never asked questions. Never looked bored. Just… quietly efficient.
At one point, their eyes met again when she adjusted her pen. She didn't flinch this time.
Neither did he.
---
After class, Leo stayed behind to check the reading list posted on the board. When he turned to leave, he almost ran into Rin again—she was just behind him.
"Sorry," he said quickly.
She didn't answer. But her eyes scanned the list beside him.
Then she surprised him.
"You should check out the south wing library," she said.
"…Huh?"
"It has most of these. And fewer people."
"Oh. Cool. Thanks."
"You… don't talk much in class."
"Yeah, I'm still catching up."
She nodded slowly. "You listen more than you speak."
"…Is that a compliment?"
"Maybe."
And with that, she left.
---
Later that afternoon, Leo found the library she mentioned.
It was quieter than the main one—sunlight filtered through tall windows, casting long beams onto rows of shelves. The smell of paper and old leather books filled the air.
He wandered through the aisles, eventually finding the required textbook.
He was reaching for it when—
A hand reached from the other side of the shelf, touching the same book.
He froze.
So did the other hand.
They both pulled back slightly.
He peeked around the shelf.
Rin Hoshino was standing on the other side.
"…You again?" Leo said.
She blinked. "…I told you this library was good."
"You weren't kidding."
They both hesitated. Then she stepped back. "You take it."
"You were here first."
"I've already read it," she said. "Twice."
Leo laughed under his breath. "Okay, now that's definitely not normal."
She raised a brow. "Normal is overrated."
---
They ended up at a small table in the corner, each with their own book. For a while, neither spoke.
But the silence wasn't awkward this time.
Just… quiet.
Peaceful.
At one point, Leo glanced up and saw her brushing her bangs away, eyes focused, lips slightly pursed in concentration.
She caught him looking.
He looked away.
"Are you… always this quiet?" he asked.
"I speak when needed."
"And when is that?"
"When someone's worth speaking to."
Leo blinked.
Rin turned another page like she hadn't just casually said something mildly heart-stopping.
"…You're hard to read, you know."
"That's good."
"Why?"
"If people can read you too easily, they can hurt you too easily."
Leo didn't reply right away.
He looked out the window, pretending to study a tree swaying in the wind.
But something in his chest stirred—small, faint, but undeniably real.
He didn't expect this kind of moment on his first full day.
And he definitely didn't expect to feel… seen.