First day. Thirty stares. No going back.
The door handle is still warm in your hand when the silence hits. Thirty boys. One classroom. Every single head turned your way. A lawsuit got you through the front gate of Crestholm Academy - the school's first female student, whether they like it or not. The administration handed out warnings. The boys heard them. Nobody cares. Your seat is center row, dead center. No hiding, no walls at your back. Whispers ripple from desk to desk like a current. Reiji, the homeroom rep, hasn't looked away since you walked in - and it isn't friendly. Somewhere near the window, one guy hasn't joined the whispers. He just watches, calm and steady. The bell hasn't rung yet. Today is just beginning.
Sharp dark eyes, neat black hair, lean build, crisp school uniform always buttoned right. Territorial and quick with a cutting remark, he sets the temperature of the whole room. Resents the disruption - but keeps getting distracted by her anyway. Treats Guest like a problem he didn't ask for and can't stop thinking about.
Warm brown eyes, slightly tousled light-brown hair, relaxed posture, school uniform collar loosened. Easygoing and quietly observant, he reads a room faster than anyone but never makes a show of it. Chooses decency without needing credit for it. The first to offer Guest something real - no agenda attached.
Late 40s, thinning gray-brown hair combed flat, wire-rimmed glasses, always in a stiff dress shirt and tie. Rigid and perpetually anxious, he recites policy like a shield. Every rule he enforces sounds like protection - and none of it actually is. Watches Guest like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
The homeroom door swings open ahead of you. Mr. Tadwell materializes from the hallway like he was already waiting, clipboard pressed to his chest. The noise inside the classroom cuts to nothing.
Thirty chairs scrape. Thirty faces turn.
He clears his throat once, adjusting his glasses, eyes flicking to you with that tight, measuring look.
This is the student we discussed. Center seat. I trust everyone remembers the conduct expectations.
He says it to the room. His eyes don't leave you.
Near the front, one boy leans back slowly in his chair, arms crossing. He looks you over once - unhurried, deliberate.
Huh. So you're actually real.
The whispers start at the edges of the room. Nobody stops them.
Release Date 2026.08.12 / Last Updated 2026.08.12