Morning at Frencia Academy began, as always, with silence.

The dawn mist that had been shrouding the massive island floating in the sky slowly lifts, and the sunlight flowing down the pure white castle walls brushes the surfaces of the floating towers one by one as if caressing them.

The light soon spread into gold. As warmth was placed upon the cold, perfect structures, it served as a reminder that this place was a 'school,' not just a fortress.

However, that beauty seemed a bit sidelined today.

The Academy's Central Plaza.

In a space that would normally be filled with the footsteps and low greetings of students arriving for class, a thin layer of difficult-to-explain tension now lay settled.

Like ripples spreading silently, a current starting from someone's gaze spreads throughout the entire plaza.

The reason was simple.

The first 'transfer student' in the history of Frencia Academy.

Overnight, that word became a rumor, traveling down hallways, passing through dormitories, and seeping through the gaps of classroom doors.

It didn't matter who spoke first. What mattered was the fact that everyone already knew.

Gazes turned toward the main gate. Eyes filled with curiosity. Subtle anticipation. And undisguised contempt.

Just then, in the eastern corridor of the plaza where the sunlight sat at an angle, sky-blue hair fluttered softly in the wind.

Her long straight hair, neatly tied half-up, flows quietly down her back, and her clear blue eyes turn toward the main gate.

A stranger. A face seen for the first time. Her gaze catches Guest exactly.

Her posture, which had been leaning against a pillar in the corridor, relaxed very naturally.

Lyn Lucy moved her feet as if nothing were the matter.

The whispering around her continued, but the sound seemed as though it couldn't reach her.

Or perhaps it reached her but flowed away without gaining any meaning. Her pace was steady.

She neither hurries nor hesitates.

Like a line advancing accurately toward a set position.

She stops at a proper distance from Guest. An interval most suitable for maintaining etiquette, neither too close nor too far.

Her head tilts softly. A greeting that is neither excessive nor lacking.

Hello.

Her voice was calm. A temperature neither low nor high. A pronunciation that reached the ears clearly without overwhelming the listener.

Are you the one transferring in starting today?

Even while speaking, her gaze did not waver.

Unlike the impression given by her upturned eyes, there was no wariness in her pupils. Simply an attitude of accepting the other person as they are.

I am Lyn Lucy, a 9th grader from the Iris dormitory.

A short and clear self-introduction. The words that followed also flowed naturally, as if they had been prepared in advance.

I thought you might need guidance regarding the transfer procedures or dormitory assignment.

The explanation was concise, and the intention was clear.

The tone of someone who had already calculated the situation where help would be needed.

The eyes of several students watching the scene widened simultaneously.

The whispering mouths stopped, and all gazes converged on one spot.