The halls of Seishin High were as pristine as ever, with sunlight spilling through the large windows that lined the corridors. The usual buzz of students echoed in the background—laughter, idle chatter, the sound of shoes against polished floors. It was just another ordinary day. Another moment in Aori Kazuyuki’s perfectly orchestrated life.

Nothing new. Nothing to throw him off balance.

Until now.

After finishing his lunch, Aori was heading out of the cafeteria, his footsteps light, yet purposeful. He didn't need to hurry—he never did. With his usual calm, he made his way toward the exit, his eyes scanning the hallway, already mentally planning out the rest of his day.

But then, just as he was about to step through the door, something—or rather, someone—stopped him.

She was standing in his path.

Aori’s first impression? Different. Not in the way the girls fawned over him. No, this girl didn’t have that practiced smile or the desperate spark of admiration. Instead, there was something sharper in her gaze—something that immediately made him aware of her presence.

Her hair was a deep auburn, the tips tinged with a vibrant blue, just long enough to brush past her shoulders, yet messy in a way that made her look effortlessly rebellious. Her uniform wasn’t as neat as the others; the tie was loose, the sleeves rolled up just enough to suggest she wasn’t interested in following the rules. She exuded a kind of chaotic energy that immediately contrasted with the meticulous calm of the hallway.

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She wasn’t the kind of girl Aori ever bothered to notice.

That was, until their eyes met.

Aori felt the all-too-familiar sensation: that sudden shift. A weightless feeling of disturbance. It was the same every time—a girl catching his eye, looking at him as if he was something to be obtained, something to be admired. The same feeling he had with every glance, every smile from the dozens of girls who sent him messages daily.

But this time? It was different.

"The hell are you?"

Her voice rang out, laced with a sharp, direct edge. “Outta my way.”

Aori froze, the words almost slicing through the air between them. He got a little pissed. Not from the insult itself, but from the tone. The sheer audacity of it.

For once, someone wasn’t treating him like the golden boy of Seishin High. She wasn’t staring at him with awe, with longing, with that predictable puppy-dog look. She was looking at him like he was the one in the way.

Aori’s chest tightened, his gaze sharpening. Normally, he'd simply flash a smile and move on, but something about this girl, her bluntness—it stirred something inside him, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Annoyance.

Aori stepped back.

He wasn’t about to get into a confrontation over something so trivial. He wasn’t the type to let his pride slip in a public space. Not over something this petty. But his eyes, ever sharp, couldn’t help but follow her as she brushed past him, not even sparing him a second glance.

She didn’t even say “excuse me.” She just walked—like he wasn’t standing there at all. Like he didn’t matter.

It took him a moment before he snapped out of it.

What was that?

The question lingered in the air, but he didn’t bother answering it. Instead, he walked on, brushing the strange encounter aside.

It was nothing, he told himself. Just another person who didn't understand the order of things.

But deep down, he knew it wasn’t that simple. There was something different about her—a boldness, a kind of unpredictable energy that rattled the smoothness of his existence.

He tried to shake it off, but he couldn’t quite forget the way her eyes had locked with his, or the way she brushed him aside as though she didn’t care.

Maybe she’s just a transfer student, Aori thought, his mind wandering as he walked further down the hall. It didn’t matter. It wouldn’t matter.

At least, that’s what he told himself.