The morning sun shone brightly over Hoshizora High School, its name meaning "Starry Sky"—a fitting title for a school known for its vibrant student body and promising future leaders. Inside Class 2-A, students murmured amongst themselves, some half-asleep, others excitedly chatting about the latest gossip.
Sakura Hoshino, 16 years old, long pink hair and bright blue eyes—super cute, sat near the middle row, staring out the window, lost in her own world. The teacher, Mr. Takagi, cleared his throat, silencing the class.
"Alright, settle down, everyone. We have a new student joining us today," he announced, pushing up his glasses. "Come in and introduce yourself."
The door slid open, and in stepped a boy with messy black hair and striking green eyes. His posture was straight but slightly tense, as if uncertain how to carry himself. He scanned the room briefly before looking at the teacher.
"My name is Aoki Haruto," he said simply, his voice steady but reserved. "I just transferred here. Nice to meet you."
Some whispers erupted across the classroom.
"He's kinda cool-looking."
"Wonder where he came from?"
Sakura suddenly blinked, watching him with curiosity, practically gawking at him as if she'd seen something bizarre . There was something about him... an aura he was emitting, something only she could see...
Huh, who's that girl? And why is she staring at me like that?
Her aura is all over the place… Is she another caster?
Wait… it's not just her… Everyone is staring! God, I wanna curl up and die!
"Thank you, Aoki," Mr. Takagi said. "You can take the empty seat next to Hoshino."
Haruto gave a small nod before making his way over. As he reached the desk, he glanced at Sakura briefly before pulling out the chair and sitting down.
Woah! She's super cute up close, I can't believe, I get to sit next to her…
Sakura, who had been watching him intently, quickly looked away, pretending to adjust her pen.
An awkward silence stretched between them.
After a moment, Haruto spoke, his voice low but polite.
"Nice to meet you, I guess."
Sakura glanced at him, then gave a small, polite smile. "Yeah... welcome to Hoshizora High."
+++
The lunch bell rang, signaling the brief escape from lessons. Students shuffled out of the classroom, chatting excitedly as they either headed to the cafeteria or unwrapped their home-packed meals. Haruto, remained in his seat, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.
He wasn't particularly hungry. Or rather, he didn't have much of an appetite after the morning's stares and whispers. Being the new kid was exhausting. And so, while others bustled around, Haruto quietly moved to sit in the further back of the class, away from the noise, there he sat in silence.
From her desk, as she was about to head out to the cafeteria with her bento-box, Sakura glanced at Haruto sitting in the back, and something drew her to him, she wasn't sure what it was, but she went to him.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Haruto glanced up. Sakura Hoshino stood there, her usual warm expression tinged with curiosity. She held her lunch in both hands, tilting her head slightly as she waited for his response.
Haruto hesitated before nodding. "Sure."
Sakura smiled and took the seat next to him, setting her lunch down.
"You're not gonna sit alone forever, are you?" she teased as she opened her bento box, revealing a colorful variety of homemade dishes.
Haruto gave a small shrug. "Didn't think anyone would notice."
"Well, I did."
She plucked a piece of tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth before sliding the other bento towards him
"Here, try it, it's really good?"
Uh, what do I do…? I probably shouldn't refuse since she came all this way to share her food with me.
"Thanks, but you didn't' have to, Hoshino-san"
She smiled at him.
"It's nothing, figured that since I have this terrible habit of making too much food for lunch, might as well share it"
Without another word, Haruto lifted the lid, revealing a simple meal—rice, grilled fish, and some pickled vegetables. Nothing fancy, but neatly prepared.
Sakura pursed her lips.
"Hmm... not bad right, but you know what's missing?"
Haruto raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Without warning, Sakura reached into her own bento and picked out a small sausage cut into the shape of an octopus. With a triumphant grin, she placed it onto Haruto's rice.
"There. Now it's balanced."
Haruto blinked at the tiny food creature sitting in his lunch. "…You just gave me an octopus wiener."
Sakura nodded proudly. "Yep. It's cute, right?"
Haruto stared at her, then at the sausage, then back at her. A chuckle—small, but genuine—escaped his lips.
"I guess."
Sakura blushed.
"by the way, you can just call me Sakura, everyone in class mostly does anyways…"
First name basis with this cute girl, no way!
Haruto smiled.
"Well, I guess you should probably call me by my first name also, only fair…"
Sakura beamed. She hadn't seen him smile before. Haruto hadn't realized it either. Maybe it was because of the ridiculousness of the moment, or maybe… maybe it was just nice to have someone sit with him.
As they continued eating, Sakura chatted about random things—her favorite foods, funny stories about her classmates, the best vending machine drinks on campus. Haruto mostly listened, but he found himself replying more than he expected.
By the time lunch was over, he wasn't sure what had changed exactly… but something felt different. Warmer.
As Sakura stood up to leave, she glanced back at him.
"Tomorrow, same spot?"
Haruto hesitated, then gave a small nod.
"…Yeah. Sure."
Sakura grinned before waving and heading off.
Haruto sat there for a moment longer...
Huh, maybe this school wouldn't be so bad after all.
+++
The next day, as promised, Haruto found Sakura waiting for him at the same corner desk by the window. Their lunches mirrored the previous day's simplicity and color, but their conversation felt a little less forced, a little more comfortable. Day by day, their lunchtime routine became a quiet sanctuary amidst the chaotic noise of high school life.
But routines, especially those that break the norm, don't go unnoticed for long.
One afternoon, as they were about to settle into their usual spot, Sakura surprised Haruto.
"Hey," she started, balancing her bento in one hand while nudging his shoulder with the other, "wanna eat in the cafeteria today?"
Haruto blinked. "The cafeteria?"
"Yeah," she said with a grin, "the food's decent, and besides, you've been avoiding people long enough."
Haruto hesitated, his mind already conjuring images of the crowded room, the endless chatter, and the inevitable stares.
"I don't know…"
"Come on," Sakura urged, tugging his sleeve playfully. "It's not like I'm feeding you to the wolves. You'll be with me."
He sighed, realizing resistance was futile when it came to Sakura's determination. "Fine… but if I regret this, I'm blaming you."
"Deal!" she beamed, leading the way.
The cafeteria was exactly as Haruto imagined—buzzing with students, clattering trays, and a blend of conversations overlapping into a chaotic symphony. The moment they walked in, eyes started turning their way.
It wasn't just that Sakura Hoshino, one of the most well-liked and admired girls in school, had entered. It was who she was with.
"The new kid?"
"Wait, isn't that the transfer student?"
"Since when did they become close?"
Whispers began weaving through the crowd as Haruto followed Sakura to an empty table. He felt the weight of their stares pressing down on him, but Sakura, unfazed, plopped down and gestured for him to sit across from her.
"See? Not so bad," she said cheerily, completely ignoring the sea of curious faces around them.
Haruto chuckled dryly.
"Easy for you to say. They're not wondering why you're here."
She glanced around, feigning surprise.
"Oh, them? Don't mind them. They'll find something else to gossip about by next period."
But that wasn't exactly true.
The sight of Haruto and Sakura eating together became a new fixture in the cafeteria. Each day, students stole glances, trying to piece together this unexpected friendship.
"Is he… dating her?"
"No way! Sakura's just being nice."
"Still… why him?"
While many were curious, some were envious. Haruto wasn't rich, popular, or even particularly outgoing. Yet there he was, sharing laughs with someone like Sakura Hoshino as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Haruto noticed the stares, the whispers, the occasional glares from guys who wished they were in his place. It unsettled him at first, but Sakura's unwavering warmth made it easier to ignore them.
One day, as they sat across from each other, Sakura caught him staring at his untouched food.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked softly.
He sighed. "It's just… the attention. I'm not used to it."
Sakura leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.
"Want my advice?"
"Sure," he muttered.
"Forget them," she said simply. "They don't matter. What matters is that you're here, eating your dry rice and fish while I graciously provide octopus wieners to brighten your day."
He couldn't help but smile. "You're really proud of those wieners, huh?"
"Absolutely," she said with mock seriousness. "It's my signature move."
Their laughter echoed through the cafeteria, and though the stares continued, Haruto found that—at least during lunchtime—he didn't care as much anymore.
Little by little, the new kid wasn't just the new kid anymore. He was Haruto Aoki, the boy who sat with Sakura Hoshino every day, the boy who slowly started finding his place in a world that had once felt so isolating.
+++
Close to the school courtyard, the afternoon sun cast long shadows over the school grounds as a group of students loitered behind the gym.
Leaning against the fence with an air of confidence, Ryohei Kanzaki, the wealthy and arrogant second-year student, scrolled through his phone lazily. His neatly styled blonde hair and crisp, custom-tailored uniform set him apart from the average student. Everything about him screamed privilege.
A group of his underlings—three lackeys who thrived on his influence—stood in front of him, fidgeting as they prepared to report something important.
"Boss," one of them, a short, wiry student named Daichi, spoke up. "I saw something today. You're not gonna like it."
Ryohei raised an eyebrow, finally giving them his attention. "Oh? Do tell."
Daichi hesitated for a moment before blurting it out.
"Sakura... She was eating lunch with some new guy."
Silence.
Ryohei's grip on his phone tightened slightly, though his expression remained neutral.
"A new guy?"
His voice was smooth, almost amused, but those who knew him well understood that amusement from Ryohei meant trouble.
"Yeah," another lackey, Toma, chimed in. "His name's Haruto Aoki. Transfer student. He sat alone at first, but Sakura went up to him. They looked... comfortable."
Ryohei clicked his tongue in irritation, slipping his phone into his pocket.
"Tch. Some random transfer student, and she's already cozying up to him?" He exhaled sharply, then straightened his posture. "Alright. And what kind of guy is this Haruto?"
"He's quiet," Daichi said. "Didn't really talk much in class. But…" He hesitated before adding, "he doesn't seem like the type to be easily pushed around."
Ryohei smirked. "Oh? That makes it more fun."
A third lackey, Shun, chuckled. "Want us to rattle him a bit? Make sure he knows his place?"
Ryohei smirked, stretching his arms, now glowing with red caster energy.
"No need. I'll handle this myself."
"Haruto Aoki, huh? Let's see what you're made of."