Leo never liked attention.
But by the end of his first week at Qingchen High, he was starting to think fate had other plans.
First, the mysterious quiet girl who somehow made him overthink every word (Rin).
Then the energetic broadcaster who dragged him into club life (Yuki).
Now the athletic lifesaver who teased him like an old friend (Hana).
And now—just his luck—they were all about to be in the same place.
---
It started with Yuki.
"Leo!" she burst into the classroom during lunch, ignoring the stares. "Come with me. Emergency!"
He blinked. "Emergency?"
"Mic died. Backup won't work. I need someone to run down to the audio tech room and borrow an extension kit before my next broadcast. You're the only one I trust."
"…Didn't you meet me, like, three days ago?"
"Exactly. Not enough time for me to build resentment. Let's go!"
She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him down the hall.
---
Ten minutes later, Leo found himself waiting in the tech building lobby, holding a labeled sound pack and sipping a vending machine juice box Yuki had bribed him with.
Just as he was about to head back, he heard someone calling.
"Leo?"
He turned.
Rin Hoshino, holding a rolled-up blueprint tube and her usual unreadable expression.
"You're here too?" he asked.
"I came to borrow calibration tools for the physics project," she replied. Then she noticed the sound pack. "Broadcasting Club again?"
"…Yeah. Yuki sent me."
"Of course."
There was a pause.
"You look tired," she said.
Leo blinked. "That's… not something I hear often."
"New environments are exhausting," Rin said simply. "Even more so when you're… surrounded."
He chuckled. "That's a polite way of saying I'm being mobbed by chaos."
She glanced at him, just slightly amused. "Something like that."
---
They walked outside together, silent at first. Rin didn't seem bothered by the quiet.
But the moment they stepped back into the courtyard—
"Ohh my god, Rin?"
It was Yuki, of course—bouncing over with her usual megawatt smile.
Rin visibly froze.
Yuki wrapped an arm around Leo's shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. "So you've met our resident transfer hero already? He's super helpful. And weirdly good at untangling wires."
Rin looked between them. "We have classes together."
"Ohhh," Yuki said, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting."
Leo was sweating.
> This feels like being caught between two kinds of storms.
"I'll take the gear," Yuki added, tugging the sound pack. "Rin, you sticking around?"
"I wasn't planning to," Rin replied coolly.
Leo coughed. "I was just—"
And then another voice cut in.
"Yo, Leo!"
From the side path came Hana, jogging up with a towel around her neck and her gym jacket slung over her shoulder.
Three seconds of silence passed as she noticed the other two girls standing nearby.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Wow. You collect club presidents or something?"
"I—it's not like that," Leo said quickly.
"Oh sure," she grinned. "Completely normal to be sandwiched between Ice Queen and Loudspeaker here."
"Who are you calling Loudspeaker?" Yuki said, folding her arms.
"And who's Ice Queen?" Rin asked flatly.
Leo stepped back. "Okay, can we maybe not do this?"
But it was too late.
All three girls were now looking at each other.
Sizing up.
Calculating.
Yuki smirked. "I'm just saying, Leo and I have been working together a lot. He's practically our club's savior."
Hana tossed her towel over her shoulder. "Oh yeah? Because I'm pretty sure I literally saved his life two days ago."
Rin tilted her head. "He doesn't belong to any of you."
Everyone went quiet.
Leo felt like vanishing into a nearby bush.
---
Eventually, Rin broke the silence.
"I'll return to class."
She nodded once at Leo—an almost imperceptible farewell—and walked off.
Yuki sighed. "Well. That was... chilly."
Hana nudged Leo with her elbow. "Dude. Be careful. You're in dangerous waters."
He groaned. "I didn't do anything."
"Exactly," Yuki said. "That's the problem."
---
Later that night, Leo sat at his desk in the dorm, staring at the blinking cursor in a blank message window.
His phone buzzed.
> Hana: You owe me water. Tomorrow.
Yuki: Don't forget club meeting at 4. Bring your charming awkwardness.
Rin: Next class, bring extra graph paper.
He sighed.
Then smiled.
> Three girls.
One transfer student.
No idea what's happening.
But strangely… he didn't mind.