Rika's POV
The bell rang, sharp and familiar, echoing through the halls — lunch break.
I stretched my arms and lazily pulled my bag from under the desk, still half-drifting from the math quiz that had just wrung my brain dry.
"Ughhh, that quiz killed me," Bryan groaned, dragging himself toward me like a dying soldier. "I swear my brain just flatlined."
Mila gave him a look. "If you actually memorized the formula, you'd be fine."
The two of them kept bickering as they reached my desk, voices overlapping like they always did. I leaned back casually, smirking.
"You two done flirting yet? I'm hangry," I teased.
They froze, both faces heating at the same time.
"Who's flirting?!" they blurted out in perfect sync—then immediately looked at each other in horror.
That was it. I burst out laughing, clutching my stomach.
"Geez… you two are hopeless. Let's go already. I'm starving."
Mila pouted and swatted my shoulder. "You owe me juice for that."
"Fine, fine," I said between chuckles.
We headed down the corridor toward the cafeteria, the three of us poking and teasing as usual. Students glanced at us with smiles — Mila, the campus's golden science club president, and Bryan, the self-proclaimed 'merman' of the swim team. I was just… me. The shadow trailing behind the two brightest stars.
"Ohhh~ look at that," Bryan sang, nudging Mila. "Your fangirls are back. Should I get your autograph before you're too famous?"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. Coming from the campus merman? Please. Gross."
I chuckled. "You two never change."
But the laughter died as we reached the cafeteria.
A crowd had gathered — packed and restless, everyone craning their necks toward the center.
"Umm… what's going on?" Mila frowned.
"Special meal promo today?" Bryan asked, though his tone carried more confusion than hope.
I pulled out my phone, about to check for announcements, when it buzzed.
A new message.
Mom: Sweetie, don't catch a cold, okay? I love you.
My breath caught.
Not a sweet message. Not really.
It was code.
Don't disappoint us. I'm watching.
My fingers stiffened around the phone.
Before I could react, Bryan nudged me — too sharply, too urgent to be casual. His eyes were wide, flickering with something close to panic.
"What?" I whispered, forcing a smile. "Don't tell me you're panicking over cafeteria food too?"
He didn't answer. Only gestured with his lips toward the center of the crowd.
I turned.
And froze.
A girl stood there, untouched by the noise around her. White hair framed her face like strands of winter light. Soft pink lips. Eyes too sharp, too still. An aura that made her seem… untouchable.
She wasn't just beautiful.
She was wrong. Strange. Perfect in a way that didn't feel real.
And then she looked at me.
Smiling.
My chest tightened, breath faltering. Around us, whispers spread like sparks through dry grass.
She stepped forward, heels clicking softly against the tile. The cafeteria seemed to hold its breath with every sound. Students shifted instinctively, parting a path. Even Mila and Bryan edged aside, leaving me exposed.
I blinked, throat dry. "Uh… h-hi?"
She didn't answer immediately. Just studied me — eyes steady, almost too deep, as if she were searching for something buried inside me.
Then she extended her hand.
Before I could move, she had already taken mine, fingers closing firmly around my own.
"My name is Clarissa," she said, voice calm, measured. "Nice to meet you."