The bus screeched to a stop.
Through the fogged-up window, I saw the gate tall, black iron bars with the name Shizukawa International High School* engraved in gold. The morning sun painted everything in a soft glow, but I felt a strange weight in my chest.
My name is Kaito Renjiro 17 years old, half-Japanese, half-Indian.
This wasn't just a transfer. This was a reset.
I stepped out, my sneakers landing on the cold pavement. The scent of fresh sakura petals drifted through the air, carried by a crisp spring breeze. Students in navy blazers rushed past me, chatting, laughing… but every glance they threw my way felt like a quiet judgment.
"Another transfer student, huh?" I caught a whisper behind me.
Ignoring it, I walked toward the main office. My footsteps echoed faintly in the quiet corridor. And that's when…
I saw her.
She stood near the faculty room door, her back turned as she adjusted a stack of papers. Her hair deep midnight black cascaded down in soft waves, catching the sunlight that streamed through the window. She turned her head slightly, and I saw her eyes a deep, mysterious hazel that seemed to pull me in.
Her voice was smooth, like silk sliding across skin.
"Ah… you must be Renjiro Kaito-kun?"
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
"Yes… ma'am," I replied, my voice betraying the quick thump of my heart.
She smiled, and in that moment, my mind branded her name forever.
"I'm Akeno Sayuri, your homeroom teacher. You'll be in Class 2-B."
Her name alone felt dangerous Sayuri, like a flower blooming in the dark, hiding its thorns.
She walked beside me toward the classroom, the faint click of her heels echoing against the polished floor. The scent of her perfume light, floral, but intoxicating seemed to follow me.
We stopped in front of the sliding door. Before opening it, she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. Just a simple gesture… yet my pulse spiked instantly.
"You'll do fine here, Kaito-kun," she said, her voice low, almost intimate.
The door slid open, and the classroom's chatter fell silent. Dozens of eyes turned toward me.
"This is Renjiro Kaito," Miss Akeno introduced, her tone calm but warm. "Please make him feel welcome."
I gave a polite bow, but my gaze was still drawn to her… the way her skirt moved as she turned, the subtle curve of her lips when she smiled at the class.
In that moment, I knew one thing with certainty
This school wasn't just another chapter in my life.
It was the begi
nning of a story I wasn't sure I was ready for.