St. Eden Academy was located in Tokyo's Minato Ward, a unified school offering both middle and high school education.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the Black Fleet brought the White Faith to Sakurajima, sparking a wave of church-affiliated schools. Among them, St. Eden Academy was one of the more inconspicuous institutions.
Over nearly two centuries, the school changed hands multiple times and even faced several closures. Yet, it survived, gradually rising to become one of Tokyo's most prestigious academies. After several rounds of corporate restructuring, the century-old institution retained only its architectural style and name; its ties to the church had all but vanished.
Today, St. Eden Academy was controlled jointly by several powerful conglomerates. The students were either wealthy heirs or children of influential figures—so much so that even casually dropping a brick in the school courtyard could, hypothetically, land on the head of a corporate heir or a government official's child.
Studying here offered immense networking opportunities, and as long as one wasn't expelled and graduated successfully, it was almost guaranteed admission to Tokyo's top universities—a direct path to becoming a "winner in life." In short, the equation "enrolling at this academy = a perfect, happy life" was widely accepted.
However, studying at St. Eden wasn't without its challenges. The path to happiness required enduring considerable hardship—a sort of social equivalence exchange.
Due to historical factors, the school had a strict sense of hierarchy. Students were sharply ranked based on family background and personal ability, and their treatment reflected this informal, yet rigid, social order.
In this academy, there was one girl who, based on family and ability, should have been near the top tier. Yet, because of a petty and absurd reason, she was cast down to the very bottom of the social ladder. That reason was simple—she wasn't from Tokyo.
Yukinoshita Yukino had transferred from Chiba. While Chiba was also a sizable prefecture in Sakurajima, it paled in comparison to Tokyo, the political, economic, religious, and cultural center of the island.
Regional bias was widespread in Sakurajima, and it was even more pronounced in Tokyo. To locals, anything outside the capital was considered a backward, provincial wasteland.
As a result, Yukino earned a somewhat teasing nickname: the "Country Cinderella."
It was the second day at lunch.
Shizuka Hiratsuka had guided the black-haired girl to a classroom in the St. Eden club building.
It was a small classroom tucked into a corner on the second floor. The door looked worn, but the room inside was meticulously clean. A small sign on the door bore three neat characters:
"Storage Room?"
Yukino tilted her head. "Shizuka-sensei, why drag me here during lunch break? If you wanted me to clean the storage room, couldn't we at least wait until after I finish eating?"
Shizuka held Yukino's left hand firmly. In her right, Yukino clutched her bento wrapped in a cloth patterned with small cats.
"I'm not asking you to clean. I just wanted to find you a place to eat. Sitting alone at a classroom desk, getting stared at by everyone else—it's uncomfortable, isn't it?"
Before Yukino could respond, Shizuka pushed the door open and practically dragged her inside, as if she feared Yukino might escape.
Unable to resist and slightly touched by her concern, Yukino stepped in. What she saw made her momentarily hold her breath.
The classroom was tiny, but the stacked desks and chairs gave the space an unexpectedly vast, open feel. In the center, a boy sat alone at the only neatly arranged desk, quietly reading a book. Sunlight streaming through the window outlined his black hair and dark eyes, making him look almost ethereal.
Yukino wasn't easily impressed. She had seen countless handsome and beautiful students at St. Eden and in elite circles. Yet, she felt momentarily dazzled.
The divine precision that had shaped his features seemed almost violent in its beauty, like Hephaestus crafting Pandora, leaving her slightly breathless at first sight.
Shizuka, however, was unfazed. A seasoned educator, she excelled at inching closer to her students through subtle tactics. From previous interactions and their unsuccessful conversation yesterday, she had already gauged Hara Kei's personality. Though she, too, was from Chiba, she had overcome regional prejudice and established herself in one of Tokyo's top schools—even becoming a homeroom teacher.
She approached confidently, peering at the book in his hands. "Let me see… Hara Kei, is that… whoa, so many technical terms. Is that a music theory book?" She didn't let go of Yukino's hand, drawing her closer to the boy.
Hara Kei finally looked up, slightly exasperated. "Shizuka-sensei, I believe respecting others is a very important virtue. Don't you agree?"
Naturally, his gaze fell on the black-haired girl behind her. Hara Kei's eyes flickered—of course he recognized her. Yukino had transferred from Chiba, and while the game's logic dictated her arrival in Tokyo, there were other internally consistent reasons he had already verified with another girl.
"You're right. I'm sorry!" Shizuka stepped back a little, apologizing sincerely. Hara Kei raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised, but let it go. He shifted his gaze to the girl quietly observing from behind Shizuka.
"This is Yukinoshita Yukino. She's in the same grade but a different class," Shizuka explained, her practiced expression betraying slight sadness. "For various reasons, she hasn't been able to make friends and has always been alone."
"So?" Hara Kei raised an eyebrow. "You want me to be her friend?"
If Shizuka had said yes, he would have simply replied with a firm no. Despite naturally liking both of them, solitude was priceless, and Yukino's charm wasn't enough to make him abandon his principles.
"No, not at all," Shizuka said firmly. "I hate forcing people." She ignored the incredulous glances from both the girl and the boy in front of her. "I just wanted to find her a place where she can eat her lunch in peace. Otherwise, she might end up eating in the bathroom."
"Hey!" Yukino couldn't help exclaiming, but Shizuka ignored her. Instead, she looked at Hara Kei with a subtle expectation in her eyes.
Yukino had come to Tokyo because of the game's setup—not her choice. Even at her skill level, she would never actually end up eating in the bathroom. In the original story, she had been alone initially and experienced some isolation, but she ultimately managed fine.
Still, Hara Kei couldn't shake a small sense of guilt. Finally, he said:
"This classroom belongs to the school. I just discovered it first. I have no right to claim it as mine." He lowered his gaze back to his book, his deep, calm eyes focusing on the text.
The sound of chairs being moved faded into the school's ambient noise, leaving only a small ripple in the calm waters of St. Eden Academy. Yet beneath that quiet, a storm capable of sweeping through the entire school was already brewing.
For now, though, it remained just a subtle ripple.