Rain had finished an hour ago, but Shinkuro City still glistened like someone had spilled a handful of stars over wet glass.
I stood at the curb with a duffel bag, watching the traffic lights change faster than my heartbeat.
**New city. New school. New start.**
That was the plan—simple, peaceful, no drama.
The apartment turned out bigger than the photos: a polished floor, four separate rooms, and a balcony view of the skyline.
Three guys already lived there—Ren, Kaito, and Ryo. All second-year students, all loud in the same way that peace and quiet hate.
"Yo, new guy!" Ren slapped my shoulder. "You look like you haven't smiled in months. We're fixing that tonight."
"I just got here," I said. "I was thinking unpacking and—"
"Club," Kaito interrupted. "Mandatory orientation."
They didn't give me a choice.
---
### **The Club**
Neon poured through the doorway like liquid fire. Bass shook the floor; lights painted everyone in red and violet.
I stayed near the couch, nursing a soda while my roommates evaporated into the crowd.
That's when she appeared—
—or maybe *fell* would be more accurate.
A girl stumbled forward, catching herself against my knee. Her perfume hit first—something expensive and faintly floral. Then the flash of **jet-black hair**, long enough to brush her waist, gleaming under the lights like obsidian.
"Sorry…" Her voice was low, smooth, slightly slurred.
Before I could answer, she looked up, and the world lost sound for half a second.
**Amber eyes.** Not yellow, not brown—*amber,* glowing faintly as if reflecting the club lights all on their own.
Then she leaned closer.
"Wait, are you—"
Her lips pressed against mine. Warm. Soft. Alcohol and danger.
I froze. My soda slipped from my hand.
By the time my brain rebooted, she had gone limp, head resting against my shoulder, breathing slow. Asleep.
I looked around—no one saw. The crowd was still dancing like the world outside didn't exist.
Carefully, I set her upright on the couch and wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve.
**Great.**
First night in the city and I'd already been kissed by a stranger who might not even remember it.
---
### **Morning**
Sunlight barged through the blinds. I blinked awake, still half expecting to smell alcohol.
Instead, it was the faint scent of toast from the kitchen and my roommates laughing at some meme.
Uniform: black blazer, silver buttons, crimson tie—the mark of **Shinkuro Academy**.
Their school. My new school.
---
### **Shinkuro Academy**
The gates looked more like those of a private mansion. The crest—two moons circling a serpent—gleamed on the iron.
Students filled the courtyard, every uniform crisp, every voice too confident.
Inside, the classroom buzzed. The teacher, a young man with glasses, motioned for me to the front.
"Transfer student today. Introduce yourself."
"I'm Kazuya Hayato. Nice to meet you."
"Good. You can sit beside Kurosawa Ayame."
The name tugged something in my memory.
Then I saw her.
Same hair, same eyes—only now sober, calm, radiant in daylight.
**Ayame Kurosawa.**
She looked up, met my eyes, and smiled as if the night before had been an inside joke.
"Oh? We meet again… couch boy."
My throat closed. "Y-you—remember?"
Her smile widened—gentle, but sharp at the edges.
"I never forget interesting things."
The class snickered. My ears burned.
---
### **Lunch Break**
I tried hiding behind my bento with two quiet guys I'd met, but it didn't last.
Ayame walked straight toward our table, tray in hand, like gravity worked differently for her.
"Mind if I join?" she asked, already sitting.
"Uh—sure?"
She rested her chin on her palm, eyes flicking toward me.
"You looked nervous in class. Don't be. Everyone here's harmless… mostly."
"Mostly?"
Her gaze lingered, playful. "This academy loves games. Some more dangerous than others."
She spoke like it was gossip, yet the air chilled around her words.
"Games?" I asked.
"You'll find out soon." She smiled again, soft and unreadable.
Then she added, almost in a whisper,
"Keep your head clear, Hayato-kun. Shinkuro rewards those who watch closely."
And just like that, she stood, tray in hand, leaving behind the faintest scent of jasmine and a hundred questions.
---
### **Evening**
Back at the apartment, Ren and the others grilled me for gossip. I denied everything, but the heat on my face gave me away.
When I finally lay down, her words looped in my head.
**Keep your head clear.**
Why did that sound less like advice and more like a warning?
Through the window, Shinkuro City shimmered again—beautiful, endless, and hiding something behind every light.
Somewhere out there, Ayame Kurosawa was smiling, and I couldn't tell if it was at me… or at the game she'd already started.