Grimhour Institute

The Grimhour Institute was unlike any other university. For two decades, it had remained among the top five most prestigious campuses in the country, famed for producing elite educators. Some said it was a breeding ground for future leaders in education; others called it a playground for the privileged.

Either way, the students here had a name of their own: Hourans.

The campus itself sprawled across hectares of land, filled with classical architecture and well-kept gardens. Sleek cars lined the parking lot—symbols of the wealth many students came from.

Among them, a silver SUV pulled up smoothly near the main building, drawing curious glances.

The door opened.

First came a flash of white sneakers with black stripes, followed by long legs wrapped in stockings. A girl stepped out gracefully, her light blue jacket neatly worn over her uniform. She had sapphire-blue eyes, soft bangs, and wavy hair tied into a ponytail that swayed down to her waist.

"Finally, we've arrived," she said with a gentle sigh, her voice carrying a soft charm that instantly drew smiles from nearby students.

It wasn't surprising. She was, after all, something of a campus idol.

Right behind her, a taller young man stepped out—blond, sharply dressed, every inch the image of a model student. He straightened his coat, his expression turning serious as he surveyed the area.

"Don't get too comfortable," he said in a low voice. "We still have four reports to finish today."

That was Dellon Harrison, chairman of the Student Faculty Council for the Faculty of Science and Technology—often called the most powerful student group on campus.

And the girl beside him?

Aidera Tassania. First secretary of the council… and widely known as the *Queen Bee* of Grimhour.

"They say stress makes people age faster, you know~" Aidera quipped playfully, swinging her bag as they walked.

"That again? You keep throwing around those old wives' tales as if they're facts."

"But it's true!" Aidera pouted. "Ugh, why do you always ruin my jokes? You really need to lighten up."

Nearby students watched them with amusement, whispering among themselves as the two student officials passed by.

"They look perfect together, don't they?" someone muttered.

"Perfectly incompatible, maybe," another replied, chuckling softly.

Although it was still early in the day, these two people were arguing as usual. But despite their apparent lack of harmony, they were very close to each other.

In fact, many people thought they were actually a couple.

From afar, someone was seen running very fast towards them. She was carrying something that looked like a piece of clothing. And what was surprising was that this person was also a member of the organization's officials.

"Miss Aideraa!! Welcome."

The girl immediately handed over a red suit that was a symbol of this institute. Aidera happily accepted it. She took off her blue jacket and immediately replaced it with her beloved outerwear.

"Ahh, Clara. as usual, you come early."

"What else can I do? I can't possibly disturb your departure, milady."

"I told you not to talk too formally on campus, we're friends after all," Aidera sighed. Of course, she was annoyed because she was still being treated like a princess who needed to be flattered.

"But it's my responsibility." Clara answered with a serious expression. "I'm your maid, after all."

"Forget about responsibility. We're a student council. We'd be better off focusing on college like any other teenager."

"That's right. You'd better work on the financial report data for next month's project that is still unstable before we all get into trouble," Dellon interrupted.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the second floor balcony of Building A, in front of classroom A41 (Building A, 4th floor, room 1), there were many students eagerly observing the arrival of the chairman of the council from the neighboring faculty. Although the distance was quite far from their view, Building A was close enough to the main car park.

"Wow, our seniors are pretty good-looking."

"Yeah, especially Miss Aidera. She's like a celebrity here."

There were already six new students thinking the same thing. Among them was a guy with with long blonde hair style, just like a European. Being able to observe one of the beauties in the morning might be a mood-booster for this student named Kriss.

"I wonder… if we join the council, can we actually meet them?" The class president wondered.

"They are a faculty level council, while we are nobodies. Even if we are accepted, we will only be involved within the scope of our major. I don't really understand how the system works," Kriss replied.

*THUD...

Suddenly, the sound of a door being slammed very loudly was heard. Of course, the conversation of the group of students standing in front of the classroom was distracted. One of them was even startled by the loud noise.

"Ouch.."

A young man who had just arrived was immediately unlucky. He had just arrived and was hit by the door. Perhaps because he was in a hurry or something. His school uniform was still a bit messy, and his hair was wet as if he had just taken a shower a few minutes before. The onlookers chose to remain silent rather than laugh. After all, they had just met each other.

"Hey, are you okay?", the class president asked.

Instead of accepting the help, the guy stood awkwardly leaning against the door that he had just slammed into.

They were suddenly confused by this student. In addition to his messy appearance, what was surprising were his eyes. His eyes stared sharply like an eagle and his pupils were as red as blood.

"I'm sorry, it's okay. I just forgot to bring my glasses."

"Hold on! How did you manage to get here without wearing glasses?" Kriss interjected.

This blond guy tried to read the situation while talking. He had been curious about this person since yesterday. Kriss had actually tried to get to know all of his classmates except for this one person, But he also knew that some friends would be naturally introverted at the start of college.

But now he seemed to know why his characteristics were like that. According to his explanation, which he forgot to bring his glasses, he could only guess that this person really had a visual impairment.

"Your name is Zeyn, right? If I'm not mistaken. Hehehe~ Nice to meet you, my name is Kriss Howard! Just call me Kriss."

*Bzzztth~ Whung!

"Huh? What? What was that?"

After looking around for Zeyn, Kriss realized that the guy had already passed him and was heading to his own seat, and he had actually shaken hands with someone else instead. More precisely, Kriss felt like he was shaking hands with someone, but without realizing it, he ended up shaking hands with the class president.

"What!? Why did I end up shaking your hand instead?!" Kriss confused.

"Don't ask me! You were the one who pulled my hand. Geez!"

Kriss was sure he had held the other guy's hand. It was impossible for him to be fooled by his own vision. But what had happened, why did he end up holding the hand of class president? Instead, Zeyn was behind him and walked past him.

"Is it just me or...?"

This event successfully made the blond guy the subject of his friends' laughter.

* * * *