Crimson Star

The opening ceremony had ended, and lunchtime followed a couple of uneventful classes.

A cheerful lunch-time atmosphere filled the school, with chatter and laughter echoing through the hallways.

In the classroom, Dante sat alone at his desk, resting his chin on his palm. He sighed, boredom written all over his face. Inadvertently, he mumbled,

"What a drag. Today's even duller than I expected."

So far, nothing noteworthy had happened, except for the introduction of the new transfer student from the Mainland.

The buzz around Shion, the transfer student, had been relentless. Almost every girl in the class had crowded around her, bombarding her with endless questions the moment they returned to the classroom after the opening ceremony. Even now, during lunch, Shion was still under siege.

How could they all gather around one person without considering her comfort? Dante thought. Surely this isn't how she imagined her first day at school on a foreign artificial island.

He leaned back in his chair and stared out the window, lost in thought.

He muttered,

"Ah, it reminds me of something similar that happened back then."

The person who came to mind was the class representative, Nakagawa Yukino. But even then, the attention Yukino received hadn't been as exaggerated as this.

Was it because Shion was from the Mainland?

"She doesn't look uncomfortable, so I guess it's fine. But what should I do now? Maybe I should head to the cafeteria," Dante said thoughtfully.

Being on the quieter, more unpopular side, Dante didn't have a large circle of friends. He could count his close friends on one hand. He wasn't someone who actively sought out conversations, but if someone approached him and tried to start one, he wouldn't turn them away. It wasn't arrogance that kept him distant. In fact, he had tried to reach out to others and be friendly, but none of his efforts seemed to stick.

The best way to describe him was that he kept to himself. And yet, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, it always felt like others avoided him.

He didn't know why, but it was as if people could sense something about him, something he wasn't even aware of.

It had been frustrating at first, that invisible barrier between him and everyone else. But over time, he had learned to deal with it. To accept it.

And this led to his current solitude. His daily school life.

"Ugh. Guess I should get going…"

With a small sigh, he pushed his chair back and stood. There was no point in staying here any longer, nor was there any point in overthinking it.

The sealed ramen he had been saving for this occasion had been sacrificed earlier that morning to fill his mother's stomach. By now, she was probably sitting comfortably in her air-conditioned office, entirely unaware of his empty stomach. And since his sister had failed to follow through on her promise to restock their pantry, there weren't even any alternatives.

Without a lunch box, his options were limited: either head to the cafeteria or make his way to the school store.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Dante glanced once more at the bustling classroom. Shion was still surrounded by the crowd of girls, wearing that same indecipherable expression on her face.

There was a strange, lingering feeling he couldn't shake.

For a fleeting moment, his thoughts wandered. He suspected she was the girl from his dreams.

But no, that was ridiculous. He had no way of proving it, and it was far more likely he was mistaken.

Definitely mistaken.

Shrugging it off, he slowly made his way toward the door, as if dreading the next part of his day.

"Yo, Dante!"

Just as the voice called out, Dante felt a sudden impact on his back. A playful slap that caught him off guard.

Turning around at the sound of that familiar, annoying voice, he saw the brown-haired, one-ear-pierced male vice-class representative grinning at him like an idiot.

"Oh, Shiba, it's you. I was wondering why I haven't seen your foolish face."

"Ack! Ugh! How could you say that about your own dear friend? Dante-yan, you're really cold."

"Why are you so over-dramatic? You do realize you can never get a girlfriend like this, right?"

"Funny you say that as if you're an expert! When was the last time you even talked with a girl?!"

"Damn you, do you have to remind me about that, you bastard?! At least I'm not a lolicon like a certain someone I know!!"

"Haha! Are you trying to make me feel ashamed? Jokes on you, I don't have any shame at all! I like younger women, and I like getting stepped on by younger women!! I don't just like lolis, I love them!!"

Dante's frustration nearly made him shout, "You damn omnivorous!", but he bit his tongue and held back the words, knowing it would only escalate.

Shiba Takahashi wore a wide, triumphant grin as if he had just won something.

He was one of Dante's few real friends, someone he met during their first year. They hit it off after discovering they shared common interests like anime, manga, and horror movies. Even their taste in music was pretty similar. They'd been friends ever since, but there was one thing Dante couldn't like about this mischievous individual.

Damnit. What's his idiot's obsession with lolis?! Doesn't he know that he can get arrested for saying something so inappropriate?!

Dante himself was from a foreign country, so he wasn't sure if this was some weird Japanese cultural thing or not.

No. Culture had nothing to do with being a pervert!!

Of course, Shiba wasn't the type of creep who actually stalked little girls. If he were, Dante wouldn't have anything to do with him. As far as he knew, the bastard was just being playful.

At least, that's what he hoped.

Dante sighed and slowly made his way towards the cafeteria.

Of course, the foul-mouthed Shiba wasn't about to let him walk in peace and quickly followed after him.

"Oi! Oi! why are you moving so fast? What's the rush? And where the hell are you going on such a fine day?"

"I was thinking of heading to the school store, but since I don't have any money, looks like it's the cafeteria."

"Hmm, that's odd. Did you forget your lunch money again?"

"It's not a matter of forgetting. How can I forget something I don't have?"

"Ah, that makes sense. Wait, don't tell me you spent all your money on those ecchi DVDs? You damn pervert, I didn't think you'd sink that low. If you wanted something, you could've just asked, you know!"

"Do you want to get punched?! How could you shout something like that at this ungodly hour?!"

"Oh my, how scary~"

Shiba raised both hands in mock surrender, his grin still wide as Dante shot him a glare.

Quickly trying to shift the conversation to avoid the impending punch, Shiba said, "By the way, what do you think about the new girl? She's gorgeous, no? Ten out of ten, full points. I always heard mainland girls were stunning, but this one? A true rare specimen!"

Dante gave a shrug, "I don't get the fuss. She's just another pretty face."

Shiba scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"What's with the casual attitude? Are you still pretending to be all high and mighty despite your lack of... I don't know, experience?!"

Dante sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'm a miserable and lonely virgin. Can we move on now?" He paused before continuing, his voice a little softer. "Look, I just don't get it. She's pretty, sure, but that's it. You walk through the Shadowspire, and you'll see plenty of beautiful faces. The real question is, what's different between all of them? The answer is personality. My mother drilled it into my head that one mustn't focus on appearances, or else you'll end up ruining yourself!

"Mm. I suppose that's true. A pretty face is useless if their personality is trash. Which is why I love lolis! How could such a little creature be ugly, inside or out?!"

"Ugh... I swear, one of these days, you're going to get arrested or beaten up."

"Hey, don't underestimate me! I may not look like it, but I practiced martial arts when I was younger! I can take down a few people if I need to, and if not, well, I can always run away! Plus, being a lolican has its perks—like camouflage!"

"Get away from me, you damn omnivore!! I hope you get beaten up someday, you IDIOT!!"

At this point, Dante increased his walking pace with the still laughing Shiba following behind him.

Soon, they both reached the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was a bit crowded. Riverstone Academy, known for attracting the children of the wealthy, was filled with individuals who were not only striking in appearance but also exuded an air of poise and composure.

As Dante had mentioned, in Evernight City, beauty and handsomeness were the norm on the surface.

Shiba's expression soured as he glanced around.

"Damn. Is it just me, or is this place more crowded than usual? At this rate, all the seats will be taken. Tch."

"They're probably the first years. It was the same last year," Dante replied.

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, let's grab something to eat and find a seat before they're all taken."

The two approached the counter and eagerly piled their plates with all kinds of delicious dishes. The cafeteria food was free, so they didn't have to worry about paying. Their school fees had already covered it, so all they needed to do was pick whatever they wanted without a second thought.

Naturally, it was their duty or else their money would have done to waste!

The problem was that other students took advantage of this freedom, which caused the cafeteria to fill up quickly, especially the greedy first years!

Dante grimaced, realizing just how packed the cafeteria was. He had truly underestimated the appetites of the first years!

"This is going to be a problem." he frowned.

"Didn't I warn you? This place is more crowded than usual. Even with the first years around, it shouldn't be this packed."

"You think something's going on?"

"I'm not sure... And it's too late to leave. Wait, I think I know why it's so crowded."

"Huh? What's the reason?"

"Look over there, at that table. That person is the cause."

Shiba pointed ahead, and Dante followed his gaze.

Sitting at the center of the cafeteria was a tall, slender girl around his age, with wine-colored eyes and a distant expression. Her long, dark crimson hair cascaded all the way to her hips, and a pair of old-fashioned headphones rested on her head. She was calmly listening to music while eating, completely oblivious to the number of stares she was attracting.

There was a certain aura about the crimson-haired girl. She exuded confidence and self-sufficiency, yet there was an inexplicable loneliness about her, as though she were standing apart from everyone else.

It was as though she were trapped in a lonely world she couldn't escape, completely unaware of the attention around her.

Dante's first thought upon seeing her wasn't how incredibly beautiful she was, but rather if he had seen her before. She didn't seem like a first year.

Curious, he turned to Shiba, who was standing beside him and asked,

"Who is she?"

"Eh? You really don't know? Oh my, are you living under a rock or something? It's not good to be too ignorant."

"Just answer the question. It was a simple question, yes?"

"Alright, alright. Geez, you don't have to glare at me so passionately."

Shiba faced the girl and his expression suddenly turned serious.

"Her name is Rosa Scarlett. She's a third-year, but she's commonly known as the School's Number One Beauty."

Dante blinked in shock. "Wait, hold on, she's that Number One Beauty?"

"Yep. But I'm not too surprised that you haven't seen her. She usually keeps to herself and rarely comes to the cafeteria. In fact, most people haven't seen her outside of the upperclassmen. She has a pretty passionate fanbase, both among the girls and the guys."

"What's the story behind her? Is she some kind of model?" Dante asked. "I don't think any modeling industry would let someone like her just walk around like this."

Those were the words of Dante, who wasn't usually focused on physical appearances. But this girl seriously stood out like a sore thumb.

"That's the thing. Nobody knows anything about her."

"Eh? What? How could that be? Surely, someone like that would have a huge social profile."

"There's nothing about her on any social media platforms or the internet. Maybe she hasn't made any social profiles, so there's nothing out there. In fact, nobody even knows which country she came from. The teachers might know, but even the upperclassmen who are close to them say they don't know either. Despite being here for three years, she's practically a mystery."

"You're right. It's definitely strange."

Dante's curiosity slowly turned into confusion.

Before one could enter and become a resident of the Shadowspire, their personal data had to be recorded by the supercomputer, Oracle. In fact, everything that happened in the Shadowspire was recorded by Oracle, so it was impossible for any immigrants to enter illegally.

The only problem scenario he could think of was that the government was personally restricting access to her data.

But that would mean she was an S-rank existence, protected by the governing body of the Shadowspire!

With that in mind, it made perfect sense that no one knew a single thing about her, despite her having attended the school for three whole years!

Dante's entire body tensed as a wave of goosebumps spread over his skin.

He couldn't bear to think about the implications!

In that instant, a firm resolve took root in his heart. He swore to himself that he would avoid getting involved with that girl at all costs. No matter what, he would do everything in his power to keep her out of his daily life!