First Encounter

Tsuchimikado — the name alone made the entire cafeteria freeze.

Even the group of bullies that had been approaching Mei immediately backed away, their faces stiff with nervousness.

"You're lucky today," one of them muttered before hurrying off with her gang.

Markara watched it all, blinking in confusion.

A boy with a calm, composed presence stepped forward. His uniform was perfectly neat, his movements graceful.

"Are you alright?" Tsuchimikado asked, his voice soft and polite.

"Yes… I'm okay. Thank you for helping me," Mei replied.

But her usual energetic tone was gone.

Instead, her expression softened—feminine, almost shy—a side of her that Markara had never seen before.

Markara was stunned.

'This wild girl… suddenly acting so delicate?'

He blinked, glancing between Mei and the boy.

Then, Tsuchimikado turned to him with a polite smile.

"Oh… you must be the transfer student."

Markara quickly straightened up, a little nervous.

"Uh—yes! My name is Markara Lewis. Nice to meet you!"

He bowed and extended his hand for a handshake.

"Oh, I see. I'm Kenji. Kenji Tsuchimikado," the boy replied, shaking Markara's hand.

Markara tilted his head slightly.

'Why does everyone call him by his family name? And How did he know about me?' he wondered.

Before he could ask, a small girl with glasses, who had been standing quietly behind Kenji, leaned in and whispered something in his ear.

Kenji nodded once, then gave a small bow.

"Sorry, I have something urgent to do. See you around."

And just like that, Kenji and the girl disappeared into the crowd.

Mei and Markara bowed back politely and returned to their seats.

Markara resumed eating but glanced at Mei, curiosity bubbling inside him.

"Hey, Mei… who was that guy?" he asked between bites.

"Swallow your food first before asking!"

Mei scolded, pointing at him dramatically with her fork.

"My bad, my bad!"

Markara quickly gulped down his food and set his chopsticks on the tray.

"Just kidding!"

Mei blurted out, laughing with her mouth half full.

After calming down, she leaned closer.

"From what I've heard, he's the son of the head of this school and the president of the student council !"

Markara nearly choked.

"No way! That's amazing!"

His eyes practically sparkled.

"That's not all," Mei said, grinning.

"His family's also a big shot in Japan. An old powerful bloodline."

"Whoa… and he was super nice too!"

Markara added with admiration.

Mei dreamily placed her hand on her cheek.

"Yup… like a prince…"

Markara shook his head and chuckled, finishing up his food while Mei lost herself in daydreams.

It was true.

Kenji had good looks, a respectable family name, and a calm, commanding presence.

Compared to him or even to Thida, Markara felt like he came from a completely different world.

But even so, he was happy just to meet people like this.

The lunch break ended, and the day dragged on until the final bell rang.

"Ugh! I hate studying! Yay, finally free!!"

Mei cheered, throwing her arms into the air.

"If you paid half as much attention to class as you did to the final bell, you might actually get top marks,"

Markara teased her as he packed his bag.

"Heeeey, wanna hang out after school?"

Mei grinned, leaning next to his desk.

Markara glanced at her casually.

"Just the two of us?"

"Hehe… sounds like a date, huh?"

She joked with a wink.

Markara chuckled, but then he remembered the rumors he'd heard at lunch.

Gathering his courage, he looked at her seriously.

"Hey, Mei?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

Mei tilted her head, innocent.

"You know... back in the cafeteria, people were saying stuff about you. But honestly…"

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

"I don't believe any of it. Spending the day with you, I can tell you're different. You're kind, funny, and honestly—awesome."

Mei froze.

Her playful smile disappeared for a moment, replaced by a soft, wide-eyed expression.

A faint blush bloomed on her cheeks.

She opened her mouth to reply—but at that exact moment, a voice interrupted from the door.

"Is Markara Lewis still here?"

Both of them turned, startled.

Standing at the doorway was a short boy in a school uniform, glancing around the room as if searching for someone.

Markara's mind clicked immediately.

'Right... the message from Akari during lunch.'

It was about joining a club activity.

"Oh—right! Mei, thanks for everything today, but I gotta go!"

Markara quickly grabbed his bag, giving her a small wave and rushing toward the door where the boy was waiting.

Mei pouted exaggeratedly, her cheeks puffed out as she watched him leave.

"Abandoning me already… rude," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.

As Markara made his way to the door, he caught a glimpse of Thida sitting near the back.

She was already looking at him, her cold but unreadable expression softening slightly for a moment.

Without thinking, Markara gave her a warm smile and a small wave.

For just a second, Thida's eyes widened in surprise—then, to his amazement, she returned a soft, almost shy smile and lightly waved back at him.

Markara's chest felt strangely lighter at that simple gesture.

He smiled even wider before turning away.

Without wasting any more time, he hurried after the young boy, stepping out of the classroom.