Chapter Text
The morning sun hit the school courtyard, where the usual crowd had gathered before the first bell.
Kohaku leaned back against the concrete wall, half-listening to the low hum of student conversations around them. Her priorities for the term were clear and simple: survive the academic classes, crush the competition in sports, and keep an eye on her sister, Ruri... she wasn't feeling that well these days.
She certainly hadn't expected the morning peace to be shattered by Asagiri Gen, who was leaning in with a sly, conspiratorial grin, practically vibrating with fresh gossip.
"Oh, you won't believe what I just heard," Gen murmured, waving a hand dramatically. "Word on the street is we're getting a transfer student today. Mid-term!"
Minami didn't even lift her eyes from her phone, her thumb idly scrolling past articles.
"You mean Ishigami Senku?" she asked dryly.
Gen blinked, his dramatic pause entirely ruined. "Wait, how do you already know his name?"
"Please Gen, I do my research," Minami scoffed, finally locking her screen with quiet, journalistic pride. "I checked the board logs and talked to some contacts from his previous district days ago. It's way worse than just a regular transfer."
Ginro, who was leaning against the bench, visibly pale, swallowed hard. "W-Worse? Like... knife-fighting worse?"
"He was practically forced out," Minami whispered, leaning in slightly. "He blew up an entire chemistry lab. The explosion took out half the room's ventilation system and set off the emergency sprinklers across two floors!" She shook her head, holding her phone like evidence. "Just what we needed... a delinquent walking our hallways."
"Well, that sounds a bit exaggerated," Chrome chimed in, scratching the back of his neck with a skeptical look. "I mean... can someone really blow up a whole room just by messin' around?"
"HA HA! We don't know what drove him to it yet! Judging a man before meeting him is completely unfair," a loud, charismatic voice boomed from behind them.
Ryusui leaned against the courtyard railing, dramatically adjusting the lapels of his custom-tailored uniform—which looked far too expensive for a high school. He snapped his fingers with a crisp, echoing clack, a sharp, confident grin plastered on his face. "Am I right?"
Gen let out a dramatic sigh, shaking his head. "Ah, Nanami Ryusui-chan... stuck in the first year with us, despite being old enough to drive a yacht."
"I am not 'stuck', Gen! I was on a two-year oceanic expedition!" Ryusui declared, entirely unbothered, crossing his arms with pride. "I'm only here now because family bureaucracy and trust fund terms force me to complete a mandatory school year. It's a minor contractual pause before I return to the ocean!"
"Right, right... obligatory adult supervision," Gen teased with a dry smile.
"Besides, you can always trust a sailor's instinct," Ryusui added, his sharp grin returning as he looked toward the school entrance. "Anyone capable of causing that big of a stir isn't some mindless thug. If this Ishigami Senku turns out to be interesting enough, maybe this school year won't be a complete waste of my time after all."
"Here we go again," Nikki sighed, crossing her athletic arms as she looked at Ryusui. "Always romanticizing trouble."
She turned her gaze toward the main entrance, her posture sharp and grounded. "If this transfer student is really that much of a troublemaker, he'd better keep it outside the school gates. We don't need some self-proclaimed delinquent causing disruptions here."
Amaryllis carefully adjusted her hair in a small compact mirror, letting out a soft sigh. "As long as he doesn't blow up my hair, I don't care how ambitious or old anyone is. Though if the new guy is cute, I might forgive a little trouble."
Kohaku let out a dry snort, crossing arms as she looked at them "Seriously? You guys are unbelievable."
"Information is power, Kohaku-chan," Gen replied smoothly, resting his chin on his hand. "And with our favorite third-year school journalist passing us the leaks, I have a feeling this 'delinquent' is going to make our first year a lot more interesting."
"Anyway, I'm heading to the upper block before bell," Minami said, turning on her heel with her phone tucked into her pocket. "Keep out of trouble, you lot."
*****
The loud ringing of the morning bell cut their conversation short, signaling the start of the day. The group scattered toward the First-Year building, the ambient noise of chatting students filling the hallway as they made their way into Class 1-B.
By the time Kohaku took her seat near the back windows—with Gen sliding into the desk right in front of her, Chrome sitting nearby, Ryusui lounging casually in the back, Nikki sitting with a firm posture a few rows over, and Ginro still nervously checking the door—half the room was already buzzing about the rumored transfer student.
Moments later, the classroom door slid open. Their homeroom teacher walked in, followed by a sharp-looking, unfamiliar figure.
The ambient chatter in the room instantly died down. Every eye in Class 1-B locked onto the newcomer, expecting a rugged, intimidating delinquent with a bad attitude.
Instead, the boy walking behind the teacher wore a navy blue gakuran uniform, spotless and tailored, with sharp collar neatly folded over crisp white shirt. He wasn't slouching or looking for a fight. Instead of standard dress shoes, he wore clean athletic sneakers—a subtle detail of pure functionality. His unique, gravity-defying hair faded from pale white to sharp green tips, and his crimson eyes scanned the silent classroom with a calm, effortless amusement.
He didn't look like a thug. He looked like someone who found the entire situation entirely uninteresting.
"Alright, settle down," the teacher announced, tapping her chalk against the blackboard. "As most of you have probably already heard, we have a transfer student joining us today. Please introduce yourself."
The boy kept a small, razor-sharp smirk on his face, casually sliding his hands into his uniform pockets.
"Morning," he said, his voice smooth and entirely unbothered. "I'm Senku. Ishigami Senku."