The Handsome Transfer Student

A summer morning after the rainy season. Sunlight dances on the classroom floor, casting golden streaks down the hallway. Though homeroom hasn't started yet, girls have gathered early, their excited voices filling the classroom. There's a particular vibrancy about them in their summer uniforms.

"Hey, did you hear? We're getting a transfer student today!" 
"And it's a handsome boy!"
"I heard he's even a model. I might have seen him in magazines!"

Sora enters the classroom, her black twin-tails swaying. The morning light seems to shine especially bright around her, as if illuminating only her presence. She tilts her head like a small bird, her ribbon swaying in the breeze - a gesture reminiscent of an angel's wings. Usually, this would trigger cheers from her guard squad and Takashi would ready his camera, but today everyone is too preoccupied with talk of the transfer student for even Sora's presence to command attention.

In the back, Ume sighs while running fingers through her long hair. Perfect makeup, skirt length just within regulations - her version of "battle ready." Her expression mingles irritation with subtle envy.

"What's this about another weird transfer student? We've already got Sora causing a scene..."

The teacher enters, and the classroom falls silent. Sunlight softly illuminates the quiet room.

"Today, I'd like to introduce someone to you all. Ren, please come in."

---

The classroom door opens quietly, and a tall boy enters with graceful steps. His silver hair sways gently, and an expensive watch gleams from beneath his slightly unbuttoned uniform, as if he's being spotlit. The girls' eyes are instantly drawn to him, and after a few seconds of silence, small exclamations of delight escape them.

Ren takes his place at the podium with model-like poise, slowly sweeping his gaze across the classroom. His confident smile and cool demeanor create a stir among the girls, while some boys awkwardly avert their eyes. Satisfied with the reaction, Ren casually brushes back his hair.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ren. Well, some of you might know me from my entertainment work."

At his confident demeanor, Ume slightly furrows her brow from her corner seat. Her phone screen displays "Today's lucky color is silver! Expect a wonderful romantic encounter," causing her to sigh even deeper. Some girls cover their mouths with their hands, observing Ren from a slight distance.

"Ah, this bracelet? It's the latest from a Paris brand. Not something you’d usually get your hands on, though."

As Ren casually shows off his bracelet, soft chuckles emerge from the boys' group with murmurs of "Who even says things like that...?" Ume's internal irritation grows, barely restraining herself from clicking her tongue.

"Speaking of which, this uniform was specially tailored by a designer..."

"That's enough," the teacher cuts in mercilessly, interrupting Ren's introduction. Laughter ripples through the classroom. Ren's face briefly shows displeasure before he quickly regains his composure and surveys the room again.

"Ren-kun, there's an empty seat next to Sora. Please sit there."

As he starts walking from the podium, Ren deliberately mutters just loud enough to be heard, "Well, I suppose my presence might add some class to this ordinary school." At that moment, Ume finally snaps and stands up.

"Add class? Hmm, getting quite full of yourself, aren't you?"

At her provocative words, all eyes in the class turn to her, but Ume fearlessly glares at Ren. He turns around with exaggerated confidence, letting his gaze slide over Ume from head to toe before lifting one corner of his mouth in a slight smirk.

"Well, well... such a pretty face with such a sharp tongue. But if you think you're in the same league as someone like me, you're sadly mistaken."

The classroom falls silent, and while classmates are caught in the tense atmosphere, Ume steps forward with clenched fists. But before things can escalate, the teacher quickly intervenes with a sharp "That's enough!"

The classroom finally regains its calm, and Ren maintains his confident expression as he walks toward the empty seat next to Sora.

---

Just as Ren is about to reach his seat, something unexpected happens. Sora suddenly stands up and runs to him, embracing him immediately. Her twin-tails sway, and a sweet fragrance fills the classroom.

"Hello! ♪"

"W-What...!?"

Ren's perfectly maintained cool expression crumbles instantly, his face turning increasingly red. Giggles spread through the classroom, and even the Guard Squad members buzz with excitement and surprise, but Sora remains completely oblivious as she moves even closer to peer at Ren's face. She presses her forehead against his, looking at him intently.

"Hm? Your face is really hot! Are you feeling sick?"

Ren tries to turn away, but Sora innocently follows his movements, trying to maintain eye contact. Being stared at from such close proximity, Ren’s heart rate keeps climbing.

"H-Hey! Get back! This kind of thing at first meeting..." Ren attempts to maintain his composure, but Sora gently places her hand on his cheek, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asks, tilting her head slightly with concern. Being watched from just centimeters away, Ren's reactions become increasingly flustered. In the classroom, girls whisper among themselves.

"Oh? Ren-kun's reactions are surprisingly innocent, haha!" "Could it be he's not used to this kind of thing? That's kind of cute..." Suppressed laughter spreads among the girls.

As Ren gently tries to remove Sora's hand, he stammers, "I-I'm fine! Really, stop getting so close!" But Sora ignores his protests and moves even closer, furrowing her brows with genuine concern. Her expression remains completely innocent.

"Are you really okay? You're so red!"

Watching this scene, Takashi clicks his camera while tearfully murmuring, "Miss Sora's innocent destructive power is amazing as always...!" Meanwhile, Yuta softly chuckles, "That's Sora for you. She's completely throwing him off balance."

At this point, Ume's lips curl into a smirk as she calls out provocatively to Ren:

"My, my~ So even the perfect model can make such a face when he's not used to girls? Maybe you should show that expression in your fashion magazines?"

At these words, Ren awkwardly turns around, "S-Shut up! That's not... I mean... don't talk about photo shoots!" His face turns even redder.

But Ume's comment triggers more interested whispers among their classmates. "Wait, could it be Ren-kun isn't used to dealing with girls?" "He's actually becoming kind of cute..." As the girls giggle and get more excited, Ren internally screams.

"This has to be against the rules...!"

---

During lunch break, Sora grabs Ren's hand and practically drags him to the rooftop. The summer sun shines brilliantly overhead as cool breezes playfully pass between them.

"Let's eat lunch together!" Sora says cheerfully.

"N-No, my lunch was specially prepared by my personal chef..." Ren starts to say, but Sora presents a small rice ball with a radiant smile. Held in her slender white fingers, the simple rice ball appears like a jewel to Ren's eyes.

"Ta-da! I learned how to make these from Ume-chan! Rolling the seaweed was surprisingly tricky~" Sora explains proudly.

"S-Surely you don't expect me to eat such a commoner's..." Ren tries to look down on it, but the rice ball looks so appetizing that the words catch in his throat. Reluctantly taking a bite, his eyes suddenly sparkle.

"T-This is delicious!? No, wait, I mean, my palate was trained at Michelin-starred restaurants, I shouldn't be impressed by something like this... mmph!"

Sora happily offers another rice ball, holding it up to his mouth like feeding a kitten. "Here, say 'ahh' ♪"

"H-Hey! I'm not a child... mmph!"

Despite his complaints, Ren ends up happily munching on the rice ball. The simple, perfectly salted flavor feels comforting, and before he knows it, his hand with its expensive watch is secretly picking up fallen grains of rice to pop into his mouth. This oddly heart-warming situation fills him with an inexplicable shyness.

"I shouldn't be falling for something like this..."

As Ren mutters softly, Sora suddenly leans in close with a gentle smile, tilting her head while gazing at him intently.

"Ren-kun, you look so happy! Is it good?"

"N-No, not particularly...!" Ren desperately tries to deny it, but Sora reaches out and gently wipes away a grain of rice stuck to the corner of his lips.

"Look, you had a little rice right here?" she says with an innocent smile, leaving Ren completely speechless.

From a distance, Ume watches the two of them, tightly gripping her skirt as she lets out a deep sigh. On her arm, this morning's lucky item - a silver bracelet - gleams modestly.

"Ah geez, another one falls victim to Sora. The horoscope said I'd have a wonderful encounter today... who knew it would turn out like this."

Next to her, Yuta shrugs with a wry smile.

"Well, getting caught up in Sora's pace is pretty much inevitable at this point. It happened to all of us too."

Takashi continues taking photos frantically from afar. "No one can resist Miss Sora's magic...! I can't miss such a wonderful moment!"

Watching Takashi tear up, Yuta says "Getting emotional again, huh?" though his own expression shows a gentle smile.

Back on the rooftop, Sora beams at Ren. "Ren-kun, I'll make more for you next time!"

Though Ren desperately tries to regain his cool composure, he can't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up. The pleasant rooftop breeze that passes between them seems to bless the moment, gently enveloping them both.

---

After school, Ren points to a sleek black luxury car parked in front of the school gates. The glossy black body gleams in the sunset, reflecting the surrounding scenery like a mirror.

"I could give you a ride, Sora. This car is a limited edition - only fifty exist in the world..."

Ren deliberately maintains a casual expression while brushing back his hair, secretly glancing at Sora for her reaction. But Sora just shakes her head with an apologetic smile.

"No thanks, it's more fun going home with everyone! See you tomorrow! ♪"

Her black twin-tails sway in the sunset light as she skips off toward the school gate where Yuta and the Guard Squad are waiting. Her retreating figure looks like an innocent angel carried away by the wind, as if the whole world moves at Sora's pace.

Ren leans against the car, watching Sora's back as she walks away, letting out a small sigh. It irritates him to think that his proudly displayed luxury car was nothing more than background scenery to Sora, and his carefully styled bangs are now disheveled as he notices his cheeks are still slightly flushed.

"What an interesting girl... wait, why is my heart beating so fast... me, the perfect Ren-sama...!"

The chauffeur notices his muttering and asks, "Shall we depart, sir?" Slightly flustered, Ren quickly composes himself and responds, "...Ah, yes, in a moment."

As he settles into the car, he glances out the window to see Sora smiling at the school gates, surrounded by members of her Guard Squad. Watching the scene, Ren lets out another deep sigh and turns away with embarrassment.

---

"Damn it... what's with that girl... I was going to show her how different our levels were... my brilliant transfer student plan..."

Standing before his mirror, Ren brushes back his hair, noticing his cheeks still carry a faint blush. Looking at his reflection, he sighs. Never did he imagine his perfect plan would be so thoroughly dismantled by someone as innocent and unpredictable as Sora.

"But... it was kind of fun... Wait, what am I thinking?!"

Flustered, Ren dives into his luxurious bed. Yet even the touch of silk sheets reminds him of Sora's gentle touch, and when he closes his eyes, her innocent smile appears vividly in his mind. Even the expensive perfume wafting through his room somehow recalls Sora's sweet scent, and he finds his face growing hot again. His heart won't settle, and thoughts of Sora keep flooding his mind.

How will school life change from tomorrow on... even he can't predict. Still, it frustrates him to fully acknowledge the effect Sora's presence has on him. But regardless of what Ren's pride might say, there was no denying that he had become another one of "Sora's captives."

---And then, the next morning.

Ren strides into the classroom with perfectly styled hair and a newly adjusted uniform, internally vowing to redeem himself today. However, what greets him is Sora's usual innocent "Good morning~!"

Desperately trying to suppress the smile threatening to form on his face and maintain his cool demeanor, Ren internally monologues:

"...Why is my heart pounding so much... damn it, why do I care so much about her reaction?!"

Oblivious to his inner turmoil, the summer morning sun continues to gently illuminate the classroom. Before an angel like Sora, any perfect calculation or grand performance melts away helplessly. It's as if she possesses magic that overturns all rules.