Chapter XI - If You Tell Anyone, I’ll Kill You

April 6th. 7 Months Ago.

Cherry blossoms fell like snow against the morning sky. That's the image I remember most from the first day of my second year at Amane Private Academy—pink petals drifting through perfect blue, spiraling toward earth in lazy, nigh meaningless patterns.

I stood at the school gates, clutching the bronze class representative badge that Fujimiya-sensei had presented to me during the closing ceremony of my first year.

The metal was cool against my palm with weight disproportionate to its size. Around me, students streamed through the gates in their crisp black uniforms, greeting each other with the artificial enthusiasm that marked the beginning of every school year. Friends reuniting after a two-week spring break, comparing stories of family trips and cram school sessions, while I just stood there, watching the blossoms fall.

"Shou-chan!"

The close honorific hit me a moment before Akise's elbow collided with my ribs, knocking me slightly off-balance. He grinned up at me, pink hair freshly dyed for the new term and club pin already displayed proudly on his lapel despite the fact that club activities wouldn't officially resume for another week.

"The Dark Crystal Seraph greets the Shield of the North! Ready for another glorious campaign against the forces of educational monotony?"

I rubbed my side and offered the best smile I could muster. Despite everything, Akise's enthusiasm was the one constant I could depend on. "I'm guessing you didn't finish your spring break assignments," I said before into step beside him as we headed toward the main building.

"A being of my celestial stature doesn't concern himself with such earthly trivialities," he declared, then dropped his voice. "...But yeah, I could use your math answers during lunch~"

"Good morning, Kagami-kun, Nanahara-kun."

Fujimiya-sensei stood at the entrance to the shoe lockers, clipboard in hand, cardigan already beginning to slip off one shoulder despite the morning's crispness. She smiled warmly, though I noticed the faint shadows beneath her eyes. I assumed that beginning of terms were always hardest on the faculty.

"Fujimiya-sensei, thank you again for the nomination." I held up the class representative badge for emphasis. It felt awkward to attach it to my blazer so early in the morning, but wearing it would help me get used to its presence.

"You earned it," she said simply. "Not many first-years would have organized that fundraiser after the typhoon damage. The third-years were quite impressed. Though it might be more effective if you actually wear it."

I quickly pinned it to my lapel, feeling my face warm.

"Class 2-A will be on the third floor, east wing. Homeroom starts in fifteen minutes. We also have a new transfer student joining us today. Perhaps you and Sairenji-san could help them adjust?"

A transfer student in the second year? That was unusual. Amane prided itself on exclusivity; most students entered through the entrance exam available during junior high and stayed until graduation. Transfers were rare, especially by the second or third year.

But I knew better than to ask questions.

"Of course, Fujimiya-sensei. We'll do our best."

"The Dark Crystal Seraph is a beacon of hospitality to all who enter this hallowed realm!"

"Eh...? Ahaha, Nanahara-kun, I am not entirely sure what that means, but... I'm sure you will also be a great help." She shook her head slightly, but the smile never left her face.

Already, my mind was calculating what this would mean for classroom dynamics, seating arrangements, festival planning. The perfect distraction from the emptiness that had been growing in my chest since—

Well. Since.

Akise slipped off his outdoor shoes and sneakers into shoes permitted within school grounds. "A transfer student, huh? Start of the second year? Must be someone important."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, reaching for my indoor shoes.

"Amane doesn't just let anyone in, especially not after the year starts. Gotta be someone with connections. Or money. Or both... Maybe they're the child of some foreign diplomat! Or a famous actor! Or a yakuza boss!"

"Or just a regular student whose family moved for work," I countered, though I had to admit Akise had a point. Amane's administration wasn't known for flexibility unless there was something to be gained.

We made our way through the rapidly filling hallways toward the third floor. The school always felt different on the first day of a new term with polished floors gleaming beneath fluorescent lights, bulletin boards freshly arranged with club announcements and academic calendars, and windows washed crystal clean. For how rigorous and competitive the school tended to be, Amane always managed to project a welcoming façade. It was a carefully crafted illusion designed to lull students and their families into believing that they had indeed chosen the best possible education for their future.

I merely sighed at the thought as we strolled into the empty classroom.

Well, so I thought.

Class 2-A was shockingly already buzzing with activity when we arrived. The classroom was spacious and bright, with windows along the eastern wall offering views of the courtyard and, beyond that, the distant shimmer of Yokohama Bay. The desks were arranged in a standard grid pattern, bearing a small placard with a student's name.

Sairenji Satsuki stood at the front of the room with a stack of papers in her arms. After being badgered relentlessly by Miyazono last school year, she finally decided to tie her long black hair with a simple blue ribbon.

Objectively, it looked nice.

I couldn't find the right words to express my thoughts.

Even after two weeks of break, she looked as composed and elegant as ever. She smiled when she saw me, gesturing for me to join her.

"Good morning, Kagami-kun! Ah! I see you accepted the position." She nodded at the badge on my lapel.

"I did, though I'm still not sure why they asked me."

"Because you're reliable," she said simply, as if this were an established fact rather than the elaborate performance I knew it to be. "Also, no one else volunteered."

I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Did Fujimiya-sensei mention the transfer student to you?"

Sairenji nodded, lowering her voice. "Yes, she did. Apparently, it's a girl. Half-Italian, half-Japanese. Her father is some kind of famous music critic."

"Half-Italian?!" Akise exclaimed, far louder than socially acceptable. Several nearby students turned to stare at him, but he seemed not to notice or care. "A real-life foreign princess, huh? Ahhh~ I wonder if she'll have that pale, porcelain complexion, or maybe she'll be a sun-kissed beauty..."

"Akise..." I began, but before I could properly reprimand him, the first bell rang; it was five minutes until homeroom. Students promptly scrambled to find their assigned seats. I found mine near the middle of the room, decently close to the window—the same spot I'd occupied last year in Class 1-A.

By the luck of the draw, Akise's assigned seat was just to the left of mine. He slouched in his chair and propped his legs up on the desk in front of him... unfortunately, the student who sat there was a guy named Fujita.

Soccer star. Anime hater.

This was going to be ugly.

"Get your damn feet off my desk, Nanahara."

"Ooooh, scary." Akise grinned and swung his feet down, leaning forward instead. "I forgot that the jock types are always so touchy. Don't you have enough balls to keep you occupied?"

"Balls, I'll show you balls you little twink!"

"Better a twink than an inbred ape—"

I tuned out the pissing contest as eventually the second bell rang, and Fujimiya-sensei entered, closing the door behind her with a gentle click. She smiled while reflexively adjusting her glasses.

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Class 2-A. I hope you all had a restful spring break." She moved to the podium, arranging her papers. "Before we begin with our usual first-day procedures, I'd like to introduce a new student who will be joining us."

The classroom door slid open again, and she entered.

Time seemed to falter, then stop entirely.

If the first day of school was a carefully choreographed performance, she was the unscripted act that sent the whole production crashing into chaos.

The existence stood at the front of the class, tall and unnevervingly composed, bearing hair the color of fresh blood cascading down her back in loose waves. The uniform, though technically regulation, somehow looked entirely different on her frame—the black blazer with gold trim fitted perfectly to her shoulders, the black skirt falling just at the knee, the burgundy tie a perfect complement to her hair.

But it was her eyes that held the class captive—ice blue, almost silver in the morning light, regarding us all with a cool detachment that bordered on disdain.

"This is Minazuki Serena-san. She's joining us from Milan, Italy. Please make her feel welcome." Fujimiya-sensei said, seemingly oblivious to the collective intake of breath that had occurred when she had entered.

Minazuki Serena bowed slightly—the bare minimum required by courtesy—and then spoke in perfect, unaccented Japanese.

"Minazuki Serena. I look forward to working with you all."