Prologue

That morning, the sky was overcast, and as usual, Ares arrived exactly five minutes before the school bell. His shoes dragged lazily, his hair was slightly disheveled, and his tie wasn’t properly fastened. But no one protested—everyone was used to it. He wasn’t a troublemaker, just… lacking the extra energy to care about appearances.  
"Still alive, Res?" joked Genta, his former desk mate before he moved to the middle row.  
Ares simply raised a hand in response and slumped into his seat—the back corner, near the window. His favorite spot. From there, he could watch the sky, the slow sway of leaves, and sometimes an orange cat that wandered the schoolyard. Quiet. Far from attention. Exactly what he needed.  
But that morning was a little different.  
As he sat down, a pastel-colored backpack was already on the seat beside him. Not his.  
Then the classroom door opened softly, and a girl with shoulder-length black hair stepped in, nodding briefly at the homeroom teacher, who was preparing to write on the board. "Sorry, I’m the transfer student."  
All eyes turned to her. But Ares only watched from the corner of his eye, half-drowsy, half-curious.  
"Please sit next to Ares," said Mrs. Rina, without ceremony.  
Ares turned his head. Now, his small, silent world had a new neighbor.  
The girl sat down quietly, pulled out a notebook, and glanced at Ares with a faint smile.  
"Hi," she said. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "I’m Liana."  
Ares nodded, not answering. But for some reason, her smile lingered in his mind longer than he expected.  
And for the first time in a long while… Ares didn’t stare out the window.  
"Weird girl..." he muttered under his breath.