Chapter 1: Accepting Denial【Part 2】

Jiro

A boy stumbles backward as the sweeping edge of an umbrella shoves him aside. The dark dome cuts a path through the press of bodies, the crowd parting around the petite girl underneath.

She does not offer the boy so much as a glance.

Her posture stays perfectly straight, radiating indifference. Not a single strand of her short hair shifts as she glides past, treating the boy’s frantic protests like a mere passing draft.

Left grasping at empty air, the boy mutters a curse and slinks away.

Renji clicks his tongue. “Typical. I’ve seen that type before, a complete menace. They walk around like they own the place, putting everyone else second—no, wait, not even that much.”

Without missing a beat, he adds, “We should definitely recruit her for the team.”

I stare at him, deadpan. “Didn’t you just call her a menace?”

“Exactly!” He snaps his fingers, upturning his palms as if the logic is baseline common sense. “The worst people to deal with are the best ones to have on your side. That way, they are someone else’s problem.”

“And your strategy involves just walking straight into the storm and asking nicely?”

He scoffs as if I just suggested something obscene. “Please—no, of course not.”

A sly look crosses his face, and his voice drops into a hurried whisper as the girl draws closer. “People like that require more… persuasive methods.”

I stare at his scheming grin, my skepticism hardening into genuine concern. Quietly, I ease away from his shoulder.

“I don’t think I want any part of what you’re about to suggest.”

Riding the high of his own genius, he throws up a finger. “First! You accidentally bump into her—establishing yourself as the alpha.” He crosses his arms and puffs out his chest dramatically.

“Then!” He deflates into a theatrical low bow, sweeping a hand over his chest. “You pivot to the graceful gentleman. ‘Oh, my apologies! I didn’t mean to hurt you.’”

He springs upright, stretching out a hand. “’My name is Jiro, please allow me to make it up to you with a spot in my prestigious group!’”

I am not sure whether I dislike his flawed plan more than his terrible, high-pitched impression of me.

“If it’s such a flawless plan, why don’t you do it?”

“Everyone knows coaches don’t play!” He grins with no remorse.

Before I can argue, his palms slam against my back—

“Oof!”

The force sends me flying forward—my world shrinking down to the black dome of her umbrella.

I brace for impact—

Click.

A sharp metallic snap—in one fluid motion, the umbrella collapses as she leans aside. I launch straight through the gap, my hands scraping against the pavement.

Click.

Above me, the morning sky vanishes with a sudden whoosh of air, replaced by the familiar dark fabric.

I scramble up, frantically dusting off my palms. “O-oh, my apologies.”

Meeting her gaze, I wonder exactly where my life went wrong.

My mind races, searching for a line from the script I am saddled with. “I hope I didn’t hur—I mean, I didn’t mean to bump into you. My n—”

Her hand rises, cutting me off. “Market boy. I am not inter—”

“Hey, I haven’t even fully apologized yet...” I snap back, trying to... establish my alpha?

Why am I even trying? I definitely lost that chance the second I hit the deck at full speed.

She tilts her head, studying me like a strange insect.

“Oh. So it can actually talk. This must be one of those unpatched versions of the human genome I’ve been hearing so much about.”

I stare at her, genuinely unsure if she is talking to me or just cataloging wildlife.

“To think I would have the misfortune of encountering an unregistered specimen in the wild.” Her gaze drifts toward the sky as she steps past me. “What a thoroughly compromised start to my day.”

I am left alone in her wake.

The ‘gentleman’s grace’ mission? Tanked.

Instead, she flipped the script. Her choosing to acknowledge my existence—even if it was with a genetic insult—was the only real grace issued in this entire ordeal.

Still, technically, I outdid the boy from earlier.

My shoes scrape the ground as I trudge back.

Renji stands right where he pushed me, vibrating with excitement.

“And?” he asks, leaning in close. “What name should I write on the contract?”

I only offer him a flat stare.

Ignoring his outstretched notebook, I look up past him.

Silhouetted against the scorching sky, the grand structure still dominates the horizon.

Practically the entirety of Taiseigahara island serves as a government initiative, launched to salvage the fractured education system driven by declining birthrates.

Kyousei Academy stands as the blueprint for consolidating dozens of fractured, under-enrolled high schools across the country. Once you cross the sea, the mainland ceases to exist. You spend the next three years entirely inside its borders.

Back home, the initial tension has long since faded, but the fear remains that centralizing the youth only accelerates the decline of already aging, struggling provinces.

It is a valid concern, but the ministry remains unmoved.

Year after year, the cold empirical results reach every milestone set by the state, strengthening the argument for extending this campus model to absorb the remaining dwindling high schools.

Looking at it now, I know it is an uncompromising system. But leaving students scattered across thinning regions all but ensures an inefficient, second-rate education.

Gathering everyone on this island ensures our futures are decided by our own sweat and talent—not the lottery of where we were born.

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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 1: Accepting Denial【Part 3】

Written by Limited_Infinity. Official publishing platforms and updates are exclusively communicated on Bluesky: @Limited-Infinity

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