Subaru Sakamaki sat alone on a weathered stone bench in the secluded flower gardens of Ryoutei Academy High School—a place he was technically enrolled in but never truly part of.
He looked like something torn from a bleak painting—brushed in shadows and blood-red.
His silver-white hair, streaked faintly with pink at the tips, fell haphazardly over his forehead, a stray lock veiling one of his sharp crimson eyes. Those eyes, so vivid and violent, saw through everything and cared for nothing.
He wore the uniform in blatant disregard of decorum—his blazer sleeves rolled to the elbows, exposing toned forearms. The jacket hung open, framing a tattered black shirt layered over an equally frayed white one, the threads as defiant as their wearer. A silver chain looped lazily from his hem. Slim-fit uniform pants completed the rebellious ensemble, though the glaringly white, sharp-heeled boots stood out like an insult. Around his neck, a single golden key—scratched, weathered, and hauntingly important. On his wrist, a black band peeked from beneath the sleeve, as if trying to hide something permanent.
He exhaled slowly, not in peace, but in irritation, like breathing itself was a burden.
Then he rose.
Petals floated down around him—soft, pale pink—carpeting the cobbled path in nature's quiet poetry. And that's when he saw her.
A girl.
Standing beneath the cherry blossoms as if summoned from some forgotten fairytale.
She didn't belong here. Not in this world. Not in his.
She stood still, her head tilted up, eyes closed as petals brushed her cheeks and hair. Light pink strands tumbled down in immaculate twin tails, trailing to her knees. Tiny blossoms, likely real and enchanted, wove through her hair with silver threads that shimmered when the breeze touched them. Enchanted hair combs, delicate and ornate, tucked into her flower-woven locks, glinted faintly like distant stars.
Her uniform—or what passed for one—looked more like court attire from a forgotten age.
She wore a pearl white blouse with puffed sleeves and silver lace cuffs, topped with a soft rose pink velvet corset vest, laced delicately with frost blue ribbon. A lavender lace jabot, pinned with a dusty plum rose brooch, added a noble touch at her throat. Draped elegantly over one shoulder was a midnight violet shoulder cape, trimmed in silver and lined with sheer frost blue chiffon that shimmered faintly as it moved.
Her skirt flowed in high-low layers—mint green chiffon over a lilac silk underlayer—fluttering softly like a spring breeze with each step. Pearl white thigh-high stockings were adorned with charcoal gray vine patterns, leading down to rose pink lace-up boots whose heels clicked with quiet grace.
A lavender and silt choker clasped her neck, and tiny star-shaped earrings caught the moonlight.
She was like a relic of a world that never should have reached his. Timeless. Untouchable.
Subaru's breath caught.
Her eyes opened.
Soft lilac. Quietly watchful.
Their gazes didn't lock—but he was still caught.
Cute, the thought slipped in—treacherous, uninvited. It scorched its way down to his clenched fists like a betrayal.
A warmth flushed across his cheekbones like betrayal.
She looked at him. Just once. Calm. Unafraid.
And then, like mist giving way to light, she turned and walked away, twin tails swaying gently behind her.
Subaru blinked.
He hadn't realized he was holding his breath.
He stood motionless for a few moments longer, then muttered, "What the hell was that...?"
As he turned back toward the school building, voices crept up behind him like flies.
"Isn't that him?"
"That's Subaru Sakamaki…"
"I heard he—"
CRACK.
His fist buried into the wall. A clean, perfect dent bloomed as dust trickled down.
"Say it to my face next time," he hissed, low and vicious.
Footsteps clicked sharply on the stone behind him.
"Control yourself, Subaru," came Reiji's clipped voice. "Don't embarrass us."
Subaru didn't answer. Just a click of his tongue and a sidelong glare. He shoved past and stalked into the building.
He never saw the girl again—standing not far away in the shade, watching him.
She had arrived long before the others, curious about the place she would now call home. Her lilac eyes lingered on him with something between sadness and recognition.
So that's him, she thought. Just like Sisel described... but lonelier.
---
The classroom was already filling up when Subaru stepped in.
The moment his boots hit the polished floor, silence fell like ash. Students stiffened. Girls whispered behind raised notebooks. Boys glanced, then looked away.
He didn't care. He never did.
He strode to the back, dropped into his usual seat in the far corner, and slouched low in his chair like he was daring someone to speak.
No one did.
Until the door opened again.
"Sorry I'm late, everyone!" the teacher chirped. "We have a new student today."
The entire class turned.
A faint chime echoed, like distant wind bells. The girl from the garden stepped into the room.
But she was no longer just a vision. Here, under the fluorescent light, she was tangible. Still unreal, but undeniably present. Regal. Ethereal. And entirely self-possessed.
Subaru straightened, red eyes narrowing.
No way... It's her.
The teacher smiled. "Please introduce yourself."
She stepped forward with the elegance of someone who never had to rush. Her skirts whispered. Her twin tails floated like silk.
"H-Hello... I'm Rosalina Weiss," she said softly, dipping into a practiced, graceful bow. "I hope to enjoy my time here and make friends, if I can."
The class broke into whispers. Subaru could hear them, faint as gnats.
"She's foreign…"
"Her uniform's custom-made…"
"Did she say Weiss? Like—"
"Thank you, Rosalina. You may sit... right beside Mr. Subaru," the teacher added, entirely too cheerful.
Subaru sat bolt upright.
A pulse jumped in his jaw. "I want another partner."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sakamaki," the teacher smiled. "The decision is final."
She walked down the aisle like a noble gliding across a ballroom, each step measured, deliberate. She didn't even look at him.
Not until she sat beside him.
Then—gently, with all the calm of a scholar inspecting a myth—she poked his cheek.
His eyes shot open. "The hell—"
She stared at him, utterly unbothered.
Not mocking. Not flirtatious. Just… curious.
Like he was something she'd read about but never believed truly existed.
And then—just as suddenly—she turned away.
He blinked. "Oi."
No answer.
"I said—"
Nothing.
He slumped forward and buried his head in his arms, heat rising in his face like a curse.
She's messing with me. Why is she watching me like that?
He could feel her gaze again. Calm. Searching. Not judgmental—just... observant.
He looks more haunted than dangerous... Rosalina thought.
Then—
SLAM.
"Alright, everyone!" The teacher clapped her hands. "This year, you'll all be working with a partner across all subjects. Permanently!"
Groans and chatter filled the room.
"And by 'partner,' I mean the person sitting next to you!"
Subaru jolted upright. "No. I want someone else."
"I already said—it's final," the teacher replied, still smiling.
He groaned aloud, dropping his head back onto the desk.
Beside him, Rosalina adjusted her rose-gold butterfly boot with quiet composure.
Subaru peeked at her from the corner of his eye.
She wasn't smug. She wasn't flustered.
She was just… at peace.
Like she belonged here.
Like she had already decided he did too.
This is going to be a long year.
---