Runa?
What a coincidence.
After thinking about it, it made sense.
Top of the grade, the genius everyone talked about, and the leader of the math competition team.
Her record was as spotless as her always-clean school uniform.
It was perfect in a way that didn't leave room to nitpick.
I didn't spend any more brainpower on it.
The homeroom teacher added a few more instructions and said I didn't need to stay in class for the last self-study period, and I could head straight to the competition team's classroom to meet everyone early.
I answered politely and left.
Time moved along while pages flipped and pens scratched across paper.
When the bell for the last period rang, it felt like a gate opening.
I shoved my books into my heavy backpack and started walking toward the competition classroom.
The top-floor hallway was quieter than the lower floors, and the light was brighter too.
Late-afternoon sun slanted in through the glass windows, and I could see dust drifting inside the beams.
My steps stayed steady and unhurried, keeping to my usual energy-saving pace.
Two different ways of dealing with people kept running side by side in my head.
Being in the same room as Seraphina felt like playing high-stakes Minesweeper, so every move needed careful thought and one tiny slip could set off a chain reaction.
But Runa was different.
In front of her gentle, saintly image, I could set down the real me persona I usually spent so much effort holding up, and I only needed to stay relaxed, easygoing, and forgettable.
Not having to keep my nerves tight against invisible hooks almost counted as a break.
I let out a breath, and the air felt cleaner right away.
The competition team's classroom was on the east side of the top floor, and it was tucked away far from the noise.
A wooden sign hung on the thick door, and it read "Math Competition Team" in bold, strong strokes.
The room felt more spacious than I expected.
A dozen desks were scattered around and took up less than a third of the space, and there was a long conference table in the center for group discussions.
One full wall was covered by a whiteboard packed with formulas and geometric diagrams in different marker colors, and any kid who struggled with math would be completely lost.
About ten members of the team were spread out in small groups, and some were writing hard over thick problem sets or laptop screens while others quietly compared different solutions.
When I walked in, it barely caused a ripple.
A few people glanced over, but they didn't linger, and they went right back to their work.
Nobody showed much curiosity about a new face.
The atmosphere was calm and quiet.
Is this really a trashy novel world?
For a second, I almost felt like I was back on Earth as a student again.
I pulled the door shut gently and scanned the room for an empty seat.
While I was looking, I spotted a familiar figure.
Hugo?
The sports rep who was always bursting with energy on the basketball court was sitting by the window now, and he looked annoyed while he wrestled with a hard problem.
I didn't expect you to be here too.
Not only was he a key player on the school team, but he was also a hidden top student.
Seriously.
God didn't just open a door for him - he opened the window too.
He noticed me at the same time, and the frustration on his face turned into obvious surprise.
He grinned, showing white teeth, and then he tossed his pen aside and strode over without caring about the room's quiet mood.
"Lilu, not bad, man!"
He gave my shoulder a light punch.
"Mr. Logan just posted in our group chat that a new member was coming, and I didn't expect it to be you. Welcome!"
His loud, social energy felt out of place in this cool, quiet room.
"And you got ninth in the class on the monthly exam, nice. You're improving like you strapped yourself to a rocket!"
He handed out praise like it was free.
My brain spun up while I dug through a memory of glancing at the bulletin board last week.
His name had been sitting around fifth.
"Come on, I just guessed a few multiple-choice right," I said with that half-joking tone I used to get through small talk.
"Getting praised by a fifth-place monster like you is a little too much for me."
"Stop acting," he said as he waved a hand, and his straight-faced, righteous look was paired with a big, easy smile.
"I'm stuck in place while you're sprinting, and that's a different kind of momentum. We're teammates now, so if you don't get something in math, just ask me."
A few students looked over again with clear annoyance.
He didn't care at all.
He was about to keep talking when a gentle female voice came from the front side of the room.
"Hugo Harris, this is the competition team's study room, so please keep it down."
His booming voice dropped automatically.
He scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and he stopped talking.
Runa had stood up from the front without me noticing, and she walked over at an even pace.
She wore a blue-and-white uniform that looked ironed flat without a single wrinkle, and her long hair was tied back with a simple hair tie that showed her smooth forehead and her pale, slender neck.
"Luke, I heard your monthly exam score was pretty good," she said softly, and she didn't disturb anyone else.
"You improved fast."
I switched to compliment mode.
"I just got lucky. You're the real one, though. First in the grade isn't something you can grab whenever you feel like it."
"Still modest."
She stopped in front of me.
A light, clean scent drifted in, and it was nothing like Seraphina's aggressive, loud perfume.
"Getting into the top ten isn't just luck."
Your compliment landed in a way that made my chest loosen a little, but why are you staring at me like that?
Hugo didn't seem to notice anything and whispered his way into the conversation.
"Yeah bro, if miss Runa says that, then stop hiding it,"
"Later, the three of us should team up and grind problems, and we'll bring back a medal from the national league!"
"Mm. Okay," I said, and I brushed it off.
He flashed a carefree grin and went back to his seat to keep fighting his problem.
Runa stayed where she was.
She wore that familiar gentle smile that always came with her saintly image, and it looked natural on her like she'd been born with it.
She was friendly and polite, and she never looked messy or out of control.
Her clear eyes stayed on me, and there was no hint of the cold, deep feeling I thought I'd seen when we ran into each other at the stairwell last time.
There was also none of the panic or embarrassment from even earlier.
She looked warm, but I still couldn't read what she was thinking.
For a moment, it felt like the whole room had faded until it was just me and her.
With her staring like that, I didn't know why, but I felt uncomfortable.
"Luke."
The curve of her smile lifted just a little more.
She didn't speak loudly, but her voice still cut through the small noises in the room.
"Welcome to the math competition team."