The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, bathing the pristine grounds of Mikami Private Academy in a golden glow. The hedges were trimmed with care, the marble pathways spotless, and the towering trees lining the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze. It was the kind of place that wore its prestige proudly, quiet, orderly, untouchable. Students in crisp uniforms drifted past in tidy groups, their laughter and chatter soft and distant. But Ryu Nishimoto wasn't paying attention.
He wasn't supposed to be here. Not as a student, anyway.
The Private Mikami Academy was a school built for the elite, children of power, intellect, and legacy. It wasn't just a place for the best. It was a place for the ones destined to be more than that. Normally, students from his middle school wouldn't even be invited to step past the gates. But "exceptions" had a way of being made, especially when your surname opened doors the rest of the world couldn't even see. Technically, this was a school tour. In truth, it was something his parents arranged, another calculated move from the people who ran the NISHIHARA Group, a business empire that spanned industries and continents. He had nothing to prove here, not really. His future had already been mapped out.
Still, he walked the path with the rest of the invited students, hands shoved into his pockets, eyes half-lidded as the student guide prattled on about academic rankings and international partnerships. It was impressive, he supposed, but sterile, distant. None of it felt real.
Until he saw her.
She sat alone on a bench beneath a tall tree, nestled in the quiet of its shade. A book rested delicately in her lap, her slender fingers turning the page with a slow, thoughtful rhythm. Long, wavy hair fell over her shoulders, and her bangs framed a pair of striking green eyes. She was small, petite and graceful, but something about her presence drew him in like gravity.
She didn't seem to notice the world around her, completely absorbed in her reading. Unbothered. Untouchable. Ryu had met dignitaries. He was no stranger to elegance or beauty. But this girl wasn't like anyone he'd seen before.
And then, she looked up.
Their eyes met.
Just for a moment. A flicker. But something in him paused.
She didn't react. Her gaze didn't linger. She looked right through him with serene indifference, as if she had already moved on.
And yet, he stood there, frozen.
He didn't know her name. Didn't know what she was reading. Didn't know why she felt different from everything else in this place. But that image, the tree, the book, the girl who never looked twice, refused to leave him.
The tour ended. Time moved forward. But her sight stayed with him.
Maybe it meant nothing. Maybe it was just a moment.
But months later, after grueling study sessions and a late-night application no one in his family had expected, Ryu Nishimoto stood at the gates of Mikami once more.
This time, not as a visitor.
This time, as a student.
And this time, he would find her.