Chapter 1: The Sleeper Among Them
The early morning sun filtered through the iron-wrought gates of the prestigious academy as a tide of over two hundred new students stood clustered near the wide-open entrance, their voices a rising chorus of anticipation, nerves, and curiosity. The start of the new term had brought a flood of first-years into the fold, each carrying expectations, dreams, or the weight of family legacies. And among them, near the middle of the pack, stood a boy named Jinta—the boy who, strangely, had fallen asleep while standing.
He was not lying down. Not slouched in exhaustion. Not propped up by the comfort of a bench or wall. No, Jinta was upright, headphones over his ears, his eyes peacefully closed, and his chin tilted slightly down as if the weight of the world was gently pulling him into the abyss of unconsciousness. His calm, dormant figure looked so absurd in the chaos of the morning bustle that it invited commentary.
Some students were already laughing, pointing, nudging their friends and whispering cruel things.
Some considered him a total weirdo.
Others assumed he hadn't slept the night before and was now paying the price.
But right next to him, barely a shoulder's width apart, stood someone of much greater interest.
Sera.
The girl destined—according to murmurs and hallway whispers—to rise above everyone by the end of the term. She was poised. She was the daughter of a powerful minister. Her composure was pristine, her posture straight, her attire immaculate, and her aura magnetically cold. The last thing she needed, wanted, or could afford was a sleeping fool pressed against her side.
POV: Sera
/What do we have here? This weirdo fell asleep, the situation is worse when he sleeps right next to me. This will tarnish my reputation and my father won't be proud./
There were already glances. Curious ones. Judging ones. Students began looking toward her, and their eyes held a dangerous assumption: that she was somehow associated with Jinta. As if they were friends. As if she was willingly standing next to him. That assumption alone was a thousand tiny knives against her pride.
She could leave. She should. But her legs didn't move. If she walked away now, she'd look even worse. Like someone fake. A coward abandoning her own.
/It's too late now, people actually thought I was his friend just because we had the same type of bag and we arrived together. The creep was wearing headphones all the way so I doubt it was he's fault. But falling asleep? The teacher hasn't even arrived yet and he's already showing signs of slacking off in class./
And then, as if the situation couldn't worsen, it did.
Jinta began to tilt. First subtly, then more pronounced. His entire posture betrayed the full surrender to sleep. His head, slow as a descending feather, leaned closer and closer toward her until—
His forehead touched her shoulder.
Sera stiffened. Her breath caught. Her mind detonated in a hundred conflicting thoughts.
/What? Why? What does this mean? What is he trying to do? Is he trying to humiliate me or is he actually asleep, but I doubt his actually asleep because we are standing right now and it's impossible for normal people to fall asleep while standing. What should I do? My image is the most important thing here, if I tried to wake him up, we would be dealing with high level awkwardness. I don't like that, but if I push him off and make it seem as if he fell by mistake, but that's...too many eyes are watching, and his already stayed 3 seconds or more on my shoulders/
The atmosphere around them began to buzz.
A voice came from the crowd of first years.
"It hasn't even been that long and there's already couples?"
Another student chimed in.
"Isn't she the daughter of the minister?"
And yet another:
"I didn't know she was into these type of guys, I mean look at that guy his a creep"
The whispering grew more venomous, more widespread. Like wildfire on dry brush.
Sera's Thoughts (Calm, Composed)
/Great, I should've just dodged him. Now the situation is worse, I should wake him up and atleast let the people know I actually don't know this guy./
With controlled precision, Sera reached up and tapped Jinta lightly on the head. Just enough to rouse him without drawing more attention. A gentle escape from a disastrous moment.
Jinta stirred. His eyes fluttered open, heavy with the weight of dreams. His lips moved instinctively, half-conscious and caught in a remnant of whatever fantasy he had been lost in.
"Baby it's too early to wake me up, why always gotta do this?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Did he say (baby)?"
Another voice in disbelief:
"I'm shocked he even said (always) as if it's not the first time"
Sera's Thoughts (Hopeless)
/Yeah no. I believe this was supposed to damage my reputation on day one. What can I do in this situation. There's no possible comeback. He did it. He won/
/I must choose my words wisely. At this point it's already too late and my reputation sank, but I should atleast know the name of the person who destroyed me/
Sera, with a chilling calmness in her voice, asked:
"Dude? Do you know where you at right now?"
Jinta, still groggy:
"Huh? Bed?"
She scowled slightly.
"Dumbass we are at the Assembly. By the way, what's your name"
Jinta blinked.
"What you forgot me? So you slept with me without knowing my name."
As his eyes widened, reality punched him in the face. He scratched them, hoping he was hallucinating. But no—he saw her clearly. And the mistake had been made.
"Woah"
He backed away nervously.
"I didn't mean to...um"
Sera watched as he practically recoiled from her like she was some apex predator. That only made her more bewildered.
"The damage has already been done. Tell me, what did I do to deserve this?"
Jinta, stammering, tried to explain.
"it's an misunderstanding miss,um I thought"
But before he could finish, the principal, tall and broad-shouldered, stepped onto the assembly stage. His eyes held a tired amusement as he scanned the gathering.
He grabbed the mic.
"Hey love birds, make love outside and respect the assembly hall"
The comment struck gold. The entire crowd erupted into laughter. The "two birds" he referenced backed away from each other instantly, putting a full two-meter buffer between them.
The principal moved on to the formal proceedings, introducing the school. A third-year girl took the stage next—the student council president. Her presence commanded immediate respect.
(Crowd) "Isn't that the first daughter of the minister. I heard she aced every test with her eyes closed."
Sera clenched her jaw slightly.
/What? That's some high level exaggeration./
The assembly ended. Students dispersed in a tide of chatter and motion. Dorms were being assigned. But at the gate, a subtle scene occurred.
Sera spotted her older brother waiting by the gates. He was a second year, his presence unmistakable. She passed by him without a glance, assuming he was there for her.
He wasn't.
He was there for Jinta.