Chapter 4: The Unexpected Arrival 1
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The afternoon sunlight filtered into Class 2-A through tall windows, painting golden streaks across the polished desks. Idly, voices blended together— gossip, laughter, papers rustling. Yet all seemed distant around the girl at the very back of the room.
Aisha Valemont sat by the window, back straight, her long lashes casting slight shadows on her pale cheeks. Her hair framed her face like an elegant curtain, and her unreadable gaze looked almost sculpted in marble. Cold beauty, her classmates thought. But beneath that ice, there was an untouched innocence— a quiet that no one could quite define.
She wasn't cold because she hated people. She was cold because she never let anyone close enough.
'If I remain quiet… no one bothers me. That's how it should be.'
The door creaked open. Footsteps— measured and calm— entered the classroom. Homeroom teacher Mr. Michel strode in, his usually firm expression lightened with something unusual. Following him was a boy.
The room fell into silence.
The boy was tall— though not towering, around 175 cm— with black hair slightly tousled, giving off a natural careless charm. His black eyes held a steady gleam, unreadable like the surface of still water.
His features were striking, good enough to turn heads, even if not flawless. If one had to assign a number, he was easily a solid 7 out of 10— yet his presence added something that numbers couldn't measure.
Mr. Michel cleared his throat. "Class, we have a new student joining us today."
The room instantly stirred.
"A new student?"
"In September? That's… more than halfway through!"
"No way— does that mean he's… a transfer?"
The teacher allowed the whispers a moment before continuing. "That's right. This is Sebastian Vail. He passed the transfer examination."
The words were like a jolt of lightning.
"A transfer exam? That's… practically impossible!"
"Everyone knows this school doesn't accept mid-session entries."
"Even billionaires can't buy their way in… he must— he must've actually passed?"
The pressure of dozens of stares didn't seem to bother Sebastian. He stepped forward, calm, and spoke in a low but clear voice.
"My name is Sebastian Vail. I look forward to learning with you all."
Simple. Polite. Yet his eyes moved deliberately across the classroom, not at the floor, not at the teacher, but at the students themselves.
Testing, observing, as though measuring how they would react. For a brief second, his gaze locked with Aisha's.
Aisha's heart gave the faintest tremor, but she willed her expression into perfect stillness. Her dark eyes remained cool, like glass hiding the ripples beneath.
"…Unbelievable," whispered someone in the row ahead, though Aisha didn't bother to look.
Finally, Mr. Michel nodded toward the back. "Sebastian, you'll sit there. Next to Aisha."
The murmurs grew louder.
"Next to 'her'?"
"He's doomed…"
"Or maybe…"
Sebastian's steps echoed like a slow clock as he walked toward the space beside her. He set his bag down with ease, sliding into his chair. For a moment, there was only silence between them.
Then, he tilted his head slightly, his voice low enough just for her to hear.
"Hope you don't mind me sitting here."
Her lashes lowered for a second, eyes unreadable as ever. "As long as you don't disturb me, it makes no difference."
Her voice was crisp, cool— but not unkind. Around them, a few students exchanged surprised glances. To hear Aisha speak to someone on the first day was almost unheard of.
Sebastian's lips curved faintly, just the ghost of a smile. "Good to know. I'll try not to."
He leaned back slightly, folding his arms, appearing perfectly at ease in a place where everyone else viewed him as an anomaly.
Aisha turned her gaze back to the window, but her thoughts betrayed her calm.
'A transfer student… in the middle of the year. Impossible. Then who are you really, Sebastian Vail?'
***
The tension in the air settled uneasily, like dust after a storm. Sebastian Vail now sat by the window next to Aisha, who gave no further glance toward him, though the faint stiffness in her posture betrayed her alertness.
At the front, Mr. Michel adjusted his glasses and motioned for quiet. "Alright, enough chatter. Open your literature textbooks to chapter seven."
Groans escaped from across the room. "Chapter seven already? But sir, we just finished six yesterday…"
"Exactly," Mr. Michel said firmly, tapping the blackboard with his chalk. "Which means you should be ready. Ah, Sebastian—" His eyes shifted toward the new student. "Do you have the textbook?"
Sebastian blinked once, then offered a mild nod. "Yes, sir. I was issued materials this morning." He reached into his bag, drawing out the thick volume with an ease that caused a murmur of disbelief to scatter through the room.
'He already has the school-issued books… so he really is registered,' thought Aisha, pressing her pen lightly against her notebook. She refused to let her eyes drift toward him again, but in her heart the dissonance grew.
Mr. Michel paced slowly between the rows. "Very well. Since you're new, why don't you read today's passage? Page one - nine - three. Let's hear how you handle it."
The class erupted.
"Ohhh, bad luck, new guy."
"Mr. Michel doesn't go easy on anyone, huh?"
"He's testing him…"
Sebastian, however, didn't flinch. He opened the textbook, straightened it on his desk, and in a calm, clear voice began to read. The cadence of his words was polished, with no hesitation even for the archaic phrasing and complex metaphors.
By the time he finished, silence filled the classroom.
"…Well," Mr. Michel said after a thoughtful pause, "your pronunciation and clarity are impressive. Not bad at all for a first reading. Now, explain the author's meaning in your own words."
This time, whispers turned to anticipation.
"Now he's trapped. Even locals struggle to answer that."
"Yeah, watch him mess it up."
Sebastian calmly closed the book. "The author uses the imagery of a river to represent time. The passage suggests that while we cannot stop it, our choices define how we move within its flow. It's reflective, not despairing— in fact, the tone suggests gratitude, not regret."
For a moment, even Mr. Michel's brows lifted. Then he gave a short, approving nod. "Sharp. You understand nuance. Very good."
A wave of chatter exploded immediately after.
"No way…"
"Did he just ace Michel's test?!"
"I'm starting to think this guy's not normal…"
Sitting beside him, Aisha's pen paused in midair. Her eyes stayed on the paper, but there was an undeniable shift in her chest, a faint stirring she refused to admit.
'So… he's not just average. He sees things differently.'
Sebastian leaned slightly back in his chair, ignoring the whispers around him. His black eyes shifted, just briefly, toward Aisha again.
She still wouldn't meet his gaze— yet the faintest crease of her fingers against her notebook was all the betrayal her calm mask allowed.
***
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the period. The usual clatter of desks and chairs erupted, as students pulled out their lunch boxes and gathered into little groups with cheerful chatter.
But today, the atmosphere felt different. Almost every eye in the room wandered— some openly, some discreetly— toward the new boy sitting at the back.
Sebastian Vail.
He had barely introduced himself, yet he had already shredded the classroom's balance. Passing the nearly impossible transfer exam, answering Mr. Michel flawlessly— it was the kind of thing that made him impossible 'not' to talk about.
"Should we… go talk to him?" whispered one boy, glancing nervously at his friend.
"Are you serious? What if he's some genius type who ignores us?"
"Still… don't you want to know where he came from?"
Already, two brave girls stood by his desk, lunch trays in hand. "Um… Sebastian, right?" one asked, her voice overly polite.
"You read really well in class just now. Were you in an international school before this?"
Sebastian looked up from unpacking his modest bento, expression calm. "No… just an ordinary school. Nothing remarkable."
The girls blinked, puzzled by his nonchalant answer. His reaction was almost too simple, too underwhelming.
"That can't be true…" the other girl murmured, half to herself.
"Hey, leave some space for us too!" Another group of boys appeared, dragging chairs closer. "Yo, transfer student, where exactly did you come from? What kind of school lets someone like you move mid-year?"
Sebastian's chopsticks paused. His reply was steady, without hesitation. "It's not the school— it's me. I took the exam, and I passed. That's all there is to explain."
The bluntness silenced them. A ripple of disbelief flickered across their faces.
From her seat beside him, Aisha observed quietly, her fingers brushing the cold surface of her lunchbox. She hadn't moved to join the crowd; she never did. But today, she couldn't pretend the commotion wasn't happening right next to her.
The boy answered questions like he was swatting away flies— calm, unbothered, unconcerned with impressing anyone. It was an attitude she knew too well.
'Detached. Guarded. But… why does it feel different from me?'
"Hey, Aisha," one of the girls suddenly called. "You're sitting right next to him— has he said anything weird? You must've noticed something, right?"
Dozens of eyes turned instantly toward her.
Aisha froze for the barest second. Then she lifted her gaze, cool as still water, and spoke softly. "…There's nothing strange about him."
That one line, delivered in her usual aloof tone, dispersed the crowd's curiosity more effectively than Sebastian's blunt answers. Some laughed awkwardly, others shrugged, and slowly the groups retreated back to their own lunches.
Sebastian finally glanced sideways at her, his lips curving faintly into the suggestion of a smile. "Thanks."
Her fork paused in mid-air, but she didn't look at him. "…I didn't say it for you. I said it to shut them up."
"Mm." His voice carried a trace of amusement, though he didn't press further.
In the noisy cafeteria-like classroom, where chatter and gossip buzzed everywhere, there sat two figures by the window— cold beauty and transfer student— eating in quiet, yet tied together by a strange and wordless connection.
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A/N: To all who are confused just wait for 1 or 2 chapters.
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If You See Any Grammar Errors Or Typing Errors , Make Sure To Warn Me!
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Thank You To All For Your Support.