Morning came gently.
Tyler stepped out of the house with his bag slung over one shoulder, the door closing behind him with a soft click. The air still held a trace of coolness from the night, the sky pale and clear above the rooftops. The street was quieter than it would be an hour later, when parents rushed and vehicles clogged the road. For now, it belonged to students and early walkers.
He adjusted his pace and looked ahead.
No sign of Elijah.
"That's new," Tyler muttered under his breath, hands tucked casually into his pockets. "Looks like Elijah's late."
He slowed slightly, not stopping, just letting the rhythm of his steps settle. Elijah was usually early. Or at least punctual enough to appear out of nowhere with commentary ready.
Tyler hadn't walked half way, when familiar voices cut through the calm.
"Yo."
He turned his head just enough to see Noah jogging up, bag bouncing against his back, Kai walking beside him with his usual even stride.
"You walk like you've got nowhere to be," Noah said, catching up. "It's unsettling."
Tyler smiled faintly. "Good morning to you too."
Kai glanced around. "Where's Chris?"
Tyler shrugged. "No idea."
Noah groaned. "He's going to be late again, isn't he?"
Kai nodded once.
They continued walking, the conversation drifting naturally.
Noah complained about how sore his legs were from yesterday. Kai talked briefly about the schedule posted on the notice board near the staff room. Tyler listened, adding comments when needed, his attention split between the chatter and the quiet hum of thoughts brushing against his awareness.
Nothing urgent.
Just noise.
As they reached the school gate, the crowd thickened. Students flowed inward, uniforms blending into a steady stream. Tyler let himself be carried with it, his gaze scanning the campus out of habit.
Inside the classroom, Amaya, Luna, and Aria were already there.
Luna lifted her hand in a small wave. "Morning."
"Morning," Tyler replied, setting his bag down.
Noah dropped into his seat with a dramatic sigh. "I swear, whoever invented physical training hates humanity."
Amaya smiled politely. "You did fine."
"No," Noah said firmly. "I survived. That's different."
Kai sat down, already pulling out his notebook. "Where's Chris?"
Aria glanced at the door. "Not here yet."
Tyler checked the time on his watch. "He'll appear when we least expect it."
As the others continued talking, Tyler slid his chair back slightly.
"I'm going out for a bit," he said.
Kai looked up. "First period's about to start."
"I know."
Kai nodded. "Don't take too long."
Tyler stepped out, the door closing quietly behind him.
He took the stairs down toward the first floor, his pace unhurried. The hallway buzzed with movement, but beneath it, thoughts layered and overlapped like static.
And then
Sunny.
Tyler didn't need to see him to know where he was.
The noise pattern changed near Class 2-C.
Inside, Sunny entered like a storm.
The low hum of conversation died almost instantly.
Chairs scraped as students straightened. A few heads bowed. Others stared forward too intently.
Sunny tossed his bag onto his desk and dropped into his chair, kicking it back slightly as he leaned, planting his boots on the edge of the desk in front of him.
"Move," he said lazily.
A boy from the second row hurried over.
Sunny hooked an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. "So," he said, voice low but sharp, "did you find anything?"
The boy swallowed. "Y-Yes."
Sunny's foot shifted, tapping impatiently. "Then talk."
"I asked around," the boy said quickly. "His name's Tyler Brown. From Darsen Primary School."
Sunny's eyes narrowed slightly. "Go on."
"I talked to some first years from the same primary school."
"And?"
"Well…" the boy hesitated.
Sunny's hand tightened on his shoulder. "Speak."
"He was… quiet," the boy said. "Kind of nerdy. Kept to himself. Teachers liked him. Didn't cause trouble."
Sunny slammed his fist into the desk. "That's it?"
The class flinched.
"You wasted a whole day to tell me he was quiet?" Sunny snapped.
The boy panicked. "N-No one knows much about him. He avoided people. Didn't hang out. Didn't stand out."
Sunny stared at him, eyes cold.
"Get information from his friends then," Sunny said. "The ones he was with yesterday."
The boy nodded rapidly. "I did."
Sunny's expression sharpened. "Then?"
"The loud one is Chris," the boy said. "The tall quiet one's Kai. The noisy one's Noah. And the kid hiding behind girls is Amaya."
Laughter rippled through Sunny's group.
"Amaya?" someone scoffed. "That a boy or a decoration?"
"Probably cries during call," another added.
Sunny smirked. "What about the girls?"
The boy hesitated. "They stick close, but they don't talk much. One of them's Eris."
Sunny waved that away. "Irrelevant."
Another boy leaned forward. "There's more."
Sunny turned his head. "Speak."
"He's connected to a 2-B student."
Sunny's attention snapped back. "Who?"
"Elijah."
Sunny's grin returned slowly. "Now that's interesting."
The boy continued. "Yesterday, Tyler got into the soccer club directly."
Someone scoffed. "No way."
"That's what I heard," the boy said. "Elijah vouched for him."
Sunny leaned back, amused. "So Alfred agreed?"
"Yes. They played first."
Sunny laughed softly. "So he's a soccer player."
He lowered his legs from the desk and stood. "That explains it."
"Explains what?" someone asked.
"Blockheads," Sunny said casually. "People who rely on strength and connections. They rise fast and fall faster."
"A Soccer fish"
He smiled. "Easy to bait."
Laughter followed.
Outside the classroom, Tyler leaned against the railing, listening.
Soccer fish, he repeated internally, amused.
A senior from the soccer club stood beside him, stretching his legs. "You spacing out again?"
Tyler smiled. "Just learning new insults."
The senior laughed. "You're going to hear a lot of those."
Tyler pushed off the railing. "That's fine."
White-silver sparks flickered faintly in his eyes as Sunny's laughter echoed again from behind the wall.
Predictable, Tyler thought calmly.
He turned toward the stairs. "I'll see you later."
The senior nodded.
Tyler climbed back toward Class 1-A, his expression relaxed.
Behind him, Sunny was still laughing.
By the time Tyler reached the corridor outside Class 1-A, voices were already filtering through the open door.
Chris was there.
So were Eris and Clara.
Chris stood half turned toward Eris, animated as always, one hand moving as he talked. Eris listened with crossed arms, her expression unimpressed but not dismissive. Clara stood slightly behind them, hands resting lightly on her bag strap, observing more than speaking.
"…I'm just saying," Chris was mid sentence, "if you're late, at least be fashionably late."
Eris replied flatly, "You don't get to define fashion or timing."
Clara smiled faintly.
Tyler stepped closer.
They entered together.
The moment Chris crossed the threshold, Noah's voice cut across the room. "Oh wow, the celebrities finally arrived."
Kai looked up from his desk. "You're late."
Chris blinked. "Late? We waited for you guys."
Noah scoffed. "That's a lie."
Chris placed a hand on his chest. "I am wounded."
Chris frowned. "You people are heartless."
As they moved further in, Eris glanced around and asked casually, "Did Tyler come already?"
Before anyone could answer, a voice spoke softly, close to her ear.
"Hello."
Clara jumped.
She visibly startled, shoulders tensing as she turned her head left.
Tyler stood right behind Eris, hands in his pockets, wearing a faint, entirely unapologetic smile.
Chris stared. "When did you get here?"
"Just a minute ago," Tyler replied.
Chris squinted. "That's creepy."
"Efficient," Tyler corrected.
Chris suddenly grinned and leaned toward Eris. "Why didn't you get scared today."
Eris shot him a look. "He didn't shout into my ear like an idiot."
"That's because I put effort into my scares," Chris said proudly. "Yesterday was art."
Kai tilted his head. "You made her miss a shot."
"That's because she's weak," Chris said.
Eris turned slowly. "Repeat that."
Chris immediately backed off. "I meant emotionally vulnerable."
She ignored him and turned back to Tyler. "Where's your bag?"
Tyler froze.
His eyes widened just a fraction.
"…Oh."
Eris frowned. "Oh what."
Tyler blinked. "Oh. Shit."
The class went quiet for exactly half a second.
Noah leaned forward. "Language."
"I forgot my bag," Tyler said.
Eris stared at him. "What."
"I forgot my bag."
She blinked. "How."
"I left it at my seat yesterday."
"What do you mean you forgot your bag," Eris demanded. "Your books. Your notebook. Your lunch."
Tyler looked genuinely distressed now. "My lunch too."
"It's just second day Tyler" she ask
"well what we do now"
Eris pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're joking."
Tyler shook his head. "I wish."
Luna leaned back slightly. "Wow."
Aria tilted her head. "That's impressive."
Kai observed calmly, "First period is about to start."
Tyler panicked. "Then what do I do."
Eris exhaled sharply. "We'll manage."
Tyler looked at her. "Really?"
"Yes," she said. "Sit down."
"But my lunch ....."
"We'll share," she added, then paused, realizing what she'd said.
Luna immediately reacted. "Look at her face."
Eris stiffened. "What face."
Luna smiled sweetly. "That face."
Aria leaned over. "Eris, he's messing with you."
Eris turned. "What."
Aria pointed calmly. "Look."
She gestured toward the back of the room.
"There," Aria said. "That bag."
Eris followed her finger.
A bag sat neatly by the last seat.
Tyler's bag.
Eris slowly turned back to Tyler.
Her expression darkened.
"You"
The class burst out laughing.
Tyler didn't wait.
He slid sideways, ducked past Eris, and ran for his seat like a criminal fleeing the scene.
"YOU" Eris shouted after him.
Chris collapsed into his chair, laughing. "I knew it."
Kai shook his head. "Absolutely unnecessary."
Clara stood frozen for a moment, then laughed quietly to herself as she took her seat.
He came early, she thought.
I was waiting for him at the corner.
Tyler, now seated, was still laughing when he felt something shift.
Clara's thoughts brushed past him.
His smile faltered for just a second.
Eris snapped her fingers in front of his face. "I'm still talking, you know."
Tyler looked back at her. "I'm listening."
"No you're not," she said. "I said I'm done talking to you."
She turned forward sharply.
"It was a joke," Tyler said softly. "Sorry."
She didn't reply.
But her thoughts did.
It was embarrassing, everyone saw it, and for a second it felt like the whole class had watched her fall into his joke without realizing it, like she had been pulled into the center of attention when she never wanted to be there at all. She hated that he made it look easy, hated that she reacted every time, and hated even more that she couldn't tell whether she was annoyed at him or at herself.
Tyler frowned slightly, his voice low and steady. "No one thinks that."
She glanced sideways. "Stop reading my thoughts."
"Eris," Tyler said quietly. "Look here for a second."
"I'm not."
"Please."
She hesitated, then turned.
Their eyes met.
Luna groaned dramatically from ahead. "Oh please not this again."
Chris leaned back. "It always works."
"Shut up," Eris said without breaking eye contact.
Tyler smiled.
She turned away quickly. "This doesn't work."
Her lips curled upward despite herself.
"But it does," Tyler said, facing forward again.
The bell rang, class began.
As Ms. Hart stepped into the classroom, the remaining laughter died down with surprising speed.
She placed her folder on the desk, adjusted her glasses, and surveyed the room with calm precision. "Good morning," she said evenly.
"Good morning, ma'am," the class replied, voices mostly synchronized, a few lagging behind.
Ms. Hart nodded once. "Take out your notebooks."
Tyler reached into his bag with exaggerated slowness, pulling out his notebook and placing it neatly on the desk.
Eris, without looking at him, slid her own notebook a fraction to the left, creating a clear boundary.
Tyler leaned slightly toward her and whispered, "I said sorry."
"I accepted it," she replied just as quietly. "Doesn't mean I'm happy."
"That's progress," he said.
She shot him a warning look.
Two seats ahead, Noah had already opened his notebook upside down.
Kai noticed. "That's backwards."
Noah squinted at the page. "No it's not."
"No," Kai said patiently, "the margin line is on the wrong side."
Noah stared at it for a second longer, then flipped it. "Wow. This school really challenges you, I thought the challenge was running, not thinking."
Chris pointed his pen at him. "You say that like you didn't almost cry yesterday."
"I was sweating," Noah said defensively. "That's different."
Ms. Hart cleared her throat.
The sound wasn't loud, but it carried.
Every whisper stopped instantly.
"Yes?" she asked, looking directly at Chris.
Chris straightened so fast his chair squeaked. "Nothing, ma'am."