The streets of San Francisco sloped gently upward as Mia pushed her scooter along the sidewalk.
Anshul walked beside her at a relaxed pace, observing the surroundings carefully. The city looked almost exactly as he remembered from the movie—narrow streets, colorful houses, and the occasional cable car rattling in the distance.
For Mia, however, this situation still felt strange.
She had never walked to school with a tall foreign stranger before.
"So…" Mia said after a moment, glancing sideways at him. "You're really just traveling around?"
Anshul nodded casually.
"Pretty much."
"By yourself?"
"Yes."
Mia looked impressed.
"That sounds kind of amazing."
Anshul chuckled.
"It's interesting sometimes. Other times it's just confusing streets and getting lost."
Mia laughed quietly.
"Well, San Francisco has a lot of confusing streets."
They continued walking for a few minutes before Mia suddenly slowed down.
Ahead of them, a small private school building appeared.
Several students were already gathered near the entrance.
The moment Mia saw them, her expression changed slightly.
Her shoulders tensed.
Anshul noticed immediately.
"You don't seem very excited about school."
Mia made an awkward face.
"Well… it's complicated."
Before Anshul could ask more, a loud voice suddenly came from the front gate.
"Hey, Thermopolis!"
A tall boy standing with a group of students waved mockingly.
Mia immediately lowered her head.
Anshul recognized him instantly.
Josh Bryant.
One of the popular students who barely noticed Mia except when it was convenient for him.
Mia pretended not to hear and continued walking toward the entrance.
The group of students glanced curiously at Anshul.
One of the girls whispered something to her friend.
"Who's that?"
"No idea."
Mia stopped near the school gate.
"This is my school," she said quietly.
Anshul looked at the building.
Compared to universities or large campuses, it was relatively small. But it had a pleasant environment, surrounded by trees and open spaces.
"Looks nice," he said.
Mia pushed her glasses up nervously.
"Well… you probably can't go inside."
Anshul raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
"Visitors aren't really allowed."
Anshul smiled slightly.
"I'll just take a quick look."
Before Mia could stop him, he casually walked through the entrance.
Mia stared at him in shock.
"You can't just—"
But by then he was already inside the courtyard.
Mia sighed and hurried after him.
The school courtyard was filled with students chatting before class.
Several of them glanced curiously at the unfamiliar visitor.
Anshul ignored the attention.
Instead, he observed Mia.
Right now she looked exactly like the character from the beginning of the movie—awkward, shy, and completely unnoticed by most people.
Yet soon she would discover she was the princess of Genovia.
Her life would change completely.
And now Anshul had entered that story.
"Mia!"
A cheerful voice suddenly called out.
A girl ran toward them from across the courtyard.
She had bright energy and a confident smile.
Anshul recognized her immediately.
Lilly Moscovitz.
Mia's best friend.
Lilly stopped when she noticed Anshul standing beside Mia.
"Who's this?" she asked curiously.
Mia looked embarrassed.
"This is… uh… Anshul."
"Anshul?" Lilly repeated.
"He's visiting from India," Mia explained quickly. "He got lost."
Lilly studied him carefully.
"You got lost and ended up at our school?"
"Seems that way," Anshul replied calmly.
Lilly crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"Well, that's unusual."
Before the conversation could continue, the school bell suddenly rang.
Students immediately began heading toward their classrooms.
Mia looked nervous.
"Oh no… my presentation."
"Presentation?" Anshul asked.
Mia nodded miserably.
"I have to speak in class today."
"And that's bad?"
"For me… yes."
Anshul smiled slightly.
"Then I guess I'll get to see it."
Mia looked horrified.
"You're staying?"
"Of course."
Lilly laughed.
"This should be interesting."
Mia groaned quietly as the three of them walked toward the school building.
She had no idea that her already stressful day was about to become even more embarrassing.
And Anshul—
Anshul simply followed with an amused smile.
For him, this was only the beginning of a much larger plan.