"Next, we'll hear from the student council president."

I, who was nearly dozing off, immediately look towards the stage. A tall guy with brown skin and exotic features steps onto the stage.

"Hello! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Silas Greenwood. I am the student council president for this term, pleased to meet you all."

Silas Greenwood, an 11th grader. He's one of the potential love interests in the manga. Silas is known for being mature and wise, and he's also the top student in his year.

Actually, all the potential love interests are dangerous, but as far as I recall, Silas is the safest among them. Moreover, he's a senior student and a member of the student council, so Rosemary's chances of meeting him are much lower compared to the others. I can think about him later. There are many things I need to remember; I can't recall everything right now. I can't even remember who was actually behind Rosemary's family's death.

I return my attention to Silas's speech. Unlike the principal's speech, Silas's speech is much shorter and to the point. If I remember correctly, the next speech should be given by the student with the highest entrance exam score.

I swallow nervously. The next student to come forward will be the second potential love interest. He's one of the people who should be watched closely.

To accomplish this mission, I must do everything I can to keep Rosemary away from that guy. Whatever it takes.

"Next, we'll hear from the student with the highest entrance exam score. Quinn Chevalier, please come up to the stage."

A tall and very handsome guy steps onto the stage. He exudes an elegant and polite aura. His facial expression looks relaxed, there's faint smile on his face.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Quinn Chevalier, pleased to meet all of you~," his expression looks brighter than before. I glance around for a moment. Faintly, I can hear excited cheers from some girls. Well, Quinn is indeed nicknamed the "prince" in the manga.

I look back at Quinn. His innocent-looking face annoys me. The story is long, but the gist is that I had a bad experience with him. We both come from the same middle school, and our families are both prestigious, so it's no wonder we know each other.

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity given to me-"

Quinn continues his speech. Like Silas, his speech isn't long. Just before he steps down from the stage, our eyes meet briefly. His expression is still the same as before, but there's something about his smile that sends shivers down my spine.

Damn. I should have sat further back. I feel a bit regretful for choosing this seat.

Despite my annoyance, my eyes follow Quinn again. Like in the manga, Quinn asks a teacher for permission to go to the library for some reason. At the same time, Rosemary walks into the auditorium. It seems she just returned from the restroom. I'm sure she overheard Quinn's conversation with the teacher, even if it's only briefly.

The rest of the welcoming ceremony proceeds as expected. After speeches from several teachers and staff, the ceremony finally ends. Students are free to do whatever they want until school ends. Most students use this time to get to know each other and find clubs or organizations to join.

I look around.

"Where's Rosemary?" I mutter, feeling a bit worried. Has she already left the auditorium?

In the manga, she goes to meet Quinn to introduce herself. Surely Rosemary won't do that just to make friends with him; she hopes to find some clues related to the perpetrator behind her family death. 

I have to stop her!

Just as I'm about to run to where Rosemary is headed, a pair of hands grab my shoulder. I immediately turn around.

"Hey, Dillon! I'm glad we're in the same school again, too bad we're not in the same class," he says warmly.

"Oh, Michael? Yeah, I'm glad to see you again here," I reply with a smile.

Michael is one of the few I can call a friend.

"Um, sorry Michael. I'd love to catch up, but I'm in a rush right now. Let's continue later, bye~"

"Oh, okay..." his face looks a bit disappointed.

Forgive me, friend, my mission is more important.

Without waiting long, I run towards the library. Rosemary should be heading there now. Fortunately, the library is quite far from the auditorium, so they shouldn't have met yet.

Soon, I see Rosemary walking. With a bit of nervousness, I approach her.

"Hi, Rosemary!" I smile at her.

Hearing my voice, she immediately turns. She shows her formal smile again.

"Hi, Dillon. Nice to meet you. Do you need something from me?" she asks gently. Her expression looks friendly, but I can sense that she's uncomfortable with my presence.

"You're right, there's something I need to tell you."

"Really?"

"Please don't meet Quinn," I say. I look at her seriously.

"H-How do you know?" she stammered. 

The smile on her face instantly disappears, now replaced by a puzzled expression. Then she looks into my eyes.

"Just... don't meet him. Do you understand? That's all I want to tell you," I stare into her eyes. Her expression changes to panic; she looks at me suspiciously.

"Why are you asking me to do this?" she says a bit annoyed.

"Well, because he's dangerous? Don't you know that yourself? My advice is, don't mess with him."

She is silent for a moment, her head lowered. I can see doubt on her face.

"I'm sorry, but whatever I do is my business. I don't understand why you're doing this," she looks at me again, this time her gaze feels sharper.

"I'm worried about you," I say.

"I don't think we're close enough to worry about each other," she replies coldly.

"You know, we don't need to be close to someone to worry about them, right? It's normal for humans to warn each other about dangers," my expression doesn't change. Rosemary's opinion of me right now isn't that important; I have to stop their meeting.

"Listen, this is my business. I appreciate you caring about me, but you don't need to interfere in my business," after saying that, she immediately turns her head and walks away.

I expected her reaction to be like this; do I have no choice but that?

"In that case, I'll come with you."

"???" Rosemary immediately turns to me.

"I told you Quinn is dangerous; it's better if I come with you. He won't dare do anything to you if I'm by your side."

She looks at me incredulously, as if I've said something crazy.

We stare at each other for a few moments.

*Sigh*

She sighs.

"Fine..." she says resignedly. After that, she turns her face away and continues walking. It seems she realizes she can't stop me.

I quickly follow her.

*Tap*

*Tap*

Only the sound of our footsteps echoes in the corridor, as most students are still in the auditorium or in their classrooms. Most of them probably still don't know where the library is.

Agatha Private School is one of the prestigious schools in the country. As one of the elite schools, the facilities here are very good. Moreover, many children from famous families attend here. With its good reputation and ample funds, it's no wonder this school is so vast. Most people would have trouble remembering the location of every place in this school.

I look at Rosemary again. I'm quite impressed with her good memory.

Well, for now, let's follow and keep an eye on her.

Author's note:

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! Please correct me if you see any mistake.

Bonus

Characters illustrations by zuuhie5 (gmail)