~~~

"Hello..." the boy greets the class quietly.

He was told he had to join this school to "train his powers and learn about the Mortal World", although that was just the model reason for the public.

He looks over his new classmates, attempting to remember faces. He'll have to learn the names to them soon. His eyes are drawn to the only person who isn't attentive. A girl at the back of the class, resting her head on her hand, stares vacantly out the window.

His eyes linger on her empty expression, then, as if she knew he was staring, she turns to meet the new student's gaze. She seems to do a quick scan over him before focusing on his face, and their eyes lock. He's stunned. His thoughts blank out.

Wha....? This has happened before...

The boy remembers a night near the end of summer: a memory of a supposed spirit girl with long silver hair and ghostly pale skin in a white kimono. A pair of similar, imperial purple eyes were locked into his then as well. The memory is foggy. He had forgotten that night rather quickly, like it had just been a dream.

The girl breaks their met eyes, and continues looking out the window once again. The boy takes a good look at her.

There is a resemblance. She has the same eyes and skin tone, but her hair is midnight black. Her aura is rather different too. Perhaps it's just a coincidence....

His mind snaps back to reality. He'd been standing there for quite some time without saying anything more than a "hello". The class is beginning to look at him a bit curiously.

"My name is Tsukino Takashi. Nice to meet you," he introduces himself.

"Please take a seat somewhere," says the teacher.

Takashi passes every row until he reaches the final one. As he approaches, the girl from before shoots a glance in his direction. The look she gave and her aura told him that she wouldn't forgive him if he sat at her table. Not wanting to make an enemy on his first day, he takes a seat at the nearby table on the same row. Seeming content with that, she directs her eyes back outside.

She's kind of scary...

Once class was over, most of the students came to introduce themselves. He memorizes each name and face with care before they all head off to lunch. Only a few students remain in the room, none of which had even attempted to greet him. Besides the scary girl from this morning, who was writing something in a notebook, the rest seem to be dawdling in a group at the front of the classroom.

Takashi walks up to them with his friendliest facade, "Hello. I don't think we've had a proper introduction."

They stare in surprise for a moment, then the boy with the messy blonde hair smiles widely, "Mizu Ren! Just call me Ren. Welcome Tsukicchi!"

Tsukicchi?!

The other boy, with brown hair, introduces himself more formally, "My name is Ryuzaki Leo. Nice to meet you."

"Sakuraki Momoko is my name. I'm happy to meet you too!" says a high-pitched girl's voice.

Upon closer inspection, Takashi finds the source of the voice was a small girl standing behind Leo.

She doesn't look like a first year. She looks much more like an elementary school girl. She must have skipped some years.

"Nice to meet you all," he says politely, "Aren't any of you going to lunch?"

"Huh? 'Course we're goin' ta lunch!" exclaims Ren.

"We're waiting on Yuki-chan," says Momoko.

"'Yuki-chan'?" Takashi asks.

In that moment, he feels an unpleasant presence behind him. He turns to find himself just a foot away from Scary-Girl. His eyes meet hers, filled with a coldness directed at him, in an instant. Once again, she breaks his gaze when he can't.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm ready now," she says quietly to the group beside him.

Her voice catches him by surprise. It's a lovely, soft voice. Unlike the scary aura she's had all this time, it gave him the impression of a warm, shy girl. It had an enchanting feel.

"Don't worry 'bout it Yuki-chan~!" Ren assures her cheerfully.

Ren, Leo, and Momoko head towards the door. Yukiko shoots another glance in his direction before she follows behind. It's the same as earlier, but this time, it says he'd be dead if he dared joining them.

A few moments after they left, Takashi heads to lunch as well, his thoughts bitter.

So... her name is Yuki... A lovely name unfitting for such a witch-like creature.

~~~

I return to my room right after the day's classes end. I can't focus well enough to hang out with the others today. I lay on my bed, thinking about this morning.

I never imagined someone like him would come here. I musn't allow him to get close to me. He will discover things he should not know. I cannot allow that.

A few days pass, and nothing changes much. He picks the same seat every day that he had on the first. Everyone, except for my group, surround and try to get to know him on a daily basis. Sometimes I can feel his eyes on me during class, but I never turn to meet them.

Thursday evening, I sit at my usual table in the Dining Hall for dinner with Leo and Momoko. Ren is late.

"Hey, Miyamoto, what do you think of the new student, Tsukino-kun?" asks Leo, all of a sudden.

I take a moment to suppress my surprise at his sudden question, "Well... He-"

"Oi!" Ren, finally arriving at their table, interrupts, "I brought a guest with me today. He wanted to eat with us. Check it!"

I freeze upon seeing the one trailing behind Ren. It is none other him: Tsukino Takashi.

He stares back at me, apprehensively. His slow movements show that he is being very cautious.

He's pretty smart if he can sense danger that quickly.

"Welcome Tsukino-kun," Leo greets him with a politeness that, unusually, feels a little bit fake.

My eyes flicker to Leo's face to understand the slight change in tone, but his face reveals nothing. He smiles the same nice smile that he usually makes. When I look back at Takashi, his attention is already directed towards everyone else at the table, clearly avoiding me. He sits down on the other side of the table with Ren.

"This is nice. I haven't gotten a chance to get to know you all lately. I'd really like for us to be friends," Takashi says with his usual fake friendliness.

"I think it would be nicer if we could hear more about you, Tsukino," I reply.

Detecting the edge in my voice, apprehension reappears on Takashi's face. He doesn't show any signs of replying for several moments, and I become aware of the three pairs of eyes that were flickering between the two of us.

Finally, he controls his expression and agrees with a rather uneasy tone, "Yes, I suppose it is only fair that I tell you about myself in return."

"I'd like to hear it now."

"Well, there will be plenty of opportunities to get to know each other, so let's take our time. Is that okay, Yuki-san?"

Everyone else at the table turns stiff as my expression freezes.

Not only did he call me by my given name, but he even shortened it! I do not allow merely anybody do that. How dare he!

"Excuse me?" I start in a sharp voice, "Don't you dare call me by my nickname. And no, I don't think there will be."

With that, I grab my bag and leave the Dining Hall.

~~~

Startled, Takashi freezes. He had made a huge blunder. This frightening girl, that has hated him since she laid eyes on him, had always been referred to as "Yuki" by her friends. He assumed that was her name, but it seems it was not.

I was naive...

Yukiko picks up her bag (who knows why she has it) and storms out of the Dining Hall. The table remains silent following her departure.

"Ryuzaki-kun..." Takashi begins.

He glances at Takashi, his face unreadable.

"What is that girl's real name?"

Leo pauses for a long while, "She should be the one to tell you that."