Chapter 563: Class 2-A of Tsukigahara Academy
[Coming to one's senses—awakening was always so abrupt, without even the lingering touch of a dream.]
[By the time realization struck, she was already walking the path to school.]
The sky at 7:30 in the morning was cloudless, yet the sense of season remained ambiguous. The moment she tried to recall what month or day it was, dizziness would set in, and her mind would go blank.
Her chestnut-brown wavy hair swayed gently as the girl blinked her eyes—the same color as her locks. The gates of "Tsukigahara Academy" gradually came into view. In her peripheral vision, students clad in uniform brown uniforms bustled around her. Only she stood out, a blue ribbon tied at her chest—a playful touch of girlish mischief that set her apart from the bustling crowd.
Hastening classmates.
A clamorous path to school.
The same old scenery of the morning commute.
—Not a single trace of change.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice the girl's naturally adorable features, carrying an air of quiet obedience. Yet her expression remained vacant—enough to disqualify her from any idol aspirations…
But this wasn't entirely her fault. Glancing around, nearly all the students wore the same hollow look. Even if they smiled or pouted playfully, their eyes bore the indelible mark of apathy—as though they were mere puppets, acting out the same scripted stage play day after day.
Diving into "Tsukigahara Academy," the girl was swallowed by a gray ocean, pushed forward by lifeless tides toward a predetermined direction.
Until the moment she stepped into the classroom.
A dazzling, iridescent light spread like a tidal wave, vibrant hues dancing joyfully, painting everything in the girl's vision with color. Everything became vivid and radiant—the podium, the blackboard, the window frames, the desks, even the classmates chatting and roughhousing. In her eyes, they all seemed to come alive, brimming with vitality.
As if this were the only place—unlike the monochrome cutouts outside—that felt like the real world.
"Hey, you're a whole minute earlier than usual today, Shirano."
The one who called her name was a silver-haired boy with golden eyes, seated by the window at the back of the classroom.
Despite the girl behind him wearing a striking red dress—completely out of place among the uniformed students—somehow, everyone's gaze still inevitably gravitated toward him.
Even in the standard uniform, the boy possessed an inexplicable magnetism that drew all eyes. As Shirano looked at him, for a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a shimmering platinum light flicker in the depths of his eyes.
He sat there like a young king upon his throne—forever dashing, forever untamed.
"Sakatsuki." The girl called "Shirano" gave a slight nod in greeting to this standout boy. Yet even this simple gesture provoked discontent from someone behind her.
"...So irritating. Acting all high and mighty. Just a transfer student, yet so full of himself."
Drawn by the irritable words, Shirou turned his head to see the source of the unfiltered hostility—a boy with deep blue, seaweed-like hair who could be considered handsome, though his slightly twisted expression at the moment ruined his hard-earned good looks.
"Don't be like that, Matou Shinji."
"None of your business, Kishinami Hakuno." Perhaps because they could barely be called friends, Shinji didn't direct his hostility toward the girl. Instead, he glared unhappily at the white-haired, golden-eyed boy, his face openly disgusted by the other's smiling demeanor.
"Do those girls have no self-respect, getting tutored by this brat... Hmph, whatever. I don't mind the peace and quiet. Low-quality people really do have low-quality minds."
Shinji was referring to the flock of girls gathered around Sakatsuki. On the surface, it seemed like simple mockery, but Hakuno knew better—these were the same girls who had surrounded Shinji just a few days ago. The moment the transfer student who called himself "Sakatsuki" appeared, he effortlessly stole their affections. No wonder Shinji was seething with helpless rage.
"And this brat—if he wants to act all grown-up, he should do it somewhere that suits his level. Trying to act smart in front of me is just asking for humiliation. I've already seen through you. Not even realizing that—you really are just a kid—"
"You've got some nerve saying that, Matou Shinji." Though Sakatsuki's voice was quiet, it cut through the chatter of the girls around him. He turned his half-smiling gaze toward Shinji. "What's wrong? Jealous? Or just feeling bitter about the gap between us?"
His words were a direct hit, delivered without pretense. Sakatsuki's expression was full of mocking amusement, as if to say, How childish.
"After all, anyone would look worthless next to someone as brilliant as me."
"You—?!" Shinji slammed his hands on the desk and stood up. "What's your problem? You wanna fight me or something?!"
A murmur ran through the onlookers, punctuated by stifled laughter. Everyone familiar with Shinji recognized the line—it was one of his favorite boasts. But hearing it thrown back at him by Sakatsuki made it absurdly comical.
"Ah, what lively youth."
Faced with Shinji's provocation, Sakatsuki naturally wasn't about to back down. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw hands with this alternate-world version of "Second Brother." But before he could, a pale, slender arm reached out and tugged at his sleeve.
"Don't. Don't bully trash. Don't disturb my nap."
"...Right."
Sakatsuki shot Shinji one last glare but obediently settled back into his seat, humming as he shooed the crowd away.
"Alright, alright, free tutoring's over for today. My little red dragon needs her beauty sleep. Clear out, everyone."
Clearly, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. The students exchanged knowing glances, looking between Sakatsuki and the red-clad girl napping behind him before dispersing with quiet laughter. Even Shinji swallowed hard, fear flickering in his eyes as he slunk back to his seat like a quivering quail.
Shirano, clutching her skirt, sat down beside Sakatsuki as his deskmate, getting firsthand gossip every day—whether that was fortunate or unfortunate remained to be seen.
"You're still like this, only listening to Draco-san's words."
"Draco-san..." Sakatsuki's expression twitched with barely suppressed amusement, but he quickly cleared his throat and lifted his chin. "Shirano-san, please don't make me sound like a coward. I'm not bound by anyone's rules, ah—"
Behind him, a small hand gripped his waist and slowly twisted.
Shirano remained oblivious, while Sakatsuki's brow twitched. Yet, he forced a carefree grin through the pain:
"For example, if I skip next class, she won't be able to stop me—!"
As he spoke, Sakatsuki twisted his waist, breaking free from Draco's grasp, then leaped from his seat and bolted toward the back door, vanishing in an instant.
He turned and left, as if resolved to something.jpg
Shirano silently listened as the cheerful footsteps faded completely before finally turning to look at the red-dressed girl with slightly disheveled golden hair slumped over the desk behind Sakatsuki's seat.
"You just let him run off like that, Draco-san."
"This sort of thing... I've long grown accustomed to it." The petite figure shifted slightly as Draco lifted her head from her arms, revealing a single weary eye. Its wine-red hue seemed capable of drawing in one's very soul. "Rest easy. The teacher will never notice the fact that this 'honor student' skipped class."
"...True enough."
Shirano sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead just as the bell rang. A woman in a yellow-and-green striped dress burst into the classroom.
"Alright, made it! Good morning, everyone!"
The teacher, Fujimura Taiga, scanned the class. When her gaze landed on Sakatsuki's empty seat, a faint platinum glimmer flickered in her pupils. Her movements stiffened imperceptibly for a moment before resuming as if a program had restarted.
"No absentees, good, good! Then let's hurry up and start homeroom—Ow?!"
Likely reaching for chalk, she let out a yelp and—yet again—tripped in her usual spot. Her nails scraped the blackboard with a delightful screech before the single woman collapsed—just another ordinary morning scene.
Even so, after Sakatsuki left, Shirano couldn't shake the faint sense of something off as she watched the spectacle.
Hmm, whenever she thought too deeply about it, her mind started going blank again.
Gently tapping her head, the girl Shirano glanced at the empty seat beside her and couldn't help but recall the details about this boy.
His name was Sakatsuki. Along with Draco-san, he was a transfer student who had arrived at Tsukihimari Academy from abroad just last week.
On his very first day in Class 2-A, he had kicked Matou Shinji aside and instantly became the class's most talked-about figure. Unlike Shinji, whose words always carried a mocking tone, this transfer student always seemed lazy, never paid attention in class, and skipped half his lessons. According to him, he was off doing "more meaningful things," but Shirano couldn't fathom what could possibly be more meaningful than studying.
After all, wasn't the purpose of their lives, as "students of Tsukihimari Academy," to attend school on time and receive their education—?
A subtle sense of dissonance rose in her heart again. Shirano clutched her head in frustration, choosing to focus her attention on that person to suppress this feeling.
Sakatsuki—the model student in teachers' eyes, the campus celebrity among students—where exactly would he go after skipping class?
The answer, just like his grades, remained unchanged as always.
"Yo, good morning, Sakura!"
"...Senpai again? I believe it's still class time, isn't it?"
"Don't worry about that! A school life without skipping class lacks soul! More importantly—ahh, I'm so hungry. Seems I forgot breakfast again."
The boy clutching his stomach looked at the girl in a white lab coat with beautiful purple hair, golden eyes twinkling with amusement.
"You'll save me, right, Saku~ra~~?"