Upon her arrival, almost all of them stopped talking except Riku, who had a blank expression on his face.
"Hey, Celeste, what brings you here?" 'Kaito' Came forward to speak with her. He is a famous soccer player. So, he had been advertised for many brands, including LUMINA FORM as well. so, he was acquainted with her.
"That... I came to speak to—"Celeste's voice was calm as ever, but her gesture carried the weight of elegance. She raised her fair beautiful hand,
—straight at Riku.
The others followed her gaze, their eyes landing on the boy who hadn't so much as flinched since her arrival.
He sat casually, eating his lunch as if he was not bothered by her arrival.
"Him?" Kaito asked, trying to keep his tone neutral, though a flicker of Suprise passed through his eyes. "Riku?"
Celeste gave a single, elegant nod."Yes. Him."
Kaito forced a small, surprised laugh. "Didn't know you two knew each other." As far as he know, Riku was the oddball among their group. He never interacted with anyone in school, among them. lest with Celeste, who is at the top of the school caste.
Celeste looked at him, quick and unreadable."Yeah. We met. Once. A while back."
That stirred a ripple among the group. Celeste was at the top of the school caste just like them, and Riku was at the bottom of the school caste with the least interest in others. They could not imagine how they could have met.
A pause settled over the group like dust, quiet but noticeable.
No one spoke, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
Her? Him?
Before Any could speak, she stepped forward to Riku and met him eye to eye and spoke: -
"Umm, can we talk somewhere else?"
"Are you asking me?" 'Riku' was surprised. Although he had helped her, he didn't think she would remember him, so he did not expect her to come to meet him.
"I am," she said simply. "Only you."
Riku glanced around the group, shrugged, then nodded once.
"Alright."
"Ayaka, can you please wait here if it's ok with you...!" Celeste spoke to another beautiful girl who had come with her.
"Sure," there was a light surprise on Shiraishi Ayaka's face, and she replied calmly.
He stepped forward, and without another word, Celeste turned and began walking. Riku followed beside her, the silence between them feeling somehow heavier than words.
---
In an empty classroom, two first-year students stand opposite each other. They were obviously Riku and Celeste.
Riku was silently waiting for her to speak, unfazed by her beauty.
Celeste was slightly fidgeting.
"Umm, sorry for hitting you… and thank you for curing me."
Riku's eyes widened slightly.
She had chronic illness—one that flared up at regular intervals, bringing irreversible pain. She had been through countless hospitals and doctors, but no one could stop it. Today was supposed to be another painful day.
Yet, somehow, she was feeling better now.
At first, she had misunderstood Riku—thought he was just some random boy with no connection to her healing. But after learning the truth, she realized he was the one who had helped her recover.
Her chronic illness wouldn't appear again for some time.
He had not expected her to come and say thank you. he could tell that she was speaking from her heart. He had helped many people in the past, but not many people had properly sincerely thanked him and many tried to take advantage of him.
"You don't have to apologize. And I'm glad I could help," he slightly nodded.
.....
there was some silence between them.
"Umm, can we be friends?" She spoke calmly.
Upon hearing that, there was a pained expression on his face. He places importance on the word Friend.
Due to some past painful experience, He had learned to keep others at arm's length, guarding himself behind a wall of silence and distance.
To him, friendship wasn't something to give away lightly.
He swallowed hard, struggling to hide the conflict flashing behind his eyes.
"I…" he began, then stopped.
"Then… can we at least start as acquaintances?" she asked softly.
He studied her for a moment—the sincerity in her gaze;
A small, reluctant smile came at the corner of his lips. He was defeated by her sincerity.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Acquaintances, for now."
"ok, my Name is Celeste Han" She introduced herself. From her interaction with him, she knew that he did not know her.
"Riku Aizwara" He lightly introduced himself.
...
At the place where they were having lunch, there a silence between the five people. Four people of the Riku's group and Shiraishi Ayaka who came with Celeste.
No one quite knew how to interact with her.
Though she was known around school as an aloof beauty, her reputation was more than just looks.
She spoke to very few, choosing her words carefully and rarely revealing much.
Finally, Shirogane cleared his throat, attempting to break the silence.
"So, Ayaka… what do you think of the new semester so far?"
Ayaka's eyes flicked up briefly, her voice calm but measured.
"It's… predictable." She really lives up to her known demeanor of beauty with few words.
Among the silence, two persons returned back.