Inside the College
The bell rang, loud and clear, echoing across the courtyard. A sea of students surged toward the notice boards mounted on the walls. Karl squeezed through the crowd.
"Let's see… First Year – Science – B-1 – Room 219."
He looked up at the tall building.
"Second floor. Okay, not bad. I wonder where Steffie's class is…"
His curiosity got the better of him. He checked the room next to his.
"Wait… she's in Room 218? That's right next to mine!"
He peeked in discreetly.
"There she is… sitting alone? No friends? That's unexpected. Then again, I don't have any either."
He chuckled to himself.
"Loners think alike, huh?"
Just then, a voice called from inside his class.
"Hey! Over here's a window seat!"
Karl quickly returned to his class and took the seat by the window.
---
A girl stood at the front of the class, her posture confident and inviting.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Angelica, your class captain. I hope we can all become great friends!"
The classroom buzzed instantly.
[Students whispering: "She's so cute…" "Class captain? She's beautiful!" "Lucky us!"]
Karl rolled his eyes.
"Why is everyone so excited? Haven't they seen the seniors next door?"
---
Later That Day…
From across the building, Steffie peeked through the window at Karl, watching him casually lean on his desk, looking out the window.
"So he's a first-year after all…" she whispered to herself, tilting her head.
Karl suddenly felt a strange sensation—as if someone was watching him.
He turned to look out his own classroom window, but saw no one.
Steffie ducked just in time.
"Phew… he didn't see me. That was close. But I was watching him. Ugh, what am I doing?!"
She turned and walked down the hall, flustered.
Karl glanced at the hallway and spotted her just as she passed.
"Hah… so Mrs. Senior was watching me."
"Karl!" a sharp voice called from the front.
"Yes, sir?"
"Pay attention! This is important."
"Sorry… Can I go to the washroom?"
"Make it quick."
---
By the Washroom
As Karl made his way to the restrooms, a scene caught him off-guard. Just outside the girls' washroom, he saw Steffie washing her face at a basin beside the corridor window.
No makeup. Just her natural face, glowing with sunlight, water droplets clinging to her skin like diamonds.
"She… she's even more beautiful without makeup…" he thought, completely mesmerized.
Just then, a realization struck him.
"Oh crap—this is the girls' side!"
He took a sharp step back and waited awkwardly nearby.