The next day arrived. All the new students were going to school for the first time. The morning at school was refreshing, a fresh start, made even more lively by the new students stepping into their first day—not just of school, but also of becoming Fighters.
Meanwhile, Shion and Kharim had already arrived at school and were entering their classroom. When Shion reached the door, he was surprised by how many students there were.
Shion:"(opening the door) WOOOW...! There are so many students!"
Shion's loud voice caught everyone's attention. As the whole class turned to look at them, Shion looked confused, while Kharim stayed calm, his expression cold.
Shion:"E-eh? (looking at Kharim) Why are they all staring at us, brother?"
Kharim:"How should I know? Come on, let's just find our seats."
Kharim walked ahead as they searched for seats. The class still stared at them, but Kharim remained indifferent, unlike Shion, who felt awkward being the center of attention. Finally, they found an empty spot—but Rafaela was already sitting there. When Rafaela saw them, her face lit up.
Rafaela:"(waving at them) Shion...! Kharim...! Over here!"
*They both stopped walking when they saw Rafaela*
Kharim:"Shion... That's Rafaela."
Shion:"Hhhaahh... I know, bro. I've already apologized to her."
Kharim:"Oh, I see."
Shion:"(walking again) Let's sit down before someone takes our spot."
They finally sat at the very back. Kharim took the left corner by the window, Rafaela sat right next to him, and Shion took the seat beside Rafaela. Once seated, Rafaela looked at them happily and started talking to them again. Seeing this, Shion said:
"Why are you sitting here? Let's switch seats. I want to sit next to Kharim."
Rafaela:"(grinning at Shion) No. I got here first, so I'm not switching with you."
Shion: "Tch. You're so selfish."
*Meanwhile, some other students were still watching Shion and Kharim*
Girl(1):"Eh-eh... Is that Prince Shion and his brother?"
Girl(2):"Yeah... that's them."
Girl(1):"They're pretty handsome, aren't they?"
Girl(3):"Maybe to you. But to me, those two are just like the rest of us."
Girl(2):"Huuh... Why do you always think differently, MARTINA (Girl 3)? Don't you realize they're from the royal family?"
Martina:"That's exactly why. The higher someone stands in social rank, the more equal they are in my eyes. (smiling) In fact... I prefer the cold guy sitting right next to you. AISHA."
Girl(2), shocked by Martina's words, immediately turned to look at their male friend beside her. He was staring blankly out the window, then rested his head on the desk.
Martina:"(smiling as she looked at him) He's better in my eyes."
Girl(1):"(curious, glancing between Martina and Aisha) Aisha... is this for real?!"
Aisha:"F-for real what? (stammering)"
Girl(1):"Martina likes your childhood friend!"
Aisha:"Aaahh! Why are you all looking at me?!"
Girl(2):"Because, you know, he's..."
Aisha:"What does that have to do with me if she likes him?!"
*They all burst into laughter. Meanwhile, other students were also watching Shion and Kharim, whispering gossip about the two of them*
Girl(4):"(looking at her male friend) Hey, SEUNG-HON, look at those two. Turns out the rumor is true, the royal children are really studying here."
That girl's friend, Seung-hon, glanced at her for a moment, then looked at Shion and Kharim. Just before that, Seung-hon had been happily eating whole wheat bread*
Seung-hon:"Who do you mean? Them?"
His friend:"Yeah."
Seung-hon:"Do you admire people who are important in everyone's eyes that much?"
His friend:"Eh..? Uhmm... well, it's not like I admire them that much. But of course, I do feel happy."
Seung-hon:"Ah, I see... (smiles wider) Well, it's natural to feel happy seeing important people. But if
you only look at the light of others, don't forget your own light."
His friend:"What do you mean?"
Seung-hon:"(pauses) Your light... shines brighter than you think, as long as you don't belittle
yourself compared to others. The fewer people know about you, the brighter your light will shine."
Girl(4) fell silent, staring at Seung-hon. Soon, class time had started, and teachers began entering their respective rooms. However, it seemed their class was the last to be visited by a teacher, which made Shion restless.
"(leaning back) Heeey..., where's the teacher?! I'm so bored!"
Seeing him, Rafaela suddenly remembered the incident last night that made her embarrassed. The memory lingered in her head until she blushed and buried her face on the desk.
Shion:"(looking at Rafaela) What's with you, weirdo? Instead of acting all strange, why don't you entertain me?"
*Rafaela instantly got annoyed and shot Shion a silly glare*
Rafaela:"Hahh?! Who do you think you are, you idiot!"
Shion:"Come on... don't you miss me?"
Rafaela: "Pfftt... (like spitting) Ugh, just hearing that makes me sick."
Shion: "Oh yeah? Weren't you the one going crazy chasing us around last night, to the point Kharim
got annoyed too?"
Rafaela:"As if! Even if I did, I'd erase that disgusting memory right away."
Shion:"For real? (turns to Kharim) Hey bro, she says she's erased last night from her memory.
Should we knock her head to bring it back?"
Kharim:"Don't drag me into this! What's wrong with you two?! And you too, Rafaela. Just admit you're embarrassed to remember what happened last night."
*Rafaela now felt shy. To vent her embarrassment, she almost kicked Kharim in the face. But Kharim caught her first and turned his face away from her foot. Rafaela was taken aback by Kharim*
Kharim:"(slightly smiling) I'll admit your kick was pretty strong, Rafaela. But can you still handle the embarrassment of all these people watching you?"
Rafaela became even more shocked and looked around. It turned out they were all watching her now. Her cheeks slowly flushed from what she had done. Then she quickly pulled her leg away from Kharim, still blushing.
Meanwhile, Shion tried to hold back his laughter. Hearing Shion giggle first, Rafaela shot him a furious look and immediately delivered a powerful punch to his face, sending Shion sprawling off his chair. The others continued to watch them, though gradually some began to look away, indifferent.
Martina:"(smiling slightly at Kharim) I think he's quite attractive, too."
Girl(1):"You're ridiculous, Martina. Isn't it you who likes Aisha's friend?"
Aisha:"I already told you stop...!"
*Long story short, their teacher arrived, and to their surprise, it was a woman. Standing before the students with a gentle smile, she began to speak*
Teacher:"Good morning, everyone. I'm sorry for being late. I get a little shy whenever I meet new students like you. But on this bright morning, I really do want to get to know all of you."
*The class fell into silence. No one made a sound. The teacher herself felt awkward, unsure whether to keep talking or not*
Teacher: "W-well then, children... My name is ABIYU AZIZAH, b-but you can just call me Ms. Azizah. Before we begin, I'd like to thank all of you for joining us. I hope each of you will grow into a better generation for those who come after you. Alright, let's start with attendance. KATATSUKE KANATA?!"
Katatsuke:"Here (a 15-year-old with a cold gaze)"
Ms. Azizah:"JONSEN LIEBERT?!"
Jonsen:"Present. (a 15-year-old boy with a flat expression)"
Ms. Azizah:"Next, Sinaga Akira?!"
Akira:"Present! (a 14-year-old boy)"
*And continuously, Azizah continued calling their names one by one. Little by little, as she went down the list, her smile grew and she began to relax until finally, she had finished calling the entire class*
Ms. Azizah:"Waah... you're all amazing, everyone showed up on the very first day."
Male Student:"(surprised) Eh? You mean sometimes people skip on the first day?"
Ms. Azizah:"Don't be mistaken. Even though you all live in the dorm, there are still some who manage to skip."
Shion:"Wauu... that's pretty impressive too, huh."
Ms. Azizah:"Well, even so, I hope none of my students will be like that."
Some students, Shion and Rafaela among them, were surprised to hear Ms. Azizah's last words*
Female Student:"W-what do you mean by that, Ms. Azizah?"
*Ms. Azizah paused for a moment, keeping her smile*
Ms. Azizah:"I will beeeeee... (as the students leaned in with curiosity) your homeroom teacher! Hooray...! Hooray...! Hooray...!!"
*Ms. Azizah cheered on her own in excitement, while the rest of the class stayed quiet. Some confused, others just staring realizing what she had done, Ms. Azizah froze in embarrassment*
Ms. Azizah:"(in her heart) Th-they're all just silent! Oouhh, this is so embarrassing! If only I could be calmer...!"
*While everyone remained quiet, Shion suddenly remembered how yesterday he had felt someone watching him in the hall. He leaned over and whispered to Kharim*
Shion:"Pssst... brother."
*But Kharim didn't answer. Rafaela only looked at Shion, then glanced at Kharim, as Shion called again*
Shion:"Pssst... Kharim!"
*This time Kharim looked at him*
Kharim:"(slightly annoyed at Shion) What?!"
Shion:"(glancing ahead for a moment) Do you remember? How I felt someone watching me last night? I think it was that woman the one who kept staring at me in the hall."
*Rafaela, hearing their conversation, spoke up*
Rafaela:"Really? You think someone was watching you last night... and you believe it was Ms. Azizah?"
*Shion nodded*
Kharim:"Hhhahh... How can you just assume it was Ms. Azizah watching you?"
Shion:"But.."
Kharim:"Even if it was Ms. Azizah, so what? Did it bother you?"
Shion:"But I feel like it was different last night. I can tell the difference between an ordinary glance and a suspicious stare. Even from far away, even if I wasn't fully aware, my instincts can sense when someone's presence is directed at me. If it really was Ms. Azizah, then I can't help but be a little suspicious."
Kharim:"No, Shion, you're just being too sensitive. (Shion fell silent) As long as it doesn't harm you, why should you care? And besides, it's just a teacher from this school paying attention to you. Why let that bother you? From now on, throw away those unnecessary feelings—they'll only get in your way later."
As Kharim spoke, Ms. Azizah was still trying to stand calmly despite her earlier embarrassment. Shion exhaled deeply, forcing himself to think positively. Rafaela, watching Shion, remained silent. The three of them kept their eyes on Ms. Azizah until the lesson was about to begin.