The iron gates of Samodara High stood wide open as students poured in from the ground area, their voices filling the morning air with laughter, complaints, and excitement. A new academic session had begun.
Among the crowd walked a tall boy with white hair that stood out sharply against the sea of dark uniforms. His brown eyes quietly observed everything around him. He paused for a moment near the gate, taking in the vast school building before him.
"So… I finally reached this school," he whispered to himself. "Not bad. Let's go to class."
As he walked forward, fragments of conversation drifted toward him.
"Oh, finally the new session has started," one boy said cheerfully.
"Yeah, but it's not good," another replied in a lowered voice. "Things are getting worse in the Crookie Section."
The white-haired boy frowned slightly.
"Crookie Section…?" he murmured.
He tapped the shoulder of the first boy. "Hey," he said politely. "I'm Keaf Lumin. What is this Crookie Section?"
The two boys turned to look at him. One of them narrowed his eyes.
"Keaf…? Never heard of you," the first boy said.
The second tilted his head. "You new here?"
"Yes," Keaf answered calmly. "I'm in ninth grade."
The reaction was instant.
"W–what?" both boys blurted out, staring at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter. Their laughter was sharp and mocking.
Keaf blinked, confused. "Why are you laughing?"
They exchanged glances and laughed even louder.
"You're really a newbie in ninth grade?" the first boy said between giggles.
"I'm Kinha, and this idiot is Joy," he added. "We're in seventh grade. And you? You're already done for, my friend."
Joy smirked. "Yeah. You look way too polite for this place."
Keaf frowned. "I don't understand your foolish talk."
Without waiting for a response, he turned away and walked toward his classroom.
"So this is ninth grade," he muttered as he stepped inside.
The class had already begun. Students were seated, and the teacher was mid-lecture. Keaf realized he was nearly fifteen minutes late.
The entire class turned to stare at him.
"Who's he, Ken?" a tall boy whispered.
"How would I know?" Ken replied lazily.
The teacher adjusted his glasses and said flatly, "He is a new student. His name is Keaf Lumin. Please behave."
Before Keaf could say anything, a voice rang out from the back bench.
"Puny kids aren't allowed to interrupt a class!"
The classroom erupted in laughter. Keaf forced a strange, sad smile onto his face.
"He's smiling?" a girl said, laughing even harder.
"Mida, maybe he escaped from a mental hospital," joked a boy with curly hair.
More laughter followed.
Keaf quietly walked to an empty seat beside a girl with orange hair. The moment he sat down, her chair scraped back violently.
"Hey, you bastard," she snapped. "How dare you sit beside me?"
She shoved him hard. Keaf lost his balance and fell to the floor.
The teacher watched without reaction.
"Keaf," the teacher said calmly, as if nothing had happened, "please sit properly. You're disturbing the class."
Keaf stood up slowly. "But, ma-"
"Didn't you hear, new baby?" a boy with orange eyes interrupted. "Stop disturbing us. Go sit on that broken bench in the last corner."
A short boy suddenly spoke up. "Hey, don't mess with him. He might be a good fighter."
Before anyone could react, the same boy slapped Keaf hard across the face.
"Sit down, Gai'son," the teacher said coldly.
Keaf said nothing. He picked himself up and walked to the broken bench in the corner, sitting down quietly as the class continued, as if he didn't exist.
Three Hours Later
Lunch break began.
"Let's go," a short boy laughed. "Next period is zero period. We'll have fun and bully that newbie again."
"But only till tomorrow," the orange-eyed boy said. "After that… she'll come."
"You're right," Gai'son replied with a grin.
Across the schoolyard, Keaf sat alone, staring at the ground silent, unreadable.