Fujimi Academy stood majestically in the middle of a lush park. Trees of various species lined the driveway, with branches reaching toward the blue sky and leaving rustling softly in the morning wind. Along the wrought iron fence, colorful flowers bloomed, filling the air with their sweet, intoxicating scent.
At the end of the tree-lined path stood the gray stone entrance to the school, with tall marble columns on either side supporting an ornate triangular pediment adorned with reliefs depicting academic symbols and motifs.
Beyond the entrance stretched a vast red brick courtyard, already filled with students chatting and laughing, greeting each other and catching up after the weekend, their youthful voices and laughter floating on the breeze.
Moving leisurely through the polished concrete corridors, Touya and Saya walked shoulder to shoulder, the echo of their footsteps in a steady rhythm marking their carefree pace.
"Hey. Look..."
They immediately caught the curious attention of everyone they passed, heads turned to follow their advance, and whispers arose in hushed tones behind them.
Rumors and speculation ran like wildfire in a high school, and the appearance of an unknown but striking young man strolling the halls with a renowned beauty like Saya only set tongues wagging.
"Isn't that Saya Takagi?" A black-haired girl nudged her blue-eyed friend, unable to look away from the attractive couple. "Who's the guy with her? Do you know him?"
The friend shrugged, shaking her head. "I've never seen him before. He must be a transfer student."
"So he's her boyfriend?" The first girl's eyes sparkled with avid interest.
As one of the most popular and sought-after girls in school, Saya's romantic life was the subject of constant speculation. If it weren't for the fact that her personality would scare anyone away, no doubt many boys would approach her.
"No way, he's too hot for her!" Teased another girl, joining the conversation. "Have you girls seen him? He looks like a model or something. There's no way a guy that hot would date Saya."
"You're jealous." Replied the first one. "I happen to think they look good together."
"Please, Saya could be so much better than him."
"Wait a second..." Another girl frowned as Touya and Saya brushed past, her gaze tracing Touya's profile. "I feel like I've seen that guy somewhere before. There's something about him that looks familiar."
"He could be a model?!" Shrieked the black-haired girl. "Imagine if Saya dates a supermodel! How jealous everyone will be."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Warned her more skeptical friend. "We don't even know if they're dating yet. For all we know, it could just be a friend or family member."
"Or it could be her secret lover that she's been hiding from us all this time; wouldn't that be scandalous?" Her eyes sparkled at the prospect of such juicy gossip.
Touya looked at Saya with a frown, having caught snippets of excited speculation following in his wake.
"Your fan club seems rather... enthusiastic." His lips curved in mischievous amusement. "One might think you brought me here on purpose to cause a stir."
"Hmph! As if I'd do something so petty." Saya snorted, though her cheeks tinged pink.
"I was wrong." Touya chuckled. "Though from the way they whisper and stare, anyone would think we're here to announce our love union."
He leaned closer to Saya, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial murmur as a playful gleam lit his eyes. "What do you say, sis? You want to give them something real to gossip about?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Saya snorted, nudging Touya away to disguise her embarrassment.
She quickened her pace, hoping that the blush staining her cheeks would disappear before many of her classmates noticed. The last thing she needed was for Touya's teasing to add fuel to the rumor fire.
Of course, her aggravated reaction only served to add to Touya's amusement. With a soft chuckle, he followed Saya at a slow pace, hands shoved in his pockets.
Touya's carefree manner and serene attitude attracted as much attention and curiosity as his striking appearance. More than one girl found an excuse to loiter in the halls, hoping for a chance encounter with the handsome new student.
When Saya noticed Touya was not at her side, she stopped and looked over her shoulder to find him surrounded by a group of girls trying not so subtly to get his attention. However, he was pushing them, not so hard as he didn't want to hurt them with his mammoth strength accidentally.
A surge of irritation washed over Saya, and a vein throbbed in her forehead as she glared at the shameless women's group. Honestly, what were they thinking? With an exasperated sigh, Saya stepped back to grab Touya by the arm and drag him away, snarling at the woman.
"Honestly, what the hell possessed you to come back to this Academy? You quit two years ago."
"Oh, come on. Even if I didn't come back to study, I'd surely be lonely if I couldn't see your pretty face for even an hour at home."
"I-idiot!"
Touya stared out the window, his chin resting on his hand as he watched the Academy courtyard. Students crowded around, laughing and chattering quietly, enjoying the brief respite between classes.
The sun shone brightly, glinting off the fountain in the courtyard's center and illuminating the green trees scattered around the perimeter.
But while the scene outside was lively and cheerful, Touya felt distant from the hubbub. His mind was caught up in his own musings.
Touya's introspective solitude intrigued some other students, particularly a few female admirers who stole sidelong glances at him across the room.
With his delicate features and pensive air, he seemed like someone who harbored hidden depths. His aloofness only added to the allure, suggesting a soul who didn't quite fit in and didn't quite care either.
"What's wrong with him now?" Saya's lips pursed in frustration as she watched her brother Touya.
Only moments ago, he had been teasing her incessantly, eager to amuse himself. But now he sat silently by the window, gaze absent and distant.
Saya put aside the book she was reading and removed her glasses, massaging the bridge of her nose. Touya had always been shy, but lately, his mood swings seemed more extreme than ever.
"Is he bipolar or something?" Muttered Saya to herself, unable to understand her brother's whims.
Before today she knew him so well, but he seemed like a complete stranger since this morning.
"Good morning, Saya."
A familiar voice rose from beside her. She turned to see Rei Miyamoto, a classmate with light brown hair and hazel eyes. Like all the students at the Academy, she wore the standard white blouse and green mini-skirt, along with long gray stockings and white shoes.
"Umm." Saya said with a brief nod, gave a sidelong glance at Touya, and then returned to her book, not intending to continue the conversation.
Rei followed Saya's gaze to the window, where Touya remained motionless. "Is he a new student? You seem to be interested in him. I don't blame you, though; he's the cutest boy I've ever seen."
Saya's eyebrows twitched with irritation. "That's my brother, you idiot."
"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Rei quickly threw up her hands, an awkward smile on her face.
Inwardly, however, she was surprised. While she had heard Saya say she had a brother, she hadn't expected him to be so... removed from the world.
"Is there something wrong with him? You sound worried."
Saya shook her head with a grimace of annoyance. "I'm not sure. He just has these... moods. I can't figure it out."
"Well, maybe he's just a deep thinker." Rei suggested. "Sometimes people like that need time alone to reflect."
"Maybe." Saya said, unconvinced.
There seemed to be more to Touya's behavior than just introspection. His sudden changes in temperament made Saya feel like she was dealing with several people trapped in one body.
And she couldn't tell which was the real Touya: the exuberant prankster today, the shy boy she knew, or the pensive dreamer looking out the window.
On the other hand, Touya stopped looking outside at the scenery that stretched beyond the expansive windows and focused on Rei before his attention was captured by the entrance of two boys into the classroom.
One of them was a boy who looked to be the same age as Saya and Rei. He had short, messy, dark brown hair and wore a short-sleeved, fiery red T-shirt under his regulation black school jacket.
Next to him walked another boy with pale brown, almost blond hair and eyes of the same caramel shade.
'So these are the other three main characters in the story.' Touya thought. 'Rei Miyamoto, the troubled girl; Takashi Komuro, the boy in love with Rei; and Hisashi Igo, Rei's boyfriend.'
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