15 years ago,
Inside a small, worn-down house, a man sat with a two-year-old baby.
"Papa," the baby called out.
"Are you hungry?" the man asked, lifting the child into his arms.
"Eat! Eat!" the baby giggled excitedly.
"Alright, let's eat," the man said, carrying him to the kitchen.
It was a warm, happy scene—just a father and his child, sharing a peaceful moment. The baby, innocent and full of life, seemed to forget the tragedy that had befallen him.
But fate had other plans.
The next morning, the man—the one the baby had come to know as his father—was dead.
"Is that the child?" an old man asked, his voice cold. He stood beside a man in a black coat.
"Yes," the black-coated man replied.
"Kill him. We have no use for a child like that," the old man ordered before walking away.
The black-coated man unsheathed his sword, ready to carry out the command.
The baby looked up at him with big, innocent eyes. "Papa?" he called out, smiling.
The man hesitated.
"What's your name?" the black-coated man asked, sliding his sword back into its sheath.
"Name… Name…" the baby babbled, giggling.
The man carefully picked him up. "How cruel… to do this to a child," he muttered, feeling an unfamiliar pang of guilt.
The baby's bright smile melted his heart.
"I know someone who can take care of you," he whispered, glancing around before vanishing into the night.
---
Present Day,
Tetsu and I walked through the corridor, heading toward Sir Arsene's office during break time. I was still bitter about getting dragged into last night's mess. Damn it. I should've just stayed in my room.
I glanced at Tetsu, who looked completely unbothered. I sighed.
My mind drifted back to last night's chaos.
---
Last night,
"Where do you think you're going?" Sir Arsene's stern voice stopped me in my tracks.
Panic shot through me. I scrambled to come up with an excuse. "I-I was just—"
Before I could finish, Tetsu cut in, his voice louder than mine.
"Nao! They stopped fighting! We did it, yay!" He ran up with an overly cheerful face before realizing who was in front of me. His expression stiffened.
"Sir Arsene…" he muttered, forcing a nervous grin.
"So, care to explain what you two were doing out this late?" Sir Arsene's voice dropped a degree colder.
Desperate to avoid a fine, I blurted out, "It's like this—Tetsu and I were being bullied by Valen and his guys, so we ran away."
Sir Arsene stared straight into my eyes, and my heart pounded.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
"…Fine. Meet me tomorrow," he said, before disappearing into the night.
Tetsu sighed in relief. "Well, that went better than expected. Let's head back."
I stayed quiet, still shaken.
---
Present Day,
We stood in front of Sir Arsene, who—as always—showed no emotion.
"Step forward," he ordered. We obeyed.
"The school has investigated last night's incident. Nao's statement was found to be true. As such, you two won't be fined."
Hearing the words 'won't be fined' was like music to my ears.
"However," Sir Arsene continued, "to prevent any future incidents, Tetsu will be changing seats. You'll be sitting beside Theo from now on."
Tetsu blinked in surprise.
"And Nao," Sir Arsene turned to me, "Elysia will be taking Tetsu's seat. Starting tomorrow, the two of you will be paired and supervised accordingly. Any questions?"
Elysia? Who the hell is that?
Before I could ask, Sir Arsene dismissed us.
Tetsu looked… guilty?
"What's with that face?" I asked.
He forced a laugh. "Nao… I wanted to help you last night, but I think I just made things worse for you."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You'll be paired with Elysia—the Ice Princess. I'm sorry."
His voice carried genuine remorse.
"I forgive you, now let's go back to class," I said, shaking my head.
How bad could she be?
---
The next morning,
I woke up early, determined to avoid being late.
My daily routine was planned out perfectly. With a structured schedule, my life felt much more peaceful.
Humming to myself, I strolled to the restaurant for breakfast before heading to class.
After a simple meal of toast and hot tea, I checked my finances. Everything was in order. No unnecessary spending. Life was good.
The air was crisp, birds were chirping—it was a perfect morning.
By the time I arrived at class, it was still empty.
I checked the clock. 7:00 AM. Still early.
Might as well take a nap.
Resting my head on the desk, I let myself drift off.
...
...
...
BANG!
The loud slam on my desk jolted me awake.
I blinked, confused. The clock read 8:00 AM. Weird. Tetsu usually wakes me at 8:25 AM.
"Are you awake now?" a cold, sharp voice asked.
I turned to see a girl with silver hair and icy blue eyes staring down at me.
Who the hell is she?
"Hey, are you listening?" she snapped.
Still groggy, I muttered, "Uh… yeah?"
Her expression darkened. "What kind of attitude is that?"
What did I do wrong?
I quickly ran through my memories, trying to figure out who she was.
Oh.
Elysia Silvercrest.
"…Ah, you're Elysia, right?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"Yes. And I'm going to teach you how to behave properly."
I blinked. "Huh? But Sir Arsene said—"
"This is a free service," she cut me off, her voice firm.
Great.
"What's your name?" she demanded.
"Nao."
She leaned in closer, her icy gaze piercing into mine. "Listen carefully, Nao. From now on, we're partners. Don't make my life harder."
…
Okay, now I understand why Tetsu felt guilty.
This is gonna be a nightmare.