Chapter 1: Date: January 1st 2015
The golden rays of dawn filtered through the curtains, landing squarely on Takada's face. He stirred beneath the covers, groaning, trying to bury himself deeper into the warmth of his bed.
"Takada! Wake up! It's your first day of high school!"
His mother's voice rang out from the kitchen, getting louder with every passing second.
Takada's body refused to cooperate. The night before had stretched into the early hours of the morning, with him being-watching his favorite Korean dramas. His eyes ached, and his limbs felt like lead.
"Why do mornings exist?"
he muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His mother stormed into his room, hands on her hips.
"Takada! Get up, or you'll be late!"
Reluctantly, Takada sat up, hair sticking up in all directions.
"Ugh... I hate how the sun feels like it's mocking me..."
he yawned, swinging his legs out of bed. In an instant, his foot caught on something, sending him crashing to the floor.
"Ouch!" He groaned, clutching his head. As he glanced down, he realized what had tripped him—his math textbook.
"Why does bad luck follow me when I stay up late...?" he muttered under his breath, pulling himself up.
Just as he stood, another disaster struck—his laptop, teetering on the edge of his desk, slipped off, smacking him squarely on the foot. The sharp pain shot through him like a bolt of lightning.
"FF—! Oh, in the name of—!" Takada clamped his mouth shut before the profanity escaped, biting his lip as his toe throbbed in agony. He looked down at his laptop, now sporting a large crack on the screen. His heart sank as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Mom...!" Takada's voice cracked as he called for help. The pitiful sight of his broken laptop and throbbing foot made the situation all the more desperate. He felt his life unraveling—and it wasn't even 8 a.m. yet.
A few minutes later, Takada found himself in the front seat of his mother's car, nursing his swollen toe. His mother shot him a stern look as she pulled out of the driveway.
"This is what happens when you stay up all night watching those silly dramas! Now your toe's injured, and you're late for your first day of high school!"
Her voice was sharp, filled with disappointment.
Takada stared out the window, glumly. "But Mom... my laptop's broken... I need a new one for s-school.." His voice trailed off, knowing full well this wasn't the time to bring it up.
His mother's eyes widened in disbelief. "Broken? How on earth—" Her hand instinctively reached for the sandal that lay near her seat. Takada's heart skipped a beat.
"Wait! It was an accident! I swear!" he pleaded, holding his hands up in defense. But his mother, driven by frustration and a fierce sense of justice, delivered one swift smack to his arm with the sandal.
Takada barely had time to recover before the car came to a screeching halt in front of his new school. His mother didn't even give him the courtesy of a farewell. She simply drove off, leaving him standing awkwardly on the curb.
As her car disappeared into the distance, Takada sighed, looking at the towering school gates. "I wish I could rewind time and end myself before I was even born," he muttered darkly, his stomach churning with anxiety.
He approached the gates, only to realize something far worse than his self-pity—the gates were closed.
Takada checked his watch. 8:25 a.m.
His heart sank. "Oh no, oh no, oh no! I'm late!" Panic surged through him as he dashed to the side entrance, where a stern-faced security guard stood, arms crossed.
Out of breath, Takada waved his hands frantically. "Sir! Please! I need to get in!"
The guard, unimpressed, raised an eyebrow. "You need to get in? Did you not check the time?"
Takada swallowed hard, nodding rapidly. "I-I did! But I had an accident—"
"An accident? Let me guess, your car flipped over, or maybe you got stuck in a dream until you finally woke up late, huh?" The guard's sarcasm stung.
"N-No! It was real! My laptop fell on my foot, and—" Takada stammered, struggling to explain. But the guard's unimpressed glare only made him more nervous.
"Save it, kid. Stand there until the ceremony's over. It's your first day, and you're already late. Looks like you're off to a bad start." The guard turned his back, leaving Takada in front of the gate, defeated.
Takada slumped onto a nearby bench, his head in his hands. "Great. First, I ruined my foot, then I broke my laptop, and now I'm late to school on the first day... I really am a failure."
As Takada sat wallowing in self-pity, a gentle poke on his head snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a tall, broad-shouldered boy with messy hair and a sharp grin.
"Hey, you're late too, huh?" the boy asked, his voice carrying a mischievous edge.
Takada blinked, startled. "Y-Yeah... I guess..."
The boy sat down next to him, his posture relaxed. "New here?"
Takada nodded awkwardly. "A-Ah, yeah. I'm from Kokusione Middle School."
The boy's expression darkened slightly. "Kokusione? That school's the worst."
Takada's heart raced. "Oh no... is he a gangster?! Why does he hate my school?!" His mind filled with dread, but he managed to squeak out, "W-Why do you hate it...?"
"Your school beat mine in basketball last year," the boy said, his tone casual but with an underlying bitterness.
Takada let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God... It's just sports. I thought he was going to beat me up."
But his relief was short-lived.
"Why are you so quiet now? trying no to laugh because my school lost?" the boy asked, his eyes narrowing.
Takada's face paled. "N-No! I'm just... grateful..."
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Grateful? For what, exactly?" His hand tightened into a fist, and for a terrifying moment, Takada thought he was about to get punched.
"N-No! That's not what I meant! I swear!" Takada held his hands up in a panic.
The boy laughed, pulling his fist back at the last second. "Relax. I'm just messing with you." He stood up as the school bell rang. "Name's Ryuen. I'm a senior."
Takada blinked, his body still frozen in fear. "S-Senior Ryuen... Nice to meet you..."
Ryuen grinned.
"Get up, new kid. The gate's open now. Let's get inside before you embarrass yourself more."
Once he is inside and leaves Ryuen, the day doesn't get much better. Takada wandered the halls, lost in the sea of unfamiliar faces, clutching his phone as he tried to find his class. But fate had other plans.
He bumped into someone—hard. The sound of something breaking echoed in the hallway. Takada looked down to see a shattered phone on the floor.
He glanced up at the owner of the phone—a girl, tall and imposing, surrounded by her entourage. Her eyes narrowed as she locked onto Takada.
"You...! Are you blind?!" she snapped, grabbing his collar.
Takada's throat tightened. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
Her grip on his collar tightened. "Sorry? My phone is worth more than your entire life, and you think 'sorry' is going to fix it?"
Takada's heart raced. "I-I'll pay for it! I promise!" He pleaded, knowing he was digging himself deeper into trouble.
The girl smirked.
"Cute, but 'sorry' isn't going to cut it." She kicked him, and his glasses flew off, skidding across the floor. Takada hit the ground, his vision blurry, fighting back tears.
"Look, everyone! The new kid's crying!" She sneered, her friends laughing as they pointed at him.
Takada could barely breathe. "I... I'll pay for it... I swear..."
The girl crouched down, lifting his chin with her finger. "Meet me after school, Class 10, Block 1. Don't be late. We'll talk about how you're going to pay me back."
She stood up, leaving Takada on the floor, surrounded by laughter.
Takada sat at the back of the classroom, his mind swirling in a storm of self-loathing and confusion. The sting of the earlier confrontation still clung to him, the laughter of the crowd echoing in his head. His fingers trembled as he adjusted his cracked glasses.
"First my laptop... now I've broken someone's expensive phone. I can't imagine what Mom will say when she hears about all this," he muttered under his breath. He clenched his fists, hating himself. "Why is everything going so wrong?"
Takada shifted uncomfortably, his thoughts returning to the girl— The Girl He Bumped Earlier Something about her eyes when they locked onto him, moments before she smirked and kicked him, unsettled him. "Was there... something else behind her gaze?" He quickly shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought. "No way. That's impossible. No one would ever be interested in someone like me."
Before he could dwell any further, the bell rang, and the teacher entered the room, snapping Takada out of his trance.
"Alright, students. Welcome to your first day of high school," the teacher began, his voice droning as he introduced himself to the new faces. "Please take out your textbooks."
Takada sighed, grabbing his book, and attempted to focus on the lesson. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the knot of anxiety in his stomach. He knew the day wasn't over, and the girl had promised they'd meet again.
Hours passed, and the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Takada lingered in the classroom, watching as the other students filed out, laughing and chatting with their friends. He envied them—the ease with which they moved through life, while he seemed to trip and fall at every turn.
Reluctantly, he made his way to the location That the girl he bumped earlier had specified—Class 10, Block 1. His heart pounded as he approached the door, his nerves making him queasy. The hallway was quiet, and Takada stood there for a moment, contemplating fleeing before anything worse could happen. But then, the door creaked open.
"Well, well, look who actually showed up, our troublemaker!."
The Girl that Takada Bumped stepped through the doorway, a playful smirk on her face. Her striking Crimson eyes gleamed with amusement, and she moved with the kind of confidence Takada had only seen in movies. She radiated power.
Takada swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper. "Uh... h-hi..."
Erin sauntered over to him, her steps slow and deliberate. She stood in front of him, towering slightly, her presence overwhelming. "So, have you figured out how you're going to pay for my very expensive phone?" she asked, her tone teasing but dangerous.
Takada's throat tightened. "I... I don't have the money... but I'll figure something out! I'll get a part-time job, or—"
"Aww," Erin cooed, cutting him off. "You're so cute when you're all nervous like that."
Her words hit Takada like a stab to the gut. He blinked in disbelief, unable to comprehend what was happening. "W-What? Did she just... compliment me?"
He tried to look away, but Erin wasn't having it. She reached out, lifting his chin with her finger, forcing him to meet her gaze. Her touch was soft, almost gentle, yet it sent a chill down his spine.
"You're sweating, nerd," she whispered, her voice dangerously sweet. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you... well, not unless you give me a reason to."
Takada's mind raced. "What is happening? Why is she acting like this? Does she want to humiliate me again? Or... could it be something else?" His face turned red, and he cursed himself for blushing.
Her smirk widened as she watched him squirm. "My name is Erin. Erin Schuwald," she said, her voice carrying an air of sophistication. "Try not to forget it."
Takada stammered, still in shock.
"E-Erin... Schu... Schuwald...?"
She giggled, the sound soft yet laced with amusement, and without warning, she reached out and pinched his nose. "Schuwald," she corrected, leaning in so close that her breath tickled his ear. "But you can just call me Erin."
Takada's heart pounded in his chest. He could feel her presence, her breath, her touch—everything about her was overwhelming. He had never been this close to a girl before, especially one as striking as Erin.
"You don't need to replace my phone," she whispered, her voice lowering to a dangerous purr.
"If... you become mine."
Takada's breath hitched. "Wh-What did she just say...?"
He froze, his mind struggling to comprehend her words. His voice cracked as he managed to mutter, "If I... become yours...?"
Erin pulled back slightly, her face mere inches from his, her smile mysterious and mischievous. "That's right. Be mine, You'll belong to me, and I'll take care of the phone... and anything else."
Takada's world spun. Was this some kind of joke? Some elaborate scheme to humiliate him even further? He had been bullied and teased before, but never like this. Never by someone so... alluring.
He tried to muster a response, but his body refused to cooperate. His face flushed with a mix of fear and something else—something he couldn't quite identify.
Erin's eyes gleamed as she watched his reaction, clearly enjoying his confusion.
"What do you say? Or do you want to keep trying to pay me back the hard way?"
Takada swallowed, his thoughts a tangled mess. He didn't know what to do—whether to run or stay, to accept or decline. All he knew was that nothing in his life had prepared him for this moment.
"I... I don't understand..." he finally stammered, his voice barely audible. "Why... why would you want me?"
Erin tilted her head, her smile softening just a bit. "Why wouldn't I?" she replied simply, her eyes locking onto his. "You're interesting, And I like interesting people."
Takada's mind was in turmoil, but one thing was clear—this wasn't a typical schoolgirl crush. Erin Schuwald was playing a different game, and he was caught in the middle.
The question now was—what would he do?
-To Be Continue..