Aiden took a deep breath of the cool, untainted island air. It was a stark contrast to the suffocating confines of the over-congested bus they'd just escaped. The crispness of the atmosphere felt like a reset button, clearing away the grime of the city's constant noise and pollution. He rolled his shoulders, feeling oddly invigorated.
Crunch. Crunch.
His shoes pressed against the gravel as he stepped onto the winding path leading away from the platform. The landscape stretched out like a scene from a surrealist painting—untouched nature interwoven with sleek, modernist structures. The dense forests framed buildings made of gleaming glass and steel, their sharp edges blending harmoniously into the rugged terrain. Above them, the Advanced Nurturing School perched like a crown on the hill, its main building an architectural marvel that commanded attention.
Other students had already entered through the gate, leaving him and that girl named Ichinose alone, with the bus that carried leaving for a ghost town. Aiden's gaze swept the area instinctively, his sharp eyes noting the natural beauty , the perfect blend of modern architecture and nature along side it.
"Wow…" a soft voice murmured beside him, pulling him from his thoughts.
He turned his head to see Ichinose Honami, her expression transfixed as she took in the scenery. Her pink hair glimmered in the sunlight, catching and refracting the light like spun sugar. Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, she looked like someone who had wandered into a fairy tale.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Aiden said, letting his voice drop to that easy, teasing tone he had mastered. "And by that, I mean the scenery. Though the company's not bad either."
Ichinose blinked, startled by the unexpected comment. Her head whipped toward him, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Eh? W-what?"
Aiden chuckled, tipping his cap in mock chivalry. "I was talking about the view, Ichinose-san. You seemed pretty enchanted."
"Oh! Right," she said quickly, turning her attention back to the campus, though the faint blush lingered. "It's just… incredible. I didn't expect it to be this beautiful."
Cute, Aiden thought, his grin widening. He enjoyed how easily he seemed to throw her off balance.
"Come on," she said, her voice a little higher than usual as she picked up her pace. "We don't want to get left behind."
They walked a few steps in companionable silence before she turned back to him, her expression softening into a polite smile. "Oh, I just realized… we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. My name is Ichinose Honami. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She gave a slight bow, her movements practiced and graceful, as though they came as naturally as breathing.
Aiden's grin shifted into something a little softer. "Aiden Takahashi," he said, matching her bow with a slight incline of his head and tipping his hat, a greeting he picked up over the years, "Pleasure's mine."
Ichinose straightened, tilting her head slightly as she processed his name. "Aiden, huh? That's a Western name, isn't it?"
Aiden shrugged, his expression unreadable for a moment. "You could say that," he replied casually, his tone dismissive.
As they followed the winding path toward the main building, Aiden's sharp eyes roamed over the campus, taking in every detail. The path itself was lined with carefully manicured hedges, their symmetry almost unsettlingly perfect. Beyond them, the sprawling lawns stretched out, dotted with benches and shaded by towering trees. Students passed by in small groups, their chatter blending into the ambient noise of the campus.
Above, security cameras perched discreetly on lampposts and building corners, their lenses glinting faintly in the sunlight. Subtle enough not to be intrusive but positioned to capture everything, Aiden noted, his mind cataloging their placements.
"Everything here is too polished," he murmured to himself, his gaze shifting to the main building ahead. Its glass exterior gleamed, and the design was sleek yet imposing, giving off an air of authority. If this place was meant to intimidate, mission accomplished.
"Takahashi-kun?" Ichinose's soft voice broke through his thoughts.