Harmony walked through the hallway as their class returned for the new year.
It was as cold as always, especially since snow was falling as if to also greet the new year, but this time, the coldness was accompanied by the greetings of students reuniting with their friends after the break.
She continued walking the way she always had—silently, without greeting anyone.
"Happy New Year, Miss Thomas."
Or, rather, without being greeted by anyone.
"Happy New Year, Miss Thomas."
This was just like her normal days since the beginning of high school.
"Happy New Year, Miss Thomas."
That's right—nothing out of the ordinary.
"Miss Thomas?"
Harmony blinked when someone waved a hand in front of her face. It was none other than Luca, peering at her curiously. She ended up staring into his eyes without saying anything.
"Miss Thomas?" he repeated, waving his hand again when she didn't react.
Harmony snapped out of her thoughts.
"Hello," she greeted, her voice quiet.
Luca furrowed his brows slightly, "Well, hi. Anyway, is something wrong?"
"Why?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"I mean, it's not like it's a big deal, but we've been greeting you for a while now, and you didn't seem to notice," Luca said, gesturing toward the others.
Harmony turned to see that the whole group was already there in the hallway with her.
Except for Gabriel, they each waved at her with a smile. Gabriel simply nodded at her.
'I'm so used to not getting any attention,' she thought, berating herself silently before nodding at them.
"Happy New Year to you all," she finally greeted.
"How was your New Year, Miss Thomas?" Beatrice asked excitedly.
Harmony went silent once again, causing the rest to tilt their heads in confusion.
"Miss Thomas?" Beatrice called out this time.
"Yes?" Harmony replied, her tone distant.
"You seem so out of it. Are you sick?" Beatrice placed a hand on Harmony's forehead.
"I'm not," Harmony said, pulling her head back slightly.
"I was just thinking—doesn't 'Miss Thomas' sound too long and formal at this point?"
'Seriously, I'm getting too involved,' she thought with a sigh after realizing her words.
Beatrice blinked and turned to Kathrine for confirmation.
"Well…" Kathrine started cautiously.
"Would you allow us to call you just by your name?"
"I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to," Harmony replied plainly.
Then she walked into the classroom, followed by the rest of them.
As usual, their classmates greeted them warmly. Harmony's presence, as expected, slowly faded into the background.
"…"
She silently observed her classmates enthusiastically greet one another, especially the other six. She blinked before turning toward the window.
'What am I doing?' she wondered.
She chose to just look outside the window.
A box of strawberry-flavored chocolates appeared on her desk. Looking back, she saw Kenneth standing in front of her.
"Happy New Year," he greeted, his smile bright.
Harmony nodded.
Kenneth chuckled, "This is my thank-you gift for your help with our finals. If it wasn't for your input, we'd have had an even harder time winning."
"Even harder?" Harmony questioned without thinking.
Kenneth grinned, "We will win. That's the vow we made at the beginning of the Winter Cup."
Kenneth watched as a faint smile crossed Harmony's lips. Before long, she realized he was smiling even wider. Then, he returned to his seat.
Harmony shook her head slightly, took the box of chocolates, and tucked it into her bag.
The day continued as it usually did, with barely any interaction with the group. The only difference was that they had started calling her by her name. Beatrice and Kathrine seemed especially pleased about this, their smiles betraying their joy.
"Why are you so adamant about getting close to me?" Harmony asked later as they all sat on the train heading home.
The guys had taken a different train in the opposite direction. Harmony's stop was farther, but Beatrice and Kathrine's houses were only two stations before hers.
They looked at her, then at each other, as if silently communicating.
"To be honest, we don't know," Kathrine admitted.
Harmony frowned, 'What kind of answer is that? Is this character really someone people just want to get close to for no reason?'
Beatrice smiled, noticing her frown.
"It's as simple as wanting to get to know you more. No deeper reason," she said sincerely.
They really did not have the thought of someone wanting to get close to the most aloof classmate or wishing to understand the wallflower in the room.
"Yeah, we just want to be your friends. I mean, we didn't get off to the best start, but it just feels right," Kathrine added.
Harmony paused, considering their words, "I don't think you'll really get to know me, though."
"Because we're about to graduate?" Beatrice guessed.
"Because I'm not being completely honest about who I am," Harmony admitted, almost to her own surprise.
Kathrine nodded thoughtfully before smiling, "Doesn't matter. You may not be fully honest, but you've already shown the kind of person you are—with everything that's happened to you."
Harmony shook her head slightly but didn't respond.
Beatrice and Kathrine exchanged glances but didn't press her for details.
They were still young, with futures unknown. Whether they would remain friends or drift apart was uncertain. For now, they wanted to focus on the present.
When Harmony returned home, she was still deep in thought.
She snapped out of it when she saw the mess in her room. Papers and books about basketball were scattered everywhere. She frowned slightly, realizing she hadn't had a chance to return after the basketball game to clean up.
She took out the box of chocolates and sighed.
"Too bad," she muttered, placing it in the freezer.
Then, she began tidying up.
After accepting their invitation to watch the basketball games, Harmony had found herself researching all the possible opponents Kenneth's team might face—reading articles, watching games online, and even attending some earlier matches in person.
They may not have seen her, but she had been there, observing how Kenneth's team worked.
"What was I doing?" she muttered to herself as she stuffed everything onto the bookshelf.