The loud beeping of an alarm clock echoed through the small bedroom.

Izumi groggily opened his eyes and glanced at the time.

7:45 AM

His brain took three seconds to process that.

Then—

"HOLY CRAP, I'M LATE!"

He shot out of bed, scrambled to change into his uniform, grabbed his school bag, and dashed out the door without even tying his tie properly.

His first day of high school, and he was already messing up.

As he ran down the street, his mind raced. Why didn't my alarm go off earlier?! Why did I stay up watching anime?! WHY AM I LIKE THIS?!

Lost in his frantic thoughts, he barely noticed the sound of an approaching car. By the time he realized it, the vehicle was right in front of him.

SCREECH!

The car stopped just in time, its tires skidding against the pavement. Izumi froze, his heart pounding as he stared at the black luxury sedan.

The backseat window rolled down, revealing a silver-haired girl with cold blue eyes. Her porcelain skin and flawless features gave her an almost ethereal beauty. But her icy glare sent chills down his spine.

They locked eyes. Her gaze was piercing, as if she could see right through him.

"…Idiot," she muttered, her voice cold and refined.

Izumi's jaw dropped. D-Did she just… call me an idiot?!

Without another word, she rolled the window back up. The car drove off smoothly, as if nothing had happened.

Izumi stood there, still processing the encounter.

"…What… just happened?"

By the time he reached school, Izumi was gasping for breath, his shirt half-untucked and his hair a mess.

Before he could catch his breath, someone slapped his back—hard.

"There you are, man! I was waiting forever!"

Izumi winced, nearly stumbling forward. He turned to see Anzu, his best friend, grinning ear to ear. Next to him stood Yuki, Anzu's energetic girlfriend, already bouncing with excitement.

Yuki leaned in, her eyes sparkling. "You're late on the first day? Classic Izumi!"

Izumi forced a sheepish laugh. "Yeah… I, uh, overslept."

Anzu crossed his arms. "Overslept? Seriously?"

"And I almost got hit by a car…" Izumi mumbled, his voice trailing off.

Both Anzu and Yuki froze.

"WHAT?!" they shouted in unison.

Izumi waved his hands frantically. "I-I'm fine! It stopped in time. But… there was this girl…"

Anzu's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "A girl? Already making moves on the first day, huh?"

"N-No! It's not like that!" Izumi's face turned bright red. "She… she just glared at me and called me an idiot…"

Yuki burst into laughter. "Wow, she's got you pegged!"

"Not funny, Yuki."

They continued teasing him all the way to the auditorium for the entrance ceremony.

The principal's voice droned on about school rules and expectations, but Izumi struggled to pay attention. His mind kept drifting back to the silver-haired girl and her piercing blue eyes.

But then—

"And now, we have a new transfer student joining us."

The entire auditorium perked up. A transfer student on the first day? That was rare.

The principal gestured toward the stage. "Please welcome Marina Kamihara."

The room fell silent as she stepped onto the stage, her silver hair shimmering under the lights. Her posture was perfect, and she carried herself with an aura of absolute confidence.

Izumi's heart skipped a beat. No way… It's her!

The principal continued, "Marina comes from a highly prestigious and wealthy family, so please be mindful of your behavior."

That one sentence sent the entire room into a frenzy of whispers.

"Is she rich?!"

"She's a billionaire!!"

"No way… she's crazy beautiful too…"

"She's totally out of everyone's league…"

Marina ignored all of it, her face a mask of indifference as she took a seat in the VIP section.

Surrounding her were six men in black suits, standing like statues. Bodyguards.

Izumi felt a cold sweat run down his back. Yeah… definitely out of my league.

Once in class, Izumi found a seat near the window and let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally… some peace and quiet…" he muttered.

That peace lasted about five seconds.

The classroom door slid open, and Marina walked in, her presence commanding immediate attention.

The room went dead silent.

Her bodyguards stayed outside, but they stood like sentinels by the door, their expressions stern.

Marina scanned the room, her icy blue eyes searching for her assigned seat. Then, to Izumi's horror, she started walking straight toward him.

"No way… no way… no way…" he whispered under his breath.

She stopped at the empty desk beside him and sat down gracefully.

"WHAT?!" someone shouted.

"HE'S SITTING NEXT TO HER?!"

"WHO EVEN IS THAT GUY?!"

Even Anzu turned to him, wide-eyed. "Dude… you're officially the luckiest guy in school. But also, uh… watch your back. A lot of guys here might try to kill you."

Izumi slumped in his seat, feeling the jealous glares piercing his back.

First I almost get run over, and now this?

He stole a glance at Marina, who was calmly reading her textbook, completely ignoring the commotion.

How is she so calm?!

Marina suddenly turned to him, her eyes cold and distant.

"Do you mind?" she asked, her voice as frosty as her gaze.

"S-Sorry!" Izumi stammered, immediately facing forward.

His heart wouldn't stop pounding.

I'm definitely going to die at this school.

After the first class, Marina sat alone. Despite the curious glances and whispers, no one dared approach her.

Every time someone worked up the courage, she shot them down with a single cold look.

Meanwhile, Izumi sat with Anzu and Yuki, trying his best to act normal.

Anzu elbowed him. "Dude, you're sitting next to the Princess. How are you not freaking out?"

"I AM FREAKING OUT!" Izumi whispered frantically. "She's terrifying!"

Yuki smirked. "Scared of a pretty girl? Pathetic."

"I'm scared of dying!" Izumi groaned. "Do you see those bodyguards? They could break me in half!"

They burst into laughter, but Izumi was dead serious.

Then, from across the room, Marina glanced his way.

Izumi's heart skipped a beat. Their eyes met for a split second before she looked away, her expression unreadable.

What… was that?

Lunchtime arrived, and Marina was still alone. Not that people weren't trying. The moment class ended, some popular boys and girls from all classes alike approached her, introducing themselves, trying to befriend her.

She shut them all down with a single cold look.

That was all it took.

Defeated, everyone backed away.

Someone muttered, "Snow Princess…"

And just like that, Marina had a nickname.

Meanwhile, Izumi sat with Anzu and Yuki, trying his best to ignore the insanity happening a few desks away.

"Damn, man, you really hit the jackpot," Anzu said, biting into his sandwich.

"I don't think that's the right word…" Izumi sighed.

"No, seriously," Yuki chimed in. "The entire school is obsessed with her, and she's literally your desk partner. You sure you're not some kind of romcom protagonist?"

"Shut up."

They laughed, but Izumi just wanted to survive the day without any more drama.

Unfortunately, that was too much to ask for.

Because when he went to the vending machine to grab a drink, he saw Marina struggling with it.

She furrowed her brows, tapping the buttons like they were some kind of alien technology.

"Um...Need help?" Izumi asked.

She immediately straightened, looking at him as if she had just been caught doing something embarrassing.

"I don't need help," she stated firmly.

The machine beeped in protest. Nothing came out.

Izumi sighed and inserted some coins. A milk carton dropped into the slot. He handed it to her.

Marina stared at the milk. Then at him.

"...T-Thanks," she mumbled, barely audible.

Izumi raised an eyebrow. Was she… embarrassed?

Without another word, she walked back to her seat. But Izumi swore he saw the tips of her ears turning red.

By the time the next class started, Izumi thought his strange encounters with Marina were over for the day.

He was wrong.

Because Marina walked up to his desk, looked him straight in the eye, and said—

"Thanks, and... i am sorry for the earlier behaviour."

The entire class stopped breathing.

Even Anzu dropped his pen in shock.

Izumi, feeling every single eye on him, forced a calm nod. "Uh… no problem."

Marina nodded back and returned to her seat, as if nothing had happened.

Then, chaos.

"THAT GUY IS TOO LUCKY!"

"IS THIS A DREAM?!"

"WHY HIM?!"

Izumi buried his face in his hands. I'm going to die at this school.

After school, as he walked home, something on the ground caught his eye.

A small keychain.

His favorite anime character.

He picked it up, curious. "Huh… who dropped this? Is it from my school?"

Looking around, he didn't see anyone. Shrugging, he pocketed it.

The next day, he was sitting at his desk, looking at the keychain, when he noticed Marina searching through her bag.

She looked frustrated. Then her eyes landed on the keychain in Izumi's hand.

"…Where did you get that?" she asked.

Izumi blinked. "You… dropped it?"

She nodded.

He handed it to her. "Didn't think you were an anime fan."

Her eyes lit up. Actually lit up.

"I love it," she said excitedly.

Izumi stared.

For the first time, she didn't look like a cold, untouchable princess. She looked… normal.

They started talking. The conversation flowed so naturally that they lost track of time.

When they finally looked up, the classroom was full of students—all staring at them.

"…Uh-oh," Izumi muttered.

Marina turned away and whispered, "Let's talk more later."

The bodyguards outside the school were quietly crying tears of joy.

"Finally, our princess is making a friend!"

To be continued…