Thump thump thump thump!
A hurried knock sounded early in the morning, a death knell that gave Ryuseki, who loved to sleep in, a massive headache.
"Ryuseki, get up for breakfast," Kouhi called out loudly from outside Ryuseki's room with quite a bit of patience.
Ryuseki opened his eyes in mild annoyance, kicked the duvet away with one foot, and sat up looking bleary-eyed. He first let out a yawn and then rubbed his eyes, harboring no desire to rise early and wanting nothing more than to linger in the bedding.
"Oh! Coming," Ryuseki answered lazily, then haphazardly put on his clothes and slippers, walked out of the bedroom, headed downstairs, and wandered listlessly across the living room toward the sink to wash his face and brush his teeth.
Ryuseki squeezed a dab of toothpaste onto his toothbrush, then shoved it into his mouth and started brushing. Just then, Kouhi entered Ryuseki's room.
Kouhi frowned at the sight inside Ryuseki's chamber and complained, "Look at how messy your room is. Why don't you ever tidy it up?" He shook his head in slight exasperation, and a note of blame could be heard in his tone.
In truth, the parents of the two brothers Kouhi and Ryuseki had passed away long ago; their mother died when Kouhi was five, and their father perished when Ryuseki was around four. Thus, the heavy burden of the household fell upon the older brother, Kouhi. Before their father passed away, Kouhi had promised him that he would take good care of his younger brother Ryuseki. Consequently, Kouhi always treated Ryuseki much like a parent treats a child.
"All right, all right, stop complaining. I'll tidy up in a bit," Ryuseki said with a pout, sounding reluctant.
"Then I'll be heading out first. Eat your breakfast early," Kouhi said, walking toward the door, before turning back to admonish, "Hey, don't forget to lock the door. Last time you..."
Kouhi's nagging, tiresome exhortations gave Ryuseki a splitting headache, and he hurriedly cut him off.
"Fine, fine, I remember, I remember!" After giving a lukewarm assent, Ryuseki muttered quietly to himself, Honestly, so long-winded, just like an old biddy. I sometimes wonder if you're my mother instead of my brother.
After finishing his breakfast, he ran back to his room, tidied up in a slapdash manner, and dashed out of the house in a rush with his school uniform in hand.
Yet the moment he stepped out the door, he ran right into a girl.
"Um, you are..." The girl was about to speak when Ryuseki, in a frantic rush to make it to school, cut her off.
"Sorry, I'm going to be late for school. See you next time." Without looking back, Ryuseki sprinted toward the school as if some emergency had occurred, struggling to put on his school uniform while he ran.
This girl was none other than the person who had just moved into Kikka You's former home. It was their very first encounter, yet Ryuseki hadn't even managed to take a clear look at the girl's face, let alone notice the friendly smile she flashed him.
"Why are you running so fast?" The girl wanted to call out to him, but unfortunately he was already far away, leaving her somewhat disappointed. At that moment, she noticed a notebook that Ryuseki had dropped on the ground in his panic. The girl picked it up, and driven by curiosity, she impulsively opened the notebook, which recorded several of Ryuseki's secrets.
After rushing into the school grounds without a moment to rest, Ryuseki bolted impatiently into the classroom and sat down at his desk, gasping for breath.
"Good morning!"
He offered a casual greeting.
"Morning to you!" At that moment, Lin Yingbin sat down beside Ryuseki in Kikka You's former seat with a malicious grin, eyeing Ryuseki beside him. "You're late again this time, so your lunch for this week is on you."
Upon hearing this, Ryuseki suddenly jerked his head up to look at Lin Yingbin beside him and asked defiantly, "How come you're faster than me again? I sped up today, you know."
"You're slow and you blame me for being fast?" Lin Yingbin stuck out his tongue.
Ryuseki gave him a sideways glance, then noticed several classmates in the front row gathered together discussing something, which sparked his curiosity. Assuming they were playing a game, Ryuseki crowded in to take a peek, but saw nothing at all.
"What are you guys chatting about?" Ryuseki asked, edging closer.
"You don't even know? A female transfer student is coming today, and I heard she's super pretty," replied the boy wearing glasses.
"I've already seen that girl, yesterday near the school. Didn't you guys all leave early yesterday afternoon? I left late and caught sight of her. Seems she was checking out the classroom. Ah, she's an absolute stunner!" said another boy wearing a necktie proudly.
"Hey, hehe! Ryuseki, neither of us has anyone sitting next to us right now. How about it? You better not steal her from your buddy!" A boy with spiky hair leaned against Ryuseki's shoulder.
"Fine by me!" Ryuseki grinned.
"How can you be like that?" The bespectacled boy from earlier patted Ryuseki and said, "Don't let him, Ryuseki. It's her freedom to sit wherever she wants when she transfers here. Why should you be the one calling the shots?"
"That's true too! Haha." Ryuseki responded awkwardly.
"You guys have zero principles. But I want to see what she actually looks like, being able to turn you stinky boys head over heels before she even shows up," a girl holding a book protested with narcissistic defiance. "I refuse to believe she can be prettier than me." With that, she pulled a mirror and a makeup pouch out of her bag.
Not long after, the class bell rang on schedule. Everyone quickly returned to their seats and watched as the chubby head teacher walked into the classroom.
"Classmates! I have some great news to share. The new student who was supposed to meet everyone a few days ago has finally arrived today. Let's all welcome her."
At that moment, a girl walked in through the doorway, her arrival instantly drawing everyone's gaze. Not just the boys, but even the girls were utterly astonished, for she was truly gorgeous.
Even the head teacher looked at her with a lecherous expression, his speech turning somewhat stuttery: "Do a... self... introduc... tion, please!"
It was only then that Ryuseki raised his head to look at her.
She looks like that girl from this morning. Huh, and she's quite pretty, Ryuseki thought.
Gazing at the girl, Ryuseki drifted off into a daze.
Such a familiar feeling? What's going on, why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere before?
This was his very first impression upon seeing the girl. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she simply felt familiar and dear to him.
"My name is Inoi, just call me Meisa," the girl named Inoi offered everyone a sweet smile.
Yet Ryuseki had no heart to listen to her self-introduction at all, keeping his eyes fixed on her instead.
Before you continue