Transfer Student

"Knock, knock, knock, knock!"

The urgent knocking that started early in the morning was like a death knell to Ryuseki, who loved to sleep in.

"Ryuseki, time to get up for breakfast," Kouhi called out patiently and loudly from outside Ryuseki's room, urging him to wake up.

Ryuseki opened his eyes, kicked the blanket off with visible displeasure, and sat up groggily. He yawned first, then rubbed his eyes. He really didn't want to get up early and wanted to stay in bed.

"Oh! Coming," Ryuseki replied lazily, haphazardly dressed himself and his slippers, and walked out of his room. He went downstairs, ambled through the living room, and headed to the sink to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Ryuseki squeezed some toothpaste onto his toothbrush and then put the toothbrush in his mouth to start brushing. Just then, Kouhi entered Ryuseki's room.

Kouhi frowned as he looked at the mess in Ryuseki's room and complained, "Look how messy your room is. Why don't you ever tidy it up?" He shook his head in exasperation, and his tone carried a clear note of reprimand.

In truth, Kouhi and Ryuseki's parents had passed away long ago. Their mother died when Kouhi was five, and their father passed away when Ryuseki was around four. Thus, the burden of the household fell entirely on the older brother, Kouhi. Before their father died, Kouhi had promised him that he would take good care of his younger brother, Ryuseki. Because of this, Kouhi always treated Ryuseki as a parent would treat a child.

"Alright, alright, stop complaining. I'll tidy it up in a bit," Ryuseki said reluctantly, pouting.

"Then I'm leaving. Eat your breakfast early." With that, Kouhi walked towards the door and then looked back to remind him, "Hey, don't forget to lock the door. Last time you..."

Kouhi's incessant nagging was giving Ryuseki a headache, so he quickly interrupted him.

"Okay, okay, I got it, I got it!" Ryuseki replied indifferently, then muttered to himself, "Honestly, so nagging, like a mother. I'm starting to suspect you're my mom, not my brother."

After finishing breakfast, he rushed back to his room, tidied it up haphazardly, grabbed his school uniform, and dashed out of the house.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he ran into a girl.

"Um, are you..." the girl was about to speak when Ryuseki, in a hurry to get to school, interrupted her.

"Sorry, I'm going to be late for school. See you next time." Ryuseki didn't even look back as he sprinted towards the school, as if something urgent had happened, putting on his uniform as he ran.

This girl was the one who had just moved into Kikka You's old house. It was their first meeting, but Ryuseki hadn't even gotten a clear look at the girl's face, let alone the kind smile she had given him.

"Why are you running so fast?" the girl wanted to call out to him, but he had already run far away. She felt a bit disappointed. Just then, she noticed a notebook that Ryuseki had dropped on the ground in his haste. The girl picked up the notebook, and out of curiosity, she inexplicably opened it, revealing Ryuseki's secrets.

Meanwhile, Ryuseki burst into the classroom after rushing into school without stopping. He sat down at his seat, panting.

"Good morning!"

He greeted them casually.

"Morning!" Lin Yingbin said with a sly grin, sitting down next to Ryuseki in Kikka You's old seat and looking at Ryuseki. "You're late again today, so lunch is on you this week."

Hearing this, Ryuseki's head shot up, and he looked at Lin Yingbin beside him, asking indignantly, "Why are you faster than me again? I really picked up the pace today."

"You're slow, and you're blaming me for being fast?" Lin Yingbin stuck out his tongue.

Ryuseki rolled his eyes and then saw a few classmates in front of him gathered together, discussing something. This piqued his curiosity. Thinking they were playing some kind of game, Ryuseki joined them to take a look, but he couldn't see anything.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ryuseki asked, leaning in.

"You don't know yet? A new girl is transferring in today. They say she's very beautiful," the bespectacled boy replied.

"I've already seen that girl, yesterday. Near the school. You guys left early yesterday afternoon, but I left late and saw her. She seemed to be looking at the classroom. Oh man, she's a real beauty!" another boy, wearing a tie, said proudly.

"Hey, hehe! Ryuseki, neither of us has anyone sitting next to us. How about it? Don't you dare fight me for her!" the boy with the hedgehog hairstyle leaned on Ryuseki's shoulder.

"Deal!" Ryuseki grinned.

"What kind of person are you?" the bespectacled boy who had spoken earlier patted Ryuseki on the shoulder. "Don't let him, Ryuseki. It's her freedom to choose where she sits when she transfers. Why should you get to decide?"

"That's true! Haha." Ryuseki responded awkwardly.

"You're such a spineless man. But I want to see what she looks like. She hasn't even appeared yet, and she's already got you guys all worked up. I don't believe she can be prettier than me," said a girl holding a book nearby, narcissistically. She then took out a mirror and a makeup bag from her purse.

Before long, the class bell rang as expected. Everyone quickly returned to their seats and watched as the plump homeroom teacher entered the classroom.

"Class! I have some good news to share with you all. The new student who was supposed to meet you all a few days ago has finally arrived today. Please welcome her."

At this moment, a girl walked in from outside the door. Her arrival immediately captured everyone's attention. Not just the boys, but even the girls were incredibly surprised. Because she was truly beautiful.

Even the homeroom teacher looked at her with a lecherous expression, his speech becoming somewhat stammered: "You... please... introduce... introduce yourself!"

At this point, Ryuseki also looked up to see her.

She looks like the one from this morning. Huh, she's quite pretty, Ryuseki thought.

Ryuseki found himself staring at the girl, somewhat lost in thought.

She feels so familiar? What's going on? Why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere before?

This was his first impression upon seeing the girl. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt a sense of familiarity and warmth.

"My name is Inoi·Meisa. You can just call me Meisa," the girl named Inoi·Meisa said, giving everyone a sweet smile.

Ryuseki, however, was not paying attention to her self-introduction. He continued to observe her.