A brunette sat across from him, her long legs elegantly crossed, an effortless display of beauty. Her left hand busied itself with the screen of her phone while her right hand held a cigarette. Every so often, she drew in a slow breath from it, then exhaled a delicate stream of smoke into the air with practiced nonchalance. From time to time, she tossed him a playful, almost taunting smile.

Nara exhaled sharply, irritation tugging at his composure. Truth be told, he craved a cigarette himself at that very moment, but unlike her, he still had enough sense not to indulge in one indoors. What made it worse was the fact that he was trapped in this waiting room with no one but her. Coincidence or not, Nara had a strong suspicion the girl was here for the same reason as he was.

“What’s your name?” she asked suddenly, as though bored of her phone and ready to turn her attention to the living world again.

Nara glanced at her briefly, weighing whether to bother answering, then finally spoke in a measured tone. “Nara.”

“Okay, let’s hope we have a wonderful year here,” she said in a sweet, overly rehearsed tone. Nara immediately scowled in response.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious about me?” the girl asked again when Nara made it clear he had no interest in continuing the conversation.

“Curious for what?” he replied flatly.

“This is basic courtesy. When someone asks your name, it’s an unspoken rule that you should ask theirs in return. Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners?” Her voice had sharpened now, tinged with annoyance, no doubt from Nara’s complete indifference to her presence.

“Maybe,” Nara said lazily. “But I’m fairly certain I don’t need to know your name. We won’t be moving in the same social circles anyway.”

Before the girl could retaliate against his biting remark, the sound of a door opening cut through the tension. Someone stepped out from the administration office and cleared their throat to capture both of their attention.

“Nara Dragnells?”

Nara rose at once, striding toward the administrator and completely forgetting about the girl behind him.

“Your registration process is complete. You’re officially reinstated as one of our students,” the staff member announced. Then their gaze shifted slightly. “And… Elise Northway?”

The girl who had been sparring with him only moments ago also rose to her feet and walked forward, prompting Nara to release a long, weary sigh.

“Your registration process has been completed as well,” the administrator informed her.

***

Esther twirled the ballpoint pen in her hand, her thoughts restless. The conversation she had with Vinson still echoed relentlessly in her mind. Two days had already passed, and she had deliberately avoided any contact with him. During that time, no strange rumors had reached her ears either. Most likely, Vinson had only been trying to deceive and intimidate her.

Yet, aside from the infuriating encounter with Vinson, she found herself unable to erase Gaara from her thoughts. In the span of a single day, too many wild, absurd things had happened to her, and all of them seemed to revolve around that reckless delinquent. Since the moment Gaara had pressed that searing kiss on her lips, Esther couldn’t help but wonder: had it all been nothing more than a coincidence? Was there truly no meaning behind it, no hidden spark that suggested she possessed some strange allure in his eyes? Or was Gaara simply the kind of man who kissed freely, impulsively, without care snatching the lips of any girl who happened to cross his path in the early hours at his residence?

She shouldn’t have been surprised when Gaara later treated her as though nothing had ever transpired between them. She had expected that indifference, prepared herself for it even. And yet, a faint sting of disappointment lingered when she realized she was the only one replaying that moment over and over, like some girl foolishly smitten.

A sudden thud jolted her from her spiraling thoughts. Esther turned to her right and found a tall young man dropping into the seat beside her. His skin was sun-kissed, his dark hair tied back in a careless knot. From the corner of her eye, she watched as he lowered his head onto the desk without the slightest hesitation falling asleep instantly, as though the world could wait. Her jaw tightened when she realized his head had come to rest directly on top of her open book.

“Excuse me,” Esther said softly, reaching out with a tentative touch to his shoulder as she tried to slide her book free.

At the sound of her voice, the young man stirred and turned toward her. For a fleeting moment, Esther froze. Their eyes locked, and the quiet intensity of his gaze stole the air from her lungs. He didn’t smile, nor did he seem annoyed that she had disturbed his sleep. He simply looked at her, steady and unflinching.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious beneath the weight of his stare, Esther managed a small, awkward smile.

“You’re Mr. Zeref’s eldest daughter,” he said, his voice calm yet certain so that it struck Esther like a revelation. Her chest tightened in shock. That was the very thing she had tried so carefully to keep hidden.

“I’m sorry,” Esther answered quickly, choosing her words with deliberate neutrality. “You were sleeping on my book.”

He shifted immediately, lifting his head and sliding out of her space before handing the book back to her.

“I’m Nara Dragnells,” he introduced himself, extending a hand toward her.

Esther blinked, momentarily caught off guard. She stared at the hand suspended in front of her, not entirely sure what to do with it or with him. Seconds ticked by, his hand hanging in the air unanswered.

“You’re not going to shake my hand?” he asked at last, his tone even, though a faint edge of amusement threaded through his words.

“A—Ah, sorry,” Esther stammered, rushing to take his hand. His skin was warm and bronze against her own pale fingers, the contrast startling.

“Esther Rodrigo,” she replied quietly, giving her name at last.

“Do you already have a partner for this class?”

Esther blinked at him, her expression blank. Partner? The word itself felt foreign to her. For as long as she could remember, she had done everything alone, preferring to remain unnoticed. Or perhaps it wasn’t preference at all. Half the class had quietly pushed her to the margins, leaving her isolated. To Esther, the idea of having a partner sounded almost unreal.

“No, actually, I—”

“Good,” he cut in quickly, not even allowing her to finish. “From now on, I’ll be your partner for this class.”

She froze, her lips parted in surprise.

“I’m going to take a nap,” he added matter-of-factly, stretching out as though nothing monumental had just been declared. “If there’s a group assignment, just wake me up, okay?”

Before Esther could gather her voice to protest, the strange young man had already drifted back into slumber, his breathing steady and unbothered, as if the conversation had been no more important than the weather.

Esther stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. His ability to fall asleep so easily was one thing, but what unsettled her most was his sudden decision to make her as his partner, when she had always been the one left alone, unwanted. She didn’t know whether to feel grateful, wary, or simply more confused than ever.

***

“Why didn’t you wake me up? I told you to wake me if there was a group assignment,” Nara complained as they stepped out of class.

“I’m sorry,” Esther admitted honestly. “You looked like you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you.”

In truth, it wasn’t just pity. She had never spoken so freely with a boy before. It felt strange, almost improper, to act as though they were old friends when, in reality, they had only known each other for a few hours.

“Well, next time, don’t hesitate to wake me, all right?” he insisted with surprising seriousness.

“Fine,” Esther replied, though she didn’t dwell on it much. After all, they might only share a handful of classes, not enough for him to matter too greatly in the long run.

“See you later, Esther,” the young man said, before heading off in the opposite direction.

Once Nara had gone, Esther still had another class to attend. But before she could even take a step, a dull ache throbbed in her temples. At times, Esther was struck by sudden, vicious headaches that made even the simplest tasks difficult. Today seemed to be one of those days.

She rifled through her bag in search of the small bottle of medicine she usually carried, but no matter how many times she checked, it was nowhere to be found. With no other choice, she forced herself to walk stumbling slightly toward the campus clinic, hoping to at least get some aspirin.

“Excuse me, may I have some aspirin?” Esther murmured as she pushed open the clinic door.

Silence.

The room was completely empty. The nurse who usually sat behind the desk was nowhere in sight. Odd. Still, the throbbing in her head left no room for hesitation. She stepped inside, quietly searching through the drawers and cabinets until she finally found what she needed. Without wasting a moment, she swallowed the pill and decided to rest for a while until the medicine took effect.

She moved toward the row of curtained beds, planning to lie down for just a short while. But when she pulled back one of the curtains, her body froze.

Her eyes widened in shock.

This was insane. Impossible.

How could they be there…?