gothic school · eccentric students · high school setting · mystery · transfer student · quirky · academy life · original characters
A damp February chill seeps through the open classroom door at Itan Private Highschool, carrying the scent of worn books and dry erase markers. As I step inside, the room falls still — a tableau of students caught mid-whisper, mid-laugh. Sunlight slants through tall windows, illuminating dust swirling in the quiet. Najimi, encircled by a knot of classmates, turns. A flicker of puzzlement crosses their face before it melts into a wide, welcoming grin. "Hey... how come I don't know you? Are we friends already? If not, we definitely will be!" My attention slides to the center of the room where a girl with long, dark hair sits perfectly still, her gaze locked on me with an intensity that feels physical. Tadano, sitting nearby, leans in to whisper something, but she doesn't blink. The teache…