"This is still morning and your voices are already making my head hurt." said Aizen, while walking to his seat.
"Good morning, Aizen." Yuu greeted with his gentle smile.
"Yeah."
"Hahhh..... enough already." Ryuusei let out a long sigh while brushing his hair back and returned to his seat. His expression still looked irritated.
Seeing that the argument between the three of them had ended, Aizen then shifted his gaze toward Shirayuki.
1 second.
2 seconds.
...what?
Shirayuki stared back at him with an awkward expression.
"Good morning." Aizen greeted.
"Ahh....good morning Aizen."
After Shirayuki returned his greeting, he then sat down in his seat.
Ding!
The sound of the bell rang out. Signaling that the first class was starting.
The schedule for the first class this morning was mathematics.
The students who heard the bell immediately returned to their respective seats and began preparing their books.
Seiran Academy, the most prestigious elite school in this city, implemented the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum for first-year students and the International Baccalaureate for second and third-year students.
With the memories of the original Shirayuki and the memories from her previous life. She could pass through it easily without many problems.
Because after all, she was the first rank in the university entrance exam across the prefecture in Japan.
slide—
The mathematics teacher entered the classroom and placed the book he brought on top of the desk before shifting his gaze toward the students.
"This morning we will study linear equations. Please open page seven in your books."
He then wrote a linear equation that was quite complicated for the first week of school on the blackboard.
Some students were still busy opening their books when Shirayuki had already finished it first.
Time passed quickly along with the changing subjects and the explanations from the teachers that continued one after another.
Before realizing it, the sun was already high in the sky and the morning lessons had finally ended.
Not long after that, the bell rang loudly signaling that lunch break time had arrived.
The classroom atmosphere that had originally been quiet immediately became noisy. Some students began gathering with their friends, while others walked out of the classroom toward the cafeteria.
Several female students had been glancing toward Shirayuki several times since earlier. After whispering quietly to one another, they finally started approaching her.
"E-ehm, Kujo-san… if it's not troubling you, would you like to have lunch together with the three of us?"
Shirayuki smiled gently upon hearing their invitation to have lunch together.
"Yes, of course."
.
.
.
Shirayuki and her three classmates entered the school cafeteria.
There were already many students lining up and enjoying their lunch there.
The food was served buffet-style, allowing the students to freely take whatever they wanted. Starting from various main dishes, fresh fruits, ice cream, desserts, to various other snacks.
That day's main lunch menu was chicken steak with demi-glace sauce, served together with butter rice and grilled vegetables.
On the other side of the buffet, fresh salads, cream soup, assorted small breads, chilled fruits, and various sweet desserts neatly arranged on top of a long glass table were also available.
Shirayuki took a portion of lunch, then added caramel pudding as dessert and a glass of cold infused water.
Together with her three classmates, Shirayuki walked around the cafeteria searching for an empty seat.
After walking around for a while, they finally found an empty table near the window. The four of them sat facing each other.
For a moment, the atmosphere felt awkward. Only the sounds of eating utensils and the noise of the cafeteria could be heard around them.
The girl with shoulder-length light brown wavy hair smiled brightly first.
"We haven't even introduced ourselves properly yet."
She put down her fork before continuing, "I'm Hoshino Koharu. Just call me Koharu."
The girl beside her who wore glasses gently adjusted the frame. Her long hair was neatly braided into two braids reaching her chest.
"Amamiya Rin. Nice to meet you. You can call me Rin."
Meanwhile, the last girl with short hair tied into two small ponytails beside her face slowly raised her hand.
"I'm Shibasaki Nao....Call me Nao."
After introducing themselves, the three of them looked at Shirayuki.
"I'm Kujo Shirayuki. You all can call me Shirayuki."
She smiled gently at them.
The three girls seemed to fall silent for a moment.
"...So beautiful," Nao muttered unconsciously.
"Nao!" Koharu immediately nudged her arm lightly with a panicked face.
"Ah— sorry!"
Making the atmosphere at their table, which had been awkward before, gradually become more relaxed.
In the middle of their lunch, Shirayuki saw Akira carrying his food tray toward the corner table and sitting alone as usual.
Not long after, Mikazuki Yuu came together with Kirishima Ryuusei and Tenshou Aizen and sat in front of Akira.
Koharu, who noticed the direction of Shirayuki's gaze, looked curious.
"By the way, Shirayuki-san. Do you know Kanzaki Akira-san?"
Shirayuki was slightly surprised hearing that question.
"Eh? No. I don't know her."
"Is that so?" Koharu tilted her head slightly. "I thought you two knew each other. Because you often look in his direction."
"Ahh, no..." Shirayuki smiled faintly. "I was just curious why she is always alone."
Rin, who had been quietly eating since earlier, finally joined the conversation.
"Shirayuki-san probably doesn't know because you didn't come to school for the past three days."
The girl with glasses gently adjusted the frame of her glasses before continuing,
"But Kanzaki-san really always gives off a cold aura and is difficult to approach. So even the classmates become hesitant to approach her."
"It's not because she's hated or anything like that," Nao quickly added while waving her small hand. "It's just that... it feels tense being near her."
So that's how it is...
It wasn't that she was being isolated, but rather because no one dared to approach her.
Shirayuki felt a little sorry for Akira. However, since Akira herself also did not seem to want others approaching her, there was not much she could do.
Besides, Akira already had the Male Leads who always accompanied her.
Shirayuki did not need to interfere any further than she should. Especially now that she also already had friends who would accompany her for the next three years.
And with that, Shirayuki chose to let the plot of the novel continue as it was supposed to.
However...
After two weeks passed, Akira was truly alone.
Yuu, who usually approached her and spoke to her warmly, could no longer be seen by her side.
The same was true for Ryuusei and Aizen.
For the first time, Akira was truly sitting alone inside that crowded cafeteria.
For some reason, that sight felt strange in Shirayuki's eyes.
For some reason... The flow of the story was starting to deviate from what it was supposed to be.
Shirayuki stared at Akira, who was sitting alone from afar.
That table felt far too quiet. Should she be worried...?
Or perhaps, everything had already started changing from the very beginning?
***
She walked back toward the classroom with a feeling that somehow felt uncomfortable.
In the middle of the hallway, Shirayuki saw Mikazuki Yuu walking alone through the corridor while carrying a stack of notebooks in his arms.
Because of that, she excused herself from Koharu, Rin, and Nao first before approaching Yuu.
"Mikazuki-san."
Yuu, who was being called, turned around. His blue eyes widened slightly before the familiar gentle smile appeared on his face once again.
"Ah, Kujo-san."
Shirayuki's gaze unconsciously shifted toward the pile of books in his hands.
"Are you busy?"
"Hm?" Yuu looked at the books before letting out a small laugh. "Not really. I was just asked to help carry these notes to the teachers' office."
"In that case, I'll help you carry them."
Yuu chuckled softly after hearing Shirayuki's offer to help.
"There's no need, Kujo-san. I'm afraid you'll faint again later."
Shirayuki's cheeks flushed slightly after hearing Yuu's teasing.
"It won't be that bad."
"Fufu, thank you for the offer, Kujo-san. But I can do it myself."
After saying that, Yuu tilted his head slightly.
"Is there something you wanted to ask?"
As if he had immediately realized that Shirayuki approached him on purpose.
He was sharp.
Shirayuki hesitated for a moment.
"Lately you all haven't been together with Kanzaki-san anymore, right?"
For a moment, Yuu's steps stopped.
Even though his smile was still there, somehow the atmosphere around him felt slightly different.
"Ahh..." Yuu let out a small laugh. "So you noticed that."
Shirayuki nodded slowly.
"Why are you asking about that?"
"Well..... I was just curious."
Yuu fell silent for a moment before walking down the corridor again.
"It's not something serious."
His blue gaze looked straight ahead.
"It's just that... Kanzaki-san doesn't really like crowds."
"So you all distanced yourselves?"
"Not distanced." Yuu smiled faintly. "More like giving her space."
That answer sounded strange to Shirayuki.
Because in the original novel, Mikazuki Yuu was actually the person who approached Akira the most actively. Even after being ignored over and over again.
But now... He had instead chosen to keep his distance?