Inside the classroom, Markara noticed a mix of students from all over the world, different faces, hair colors, and accents, all dressed neatly in the Seigetsu Academy uniform. The atmosphere felt a little more relaxed than he expected, but the curiosity in their eyes was obvious.
Mr. Tadashi smiled and gestured toward the back of the room.
"Markara, you can take that empty seat by the window."
Markara followed his direction and spotted the desk, the very last seat in the row, right next to the large window. Sunlight spilled across it, and right beside it, Mei was already pretending to look innocent, sitting up straight like she hadn't just snuck into her seat seconds ago.
With a quiet nod, Markara made his way down the aisle toward his new desk.
However, as he was making his way toward his seat, Markara caught a glimpse of someone that made him freeze mid-step.
Long black hair. Flawless skin. Sharp, commanding eyes.
A cold, calm presence, similar to Anna's, but less distant, more... composed.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, the classroom noise faded away.
"Thida?" Markara muttered in disbelief.
Across the room, the girl blinked once, her cold expression softening slightly.
"Markara," she replied, her voice just as calm as he remembered.
The classroom buzzed with murmurs as a few students exchanged curious glances.
Mr. Tadashi, watching the scene unfold, chuckled lightly.
"Oh? You two know each other? That's good. Thida also just transferred in today, a little earlier than you, actually."
Markara, full of excitement, quickly walked over to Thida's desk, a huge grin spreading across his face.
Without thinking, he grabbed her hand tightly.
"Thank God, I'm not alone!" he blurted out, his voice filled with relief.
Thida, caught completely off guard, stared at him wide-eyed.
A soft pink hue rose to her cheeks, spreading quickly until her face looked as red a ripe peach.
She froze in place, completely unsure how to react.
"..Hmm? Thida, are you okay? You look like you have a fever," Markara said, tilting his head in confusion.
The whole class watched in stunned silence, some amused, others whispering behind their hands.
Mr. Tadashi cleared his throat loudly, breaking the moment.
"Alight, alight, that's enough. You two can catch up during break time." he said, smiling patiently.
He gestured toward the empty seat again.
Markara scratched his head awkwardly and quickly made his way to his desk, still beaming, while Thida quietly lowered her head, hiding her glowing red face behind her long black hair.
As soon as the first period ended, Thida bolted out of the classroom without even giving Markara a chance to catch up with her.
Markara blinked in confusion, watching her disappear into the hallway like the wind.
"What's wrong with her...? She's probably sick for sure," he muttered under his breath, scratching his head.
Just then, Mei leaned over her desk with a sly grin.
"Hmmm... I can't believe you know that girl!" Mei said, her voice full of curiosity.
"She's the legitimate daughter of Heng Shen."
Markara turned to her, even more confused.
"Heng Shen? I don't know who that is... Somehow you sound really smart, Mei,"
he replied, giving her a casual compliment.
"Hehehe… Don't look down on this girl!" Mei laughed proudly, puffing out her chest.
"Heng Shen is the founder of Lion Shield — the largest private military company in Asia! I even heard they're planning a joint venture with Lockheed Martin."
She spoke with a rare serious expression, making Markara blink in surprise.
"Wow… you really do know a lot!"
Markara said, genuinely impressed.
"Hehehe, of course!" Mei grinned brightly,
"Enough about that! Let's go, I'll give you a quick school tour. We've got a 30-minute break anyway!"
Mei said cheerfully as she quickly made her way toward the door.
The two wandered around the campus as Mei excitedly showed him everything the school had to offer, the massive library, high-tech laboratories, a huge gymnasium, multiple sports courts, a full running track, a peaceful park, and more.
Everywhere they went, Markara couldn't help but feel amazed by how big and complete the academy was.
After the short tour, they made their way back toward the classroom.
On the way, Markara glanced around, a little puzzled.
"Hmm... where's the cafeteria though?" he asked casually.
Mei chuckled and gave him a small wink.
"I'll show you during lunch break.
She leaned closer.
"Also... the food here is amazing."
Markara's eyes widened slightly.
"Really?!"
As Mei leaned in, still chatting with Markara, she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking.
She accidentally bumped into someone stepping out of a nearby classroom.
"Ah—sorry!" she yelped, quickly stepping back.
Markara, reacting instinctively, jumped in too.
"Sorry, man! She bumped into you because she was busy talking to me," he said with an awkward laugh.
But Mei's playful expression shifted the moment she looked up at the person she bumped into.
The bright spark in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a slightly dejected look.
The boy standing in front of them looked about the same age as them.
Sharp features. Calm expression.
And eerily similar to Mei.
He let out a small sigh.
"Sister... you're as carefree as ever," he said, his voice tinged with mild annoyance.
Markara blinked, confused.
He looked at Mei. Then at the boy. Then back at Mei.
"Sister? Wait... don't tell me, you two are twins?!" he blurted out.
"Twins? Don't make me laugh," the boy said, crossing his arms.
He gave Markara a slow look from head to toe, his gaze sharp and critical.
"So, this is your new toy?" he added casually, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Toy?! What do you mean?" Markara asked, frowning in confusion.
"Oh... you must be new here. She—"
"Shut it, Wei!"
Mei cut him off sharply before he could finish.
Without warning, she grabbed Markara's wrist and sprinted past Wei, dragging him along.
"Don't cause more trouble, okay?!" Wei shouted after them, his voice echoing down the hallway.
Mei didn't even look back. She just tightened her grip on Markara's wrist and kept running.
Behind them, Wei chuckled under his breath, leaning lazily against the doorway as he watched them disappear into the crowd.
Markara didn't quite understand what had just happened between those two, but he didn't ask.
Mostly because Mei was still tightly gripping his wrist all the way back to their classroom.
When they finally reached the door, she let go and flashed him her usual cheerful smile.
"Ahh... sorry about that!" she said, laughing it off like nothing happened.
"It's alright. Oh yeah—" Markara smiled back, playing it cool. "I can't wait to check out the cafeteria."
He acted like nothing was wrong, but deep down, he knew there was something more, now wasn't the right time to ask.
The bell rang and the two continued their class.