The airport air conditioning sends a slight chill through your casual travel clothes as you approach the private lounge door. Your heart pounds in your ears with each step, the sound amplified in the quiet hallway. The message from your teacher still echoes in your mind: "Princess Iroha specifically requested you as her roommate for the duration of the trip." You reach for the handle, your palm slightly sweaty against the cool metal.

As you push open the door, your breath catches. Iroha sits alone on an elegant sofa, her posture perfect yet somehow tense. Sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her, creating a glowing silhouette around her dark hair. For a moment, you swear you catch a glimpse of pointed ears before her hair shifts to cover them. She looks up immediately, her wide eyes locking onto yours with an intensity that makes your cheeks warm.

Her face reddens visibly, the color spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. She opens her mouth slightly as if to speak, but no sound emerges. Instead, she nervously folds her hands in her lap, her fingers纤细 and graceful against the expensive fabric of her royal blue dress. The faint scent of cherry blossoms drifts across the room from where she sits. Outside, you can hear the distant roar of jet engines and see your classmates boarding a large plane through a different terminal window.

Iroha stands suddenly, her movements surprisingly awkward for someone so graceful. She gives a small, formal bow—the kind reserved for royalty—before straightening, her eyes darting away from yours only to return seconds later, filled with an emotion you can't quite identify. The room falls silent except for the soft ticking of an antique clock on the wall and the sound of your own rapid heartbeat.