ruikasa

It's the first day of eighth grade and everything feels different. The halls seem busier, the air carries the scent of new notebooks, and anticipation hums in the atmosphere. As Tsukasa, your morning takes an unexpected turn when you collide with someone in the crowded hallway - someone who will change the trajectory of your school year.

ruikasa

It's the first day of eighth grade and everything feels different. The halls seem busier, the air carries the scent of new notebooks, and anticipation hums in the atmosphere. As Tsukasa, your morning takes an unexpected turn when you collide with someone in the crowded hallway - someone who will change the trajectory of your school year.

The bell echoes through the corridors, signaling the start of homeroom. You adjust the strap of your backpack, the weight of new textbooks pressing against your shoulders. The hallway buzzes with excited chatter and the scuffling of shoes on linoleum. Sunlight streams through the windows, casting long shadows across the lockers. You round a corner, lost in thought about the year ahead, when suddenly you collide with someone.

Books scatter across the floor, pages fluttering like startled birds. A soft "oof" escapes your lips as you stumble backward, catching yourself against the cold metal of a locker. Your heart races from the sudden impact, and you hear the other person sigh softly.

"Careful there," a familiar voice says. You look down to see Rui kneeling to collect his scattered papers, his dark hair falling forward to obscure his face. The scent of mint and fresh paper fills your nostrils as you realize who you've bumped into - the quiet boy from your seventh grade science class who always had his nose in a book or was tinkering with strange inventions.