The morning sun filtered through the high, arched windows of the Academy hallways, casting long shadows that seemed to dance as the students hurried to their classes. Yuki moved through the crowd with a new kind of rhythm. He wasn't wearing his glasses today, and the silver piercings in his ears caught the light every time he turned his head. He looked less like a "Zero" and more like a ghost that had finally decided to haunt the living.
He spotted a familiar golden lock of hair near the lockers. Sophia Uzushi stood alone, her nose buried in a book, her thick-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She radiated a cold, distant energy that acted like a physical barrier, keeping the other students at a respectful—or fearful—distance.
Yuki approached her without hesitation. "You know," he said, leaning against the locker next to hers, "you seem incredibly familiar. I feel like we've met in a dream or something."
Sophia didn't look up immediately. Her expression remained as still as a frozen lake, mirroring the calm of Derek, but with an added layer of glacial detachment. Slowly, she closed her book and looked at him through her lenses.
"Your memory must be failing you, Kinatarou-kun," she said, her voice like the chime of a silver bell in a winter forest. "We have never spoken."
Yuki reached out—a move that would have earned anyone else a broken wrist—and lightly tapped the frame of her glasses. "I wear them too, sometimes," Yuki said, gesturing to his own bare face. "They're a good shield, aren't they?"
Sophia flinched almost imperceptibly, a flash of something—guilt, perhaps, or recognition—flickering in her golden eyes. She didn't answer. Instead, she adjusted her bag and began to walk away, her pace brisk and uncompromising.
"Where are we going?" Yuki asked, falling into step beside her.
Sophia stopped, her jaw tightening. "Why are you following me?"
"I'm bored," Yuki said with a lopsided grin. "And you look like you're heading somewhere interesting. Besides, Seri-chan is in a meeting, I can't find Derek and Renjiro is avoiding me saying I'm annoying."
Sophia stared at him for a long moment, evaluating the weakling who dared to treat her like a normal person. She didn't say yes, but she didn't say no. She simply turned and continued walking, allowing him to tag along like a persistent shadow.
The Academy cafeteria was a sprawling hall of white marble and glass, usually divided into strict social territories. When Sophia sat at a central table, Yuki slid into the seat across from her. The silence between them was heavy, but not uncomfortable—until Derek arrived.
"I see you've found a new hobby, Kinatarou-kun," Derek said, his light orange eyes crinkling with a calm smile. He sat down next to Yuki, followed by a girl who looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.
She had black hair braided into neat pigtails and eyes a soft, deep blue—similar to Yuki's, though lacking the piercing intensity of his gaze.
"This is Mika," Derek introduced. "She's a second-year, in our class."
Yuki didn't just look at her; he stared. He felt a strange, humming resonance in the air between them. It wasn't a romantic spark—it was a vibrational match. Her Ki felt dense, slow, and bitingly cold.
Mika's face turned a violent shade of crimson under his gaze. She clutched her lunch tray so hard her knuckles turned white, eventually turning her face away to hide behind her pigtails.
"She has an Ice Kizo," Derek noted, noticing Yuki's focus. "Only the both of you have an Ice Kizo in the entire school."
Yuki's eyes lit up with genuine excitement. He reached across the table and lightly tapped her hand. "Really? That's amazing. I... I've been struggling with mine lately. It's like a door I can't open. Maybe you can teach me? Show me how you handle the cold?"
Mika's blush deepened until it reached the tips of her ears. She looked at his hand, then up at his hopeful face. "I... I'll try," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the cafeteria's roar. "But mine is... just normal ice. Yours feels... different."
The atmosphere in the room shifted. The low hum of conversation died down as the heavy double doors of the cafeteria swung open. Seri Kyorin walked in, her green hair flowing like a silk banner. She didn't scan the room; her eyes locked onto Yuki instantly.
She marched over and sat so close to Yuki that their shoulders touched, her presence effectively claiming the territory. The other students in the hall were stunned. Two of the "Great Beauties"—the icy calm Sophia Uzushi and the royal Seri Kyorin—were sitting at the same table with a Zero and a non-royal like Derek and Mika. It was a table of top-tier visuals and power that the Academy had never seen before.
"You're late," Yuki teased, not looking away from his food.
"Meetings with the board take time, Yuki," Seri countered, her voice softening as she looked at him. She picked up a piece of her premium sushi and held it to his lips. "Here. You need your strength if you're going to keep getting into fights."
Yuki didn't hesitate. He leaned in and took the food, staring straight into Seri's eyes as he chewed. The intensity of his gaze was a physical weight. Seri's royal composure shattered; she turned pink and shyly lowered her head.
"Now..." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "Feed me back?"
Yuki looked at her, then at the sushi, then back to her. "No. You have hands, Seri-chan. You're not a child."
"Yuki!" she barked, her "Royal" facade melting into an indignant pout. "It's the principle of the thing! I fed you!"
"And I appreciated it," he said calmly, taking another bite of his own lunch. "But I'm not a bird and you're not a fledgling."
Derek and Mika couldn't help it—they both let out a small chuckle at the bickering pair. Sophia, however, remained silent, her golden eyes fixed on her tray. She was the only one who knew that behind Yuki's playful banter and handsome face lay the memories of a boy who had been forged in the dark.
As the entire school watched the table in awe, the "Zero" sat at the center of the storm, perfectly at home among the sovereigns.