Class 11-D was noisy as always. This time, however, the students remained in their seats.

Yesu walked into the class sluggishly. Yawning and scratching the back of her head.

The room went silent.

Yesu stopped. All eyes were on her.

She glanced behind, at the door, expecting to see Miss Heaven or another Instructor.

There was no one.

Just her.

Yesu’s brows furrowed. She walked down the aisle.

The eyes followed.

Finch was playing with a Rubik’s Cube, trying to match the colours.

He seemed oblivious to the happenings around him.

Yesu sat down and leaned towards him.

"Hey." She said in a low voice. "Do I have something on my face?"

Finch didn’t even glance at her.

"Apart from beauty? Absolutely not."

"You’re not even looking."

Finch’s head swayed a little, like he was thinking.

"Could be food crumbs."

He still didn’t look at her.

Yesu wiped her mouth. Then her whole face.

The murmuring began. Uneasy.

"Did something happen?" Yesu asked Finch.

"How would I know? I came in like two minutes ago."

Then suddenly, Reggie pushed back forcefully from his desk, standing on his feet.

The murmuring died down.

Two other boys did the same, although less forcefully. They followed Reggie as he walked towards Yesu’s desk.

"Hey, classmate." He called out before he reached her.

"The news just came in when you got into Prep." His voice was strained. "Is that true?"

The way he spoke suggested he already knew it was.

Finch dropped the cube and watched the spectacle with eagerness.

Yesu looked Reggie in the eye, unbothered, and shrugged.

"That’s what my schedule says."

The murmurs resumed.

"Who does she think she is?"

"She’s got some nerve..."

Reggie clenched a fist.

Farida shot up from her seat.

"Guys, I think we should all calm down." She said carefully. "I’m sure there must be a reason for this."

A brawny, redheaded girl sitting opposite her snorted.

"There she goes again. Classic Farida, always the peacemaking doll."

Farida didn’t seem a bit surprised.

"Oh I’m sorry, Carrots, for taking up the role no one wanted," she said with malicious sweetness.

The girl shot up, burning red.

"What did you just call me?" She asked, taking a step forward. Her voice was dangerously low.

The class prefect stood abruptly.

"That’s enough. All of you."

The whole class stared at the prefect. A tall, serious-looking girl with a steely gaze.

They settled down reluctantly.

The guys standing before Yesu left for their seats afterwards.

Reggie gave her one last look, then faced forward.

The prefect sighed and sat.

The boy next to her leaned in.

"Why did you stop them? The girl might have said something."

The prefect didn’t answer, just flipped open a textbook.

"Soraya."

She faced him.

"Of what use would that be? The school board makes all the decisions."

"But still..."

Miss Heaven walked into the class.

The students rose and greeted each other. All stiff in her presence.

"What are you all still doing here?" Miss Heaven addressed Soraya.

Soraya could barely meet her eyes.

"A representative told us the schedule is clashing."

Miss Heaven placed both hands behind her back and looked over her red-rimmed glasses at the girl.

"So what?" She asked coldly. "You let your class miss training?"

Soraya tried hard not to flinch.

"No ma’am. We will leave right away."

Miss Heaven adjusted her glasses, as if she were tired of looking at them.

"Get out of my sight."

***

The school field was bustling with activities.

Students dressed in sportswear sparred against each other. Others warmed up on their own.

Mahirah stood aside from the others, stretching, freeing her joints.

Apollo leaned on a pole not too far from her, watching as his classmates warmed themselves up.

The Instructor, Mr Dandre, stood at a corner speaking with an aide.

He checked his clipboard again and again. Then he nodded and the aide walked away.

Mr Dandre went over to the students.

"Listen up."

The students paused all activities.

"Due to some clashes in the schedule, you will be taking training alongside class D today."

Some students were surprised, others frowned. A few complained.

"Now, now," said Mr. Dandre. "It’s just training. Like every other session. There will be no competition."

The last sentence came as a warning.

Some students laughed. Some sighed in relief.

Mahirah folded her arms.

"Schedules clashing? How incompetent." She said under her breath.

Apollo was already by her side.

"Seems like a fun activity if you ask me."

"Fun?" Mahirah scoffed. "Where do you think we are? Foundation Camp?"

A sigh.

"Good old days."

Mahirah looked at him. As expected, his face was blank.

"You’ve got some nerve, you know that?" She sounded irritated.

Apollo took his time to reply.

"What are you talking about?"

Mahirah didn’t hesitate.

"This morning, you completely embarrassed me in front of everyone."

Apollo was quiet for a moment.

"I’m sorry. That wasn’t what I intended."

Mahirah glared at him without a word. Then she left and stood somewhere further away.

Class D arrived at the school field in loose clusters, still half-wrapped in morning fatigue. Trainers were already marking zones on the field, assigning lanes for drills.

Finch immediately latched onto Yesu’s hand the moment they got there.

"I choose her," he said quickly, like it was a declaration of survival.

"Hey..." Yesu blinked.

"I hate training. But at least with you, I won’t even need to sweat." Finch added casually, tightening his grip as if it were a legal arrangement.

Around the field, students began pairing up.

At the side, Mahirah stood near a few girls. Their conversation was low, but not quiet enough.

"That’s her. The Prep Zero." one of them murmured.

Mahirah followed their gaze.

And saw Yesu.

Standing there with Finch like it meant nothing at all.

Mahirah frowned.

So this was the girl causing all the commotion?

She looked... ordinary. Almost misplaced.

Mahirah’s eyes lingered a second longer than she intended.

Far across the field, Apollo also looked in Yesu’s direction. Not interested... but not uninterested either.

Then Soraya walked forward. Straight out of the formation.

Directly toward Yesu.

"I’ll spar with you," she said simply.

Finch’s grip tightened instinctively.

"No fair. I picked first," he complained. "Are you trying to cut in because you’re perfect?"

Soraya didn’t look at him. Not even slightly.

Her eyes stayed on Yesu.

Silence stretched.

Then...

"Will you spar with me?" She asked.

Finch opened his mouth again, then stopped.

A smile slipped across his face.

"What a tragedy," he sighed. "The prefect’s clearly the better choice."

He turned lazily to Yesu. "For your sake, I’ll step down."

He released her hand and wandered off, already chatting up another girl mid-step.

Soraya tilted her head slightly.

"Don’t worry," she said. "I’ll go easy on you."

Her smile didn’t match her eyes.

And for the first time since arriving, the field around them felt like it had quietly shifted attention, without anyone announcing it.