Chapter 1: Accepting Denial【P2】
Jiro
A boy stumbles backward, clipped by the edge of a dark umbrella that forces a path through the sea of bodies for the girl underneath.
“Hello? Earth to gnome under the mushroom!” He throws his arms up, fuming like a locomotive.
She does not give him a glance.
Spine perfectly straight and her short hair barely stirring, she glides past untouched, relegating his frantic protest to a passing draft.
He claws the air while muttering what sounds like a chant to call upon a mystic power, but settles on rubbing his reddened forehead and steaming off.
Renji clicks his tongue. “Typical. I’ve seen that type before—a complete menace. They walk around like they own the place, putting everyone else second. No, wait, not even that much.”
He stares blankly into nothing. “We should definitely recruit her for the team.”
I give him a deadpan look. “Didn’t you just call her a menace?”
“Exactly!” He snaps his fingers, then turns up his palms. “The worst people to deal with are the best ones to have on your side. That way, they are someone else’s problem.”
“And your strategy involves just walking straight into the storm and asking nicely?”
He scoffs as if I just suggested something obscene. “Please—no, of course not.”
His eyes narrow as a sly glint reveals itself. His voice drops to a hurried whisper as the girl gradually draws closer. “People like that require more… persuasive methods.”
I stare at his scheming grin, my skepticism hardening into genuine concern.
Slowly, I ease away from his shoulder. “I don’t think I want any part of what you’re about to suggest.”
Riding the high of his own genius, he throws up a finger.
“First! You accidentally bump into her—establishing yourself as the alpha.” He crosses his arms and puffs out his chest.
“Then!” He deflates into a theatrical low bow, sweeping a hand over his chest. “You pivot to the graceful gentleman. ‘Oh, my apologies! I didn’t mean to hurt you.’”
He springs upright, stretching out a hand. “’My name is Jiro, please allow me to make it up to you with a spot in my prestigious group!’”
I am not sure if I dislike his flawed plan more than his terrible, high-pitched impression of me.
“If it’s such a flawless plan, why don’t you do it?”
“Everyone knows coaches don’t play!” He grins with no remorse.
Before I can argue, his palms slam against my back—
“Oof!”
The force sends me flying forward—shrinking my world to a black dome.
I brace for impact—
Click.
A sharp metallic snap—in one fluid motion, the umbrella collapses as the girl leans aside. I launch straight through the gap, skidding across the rough pavement on palms and knees.
Click.
Above me, the morning sky vanishes with a sudden whoosh of air, replaced by the familiar fabric.
I scramble up, frantically dusting off my palms. She turns, firing an icy glare at me.
“O-oh, my apologies.” Meeting her eyes, I wonder exactly where my life went wrong.
My mind races, rapidly searching for the next line from the script I am saddled with. “I didn’t mean to hur—wait no. I never intended to bump into you. My n—”
Her hand rises, cutting me off. “Market boy. I am not inter—”
“Hey, I haven’t fully apologized yet...” I shoot back, trying to... establish my alpha?
Why am I even trying? I definitely lost that chance the second I hit the ground at full speed.
She tilts her head, examining me like a strange insect.
“Oh. It can actually talk,” she murmurs. “This must be one of those unpatched versions of the human genome I have been hearing so much about.”
I scan her expression for any hint of a smirk, genuinely unsure if she is just mocking me or actually cataloging wildlife.
“To think I would have the misfortune of encountering an unregistered specimen in the wild.” She turns and walks away. “What a thoroughly compromised start to my day.”
I am left adrift in her wake.
The ‘Gentleman’s Grace’ mission? Tanked.
If anything, her choosing to acknowledge my existence—even with a genetic insult—was the only real grace issued in this entire ordeal.
Still, technically, I outdid the boy from earlier. Not bad.
My shoes scrape the stone as I trudge back. Renji stands right where he pushed me, practically vibrating with excitement.
“And?” He leans in, pen poised. “What name can I write on the contract?”
I meet him with lazy eyes, moving past his outstretched notebook without a word. Straight ahead, the grand structure still dominates the horizon.
Heat distorts the view from this distance, making the towering buildings below it look like a painting, replacing the natural scenery.
An entire island for just a school. Confined within its borders for three whole years.
I can practically still hear my dad yelling at the television when the ministry first announced it, warning the screen that draining whatever little youthful life the provinces have left will only worsen the issue.
Guess he was not wrong. Home is like an empty movie set now.
But clearly the ministry remains unmoved. Improved test scores and the massive savings are all that matter. Pretty sure they are going to use that as the main argument to expand this model nationwide, absorbing the remaining thinning classrooms.
“Renji.” I side-eye him. “Do you miss home?”
“What?” He packs up the notebook, not even looking up.” No, why? We just came here.”
He slings his backpack over his shoulder before puffing out his cheeks. “Let’s go. They won’t be waiting for us.”
“Coming.”
It is… for the better. We all deserve the same standard of education regardless of our birthplace.
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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 1: Accepting Denial【P3】
Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”
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