Sia let out a long sigh as the bus pulled away from the bus stop. She leaned back against the seat by the right-side window, staring at the increasingly busy streets. The faint vibration of the bus engine could be felt through her seat, while the muffled conversations of other passengers filled the air.
"It's just going to school," she muttered softly, as if trying to calm herself down.
Yet the image of that man's face still lingered vividly in her mind. Those blue eyes, his smile, and the way he had called her darling without the slightest hint of awkwardness continued to distract her. Sia shook her head lightly, trying to push the memory far away.
"So ridiculous," she hissed under her breath.
The bus finally stopped at the station in front of the school after several minutes of travel. Sia stood up, took some money from her pocket, and handed it to the driver.
"I'll get off here, sir."
"Alright, kid," the driver replied with a friendly nod.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Sia looked up. The school stood majestically before her, with large letters engraved above the main gate: Cahaya Pratama High School.
Its walls were ivory white, its windows towered high above, and the garden in the front yard was beautifully maintained with neatly arranged colorful flowers.
"Wow..." Sia murmured softly, not expecting her new school to be this grand. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart before gathering the courage to step inside.
The moment she passed through the gate, the bustling world of teenagers immediately greeted her. The school corridors were crowded with students chatting, laughing, and hurrying along in uniforms that still looked freshly ironed. Sia was forced to stop in the middle of the corridor. Her eyes darted from side to side, staring at the rows of unfamiliar faces rushing around her.
Where am I supposed to go? she thought in confusion. Her hands gripped the straps of her bag tightly. The sounds of footsteps and laughter around her felt far too overwhelming for her senses, making the world seem to move much faster than she could keep up with.
Suddenly, a hard collision startled her when someone bumped into her shoulder forcefully enough to make her stumble sideways.
"If you're going to daydream, don't stand in the middle of the hallway!" a sharp voice snapped, filled with annoyance.
Sia immediately lowered her head to avoid confrontation. "Sorry..." she said quietly, almost inaudible.
The uniformed girl who had bumped into her simply walked away without looking back. Sia pressed a hand against her chest, feeling her heart beating wildly. Her breathing became slightly uneven, and a strange tightness she couldn't understand crept into her throat. It felt like a sudden fear squeezing at her consciousness.
She quickly moved toward the side of the corridor and leaned her back against the wall. "Calm down, Sia... it's just a new school," she whispered softly, trying to reassure herself.
Amid her still-unsteady breathing, the sound of footsteps approached from the front. A pair of white sneakers suddenly stopped right in front of her.
"Hey... are you okay?" a girl's voice asked gently, though filled with curiosity.
Sia slowly looked up. Standing before her was a girl with long straight hair. Her eyes were bright, and her expression was full of energy, completely contrasting the busy and cold atmosphere surrounding them.
"I saw you get bumped into just now," the girl continued. "Does it hurt? You look really pale."
Sia fell silent for a moment, feeling awkward. "I'm... fine."
"Ohh." The girl nodded in understanding before her eyes suddenly lit up. "You seem like a new student, right? I've never seen you before!"
Sia looked away, slightly hesitant to respond. "Yeah... I just transferred here."
The girl's smile instantly widened, as though she had just discovered something incredibly exciting in that hallway. "My name is Garin! What's yours?"
"Elysia. But you can call me Sia..." she answered quietly.
"Siaaa~" Garin repeated the name with a bright smile. "That's such a cute name! I'm in Grade 10. What class are you in?"
Sia gave a small nod in response to the friendliness. "Grade 10... E."
"HUH? Same here!!" Garin practically jumped as if she had been struck by a bolt of excitement. "What a coincidence! Come on, follow me. Our classroom is on the second floor!"
Without waiting for an answer or permission, Garin immediately grabbed Sia's hand and gently pulled her along. It wasn't forceful, but it was enough to surprise Sia.
"I-I can find it myself-"
"Nope, too late! If you're alone, you'll definitely get lost. This school is like a labyrinth, you know?" Garin laughed cheerfully.
They began walking side by side up the stairs. The sounds of footsteps and lively conversations from other students mixed together, filling the stairway. Sia remained silent, while her free hand gripped her bag strap tightly. Her palms felt slightly cold.
Garin glanced at Sia before smiling again. "You're really quiet, huh? That's okay. I'm used to talking with quiet people. I'm talkative, so it balances out~"
Sia lowered her head slightly, feeling guilty. "...Sorry."
"Huh?? Why are you apologizing?" Garin laughed softly, her laughter sounding light and sincere to Sia's ears. "If you're quiet, then you're quiet. I'll do the talking. Easy."
Their footsteps continued carrying them toward the upper floor.
"Besides..." Garin added, her voice suddenly becoming a little softer, "transferring schools must be hard. I get it. I transferred schools before too, and it felt like everyone already had their own world."
Sia stopped walking for a moment. She lifted her eyes and stared intently at Garin's face. At that moment, she could see that Garin's smile was no longer just a cheerful mask, it carried genuine sincerity.
"...Thank you," Sia finally said.
Garin turned toward her and mischievously winked. "Wow, we've only just met and you're already being sweet."
They finally reached the second floor. The corridor here felt much quieter. Morning sunlight streamed freely through the rows of glass windows, making the floor gleam brightly. Sia slowly exhaled, feeling the pounding in her chest gradually lessen. She was still nervous, but at least she no longer felt completely alone.
The two of them stopped in front of a wooden door with a nameplate that read: Class 10-E. Garin took a deep breath and pushed the classroom door wide open.
The noisy chatter immediately burst out and struck their ears. Inside, the atmosphere was incredibly lively; some students were running around chasing an eraser, some were laughing loudly while discussing games, while others sat quietly sketching in their notebooks without caring about the chaos around them.
Garin let out a dry laugh at the familiar sight. "As usual... a disaster."
Without giving Sia even the slightest chance to hesitate or turn back, Garin grabbed her hand again and pulled her into the classroom.
Amid the dizzying commotion, there was one corner that looked completely different. Near the row of desks by the right-side window sat a girl with an exceptionally calm posture and an expressionless face.
Her straight black hair framed her features, and her eyes appeared cold without carrying any cruelty. She looked like someone who had long since grown accustomed to isolating herself from the noise of the world.
In front of her, a boy leaned casually against her desk, seemingly engaged in a comfortable conversation with her. His expression looked relaxed, as if he knew exactly what to say without crossing the boundaries of her comfort.
Garin immediately waved both hands high toward that corner. "Heeey! Lira! I brought someone new!"
The expressionless girl slowly shifted her gaze away from the window. The moment their eyes met, Sia felt something strange inside her chest... it felt like looking into a mirror that reflected not her appearance, but her emotions instead. Empty, yet not truly hollow.
Lira gave a small nod in response to Garin's call. "A new student?"
Sia swallowed against her dry throat before answering. "...Yeah."
The boy who had been talking with Lira also turned toward them. His dark brown hair was styled slightly messy, yet somehow suited his facial features perfectly. He looked at Sia for a moment before offering a friendly smile.
"Your first day in this class is probably pretty chaotic, huh?" he said as he adjusted himself more comfortably in his seat.
Sia didn't know how to respond to the small talk, so she could only nod stiffly. Garin, finding her nervousness adorable, gently patted her back.
"Relax~ This class is only noisy on the outside. On the inside... well, it's still noisy. But you'll get used to it eventually~"
Lira looked at Sia once more. This time, her gaze lingered noticeably longer on Sia's face. "Name?" she asked flatly, though not rudely. Her tone sounded more like someone wanting to confirm that the new person standing before her was real.
"Sia," Sia answered softly.
Lira nodded in understanding. "I'm Lira. And that's," she briefly glanced toward the boy in front of her, "Arven."
Arven casually raised a hand into the air. "Yo."
Sia returned the greeting with an equally small wave that was still somewhat stiff. "...Hi."
Garin chuckled softly at their awkwardness. "Lira looks calm, but she's actually really nice. Don't be scared. She's just... economical with words."
Lira immediately turned her usual flat gaze toward Garin. "I'm not economical. I just speak when necessary."
"See? A perfect example of being economical with words," Garin replied quickly with an amused laugh. Sia almost smiled at their interaction. Almost, because that tiny moment of happiness was interrupted almost immediately.
The classroom door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
All the chatter and laughter inside the room died down instantly. A teacher stepped inside with firm strides, causing every student to quickly scatter back to their respective seats.
Sia remained standing alone near the aisle, confused about where she should sit since she had no idea which seat was empty. Before she could ask, Arven tapped the surface of an empty desk right beside Lira.
"You can sit here. No one's using it."
Garin quickly added in a half-whisper while pointing toward her own seat in the row ahead, "I'm in front, okay! Don't run away from me!"
Sia took a deep breath to gather her courage before quickly walking toward the empty desk and sitting down. Now Lira sat directly to her left, closest to the window.
"GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE."
The teacher's voice rang loudly throughout the classroom, though it carried no harshness.
"Morning, Ma'am..." the class responded in varying tones; some answered politely, while others sounded typically sleepy like teenagers in the morning.
The teacher placed her folder on the desk. Her hair was tied neatly behind her head, and a pair of thin-framed glasses rested comfortably on her nose. "Alright, before we begin today's lesson, we have a new student joining us."
Immediately, every head in the classroom turned toward the back row. Whispers and murmurs instantly spread among the students.
"Who's that?"
"She looks quiet..."
"She's pretty, though."
Garin secretly glanced back at Sia and gave her a double thumbs-up as emotional support. Sia swallowed hard. Her chest tightened again, and her palms suddenly became freezing cold.
"New student, please come forward," the teacher said kindly.
Sia had no choice but to stand. Each step toward the front of the classroom felt much heavier than usual, as though an invisible weight was dragging at her legs. She stood weakly before the class, facing dozens of eyes now fixed on her with judgmental curiosity.
Sia tried to open her mouth, but her voice barely emerged from her throat. "I'm... Elysia Ardhanari."
The teacher patiently waited for her to continue. Sia took another breath before speaking again. "Um... people usually call me Sia. I transferred from... State High School 4."
Some students nodded in understanding, while others simply stared at her without expression. Sia continued her final sentence in an even quieter voice. "I... hope we can be friends."
The classroom fell silent for a brief moment before Garin suddenly began clapping enthusiastically, prompting the other students to join in, though most of the applause sounded less than sincere. Amid the applause, Garin whispered softly toward Arven, who sat not far away.
"Look at her, she's so innocent. Adorable."
Arven merely responded with a faint smile.
The teacher quickly regained the class's attention. "Alright, Sia. You may sit in the empty seat beside Lira. Lira, please help her if she needs anything."
Lira briefly looked over from her seat. Her face remained as expressionless as ever as she answered shortly, "Yes, Ma'am."
Sia walked back to her desk and sat down, still overwhelmed by an incredible amount of awkwardness. However, just as she was placing her school bag beneath the desk, a quiet voice came from her left.
"Don't be too tense. They only look noisy. They won't bite," Lira said flatly, with almost no change in expression.
Sia turned slightly toward Lira, uncertain whether the cold remark was meant as reassurance or not. "...Thank you," she replied sincerely.
Not long afterward, the lesson officially began. The teacher started writing on the blackboard, accompanied by the soft scratching sound of chalk cutting through the classroom's silence.