The morning air carried a faint chill.
Star yawned wide, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she trudged along the cobblestone path leading to Klipoth Academy. Her freshly-awakened brain felt like a bowl of mush—foggy, sluggish, half-asleep.
"Feels like… something's off…" she muttered, frowning as her steps dragged.
"My head feels… hollow. Like I forgot something really important…?"
A subtle sense of unreality clung to her. The road under her feet, the buildings ahead, even the wind brushing her cheeks—everything felt like it was separated from her by a layer of frosted glass.
She shook her head hard, trying to fling the discomfort away.
"Whatever. I'm just not awake yet!"
She patted her cheeks, forcing herself to focus.
"Now's not the time to space out! It's Bronya's week as the discipline prefect, and I'm an exchange student from Akivili Academy—no way I'm embarrassing my alma mater!"
Just imagining Bronya's strict, almost cold face when enforcing rules snapped Star more awake. She tightened her grip on the tote bag holding her textbooks and picked up her pace.
But as she turned a corner, an ugly, discordant noise drifted over.
Star looked up—and immediately frowned.
Three girls in the uniform of a nearby school with a nasty reputation stood in a loose half-circle, lounging with that lazy, streetwise swagger.
Trapped in the middle, pressed against a cold, rough wall, was a girl in Klipoth Academy's uniform.
She had long, smooth white hair. A few strands fell loose, hiding most of her face. All Star could really see was the way she clenched her backpack straps—and the thin, trembling line of her shoulders.
"Hehehe, little sister," the ringleader—a delinquent with gaudy dyed-red hair—grinned, her tone greasy and teasing.
"Why look so lonely all by yourself? Wanna skip class? Come have some real fun with big sis and her friends. I promise you'll feel amazing."
"N-no…" the white-haired girl whispered, voice so small it barely existed. She kept her head down, refusing to look at them.
"P-please… let me go…"
"Aww, shy?" The red-haired leader reached out to flick the girl's hair, but the girl flinched away.
"Shy is cute too! Big sis is getting more and more—"
She never finished.
A figure shot in like an arrow.
Star sprang forward and whipped a clean side kick straight into the ringleader's cheek.
A scream—and a dull, heavy impact.
The leader's face visibly warped under the force. She tumbled and rolled several meters before collapsing in a heap, clutching her face and shrieking.
Star landed squarely, stepping between the white-haired girl and the other two delinquents. She raised her tote bag like a shield and swept the remaining pair with a sharp, furious stare.
"Hey! She said no. You keep pushing anyway. That's disgusting."
"You little—who the hell—!"
The leader staggered up, her expression twisted with pain and rage… until her eyes locked on Star's face.
And the rage evaporated.
Greed took its place—hot, thrilled, predatory.
"HAHA!" She even forgot the pain, wiping blood from her nose as she laughed.
"Damn, I'm lucky today! Walk out the door and run into two beauties!"
Her gaze crawled between Star and the white-haired girl, then glued itself to Star like a parasite.
"Especially you… little wildcat…"
She drew a dramatic breath, as if savoring it.
"Tsk tsk… absolute top-tier."
Star felt her skin crawl. A violent shiver ran through her, goosebumps racing up her arms.
"Gross."
She didn't hesitate. She shifted her stance and went in.
The other two delinquents shrieked and lunged, and the street corner exploded into a brawl.
Star's fighting was solid—fast, sharp, and strong.
But they were three, and they moved with the kind of coordination that came from doing this often. Fists and feet came at her in rhythm.
Worse, something about it felt… wrong.
The tote bag in her hand didn't feel natural as a weapon. Deep inside, a faint voice kept insisting she should be holding something longer—something heavier—something with presence.
A stick?
A bat…?
That nagging sense of missing "the right tool" made her movements slightly awkward. For a moment, she couldn't break free of the three-person tangle.
In the chaos, the white-haired girl's timid voice rose again, shaking with tears.
"Y-you… please… stop fighting…!"
And then—
Something utterly unbelievable happened.
The white-haired girl's entire presence changed in an instant. The fear vanished. Her eyes hardened into a near-icy decisiveness.
She darted forward—so fast she left an afterimage.
Her slender arms snapped out, one hand grabbing each of the remaining delinquents like they weighed nothing. Without any visible wind-up, she flung.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three throws in rapid succession.
Three bodies screamed as they traced perfect arcs through the air, pinwheeling helplessly—then crashed into a distant hedge with heavy thuds, falling silent. Unconscious… or too terrified to move.
Star: "..."
She slowly turned to the girl who had been trembling like a leaf a second ago, eyes full of disbelief.
"…Girl. Seriously?"
She swallowed, voice shaky.
"You're that strong—so what were you scared of just now?!"
The white-haired girl didn't look afraid at all now.
Her clear eyes were fixed on Star's arm and cheek, where a few tiny scrapes from the brawl had opened thin lines of blood.
"You're hurt!"
Her voice was thick with worry.
Before Star could even react, the girl rushed in, slid her arms under Star—
"Huh?!"
The world spun.
Star suddenly found herself princess-carried in the girl's arms.
"If you're hurt, we have to treat it right away! If you get scars, that's bad!"
The girl stared down at Star with deadly seriousness, then—still carrying a whole person—broke into a sprint toward Klipoth Academy.
Her hair streamed behind her. Her stride was shockingly stable. No heavy breathing. No strain.
Star's eyelid twitched.
She had to wrap an arm around the girl's neck just to steady herself, and she found herself staring up at that elegant face, filled with pure concern.
In the morning light, her profile looked almost unreal—smooth pale skin, a straight nose, softly pressed lips…
Star's heart skipped.
She's really pretty.
No—no, focus.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Star squirmed a little, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
"Put me down! And also—if you're that strong, why were you acting all timid earlier?"
The girl glanced down, cheeks flushing. Embarrassed, she explained in a small voice:
"I… I was afraid of hurting them. They were too close, and I can't control my strength very well… so I wanted them to stop coming closer…"
Her tone was soft and sweet—absurdly so compared to the way she had just launched three people like baseballs.
"…Fine." Star exhaled, utterly defeated by the logic.
"That's… honestly fair. But then what are you doing now?"
The girl looked at the scrapes again, worry deepening.
"You're hurt. We should go to the nurse's office!"
Star nearly facepalmed.
"Then put me down so I can walk! This is Bronya's week as discipline prefect! If we rush into the gate like this, she's going to stop us, lecture us, and dock points—guaranteed! That'll waste even more time. Put me down, and we'll run together. Faster, cleaner, no drama."
The girl tilted her head, thinking. A few seconds later, her mouth pouted slightly—reluctant, but convinced.
"…Okay."
She bent carefully and set Star back on her feet with the gentleness of someone handling a priceless treasure.
Star finally breathed easier.
She didn't even bother smoothing her wrinkled uniform. She grabbed the girl's cool, soft hand and tugged.
"Move! Time is life!"
She wasn't worried the girl would fall behind. The earlier throws and the effortless princess-carry sprint proved she was a hidden monster.
The girl's face turned pink the moment Star's warm hand wrapped around hers. A goofy, uncontrollable smile crept onto her lips as she let Star pull her along, feet light and happy.
They arrived at the academy gate out of breath—only to find exactly what Star expected.
Bronya Rand stood to the side like a textbook illustration of discipline, a bright red prefect armband on her sleeve.
Silver-gray hair perfectly combed. Eyes sharp. Expression severe as she inspected every student entering or leaving.
"Bronya! Morning!" Star called from a distance, lifting her scraped arm and talking fast.
"Ran into trouble on the way. I'm going to the nurse's office!"
Bronya's gaze flicked over the scratches, then over the white-haired girl behind Star. Her brows knit for a moment—but in the end, she nodded.
"Injuries first. Go get it treated. Don't let it happen again."
"Yes, ma'am!" Star practically bolted, dragging the girl straight toward the nurse's office on the first floor.
When they pushed the door open, the faint scent of disinfectant washed over them.
"Oh? What's wrong, you two?" A warm, slightly lazy voice greeted them.
Natasha sat at her desk organizing paperwork, looking up with calm, mature composure.
She wore a clean white lab coat over a dark high-neck sweater—her aura steady and dependable.
Star felt inexplicably stiff in front of her.
She cleared her throat and gave a quick summary of what happened outside, then pointed to her scratches.
"…That's it, Ms. Natasha. Sorry—please help."
At Klipoth Academy, Natasha wasn't a normal staff member.
Rumor said the academy used to be an orphanage, later rebuilt into a school with outside sponsorship—and Natasha had been that orphanage's director.
Now she served as both school nurse… and Star's homeroom teacher.
If that were all, Star wouldn't be so awkward.
But one accident had permanently wrecked Star's ability to face her normally.
Natasha always dressed like a textbook "proper adult": buttoned-up coat, long dark outerwear, immaculate, severe—so restrained it almost felt ascetic.
Then, during one chaotic break, Hook came running wild down the hallway and slammed into Natasha.
Whether it was intentional or just Hook being Hook, the kid's little hand snapped upward and actually flipped the hem of Natasha's heavy coat.
Natasha reacted like lightning—she slammed the coat down instantly and delivered a perfect knuckle-flick to Hook's forehead so clean and precise the kid yelped and squatted, clutching her head.
But in that microscopic moment—the coat rising and falling—
Star had been standing directly behind Natasha, at the one perfect angle to see everything.
And her brain had short-circuited on the spot.
Beneath the dark pantyhose, Natasha wasn't wearing a skirt or pants.
Only two dark leather restraint straps hugged the curve where a full, rounded hip met the top of her thighs.
The straps bit into soft flesh so deeply they nearly disappeared, sculpting an outrageously lifted, heavy silhouette—dangerous, tense, unapologetic.
Even more lethal: the hem of her bodysuit pulled her pantyhose tight into the cleft, the stretched fabric so thin it was nearly transparent, clearly showing pale skin beneath.
A "forbidden," fiery secret beneath a flawless, buttoned-up exterior.
Star had looked around in panic. The hallway was noisy. Students laughed and talked and moved on without noticing anything.
Only Star, standing in the single perfect position, had seen the truth.
Ever since then, whenever Star faced Natasha, that image would flash through her mind—unwanted, vivid, impossible to erase.
And that mix of guilt for seeing it, plus the sheer impact of the contrast, made Star instinctively cautious… and quietly, deeply embarrassed.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 139)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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