Chapter 4: First day, and they already want to eat him alive.
Noah’s smile didn’t fade as he stared at the board.
[First Year: Yume Hoshino.]
[First Year: Luna Tsukino.]
Both of them were here, and the story hadn’t started yet.
That meant he could still watch the whole thing from the very beginning.
"Did you find your homeroom?"
Ren’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
Noah nodded.
"Yeah."
"Me too."
Ren pointed toward one of the buildings.
"Looks like we’re over that way."
Noah followed the direction and realized just how enormous the school was.
Several buildings were connected by walkways.
The gardens were well kept.
Clubs were already putting up posters to recruit new students.
It was exactly the kind of school he’d expected to find in an anime, except now it was real.
Ren started walking, and Noah followed. They’d barely taken a few steps when he noticed something.
A lot of the female students were looking at him.
At first he thought it was a coincidence, but then another girl looked, and another.
And another.
Some even turned their heads as he walked past.
Noah started feeling uncomfortable.
’What’s going on?’
He glanced at Ren.
"Is there something on my face?"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? No."
"Then why is everyone staring at me?"
Ren looked around and seemed to put it together.
"Oh."
"Oh what?"
"That."
Ren gestured at Noah.
"You’re not invisible, you know."
"That explanation doesn’t explain anything."
Ren let out a small laugh.
"You are seriously out of it today."
Noah went quiet.
"And?"
"And?"
Ren looked at him like he’d just asked the dumbest question imaginable.
"..."
Noah looked at the students again.
Several were still watching.
Some were talking among themselves, others just staring, but none of them seemed to be hiding it.
’This is unsettling.’
Ren kept walking like it was nothing.
He was clearly used to it, but for Noah, this was a completely new experience.
"Doesn’t it bother you?"
Noah asked.
"What?"
"Being stared at like that."
Ren shrugged.
"It happens to all guys."
Noah couldn’t understand how anyone could get used to that.
They kept moving.
But Noah had another objective.
A far more important one, finding Luna.
He started scanning the area discreetly.
The courtyard, the hallways, the gardens, the building entrances, but she was nowhere to be seen.
’She has to be around here somewhere.’
The anime had never shown much detail about the school, so he had no idea exactly where to look.
He only knew she was there.
After several minutes of walking, something caught his eye.
Black hair, an impeccable uniform, and a cold expression.
Noah stopped, and recognized her instantly.
Luna Tsukino.
There was no mistaking her, even at a distance.
Her posture, her expression, the way she carried herself, all of it matched perfectly.
Noah felt a rush of excitement.
’It’s her!’
She was right there, walking calmly across campus.
Noah stood and watched, completely absorbed, not even realizing he was smiling.
He’d been staring long enough that he’d drifted away from Ren without noticing.
Then Luna stopped.
Noah felt a bad feeling creep in.
She turned her head, and their eyes met.
’Oh no.’
Luna frowned and started walking directly toward him.
’Crap, I’m in trouble.’
Noah tried to act normal, but it didn’t work.
With every step Luna took, his nerves climbed higher.
When she finally stopped in front of him, Noah was completely frozen.
Luna looked him up and down, like she was sizing him up.
"Do you need something?"
She asked.
Noah opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Luna crossed her arms.
"Were you staring at me?"
"I..."
Noah tried to come up with a response and couldn’t find a single good one.
"Yeah."
The moment it left his mouth, he regretted it.
’Great. Outstanding work.’
Luna narrowed her eyes and for a moment looked like she was gearing up for something, but then she stopped.
Her expression shifted and she looked at him again.
The tension dropped from her shoulders.
"Are you a new student?"
She asked. Noah nodded quickly.
"Yes."
Luna let out a small sigh.
"I see."
They stood in silence for a moment, then Luna spoke again.
"Why are you alone?"
Noah realized he was, in fact, alone.
"Huh, looks like I lost my friend somewhere..."
"You shouldn’t be walking around by yourself like that."
Luna said it plainly, but Noah didn’t follow.
"What do you mean?"
Luna glanced around and noticed several female students watching them.
Some looked interested, others just curious.
She looked back at him.
"It’s dangerous."
"What is?"
"Being alone with a girl."
Noah blinked.
"Huh?"
Luna nodded toward the nearby students.
"You shouldn’t let your guard down."
Noah immediately thought of the pepper spray, and of Emma’s, Sarah’s, and Ava’s warnings.
’Does everyone think the same way here?!’
Luna continued.
"Go to your homeroom."
"Now?"
"Yes."
Her tone left no room for argument.
"And don’t let yourself get distracted."
Noah nodded.
"Understood."
Luna seemed satisfied.
"Good."
Noah started to walk away, but halfway there he turned back, and Luna was still standing there, as serious as ever.
Noah smiled, then kept walking.
Ren appeared at his side, looking worried.
"Where did you go?"
He asked.
"Paradise."
"Paradise? Seriously, Noah, I’m starting to think you’re losing it..."
"Same."
The two of them kept moving until they disappeared into the crowd of students.
Luna stood motionless for a few seconds, and the moment Noah was out of sight, she pressed her back against a nearby wall.
She brought a hand to her chest and felt her heart still racing.
"That was close..."
She murmured, closing her eyes and trying to steady herself.
She wasn’t talking about Noah.
She was talking about herself.
When she’d spotted him staring at her, she’d assumed he was trouble, so she’d walked over. But then she realized he was a boy, and that complicated everything.
Mostly because the thoughts that had surfaced in her head had been anything but appropriate.
Luna clenched her teeth.
’I almost...’
She’d had to hold herself back far more than she liked to admit.
In a matter of seconds, she’d pictured herself pinning him against that very wall, sliding her tongue into his mouth, tasting him without an ounce of shame. She’d imagined running her hands under his uniform, feeling how his body responded to her, hearing the sound he’d make if she bit his lower lip. She’d pictured her lips trailing down his neck, dragging across his skin, and then lower... much lower.
Luna opened her eyes.
She could still picture his face, and that wasn’t helping.
’Focus.’
He was just a new student. Nothing more.
It didn’t matter, and she shouldn’t read into it.
She took several slow, deep breaths and felt her heartbeat begin to settle.
Little by little, she pulled herself back to her usual composure, though before she left, she found herself admitting something to herself.
Something she’d rather not think about too much.
"But he does have a really cute face..."
A beat of silence.
Luna immediately looked away and walked toward her homeroom as if she’d never said a word.