The White Queen 白の女王 Niragi Suguru

[TWO]

"Everyone, we have a new student. Please introduce yourself."

Niragi tore his gaze from the window.

'Great, a new friend.' He thought sarcastically.

Being a prestigious, private institution, there were only two kinds of students that get accepted into Keisetsu Gakuen High School. The first were the scholarship kids. They were the ones who got in due to their intelligence. The second category is the more typical one, the legacies. They were the sons and daughters of politicians, businessmen, and basically anyone else who could afford the expensive tuition fee. Niragi belonged to the first group, and he wished that the new student did too. He wouldn't be able to stand another self-centered, arrogant, snobbish rich kid. At the very least, he hoped that his bullies take an interest in the new kid and leave him alone.

He took it back immediately the moment he saw her.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Haku Sakura. I hope you'll accept me as your classmate."

Her hair was long and black, the natural blush of her cheeks accentuated by her clear, healthy skin. When she turned to thank the teacher, Niragi noticed the dimple on her left cheek.

It was like he was looking at an angel.

She started walking towards him, and Niragi felt his heart beat faster. The moment their eyes met, he looked away. He felt like he had to or else his cheeks were going to catch fire.

"Niragi," He heard his teacher call, "since the class representative is absent today, and you are her new seatmate, would you kindly show Haku around the school?"

Niragi didn't know if he should be happy. He might end up just making a fool of himself.

"Y-yes sir." He managed to say.

The rest of their first period was uneventful, with the teacher just making some scheduling announcements. As soon as it was over and she had left, A few of the students crowded by Haku's table. They began asking her questions, which the girl seemed eager to answer. Being seated next to her, Niragi was able to pick up her responses.

Haku was born in Nagoya. No siblings, no boyfriend. Her father was the founder of one of the world's leading gaming platforms. The company was fairly new, but had blown up in the last few years, which was the reason why she studied in the United States for the past two years before moving to Tokyo.

That meant that she was a legacy.

Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but it didn't seem like Haku had that haughty air about her. Maybe they could be friends.

By the time their afternoon classes started, Haku already seemed comfortable in her new environment. She recited often in class, revealing her intelligence. Niragi couldn't help but get distracted by her, even though she wasn't doing anything but listening attentively to the teacher.

'It's like she actually enjoys school.' Niragi mused. Well, if he wasn't getting beat up every day, he might have enjoyed school too. Personally, he didn't really care much for the education system. He was just studying hard so he could get a good job and leave everything behind.

At exactly 3:45 PM, the final bell rang. Niragi excitedly put his stuff away, not wanting to make Haku wait for her tour. It was the first time in a while that he had looked forward to dismissal time. However, when he looked over to where she sat, he saw that she was already gone.

Niragi sighed as he settled back into his seat, turning his head towards the window.

'Of course. Why would she waste her afternoon with me? I'm sure she would rather have her friends tour her than her loser seatmate.' He thought bitterly.