Superiorly Yours.

Chapter 1: "Clearly Superior"

Mornings always came too early in Y/N's world.

The cheap alarm clock on her nightstand buzzed like a dying fly at exactly 6:30 a.m., rattling against the chipped wood. Y/N groaned, arm shooting out from under her blanket to smack the snooze button. For a moment, she stayed still, eyes closed, savoring the quiet hum of the world before responsibility caught up.

Her bedroom was small but cozy-walls decorated with faded band posters and a tiny bookshelf overflowing with secondhand novels and thrifted manga volumes. A worn hoodie hung from a chair in the corner. Her school uniform, freshly ironed the night before, waited neatly on the back of the door.

Y/N sat up and stretched, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. A breeze filtered in through a cracked window, carrying with it the sounds of city life below: distant honking, the whirr of a passing train, a dog barking somewhere across the street. Everything felt lived-in. Grounded. Real.

It wasn't glamorous, but it was hers.

After a quick shower and brushing her teeth, Y/N stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of her school uniform. The blazer was slightly too big-an old hand-me-down from a neighbor's daughter-but she made it work. Her skirt had been altered to fit, and her shoes, though a little scuffed, were clean and carefully polished.

Her eyes lingered on her reflection.

Plain. Tired. But ready.

She grabbed her bento box from the kitchen counter-left for her by her mom, who had already left for work-and slipped it into her bag. There was a note taped to the lid, as always:

"Eat well, and don't let those rich kids walk all over you. ❤️ -Mom"

Y/N smiled.

Time for another day at Silverleaf Academy-the most prestigious private high school in the city, and the farthest place imaginable from where she came from.

---

Silverleaf Academy looked like something out of a dream-ornate gates, marble columns, and fountains that probably cost more than Y/N's entire apartment. The school was nestled in a quiet part of town where the sidewalks sparkled, and the air even smelled expensive.

Inside, the students were dressed immaculately in their navy blue blazers, silver-trimmed skirts and pants, and sleek loafers that Y/N was pretty sure were custom-made. Their families owned businesses, buildings, probably even parts of the country.

Y/N's family? Owned three folding chairs and a rice cooker that made weird sounds.

She didn't mind being different. But it was hard not to feel like an outsider here. Still, she was here on a scholarship, and she wasn't about to let anyone say she didn't belong.

She reached her classroom-Room 2-A-a few minutes early, sliding into her seat near the back window. It was her favorite spot. Close enough to pay attention. Far enough to stay out of sight.

Just as she was pulling out her notebook, the classroom door opened.

And in walked a girl Y/N had never seen before.

The first thing anyone noticed was her hair-long, silky ash-brown, cascading past her shoulders in perfect, unmussed layers. Her bangs were blunt, cut straight across her forehead with exact precision. Her eyes were a deep, vivid purple, intense and unreadable, like they were scanning the room for signs of intelligent life-and not finding much.

She wore the standard Silverleaf uniform, but somehow it looked sharper on her. Her long black coat fluttered slightly as she walked, trimmed in violet accents that matched her sleek neck ribbon. Most striking of all was her wide-brimmed black hat, decorated with a red stripe and small violet bows, giving her a slightly arcane, witchy presence. Like she'd stepped out of a time machine-or a secret laboratory.