Chapter 1: The Strange New Transfer Student

Accompanied by the lighthearted music from the campus broadcast, Zhang Ruolin walked through the school corridor and arrived at the entrance of Class 2-A. She responded to greetings from a few classmates with just a slight nod, saying nothing as she headed straight for her seat.

After sitting down, she took out a small vintage-style mirror and adjusted her chestnut-red hair, completely ignoring the unfriendly glances cast her way by some of the students nearby.

A plain-looking high school girl wearing outdated black-rimmed glasses, just with a bit of a weird personality—that was already considered a generous description of her.

Following right behind her was a girl who looked more like a middle schooler—or even an elementary schooler wouldn’t be a stretch.

Almost everyone in the class greeted her with a smile the moment they saw her.

“Good morning, Yumeng.”
“Mm, good morning.”

The petite girl returned the greetings politely. After exchanging pleasantries, she made her way to her seat—right next to the “weird” girl from earlier. Despite being the shortest in the class, she still chose to sit in the second-to-last row.

Soon, the morning broadcast ended and the bell signaling the start of class rang. The classroom gradually quieted down as everyone began pulling out the textbooks and notebooks they’d need according to the schedule.

“Still as peaceful as always.”

Ruolin leaned her left elbow on the desk, resting her chin on her palm as she gazed out the window.

It was still September, only two weeks since the school year had started, and the summer heat hadn’t let up. If not for the thick tree branches in the flower beds outside blocking the sunlight, they’d probably already have to turn on the AC in the classroom.

Through the gaps in the branches, she could see the activity downstairs. Even with just a few minutes left before class, many students were still strolling leisurely toward the building. At that pace, they’d be arriving right as the bell rang.

“Something on your mind?”

Liu Yumeng, her deskmate and childhood friend, asked after hearing Ruolin’s quiet murmur.

“It’s all good… just kind of boring. I mean, people online are always talking about supernatural events, ghost sightings, even magical girls—but none of it is real, right?”

Yumeng tilted her head and thought for a moment.

“Maybe it’s all real. We just haven’t experienced it.”

“Sigh… If any of that were real, people wouldn’t treat me like a weirdo.”

Ruolin let out a long sigh and pulled out a thick notebook from her desk drawer. On the first page, written neatly in beautiful handwriting, were the words: “An Informal Record of Supernatural Phenomena.”

She had compiled all sorts of information over the years—notes from trashy magazines, excerpts from obscure forums, clippings from books—anything she could find.

Whenever someone noticed the notebook and asked about it, she’d awkwardly laugh and explain that it was material for a novel she was planning to write. If she didn’t say that, the strange looks would come almost instantly.

Human interaction is just too exhausting.

She sighed again inwardly.

“I wish something interesting would happen for once.”

“Huh? Are you two talking about something interesting?”

Just before the bell rang, a blonde, blue-eyed British girl swung her school bag onto the desk and sat down—backwards—on her chair. She’d only caught the word “interesting” and immediately jumped in.

Because of her parents’ jobs, Violette Walsh had moved to the East Asia Federation a few years ago and had lived in several different cities. She’d only moved to Mùzhōu City last year, and it looked like her family would be staying here for quite a while.

She sat in front of Ruolin, and while most of the class thought Ruolin was kind of strange, Violette didn’t mind at all. In fact, she loved hearing the stories Ruolin collected.

“It’s nothing. I was just wondering if anything interesting would ever happen.”

Violette suddenly clapped her hands as if something occurred to her.

“Oh, right! I saw a girl with pink hair in the teacher’s office earlier.”

“Pink hair? Was it dyed? Or cosplay?”

As a private all-girls school, Crescent Moon Academy didn’t have strict rules about appearance. But even so, no one ever went as far as dyeing their hair that outrageously.

“Didn’t look like a wig or dye. It seemed… super natural.”
Violette tried to recall the details she’d glimpsed, but it had just been a glance—nothing more.

“Does anyone in our school have hair like that?”

Yumeng and Violette looked at each other, both shaking their heads.

“I think… she’s probably a transfer student.”

The girl sitting in front of Yumeng closed her book and slowly turned around. Ayano Sasaki, a student council member, had seen something about it while helping out with student council work the day before.

As a student self-governing body, the student council had access to basic information about all students.

“A transfer student? At this time of year? That’s suspicious. The classic ‘transfer student who arrives at a weird time’ setup…”
Violette fell into deep thought, flashes of plotlines from various stories rushing through her head.

She had always been fascinated by East Asian culture, and when she learned she’d be moving there, she was so excited she couldn’t sleep for a whole night.

“Well, it’s only been two weeks since school started, so maybe not that suspicious. Still, I wonder what class she’s joining… I hope it’s ours.”

At least then something exciting might happen—anything to break the monotony of their everyday school life.

As the bell rang, the classroom fell completely silent. Even students in the back row could hear the approaching footsteps from the hallway. The rhythm was familiar—everyone knew who it was without even looking.

“Good morning, everyone.”

A young teacher entered the room under the gaze of the entire class. She wore a simple white T-shirt, denim shorts, and sneakers. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail—a completely unremarkable look.

“Good morning, teacher.”

Their homeroom teacher, Ms. Guan Mengyao, was a newly hired history teacher who had taken over Class 2-A just last year. She’d gotten the job when the original homeroom teacher had gone on maternity leave, so despite her lack of experience, she had to step in.

“Before we start today’s homeroom meeting, I have a piece of good news to share.”

She teased the class with a mischievous smile. A few girls in the front row immediately shouted out guesses.

“We’re going on a fall trip to another city?”
“You got a boyfriend, Miss?”
“……”

Ms. Guan shook her head with a smirk.

“Wrong, all of you. Here’s the real good news: we have a new classmate joining us!”

All eyes turned toward the classroom door.

A girl wearing a brand-new Crescent Moon Academy high school uniform cautiously poked her head in. At the teacher’s signal, she stepped fully into the room and walked up to the podium.

Her hair—was unmistakably pink. More specifically, a shade of vibrant peach-pink.

She stood stiffly at the front of the class, holding a handbag in front of her with both hands. Her eyes scanned the classroom nervously, until finally locking onto someone sitting by the window in the back row. Only then did her expression relax slightly.

“Don’t be nervous. Everyone’s happy to welcome you—right?”

A round of applause filled the room. Many hadn’t even processed what was happening until the teacher said it out loud. Even though the class was all girls, nearly everyone was internally stunned by how unbelievably cute the new student was.

There was no doubt—“beautiful girl” was the only way to describe her.

“H-hello, everyone. My name is Xia Kexin. I-I’m very happy to be your classmate.”

At that moment, Ruolin’s eyes widened.

As soon as the girl named Xia Kexin finished her short self-introduction and got the teacher’s permission, she quickly stepped down from the podium.

When Ruolin saw her walking toward her own desk, an odd tickle surged through her nose. She couldn’t help but sneeze—just as her vintage glasses slipped down her nose.

In the instant she adjusted her glasses, her eyes caught a glimpse of the new transfer student—now just two meters away—surrounded by a strange, eerie mist.

A wave of discomfort washed over her body, and she began to tremble involuntarily.

This feeling… was familiar.

She’d experienced something like it before.

Ruolin turned her head nervously. The pink-haired girl was standing right behind her. When their eyes met, Xia Kexin raised her hand and gave a small wave.

“Hi, I’m Xia Kexin. I-it’s nice to meet you.”