Cote | Alternative Universe.

『Chapter 1 - Introduction』

"Wait!"

The instant I tried to take my first step, someone called out to me. Looking behind, I saw a long black haired girl who'd sat next to me on the bus.

"You were looking at me. Why?" she inquired.

"It's quite simple, really," I replied, approaching her. I then gestured to the book in her hand. "Firstly, the title caught my eye."

"And?" She prompted me to continue.

"It's considered a masterpiece in Russian literature, challenging to understand. Your choice reflects both your taste in books and, to some extent, your academic prowess." I explained. She nodded impatiently, as if saying, 'I understood that part already.' 

Finding that further explanation is unneeded, I continued. "And then, there was your presence. You stood out in the crowd—in a good way of course." Noticing that she was about to respond aggressively, I quickly added the last part. She nodded. This time, accepting my statements.

"The indifference toward others, evident by the accident moments ago, coupled with the aura around you, suggested an aloof person exuding high confidence and self-esteem, which might be seen as arrogance, or even superiority complex, if not backed by the ability to uphold them. That's why I was staring."

I could feel that she wasn't expecting any of this just by observing her eyes. I refrained from delving into the drawbacks of deliberate isolation to avoid unnecessary troubles. I still plan to go around as a person who dislike troubles.

"Who do you think you are to evaluate me? You are nowhere near my level. Don't even dare to look down on me." And with that, she proceeded to walk away in silence. Meanwhile, I just stood there, pondering my identity. That question made me think hard, I had to give her that. At the very least, she did something.

But back to her question. The answer was, I didn't know. I had received many names, acquired different titles, and yet, none of them represented the real me.

Ultimately, even I didn't know everything.

However, I certainly knew one thing—I was undeniably superior.

■■■

I disliked the entrance ceremony, and probably many first-year students felt the same.

Therefore, I didn't find any reason to go there. Well, it was probably no different than an ordinary school. It could be considered as an unexpected move coming from someone who just said he disliked trouble, but everyone should know that I lie sometimes, right? 

Alright, I confess. It may be a bit more than "sometimes," but you get the idea.

Anyway, because I couldn't receive my keys at the moment, I explored the most important areas of the campus, which spread over more than 600,000 square meters. Thanks to my detailed exploration, I discovered a couple of interesting things. The campus came equipped with many excellent facilities. With its own karaoke spot, theatre, cafe, boutique, and more. You could easily compare this school to a small city.

However, the most interesting thing was the excessive number of cameras which were almost everywhere.

I explored various places on the campus, making sure not to miss anything of high significance. Looking at the clock on the wall, I decided that it was about the time. As I was about to return to class, a student on a public bench caught my attention. A beautiful girl sat with a proud and graceful posture, possessing red eyes and silver hair. There shouldn't be any students around, so it could be that she was a 2nd or 3rd year student. Or she, just like me, escaped the ceremony. A bit curious, I joined her on the bench.

I sat down next to her, without saying anything. She glanced at me briefly, then returned to her book. She seemed to be reading something about quantum physics. I found myself wondering what kind of person she was, and why she was here.

"Hello," I said, breaking the silence. "What are you reading?"

She looked at me again, this time with a hint of annoyance. "None of your business," she said coldly.

"We're both students here, right? We should get along."

She snorted. "Speak for yourself. I don't need to get along with anyone. Especially not with someone like you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Someone like me? What do you mean by that?"

She closed her book and faced me. Her red eyes were piercing. "You think you're so smart, don't you? You think you can judge people by their appearance, their choices, and their actions. You think you know everything. But you don't. You're just a conceited, arrogant, ignorant fool."

I was taken aback by her harsh words. I didn't expect her to be so hostile. I wondered what I did to offend her. "Wow, that's quite a mouthful. Did I do something to upset you?"

She scoffed. "Don't play dumb. You know exactly what you did. You insulted me. You insulted my book. You insulted my intelligence."

"How did I do that? I was just curious about what you were reading. I didn't mean to insult you."

She shook her head. "You don't get it, do you? You think you're being polite, but you're actually being rude. You think you're being curious, but you're being nosy. You think you're being friendly, but you're being intrusive. You don't respect my privacy, my boundaries, my preferences. You don't respect me."

I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I came off as disrespectful. I didn't intend to. I just wanted to talk to you. Is that so wrong?"

She nodded. "Yes, it is. Because you don't have any right to talk to me. You don't have any reason to talk to me. You don't have any interest in talking to me. You're just bored. You're just looking for some entertainment. You're just using me as a distraction."

I shook my head. "That's not true. I'm not bored. I'm not looking for entertainment. I'm not using you as a distraction. I'm genuinely interested."

She snickered. "You're lying. You're not interested in me. You're interested in yourself. You want to know more about me, so you can feel superior to me. You want to understand me, so you can manipulate me. You want to connect with me, so you can control me. You're not looking for a conversation. You're looking for a conquest."

I was speechless. She had completely, single-handedly twisted both my words and intentions, and my feelings. She had made me out to be a monster and rejected me before I even had a chance to show her who I really was.

I wanted to argue with her, to defend myself, to prove her wrong—even though she wasn't. But I knew it was useless.

She had already made up her mind about me. Her heart was closed, and no amount of efforts can change that. I stood up and looked at her one last time. All I saw was indifference, contempt, and disdain. I turned around and walked away. I left her alone; reading her book on that bench.