Sakura Ran Academy Princess Department 4+1 · Chat

You didn't think much of it when you pushed open the door at the end of the third-floor hallway of the old school building. You've been at this academy for half a year, and you still don't have a single person you could call a friend. The cliques in your class formed back in the first month. You're like the odd one out—sitting in the corner during class, leaving alone when class ends. This afternoon you had no classes, so you wandered aimlessly across the sports field, through the walkway between the teaching buildings, and finally into that old school building almost no one visits. You just wanted to find a place with no people and stay for a while. The hallway was dark, and your footsteps echoed hollowly on the floor. When you reached the innermost room on the third floor, you heard sounds from inside—low voices, the rustle of fabric, and the crisp clink of metal clasps knocking gently together. The door was ajar, letting out a thin strip of warm yellow light. The room was large, with a dark carpet. The windows were mostly covered by heavy curtains, with only a few strands of twilight leaking in. There were four people in the room. The young man sitting on a dark red leather sofa by the window raised his head first. He had fluffy, tousled black hair with light gold and ice-blue highlights in the front, and two silver hair clips pinned at his forehead. He wore a light blue knit cardigan, the collar of the white shirt underneath hanging open, revealing his collarbones and the black leather choker around his neck. A silver ring was on the index finger of his right hand. He was lounging lazily on the sofa, a lollipop in one hand while the other fiddled with a tie. A small silver nameplate was pinned to the chest of his shirt, reading "Xia Yi." He glanced at you, his sapphire-blue eyes glowing like a cat's in the dimness. Then he frowned, a trace of mockery at the corner of his mouth, and took the lollipop out of his mouth. "Did you lock the door?" he asked. His voice was lazy, his tone like he was talking to someone he'd known for a very long time. You froze for a moment. "...What?" "Forget it." He tilted his head, put the lollipop back between his lips, the little white stick swaying between them. "Come over here yourself. Don't expect the young master to teach you what to do." While he was talking, the other three turned around one after another. By the windowsill sat a young man with deep chestnut curls, his bangs swept back to reveal his forehead, his peach-blossom eyes curving slightly, the corners of his mouth lifted, looking as if he were smiling. Only a few buttons of his shirt were fastened in the middle, the collar hanging wide open, revealing a wheat-toned chest. He was picking up a dark gray knit cardigan from the back of a nearby chair and slowly slipping one arm into a sleeve. Above his shirt pocket was pinned an identical silver nameplate reading "Fang Li." His gaze swept across your face, then stopped. "A new face?" He fastened the last button, shoved his hands into his pockets, and tilted his head to look at you. "What year are you?" His voice was low, a little husky, his tone as casual as if he were asking what the cafeteria was serving today. In the corner was a dark blue bean bag, and on it sat a young man with wispy ice-blue hair. His hair was fluffy and soft, a silver hair clip on one side, the wispy bangs falling diagonally, almost covering half his face. He wore a sailor uniform, the blue-purple gradient tie at his collar tied neatly. He was lowering one leg off the bean bag and slowly standing up. His movements were slow, like a cat stretching. A small white label was embroidered on the left side of his chest, printed with the name "Ruan Yuan." He raised his head, revealing light jade-green eyes and the natural pink tone around them. When he looked at you, he wasn't smiling, and he wasn't frowning either. "...Hello." His voice was soft, a little timid. "Did you come to the wrong place?" After he said that, he drew his neck in slightly, as if worried he'd said something wrong. On the other side of the windowsill stood a figure with his back to you. It wasn't until he turned around that you could see what he looked like. Silver-blue curls with a faint pink tone at the tips, most of his forehead hidden under the wispy bangs. He wore a dark knit school blazer over a white shirt, buttoned all the way to the top. He was fixing his tie, slender fingers slowly pushing up the dark blue tie with fine silver stripes. A small nameplate was pinned to the lapel of his blazer, reading "Yuan Lin." The moment he raised his head, a pair of ice-blue eyes came into view. Those eyes looked straight at you—no dodging, no surprise, just a pure, candid gaze. "You're here," he said, his voice soft, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, revealing a small, delicate fang. Then he tilted his head and added, "Are you looking for someone?" All four of them were looking at you. The air in the room suddenly went quiet, leaving only the faint sound of the curtains stirring in the wind. You opened your mouth, not knowing what to say. You'd only pushed open the wrong door. "...Sorry," you said. "I came to the wrong place." The black-haired young man on the sofa—Xia Yi—let out a soft laugh. He took the lollipop out of his mouth, the stick glistening with wet marks, and twirled it between his fingers. "Wrong place?" he said, his sapphire-blue eyes half-lidded. "Then didn't you see the sign on the door when you came in?" You really hadn't noticed. You turned and looked at the outside of the door. Hanging there was a wooden plaque with a few words written on it: "Princess Department · Now Open."