In the academy library hallway, there was only a small group of students scattered among the tables at the back, with open books in front of them and their gaze fixed somewhere between the pages.
No one was paying attention to anything in particular.
No one except a small group of boys near the shelves on the right side, who were talking among themselves louder than was appropriate for a library, but quiet enough that no one bothered to tell them anything.
And no one was paying attention to the girl who stood alone in front of one of the tallest shelves, her arm stretched upward and her fingers barely brushing the spine of a book she couldn't quite reach.
The shelf wasn't too high for anyone else, but for her, who was shorter than the average woman, it was a challenge.
She had long blonde hair, with the tips dyed a soft violet that contrasted well with the rest.
Light blue eyes that seemed to shine in any lack of light. With pale skin.
Her figure was striking even with the uniform on. Her breasts were somewhat large for her build, but what was truly the sexiest part of her was without a doubt her ass, which lifted her skirt in a way that, if you lowered your gaze enough, you could see the sky.
While she tried to reach the book, a voice echoed behind her.
"Hey."
The girl didn't move.
One of the boys from the nearby group had approached, with a particular smile that only showed he wanted to look good in front of his group of friends.
He stood right beside her, first looking at the shelf and then at her.
"Which one do you need? I'll get it for you."
She didn't respond.
"Seriously, it's no problem." The boy continued, with a tone that tried to sound kind, but his nervousness was somewhat noticeable in the face of her silence. "Though honestly, I'm surprised that, being so short, you'd try to grab something that's so clearly out of your reach…"
He said it with a smile, as if what he'd said was the most normal thing in the world. As if there was no intention behind it.
The girl simply lowered her arm slowly and then turned toward him, looking him in the eyes without saying anything.
She just looked at him for a second, with a completely flat expression, and then turned around and walked down the hallway without saying a single word.
The boy stood there with the smile still on his face, and behind him, his friends began to laugh.
- - - -
The girl walked through the side hallways of the library with her arms crossed over her chest.
Her expression had changed the moment she turned her back on the group.
She squeezed her own arm with her fingers, lightly digging them into it as she walked. Her jaw was tight and her eyes carried a thin layer of disgust that she didn't bother to hide at all.
"Piece of shit…" she muttered under her breath, squeezing a little harder.
Who the hell did that piece of trash think he was to talk to her like that. Who had given him permission. That excuse of a man who would never amount to anything, daring to open his mouth in her direction as if he had any right.
She wished him dead in silence, with a hatred and disgust that made it clear this wasn't the first time someone had made her feel this way.
- - - -
Lyan had been wandering between the shelves for several minutes with noticeable dark circles under his eyes, making it clear he hadn't slept at all the night before.
But well, he had brought it on himself by staying up until three in the morning playing that simulator, not caring at the time that he had to wake up early afterward.
It wasn't a good idea, but well.
Now he was in the library, which was one of the few places where that level of exhaustion had an unexpected advantage.
When his brain was this drained, it stopped paying attention to things that would normally worry him, like comments or looks.
All of that dimmed a bit when the only thing he could focus on was staying on his feet.
So he walked sideways down the aisle, his eyes scanning the spines of the books one by one, muttering to himself.
"Where the hell is it…?"
He was looking for an advanced mathematics book, second level, which had to be somewhere in this section, but the shelves weren't organized in any way he could decipher in the state he was in.
He kept moving sideways, reading title after title.
He wasn't paying attention to anything else.
Until he bumped into something, causing it to fall to the floor.
The first thing Lyan heard was the sound of several books hitting the ground, and then, immediately after, a "Kyaaaa!" that froze his blood in his veins before his brain could fully process what had happened.
Lyan froze completely, turning slowly, very slowly, already imagining along the way the different versions of what he might find, none of which were particularly good for him.
What he found was a girl sitting on the floor, with one eye half-closed and an expression of pain and surprise.
With several books scattered around her, some open, others face down.
Her hair was messy, falling over her face from the impact.
The position she had fallen in had made the uniform skirt shift slightly to one side, showing her white panties. Her shirt, on the other hand, had tightened with the fall, clearly outlining the curves of her chest, leaving little to the imagination.
Lyan looked at her face, and at that moment his brain, despite the exhaustion and despite everything, understood who the girl lying on the floor was.
The blonde hair with violet tips and those blue eyes that were now half-closed, but unmistakable.
'Oh, no.'
Sylvaine Holt
One of the five most popular girls in the entire academy. Along with Lyra and the other three, she was one of those people whose name was known in every corner of the school without needing to have seen her up close.
And it wasn't just because of the academy.
Sylvaine Holt belonged to one of the richest families in the country, whose last name appeared on buildings and in the news.
To the point that even teachers chose their words carefully when she was in the classroom.
And he had just knocked her to the ground, and he felt the little sleep he had left in his body disappear all at once.