---

Kael-X strolled through the school courtyard, the hood of his orange sweatshirt casting shadows over his face. He was silent, but his senses weren't. Every heartbeat around him pulsed like a drum in his head, every whisper rippled in his mind like water vibrations.

He didn't need to look to know what the students were saying about him.

"Who is he?"

"Why's he covering his face?"

"Is he a gangster or something?"

"He's with Maya, no way!"

But beneath the mixture of curiosity and awe, Kael caught something sharper—something bitter. A wave of jealousy flared from the left corner of the courtyard, distinct and strong enough to burn.

Kael froze mid-step. His lips curled into an amused smirk. Jealousy? Of me? He tilted his head slowly, like a predator tracking prey. His gaze locked with the source.

There, leaning against a wall, arms folded tightly across his chest, was a boy. His expression was deceptively neutral, but Kael didn't need expressions. His senses pierced through the boy's facade, straight into the jealousy boiling inside.

Kael chuckled under his breath. Damn, who did I offend already?

He tapped Maya's shoulder, his voice teasing. "Hey, who's that? Yah boyfriend?"

Maya turned her head toward the corner Kael pointed to. Her eyes landed on Deric, tall and broad-shouldered, his school uniform crisp, his hair neatly brushed back. His dark eyes, however, were glued to Kael like knives.

Maya's eyes widened briefly. "Deric…" she muttered, then quickly pulled her hand off Kael's sleeve. Without another word, she abandoned him and hurried toward Deric, leaving Kael standing alone.

Kael sighed, shaking his head. "Figures." He shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket and walked off on his own. Augustus, his AI companion, immediately began feeding him digital overlays of the school—routes, building structures, and classrooms. By the time Kael reached the hallway, he had mapped out the entire school in his head.

And somewhere along the way, he had acquired a school bag. Not bought, not borrowed. Stolen.

He wore it slung casually over one shoulder, walking as if it belonged to him.

---

Meanwhile, Maya reached Deric, who didn't bother hiding the storm in his eyes.

"Who is that guy?" Deric's voice was sharp, his jaw clenched. "Why was he walking beside you? Why did you come with him?"

A faint smile tugged at Maya's lips. She leaned in close, her fingers brushing against his cheek. "Awwnnn… Don't tell me you're jealous."

Deric's eyes flickered, his expression betraying him. "I'm not jealous. I'm just… cautious. He looks like trouble."

"He's my younger cousin," Maya said smoothly, patting his cheek. "He just came from the States. He's living with us now."

Deric blinked, surprised. "From the States? Then why here of all places? Don't tell me he got into trouble."

Maya smirked. "No. Just… family issues. Nothing major."

Deric narrowed his eyes, suspicion lingering, but he nodded reluctantly. Still, his gaze drifted back to Kael's disappearing figure. Something about that hooded boy screamed danger.

And Deric had no idea how right he was.

---

As summarised by Maya earlier, he have to go to the registrar's office to register and fuck off to the class.... That was what Maya said.

Later, Kael stood before a door with bold letters: REGISTRAR'S OFFICE.

Inside, a woman's voice rang out. "Come in."

Kael pushed the door open, stepping in with his usual indifferent stride. His hood was still up, shadowing his face.

The registrar, a middle-aged woman with round glasses perched on her nose, didn't even glance up at first. Papers were stacked across her desk, and she flipped through them with sharp efficiency. "You're the new boy with Maya, right? Good, no time to waste. Let's get you registered. Your name?"

Her words spilled out rapidly, practiced from years of dealing with students.

Kael's lips curved slightly. "Kael. Kael Hemsworth."

The registrar scribbled the name quickly. "Alright, Mr. Hemsworth. You'll need to fill out this form." She slid a sheet of paper across the desk toward him. "Name, age, nationality, all of it. And paste your passport photograph here."

Kael picked up the form, sat down, and scribbled without hesitation. His handwriting was clean, sharp, almost mechanical. Within minutes, he slid the completed form back across the desk.

The registrar adjusted her glasses and skimmed the sheet. Everything looked in order—name, age, nationality, even his parents' names. But when her eyes fell on the attached passport photograph, her breath caught.

Her pen clattered to the desk.

The photo was strange. The figure in the picture had hair covered his eyes.

The registrar blinked rapidly, rubbed her eyes, and looked again. The picture didn't change.

"You… you submitted this?" she stammered.

Kael tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Is there a problem?"

The registrar's face twisted in disbelief. "Of course there's a problem! Your photo—there's no face! How can I register a student with no identifiable face?"

Kael leaned back in his chair, his smirk barely visible beneath the hood. "Maybe my face doesn't like being captured by human technology."

The registrar's hand trembled as she grabbed the photo again. "This… this is unacceptable! You need to take a proper picture—"

Suddenly, the overhead light flickered. The room grew tense, the atmosphere heavy. Kael hadn't moved, yet an unseen pressure radiated from him, subtle enough not to crush, strong enough to unsettle.

"Proper picture, huh?" he murmured. His voice was calm, but the weight behind it made the registrar's throat dry. "Do I really need one?"

The registrar swallowed hard, her heart pounding. She wanted to yell, to insist on rules, but the intensity in his hooded gaze pinned her down like prey. For a brief second, she swore she saw shadows ripple beneath his hood, twisting unnaturally.

Her voice cracked. "J-Just… just take this to the principal later. He'll decide." She shoved the documents back at him with shaky hands, desperate to be rid of him.

Kael chuckled softly, collecting the papers. "Thank you" He stood, turning toward the door. Just before leaving, he glanced over his shoulder. "You humans really worry too much about faces."

The registrar shivered, clutching her pen tightly as the door closed behind him. For the rest of the day, she couldn't shake the image of that faceless photograph from her mind.

---

Back in the hallway, Kael swung the bag he had stolen onto his shoulder, his lips curving into a smirk. This school might actually be interesting.

And as he made his way toward his new classroom, whisp

ers followed in his wake.

The hooded boy had arrived—and Red City High would never be the same again.

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