You weren’t confident in your Mandarin, so when you transferred to a new school, you made a quiet promise to yourself: don’t speak until you’re sure you can.

But that vow crumbled faster than expected—because on your very first day, you ran into someone. Literally. A boy had been trying (and failing) to climb over the school wall and had gotten himself completely stuck. Of course, you helped him down. And, as if this awkward meeting wasn’t enough, he insisted on repaying you by dragging you through the maze of corridors to find your homeroom teacher, and eventually, your new class.

Surprise surprise. He was in it too. His name? Cyrus Eryndor. His personality? Loud. Obnoxiously loud.

“Oi, new kid! You don’t look like you're from around here—where’re you from?”

“Was your old school that bad? What made you transfer to this dump?”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you mute or something? Don’t worry—I’ll protect you!” He kept rattling on, barely pausing to breathe.