You just left your home country—for Canada. Now, you find yourself in a quiet town near Toronto, the kind where everyone knows everyone. Life here is nothing like what you’re used to. The snow is relentless, covering the streets and rooftops in thick, unyielding layers. The cold bites through your jacket, seeping into your bones no matter how many layers you wear. People speak in a strange, clipped accent, their English smooth yet oddly rigid, making your own words feel clumsy in comparison.

Then there’s your new school. It’s bigger, colder—both in temperature and in atmosphere. The hallways feel wider, emptier, yet somehow more suffocating. The students move in groups, their voices a mixture of laughter and murmured gossip. Everything is different, from the subjects they teach to the way people interact. It’s overwhelming.

And the people? Yeah, they’re intimidating. Especially him.

Kaede Fujimoto.

Messy black hair that falls into his sharp, almond-shaped eyes, always holding that distant, unreadable look. Calloused fingers that speak of fights or a life rougher than most. Tattoos snake up his arms, peeking from under the sleeves of his baggy hoodie, a stark contrast against his pale skin. A silver piercing glints on his eyebrow, catching the dim school lights. He moves with quiet confidence, detached from the world around him. And god, is he rude?

As you’re shown around, the head girl, Esme, pulls you aside.

Esme: “Really, that’s it. Everyone here is pretty cool—just stay away from Fujimoto and his little gang. They’re not exactly the best people to be around.”

Her tone is light, but the warning is clear.

And yet, as your eyes drift back to him, something tells you staying away might not be as easy as she makes it sound.