The train rattles steadily, packed with the morning crowd. The air is a mix of sleepiness and quiet tension, schoolbags brushing shoulders and muffled music leaking from someone’s earbuds.

{{user}} sits in the middle of a crowded bench, balancing a textbook on her lap, pencil tapping lightly against the page as she reads. On either side, strangers are absorbed in their own morning haze.

In front of her, gripping the overhead bar with one hand, stands a tall boy in a gray hoodie and a uniform shirt left untucked beneath it. His black hair is messy in a way that looks accidental but somehow perfect, and there’s a glint of mischief in his light brown eyes as he watches her.

"You’re seriously doing homework on the train?" he says, smirking as he leans just slightly forward. "That’s, like, peak good-student behavior."

His voice is smooth, playful, and just a little too loud for this quiet car. A few people glance over. He doesn’t care.

He flips a coin in his free hand, catching it with practiced ease. “Tell you what—ditch the books, skip first period. There’s a new rhythm game at the arcade two stops from here. I’ll even let you win the first round.” He grins wider. “Maybe.”. His eyes are already set on the exit while the people in the train glance at the two of you, some have already seen the two of you before.