So this was the notorious male idol training school, Yumenosaki Private Academy.

Thanks to her trendy (former) schoolmates, Haruki managed to gather a lot of compelling information about this school. The Idol Department, in particular, appealed to her. The fact that such a sector even existed and was considered a proper curriculum was a huge mindblower.

Back then, she would occasionally stay on and watch some no-name idols perform in the underground live house she used to frequent, having no particular interest in them except to kill some of the ample time she had in her hands.

While she knew a thing or two about certain performing arts education, idols were something she had never directly meddled in before—it being the reason why she was standing in front of Yumenosaki Academy's gate that day. But before she could do just that, she had to think of a way to actually enter the school first.

"Sir, I know your job is difficult and I absolutely admire your dedication and strictness, but it would be even more admirable if you could at least get someone from the administration to verify my identity."

"Nice try, kiddo, but I've worked as a security guard at this school for more than fifteen years. I have all the tricks inside my noggin. Just give it up, aight? The transfer student came by not too long ago. As for the student ID and admission letter, anyone could forge 'em these days," the guard turned her down once again.

It took Haruki all her willpower to suppress a nasty eye-roll. However, she did agree with his last sentence—it is easy to forge a lot of documents these days. The only problem was that both her student ID and admission letter were legitimately authorized by the chairman of the school himself and not at all forged.

She could always whip out her minuscule experience from track and field and pole vault the fence. It couldn't be all that different from high jumping, right? Just add a pole to it and voila! Unfortunately, she received strict orders to not cause any unnecessary trouble in Yumenosaki Academy like she recurrently did in her previous schools. Whether she chose to adhere to them very much depended on her mood.

Haruki wiped the sulky expression off her face and went back to the situation at hand. Now, how in the world was she supposed to prove herself to be a student if the guard wouldn't even give her a chance?

As much as she was tempted to say "Fuck it" and go wander off to some other place, she had already gone through enough trouble just to be here. It took several debates and a contract for her to be able to stand in front of this school, and to think that he was so confident the other girl wasn't the impostor was almost laughable.

"My, my... What do we have here? What is a lost little daffodil doing skulking out here in the cold?"

Turning over her shoulder, Haruki's eyes landed on a tall, beautiful young man with wavy black hair cascading just a couple inches past his shoulders standing a few steps behind her. He had ruby-red eyes, which held a mixture of mischief and inquisitiveness as they studied her. It was apparent that he was a student of the academy, taking his uniform into consideration.

"Sorry, were you referring to me?" she asked for confirmation.

"Indeed I was." The handsome lad curled his lips into a closed-eye smile.

"I don't think I've ever seen you around school before. Could it be that you are... the rumored female transfer student everyone has been so frenetically prattling on about?" he asked. "By the looks of it, you are her. It is truly a wonder how you managed to acquire yourself a cute little fan club before even setting foot on school grounds."

Haruki's eyes narrowed suspiciously despite the confident smile resting on her calm visage, but before she got to respond to any of his anomalous claims, the security guard came forcing himself back into the picture, this time wearing a laid-back smile.

"Sakuma Rei, g'morning," he greeted the male student she was previously speaking to.

"Good morning to you as well. Now, may I ask you why this young lady is standing idly all by herself out here in this still cold weather? She couldn't be an additional mannequin the school purchased for the Handicraft Club, could she?"

"Now that you say that, she does look like one of those dolls." The security guard let out an obnoxious guffaw before promptly recovering. "See, little missy over here's saying she's a transfer student. Funny thing is, there's already been another girl just a tad earlier than her, claiming to be a transfer student. We didn't get any word from the higher-ups, so I can't let this one in. It's dangerous. Could be one of those crazy fangirls again, y'know?"

Haruki yelled out a forbidden vocabulary inside her head while maintaining a mask of composure—maybe if someone were to pay close enough attention, they would notice her eyelid twitching out of distaste in reaction to his very, very false accusation.

Did she really give off the same impression as a Japanese version of a sasaeng fan? Did she look mentally unsound? Maybe it was the lack of sleep...

"Kukkukku, I see that you have misunderstood the situation. It is a shame that the administrators failed to communicate such an important piece information effectively, but Yumenosaki Academy is actually expecting two female transfer students—both of whom shall be admitted to the newly established Producer Course."

"Well, why didn'tcha say so earlier! Come on in, kiddo. You two better get inside quick, it's chilly out here. I'm gonna go back inside the guard house, too," the sentry urged before walking off.

Haruki only managed to raise her eyebrows, feeling disappointment both in herself and the security guard, but decided to shrug the mishap off and get her registration process over and done with.

Befriending the security guards is indeed one clever way to get one's way with things others usually struggle with. It just couldn't be helped that she was new. Also, it would be wise to pick up a trick or two from this Sakuma Rei person—judging by others' shifts in behavior while in his presence, he seemed to be someone highly respected despite his oddly archaic style of speaking.

Keeping him under close observation would likely come in handy.

As the two students made their way into the courtyard, Haruki subtly let her inquisitive eyes wander around the school compound—from the vast landscapes to its nooks and crannies—all the while mentally criticizing every little thing within her mind. It is crucial to always be aware of the atmosphere of an unfamiliar territory and adapt to its changes. Otherwise, prepare to be shunned.

It was a strange feeling; seeing herself being surrounded by mostly male students. Please, enlighten me. Who in their right mind thought it was genius to throw a girl or two into a sea of hormonal teenage boys? the female grumbled inwardly until she suddenly remembered one trivial thing.

"Why daffodil?"

She heard the male hum quizzically and decided to repeat her question with added context. "Out all the flowers in the world, why did you call me a daffodil?"

"Those stud earrings you are wearing. Are they not daffodils?" Rei casually pointed out as he observed the seemingly pensive girl from the corner of his vision.

Upon the mention of it, her slender fingers instinctively reached up to touch the miniature piece of jewelry on her earlobe. A blank look remained on her face as her hand fell back to her side.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. They're actually narcissi," she replied seriously, causing Rei to blink in bewilderment.

His disappointing reaction caused her to sigh.

"The daffodil is a subgenera of narcissus..."

"Ah, so that's what it is! You got me there."

"Yeah..." she replied curtly. "But honestly, who even knows what flowers these are. I'm only wearing them because they're the only matching pair I could find within five seconds."

"Something tells me you are not very good at organizing your possessions—not that I am implying I'm any better," said Rei before inclining his head to acknowledge yet another fellow student's greeting.

"Young lady, are you familiar with the language of flowers?" he suddenly asked.

A faint smile made its way onto the girl's lips. "No. Not at all," she lied.

"There is no helping it, then. Allow me to share my wisdom," the male offered with mild enthusiasm.

"'The daffodil's primary symbolism is that of new beginnings, rebirth, and the coming of spring. It could also hold meanings such as inspiration, memory, and forgiveness'... is what Hibiki-kun once told me. Despite it being a coincidence, you still managed to choose a very fitting accessory, don't you think?"

"Do you honestly remember his words that pristinely? But as you said, it's just a coincidence. It really isn't that deep..." Haruki dully waved him off. "Nonetheless, that's an interesting thing to know. I suppose it is true when people say you learn something new every day. Thank you for sharing, Sakuma Rei-kun."

"Just Sakuma is fine," Rei insisted with a smile. "Life has a multitude of secrets that could be hidden in plain sight. No one essentially knows what could be the next thing the universe has in store for them that could change their life. When you've lived long enough like an old man such as myself, you begin to notice things youngsters usually overlook."

The female's eyebrows slightly furrowed as she attempted to make sense of his cryptic message, which she unsurprisingly failed to do.

"Well then, we have reached your stop. I look forward to see you again very soon, young lady."