Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 1: Seron

There was a blue planet with a very large moon

90 percent of the planet was covered in water, and the poles were covered in ice

There was an oval, potato-shaped continent in the northern hemisphere of that planet

The southern part of the continent was a brown desert But as the latitude increased, the land exploded in a splash of green

There was a inning at the desert The mountains, capped with snow even in the middle of summer, ended abruptly about halfway up the continent The two rivers on either side of thethe ht north and into the sea

There were two nations on the continent, one on either side

In the east was the Roxcheanuk Confederation, also known as Roxche It was made up of 16 countries and territories

In the ere the Allied Kingdoms of Bezel-Iltoa, also known as Sou Be-Il It waswith a handful of small subordinate countries

For eons, the people of the East and West had warred against one another with the Lutoni River between them

In ed alliances, and Roxche and Sou Be-Il were formed almost simultaneously What folloas a cold war, one massive war, and many smaller conflicts

But about 20 years ago, the cold as ended by a certain incident

The threat of another Great War was beginning to fade

The capital of Roxche was the Special Capital District, a region independent of any country within the confederation

It was on the northeastern end of Roxche, very far from the East-West border but also a fair distance from the sea

The Special Capital District was a circular area about 30 kilometers in diameter It had been built when Roxche was first formed

The city center was home to the presidential residence, the Confederation assembly Hall, civic centers, and courthouses Outside the center was a business district croith department stores and hotels Further outside was a residential district full of aparts

And on the outskirts of the Capital District, in the 9:30 direction, was the 4th Capital Secondary School

There had been a village there for over 300 years—since before the founding of Roxche—and when the Capital District began to expand, the village had become a part of it as well

The cas The 3600-square-ys

The 28th day of the sixth month, the year 3305 of the World Calendar

It was on the grounds of the 4th Capital Secondary School Walking with one of the school buildings behind him—

“…”

—the boy felt his breath catch in his throat

He wore green uniform pants and a white shi+rt e with a purple tie

He was neither tall nor short, and had a slender build His long, thin ars made him look even skinnier

His hair was slightly long, and was a shi+rey as the clouds in the sky

And before his eyes was an ordinary summer day

To his right, the stone school building towered solemnly under the blue sky To his left,on the field

Between theates, dohich walked students between the ages of 12 and 18

Students dressed in white button-up shi+rts and green pants or checkered skirts

Because there was a considerable nuates was co and after classes

Airl with bouncing black pigtails She walked alone in the crowd, carrying a leather school bag in her right hand

The moment he spotted her, the boy sed and stopped in his tracks Thebehind him almost crashed into him

Once some of the students behind hiain A little faster than before, ht

By the time he had silently out-walked several people, he was almost side-by-side with her

Several steps later, the boy—clearly nervous, clearly deep in thought—took a deep breath

“Hey there, Meg! Were you on your way to the chorus club?”

The cheerful voice did not belong to the boy

It had coirl na turned with a smile

The two girls walked side-by-side as they chattered excitedly Meg h she had been busy with chorus club duties since the end of finals, she was having very ence

“…”

The boy said nothing His steps grew heavy Eventually, the girls’ voices disappeared into the distance

“Bye, Lillia”

“Bye See you later”

By the tioodbyes, the boy was sitting on a bench by the wide school field, very far away from them

“…”

He was staring blankly into the blindingly blue sky

“I’m hopeless…”

He found hi

The brisk seasonal winds from the north shook his black hair

Girls ere not Meg or Lillia atching the boy froer students in the school, between the ages of 12 and 14

“Look, it’s SC Seron!(1) He’s so handsome!”

“He’s so attractive and popular I wonder why he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

“I wonder what he’s doing by himself”

“He’s probably thinking about so cool!”

The girls chirped and trilled in praise of Seron

He did not hear them

<seron maxwell!=”” you=”” let=”” the=”” chance=”” of=”” a=”” lifetiet=”” away=”” and=”” sulked=”” off=”” with=”” your=”” tail=”” between=”” your=”” legs?=””>

Seron averted his eyes as the voice on the speaker chastised him

The dor at the 4th Capital Secondary School was across the field froe of the campus

Unlike the drab grey concrete of the apartn of the dormitory was a perfect match for the rest of the campus

And on the first floor of that building, next to the lobby with arched ceilings, were rows upon rows of telephone booths

It was a colass, with a chair and a telephone in each box Nearly 30 of them were lined up on the wall by the lobby

Because many students at the secondary school were from well-off families, donations were poured into more and more telephone booths each year to prevent dormitory students—especially the first-years, who left ho too homesick Eventually, the phone booths came to take up an entire wall

As dinnertian to fill with dor up their club activities About half the booths were occupied by students contacting their family and friends

And in one of those booths sat the black-haired boy—Seron Maxwell

Hanging his head slightly, Seron replied feebly into the receiver

“Yeah… I did”

The voice froe

“Yeah, but…”

<you already=”” know=”” that=”” a=”” lot=”” of=”” girls=”” think=”” you’re=”” cool=””>

“Yeah…”

“Thanks, Larry I feel a bit better Friends really are the best” Seron said lethargically The friend named Larry was quick to continue

<so don’t=”” just=”” end=”” it=”” with=”” thanking=”” me=”” that=”” won’t=”” do=”” at=”” all=”” look=”” there=”” are=”” six=”” days=”” until=”” summer=”” break=”” starts=”” if=”” you=”” don’t=”” talk=”” to=”” her=”” before=”” then,=”” you’re=”” going=”” to=”” be=”” sitting=”” on=”” your=”” hands=”” for=”” almost=”” two=”” months=”” does=”” that=”” make=”” sense?=””>

“Yeah, but…”

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“That h”

<why not?=””>

“On the first day of art class, we had an assignment where we had to draw our partner’s face But the mica, I blanked out completely because she was so beautiful I couldn’t talk to her, I couldn’t do anything I couldn’t even move”

<right i=”” guess=”” that’s=”” first=”” love=”” for=”” you=””>

“And after that, Megirl who talked to her today… and they were speaking ue”

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“Megirl She almost never talked to anyone else, and she didn’t even need to”

<i see…=”” and=”” is=”” art=”” class="" finished=”” for=”” the=”” term?=””>

“It ended yesterday, yeah We just have to go get our horades from the teacher”

“Not yet I don’t think Megmica has many female friends I asked around quietly, but…”

<but nothing=”” came=”” up?=””>

“No And the girl I asked asked o out with her, so I turned her down”

<…i expected=”” nothing=”” less=”” from=”” you,=”” seron=”” maxwell=”” i=”” almost=”” want=”” a=”” cut=”” of=”” your=”” popularity=””>

“Larry”

<yeah?>

“You can have it all Just help me”

<…i’d love=”” to=”” help,=”” but…=”” hmica=”” while=”” i’m=”” around…=”” if=”” i=”” at=”” least=”” knew=”” her=”” face…=”” it’s=”” not=”” like=”” we=”” can=”” take=”” photos=”” of=”” her=”” in=”” secret=””>

“Then we just have to rely on luck… Or is it hopeless after all? Do I give in?”

<no, seron=”” don’t=”” feel=”” down=”” life=”” has=”” ups=”” and=”” downs!=”” no=”” cannon=”” fires=”” without=”” recoil!=””>

“Thanks, Larry I wonder whenup”

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The 4th day of the seventh month

Seron Maxalked out the gates alone

At his feet was a large leather suitcase

He was not wearing his uniform, but brown pants with suspenders and a white shi+rt, along with a light black jacket Though neither his clothes nor his luggage ht recognize how expensive they were

The weather was lovely There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and Roxche’s characteristic seasonal winds swept cool, dry air into the city

It was just between afternoon and evening

The end-of-classes cere The students were quick to rush outside to finally enjoy their suates, packed with cars there to pick theone quiet

The other dors as soon as they returned to their rooms, and immediately rushed off on school-hired buses or taxis to train stations

Only Seron, as scheduled to take a night train, remained at the dormitories It was practically tradition at this point, one he had observed at the beginning of every long school break Some of the dormitory students even joked that the term did not officially end until Seron departed

All alone, silent, Seron dragged his suitcase out the gates

He passed the security office and crossed the e up the students—and went out to the street

Seron flagged down a black taxi

“Capital West Station” He said tersely and quietly, and took the back seat

The driver stowed Seron’s suitcase in the trunk and returned to his seat, then started the car

Seron’s grey eyes reflected the deserted school

“…”

The ie disappeared into the distance

Traffic was not particularly remarkable Seron arrived at Capital West Station without incident

He paid and tipped the driver, then called a station porter When the porter saw the generous tip Seron handed him, he bowed and led Seron into the crowded station

Capital West Station was the biggest train station in the Capital District There were over ten platforlass dome

First, Seron went to the station shop and picked up a box of crisps that were only sold in the Capital District He put the box in his suitcase, then boarded the long-distance sleeper train that was pulled by a steam locomotive

Seron was in a sleeper cabin in first class—and was using a two-passenger cabin alone to boot, having paid double the fare The sky was still bright when the train slowly departed the capital