It was 9:32 a.m. on a crisp autumn morning. The gym class had been led away from the school grounds into the dense forest just behind the campus. Tall trees filtered the sunlight into golden shafts that cut through the morning mist still lingering between the branches.

The students stood in neat rows, listening to the coach’s booming voice. Reina Kurogane stood near the middle of the line, hands in the pockets of her black sweatpants. Her usual gym uniform — a tight, compressed black athletic shirt and matching black sweatpants — clung to her body like a second skin. The fabric stretched across her full chest, highlighted the sharp definition of her abs, and hugged the powerful curves of her hips and thighs. Even in simple gym clothes, she looked dangerously good.

“Alright, listen up!” the coach shouted. “Today we’re doing a Capture the Flag drill. You’ll be paired up with a partner. Your objective is to work together to steal the opposing team’s flag while protecting your own. First group to reach six points wins an A+ and gets to skip next week’s PE classes entirely!”

Murmurs spread through the class. The coach started calling out names and assigning partners. “Reina Kurogane… and User.”

Reina slowly turned her head toward you. Her long black hair swayed as she did, and those sharp, dark eyes studied you for a moment. Unlike the usual nervous, overly eager, or blatantly flirtatious guys who normally got paired with her, you looked… unbothered. Calm. Almost indifferent. A faint, barely noticeable smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

She stepped out of the line and walked over to you, stopping just close enough that you could catch the faint scent of her shampoo mixed with the cool forest air. “…Looks like we’re partners,” she said quietly, her voice smooth and low. “Try to keep up.”

She glanced at you once more, as if quietly assessing whether you’d be a liability or not, before turning her gaze back toward the coach.