Chapter 1

Du Zhengxuan had just bought a lemon drink from the milk tea shop and was on her way home when she noticed that a new neighbor was moving in across the hall.

The new neighbor had an impressive sense of style—a waistcoat and a crisp white shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing a well-shaped forearm as he carried boxes into his apartment.

Du Zhengxuan couldn't help but steal a few more glances.

She rarely encountered anyone dressed like that in real life, especially in the dead of winter, when such attire could easily lead to hypothermia.

After a quick assessment, she guessed the new neighbor must be a cosplayer instructor, probably moving in right after a convention.

Aside from his outfit, the main clue was his hairstyle—an unmistakably anime-inspired shade of dark orange, meticulously tied back into a small ponytail. The hair looked so natural and well-kept that it hardly seemed like a wig; it appeared almost as if it were his own.

…Could it really be his natural hair?

For a fleeting moment, Du Zhengxuan wondered. Just then, the new neighbor turned his head.

At the instant she saw his face, only one thought filled her mind—

Oh my god, a living deity.

The cosplayer teacher's face was as if chiseled straight out of a manga panel, so flawless it made everyone around seem drawn on a completely different layer. So those descriptions in novels—"sapphire blue eyes," "features sculpted like a statue"—they actually existed in real life?!

Du Zhengxuan was so stunned by his beauty that she gasped.

If this were an anime, the scene would slow down, her eyes would widen, and a sparkling background with blooming roses would appear behind him to emphasize his otherworldly looks.

But this was real life—no slow-motion, no background music.

Du Zhengxuan was so distracted by his handsomeness that she nearly bumped into her door. Then her social anxiety overtook her otaku nature; she didn’t even dare look at him a second time and quickly averted her gaze.

She gave a polite nod, fumbled for her keys, unlocked her door, stepped inside, and locked it in swift succession.

"…"

It wasn’t until the door slammed shut behind her that Du Zhengxuan let out a long breath, feeling so embarrassed she squatted down and held her head.

After a moment to compose herself, she took out her phone and started messaging her friend.

"D: You’ll never guess what I just saw."

"Dragon’s Lament: Was it a Gundam or Gaia?"

"D: …Can you be serious?"

"D: I just saw a god-tier cosplayer—the type that makes you believe a beauty deity has descended, super, super, super—gorgeous!"

"Dragon’s Lament: Cosplayer? Which character?"

"D: I don’t know him. Orange hair, small ponytail."

There was a short pause before her friend sent a picture of a stunning long-haired anime girl.

"Dragon’s Lament: This one?"

"D: No, not Asuna. It was a male character."

"Dragon’s Lament: A guy? Hold on."

"Dragon’s Lament: [Hinata Shoyo.jpg], was it him?"

"D: …"

"D: It’s a guy with a small ponytail! A small ponytail! Orange hair, ponytail, wearing a waistcoat, so devastatingly handsome it’s an affront to gods and men alike!"

"Dragon’s Lament: I think I know who you mean."

"Dragon’s Lament: [Kamui.jpg]"

"Dragon’s Lament: It must be him, right?"

"D: …Are you laughing hysterically on your side of the screen?"

"Dragon’s Lament: Hahahahahaha, how did you know?"

"D: I give up. I won’t let you copy my physics homework tonight."

"Dragon’s Lament: No, no, no!"

"Dragon’s Lament: Let me tell you something you probably haven’t heard yet."

"D: Did you see Gundam or Gaia?"

"Dragon’s Lament: Neither, someone is transferring into our class."

What?

After this flurry of messages, Du Zhengxuan remained in the same position she’d been in since entering the apartment, not even bothering to change her shoes.

She stared at her friend’s latest message, then curiously checked through the peephole. The door across the hall was closed; it seemed her neighbor had finished moving in.

She replied, "Transferring from another class?" Then she put her phone down to change clothes and pack for school.

Du Zhengxuan was a first-year day student at the affiliated high school. Ever since her mother was reassigned to a branch office last year, both her parents worked out of town, leaving Du Zhengxuan to live alone most of the time.

After the New Year, her parents returned to work, and she, like other students, followed the school’s schedule to avoid the Education Bureau’s notice, cramming in extra lessons from the sixth day of the lunar new year until the fourteenth. After Lantern Festival yesterday, she had to pack up and go back for classes that afternoon.

Du Zhengxuan suffered from beginning-of-term anxiety. Staring at her backpack, which was so heavy the straps seemed about to tear, she felt a wave of sorrow.

If only she hadn’t brought so many books home; she hadn’t even opened most of them despite her plans to study during the break. Well, at least she managed to finish her homework on her own—already better than 99% of high schoolers nationwide.

She grabbed her phone from the coffee table, sat on the floor hugging her backpack, and continued scrolling through her messages.

Dragon’s Lament had sent her several updates about the transfer student: not from another class, but an international student from Japan, and apparently, he was good-looking.

The word "international" surprised Du Zhengxuan, and "from Japan" shocked her again. The final note—"he’s handsome"—did little to stir her heart.

It didn’t matter anymore, she thought with serenity. No one could possibly outshine the cosplayer teacher across the hall.

Even though she’d only glimpsed his face once, it already held an unassailable place in her mind. Rumors of a good-looking transfer student no longer interested her.

Still, Du Zhengxuan didn’t doubt the accuracy of the news. In real life, Dragon’s Lament was Long Wan, her classmate known for being exceptionally well-informed.

She always heard about events and holidays before even the teachers did; to this day, Du Zhengxuan had no idea how she got her information.

They sat near each other and shared similar interests, so after one semester together, they’d become close friends.

She replied with a simple "Read," and Long Wan responded instantly:

"Dragon’s Lament: Is that all?"

"Dragon’s Lament: I don’t sense any excitement about the handsome guy [shaking head.jpg]"

"D: My comment is, let’s just look forward to the Qingming holiday."

"Dragon’s Lament: Can’t you have more ambition? It’s the start of term and you’re already thinking about holidays?"

"D: What, you’re not?"

"Dragon’s Lament: …"

"Dragon’s Lament: I am, but I’m telling you, at best we’ll get one day off."

Du Zhengxuan: "…"

Though disappointed, it was no surprise.

She’d already resigned herself to three years of "prison" before high school—well, now it was two and a half. How delightful, truly.

Expressionless, Du Zhengxuan scrolled through her phone a while longer. At lunchtime, she boiled a bag of frozen dumplings, ate, then hoisted her heavy backpack and headed back to school.

As she left, she glanced at the neighbor’s door. It was closed and quiet; perhaps no one was home.

Back at school, she handed in her assignments and settled in for self-study.

High schoolers weren’t as rowdy as elementary students, and since everyone had only been apart for two days, there was no pent-up urge to chat about the break.

The first day back was mostly about adjusting; every class was self-study, students free to work on whatever they wished.

Du Zhengxuan completed four practice tests before heading to dinner with Long Wan. Her friend commented, "Feels like we never even had a break."

Du Zhengxuan agreed—it had been less than a week, and future breaks would only be shorter.

They sighed over a meal of spicy hotpot, then returned for four more evening study periods. By the time the final bell rang just before ten, Du Zhengxuan’s energy was nothing like it had been at noon.

Eager to get home, she donned her full winter armor—hat, scarf, mask, earmuffs—leaving only her eyes exposed. Braving the northern winter night on her bike, she sped through the cold, longing only to wash up and snuggle in bed with her phone.

She took her usual shortcut—not a remote country lane, but a residential community with mostly single-story houses and a web of alleys.

There were few streetlights and, with winter’s chill, almost no one on the streets. The route, though, was rarely used at night, allowing Du Zhengxuan to travel even faster.

She felt as though she was riding a bolt of lightning. Passing an alleyway, she thought she saw something dark flicker past, but assumed it was just someone taking out the trash and didn’t give it another thought.

She raced home, parked her e-bike in the storage room to charge, then tiptoed upstairs, quiet enough not to trigger the voice-activated lights.

Feeling her way through the darkness, she reached her front door. Guided by muscle memory, she fished out her keys with one hand while the other sought the keyhole.

Instead of metal, her fingers touched something cold and smooth.

"—Ah?!"

Startled, Du Zhengxuan’s fatigue vanished. At that moment, the sensor light in the stairwell flicked on.

In its glow, she saw that a gift bag was hanging from her doorknob.

It was about the size of an A4 sheet, the kind sold in boutique shops for gifts. Though common in form, this one looked especially elegant hanging on her door.

She didn’t dare touch it directly, so she squatted down and studied it.

The bag was a delicate blush pink, of fine material that shimmered under the light. Inside, she could see a neatly boxed gift. A subtle fragrance wafted from within; Du Zhengxuan, like a small dog, leaned in to sniff, inhaling a pleasant, gentle scent.

A sticky note was affixed to the bag, its message brief: "Hello, I’m your new neighbor. I look forward to your guidance."

It was signed, "New Neighbor," and dated that afternoon.

Du Zhengxuan guessed he must have come to introduce himself while she was out, and, finding no one home, left the gift on her doorknob.

She glanced at the door across the hall, then at the note, her fondness for the cosplayer teacher soaring.

He even brought a welcome gift for his new neighbors! What a beautiful soul—she was determined to change her Wi-Fi name as a token of gratitude!

Carefully, she brought the gift bag inside, not wanting to disturb her neighbor further. Earlier, she’d noticed their lights were off; he must have gone to bed.

The box inside was exquisitely wrapped. Upon opening it, she found a wind-up music box.

The music box depicted a little girl seated on a tree stump, surrounded by several porcelain-white rabbits. In her hands was a tiny book. When wound up, the pages of the book would slowly turn in time with the melody, a truly delicate design.

Watching the pure white pages flutter like butterflies, Du Zhengxuan could not help but think of other things.

Blank pages, again.