It was a summer afternoon. I was walking along the lakeside with my favorite flavor of ice-cream in my hand. I was heading home, wondering which games to play and that's when I heard a strange sound coming from the water. Being curious, I stepped closer.
The lake shimmered with an unnatural golden light—far too bright for that hour. And there—on the shore—lay a girl, motionless, as if she had been washed in by the water. She wore a red dress unlike anything I had seen before, delicate and oddly out of place.
There was something about her presence that didn't feel normal.
Her black hair spread across the ground, slender figure draped in a soaked red dress, her face half hidden in the glow of the golden light. For a moment, I could only stare.
But I snapped out of it and rushed to her.
"Um… Hey, can you hear me?"
A cold unease crept my spine as I got no response from her. I knelt beside her and checked her pulse. She was alive… but barely responsive. Wasting no more time, I carefully lifted her and pulled her away from the water before calling an Ambulance.
From the moment she regained consciousness, the entire hospital was thrown into chaos. She didn't react like a normal patient at all. The first thing she did was yank off the saline tube from her arm. When the nurses rushed to stop her, she snapped at them accusing them of kidnapping and treason.
At first, I thought she was just some spoiled rich kid throwing tantrums. But the more I watched, the more it felt off. It wasn't just Arrogance… She genuinely seemed confused and scared, like someone who had never seen a fluorescent light or an air conditioner before in their life. Every small thing — the IV drip, the electronic displays, even the nurses' uniforms — made her flinch or freeze.
The doctors suspected a possible head injury. as it may explain her abnormal behavior, but there was no clear identification, no record, nothing to confirm who she was or where she came from.
I stepped out into the hallway to think. That's when I noticed my phone. Seven missed calls. All from my parents. I frowned — they almost never called this frequently. I was about to call them but....
"Mr. Ishida Moroboshi", a soft sound came from behind.
"Yes"
I turned back to find that a nurse was calling me.
"The doctor wants to talk to you"
"okay" I replied.
The doctor informed me that she couldn't tell anything relevant except her name and they planned to discharge her tomorrow
With no option left, I called my parents and explained everything about the lake, the girl, and the hospital chaos. There was a pause on the other end. Then, instead of the concern I expected—
"Does she seem disoriented? Like she doesn't recognize everyday objects?"
I blinked. "...Yeah, actually. How did you—"
"Does she speak normally? Same language, no accent issues?"
"Mom, what's going on?"
Another pause. Then, almost to herself — "So something did come through."
For some reason, they sounded unusually interested in the matter. Almost… excited. They didn't explain everything yet, but they insisted I take responsibility for her for the time being. Something in their tone told me the explanation was coming — and that I probably wasn't going to like it.
I knew this was a terrible idea… but I didn't even have a better solution. She couldn't tell anything important except her name Lisara Nakashima, and the hospital wasn't willing to keep her longer without proper information. So, in the end, I took her home.
Living alone had its advantages. My parents worked at a research facility abroad and only visited once a year, leaving me with more space—and freedom—than I probably needed. But even then, I never imagined I'd end up bringing a complete stranger into my house, let alone a girl of my age.
Looking back at it, it was the moment everything started to change.
Getting her home was its own ordeal. She refused to get into the taxi until I explained what it was. Then she spent the entire ride gripping the door handle and staring out the window like the city itself was threatening her. By the time we reached my front door, I was already exhausted.
I barely set my bag down before something felt wrong.
I turned to check on her—
And there she was sprinting towards the TV— eyes wide; arm pulled back.
"Stop it! Or you'll break it dumbass!"
I grabbed her by the waist and yanked her back just in time...
"That noise — it came from that box!", she snapped, pointing at the doorbell panel.
"Don't run like that. That's not an alarm, that's a freakin' doorbell, probably the neighbors came to check on me".
She stared at it with visible suspicion, unconvinced.
I let out a slow breath.
That was barely five minutes after she'd declared war on the microwave for "stealing her food." She had hit it three times before I managed to explain what a timer was. She didn't fully believe me even then.
I ran a hand through my hair, staring at the ceiling.
"*sigh* What am I supposed to do with her…?"
Later that night.
"Is this even food for humans?", She demanded, pushing the plate away without tasting it.
"I am royalty, I eat food far better than this."
"You didn't even taste the food. How can you say it's bad. Also, I only had ingredients for this only."
"And you broke the microwave, so I can't even heat up the leftovers"
She looked at the plate like it had insulted her existence.
"It looks plain. I refuse to eat something like this. Go make me something else", she said in a commanding voice.
"I told you, I can't", I replied, but it came out a bit sharp.
For a moment, she froze. Then reluctantly, she picked up a small bite and tasted it. I wasn't exactly a chef, but after living alone for almost five years, I could at least manage some basic meals.
"at least…it's not terrible", She said with a calm expression.
I leaned back slightly.
"I'll take that as a compliment", I said with a proud face.
She continued eating—slowly, cautiously—as if expecting the food to betray her at any moment. For the first time since she arrived, things were… quiet. And yet, that only made it stranger. Even now, the way she looked at everything… it was like she had never seen this world before.
"Well… come on, I will show you your room.", She followed me upstairs, glancing around with suspicion at everything- the lights, the walls, even the door handles.
"This is where you'll sleep," I said, pointing to the bed.
She frowned, "Why is it so… Soft?"
"Well, it's Normal.", She didn't look convinced.
I let out a sigh. "Just stay here for the night, alright?"
She didn't answer, only looked around the room as if trying to understand it.
It had been a long day…
The Sound of my alarm dragged me out of sleep. I tried to open my eyes, but the bright ray of light coming from the gap in the curtains forced them to close again. Groaning, I turned slightly—and froze. I felt something soft in my arms. Confused, I opened my eyes. She was lying right next to me. For a second, my mind went completely blank.
Wait… wasn't she supposed to be in the other room?
Her clothes were loosened and her sleeping face looked worry-free unlike yesterday.
I felt a sense of relief, then it hit me again.
"WHY ARE YOU IN MY BED?!"
My shout jolted her awake. She blinked lazily, glancing at me, then at herself.
A second passed. Then—
"You insolent fool!"
THUD
Her fist connected with my face, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor. I groaned, clutching my head. While she was glaring at me.
"How dare you try to take advantage of me while I was asleep!"
"I did NOTHING!" I snapped back, still dazed. "You're the one who came here in the first place!", She Paused. A faint crease formed on her brow as if she was trying to remember something.
"…I merely chose a more suitable place to rest," she said, turning her face away.
Yeah, Sure.
She definitely got scared of something…
But Before I could argue further—My phone rang.
I jumbled to pick up my phone before she could say anything.
It was a call from my parents. They sounded…oddly energetic. After a brief exchange, their tone shifted, and they finally explained.
The experiment…The failure…And the anomaly. Apparently, during their last test, something went wrong. A temporary rift had opened—connecting two different timelines They told me they had detected unusual energy waves near my area right after it happened… but they weren't sure if anything had crossed over. And somehow…
She had come through it.
It hit me like a rock.
"WHAAAAT!... So, you are telling me she is actually from a different time", I Shouted in shock so hard I must have waken some neighbors.
"Exactly," my mother replied, far too calmly.
"…. You've got to be kidding me."
They went on to explain that they were trying to fix the machine, but it would take time.
"Fine I'll do that, but it'll take some time right? What will I do in the meantime?" I asked.
"Take care of her, of course", the voice came from the phone.
"Seriously? Do you have any idea what she's like?" I said, lowering my voice.
I told them what had happened until now. And you know what they said?
They laughed.
Right on my face.
"Stop laughing, mom, this isn't funny", I told them in frustration.
"Aww don't be like that, just hold on a little. And don't get any funny ideas just because you are alone with a girl."
I looked back at her on my bed. She was fixing her clothes
"As if I would," I muttered.
After the call I sat on the floor for a long moment just staring at nothing.
Then the practical side of my brain kicked in.
I couldn't leave her alone in the house. That much was obvious — I'd come back to rubble. And then... a great idea came to my mind.
There was some chattering in class 3-A. Ignoring that I headed straight to my seat in the last row, avoiding eye contact with everyone. I felt some stares along the way, but I ignored that and sat down.
"Good morning, Ishida"
"Why is the first thing I see is your ugly face", I said with a curt face.
"Aww! don't be like that", told my one and only friend, "Anyway did you hear about the new transfer student. I heard it is a girl, and she is quite pretty."
"Why should I care", I replied.
"Not even a little curious?", he asked pouting.
"Morning Noah", Mei chimed in, smacking him on the back.
"Ouch! Stop doing that all the time", he shouted, rubbing his back.
Mei turned to me, slightly flustered.
"I-I didn't know You are early today, Ishida."
"Oh yeah... I just woke up early, that's it"
I came to the school early to avoid getting seen by the students with Lisara. But I wonder if she can make it.
I called my parents back and explained the situation. Surprisingly, the enrollment wasn't an issue — Apparently their research facility operated under a government program, which meant certain things could be arranged quietly and quickly. Within an hour, it was done. Lisara Nakashima, a transfer student, was officially on the books.
They also sent a pair of uniform
The harder part was the briefing.
I sat her down that morning and explained everything as simply as I could. School, teachers, classmates. How to act, what not to say, what questions to avoid. She listened with her arms crossed and her chin raised like I was the one being unreasonable.
"I am perfectly capable of conducting myself properly," she said.
"You tried to fight a microwave just last night."
She had no response to that.
By the time I reached school, my head was still spinning.
"Okay, but what is this girl everyone is talking about" Mei's voice tingled with anticipation
"I don't know. Do you know anything?" Noah turned the gun to me.
"H-H-How would I know", I tried to hide it.
"Settle down class", Hirata Sir shouted while entering the class.
"I have to go. See you guys later", Mei rushed to her desk in the first row.
"I'll also see you later, Bye", Noah said with a rush.
"Today we got a new transfer student, so behave yourselves. Got it….", he turned toward the door.
"Come in."
The classroom went quiet.
A girl with a slender figure, white skin walked to the classroom, her dark brown hair is tied into a high, bouncy ponytail with a red scrunchie. She has soft, side-swept bangs that frame her face, Large and expressive with warm brown irises, she wears a traditional sailor-style school uniform. This includes a white long-sleeved blouse with a navy-blue collar and red neckerchief, paired with a matching pleated navy-blue skirt with black knee-high socks.
A girl with a slender figure, white skin walked to the classroom, her dark brown hair is tied into a high, bouncy ponytail with a red scrunchie. She has soft, side-swept bangs that frame her face, Large and expressive with warm brown irises, she wears a traditional sailor-style school uniform. This includes a white long-sleeved blouse with a navy-blue collar and red neckerchief, paired with a matching pleated navy-blue skirt with black knee-high socks.
"Nice to meet you guys, I am Lisara Nakashima, I came here due to my parents' work. I hope we can get along from now on. that's all", she ended it with a generous bow. The whole class was speechless.
A loud excitement ran through the class.
"Pipe down, you little frogs. Now where can you sit...… uh there's a free seat.", sensei said pointing on the bench at the last.
She walked like a princess with a noticeable swagger, with each step carefully measured. She got the seat behind me.
"Ah my luck!", I muttered to myself.
"Now let's start the class."
Regardless of how important the class was, I couldn't focus on it. My eyes kept drifting towards her ,She somehow nailed the introductory speech I taught her but still.... The whole time in the class she was looking at her pen with a confused expession.
After the class there was a swarm gathering around her.
"Hey, Lisara, where did you lived before"
"What are your hobbies"
"Hey, you look so pretty, can you tell me the secret "
"Do you have a boyfriend"
"Tell us, tell us"
She was drowning in questions from everyone.
"She is the main attraction today huh!", Mei came to me as usual
"But doesn't she look fishy", Noah said with a low voice," I saw that she was looking at her pen the whole time, as if she is seeing it for the first time."
"hmmm, I wonder why", I tried to skip the question with a smiling face.
"Hey", Lisara came towards me stomping the ground," How do you use this thing", She asked me holding the pen in her hand.
My heart felt like it could burst at any moment. I stood up,
"I gotta hit the toilet",
I grabbed my stomach and ran, all the looks were pointing at me, and ignoring them I ran till I got in the toilet.
I was sweating from fear and anxiety, and when I was thinking about an excuse to give them, the door started to bang.
"Cut it out Noah ,I'll tell you everything so stop it",
I opened the door ready to chew him out but suddenly my face became red like a tomato.
"wh-wha-what are you doing here?" Lisara stood in front of me holding the pen.
" I-I-Its boy's toilet. Girls aren't allowed here." I prayed no one would walk in.
"You didn't give me the answer" She leaned a little to see my eyes hidden under my bangs.
"Seriously! Why couldn't you wait for me?" I pulled her towards the door, but she shook off my hand and went two steps back.
"How rude. First, you didn't answer me and now you are grabbing my hand" her cheeks became red in anger and embarrassment.
I took a deep breath and released while calming myself down. Then I clasped my hands together in a desperate plea, lowering my head into a perfect bow right there.
"Please forgive me. I'll answer all of your questions. So please come to the class"
"O-O-Okay", her cheeks became pink as she angrily averted her eyes, hiding her flustered face.
We entered the classroom, and as expected, there was a swarm ready for the interrogation period.
"Hey, you two know each other"
"How do you know her?"
"Are you two dating each other by any chance?"
"Please don't tell me that's true"
"You better not keep anything from us"
We are being bombarded by these questions, Now I don't think taking her to school was a good idea. But it's better than letting her stay home and destroying everything.
*sigh*
"Hey, what's 'dating'?"
here comes the trouble.
"Stooooop!" I shouted desperately," She...She.... is my cousin. She came from the countryside yesterday and she will be studying here until graduation."
"So, is she staying in your house?" I heard a voice from behind the crowd and without thinking second time I blurted it out.
"Yes, of cour...." The moment it hit me I froze.
"I am so dead!" I thought to myself.
And I can already feel the bloodlust from the stares. As I was preparing myself for the worst, the door opened.
"Good morning class... what is happening here, why is there such a big crowd? go to your seats" Tsukada-sensei barged in.
"Dear god, What a timing!" I thought to myself
"Now now, Listen to your teacher. go back to your seats", I gave a smirk while waving at them
"You too mister" and a chop landed on my head...
"Ouch! That hurts you know"
"That's why you should obey your teachers" she told with a mocking voice,
"Yes" I went to my seat .
The bell rang for break time.
I took out my lunch box and was ready to head for the place I usually eat.
"Ishidaa, going anywhere?"
As I turned my head, I could see myself cornered by the boys in the class.
"Let's have a little chat, shall we?" They closed in like a pack of wolves eyeing a helpless sheep. They couldn't hide the menace behind their forced smiles.
"Hey! What are you guys doing over there?!" a voice called out from behind the wolves.
"Don't gang up on him"
"Stay out of this Mei", the boys yelled, which only made her more furious.
"You je...." She was about to unleash her wraith, but her anger was extinguished by a certain someone.
"Hey, leave him alone" The voice dominated the whole class. And needless to say it was Lisara. She came towards the pack.
"Move, I need to talk to him" She walked toward the group as if the classroom belonged to her alone-each step confident, almost regal. The boys stepped aside without a word.
"Where is my food?" She asked bluntly. At that moment, she looked less like a transfer student and more like the ruler of Class 3-A. Her presence alone stunned everyone into silence.
"Yeah, I was about to give you that when they caught me" I lifted her lunch box .
"Okay! let's go somewhere quiet",
"Yeah sure", I grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the class.
I couldn't see the reaction of others but There was a single person who seemed like she could blast any moment.
We went to the rooftop for our lunch. I usually eat here, alone far away from all the commotions. But for the first time in my life, it changed. I was eating my lunch with someone... and more importantly, it was a girl.
Somehow the wind felt different today.
I watched her quietly as she ate—elegant movements, calm posture, gently fixing her hair
each time the breeze played with it.
"This isn't so bad" I murmured.
"Hmm..?!" She pulled up her face and looked at me while the chopsticks were still on her mouth.
"Uh—um—nothing! Nothing at all.", I averted my eyes, "So! How's the school, you find it to your liking?", I asked her, putting a small portion of food into my mouth slightly red.
"Not bad", she replied with a smirk," The teacher is good, the students are a bit too much, but it almost feels like I'm free, from all those restrictions.... like that day...", she stood up, letting the wind yank her hair.
"Those rules that bound me for so long, are gone. This is the best time I've ever spent",
She turned to me and smiled.
In that moment, her whole personality shone brighter than the sun. I felt my heart skip a beat. All I could see was her face, framed by the golden light, beautiful enough to steal the breath right out of me. As if she were someone I had been looking for a very long time. I never imagined I would see this beauty in my life.
She turned back toward the sky, still smiling, hair caught in the wind.
I looked away before she could catch me staring.
"I have some work in the office, so can you wait for me a Little bit after the school?"
"Huh why would I have to wait for someone like you?"
"So, you know the way to go home?"
"Uugh!, fine. For how long?" She returned to usual self
"Not too long"
After the job is done....
I walked out of the school to meet Lisara, as promised...
"Hey thanks for waiting!" I waved at Lisara at the school gate.
But she wasn't alone.
"Hey Ishida!" Mei waved back at me with a smile that had a deeper meaning behind. Which I felt I shouldn't try to understand.
"Yo! Bro"
"You are also here Noah!"
I couldn't see the trouble coming from afar.
"Mind if we tag along!" Mei smiled with a little pressure behind it.
We walked down the stone pavement. Lisara and Mei were walking in front of us, chatting. My heart pounded painfully, as if warning me that my lie was hanging by a single thread.
"Yo Bro! What's this chick's deal" Noah whispered.
"weren't you listening when I was explaining"
"Come on bro, that can't be true. Is she your fiancé or something. You can tell me. I swear, I won't tell anyone"
I didn't think he'd be smart enough to doubt me. Looks like I'll have to try harder…
While I was panicking over that thought, I noticed Mei had suddenly stopped walking.
"Did you really think you could fool us that easily?"
"You too! Come on guys trust me"
"If you don't wanna tell then don't, but don't make such an obvious lie"
For some reason Mei sounded just like Lisara.
"Hey, don't talk to my servant like that"
"And since when Ishida became your servant" Mei fired back.
"Calm down girls. Don't fight in the middle of the road."
"We are not fighting…!"
they furiously chorus in perfect unison.
After a long, tense walk, we finally reached the gate.
"Bye guys, see you tomorrow" I gave them a warm goodbye as we went inside the gate.
'Moroboshi residence'
The words were neatly engraved on the side of the gate.
"So they do live together, huh!" Noah whispered.
"I wonder if he was really telling us the truth. It's not like he will tell such a lie to his friends.... What do you think" Noah asked Mei as they headed home.
"And that's exactly what troubles me," Mei's serious answer tensed Noah up.
"So you do think he is lying. I guess you should hurry up and tell him your feelings then. Or he may be taken away by Lisara. Although she does seem a bit…..."
"Shut up!"
Mei kicked Noah from behind hiding her burning red face behind the setting sun.
"Ouch! What did I do to get that",Noah yelped.
"Don't just say things like that out of nowhere…", Mei muttered, slowing her steps as she
neared her house
"what? You do like Ishida right?"
"....Yeah but I can't say it. It's too hard" Mei stopped at the gate of Nakashima residence.
"Now listen, we will have to know the real truth at any cost. So here's the Plan…"
And such a plan I didn't know existed was being plotted… against me.