Princess Connect Academy: Hungry Hearts and Love Storms - The Transfer Student Talks of Destiny ~The Star in the Library and the Shifting Distance Between Two People~

"Good morning, Yuuki-sama." The air in the classroom shifted, soft as a breath. The girl standing before the blackboard wore her long black hair in a braid, tied with a pale green ribbon. The silky strands caught the spring light pouring through the windows and shimmered. Her deep emerald eyes swept slowly across the room—then stopped, fixed on Yuuki alone. She was small. Small enough that no one would blink if you told them she was a middle schooler. And yet her presence filled the room more completely than anyone else's. "I'm Kokkoro, the transfer student. Starting today, I'll be studying alongside all of you." Her voice was clear, and yet it carried a strange resonance—as if it were reaching them from someplace far away. The classroom stirred. "Wow, she's cute." "She seems really composed." "She's got an aura, huh." Boys and girls alike murmured the same things. Yuuki felt something throb deep in his chest. What is this feeling? He was supposed to be meeting her for the first time. But it felt like he'd known her for a very, very long time. Kokkoro smiled brightly from the podium. "I've been looking forward to coming to this academy for the longest time. After all, I knew I would find someone here whose fate is intertwined with mine." The classroom went dead silent. Fate intertwined. At those words, the classmates exchanged glances. "Fate...? What's that supposed to mean?" "Is she into spiritual stuff?" "Maybe she's just a natural airhead?" Whispers rippled through the room. But Yuuki understood. She meant every word. Those emerald eyes were not the eyes of someone joking. The homeroom teacher cleared his throat. "Ah, yes—Kokkoro-san here skipped a grade from the middle school division. She's consistently at the top of her class and serves on the library committee. Everyone, please make her feel welcome." Skipped a grade. Which meant she was younger than everyone in this class—and smarter than all of them. Kokkoro gave the teacher a small nod. "Fufu. Everyone, I look forward to getting to know you all." Then her gaze drifted back to Yuuki. Those emerald eyes narrowed. Like she was searching for something. Yuuki looked away without thinking. His chest felt restless. What is this? When she stared at him like that, he couldn't settle down. It wasn't a bad feeling. If anything, it was warm—nostalgic. And that was exactly what scared him. Emotions he shouldn't know came welling up from somewhere inside him. Inside a boy with no memories, something was definitely there. And when he looked at her, it shook. Homeroom ended, and first period began. Yuuki opened his textbook and stole a glance at Kokkoro's seat. She sat in the very back row, by the window. Her posture was ramrod straight as she took notes—a picture-perfect honor student. But every now and then, those emerald eyes turned toward him. When their eyes met, she let out a tiny "fufu" and smiled. Yuuki hurriedly faced forward. (Why does she look at me like that?) His heart wouldn't shut up. Not a single word of the lesson was sinking in. When first period ended, the classmates swarmed around Kokkoro. "Kokkoro-san, where are you from?" "What's your favorite food?" "What club are you joining?" A barrage of questions. Kokkoro didn't look flustered. She answered each one politely. "I've lived near this town for quite some time. My favorite food is warm soup. As for clubs... I have my duties on the library committee, so I haven't given it much thought yet." The way she answered made the classmates gush again—"She's like a real lady!" Yuuki stayed in his seat, watching. Then Kokkoro looked at him through a gap in the crowd. And she smiled brightly and said: "Yuuki-sama." The classroom froze. Or maybe it was just the air around Yuuki that froze. Every eye in the room snapped to him. "Wait... Yuuki-sama?" "She used '-sama'... why?" "Are they acquainted?" Murmurs everywhere. Yuuki tilted his head. "Um... Kokkoro-san, do you know me?" Kokkoro nodded. "Yes, of course. I've known your name and your character for a very long time, Yuuki-sama." "For a long time...? I'm pretty sure today is the first time I've ever met you." "Fufu. That may be so. But in my heart, you have always been Yuuki-sama—for as long as I can remember." It made no sense. And yet, there was no lie in the way she said it. The classmates watched the two of them, utterly fascinated. "Hey, hey—Yuuki gets called '-sama' by the transfer student on her first day? What are you, royalty?" One of the boys jeered. Yuuki could only smile wryly. "Uh... sorry, I don't really get it either." Then Kokkoro said, smooth as silk: "Yuuki-sama is someone very precious to me. Please, just remember that much." The classroom went silent again. Someone precious. Saying that to a person you'd just met. Normally, you'd think she was strange. But for some reason, her words made Yuuki's chest grow hot. Precious. The word settled into his heart with a soft click. As if he'd been waiting to hear it for a very, very long time. Before second period, Yuuki happened to pass by Kokkoro's desk. She had her textbook and notebook laid out neatly on the desk. Something at her chest glittered. A pendant shaped like a star. A pale golden star hung from a silver chain. The instant he saw that star— Something flashed through Yuuki's mind. A meadow. An endless green meadow. Wind blew, and the grass rippled like waves. A sword. A single blade, thrust into the ground. And— A woman's voice. "Please. You must come back." A voice full of grief—a prayer. Someone was crying. Yuuki felt his head split with pain. "...Gh!" His vision warped. The ground pitched beneath him. Before he knew it, he was crouched on the floor. "Yuuki!?" "Hey, are you okay!?" Classmates rushed over. But all Yuuki could do was clutch his head and curl inward. It hurt. His head was splitting. That meadow. That sword. That voice. What was that? A memory? Or just a hallucination? He didn't know. But one thing was certain. The moment he saw that pendant, something inside him had reacted. Resonance magic. A power he himself didn't fully understand. "It's all right, Yuuki-sama." A soft voice spoke right beside him. Then a warm palm touched his back. Kokkoro was gently stroking his back. "It's all right. I will always be by your side." Her voice was gentle as a lullaby. The headache slowly receded. He looked up, and Kokkoro's emerald eyes were right there, close enough to touch. She gazed at him with worry—and absolute conviction. "Kokkoro... san..." "Fufu. Please don't push yourself. Your soul is still in the middle of awakening, Yuuki-sama." Soul. Awakening. Her words were as mysterious as ever. But right now, they sank into his heart with a strange warmth. In the corner of the classroom, a single girl watched the scene unfold. Pecorine. From her seat, she stared at Yuuki and Kokkoro, brow furrowed. The smile that was always on her face had vanished. Her amber eyes wavered with unease. (Who is that girl...?) Pecorine murmured in her heart, watching Kokkoro's back. (She's so close to Yuuki-kun...) A small pang pricked at her chest. It was too vague yet to call jealousy. But a dark haze had definitely settled over her heart. Lunch break. The moment the bell rang, the classroom door burst open. "I'm staaarving! Yuuki-kun's onigiri!" Pecorine came bounding in at full energy. A petite girl with fluffy light-brown hair tied into two buns. Her big amber eyes sparkled. She dashed to Yuuki's desk and thrust out both hands. "What flavor today!? Plum? Salmon? Or bonito flakes?" Yuuki smiled wryly and pulled a bundle from his backpack. "Today it's salmon and kelp. Grandpa got some good salmon in yesterday." He unwrapped it to reveal two white onigiri. Pecorine's eyes lit up. She grabbed one. Chomp. She bit in with her whole mouth. Munch. Munch. "So goooood! Yuuki-kun's onigiri really are the best!" She puffed out her cheeks, blissful. Yuuki watched her and felt a smile come naturally. As Pecorine ate, Kokkoro quietly appeared beside her. "So Pecorine-sama is also one who was guided by Yuuki-sama's flavors." Pecorine looked at Kokkoro while still chewing. "...Who are you?" Her voice dropped, just a little. Not the usual cheerful Pecorine. Kokkoro smiled brightly. "My name is Kokkoro. I'll be in your class from today onward. I've heard much about you, Pecorine-sama." "Rumors...? I'm not that famous." "Fufu, is that so? But aren't there many people at this academy who look forward to Yuuki-sama's onigiri every day?" Pecorine's face scrunched up. "Yuuki-kun's onigiri are mine!" "My. Yuuki-sama's onigiri belong to Yuuki-sama. Besides, I would like to try them someday as well." "No! I'm the one who eats Yuuki-kun's onigiri first!" Sparks flew between them. Well—not literally. But to Yuuki, that's exactly what it looked like. Pecorine clutched the remaining onigiri to her chest and glared at Kokkoro. Kokkoro kept smiling, not giving an inch. Yuuki stood frozen, onigiri still in hand. "Uh... you two, don't fight. There's more onigiri, okay?" "Really!? Then I'll have another one!" "May I have one as well?" Both of them pressed in on Yuuki at once. Flustered, he held out the remaining onigiri. Pecorine and Kokkoro reached for it simultaneously. Their hands collided with a smack above the onigiri. "Ah!" "Oh my." The two looked at each other. Then back at Yuuki. "Yuuki-kun, who do you want to eat first?" "Yuuki-sama, please decide." Caught between their stares, Yuuki couldn't stop the cold sweat. (How did it come to this...) In the lunchtime classroom, two girls were cornering him over onigiri. From the outside, it might have looked adorable. But for the person at the center, it was terrifying. "Uh... how about we split it in half?" Yuuki broke the onigiri into two. He held out half to each of them. "Half and half! Nice! Yuuki-kun, great idea!" "Fufu. You really are kind, Yuuki-sama." The two accepted their halves and began eating happily. Yuuki let out a sigh of relief. (Thank goodness...) But he didn't yet know that this peace wouldn't last long. After school. As Yuuki was packing up in the classroom, a voice called from behind. "Yuuki-sama, may I speak with you for a moment?" He turned to find Kokkoro standing there, holding a book. The star-shaped pendant at her chest glittered again. Yuuki felt a brief flicker of pain in his head. But this time, it wasn't as bad as before. "Uh... sure, that's fine. Where should we talk?" "How about the library? It's quiet, and we can talk calmly." Yuuki nodded. The two walked side by side down the hallway. Kokkoro walked half a step behind him. As if that were her natural place. Yuuki found that distance strangely comforting. The library boasted fifty thousand volumes—one of the quietest places in the academy. It was after school, so there were only a few people around. Kokkoro guided Yuuki to a seat by the window. The setting sun streamed through the glass, dyeing the spines of the bookshelves orange. "Please, have a seat." Kokkoro sat across from him. A quiet stillness settled between them. Yuuki looked into Kokkoro's emerald eyes. Deep green. The color of a lake deep in a forest, where light never reaches. Looking into them, he felt like he might be pulled in. "Yuuki-sama, how much do you remember about yourself?" Kokkoro asked quietly. Yuuki thought for a moment, then answered. "My name. How to make onigiri. A few other things. That's it. Everything else is blank." "I see." Kokkoro touched the pendant at her chest. "This is a crystallization of a prayer from twelve hundred years ago. You gave it to me, Yuuki-sama." Yuuki's eyes went wide. "Twelve hundred years ago...? I gave it to you?" "Yes. To be precise, not the Yuuki-sama of now. But your soul—you sealed my prayer inside this

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Episode 3

Name: Princess Connect Academy: Hungry Hearts and Love Storms
Author: Novelia

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