"🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶"
The smooth jazz of Chet Baker and Paul Desmond's 'Autumn Leaves' filled the spacious room, blending with the soft hum of a woman following the tune and the rhythmic tic-tac of the clock pendulum. It was an unusual setting, with boldly painted walls surrounding a woman slumped in her chair, her face covered in a mask, eyes hidden beneath cucumber slices as she went through her skincare routine.
"Cuckoo, cuckoo!"
The hour hand of the clock pointed to 6:00 AM as the cuckoo emerged, followed by tiny ballerinas twirling inside.
The woman groans at the sound of the alarm, running her fingers through her wavy brunette hair. Once the cuckoo's call subsides, she picks up the cucumber placed to her right, revealing her striking turquoise eyes as she lifts the vegetable and gazes at it intently.
*will they notice it?...* she thought as she glanced at her nails
…
The teacher's lecture was like a lullaby, as most students drifted off to sleep, while the rest merely pretended to listen, their minds clearly elsewhere. Margot was among them, yawning occasionally, until something suddenly caught her eye and snapped her back to attention.
When the teacher finally left the room, a quiet groan rippled through the class. But Margot didn't join them. Instead, she quickly walked over to the desk of the student who stood out the most.
She was a girl with vibrant brunette hair, porcelain-white skin like a delicate doll, and striking turquoise eyes that were impossible to ignore. It was an appearance that'll make you come to school everyday.
Margot grabbed her hand and stared intently at her nails, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Eloise, did you manicure your nails!? Since when? They're peach, neat and elegant, just like you!" she squealed, loud enough for most of the class to hear as their heads turned towards Eloise. She just smiled at them, as if she was used to the attention.
Before long, a group of girls gathered around her, showering her with admiration and a hint of envy as they gushed over her nails.
Meanwhile, the boys sitting at the back of the class groaned at the familiar scene."They're at it again," they grumbled.
…
The next day, most of the girls had manicured their nails to match Eloise's.
This time, only her close friends surrounded her, as Beatrice pushed the others away.
"Tsk, aren't they ashamed of themselves? Always copying you, as if it'll make them any better," Beatrice, Eloise's friend with a love for gyaru fashion, badmouthed the class.
Eloise just chuckled at her complaints, unfazed.
Claude, the boy with messy hair that covered his eyes, had been playing on his console at Eloise's desk. He paused his game, glanced at her, and, without a word, pulled a candy from his pocket and handed it to her.
"You're enjoying this, though," he said, watching her closely.
Eloise nodded in response. "At least I made them a bit better," she replied, clearly satisfied as she unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth.
Beatrice, who hadn't quite caught on, quickly changed the subject. "Oh by the way! I heard that the classmate who's been absent since the start of the term is coming tomorrow. I wonder what she's like… but I bet she's not as pretty as Eloise," she teased with a playful smirk.
"But hasn't it been a week already? It must be tough catching up with the lessons," Eloise said, though her tone lacked any real concern.
"Well, that's her problem," Claude replied, returning to his game.
But as soon as he pressed the play button, the next teacher arrived. It didn't stop him, though as he simply returned to his seat, continuing to play his console under the table. The other students followed suit, heading back to their seats as well.
After the class ended, just before the teacher left the classroom, she called out to Eloise.
"Eloise, your adviser wants to meet you at the office later." It didn't seem like it was anything serious, as she said it with a casual smile.
...
The last class finally ended when the bell rang, signaling it was time to go home. While most of the students left, a boy in casual clothes stayed behind, talking to a teacher in the office.
"This is all the activities we had last week. Please pass it this week," a middle-aged male teacher said as he handed the boy a pile of workbooks. He then adjusted his glasses, lifting them slightly above his eyes to scrutinize the young man up and down.
The boy was a blessing in the eyes, with eyelashes longer than a woman's, flashy blonde hair that reached his shoulders and was messily tied in half, porcelain skin, and stunning amber eyes that gave off a gentle aura. The teacher furrowed his eyebrows, as the boy's appearance went against the school's protocol.
"Clemence, the school may let your appearance slide, but not your grades," he warned him. The boy nodded in response with a smile.
Suddenly, the teacher facepalmed as if he had forgotten something. "You don't have any urgent business, right? Can you call Eloise on your way back? That brat must have forgotten to come here after school. Anyway, she usually stays in the art room around this time." The teacher gave the order without giving Clemence any room to decline.
"...Alright," he nodded.