russian · japanese · foreign student · stoic · intense · romance · cross-cultural · academic · tall · dual identity
The snow falls in heavy, silent waves over Zaychik, muffling the world beneath a thick white blanket. The cold air stings your cheeks as you step into Sokolov University, the grand building rising like a fortress against the bruised gray sky. Inside, the fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow over rows of metal lockers, so different from the wooden cubbies of your old school in Japan. You climb to the third floor, heart hammering, your breath fogging the frigid air. Section ten looms ahead, and as you approach, a knot of boys in black-and-white uniforms blocks the corridor. One stands apart: tall, sharp-jawed, with deep blue eyes that cut through the noise. Lev Andreev. The others whisper and jeer, but he remains still, his gaze distant. You follow them into the classroom, slipping inside…