Ken Takahashi woke up before his alarm.
That alone was strange enough to make him stare at the ceiling for a few seconds, wondering if something was wrong with him.
Usually his alarm clock—set with a custom tone he had programmed himself—rang at exactly 6:30 AM. Precision mattered. Timing mattered. His mornings were part of a carefully optimized routine designed to minimize wasted time before school.
But today?
Today he woke up at 6:18.
Twelve minutes early.
Ken adjusted his glasses and sighed.
"Great," he muttered. "Even my sleep schedule is glitching."
He rolled out of bed and stretched, then glanced at the glowing screens of his computer monitors across the room. His workstation was the pride of his life—three monitors, a custom mechanical keyboard, and a tower he had built himself from carefully researched components.
His friends called it "mission control."
Ken called it "efficient."
Most people at school called him something else.
Nerd.
Not that Ken minded much. Being a nerd had advantages. While others struggled through homework, Ken finished assignments in half the time. While the rest of the class complained about math tests, Ken solved them for fun.
But there was one thing his intelligence couldn't help him with.
Anna.
Ken rubbed his face and sat up fully.
"Focus," he told himself.
Today was the first day of the new semester.
Which meant—
Anna would be there.
His stomach immediately tightened.
He grabbed his phone and checked the time again. Still early. Good. That meant he could go through his morning checklist without rushing.
Ken stood and walked to his desk, tapping the keyboard to wake his monitors.
A terminal window blinked to life.
He smiled.
"Morning diagnostics," he said quietly.
Ken ran a few scripts he had written the night before. They checked system temperatures, internet latency, and his small home server.
Everything was normal.
Perfect.
Unlike his brain.
Because whenever he thought about Anna, his thoughts crashed harder than a poorly written program.
Breakfast
Downstairs, Ken's parents were already awake.
His mother, Yumi Takahashi, stood in the kitchen making eggs while humming softly. She was one of those people who always seemed calm, even in chaos.
Ken suspected she secretly had better emotional processing than most supercomputers.
His father, Hiroshi Takahashi, sat at the table reading news on a tablet.
Ken walked in.
"Morning."
His mom turned with a smile.
"Ken! You're early today."
"I woke up early."
His dad looked up.
"That's new."
Ken sat down.
"Just preparing."
"For school?" his mother asked.
Ken hesitated.
"Yeah."
His parents exchanged a glance.
They knew.
Of course they knew.
Parents had an annoying ability to detect emotional anomalies.
His mother set a plate in front of him.
Eggs. Toast. Fruit.
"First day of the semester is always exciting," she said casually.
Ken nodded.
"Statistically, it's one of the most productive academic days."
His father smirked.
"That's not what your mom means."
Ken frowned.
"What does she mean?"
His mom leaned against the counter.
"I mean you might see Anna again."
Ken almost choked on his toast.
"Mom!"
His father laughed.
"Your reaction confirms the data."
Ken pushed his glasses up.
"You two are making assumptions."
His mom smiled.
"Oh? So you don't like Anna?"
Ken froze.
That was a dangerous question.
His brain ran calculations like a computer solving an impossible equation.
Option A: Deny.
Option B: Deflect.
Option C: System shutdown.
"I never said that," he muttered.
His dad chuckled.
"Relax, Ken. Having a crush is normal."
Ken stared at his plate.
"It's inefficient."
His mom laughed softly.
"Feelings usually are."
Preparing for School
Ken returned to his room after breakfast.
His backpack was already packed.
Laptop.
Notebook.
Chargers.
Flash drive.
Emergency calculator.
He believed in preparation.
He double-checked everything anyway.
Then he opened his closet.
Clothes.
He paused.
Normally he wore whatever was clean and comfortable.
Today he stared at his shirts longer than usual.
"Why does this matter?" he muttered.
But it did matter.
Because Anna noticed things.
Not in the dramatic way popular students did—but she noticed small details.
Ken remembered the time she complimented someone's backpack because it had a cool pattern.
If she noticed backpacks…
She might notice shirts.
Ken sighed and picked a simple blue one.
"Neutral. Acceptable."
He grabbed his glasses cleaning cloth and polished the lenses carefully.
Then he looked at himself in the mirror.
Brown hair.
Glasses.
Average height.
Definitely not "cool."
Jonah was cool.
Ken frowned.
Jonah Carter.
His rival.
Jonah
Jonah wasn't technically Ken's rival.
Jonah probably didn't even know Ken considered him one.
But Ken knew.
Jonah Carter was everything Ken wasn't.
Tall.
Athletic.
Confident.
Popular.
The type of guy who could walk into a room and instantly attract attention.
Ken had watched him before.
Jonah didn't even try.
That was the worst part.
And Anna talked to him.
Not constantly.
But enough.
Ken grabbed his backpack.
"Stop overthinking," he said.
Then he walked out the door.
The Walk to School
The morning air was cool and quiet.
Ken liked mornings.
They were predictable.
Birds chirped.
Traffic slowly increased.
Students walked toward school in small groups.
Ken walked alone.
He didn't mind.
Solitude gave him time to think.
Unfortunately his brain used that time to replay memories of Anna.
Her laugh.
The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when concentrating.
The time she asked him for help with a computer problem.
That memory made him smile.
Because for ten minutes, Anna had sat beside him in the computer lab while he fixed her laptop.
She had smelled like strawberries.
Ken shook his head.
"Focus on school."
He turned the corner.
And saw the building ahead.
Riverside High.
His battlefield.
Arrival
Students crowded the entrance.
Lockers slammed.
Voices echoed.
Ken navigated the hallway with practiced efficiency.
He reached his locker and opened it.
Then—
"Hey Ken!"
He turned.
His best friend Marcus jogged over.
Marcus was the opposite of Ken.
Energetic.
Loud.
Social.
"First day hype!" Marcus said.
Ken blinked.
"Academically, yes."
Marcus leaned on the locker.
"Bro you ready?"
"For classes?"
Marcus grinned.
"For Anna."
Ken groaned.
"Not you too."
Marcus laughed.
"Everyone knows you like her."
"That's statistically impossible."
Marcus pointed down the hallway.
"Well she's coming this way."
Ken froze.
His brain immediately crashed.
System overload.
Anna
Anna Kim walked down the hallway with two friends.
Sunlight from the windows caught her hair, making it shine slightly.
Ken's heart rate spiked.
He immediately pretended to check his notebook.
"Act normal," Marcus whispered.
"What is normal?"
"Just say hi."
Ken considered the probability of embarrassment.
High.
Very high.
Anna walked closer.
Closer.
Then—
"Hi Ken!"
He looked up.
She was smiling at him.
Ken's brain restarted.
"H-hi Anna."
Smooth.
Very smooth.
She adjusted her backpack strap.
"Ready for the new semester?"
Ken nodded quickly.
"Yes. I reviewed the syllabus online already."
Anna laughed.
"Of course you did."
Her laugh felt like sunlight.
Marcus elbowed Ken.
"Ken was just talking about computer stuff."
Ken glared at him.
Anna's eyes brightened.
"Oh! Actually I might need your help again."
Ken nearly stopped breathing.
"Help?"
"Yeah," she said. "My laptop's acting weird again."
Ken nodded immediately.
"I can fix it."
Marcus whispered dramatically.
"Hero moment."
Ken ignored him.
Anna smiled.
"Thanks, Ken."
Then she waved and continued down the hall.
Ken stood frozen.
Marcus burst out laughing.
"Dude!"
Ken slowly closed his locker.
"I think my CPU is overheating."
Jonah Appears
Ken and Marcus walked toward class.
But halfway down the hall—
Someone stepped in front of them.
Jonah Carter.
"Hey Marcus."
"Jonah," Marcus said.
Jonah glanced at Ken.
"Hey."
Ken nodded.
"Hello."
Jonah leaned casually against the lockers.
"Anna said her laptop's broken again."
Ken stiffened.
"Yes."
Jonah smirked.
"You fixing it?"
"Yes."
"Cool."
He paused.
Then added—
"Try not to crash it."
Marcus snorted.
Ken adjusted his glasses.
"My success rate is ninety-eight percent."
Jonah chuckled.
"Relax, man. Just joking."
Then he walked away.
Ken watched him go.
Marcus whistled.
"Rival detected."
Ken sighed.
"Processing threat level."
First Class
Computer Science.
Ken's favorite.
He sat near the front as usual.
Laptop open.
Notebook ready.
Then someone sat beside him.
Ken looked up.
Anna.
"Oh," she said. "Is this seat taken?"
Ken shook his head instantly.
"No."
She smiled and sat down.
Ken's heart immediately began running faster than his CPU during a stress test.
"You're lucky," she said.
"Why?"
"We're partners for the semester project."
Ken blinked.
"What?"
She turned her laptop screen toward him.
Their names were listed together.
Ken Takahashi
Anna Kim
He felt like he had just won the academic lottery.
"That's… efficient," he managed.
Anna laughed again.
"You're funny."
Ken wasn't trying to be.
But he liked that she thought so.
The teacher walked in.
"Alright class, welcome back!"
Ken glanced at Anna.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
This semester would be different.
After Class
When the bell rang, Anna closed her laptop.
"So about that repair?"
Ken nodded.
"I can look at it during lunch."
"Perfect."
She smiled.
"Thanks again, Ken."
Then she left.
Ken sat there a moment.
Marcus appeared at the door.
"Well?"
Ken slowly turned.
"I have achieved progress."
Marcus grinned.
"How much progress?"
Ken thought carefully.
"Approximately… five percent."
Marcus laughed.
"Bro, that's huge."
Ken stood up and packed his laptop.
Maybe Marcus was right.
Maybe this semester could change things.
But somewhere in the hallway, Jonah Carter leaned against a locker, watching Anna talk to her friends.
And when he noticed Ken walking by—
Jonah smiled slightly.
The rivalry had only just begun