It was something Ken had never felt before. It was as if time had stopped completely, and he was wrapped in bliss. His deep brown eyes gazed into the girl's scarlet pink eyes. Her skin was faint pink and smooth to the touch. He was hit with several emotions he didn't understand but somehow made sense to him.

She was an Oni.

"What the hell is happening to me? I can feel my temperature increasing, but why? Is this love!? Big Sis Vivian, told me about this, she said I'd feel something like this if I ever fell in love! But this can't be love, love takes time to form between two people, and I just met this person…” 

”...Okay Ken, calm down, just breathe." 

Ken was panicking inside his own mind, trying to make sense of his current situation, he completely forgot about reality.

"Uh… thank you sir, b-but, you can...umm...let go of my hand n-now," She spoke, a little creeped out by the young man.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ken quickly let go of her hand before breaking out into a nervous chuckle "Oh…ah, right, I'm sorry." 

Fixing up her outfit and straightening the bokken on her waist, she replied "...Thank you, for holding the d-door for me...my name is Hanako Sakura" Hanako introduced herself.

"...Well, my name is Ken Granfold, and you're welcome." 

"Umm…th-thank you again," Hanako said with a slight head bow "...bye…" 

And with that, what seems to be Ken's first "Crush" left to go take a seat. Ken stood by the train doors trying to collect himself.

Pulling his own cheeks, he told himself, "Get a hold of yourself, don't let this encounter be as awkward as your last."

Taking a deep breath, he was able to calm himself. "If that's what you call love, then it seems like I need to train and study more about it, so I don't lose composure like that again."

Looking down the aisle, every seat was taken… every seat except for the one next to Hanako. It was as if the Goddess of Love was giving him a second chance to redeem himself from the embarrassment earlier. 

"Okay, how do I take a seat next to her, without coming off as being a creep or a weirdo." 

The Young Boy stood there for a few minutes thinking of several ways to execute this plan of his, but nothing came to mind.

"What's wrong with me? I'm normally not the nervous type, I'm more straightforward… is love some kind of charm spell that weakens one's mind and heart?” 

“Love seems to be more complicated than magic" Straightening himself out, Ken approached Hanako.

“Hey, there are no other free seats, so do you mind if I take the seat next to you?” 

“...sure, that's fine.” 

Taking the empty seat facing Hanako, Ken sat down as naturally as possible, which only resulted in it being more awkward than it needed to be. The two sat in silence, both of them looking out the window into the dark tunnel that reflected their faces. Ken didn't mind the silence, he wasn't so restless that he couldn't keep to himself… but for some reason, he wanted to engage in conversation with Hanako. 

"...So where are you heading? If you don't mind me asking."  

"I'm h-heading to Elenora's Academy of Magicka…"

Hearing her answer, put a smile on Ken's face, they have something in common, and this should make talking easier…. Right? 

"Oh sweet, I'm also headed there." 

"...that's, n-nice…" 

Hanako twiddled her fingers together, looking down at her lap. She seemed agitated and shy, during the glimpse exchange of words she struggled to maintain eye contact for more than a second. Ken saw that she was shy and probably wasn't used to holding a conversation. 

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Ken finally spoke again… third time was a charm, right? 

"...So, are you also taking the Entrance Exam?" 

Hearing Ken suddenly say something, made Hanako tense up a little. Still looking at her lap, she replied "...N-no…I'm already a student… at the a-academy.'' 

"So you must be a senior?" 

"No...I graduated from Elenora's School of Magicka, w-which gave me...a direct pass to the academy."

"That makes sense. Still, I wonder what the Exams going to be like." 

“...”

"Well, whatever it may be, I know I'll definitely pass." 

"...H-how can you…be so sure…?"

"Because I have full faith in my magic. I've gone through intense training to get to where I am. As long as I don't lose faith in myself, I believe I have no limits to what I can achieve" Ken replied, looking out the window, gazing at all the colourful bright lights appearing in the tunnel.

Hearing this, Hanako finally looked up at Ken, her eyes glittered with inspiration. "F-Faith in my Magic and M-Myself?…" She mumbled to herself with a slight smile, filled with envy, before looking back down at her lap.

Returning his gaze to Hanako, Ken spoke "My uncle told me that the Academy is a very high stake academy, and normally people that go there have some sort of big goal they want to achieve. If you don't mind me asking, what are you trying to achieve?"

"Well…my goal isn't anything…b-big.." 

"I'd still like to hear it." 

"Ehh..uh...uhmm, w-well...I want to become a brave person. As you can probably already tell...I'm a very shy person, even as we speak...I'm finding it hard to keep e-eye contact with you" Hanako said as she gripped her lap.

"I want to be strong so... I can believe in myself and believe in my magic" She replied, as she mumbled the part about her believing in herself and her magic.

"If I become brave...then I can become stronger and if I b-become stronger, I can…. protect those around me and those that need it… I can be more reliable…"

"I think that's a great goal," Ken was truly amazed at her goal. "I know we just met, but I truly believe in you"

As Ken said this, Hanako's tense body relaxed. "You truly have great willpower, you know your weakness and instead of complaining you're trying your best to overcome it, I think that makes you brave already."

Her soft pink cheeks immediately turned deep red, Ken's little speech had her flustered, not knowing how to react.

"Ehhh...ummm...mmmmh...gaaa" She couldn't put words together, only whimpering noises escaped her lips, it was as if an error popped up in her ability to speak

" Did I break her?...."

Hanako finally collected herself and once again, gained the ability to speak "Umm...so what do you wish to achieve?"

"That's a good question."

He hadn't thought about what he wanted to achieve. He's never thought of some grand goal for himself, since he's been on an island up until a few hours ago.

“Hmmmm… Knowledge.”

“Kn-Knowledge…?”

“Yeah, Knowledge is one of the strongest tools in the universe, and I want to gather as much as I possibly can. I want to learn about everything if possible.” 

“My mind is like a library that needs to be filled up with books of every kind.” 

"I...think that's an...amazing g-goal."

"Thanks. But first I need to make lots and lots of friends. My elder Sister and Grandmother told me that if I truly want to enjoy life, then I need to make friends who will stick with me through thick and thin, and never abandon me. Making friends and meeting people, is one of the main reasons I'm attending this Academy.''

Ken stood up out of his seat, extending his right palm out to the pink lady sitting before him. Hanako looked up at Ken's hand then looked up at the bold young man towering over her with a toothy smile. 

“I was also taught that Friendship is also a powerful tool in life. So what do ya say? Become my first-ever friend, and let's work together, to help each other achieve our goals?”  

Hanako was hesitant, she had just met this young man. They had only spoken for a short while… but, something about him was welcoming. It wasn't like her to feel such comfort towards someone she didn't know beyond this short train ride… her nature was to be shy, her nature wouldn't let her stand in the spotlight… but that’s what she wanted to change, so… maybe… It was his overwhelming opposite energy that attracted her.

She was still a little unsure, but Ken’s untainted strong presence brought a soft smile to her lips. Hanako and Ken had just met but their hearts were quick to connect and understand each other, allowing them to form a bond of friendship in the few minutes they had interacted with one another. 

"...Sure…" 

Hanako stood up, meeting Ken at eye level, She reached out and grabbed his hand, accepting his friendship. The train had finally exited the tunnel, Ken looked away from Hanako taking a peek at the view.

The train tracks were now on a tall bridge, stretching over the clear blue ocean that glistened in the sunlight. Birds and other flying creatures were not the only things occupying the sky, flying vessels of all shapes and sizes roamed the air space, flying to and from the magnificent city of Belthon, which could be seen in the short distance. The cityscape was huge, a cluster of buildings planted everywhere like a garden.

Ken hadn't even stepped foot in the city yet, and he was already feeling a little thrilled by its magnitude. Looking back at Hanako, who was still gazing out the window admiring the view, all Ken could mumble to himself was… 

"...Beautiful…"

At the time, Ken didn't know what was more extraordinary, the view of the ocean and city, or the girl known as Hanako Sakura. He couldn't help but smile at the mere sight of her.