Chapter 1
The first thing people noticed about Kingston Hall was the noise.
The second was the people who made it.
Laughter echoed through the ivy-covered courtyards. Students rushed between classes with coffee cups in hand, athletes jogged across the quad in matching training gear, and somewhere in the distance, the unmistakable sound of a lacrosse ball striking a goal rang through the crisp morning air.
Then…
The campus seemed to pause.
A girl stepped through the wrought-iron entrance with a suitcase in one hand and a leather satchel over her shoulder.
She wasn’t loud.
She wasn’t trying to be noticed.
Yet somehow everyone noticed anyway.
Her name was Ruri.
She wore a cream knit sweater tucked into a navy pleated skirt, sheer black tights, and polished loafers. Her dark curls were pinned neatly back with a pearl clip while the rest cascaded over her shoulders. She wasn’t dressed to impress anyone—she simply looked effortlessly elegant.
Her amber-brown eyes quietly took everything in.
“So this is Kingston Hall…” she whispered.
Across campus…
The Kingston Hall Titans men’s lacrosse team had just finished practice.
Sweat glistened over broad shoulders as the players laughed and shoved each other toward the locker room.
Towering over all of them was their captain.
Maui.
Six-foot-eight.
Nearly three hundred pounds of solid Samoan muscle.
His tattooed arms looked like they belonged in mythology rather than at a university. His long black hair was tied into a loose bun, and despite his intimidating appearance, he smiled more than anyone on campus.
“Captain!”
One of his teammates tossed him a water bottle.
“You coming?”
Maui caught it without looking.
“Yeah.”
Then…
He looked across the quad.
And forgot how to breathe.
Ruri had stopped beside a campus map.
A strand of hair had escaped her clip.
She tucked it behind her ear while trying to figure out where the humanities building was.
Maui stood perfectly still.
“…Whoa.”
“What?” his teammate asked.
Maui didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
It felt as though the entire campus had blurred except for one person.
His heartbeat became embarrassingly loud.
His ears burned.
He watched her smile politely at another student asking if she needed directions.
She thanked them with a soft laugh.
Maui felt something hit him square in the chest.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
“…I…”
His teammates followed his gaze.
“…Oh.”
“…Captain.”
“No way.”
“You like her.”
“I don’t.”
“You’ve been staring for two whole minutes.”
“I have not.”
“You haven’t blinked.”
Maui blinked immediately.
“…”
“…Shut up.”
The entire team burst into laughter.
Unfortunately…
Someone else had noticed.
Lily.
Kingston Hall’s self-proclaimed “queen.”
Perfect makeup.
Designer clothes.
Always speaking just loudly enough so everyone heard her.
She’d spent the past two years telling everyone that she and Maui were “basically meant to be.”
The only problem?
Maui barely acknowledged her existence beyond polite greetings.
She followed his gaze.
Her smile slowly disappeared.
“…Who’s that?”
One of her friends shrugged.
“I heard she’s the new transfer.”
Lily folded her arms.
“So?”
“Maui’s looking at her.”
“…”
“…Excuse me?”
She turned just in time to watch the giant lacrosse captain unknowingly smile to himself while watching the new girl.
Lily’s eye twitched.
“No.”
Meanwhile…
Ruri finally gave up trying to read the confusing campus map.
“I think I’m lost.”
A deep voice came from behind her.
“…Need help?”
She turned.
Her eyes traveled upward.
And upward.
And upward.
“…Oh.”
Standing before her was the biggest man she’d ever seen.
Tattooed.
Broad shouldered.
Gentle eyes.
He looked like he could lift a truck.
Instead…
He looked nervous.
“I’m Maui.”
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I… um…”
His teammates watched from fifty meters away.
“He’s fumbling.”
“Our captain has forgotten English.”
“I’ve never seen this before.”
Maui cleared his throat.
“You’re new.”
“Yes.”
“I’m Ruri.”
She smiled.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
His heart practically exploded.
“…Nice name.”
“Thank you.”
Silence.
Painful silence.
Ruri waited patiently.
Maui internally screamed.
Say something.
Anything.
“I know where everything is.”
“…”
“…That sounded cooler in my head.”
Ruri giggled.
Actually giggled.
His teammates collapsed laughing.
“Our captain is finished.”
“He smiled!”
“I’ve never seen him blush!”
Sure enough…
The terrifying Samoan giant’s ears had turned bright red.
Lily had seen enough.
She marched across the courtyard.
“Mauiiii!”
She deliberately wrapped herself around his muscular arm.
“There you are!”
Maui instinctively stepped away.
“Oh… hi, Lily.”
She shot Ruri a fake smile.
“You must be the new girl.”
“I am.”
“I’m Lily.”
She looked Ruri up and down.
“I hope you don’t get lost too often. Kingston Hall can be… difficult.”
The hidden meaning wasn’t lost on anyone.
Ruri simply smiled politely.
“I’m sure I’ll learn.”
Lily forced another smile before turning back to Maui.
“We still have dinner tonight, remember?”
Maui frowned.
“…We never planned dinner.”
Lily laughed loudly.
“Oh, you always forget.”
“I don’t think I would.”
Several students nearby looked at one another.
Even they knew Lily had made that up.
Ruri quietly took a small step backward.
“I don’t want to interrupt.”
Before she could leave—
Maui spoke.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
“You said you were looking for the humanities building.”
“I was.”
“I’ll walk you.”
Lily’s smile froze.
“…What?”
“I was heading that way.”
“You literally weren’t,” one of his teammates muttered under his breath.
Maui ignored him.
Ruri smiled warmly.
“I’d appreciate that.”
As the two walked away together, they quickly fell into easy conversation—discovering they both loved reading, enjoyed peaceful sunsets, and preferred genuine conversations over loud parties.
Behind them…
Lily clenched her jaw so tightly it hurt.
Her manicured nails dug into her palms.
“No.”
She watched the way Maui listened to every word Ruri said as though the rest of the world had disappeared.
The same Maui who rarely showed interest in anyone.
The same Maui who had turned down every attempt she’d made to get close to him.
For the first time…
Lily realized she had competition.
And judging by the smile on the giant captain’s face…
She wasn’t losing to just any girl.
She was losing to the one person who had captured Maui’s heart the moment he saw her.
