Chapter 105 – The Other Klug's First Day
Klug's POV
"*demonic chuckle* Finally! After all this time wallowing inside of that cursed book…I reside in a body once more! Hahahahahaha!"
"H-Hey! Keep it down, will you?! People are beginning to stare!"
"Hmph. Let them stare. A chance for these mortals to gaze upon the revived body of a demonic god should be considered a gift."
"Not when nearly half the school doesn't know that demons even exist! *sigh* I still can't believe I agreed to do this…"
"Get over it. We had a deal and I intend to foresee it to its end. You should be grateful I allowed that one month delay just so you can get a feel for this "high school" place."
"To call my high school life a trial just stings like hell…" I gained a huge sweatdrop.
This was a conversation I was having one early school morning with Ayashii, the demon sealed within my book. Before school started, I had agreed to let him take control of my body more often. And in return, he would give more access to the stuff inside the book. Which are normally hidden from the human naked eye due to his imprisonment.
At first, I never wanted to do this. But the curiosity of what could lie within this Tome of Sealing got the better of me. So now, it was Ayashii fully controlling my body while I was nothing more than a purple wisp with glasses popping out from the book. And hating every minute of it.
He really had to live like this for centuries? No wonder he settled for my body…
"You know…now that I look at you, you stand out extremely."
"Stand out? How so?"
"Well, for starters…why did you change my skin color? I'm darker than how I normally am."
"That is something I cannot control. Neither can I keep you original hair and eye color."
"Speaking of my hair…why did you make it look disheveled? Do you know how long it takes to keep it that neat?"
"I couldn't care any less about your personal hygiene."
"You should since it's MY body! And what's with this red spirit coming out of my back?!"
"That…is my original soul. Despite being inside a body, I must still use it for my senses. As I cannot use yours."
"Huh? Why not?"
Ayashii didn't answer. In fact, he went dead silent and even turned away from me. It was weird…but then I figured out what the reason could be.
"Let me guess…it's this book, isn't it?"
"I requested you to never talk about the book!" Both versions of Ayashii grew angry at me.
Wow, it even emotes with him…
"Fine, I get it. Just don't screw up my school life, alright? I don't want people to see me as a weirdo and end up losing my status here."
"As if you had any status to being with."
"Hey!" I grew offended.
*INSERT CLASSIC SCHOOL BELL CHIME HERE*
"*demonic chuckle* Now…let us see how these mortals live this "everyday school life" thing. It'll be interesting to see humans attempt to learn anything to save their future. Hahahaha!"
"This is going to bite me in the ass so hard…" I gained a huge sweatdrop.
"Cease your worrying already. I can assure you that a powerful demon such as I can handle something so simple as a day at…"
*SLAM*
"Ow! Grr…watch where you're going, you damn imbecile!" Ayashii yelled after bumping into someone as he was turning the corner.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I had a lot of stuff in my hands and…"
"Making such idiotic excuses! Humans these days still refuse to accept responsibility for their mistakes in life! Such a pitiful species…"
"Y-You don't have to so mean about it. And you're a human too, hypocrite!"
"To be referred to the likes of you is an insult to my image. Being inside this body is already making me sick to my stomach."
Then why the hell did you constantly bug me for it?! I mentally raged.
"What are you even talking about? Are you some kind of chunibyo?"
"Tch! I may not know what that is…but giving me such a ridiculous title will be the BIGGEST and LAST mistake of your life! I'll make you face eternal darkness, you pitiful angel girl!"
Angel girl? W-Wait, could that be…?!
"W-Wait! Stop!" I yelled from inside the book.
"Why are you interrupting?! I was about to eradicate this nuisance!"
"You can't eradicate her! She's on the Student Council! I'll be totally screwed if something happens to her!"
"Student Council? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"L-Look, I'll explain later. Just…give me control before you make things worse."
…
…
…
"*sigh* Fine." I could tell that Ayashii didn't like the idea. But he knows that his short temper almost ruined his first experience of freedom in a while. And I'm sure he doesn't want to lose it again.
A bright light filled the hallway corner and I was soon back inside my own body. Once my eyesight was working again, I was able to see that this girl really was an angel. A lot like that Student Council girl from the first day of school. Only this one had short light-blue hair and red glasses.
And as she looked at me with a baffled-as-hell look, the only thing I could think of to say was:
"Uh…I-I'm sorry. I had a bad morning and such."
…
…
…
"Uh…N-No. I-It's okay, really." The girl said. Oddly enough, in a tone that reminded me of Rei. "I had too much stuff and and I couldn't see properly…it really wasn't my intention to bump into you."
"It's fine, really. Here…I'll help pick these papers up for you."
"Oh…um…thanks." Was all the girl replied with.
It was a very tense moment of silence as we each picked up pieces of paper and formed them into a stack. My mind was racing with thoughts of what this girl is going to say. Is she going to tell everyone about Ayashii and this book? Am I going to get suspended for this incident?
Am I REALLY going to be labeled as a freaking chunibyo?!
"Here you go. That's all the papers." I said.
"Th-Thank you." The girl replied. "You were a great help, Klug Ryley."
"H-Huh? H-Hey, how do you know my name?" I asked with a little shock.
"With me being on the Student Council, it is my responsibility to know the names of my fellow peers." The girl went silent for a bit. "Plus…we're in the same class."
"We are?"
"My name's Ciel Neroni. I sit in front of you."
"Really?" I then thought about it for a moment. "Oh, yeah. Now I remember."
"I was there when you were talking to Chu Duranné on the first day of school. How are you two acquainted, by the way?"
"She's a friend of mine's little sister. He's in a different class. So, I tend to look after her sometimes."
"I see. Well, she is rather cute."
"Yeah. She's been getting that a lot recently."
And it's starting to annoy her, too…
"Anyway…thank you again for your help, Klug. I'll see you in class." As Ciel flew away…okay, to be honest, she was struggling to keep afloat. Those documents looked pretty heavy. I couldn't just let her carry that on her own. Even if it made me more late than I already was.
"H-Hey, Ciel. Let me carry some of those."
"Really? I-I couldn't impose…"
"It's fine, really. Anyone would struggle to carry that huge stack of paper."
"You do have a point…" Ciel thought for a moment. "…Well, okay then. Thank you once again for your help, Klug." She then responded with a small smile. It caught me off guard a little, but I managed to regain my composure.
But still…why did a simple smile affect me like that? I trained myself to be immune to emotes like that.
…
Maybe I missed a few…
It was another tense moment of silence as we made our way to the Student Council room. I was still panicking about Ciel's encounter with Ayashii earlier. I knew that I had to explain what happened…but I was hoping that she either forgot about it or has no interest in bringing it up.
"S…S-So, uh…Klug. A-About that that other "you"…"
Unfortunately, neither of those things happened.
"U-Um, well…i-it's a funny story, really." I tried to think of a lie to tell her…but not a single one came to mind. So, I gave up and decided to just tell her the truth.
No matter how absurd it sounds.
"*sigh* You see, that "other me" is actually a demon."
"A-A demon?!"
"SHHH! Please keep it down! I don't want random people to overhear this."
"R-Right. Sorry. So…why does a demon look like you?"
"Well…because we made a deal that he could possess my body more often in exchange for information that lies inside this book he's trapped in."
Ciel stared at me with the most dumbfounded look I'd ever seen on a person.
"Klug, we may have just met and all…but that feels like the STUPIDEST thing you've ever done."
"My step-sister of all people said something similar…" I gained a colossal sweatdrop.
"Isn't there some other way to get this information you're after? Like a magic spell or something? I mean…you are from Primp Town, right?"
"*sigh* As if I haven't tried. Not a single spell worked and I tried nearly all of them. Whatever trapped Ayashii in this book is something I've never experienced before."
"Ayashii?"
"That's the demon's name. It's basically the only thing I know about him."
"I see…"
"Well… since you now know…you mind keeping this a secret? I don't want the whole school to know that I'm letting a demon posses me. It'll definitely start some rumors."
"Oh, right…sure, Klug. I can keep a secret. I wouldn't want someone as nice as you to be buried deep within high school controversy."
"A-As nice as me?" I asked with a blush.
"Y-You know…since you helped me with these papers." Ciel gained a faint blush of her own.
"O-Oh, right. Of course."
"*chuckle* I sense an interesting tale being constructed…" Ayashii said from inside the book.
"Sh-Shut it, you!"
"I-In any case…here's the Student Council room." Ciel said as we were approaching the door to said Student Council room. "Thank you once more for helping with these papers. I'm pretty sure Floré would've scolded me hard for losing these."
"It's fine, really. No need to worry." While trying not to look directly at Ciel, I took notice of her uniform. Even though we were allowed to wear our summer uniforms because of the sudden heatwave, hers was still different from the rest of us. Even the Special Ed. ones.
"Wh-What?" Ciel asked.
"N-Nothing, it's…the fact that your uniform's different from the rest. Is it because of the Student Council or is it because you're an angel?"
"O-Oh, this. Well…"
"Ciel!"
And right when Ciel was about to answer, we heard a loud but cheerful voice coming from down the hall. Then a green-haired angel rushed up and hugged Ceil with all her might. Somehow not affecting the stack of documents at all.
"Roco…please let me go."
"But I missed you, Ciel~! You were gone like for forever~!"
"It was only 20 minutes…"
"That's too long, Ciel~! I was running out of cuddle energy~!"
Cuddle energy?
"Roco, please…people might be watching."
"Aw, alright." The girl finally let Ciel loose and floated in front of her in a somewhat sad mood. That was when she finally noticed me standing next to her. "Oh! Hiya, Klug! Whatcha doin' with Ciel?"
"Uh…" I was really confused.
"This is Roco Tamura. She's in our class and we're childhood friends." Ciel explained.
"Roco Tamura…" I thought for a moment. "…Oh, yeah. I remember. She was pretty into Chu's ability to speak multiple languages on the first day. That, and she made a pretty bold first impression."
"Well, I wanted to make sure everyone got to know me! The Student Council Secretary!" Roco cheered.
"She's on the Student Council?" I asked Ciel.
"Hey! Meanie! I'm a great Secretary! I make delicious sandwiches every day and people love them!"
"That has nothing to do with being a Secretary…" I gained a sweatdrop.
"She's also Yoko's cousin." Ciel said.
"Yoko's cousin? Who's Yoko?"
"I'm sure you know her as "Harpy"."
"Really, now…"
So, Yoko is Harpy's real name. I wonder why she never uses it…
"So…whaddya you guys doing?" Roco asked.
"Klug was helping me carry these documents here. Once I put these down, we're all going to class."
"Aw! But class is boring!"
"We all have to do it, Roco. It's the whole reason we come to school."
"*whine* Say something, Klug! Change Ciel's mind so we can go eat sandwiches together!"
"You wanna skip class just so you can eat sandwiches?" I asked.
"It's better than sitting in boring class all day!"
"Roco…I want to go to class, too."
"*whine* Totally not tubular!"
Yeah, I can really see how she and Harpy are related…
"Come on, Roco." Ciel said. Now document-free. "The sooner we can get our classes done, the sooner we can eat some sandwiches."
"Ugh! Fine…" Roco continued to whine and complain about the idea of going to class.
"You really have to promise her sandwiches in order for her to go to class?" I asked.
"It's a common thing between us since we were kids. Promise her sandwiches and she'll do just about anything."
"Huh…"
I can't really tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing…
"So…r-ready to go?" Ciel asked with a small blush on her face.
"O-Oh, uh…y-yeah. I'm ready to…" Before I could finish that sentence, I started feeling a tingling sensation around my body. And after mentally passing out for a few seconds, I realized that I was now back as a wisp inside the Tome of Sealing. And Ayashii was possessing my body once more.
"Wh-What the…"
"Did you really believe that I was going to let this cheesy human romance attempt interfere with my chance at freedom?!" Ayashii yelled in a pissed-off tone. "This farce has gone on long enough!"
"D-Don't just switch our souls like that!" I yelled back as the purple wisp inside the book. "You could've gotten us screwed again!"
"If that were the case again, I would've handled it like I was intended to before. Nobody would have missed the poor mortal disappearing out of nowhere."
"You are just heartless…" I gained a sweatdrop.
"Woah…Klug turned into a talking wisp!" Roco shouted in excitement.
"So, I'm guessing this is what Ayashii looks like while inside your body." Ciel said as she took a look at my possessed body. "Looks disheveled as hell."
"Hmph. You don't look all that attractive either, Angel Girl." Ayashii retorted.
"*sigh* This is not how I wanted this day to go…" I mumbled to myself in complete grief.
"Don't worry, Klug." Ciel said to me. "We promise not to tell anyone about this. Right, Roco?"
"I'm not really sure what's going on…" Roco said. "…but I can TOTALLY keep a secret, Klug! Something THIS tubular would be total butter if people found out about!"
"Butter?"
"80s slang for "uncool"." Ciel explained.
"Huh…"
80s slang is weird…
"And besides…there might be a way to truly free Ayashii from this book."
"R-Really?!"
"You speak the truth, Angel Girl?" Ayashii asked. His interest clearly peaked from this claim.
"Okay, one…my name is Ciel! Not "Angel Girl"!" Ciel was already agitated with the "nickname" she received. "And two…there might be something about it back at my old school's library. It's filled with old documents and such."
"Your old school?" I asked.
"I originally attended the Light Academy. A school above in the clouds. Myself and the other council members were transferred here for a special reason. Though, that reason is currently classified."
"I see…"
I guess that explains the different uniforms…
"It's possible that there's something there that deals with imprisonment. I could go check during the weekend."
"Y-You'll really do that?"
"Of course, Klug." Ciel then gained a faint blush on her face. "A-Anything to help out a friend."
"Fr-Friend?" I gained a slight blush of my own.
"Ugh. This is getting nauseating to watch." Ayashii said before another bright light came and I was suddenly returned to my body. "Here. Keep all that romantic crap to yourselves."
"What about our deal?"
"Screw that. If there truly is a way to free me from this book, then I am willing to keep my distance from these mortals for a few more days. Wake me up when we arrive home." This was the last we heard from Ayashii as the book had closed on its own and went back into my school bag.
"Radical…" Roco said in amazement.
"*sigh* At least I have my body back."
"It's a sign that you'll have a normal school life." Ciel said. "You can look forward to that again."
"Yeah…that's true."
"Now…how's about we get to class already? I can, uh…use my role as Treasurer to get you out of trouble."
"R-Really? Um…thanks, Ciel. That would help a lot since we've been out here for a while."
"You mean we STILL gotta go to class?!" Roco yelled. "*whine* Totally not tubular!"
"Get over it, Roco. You can't escape it." Ciel said.
"*whine* Okay…" Roco continued to whine as she began flying her way to class. Leaving Ciel and me to look at each other with faint blushes and small smiles.
"So…shall we go?" I asked.
"Yeah…let's go." She replied.
"Gag me with a spoon, why don't you."
"Oh, shut up." Both of us retorted Ayashii for him using 80s slang.
Author's Note: The first rewrite chapter in a while. Sorry for the long wait with updating this story. It's just been…difficult as of late to write and keep up with so many different stories at once. I'm just doing them as I can at the moment. So, I can't say when this story will receive the next update.
Thanks for reading. Later.