Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts.

-Arnold Bennet-

Location: Japan, Kuoh Academy

Hunter Westerdyk

Driving through the sub-busy streets of Kuoh helped me get my mind off of my boredom, and instead helped me focus on the school that I would be attending for the rest of my school days. The first days at school were always strange, to say the least. And I should know, I've been to 4 different schools before this one.

Apparently, the school I was going to attend was named Kuoh academy. It was a highly prestigious school in Japan, and was, until recently, an all-girls school. Making it the complete opposite of my original high school, which was all-boys. I'd done minor research into the school's activities, and schedule, and because I didn't want to interact any more than I had to, memorized a copy of the academy's map.

It had several clubs, and my parents suggested I join one. Which I was far from thrilled about. The sports club was an instant no, I despised nearly every single sport in the world. The business club would have driven me insane in an hour, and I'd show them the 'economic value' of a fist up their collective asses.

The Tennis club was basically just a sports club in disguise, except with no variety or flavour, like a bowl of porridge.

The girl's kendo club, despite its name, was actually open to all genders. But In that club, there were only two possibilities if I joined. Either I'd beat the shit out of them all and be called a bully, or I'd get the shit beaten out of me, and be called weak.

The photo club sounded as boring as the Tennis or Business club.

The Manga research club just sounded like an excuse to read manga, and quite possibly hentai, in school. And I wasn't the biggest Manga reader, despite being a massive Anime fan.

Not to mention the Student Council, which was essentially glorified babysitting with a bunch of nerds, taking care of events, paperwork and being the school's personal group of receptionists, which sounded boring as piss.

Finally, there was the Occult research club. And I'll admit, I considered that one the most. I enjoyed reading and learning about mythology and was actually pretty well versed in several religions, Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Norse, while also knowing a fat chunk about the Rainbow Serpent Yurlunggur. However, their club was in a little building outside the main school, and usually handed out fliers with pentagrams written on them. Making it sound more like a cult than a club. So no on that one as well.

I could always start my own club, maybe a Karate one. But I didn't know if anyone would join…

Shrugging it off, I looked up as I finally arrived at Kuoh Academy's parking lot, one quick glance at the academy itself nearly made me turn around. 'This looks more like a college, or church than an academy'

Kuoh academy was a massive building complex, with several other buildings around it, each one massive on such a scale that it felt like Elon Musk made the damn things with his summer savings.

Closing my eyes, I growled to myself. Why couldn't I just be home-schooled? Was that too much to ask?

'Focus. You need to begin, school isn't easy or fun. But it's necessary'

My eyes snapped open as a voice rang out through my mind. Familiar, like a memory, but I didn't know who of. Still, looking around I didn't see anyone nearby. 'Strange…' but before I could wonder any further, I heard noises gathering nearby, and looking up I nearly groaned in dread.

Other Students.

A crowd of them, many more females than males, were gathering around the parking lot entrance to Kuoh Academy. I didn't even need to take off my helmet or stop my engine, I just had to look at them to tell what they were doing. Gossiping. 'Great, publicity' I thought with irritation. I momentarily considered just driving off and claiming that I 'got lost', and while I considered that option, I ultimately disregarded it. That would send a message of shyness, and also weakness. The opposite of what I desired. So gritting my teeth, before quickly unclenching them to avoid looking outright hostile, I turned off my Motorcycle but waited before I took off my helmet, to hear the whispers that already were.

And it figures that they were in Japanese, what did I expect? English?

"Is he new?" a blonde girl asked curiously.
"Can't tell with that helmet on him, but I haven't seen anyone with his stature. Or that Motorcycle" A brunette girl answered

"Damn, do you see how tall this guy is? No way he's Japanese." a short redhead observed.

"He's taller than most of the teachers." the first blonde girl said in awe.

Tuning out the girls, I turned my attention to the boys, who were all speaking in somewhat aggressive and possessive tones.

"Whoever he is, he's already stealing all of the chics! We can't let this stand" a green-haired boy said.

"But how? He's taller than all of us, hell he's taller than most adults, and the college chics. I'd bet he's taller than every teacher in the school" a short, blonde-haired boy worried.

"I've heard that girls like tall guys, and he's definitely more than 6 feet. He meets the cursed standards!" A boy, whose hair was so short it was 1 step short of being bald, swore.

I rolled my eyes, 'Ah, bloody hell. Japanese people are bloody midgets, and terrible at being quiet. Plus overly hostile. I'm expecting a declaration of war soon.' deciding to change the course of their gossip before it got out of hand, I closed my eyes, and took off my helmet, before opening my eyes again for dramatic effect. And as I predicted, the gossip instantly changed.

"Oh, he's definitely new. You see that scar?" the blond girl said.

"Totally, wonder how he got it? Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before." The redheaded girl whispered, rather loudly.

"Look at his hair! I've never seen hair that black. It looks like it's made from pure darkness." A purple-haired girl added quietly.

"Shh, don't you see his eyes? They're blood red! He's Freaky" the Brunette girl warned.

"Yeah, you're right. He looks dangerous, and angry too. We should probably stay away until we know more" the blonde agreed. However, none of the girls moved.

The boys weren't much better.

"Oh shit man! Do you see that scar? Those eyes?" The Blonde male panicked.

"Crap! I think he just looked at me! He's gonna kill me!" the green-haired boy nearly screamed.

"Calm down! He won't kill us. Besides, there's three of us and one of him." the nearly bald boy said.

Hearing the nearly bald boy's words, I was reminded of a scene from a certain scene from a Netflix show, which would probably go the exact same way here should it occur.

But more important than that, I growled angrily. Already, already, it had begun. They were basing all that I was, all that I am, off my face.

To say It grinded my gears was an understatement.

Feeling the heat of rage growing in my chest, I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming breath. And the fire died down to embers. 'Thank's Iroh' Getting off my bike, I put my helmet on the vehicle, before entering Kuoh academy, passing the students as I did.

As I walked through the grounds of Kuoh, I did what I could to ignore the whispers, although already they were fading. I had spent most of my life fading into the background, I didn't even make sounds when walking unless I was either distracted or wanted to. Add on my bored expression and non-flamboyant attitude, and it seemed like I already belonged here.

Although that didn't do squat about my height.

However, as I passed the Kendo club building, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Pausing, I narrowed my eyes, and upon seeing the cause, my face turned into a snarl.

Crouching down at the side of the wall, was a duo of students, pushing back and forth for a seemingly ordinary piece of wall. However, the combination of factors, Kendo club, and the way they were arguing and pushing over the same exact space only left one likely answer.

They were perverts.

I could only shake my head at Baldy and Glasses. Looking around on the ground near me, I spotted a rock, and after picking it up, I tossed it against the Kendo club's door, before continuing my walk towards homeroom.

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. And I identified the feeling. I was being watched. Stopping, I closed my eyes, and calmed my mind, searching for the perpetrator. Finally, I opened my eyes and spun around stopping as I gazed directly into a nearby building's 2nd floor. And directly at a red-haired figure.

I couldn't make out her features, but given the shape of her body, and long red hair, I guessed she was another student at Kuoh. But why was she looking at me?

Deciding to further acknowledge her, I raised my right hand and gave her a short wave. Seemingly surprising the figure as she moved back momentarily. Chuckling to myself, I turned around once again and continued my path to the homeroom.

'Class 2-B. One step from greatness.' I thought to myself, I could hear gossip within the classroom, and more than likely they were talking about me. I sighed before shrugging and after nearly ducking under the short door frame, entered the room.

Instantly, all traces of Gossip dropped dead upon my arrival, and I was met by a silent classroom of curious, beady eyes. I frowned slightly as I looked at each of the students. They definitely didn't belong to the same school year. And looked uncomfortable, or rather unfamiliar with the new arrangements. 'Must've been changed into mixed homerooms recently.'

I quickly did a head count of the students in the class, roughly 24 in the class, 25 if you counted me. However, the gender count was 18 to females and only 6 for males. I glanced sideways at the homeroom teacher as she coughed.

She appeared to be in her late 40s, with a bob cut of black hair, however, it was significantly lighter than my pitch-black hair. She had the build of someone that had once been very curvaceous and busty, however, those curves had somewhat faded as her youth did. Regardless, any man who was into MILFs would call this woman a diamond in the rough.

But I wasn't one of those men, I was not into MILFs.

The Teacher looked between me, and then the class. Before taking a deep breath and clapping her hands in a rhythmic pattern silencing the class, And speaking in Japanese "Okay, settle down class. As I'm sure you already know, we have a new transfer student from across the sea, and I would like you all to be nice and welcoming to him. He's from Australia, so he might have some trouble with Japanese." I had to stop myself from frowning as a result of the teacher's introduction. 'She makes it sound like I'm helpless.' muttering and whispering spread throughout the classroom, all in Japanese. "Please introduce yourself Mr Westerdyk," the teacher said in such a horrible Japanese accent that I considered ignoring her completely. After an idea came to mind, I decided to have some fun with my clueless peers. So, opening my mouth I spoke in English, much too fast for anyone unfamiliar with the language to understand it.

"Hello, there my fellow people. I am Hunter Westerdyk, and I am your new classmate. This is what someone speaking English actually sounds like. I am fully expecting all of you to have no fucking clue as to what I'm saying, and I will exploit this to hell and back. If none of you responds to me in English, I will assume you all admit my superiority and will bow down and kiss my pointy shoes"

I allowed a miniature smile to play out on my lips at the resulting silence that rang true throughout the classroom. However as I looked at the flabbergasted Japanese students, I realized that one of them wasn't confused. But instead, a light of pure excitement and accomplishment burned in her eyes, with a light smile playing on her own lips mirroring my own.

She was around 5 feet 6 inches, much shorter than me, yet tall for a Japanese woman, And had lustrous smooth black hair so long that it reached down to her feet, styled into a single ponytail. It was a beautiful black that shone like a piece of obsidian, or opal, like a gemstone. Her body was, without doubt, the most bountiful and busty I had ever gazed upon, with curves that would make even the blindest man drool, combined with the air of a temptress, and I was convinced that she was a femme fatale. But most striking of all were her eyes. They were a bright violet, intelligent, and betrayed a sense of power despite her thin frame.

I frowned as I looked into her violet eyes. Did she understand me? But how? 'I was told that my nationality was kept secret from the school. Although I guess she could always have learned English somewhere else…' my confusion began to grow as the temptress didn't speak. However, my confusion turned to outright shock as I sensed her aura. It was different from anything I had ever felt.

Ever since I got my scar, I learned I had the ability to sense the Aura of other living things. It was best described as a mixture of sensations, warmth, and cold, but it went beyond that, they could feel old, or young, fresh or rotten. I didn't know what most of these sensations meant, but the intensity of an Aura rarely went above my elder brother's. I didn't know why it happened, except that my scar was a factor.

Whenever I felt the aura of another, I was usually met with a feeling or sensation, and before there was always one constant in everyone I met. The sensation of an even temperature, like goldilocks, at first I hadn't even known about that part, but after one occasion on a particularly cold day, I discovered it. However, I didn't sense that 'even temperature' now.

It was hard to describe and was without a doubt the most complex aura I had ever felt. It was like two things that shouldn't mix together, had. One was like the fading warmth of embers, yet it never truly lost its warmth, as if it was stuck, frozen in time. While the other felt crisp and cool, like a cool, refreshing summer breeze, the kind that you welcome as long as it doesn't happen too often.

I could only stare at the abnormality that was the black-haired temptress. How was her Aura this different? Much less this powerful… With shock, I realized that it not only surpassed Adrien's aura, but it dominated it, leaving it in absolute dust. 'What the hell?'

"Uhh, okay… does anyone understand fluent English? Because I didn't catch a word of that." the homeroom teacher admitted awkwardly.

My confusion reached new heights when the temptress shook her head. 'She's denying her knowledge of English? Why is she hiding it? Just who is this girl?' But I couldn't delve much further into it, as the whispers soon began.

"Seriously? He doesn't know Japanese?" a girl whispered.

"I know right? What kind of idiot comes to Japan and doesn't learn Japanese?" another girl agreed.

"What's he expecting us to do? Drop everything and learn English? Jerk." a 3rd girl piped up.

Narrowing my eyes, I coughed, catching the attention of the girls, I tilted my head slightly before smiling almost maniacally and speaking fluently in Japanese, yet with a heavy Australian accent, and a hint of an American one. "Oh No, I don't expect you to learn English, that'd make me a jerk. It's the most complex language in the world, so I'm afraid only 'idiots' have the brain space to learn it." The 3 girl's eyes widened further than anyone else's at my words, and as I continued my voice took a darker tone, as my smile vanished and I glared at them all. "However, I would appreciate it if you all shut the fuck up, and consider your next words carefully, because next time, you should make sure your victim doesn't understand Japanese. And, for the record, I dropped everything to learn Japanese so show me some Goddamn respect." An awkward silence followed for the next solid 3 minutes. Until finally the teacher recovered. "Well, I'm sorry for not asking you if you understood Japanese sooner, Mr Westerdyk, and as Impressed as I am by your Japanese, I must ask that you not threaten your fellow students in class. Now as a way to avoid a misunderstanding like this again, how about you tell us a bit about yourself, and answer any questions the others may still have about you afterwards."

I sighed, but only slightly at the teachers 'offer', before saying in Japanese "Fine. My name's Hunter Westerdyk, which means 'the Builder'. I moved here from a farm in Australia alongside my father, mother and older brother. While I understand a large portion of the spoken Japanese language, and am justifiably fluent in the written language, I am still unfamiliar with a large portion of the Japanese customs, such as the adding of word's like 'san' or 'chan' after one's name, and thing's like that." The class all looked at one another as the teacher clapped, "Excellent work Mr Westerdyk, fabulous introduction. Now does anyone have any questions they would like to ask Mr Westerdyk?" Multiple students nodded, already raising their hands eager to begin the questioning.

"Are you gay?" The first girl asked, and I immediately frowned. Shaking my head I said, "No I am not. In fact, I largely despise the choice of being Gay, or rather the notion. You're more likely to see me commit suicide than date a dude." the girl lowered her hand slowly nodding, clearly surprised by the intensity of my answer. "Do you have a girlfriend?" another girl asked, and as I rolled my eyes I shook my head, "Moved here from Australia, so no." "How did you get your scar," Another girl asked, however, I ignored her question hoping that topic was dropped. "Is it makeup?" the girl asked and this time I did answer, "No it's not. I'm more of the natural type." "What do you think about girls?" a skinny girl with glasses asked curiously, so looking her dead in the eye I said, "They're people. Like me." the girl shook her head, "No, not like that. I mean, like, do you think we should be at home taking care of babies, or should we be running businesses? That kind of thing." I raised an eyebrow, "Ah, Gender Equality. Well, yes I believe and support Gender Equality, but only true Gender Equality." my wording earned me several frowns from the class, "True Gender Equality? What do you mean by that?" a boy asked curiously, so nodding at him I said, "It means Girl's don't get any special treatment. So to say, I don't care what gender you are, I'll punch you just as hard." this caused a slight uproar in the class, "You can't hit girls! It's against the law!" the glasses girl shouted angrily, rounding on her I responded calmly, "Women wanted Gender Equality, that means all or nothing. You wanted Equal rights? Well that means Equal fights. Got it?" the girl gulped and nodded, and as the class went quiet I heard a boy mutter, "Well, he's not wrong." I sent a small nod of appreciation to the boy who said that.

I believed that was the end of the questions, but there was one girl who still had a question she wanted to be answered. The Temptress with the strange aura.

"Do you wear contact lenses?"

I frowned and turned to her, "Pardon me, Miss…?" the girl smiled warmly saying, "Akeno, Akeno Himejima." "Miss Himejima, what did you say?"Akeno pointed to her eyes, then my own, "You said you don't wear makeup, but your eyes are red, so you wear contact's right?" I sighed before shaking my head slowly, great the question was asked, "No, they're red alright. I don't wear contact lenses, my eyes have always been this colour.'' Surprisingly this made several girls frown in concern. "Are you sick then? Is it some kind of disability?" the first girl asked, to which the second girl quickly responded, "It's probably genetic, we would've been told if he was sick." However, before the questioning could get any further, I held up a hand to silence the class, "No it's not genetic or some kind of disability. And no I'm not sick. We honestly don't know why my eyes are red, but they've never hindered me before and several optic doctors can attest to that. Although we've never gotten a solid answer as to why my eyes are this way, I've never seen anyone else with red eyes.'' Luckily no more questions would be asked, as the teacher clapped her hands saying, "Alright, that's all the questions we have time for. Mr Westerdyk, why don't you go sit over there in the back by the window?" she asked. I nodded after a moment, before making my way over to my seat. And as I sat down, the sound of the teacher explaining the year's events faded away. Bringing my left hand up to touch my scar lightly I recalled the one question I hadn't answered.

"How did you get your scar?"

It was that question that filled my mind as I gently touched that very scar.

The scar that should've killed me.

All right! Things are beginning to get interesting!

Now my readers, those of you who have already read the original version of this back on Wattpad, I've got a small present.

There is a change to the story.

It hasn't happened, yet, but it will.

Aside from that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!