Chapter 3: A Day of School Mysteries (R&E)

The next day, Chris struggled with an internal conflict as she woke up again in "her" room, realizing once more that yesterday's events had not just been a fleeting illusion. A part of her was excited about the idea of living with her parents, a dream come true. However, another part, despite the "wizard's" assurances that nothing would happen to her world, felt a deep sadness for not having been able to say goodbye to Hibiki, her companions at SONG, the old man, and her friends at the Lydian Academy. She owed them so much.

The only thing she could do now was pay attention to that "horn" and "angel" who supposedly could help her connect to this world, while she prepared for her "first" day at Kuoh Academy.

"Although that sounds too fantastic to be literal."

Memorizing a map, she went down the stairs to the dining table, greeted her father, and accepted a bento from her mother before leaving with a spring in her step. To avoid forgetting the route, she decided to have breakfast while walking, familiarizing herself with the path.

It didn't take long before She noticed something peculiar. "Is it just me, or does this uniform feel more elastic and comfortable than a regular school uniform?" Not that she had much to compare it to, but it felt strangely similar to wearing her Gear instead of standard clothes. When she arrived at the first convenience store, she grabbed a soda and some cookies.

Her breakfast lasted long enough to cover the rest of the journey. She threw her trash in a bin before calmly approaching the academy doors, where groups of students gathered waiting for their friends. Some greeted her, but she wouldn't follow them. She decided to wait for someone she recognized to follow them to the classroom. Her best options were Yui, Kaori, or, as a last resort, Issei, assuming they were in the same class.

Chris had already located her locker, but she preferred to avoid getting lost inside the building, so she waited outside.

While observing the other students from a distance, she noticed several details about the place. As expected, the ratio of girls to boys was uneven: there were many more girls than boys. The girls seemed to look down on the boys, while the boys couldn't stop stealing glances at the girls' breasts. But there were two notable exceptions to this general behavior.

The first was a blonde guy who was surrounded by girls. Most of them seemed to be in love with him, following him like a fan club, while the other boys clearly despised him. The boys reacted similarly to the arrival of certain couples. Two elegant girls entered like princesses: one with crimson red hair, the other with black hair in a ponytail. Of course, the boys weren't paying attention to their elegance, but to their curvy figures.

Then there was another pair. Unlike the obvious looks the boys received, these two girls seemed to command a silent respect from both genders. Both wore glasses and had dark hair, exuding a similar elegance but with a more serious air.

The shorter of the two, with violet eyes and short hair, opened her gaze and looked directly at her. "Crap. Did she notice I was looking at her?" Chris thought nervously as the girl began to walk towards her. Tense, Chris tried to remember any information she might have about the girl, but she couldn't recall anything until she heard someone address her as "Kaichou." "Hmm, student council president. So the other one must be the vice president."

—Yukine-san... I see that your absence yesterday was just what you needed to recover from the fever your mother informed us about.

—Ah... yes. Well, honestly, I wasn't in a position to notify you about my absence, but I'll catch up with the classes I missed.

—... —The President took a brief pause before continuing. Like she was surprised. —Don't worry. The Student Council prepared an excuse in advance for students like you.

She handed Chris a signed document. Chris accepted it without hesitation, although the Vice President kept her gaze fixed on her, as if she were seeing something unusual.

—Ah... thank you.

—It's the least we can do. We don't like the idea of a diligent student like you being penalized for something uncontrollable like an illness and losing your perfect attendance record.

—Well, Kaichou, it's not really something to brag about, but I think I've just been following a routine. I'm not trying to be exemplary or stand out too much.

—Even so, your routine and discipline are worthy of admiration. It would be a shame to see that effort tarnished. I hope you feel free to approach the Student Council if you need anything, or even help us with some club matters, it would be compensation for having closed the music club, we know how much talent you have in songs.

—Y-Yes, I'll think about it, Kaichou.

The President left with her companion, and Chris noticed that everyone was looking at her as if they had seen something out of the ordinary. "Excuse me, but could you stop staring at me?" "What's so strange about this?" Her defiant gaze soon dispersed some onlookers, although she couldn't shake off the feeling of intimidation left by Kaichou; she was as cold as ice, though not so much when speaking.

—Chris-chan!

A familiar voice called her from behind. It was Kaori and Yui, who approached with equally surprised expressions, reflecting what the others had shown.

—Ah... Good morning, Kaori, Yui.

—Good morning.

Chris greeted them as the three headed to their lockers. The awkward silence was finally broken by Kaori.

—Chris-chan, this is the first time we see you talk to Souna-Kaichou. That's strange.

—Why should it be strange?

—...Well... You've never liked talking to Souna-Kaichou. In fact, you have always avoided her. You usually keep your distance from most people in the Student Council and the Occult Research Club.

"Something to investigate later. For now, I'll focus on my classes."

—-

While they were changing their shoes, Sona cast furtive glances at Chris Yukine. She didn't seem interested in including her in her peerage; she seemed more analytical. Sona was reflecting on their previous interactions. Yukine-san had not only avoided her before, but had seemed genuinely scared. That made Sona wonder if Yukine-san had any clue about what they really were, and if that fear had motivated her behavior. That could be dangerous for the girl if others who are not so benign also think the same if she runs away from them.

But today there was a change. Not only had Yukine-san accepted the justification, but she had also spoken to her directly as if nothing had happened, although nervously, but more because she didn't know what to say. Sona had even noticed that Yukine-san was subtly analyzing her from head to toe, as if it were their first meeting.

—Tsubaki, what do you think about this?

—It's strange, Kaichou. Yukine-san is normally not so calm in those situations. Despite excelling academically, she has always been shy and nervous, especially with us.

—You feel her presence as Chris Yukine, right?

—Yes. It's still the same.

—...Maybe... No, I don't feel anything in her that confirms if she has any other talent. For now, let's focus on Genshirou-san. Maybe with her new attitude, we will eventually discover the truth, be able to get closer to her, and even more. —Sona said while holding a pawn.

—-

Upon entering the classroom, Chris was surprised to find the students divided into groups. He had to admit that it was very different from how things were at Lydian. Well, in Lydian there were no boys, and that naturally made the girls closer to each other to form massive groups. Chris and her friends took seats at the back, and she immediately recognized the angle of the seat... it was the same one where she had taken that picture of Issei. As expected, when the infamous trio of perverts arrived and were greeted with boos, especially from the girls, Issei took his usual spot there.

While the class had not yet started, she remained lost in thought.

"I guess the way they see me is like this: I'm aggressive only at home, but at school, I'm smart but shy... I avoided certain people as if they were monsters. I need to solve these problems and understand why I was running away from them."

—Why are you asking me?! —exclaimed a male voice, pulling Chris out of her thoughts. It was one of Issei's friends, who was clearly offended and avoided looking him in the eyes. — Ask Motohama.

The mentioned boy also avoided looking at Issei.

—Come on, guys, I just want this date to be perfect! —Issei pleaded desperately. —I'm sure you, Matsuda, have something I can use... a step-by-step plan to help me get to have sex with that beautiful girl.

—There's not much advice to give a traitor who tries to lose his virginity before his friends, especially when the rest of us don't even have girlfriends.

—Please, the date is this Sunday!

—They're still talking about Issei's imaginary girlfriend. —Kaori whispered to Chris. With Yui joining the conversation.

—Yes, it's hard to believe it's real.

A few meters away, Issei suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.

—So that's what everyone thinks, huh?! —He seemed to have heard them and turned to everyone with an arrogant smile. Taking out his phone, he began to type. —Well, for all the skeptics, here is the proof!

Everyone's attention was immediately focused on him. Yes, Issei was a pervert, but the fact that he didn't mind being the target of teasing for supposedly having a fake girlfriend said a lot. The classroom was left speechless when Issei showed a photo of a girl.

The photo seemed genuine, there were no signs of editing. The girl was smiling. With violet eyes, and a curvaceous, slender body. She had long, silky black hair that reached down to her hips. A very beautiful woman indeed.

But for Chris, something about it wasn't genuine at all in the "perfect" picture. The smile. A fake smile that only someone who had suffered under it before could recognize. That damn smile. Chris had seen it once before, in just one person: the woman responsible for a life of torment, obeying her and bending to her will: Fine.

That girl... has Fine's fake smile. What has Issei gotten himself into?