Monday morning arrived, and for some reason, Kazumi woke up earlier than usual.
The sunlight passed softly through her curtains as she stretched her arms and sat up from bed with a smile on her face.
While taking a shower, she quietly hummed a cheerful tune.
"Hmmm~ hm hm~"
Even while preparing for school, she looked unusually energetic. Her movements were lighter, her expression softer—almost glowing.
Her mother stared at her from the kitchen in disbelief.
"…Could it be?" she whispered to herself while smiling. "Is my little girl in love?"
Kazumi tilted her head.
"Mom? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"H-Huh? Ah, nothing really…" her mother replied while trying not to laugh.
Kazumi narrowed her eyes suspiciously before grabbing her bag.
"I'm leaving!"
"Take care!"
As Kazumi walked down the street, she continued humming happily to herself. The cool morning breeze brushed through her hair while students passed by on their way to school.
Then she noticed someone ahead of her.
Kiyoshi Jisei.
He was quietly walking on the side of the road with his hands inside his pockets.
Kazumi instinctively smiled and was about to call out to him—but suddenly stopped herself.
She quickly looked left and right.
"No Rose… no Emily…" she muttered nervously. "Good."
She let out a relieved sigh before finally approaching him.
"Good morning, Kiyoshi!"
Kiyoshi slowly turned his head toward her.
"…Oh. Kazumi. Morning."
The moment Kazumi saw his face clearly, her expression changed.
Dark circles surrounded his eyes, and he looked completely exhausted.
"Kiyoshi?! Are you okay?"
"Hm?" He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Yeah… I just stayed up too late last night."
"Doing what?"
"Reading something." He sighed. "I thought I was only reading for a few minutes… then suddenly the sun was already rising."
Kazumi awkwardly laughed.
"Ehh? That's actually kind of crazy…"
"For today," Kiyoshi continued while yawning, "I'm just gonna go on autopilot mode. I'll probably sleep through class."
Kazumi stared at him for a moment.
It felt strange seeing him like this.
"You really surprise me sometimes…" she thought.
The two continued walking toward school together.
—
When they arrived at the classroom, Kazumi greeted her classmates and friends while Kiyoshi immediately dropped onto his chair and fell asleep the second he sat down.
A few minutes later, their teacher entered the room.
"Alright everyone, settle down. Before we begin class, I have an announcement."
The classroom quieted down.
"Starting today, we'll have two new transfer students joining our class."
The students immediately became excited.
"Whoa, transfer students?"
"Are they girls?"
"What if they're hot?"
The teacher sighed.
"You'll see for yourselves. Come in."
The classroom door slowly opened.
The first to enter was a beautiful girl with elegant silver-blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. Her figure looked almost model-like, and even her uniform somehow appeared expensive.
Behind her walked a tall handsome boy with stylish hair and a confident smile. He looked like someone straight out of a fashion magazine.
The entire classroom instantly exploded with reactions.
"WOAH—"
"They're so good-looking!"
"No fair!"
Meanwhile…
Kiyoshi remained asleep on his desk without a single reaction.
The teacher cleared his throat.
"Please introduce yourselves."
The girl stepped forward first.
"Good morning everyone. My name is Lisa V. Laurent." She gave a polite smile. "I enjoy fashion and modeling. I hope we can all get along."
The students immediately admired her elegance.
Then the boy stepped forward with a grin.
"My name is Chace V. Laurent." He casually fixed his collar. "And yes, I'm currently single. So if any lovely ladies here want a good time, you know who to call."
The classroom immediately reacted with mixed emotions.
"WHAT?!"
"This guy's insane…"
"He thinks he's cool…"
"…Okay but he actually is kinda cool."
Kazumi stared at the two siblings curiously.
But then…
She noticed something strange.
For a brief moment, Lisa glanced toward Kiyoshi.
Not just a normal glance.
It was as if she was carefully observing him.
"…?" Kazumi frowned.
The introductions ended, and the class resumed normally.
After class, many students quickly surrounded the new transfer students with questions.
"Are you two related?"
"Are you rich?"
"Where did you transfer from?"
Lisa smiled politely.
"Chace and I are siblings. Though we have different mothers."
"Ohhh…"
The students continued asking questions about their hobbies and lives.
Meanwhile, Kazumi remained seated quietly while staring at Kiyoshi, who was still sleeping peacefully on his desk.
"…How is he still asleep?" she thought.
Suddenly—
"Kazumiii~!"
Emily and Rose grabbed her arms.
"Come with us to the canteen!"
Kazumi sighed.
"You two seriously never calm down…"
As they walked toward the canteen, Emily immediately started talking excitedly.
"That Chace guy is seriously hot."
Rose nodded aggressively.
"RIGHT?! He looks like a celebrity!"
Kazumi simply brushed them off.
"He seems annoying."
While walking, Kazumi suddenly felt something strange.
A weird feeling.
She immediately turned around—
—and nearly bumped into Lisa.
"Oh! I'm sorry," Lisa said softly.
"N-No, it's okay…" Kazumi replied awkwardly. "Do you need something?"
"Well…" Lisa smiled gently. "If you don't mind, could you help me choose some snacks? This is actually my first time seeing food like this."
Kazumi blinked.
"…Seriously?"
"My previous school was private and they don't have this kind of stuff there," Lisa explained.
Kazumi looked at the expensive accessories Lisa was wearing and thought.
"Wow… They're probably are super rich…"
Rose and Emily quickly joined the conversation, and before long the four girls were casually talking together.
Then Kazumi asked something that had been bothering her.
"If your old school was already perfect… why transfer here?"
Lisa paused for a moment.
Her smile slightly faded.
"There's… something we need to accomplish here," she answered quietly.
Kazumi tilted her head in confusion.
"…Accomplish?"
But before she could ask further, Lisa simply smiled again.
"Don't worry about it."
After lunch, the students returned to the classroom.
And unsurprisingly—
Kiyoshi was still asleep.
Kazumi sighed deeply before sitting down at her desk.
"I swear this guy could sleep through an earthquake…"
She rested her head on her arms, preparing to nap as well.
But just before closing her eyes—
A sudden chill ran down her spine.
Her eyes widened instantly.
That feeling…
That horrifying feeling…
Slowly, Kazumi turned toward the classroom window.
Everything outside had turned completely black.
And beyond the glass—
A gigantic eye monster stared directly at her.
Kazumi's body froze.
"No way…"
CRASH!!!
The classroom window exploded as a monstrous creature burst inside the room.
"AHHHHHH!!"
Kazumi immediately grabbed Kiyoshi's arm and pulled him away.
"Kiyoshi! Wake up!"
"Huh—?!"
The monster roared violently.
Kazumi quickly looked around—
—and realized something horrifying.
All their classmates were gone.
The entire classroom was empty.
Only she, Kiyoshi, Lisa, and Chace remained.
"What the hell is happening?!" Kazumi shouted.
"A monster appeared out of nowhere!" she yelled while dragging Kiyoshi.
The four of them ran into the hallway as the creature chased them aggressively behind.
"Kazumi, are you alright?" Lisa asked while running.
"I-I think so!"
But suddenly—
Kazumi tripped.
"AH—!"
She crashed onto the floor.
The monster instantly raised its claws and lunged toward her.
"KAZUMI!"
Kiyoshi ran toward her desperately.
But he was too far away.
The monster was about to strike—
BOOM!!!
A powerful impact suddenly blasted the creature away in a single hit.
Everyone froze.
The monster crashed violently through the hallway wall.
Kazumi looked up in shock.
Chace slowly lowered his fist.
"…Seriously?" he sighed. "I just bought this uniform."
"Kazumi, are you hurt?" Lisa asked while helping her up.
"T-That attack just now…"
Lisa took a deep breath.
"You probably won't believe us," she said quietly.
"But Chace and I… possess special abilities."
Before Kazumi could respond, the monster roared again and stood back up.
Chace stepped forward.
He twisted the ring on his finger—
—and suddenly it transformed into a burning brass knuckle weapon.
Flames ignited around his hand.
Kiyoshi and Kazumi stared in disbelief.
"What…?"
Chace smirked.
"Now this is more fun."
In an instant, he disappeared.
BOOM!
His fist slammed directly into the monster's stomach with monstrous force.
The creature coughed blood violently before Chace unleashed a barrage of punches with inhuman speed.
Behind him, Lisa calmly raised her hand.
A magic circle formed beneath her feet.
Cold air spread through the hallway.
"Ice Spear."
A massive spear of ice materialized above her.
"Back away, Chace."
"Got it."
Chace jumped back.
Then—
SHIIIIING!!!
The ice spear pierced through the monster's body and impaled it against the wall.
The creature finally stopped moving.
Silence filled the hallway.
Kazumi and Kiyoshi could barely process what they had just witnessed.
Lisa helped Kazumi stand properly.
"…Who are you people?" Kazumi asked shakily.
Lisa looked at her seriously.
"We are the heirs of the Laurent family," she explained. "Descendants of legendary sorcerers."
"We were sent here to retrieve something important," Chace added while wiping blood from his knuckles.
"And according to our grandfather…" Lisa continued, "…the thing we seek is somewhere in this school."
Chace suddenly grinned at Kazumi.
"So don't worry, my dear Kazumi. As long as I'm here, nothing will hurt you."
Kazumi stared at him awkwardly.
"…Why is he trying to act cool right now?"
Lisa continued speaking—
—but suddenly her eyes widened.
"The monster—!"
The creature was still alive.
And it was directly behind Lisa.
Its claws swung toward her.
Before anyone could react—
SLASH!!!
The monster's body split cleanly in half.
Blood splattered across the hallway floor.
Everyone froze.
Kiyoshi stood there quietly with a blood-covered blade in his hand.
Lisa stared at him in complete shock.
Kiyoshi looked at her calmly.
"…You can let go of me now."
Lisa realized she was still clinging onto him.
"S-Sorry…" she whispered. "And… thank you for saving me."
Kiyoshi frowned slightly.
"…What do you mean 'sorry'?"
Suddenly—
CRACK!!!
Ice rapidly spread across Kiyoshi's right arm.
"GAH—!!"
Kiyoshi screamed in pain.
"Kiyoshi?!" Kazumi shouted.
She tried running toward him—
—but Chace blocked her path.
"Kazumi, stay back."
Kiyoshi immediately jumped away from the two siblings while clutching his frozen arm.
Lisa looked at him sadly.
"I'm sorry… We never wanted to involve you in this."
Kazumi looked at them in horror.
"What are you doing?!
Chace sighed before cracking his burning knuckles.
"Sorry, bro," he said coldly to Kiyoshi.
"But dead or alive…"
"…you're coming with us."