The next day brought an adjustment to every section.
Because of a vacant classroom, the school administration decided to create a new section for the third-year Junior High students.
As a result, several sections had to reduce their numbers by transferring a few students.
In Akira's original section, three students—including him—were moved to the new section.
This meant Akira was now separated from Lyra, his intended target and future toy.
On that same day, Akira learned that Lyra, Luna, and Sofy had two male friends: Loid and Ken. Both boys had also been transferred to the new section with him.
His first plan was simple — befriend the two boys who were close to Lyra, Luna, and Sofy.
Since they were now classmates, Akira approached Loid with a friendly smile and started a casual conversation about school life. Soon, Ken joined them. They talked, shared stories, and bonded naturally.
For the first time, Akira acted like a normal student, laughing at their jokes and pretending to care about ordinary things.
None of them suspected anything.
Two days passed, and Akira had successfully gained their trust. Loid and Ken then introduced him to their three female friends.
Outside the school gate, Loid grinned and said, "Lyra, Luna, Sofy — this is Akira, our new friend."
"Hi, Akira," Luna greeted with a bright smile.
"You were in our old section too, right? The one who got transferred?" Sofy asked curiously.
"Uh, yeah… that's me," Akira replied, smiling politely.
"We didn't really notice you before. You were always so quiet," Luna added.
Ken chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that's true."
Akira's gaze shifted to Lyra, who remained quiet and reserved.
"Come on, Lyra, introduce yourself," Luna urged.
Lyra looked at Akira, then shyly extended her hand.
"I'm Lyra Kawamura. It's nice to meet you," she said with a gentle smile, a faint blush of embarrassment visible on her cheeks.
Akira reached out and shook her hand.
The moment their hands touched, something strange stirred inside him.
His heartbeat suddenly quickened, pounding harder than he had ever felt before.
For the first time in his existence, he experienced the real sensation of his heart racing.
Still holding her hand, he introduced himself.
"I'm Akira Toji. It's a pleasure to meet all of you," he said with a warm smile.
"Hey, Akira, why don't you join us later? We're going to a café so we can get to know you better," Sofy invited cheerfully.
"Uhm, sure. I'd be happy to come," Akira replied.
"Great! See you later then. Class is about to start," Sofy said.
Everyone returned to their respective classrooms.
Akira, Loid, and Ken headed to Section D, while Lyra, Luna, and Sofy went to Section A.
Throughout the entire class, Akira could not explain the strange feeling lingering in his chest.
"Is this… an emotion from the owner of this body?" he whispered inside his mind.
After school, Akira, Loid, and Ken stepped out of their room together and waited outside for Section A.
When the three girls finally emerged, the six of them headed to the café as a group.
Inside the cozy café, they played games, laughed, shared stories, and genuinely enjoyed each other's company.
For the first time, Akira felt something like this — a warmth that worried him even as it confused him.
While everyone was laughing, Akira thought to himself with a hidden smirk, Hmph. You've all fallen for my bait.
"Akira, do you have social media accounts? We can add you to our group chat. It's really fun there," Sofy suggested with a smile.
Akira smiled back. "Yeah, I do. Here's mine." He showed them his account and followed each of them.
Later that night, when he got home, Akira opened his Messenger.
A group chat appeared, filled with endless topics and lively conversations. He joined in, chatting, joking, teasing, and playing along with everyone.
For the first time, he felt a kind of happiness that had nothing to do with his usual dark deeds.
Yet even as he laughed at the messages on his screen, he never forgot his sinister plans.