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[POV - Yuuki Rito]
[Yuuki Residence - Early morning]
TRRRIIIIM!
The alarm clock screamed like a wounded animal next to my bed. I stretched my arm, blindly groping until I hit the button, plunging the room back into blessed silence.
The last few days had tangled like a ball of yarn in the claws of a hyperactive cat - a colorful and chaotic mess. It had been a week since Rias and her group had settled into the neighboring mansion, and since then my life had turned upside down - even more, if that was possible.
At first, Rias appeared with excuses more transparent than polished glass: "I came to borrow salt," "Do you have some milk?" "Just passing by to see if everything's okay." Until Mikan, my demonic little sister disguised as an angel, decided to invite them to dinner "out of courtesy." Now Rias and Akeno showed up every single day, smiling like cats that just swallowed a juicy canary.
CLING! CLANG!
The sound of dishes being stacked in the sink brought me back to the present. I finished washing the dishes while thinking about the routine that had been established: Mikan and I cooked (she was small, but she cooked better than many people twice her size), Asia helped cutting vegetables with that adorable concentration, and Lala... well, Lala had been promoted to "cheerleader" after the third dish that came to life and tried to escape through the window.
I dried my hands on the dish towel and looked at the clock.
"Damn, I'm late!"
The girls had already left. I grabbed my backpack and rushed out the door.
[Path to school]
ZUNNNNN!
I felt as if an invisible hook had attached to my belt buckle, pulling me forward with surprising strength.
"This is certainly Yuuki Rito's 'luck' striking again," I thought, almost laughing at the irony. I could prevent it, of course - I was literally omnipotent - but something inside me was always curious to see where these "accidents" would lead me.
Like a leaf dragged by the current, I let myself be carried away. The pull got stronger as I approached the school entrance. And there she was - Lala, with one of those crazy devices that only she could invent, pointed at me like an alien fishing rod.
"Ritoooo!" she shouted cheerfully, waving as if she wasn't literally dragging me like a hooked fish.
CREK!
My belt gave way. My pants slipped. The world went into slow motion.
BAAAAM!
I collided with Haruna, who was turning the corner at the same moment. Somehow - in a way that defied the laws of physics, decency, and common sense - I ended up with my face between... well, in a place it shouldn't be.
"S-Sairenji! S-sorry!" I stammered, trying to move away.
"Y-Yuuki-kun!" she squealed, her face as red as a ripe bell pepper.
[School yard - Third person]
The confusion was just beginning. Barely had Rito disentangled himself from Haruna when Run appeared out of nowhere, her eyes dangerously bright.
"Ritoooo-sama!" she sang, launching herself like a blue-haired missile.
SWOOSH!
Rito dodged by a hair's breadth, but before he could breathe in relief:
"Yuuki-san!" Saki Tenjouin's imperious voice cut through the air. "Come here!"
PLOFT!
In a move worthy of a professional wrestler, Saki grabbed Rito and pressed him against her generous chest in a "hug" that more resembled an immobilization technique.
"W-what's happening?" Rito managed to murmur, his voice muffled by Saki's uniform.
Suddenly, the air got heavier. A presence was approaching, bringing with it an aura of authority and indignation that made everyone freeze.
TUMP! TUMP! TUMP!
Firm footsteps announced the arrival of Yui Kotegawa, representative of the Ethics Committee. Black hair tied in a severe ponytail, eyes sharp as daggers, and a posture so straight that it made any lamppost look sloppy.
"What's going on here?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the murmurs like a sharp knife.
Rias and Akeno, who until then had been watching the scene trying to contain their laughter, now observed with renewed interest. Rias's expression clearly said "another one for the collection," while Akeno seemed to be evaluating the newcomer as a potential adversary.
"T-this isn't what it looks like!" Rito began the usual explanation, but Yui interrupted him with an abrupt gesture.
"Yuuki Rito, I've heard about you. And this," she pointed to the whole group, "is completely indecent!"
Meanwhile, Run wasn't giving up. Taking advantage of the distraction, she launched herself again towards Rito.
"Just one little kiss, Rito-sama!"
FZZZZT!
In a fraction of a second, Rito discreetly used his power to push Run away. He knew that if she kissed him, she could turn back into Ren thanks to that bizarre alien condition. And kissing someone who might turn into a boy in the middle of the kiss wasn't exactly at the top of his wish list.
"Ahhh-ATCHIM!"
Too late. Run sneezed and, in a cloud of pink smoke:
PUFF!
...transformed into Ren. The boy looked at his own hands, then at Rito, and his face contorted in teenage horror.
"NO! My romantic moment!"
Furious, Ren ran towards Lala, ready to vent his frustration on the robot-brooch she wore.
"It's that stupid robot's fault!" he shouted, stretching his arm to hit Peke.
SWOOSH!
Rito moved quickly, pulling Lala towards him. If Peke were hit while in "clothing" mode, Lala would be completely naked in the middle of the yard. And that would create a completely new level of chaos.
THUD!
In the midst of the confusion, someone tripped. That someone was Yui Kotegawa, who fell... well, directly onto Rito's face.
For a few eternal seconds, Rito saw only blue. Blue from Yui's underwear.
"KYAAAAA!" Yui's scream could break glass a hundred meters away.
PLOFT!
She fainted. Literally fainted from embarrassment.
[Classroom - Hours later]
Classes proceeded in a strange atmosphere. Yui, after regaining consciousness, shot deadly looks at Rito from her place three desks behind. You could practically feel the imaginary daggers piercing his back.
During the break, rumors spread: Yui had convened an emergency meeting of the Ethics Committee. And everyone knew who the target was.
TRIIIIM!
The school loudspeaker crackled, gaining everyone's attention.
"Attention, students! By determination of the Ethics Committee, student Yuuki Rito is prohibited from approaching any female student for two weeks. Repeating..."
Rito sank into his chair, wanting to disappear. The principal's voice echoed through the corridors like a judicial sentence.
[Isolation room - Later]
CLICK-CLACK!
The door of the "isolation room" - actually an adapted storage room - closed behind Rito. A teacher had escorted him there, where he would spend the rest of the school day.
"At least I have peace," he sighed, sitting on a dusty chair.
But the peace didn't last long. From the sounds coming from the corridor, the chaos was only increasing. Without Rito to serve as a lightning rod for the craziness, the girls seemed even more out of control.
The "Battle of the Queens," as someone dubbed it, had begun: Saki challenging Lala to discover who was the true sovereign of the academy.
BZZZZZT!
One of Lala's devices activated in the midst of the confusion. According to the scandalized screams, it seemed that Haruna's uniform had been transformed into something... too revealing for a school.
Then came Run's unmistakable "ATCHOO!" followed by Ren's masculine scream, then another sneeze, and Run's feminine voice again. The confusion was growing exponentially.
[School corridor - End of day]
CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!
Cautious footsteps echoed through the empty corridor as Rito walked, head down, holding an improvised sign: "PLEASE, GIRLS! DON'T TALK TO ME!"
But he wasn't just Rito at that moment. He was the Presence, the most powerful being in the universe, and decided to teach Yui Kotegawa a small lesson.
"Time to use Hollywood acting powers," he thought, adjusting his posture.
His shoulders drooped like those of a defeated man. Each step seemed painfully heavy. His eyes, when he briefly raised his face, reflected an ocean of sadness and injustice.
FLAP!
The sleeve of his uniform brushed against the wall, making a soft noise. It was enough for Yui, who was watching from afar, to feel a tightness in her chest.
"He looks so... sad," she thought, suddenly remembering something she had witnessed days ago: Rito climbing a tree to rescue a frightened kitten.
"Someone who saves cats can't be bad, can they?" the doubt settled in her mind like a stubborn seed.
[Through the streets of Sainan - Dusk]
SPLASH!
Rito was helping an elderly man water the plants in his garden. Further on, he stopped to help a lady carry shopping bags. In the park, he played with some children, making them laugh. All this while Yui followed him, trying to remain hidden.
His performance was impeccable - not with the intention to deceive, but to show what he really was: a kind person, always willing to help.
"Mister! Mister!" a child's voice called.
A little girl of about four, with tears in her eyes, pulled at the sleeve of Rito's shirt.
"I lost my mommy!" she sobbed, her lower lip trembling.
Rito crouched down, smiling gently.
"Don't worry. Let's find her together, okay?"
The little one nodded, holding his hand as if it were a lifeline in a rough sea.
TAP! TAP! TAP!
Footsteps approached. Yui couldn't resist and came out of her hiding place.
"Can I... can I help?" she offered timidly.
Rito smiled, and something in that smile made Yui's heart race like a wild horse.
"Of course you can," he replied.
Together, they searched for the child's mother, asking shopkeepers, looking in every store. Finally:
"MOMMY!" the little girl screamed, pointing to a woman who was frantically searching on the other side of the square.
As he handed the child back to the relieved mother's arms, Rito's face lit up with a joy so pure, so genuine, that Yui felt as if she were looking at a Renaissance painting - something perfect in its simple humanity.
THUMP-THUMP!
Her heart seemed to want to jump out of her chest. "What is this that I'm feeling?" she wondered, as they walked side by side back home.
"Yuuki-kun," she finally said, her voice soft as a summer breeze. "I... wanted to apologize. I think I judged you unfairly."
Rito turned to respond, but before he could open his mouth:
ZHOOOOM!
The buckle of his belt was pulled again by that invisible force. His body projected forward like a puppet pulled by invisible strings.
"Rito!?" Yui exclaimed, running after him.
Back at school, Lala had gathered everyone - Asia, Haruna, Run, Rias, Akeno, even Saki - for an "animation party" for Rito. And of course, she activated her attraction device to bring him to them.
WHAM!
Rito and Yui, who was following him, were thrown into the gymnasium. In some way impossible to explain by physics, Rito ended up on top of Yui, in a position that would make any TV censor frown with concern.
"YUUKI RITO!" exclaimed Yui, her face redder than a traffic light.
But something had changed in her voice. It wasn't pure indignation. There was something more... something warm, confused, and new.
"Ooooooh!" all the girls exclaimed in unison.
And there, lying on top of Yui Kotegawa - the same girl who hours before had forbidden him from talking to any female student - Rito understood the universal truth that governed his existence:
The more he tried to avoid embarrassing situations, the more the universe conspired to create even more awkward scenes.
But maybe, just maybe, this time the result would be different.