Back at the house, Dante's mother leaned her back against the sitting room wall, her eyes closed tight. Sweat glistened on her forehead as she let out a long, heavy breath.
Good thing I caught it in time, she thought to herself. If I hadn't sensed his mark flaring up, that dark aura would have blown up the whole bus. Our secrets would have been exposed.
She tightened her jaw, holding her breath until the distant pull of Dante's power finally vanished from her mind.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Miles away on the highway, the black smoke leaking through Dante's trousers suddenly snapped backward, dissolving into thin air as his mother's charm locked his power down.
Maya blinked, rubbing her eyes in utter confusion. The dark mist was gone, leaving nothing behind. Feeling silly for panicking over what looked like a bad shadow, she decided to play it off. She leaned over to the side, sliding right on top of Dante.
'Seems like I was panicking over nothing,' she thought.
Her hand landed squarely on his knee, and she rested her head directly on his shoulder, her yellow hair brushing against his chin. She closed her eyes, acting like she was fast asleep while secretly enjoying the fresh scent of his clothes.
Dante froze. A deep red flush rushed up his neck, burning his face hot.
'Just like that? What is she doing?! he screamed in his head.
He sat stiff as a board, staring straight ahead at the seat in front of him. In his entire fifteen years of living, he had never been anywhere near a situation like this. He couldn't even summon the courage to push her off. The best he could do was hold his breath and pray they reached the school fast.
"Must be nice," a guy in the row behind whispered to his friend. "He just stepped onto the bus and he's already all over her."
"Seriously," the second guy agreed. "Look at him showing off."
Dante's jaw tightened. "These bastards," he muttered under his breath, his temper flaring. "They're saying the exact opposite of what's actually happening! I swear I want to turn around and smack both their heads."
More students turned their heads to glance at them, giggling and whispering among themselves.
"Great," Dante grumbled, rolling his eyes in frustration. "Now I'm the main event. The white-haired boy and the girl he just picked up inside a bus. Yeah, sounds real charming. People are just using me to kill their boredom."
He turned his head slightly toward the yellow-haired girl on his arm.
"Hey. Lady. Get up," Dante whispered loudly, trying to nudge his shoulder. "We're literally becoming the topic of the whole bus. If we stay like this, we're going to end up being famous. Please just move."
Maya didn't budge. Her eyelids didn't even twitch.
"Please get up," Dante repeated, his voice sounding desperate. "I can't take people talking about me all day."
Then, he caught a tiny smirk forming at the corner of her lips.
Dante stared at her face in disbelief. "Wait. Did you just smile? Oh, come on! I know I'm not seeing things. Get up! I just saw you smile!"
The girl's smirk widened just a fraction, but she refused to open her eyes.
"Unbelievable," Dante muttered, throwing his head back against the headrest. "You're awake, and you're enjoying this... whatever."
As the minutes ticked by, the soft hum of the bus engine began lulling everyone into a daze. Dante's eyelids grew heavy from the morning's emotional drain. Without even realizing it, his head slipped sideways, coming to rest right on top of Maya's yellow hair as he drifted off to sleep.
"Aww, look at them," a girl sitting behind them whispered warmly. "They actually look really good together. That's what you get for being so handsome."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
SCREECH!
The bus slowed down sharply, jerking Dante awake. Maya sat up quickly beside him, rubbing her eyes and pretending she was just waking up from a deep nap.
Through the front windshield, a gigantic white wall stretched out across the landscape. In the center stood a pair of massive gates made of solid white stone, inlaid with polished silver emblems. Right above the archway, bold metallic letters spelled out: ALPH'S ACADEMY, with a massive silver "A" mounted directly below the name.
HOOOOONK!
The driver slammed his hand onto the bus horn, letting out an ear-splitting blast that made half the students scream and cover their ears in terror.
The massive white gate groaned, sliding open automatically on heavy iron tracks.
The bus rolled through the entrance, pulling into a sprawling paved parking lot filled with dozens of other transport vehicles, cars, and buses.
"End of the line! Everyone out!" the driver shouted, pulling the door lever.
The doors folded open, and the students spilled out into the open air.
"Whoa..." Dabi gasped, stepping off the bottom metal step ahead of Dante. "Look at this place!"
Dante stepped out right behind him, staring up in awe. The campus was massive. Modern high-rise buildings adorned with glass windows stood alongside marble archways and lush green grounds. Hundreds of older students wearing different colored uniforms were walking along wide stone paths.
Before they could take another step, a man stepped out from the main walkway to meet them.
He wore a crisp, dark blue uniform with silver buttons, completely different from the driver's white outfit. He had short black hair, brown eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard.
The man stopped in front of the group, folded his hands behind his back, and gave them a warm smile.
"Welcome to Alph's Academy," he announced.