(Shiba Miyuki)
Monday morning. I stepped out of the car and looked at the school building ahead. I remembered that idiotic boy I visited yesterday. The one who forgot he was supposed to attend school.
"It's Shiba-san!"
"She's so pretty…"
As usual, I walked through the admiring stares. I didn't like the attention, but it couldn't be helped.
Once in the classroom, I glanced at the empty seat in the back.
'That's Yamada Sasaki's desk.'
I sat down and sighed. For the first time, someone had treated me like… well, just a girl. How dare he not even tell me he was the person I was looking for?
"Alright, everyone, take your seats. And give thanks to Shiba for retrieving our missing student."
"As expected of Shiba-san!"
"She's amazing!"
I nodded politely, ignoring the applause.
"Come in, Yamada."
And then… he walked in. Auburn hair. Confident stride.
"Eh?!"
"Whoa, who's that hottie?!"
Girls started whispering and swooning.
Poor souls. They had no idea what he was really like.
"Introduce yourself," the teacher said.
He cleared his throat. "I'm Yamada Sasaki. Hobbies? Not your business. I like tall women with big butts. Tomboys are a plus. I hate waiting three minutes for ramen to cook. That's it. Any questions?"
Silence.
All the girls who'd been whispering moments ago suddenly looked disgusted.
"Your seat's next to Shiba."
He walked over and sat beside me with a smirk.
"Hello, neighbor."
I sighed. This is going to be exhausting.
---
It's been another week since I started attending classes. And just like that, my dormitory renovation schedule took a nosedive.
Man, I wish I had Shadow Clones.
I sighed while typing out all the study material at my desk. In the year 2093, every desk came with a built-in hologram computer. Typing on a physical keyboard was basically ancient history. But I still used one. It made people look at me like I was some kind of relic.
"Yamada-san, I still wonder how you type that fast," Miyuki said from the desk next to mine.
"Habit, I guess."
"You remind me of someone who also used that method—never mind."
I glanced over. "Who?"
She sighed. "My brother."
"You have one?"
"I do."
Of course, I already knew him. Too bad we weren't in the same class. I'd seen him during joint P.E. once. Anyway, I needed to find a solution fast—or I might seriously end up dropping out. School wasn't exactly on the top of my priorities list these days.
When the final bell rang, I headed for my shoe locker—and found it crammed full of love letters.
"…Oh boy."
"Well, well. What an unexpected turn of events for a pervert like you, Yamada-san," Miyuki said, giggling beside me.
"You mean you're the only one allowed to be popular, Miss Beauty Queen that everyone can't stop talking about?"
She pouted and crossed her arms. "I never said that. I mean, it's just weird since your rumor is that you like women with big—cough Anyway! You already know, don't you?"
"So you do like gossip."
"Absolutely not!" She cleared her throat. "Kuhum! I just heard it, that's all."
I closed the locker and glanced at her wrist. "Hey, that's a CAD, right?"
She flinched. "No! It's my phone."
Huh. That reaction was suspicious. She was clearly hiding the fact that she was a magician. Not that I blamed her. Magicians weren't exactly welcomed with open arms these days. With a ratio of one magician to every thousand people, society still lumped them in with monsters.
But what a joke. People were just jealous. Magicians were usually powerful, and wealthy.
I side-eyed Miyuki. She was from the Ten Master Clans, after all—the strongest magician family in Japan.
"Anyway," I said, "wanna grab something to eat, Miyuki?"
"Mi–Miyuki? Don't call me by my name!" she yelped, blushing. "You mean… just the two of us? Isn't that a date?"
"What if we bring your brother? I mean, he's been spying on us this whole time."
She blinked at me, confused. "Eh? How? I didn't see him anywhere. Besides, my brother is a weak—" She coughed. "Nothing."
Weak, huh? I thought. He's not weak. He's just IRREGULAR.
"So, is that a yes? I heard there's a café nearby."
She smiled. "Sure. I've got time before piano lessons."
We headed to a nearby café, a chill place buzzing with teens. The moment we stepped inside, all eyes were on us. Couldn't blame them. We didn't exactly look like a normal pair.
As we sat down, Miyuki leaned forward. "You know… I never described what my brother looks like. So how are you so sure you've seen him? If you think it's just about his family name—'Shiba' is one of the most common surnames in Japan." She gave me a sharp look. "Then how?"
I smirked. "Well, it's not like you noticed, but… he's been spying on us using some kind of magic. If I'm right, it's called Elemental Sight."
Her eyes widened. "Impossible." Then she narrowed them. "That's an extremely advanced technique. Even for magicians."
In this world, magicians were split into two kinds: normies, who could cast all kinds of magic depending on their talent—from simple movement spells to advanced magic. And then there were the BS-types, or Born Specialized. They could only use one unique spell but were totally incapable of using modern standard magic.
Shiba Tatsuya was a BS-type. So good, in fact, that people thought he was trash—just because he couldn't cast basic spells.
Honestly, the amount of bullshit it takes to brainwash Miyuki into believing he's weak is impressive. I remembered watching half of season one. Was there a prequel? Something that explains their weirdly close relationship? I vaguely remember a scene with a younger Miyuki watching him on a battlefield through a giant screen. Whatever it was, it was probably coming soon.
I nodded to her. "Exactly. Elemental Sight is practically a superpower. The user gains omniscience—like, they can analyze every bit of structural information in their surroundings. Basically, god."
Miyuki studied me. "So… you're a magician too?"
I chuckled and tapped the side of my coffee cup. Slowly, the liquid began to freeze, ice crystals forming across the surface.
"Amazing," she whispered. "You've got such fine control—you only froze the coffee. And you didn't even use a CAD. I didn't sense any magical fluctuation at all. How did you manage that?"
I smiled. She noticed, which meant she was no slouch. But she didn't realize—it wasn't magic.
It was the power of my Devil Fruit.
"Maybe I'm just built different," I said with a grin. "By the way, nice sound barrier you cast. Thought you weren't planning on revealing your magician status."
"Well," she said with a sigh, "somehow people found out anyway." Then she paused, looking at me curiously. "But why are you working as a construction worker at that mansion? Are you short on money? I could help, if you need it."
I laughed. "That place is mine. So, why not?"
"Right… you did mention that," she said. "Still, wouldn't it be faster to hire professionals?"
"I am a professional."
She smiled at that—but I caught a flicker of irritation in her eyes. A boy her age who could control "magic" without a CAD, owned a mansion, who the hell is he? I could practically see the gears turning in her head. She's wondering if I'm from one of the Ten Master Clans. Sorry, Miyuki. I'm something else entirely. Haha, she's like open book for me.
Then, the café door chimed.
A girl walked in, radiant in a stylish one-piece dress.
"There you are, Sasaki!"
I turned and smiled. "Ai! You made it."
Ai giggled and slid into the seat beside me. "Of course! I wanted to see what this place looked like. Forgot you're still stuck in student life."
Then she noticed Miyuki, who had been silently staring at her in disbelief.
"Oh my…"
With a teasing smirk, Ai elbowed me. "You didn't tell me about this."
Ai had gotten pretty famous ever since she became an idol. Going outside usually turned into a fan photo shoot. The dormitory was a safe haven—where she could hop into this world, shop, hang out, or just chill without anyone recognizing her.
"She's a friend, you dummy," I said. "This is Shiba Miyuki. Miyuki, meet Ai."
Ai smiled, and I swear half the café flatlined.
"Hi! Nice to meet ya'. I'm Hoshino Ai."
"H-hello," Miyuki stammered. "It's a pleasure. I'm Shiba Miyuki."
"Eh, no need to be so formal! Let's be friends!"
Miyuki coughed, trying to regain her composure. "I'd be delighted. Sure—let's be friends."