The first thing Ren noticed when he stepped into class that morning wasn't the weather.It was the atmosphere.
Tense.
Yui wasn't talking.
Rika was scrolling through her phone like she wanted it to break.
Haruka had already sharpened her pencil twice.
Emi was sipping her tea, but she hadn't smiled yet.
And Mei...wasn't at her seat.
Something was off.
Before Ren could ask—
The door slid open.
Click.
And in stepped her.
Long burgundy hair tied in a high ponytail.
Sharp eyes that scanned the room like she'd already memorized everyone's secrets.
A blazer that was technically regulation, but worn like a model on a catwalk.
And confidence?
Too much.
"Yo." She raised a hand lazily. "I'm Asuka Kamishiro. Transfer student. Don't worry, I'll pretend to care about all your names eventually."
Dead silence.
The teacher coughed awkwardly. "Yes… uh, Kamishiro-san. There's an empty seat beside Takahashi-kun. Please take it."
Asuka's eyes landed on Ren.
She smirked.
Walked over slowly. Sat beside him.
Leaned forward.
"So you're Ren Takahashi. The boy with the harem problem."
His soul left his body.
The entire classroom vibrated.
Yui's eye twitched.
Rika straightened.
Haruka stopped writing.
Emi blinked slowly.
Even the quiet girl behind Ren—someone not even in the story so far—gasped audibly.
"What… did you just say?" Ren whispered.
Asuka grinned.
"You're kinda famous, y'know? My cousin went here. Said there's this average guy surrounded by five insanely hot girls who all low-key love him but act like they don't. Sounded fake."
She leaned in closer.
"But now I see it's worse than fake. It's real."
At lunch...
Everyone was quiet.
Except Asuka.
She sat at Ren's table without asking.
Stole a fry from Yui.
Asked Emi if she was "the main girl."
Asked Haruka if she was "the cold-blooded one."
Called Rika "the chaos engine."
Mei said nothing.
Asuka smirked.
"You're the one he's most afraid of, huh? Dangerous."
Mei looked up. Calm as ever.
But her grip on her chopsticks tightened.
By the end of the day—
Ren had aged five years.
Asuka yawned, threw her bag over her shoulder, and winked at him.
"I'm here to shake things up. Don't get comfortable."
And she was gone.
Leaving behind:
A table full of furious girls.
A boy wondering why fate hated him.
And a new chapter that was about to get very spicy.