Breakfast was awkward.
Apparently, I now had an older sister. Her name was Hana, and she had the energy of a caffeine-fueled hurricane and the aim of a trained sniper when it came to throwing slippers. I had no memories of this "Haru" guy's past, but from the way she smacked the back of my head when I spaced out, I figured pretending to be normal was the safest play for now.
"You've been acting weird since yesterday," she muttered, poking at her rice bowl with her chopsticks. "If I find out you've joined a cult, I'm calling the police."
"It's not a cult," I said, which definitely made me sound more suspicious. "Just… soul stuff."
"Right. You better not be getting into weird anime nonsense again."
I made a mental note not to bring up the glowing red heart pulsing in my chest.
Kuoh Academy looked like someone had built a high school in the middle of a supernatural drama. Beautiful campus. Well-dressed students. Suspiciously attractive faculty.
And then there were them.
I hadn't even made it through the front gate before I saw them standing by the fountain.
Kiba Yuuto. Smile too perfect to be legal.
Akeno Himejima. Serene, beautiful, definitely the type to electrocute you with a smile.
They both turned at the exact same time.
They didn't speak. Just watched me. As if I'd walked in with a neon sign over my head that read "Please Observe: Potential Plot Device."
I kept walking, resisting the urge to wave.
The first half of the school day went surprisingly okay. My new body—Haru's—wasn't dumb, thank God. He even had decent handwriting. But I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
Not in the regular "new student" way.
More like something deep inside me was glowing, and the supernatural students could feel it.
Then lunch happened.
It started with the infamous Pervert Trio trying to recruit me into some club involving "cultural exploration" and "towel folding techniques." I politely declined.
Then someone threw a crumpled paper ball across the room, and I dodged it without looking.
Everyone stared.
"Reflexes," I said quickly, laughing it off. "Old video game habit."
And then, because the universe has a sense of humor, my SOUL decided to appear.
Just a flicker. Just for a second. A red heart pulsed into existence in front of my chest, absorbing the impact of an eraser someone else had thrown from the back of the room.
Dead silence.
I forced a grin. "Special effects. Magic trick. TikTok challenge. You wouldn't get it."
And then I ran. Again.
I escaped to the roof, panting, lunch untouched.
"Okay," I muttered to myself. "Deep breath. You're not crazy. You're just… reincarnated into a high-stakes anime world with a metaphysical soul system. No big deal."
As if on cue, something shimmered in my vision.
A system window. Subtle this time—almost like a heads-up display.
Daily Gacha Available.
Well. When in doubt, spin the damn wheel.
The air around me shimmered as the system summoned a floating slot machine. Three icons clicked into place, then flashed.
Template Acquired: Reigen Arataka – Common
Trait: Mild Charisma Boost, Natural Confidence in Bullshitting
"…Wow," I said. "I got a con man."
Still, I felt something shift in my posture. Like my voice might come out a little smoother. My spine a little straighter. Haru 2.0 was looking slightly less like a mess.
Then I heard a voice.
"You're interesting."
I turned so fast I nearly tripped.
Standing just a few steps away was Rias Gremory. Crimson hair, blue eyes, calm smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"I've seen many things," she continued, stepping closer, "but I've never seen a soul that shines quite like yours."
My mouth went dry. "Thanks. I moisturize."
She tilted her head slightly, studying me like I was a puzzle she half-recognized.
"You're not human. Or at least, not entirely. There's something else… something old. Something stubborn."
I took a step back, hands raised. "Look, I'm new here. Just trying to keep a low profile. If this is about the weird soul stuff, I swear it's more of a… medical condition."
Her eyes narrowed. "You rewound time a moment ago."
"I—what? No I didn't—"
"You did. Just a few seconds. You touched your own timeline and nudged it back. Not even devils can do that without a cost."
I realized I was sweating.
Rias took one more step. "You don't need to lie. I don't plan to hurt you. But Kuoh is full of eyes. Yours won't stay hidden forever."
Then she smiled, and somehow, that was worse than if she'd threatened me.
"We'll talk again soon, Haru."
And just like that, she turned and left, her presence vanishing as quickly as it came.
I didn't move for a solid minute.
Then I collapsed onto the rooftop bench and stared up at the sky.
"Okay," I whispered. "So… day one, I've been identified by two devils, drew a psychic scammer as my second soul template, and nearly got soul-touched by Rias Gremory."
A pause.
"This is fine."
The wind blew, and somewhere deep inside me, that small red heart pulsed gently, warm and steady.
Even now—maybe especially now—
I was still filled with Determination.