A small "ah…" slipped out of my parted lips, but froze mid-breath, my mouth still wide open.
What—did she just actually say that?!
Exactly 7:30 a.m. marked the beginning of my first ever day in this new town, and yet I'd already been met with the most random, haunting, and confusing experiences so far. Class hadn't even started, but here I was, experiencing another phenomenon.
Right in front of me stood a dead-drop gorgeous girl I had just met. I called out to her, hoping I would relive the expected plotline of an average romcom protagonist—but her response belonged in a mystery novel.
"Um…" I recalled speaking, my tone soft-spoken as always. It wasn't meant to sound nice, just… welcoming.
Her response?
"You're hot, go out with me."
The moment she tilted her head in such an abnormal and uncanny manner, muttering those words flirtatiously, hundreds of simulations ran through my head.
I could have easily taken such a statement as a joke, but her eyes weren't just observing my confused state—they were staring right into my soul.
This chick was serious.
Finding the right response for this type of situation should have been easy. "Sorry, I don't know you. So why not get to know each other first?" would've been the most logical response any human would give.
But Yuu wasn't normal. He was down bad. If a pretty girl like that were to ask me out, I would most definitely say yes—
"Sorry…" the girl interrupted, apologetically clapping her hands together. "I lost interest already," she said.
The words jammed in my throat, tripping over disbelief. This strange girl simply looked away and continued her conversation with the other students.
At that moment, I knew she had been messing with me to begin with.
I knew—yet I fell for it.
With this encounter, I confirmed something.
Avoid her with your life.
Luckily for me, my day went on as normally as it could.
Classes dragged by as always, though my head understood whatever was being taught. I'd always had a knack for studying things quickly. It could've been a result of my powers, though I doubted their influence was that strong unless they were constantly active.
I was approached by a number of classmates, and I'd say they were very welcoming. Despite how I perceived myself as an outsider, they never treated me like one. Did that make me happy? Not really.
"Why did you move to this town, Yuu? Was the big city boring?" asked a rather intuitive girl named Rika.
From the little interactions so far, I'd gathered that there were over twenty-two students in class, and Rika was one of the few who stood out. Always asking about my past, she gave off this obnoxious detective vibe.
And the worst part? She sat right in front of me.
I adjusted my posture, leaning back in my seat. "Just felt like moving, although my big sister came up—"
"Ooh?! So you live with your sister?!"
"Y-yes—"
"Have you ever heard the terminology Induced Bloodlines?"
"W-what's that—"
"I'm glad you asked! It's a term I created myself in psychology. It's used to deduce particular aspects of someone's life through family. The fact that you moved in with your sister was most likely not just because of coming here, right?"
Rika fixed her glasses and leaned right up into my face.
This girl asks too many questions—no, she doesn't even let me finish my sentences—she's too close to my face!
"W-well… what do you think?" I kept calm and turned her theory back on her with a question of my own.
"Most likely, you came to live with your sister because of family issues?"
She was spot on.
The main reason I had moved to this deadbeat town was because of what had transpired in our family recently.
My father was never around. We only had our frail mother, and according to her, Father still kept tabs on us through frequent calls. But I had never met or seen him in my life.
Alice—my sister—wasn't really home much either. Between university and multiple boarding schools, it was mostly just me and Mom left alone in the house.
I could still remember that massive mansion with little to no life inside. It was quiet. A little too quiet. But I could always sense my mom's presence. She was always there for me, despite how much of a drag I was.
I wouldn't say I was rebellious, but after I got my powers, I felt distant from everyone and everything.
Once I realized I wasn't perceived as human, I wanted to find the truth—what made supernaturals so different from humans, why we couldn't all coexist.
I wanted to know what exactly I was, and what exactly created the world we were in.
Before I knew it, I drifted away from my mom, from that small shelter I once caged myself in—desperately seeking the truth.
June 11, 2025. My powers went haywire, and by the time I had gotten control, my family home was a wreck—and my mom lay breathless and lifeless right in front of me.
Luckily, she survived and was rushed to the hospital.
That was exactly three weeks ago. After some thought, my sister decided I would move in with her.
Even though it happened so recently, I doubt it will ever escape my fragmented memories.
I gazed off, tuning out whatever others were saying. My heart sank, most likely out of rage.
"That's enough pressuring, Rika!"
I snapped back to reality at those words. Though they weren't directed at me, they served as a wake-up call.
"S-sorry, Yuu, didn't mean to ask so many questions."
"N-no, it's fine, Yohan…" I nodded apologetically. Yohan was the tan guy from earlier—a calm and surprisingly kind one. At first, I mistook him for a thug, but he was the opposite.
"I-I guess I did take things a little too farrr…" Rika cried.
"Rika has always been like that, bothering other people for her own satisfaction."
"Oi? Rachel? What are you trying to say?" Rika frowned at Rachel, a blonde-haired gyaru who had suddenly appeared and sat comfortably on my desk. She was indeed pretty.
Before I realized it, I was surrounded by popular kids.
Did that amuse me? Any average guy would feel happy. But me? They probably just got interested in me, that's all.
"What I'm trying to say is…" Rachel gave Rika a vicious side-eye. "You're way too selfish," she muttered confidently, a sarcastic smile curling on her face.
"Says the one who grew up in Daddy's care all her life—"
"Now you're jealous of our backgrounds, Rika?"
"That's enough, you two!" Yohan stepped in before things escalated.
At that moment, I realized something: these three weren't necessarily close friends. They just knew each other. Rachel and Rika didn't get along, and Yohan didn't seem overly concerned about either of them.
I glanced around the classroom, watching as the other students minded their own business, treating the banter like it was normal.
Each student chatted within their own groups. And when I glanced to my left—
"…?"
The air was empty. The girl with the raincoat was nowhere to be found.
When did she even leave? I wondered.
"Have you heard about the recent murder?"
The moment I had been waiting for. Finally, someone brought it up. I had been confused about why no one mentioned it sooner.
The moment I laid eyes on that corpse, it spoke to me. It was without a doubt a supernatural attack.
But now—
"Oh, the guy who got stabbed and hanged? I saw it on my way here… really terrifying." A female student squeaked out, almost mocking the severity of the incident.
"Ohh… that case!" Rika suddenly pounced, walking up to the gossiping students.
"Based on my observations, I deduced something! First! The man who died was actually a small salesman, or entrepreneur. In other words, he wasn't even from this town!"
"May I ask where you got that from?" a male student asked.
"Because, unlike you guys, I walk around questioning random people! I've already collected at least twenty-three thousand names from this town!"
"…"
The classroom fell silent.
How jobless is this Rika girl?
"The last time I ever interacted with him was when he left a café—the Moon Tales one."
I awkwardly shifted in my seat at the mention of that name.
A theory sparked in my head. The last time Rika met him—no, the only time she ever met him—was when we came out of the Moon Tale Café.
A flashback tugged at me—my first chat with the old man who owned that establishment.
"A-anyways, I don't think a human is capable of killing someone like that," a student spoke uneasily.
"Yes, that's right! But these deaths haven't even been that special."
Rika's words confused me.
I awkwardly tugged Rachel's uniform, and she instantly turned to face me, her expression brimming with unspoken joy.
"What does she mean?" I asked.
Immediately, Rachel's face shifted to a frustrated glare.
"According to history, ever since this town was founded, people have been dying in mysterious ways. This month alone, plus the one today, makes a total of twelve deaths."
"I… see. And the police haven't found any leads on the murders?"
"This town doesn't really have functioning law enforcement. In the end, there aren't any noticeable clues for them to use."
Rika suddenly popped up behind me, startling both Rachel and me.
"I've also heard the bodies disappear an hour or two after they've died. Even if they were taken for autopsy, or buried—they still disappeared."
"…."
All I could do was stare neutrally at her.
No matter how much they said, the cause was blatantly obvious. But what confused me—what contradicted their statements—were two points.
Point one: Rachel said humans had been dying mysteriously since the history of this town.
If that were true, you'd think someone would've formed a theory by now. And it was obvious. Supernaturals were the cause.
But these people didn't know—or rather, they simply didn't believe in supernaturals.
The main contradiction was the date. I didn't know when this town was founded, but it was clearly old. If I guessed fifty years, the numbers would add up.
Had supernaturals really existed for more than fifty years? I had no clear knowledge of how long they'd been around, or how they came to be.
What if the one behind the deaths was just a normal guy disguising his crimes as supernatural? Back then, with no technology, people would believe anything.
Point two: Why do supernaturals kill?
It was clear. I felt it. The one who killed that man this morning wasn't human—it was supernatural.
But for what purpose?
No matter how many times I asked myself, I couldn't find the answer.
"…The truth," I whispered under my breath.
"Isn't it obvious who's behind these cases?" I spoke aloud.
"You know something about the case, Yuu?!" Rika jumped at me with excitement.
"Supernaturals."
The instant I blurted out that word, everyone stared at me as if they'd seen a ghost.
Rika's excitement turned to pure laughter.
"Hahahaha, supernatural, he says!"
"Yuu, supernaturals aren't real, right?" Yohan awkwardly patted my back, as if making fun of me.
"Supernaturals are just old stories. I'd believe them too if I were still a kid." Even Rachel chimed in.
It was clear as day. These students didn't believe in supernaturals. They made me sound both stupid and crazy.
"She said the same thing last time," Rika muttered.
"She?"
"Yumiko. The strange girl who sits next to you." Rika turned her gaze to the seat beside mine.
Of course—she was nowhere to be found.
"She's a weird one. She said something about how the world was in danger, or how the Holy Theory is fast approaching."
Her words jolted my memory of this morning—when the old man at the café asked if I knew about the Holy Theory.
"I dislike her," Rachel spat. "She's pretty, sure, but her attitude gets on my nerves."
As they all gossiped about Yumiko, my mind drifted back to our first meeting that morning. Her sudden confession… her voice… her raincoat.
Everything about her was… different.
Almost as if she was a—
The school bell rang.
The next period had already begun. Shinomiya-sensei walked in as if she had been waiting for this very moment.
We all scattered back to our seats. But my eyes lingered on Yumiko's chair.
I was eager to know who she really was.