Riiiing!
The school bell rang.
The wind blew hard, heavy like a storm was forming—
but the sun still shone bright above the school rooftop.
Three figures stood there.
"What the hell is this…" Yū thought.
"Why does this keep happening to me?!"
---
Moments earlier.
"Kyaa~! What school are you from, Kitsune-san?"
A group of girls giggled excitedly around the new transfer student.
One of the boys muttered under his breath, "Tch, what a cheeky guy."
Another laughed. "No one can replace our muse, Kurenai-chan!"
The group burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Yū sat in the corner, head down, covering his face with a book, his eyes occasionally peeking toward Ayato.
Ayato, on the other hand, was laughing like a fox. Then, as if sensing it, he turned and waved at Yū with a knowing grin.
Yū froze, startled, and quickly looked away.
"Why the hell is that guy here?! Kurenai-san! I thought we were done already!" he screamed internally.
The bell rang again.
Yū sank into his seat, hiding behind his book. Then suddenly—flap!—a small piece of paper landed between his feet.
He blinked, picked it up, and unfolded it.
"Meet me on the roof. – Aria Kurenai."
"Whyyyyyyyyy…" Yū groaned silently, dragging his hands down his face.
But despite that, he went anyway.
Moments later, Ren slid open the classroom door.
"Yū-chan! Ehh?!"
He blinked. He was gone.
---
The rooftop.
The door creaked open.
Yū stepped out—and froze.
Aria stood near the edge of the roof, gazing down at the school grounds. Her hair swayed lightly in the wind.
"W-what d-do you n-need from me?" Yū asked, stuttering.
Aria turned slightly, her expression unreadable.
"…I wanted to introduce you to someone. But I guess introductions aren't needed, you've already met before."
Footsteps echoed from the door behind them.
A handsome young man stepped out, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
Ayato Kitsune.
Yū's mind went blank.
What the hell is this?! Why does this keep happening to me?!
Ayato chuckled lightly. "Nice to meet you again, normal student Yū Kisaragi."
Yū's eyebrow twitched. "Why is he here? I thought he was one of your experiments or something!"
"No, he's not," Aria replied calmly. "And as for the reason he's here… let's just say we have some circumstances."
---
Flashback – In the Chamber
After the fight ended, Yū had collapsed, unconscious.
The once-sterile white chamber was now splattered with blood and debris.
Ayato stood near the ruins, glancing at Aria.
"So… who's this kid, my lady?"
"Is that important right now?" she answered sharply.
"Oh, come on," he teased. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten our deal."
Aria froze for a moment.
"He's Yū Kisaragi. A student from Toyakara High School."
"A student, huh?" Ayato smirked.
"Then, my lady—"
He grinned, eyes glinting with amusement.
"I'll have my first wish granted, then."
---
Back to the present.
"He'll be the one to monit—help you," Aria said. "Since you're an… illegal superhuman."
"Wait—what?! Monitor?!" Yū yelled
"You need to register under the Superhuman Organization in Star City," Aria continued, ignoring his reaction.
"She's ignoring me," Yū thought bitterly.
"After that," Aria went on, "if you can prove your identity, I'll believe you're not part of any suspicious organization."
Ayato smirked and wrapped an arm around Yū's shoulder.
"Looking forward to working with you, normal student."
Yū's expression twisted.
"…I hate my life."
---
Later that day…
On the way back from the rooftop, Ayato still had his arm draped around Yū's shoulder as they headed toward the cafeteria.
Yū forced an awkward smile, trying not to draw attention.
Then suddenly—
"Yū...chan?"
Ren appeared in front of them, staring at his best friend in confusion.
Both Yū and Ayato stopped.
"Huh?" Ayato raised an eyebrow.
Ren's gaze dropped to Ayato's arm resting on Yū's shoulder, then slowly traced up to Ayato's face. His expression froze.
His imagination started to run wild. He clutched his chest dramatically.
"A-ahh, how shining!" he exclaimed, like he'd just been blinded by Ayato's good looks.
Ayato frowned. "Who the hell is this guy?!"
Before things got worse, Yū quickly ran to Ren and dragged him away, leaving Ayato standing there, baffled.
Ayato blinked and muttered, "What the hell was that?"
---
Behind the school building, where Yū usually hung out, both of them were panting.
Ren grabbed Yū by the shoulders.
"What the hell, Yū-chan?! Yesterday you were with a beauty, and now a handsome guy! Am I still your friend?" he cried dramatically.
"Shoo, shoo," Yū hissed, trying to quiet him down. "It's not like that! This is… different from yesterday!"
"Wait, don't tell me…" Ren froze, eyes wide with realization. "You swing that way?"
"What?" Yū blinked, confused. "Wait—what?! No!"
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm not blushing! You just said something ridiculous!"
"Then you really do! I didn't know!"
"No! What the hell, Ren? I'm straight!"
They kept bickering back and forth until both were out of breath.
Finally, Ren sighed. "If you're not, then just tell me straight."
"I am telling you, but you don't listen!" Yū snapped.
Ren stood up, brushing off his uniform. "Well, as I told you before, if you've got something going on, don't hesitate to rely on me. We're friends, right?"
Yū reached up his hand. Ren helped him to his feet.
"Yeah… I know. We're friends."
"Well, I need to go to class now. Ah, right I almost forgot. Where did you go last night? Your uncle kept calling me, and I kept calling you too, but you didn't answer.I Didn't get any sleep—if you hadn't called past midnight, I might not have gotten a wink. But what the hell, man.. if you're going somewhere, at least tell me or your uncle! He was so worried about you, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. And thanks you're the best," Yū said, smiling faintly.
Ren sighed. "Good thing nothing happened to you."
"Well…" Yū thought, staring off into the distance.
Something did happen—and it keeps happening.
---
After class…
When school ended, Yū and Ren said their goodbyes at the gate.
"See you tomorrow, Yu-chan!" Ren waved.
Yū smiled back. "Yeah, see you!"
As he started walking, a sleek black car slowly pulled up beside him.
The tinted window rolled down, revealing Aria inside.
This feels like déjà vu… Yū thought with a nervous sigh.
The car door opened. Aria gestured for him to enter.
When Yū climbed in, he froze instantly.
"Geh."
Ayato was sitting in the front seat.
Ayato glanced back. "What do you mean, 'Geh'?"
"Why is this guy here?!" Yū exclaimed.
Aria looked calm. "Well, he's one of our experiments, as Kisaragi said earlier."
"Ahh, that's kind of a hurtful word, my lady," Ayato replied dramatically. "I'm not there because of experiments. I just wanted to stay there, but since you came along, I guess there's something interesting I can find. And I thought… maybe it's time I see the outside world again."
He smiled faintly.
What the hell… He stayed in a place like that? Yū thought.
He didn't have the courage to ask.
"Can I call my uncle?" Yū asked hesitantly.
"Sure," Aria agreed then noticed Yū's phone. It was crooked, damaged. She remembered the one that had been destroyed in the chamber.
"Yes, uncle, we'll just sightsee in Star City. I won't be late. Yes, yes," Yū said into the broken phone.
Aria watched quietly, her gaze softening slightly. After she was dropped off at her house, she told the driver to buy Yū a new phone, without him hearing the conversation.
Then, the car drove off toward Star City.
But little did Yū know, something was happening to his friend in an alley near the school.
---
"Hey, weirdo," one of the bullies sneered.
Ren was surrounded by several students.
His expression darkened as the group closed in.
---End of Chapter 6---