[2] Chapter 2: Different system
Morning
"It's here."
[Staff Room]
Luceris lifted his gaze to the plaque above the door.
The homeroom bell had rung just moments ago, and fortunately.
He had made it in time.
..Knock knock—
After a brief knock, he slid the wooden door open and stepped inside.
The room was spacious. At least twice the size of the student council office.
Still, it was neatly divided by aluminum and glass partitions.
Desks and chairs were arranged throughout, with bookshelves lining the walls.
"Mm—ah, you must be the transfer student."
Luceris looked up at the man rising from his seat, a file in hand.
"Yes. Frederica Luceris, sir."
"Hmm. That's a fine name. I've heard about your circumstances. Don't worry, you're in good hands."
Circumstances?
Luceris blinked.
A bad feeling crept in. It seemed he had already been misunderstood before even arriving.
Then it hit him.
A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Oh no.
Those lies he spun earlier, two months ago, especially that interview… were coming back to haunt him.
Mercilessly.
"Erm, there's really no need for pity, teacher, I..."
"Nonsense. Come along now."
With that, the man turned on his heel and walked out.
Luceris hurried after him.
His expression now resembled that of someone facing the consequences of his own actions.
"Passing an elite-level exam like that… you must be a prodigy."
"I'm not."
He responded instantly, only for his words to be dismissed by the teacher's broad grin.
The man simply shook his head, clearly unconvinced.
"Come now, no need to be modest."
"I'm not being modest. I really just studied."
Despite his insistence, it was obvious the man had already stopped listening.
Luceris' lips pressed into a thin line.
For a moment, he reflected on every decision that had led him here.
And honestly,
He really was the architect of his own downfall more often than not.
Placing a hand over his face, he let out a long, defeated sigh.
Before long, they came to a stop.
Luceris lifted his gaze toward the plaque above the door.
Class 2-C.
Truthfully, he found himself looking forward to meeting his new classmates.
Yes, there had been some initial embarrassment.
But there was also a hint of anticipation.
After all, not many people get the chance to experience their youth twice.
In his previous life, he had been a complete workaholic, studying endlessly just to secure a better future.
But now it was different.
More like he was doing it to his own comfort, and because, what other thing is left to do?
'Maybe this time… I should do everything I just thought of yesterday'
The thought amused him.
But while he was thinking that.
Shhk—
The door slid open as he followed the teacher inside.
"Please settle down, class."
Around eighteen students sat in a classroom meant for twenty, but about two seats were left empty.
There was a mix of boys and girls, but the girls were clearly more than the boys.
Only about six males with him, totaling them to seven.
More importantly..
'Uh…?'
Why were they looking at him like he'd already disappointed them?
Especially the guys.
Then, it clicked.
Ah.
So that was it.
"Now then, please introduce yourself."
For now, he pushed that aside. There were more important things to handle first.
[Frederica Luceris]
He picked up the marker and neatly wrote his name in Kanji across the whiteboard for the entire class to see.
One thing Luceris wondered, even as he wrote the Kanji on the board.
Why he was automatically able to speak a foreign language and write in it.
He guessed this was one of the little blessings he'd been left with.
That aside, however,
"My name is as written on the board. You can call me whatever is most convenient."
A brief silence followed.
But this time, the class looked at him with simple acknowledgement.
It was different from when he came into the classroom.
"So.. any questions?"
The teacher asked.
A female student sitting in front briskly raised her hand.
Luceris turned towards the girl, inclining his head to the side.
"Yes?"
"Are you an immigrant?"
Pffttt—
Luceris body trembled as his body staggered.
He clutched his chest as if an arrow had been shot straight into it.
A wild chorus erupted in the class, some chattering and most others laughing.
The name.
Right, that name of his.
While he looked partly Asian, his name was the factor that suggested otherwise.
Luceris was the name he had in his old world, and since he had no identity here, he took it.
The Frederica part, however.
Ugh.
"It's a sensitive topic, I would refrain from commenting on that."
"Awn~"
Why did she sound disappointed?
Luceris' lips twitched.
But there wasn't even time to breathe, as in the next moment, someone else raised their hand.
It was another female.
"Yes?"
Luceris pointed at her.
"How is your Japanese this fluent? You're from overseas, right?"
Slowly, he nodded his head.
At the very least, it was a resonant question he could handle better than the first one.
"Yes. I did a little bit of practicing and self-study."
Of course, nothing of the such was done.
But how could he say that?
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, the female student who raised her hand nodded her head in understanding.
After that..
Clap!
The teacher brought his hands together, ending the session.
"Alright, everyone. Be kind and welcoming. You can take a seat over there."
Finally, turning to Luceris, he gestured toward an empty desk at the back.
Thankfully, that was all.
He had expected the teacher to say something unnecessary.
Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.
Now, as he glanced around the classroom, he noticed a few students with rather… expressive faces.
"Err—"
Luceris had always thought his own face leaned toward the plain side.
But it seemed the guys here weren't much different either.
Pushing those thoughts aside for now, he made his way to his seat.
Getting there,
He pulled the chair back with a faint scrape against the floor, and he dropped into it.
Homeroom began, and the day moved on.
Throughout the lessons,
Luceris paid attention, gauging where he stood academically at the high school level.
As each teacher rotated in and out, he picked up bits and pieces.
It was nothing particularly difficult.
However, the teaching style felt… different.
It was more relaxed compared to the rigid cram schools he had attended before.
Maybe it was just Japan.
'I mean, c'mon, this was the Land of the Rising Sun.'
The land of anime, Otaku, animal ear girls, girls that don't look their age.
Ridiculous gameshows, oversized breasts, Tentacles porn and hentai's…
'…Yeah, maybe don't go down that road.'
He cut off his own thoughts.
"Mm. Hey, transfer student."
Luceris blinked at the voice beside him and slowly turned his head towards the source.
It was a male.
Dark hair with strands of white that, no matter how much Luceris looked at it, appeared dyed.
And it wasn't like it was deliberate.
It felt like it was done half-assed, and then he tried cleaning it off but failed in the process.
This applied to his entire image, including the armbands on his two wrists.
This guy..
A delinquent?
Not just any one, it's the type that looked like he was reforming from his bad ways.
Plus, he looked fairly handsome too, a bit above the average category even Luceris was in.
"Pardon?"
Luceris tilted his head slightly, a wry smile forming as skepticism lingered in his eyes.
Still, his gaze kept drifting back to the guy's hair.
It honestly looked… kind of cool.
"…? Ah, this—"
"No, no, I find the hair kinda cool."
Luceris raised a hand, offering a smile to the male, who blinked.
At first there was a bit of surprise on his face, though it lasted a few seconds.
His expression softened, his brows relaxing as he leaned back slightly in his chair.
Then, he extended one hand towards Luceris.
"Many thanks dude, nice to meet you. My name's Narukaze Minato. Just call me Kaze."
"Frederica Luceris. Just call me Ceris."
In relief, Luceris extended his hand towards him, shaking it.
Minato seemed easygoing.
The kind of person you could get along with without much effort.
For guys like them, it didn't take much.
Just a few words, a small compliment, and maybe a few things in common.
Suddenly, a friendship would form.
It had been like that in his previous life too.
And thinking about it now brought a faint sting of nostalgia.
"By the way, how about I show you around sometime."
Minato, or rather, Kaze, after giving him a quick once-over, added that with a small grin.
Luceris considered it.
Honestly, it would help. He hadn't had the chance to explore Kuoh Town yet.
"Thanks. I'd appreciate that."
"No problem."
With a casual motion, Minato raised his hand and tapped his temple with two fingers.
After that, both of them returned their attention to the lesson as another period dragged on.
By then,
Luceris was already half-lidded, staring at the board with a complicated expression.
"Oi, oi… you look like you've seen a ghost."
"Give me a break. Didn't think I'd be this drained… I already miss home."
Luceris lowered his head onto the desk, resting his chin against it as he spoke.
Minato beside him gave a small nod.
Then again, as someone who had been attending this school since his first year.
He probably had something to say.
Tsk, tsk~
Minato clicked his tongue.
"You can only complain like this because you're not used to Kuoh Academy yet."
"What?"
Luceris had a dramatic, shocked 'nandato' expression as Kaze, like a teacher, raised a finger.
Up until recently..
Kuoh Academy had been an all-girls school.
It was only not long ago that it became co-ed, which explained the massive changes the school had gone through.
But that wasn't his main point.
"To some extent, that's why the male-to-female ratio looks like this."
Luceris listened attentively.
He had thought that the school was just popular amongst girls or something.
But no wonder.
At the same time, this would also mean,
"You are not suggesting."
"—Join a club, yes? You also look like someone who needs training."
Minato had a somewhat disgusted expression when he said that.
Of course it was a joke, but Luceris' hand was so light.
It was like he was holding paper.
Or maybe a thin film?
The male couldn't quite put his hand on it, but that lightness led him to that conclusion.
However, Luceris took another arrow to the heart once more.
"G—gah, you bastard."
With a 'kusotare' expression, clenching his chest as if blood were coming from his lips, Luceris shuddered.
"I'll have you know I train."
Minato was merciless.
"With that thin and light body of yours."
A tick mark appeared on Luceris' forehead.
If it weren't for the fact they were in class, he would have bitten this guy.
"You… I'll have you know I was trained by Bern."
"Bern?"
Minato tilted his head.
Curiosity was in his voice when he asked that; however, his new friend's answer was...
"My cat."
His cat?
Minato stared at him, his expression practically saying:
'There really should be a limit to how much nonsense a person can say.'
However,
Luceris' expression was so serious that it almost made Minato stagger in his seat.
This dude... is he actually okay?
Still,
"Nice joke really."
"Fine, believe what you want, suit yourself, I think I'll just join the 'go-home club.'"
Minato let out an exasperated sigh.
Looking at his new friends, Ceris like he was some clueless newbie, he tilted his chin slightly.
"There are beautiful girls here, you know? Especially the four they call the Four Great Onee-samas."
Luceris winced.
"What the hell is that… sounds cringe."
"..."
Minato's eyes widened slowly, pointing at Luceris; he couldn't believe his ears.
Hearing him, no hearing someone brush off something like this was a shocker.
"Eh? They're the four most beautiful girls in Kuoh, and they've got this—"
Minato made a curving gesture in front of his chest, then another.
Then, he made a figure eight with his hands in the air, but to Luceris…
"Well, that's certainly impressive, but on the other hand, they have many admirers, right?"
It's a hassle, and then again.
There are several more reasons why he thinks almost nothing of it.
But most importantly…
"People like that usually end up seeing themselves as untouchable flowers, because everyone keeps putting them on a pedestal."
Leaning his back against the backrest of his chair, Luceris causally said that.
For some reason, Minato couldn't argue against that reason.
Most could only fantasize and dream but not muster up the courage, why?
Because they have mentally placed that barrier between the girls and them.
"I see, that makes sense, then, what's the main reason?"
Maybe..
He shouldn't have asked.
The moment the question left his mouth, Minato felt like he had stepped on something he shouldn't have.
Luceris slowly turned his head, almost lazily tilting it upward.
Then, in a tone that carried something… off…
"Do you think a half-dead corpse is worth it?"
"…W—what?"
Minato froze.
For a split second, his mind blanked as the words scraped through his ears.
He raised a hand and smacked his right ear, wincing slightly.
"Sorry.. say that again. I don't think I heard you properly."
Luceris blinked, then shrugged it off.
"Nah. I just said I'm not really stressed about that kind of thing right now."
"Oh… so that's it."
Minato let out a relieved breath, turning his attention forward.
"I thought I heard something weird. Must've been my ears acting up."
Just then, the teacher for the next period walked in, drawing the class back to attention.