Who is Lucy? Despite her love for and embrace of the Gyaru style—and despite occasionally being seen with Jack and other bullies or delinquents—Lucy is as far from a delinquent as she can be. She is a model student. She gets the best grades in her class. She ranks among the top students in the school. She is respectful of the rules, her teachers, and her friends. The only reason she hangs out with them occasionally is that her "boyfriend," Yome, belongs to that group. Nila, on the other hand, is there to protect her friend from everyone else in the group. That is the only reason Nila and Lucy frequently show up in Jack's group.
Aside from the fact that Lucy joined this group because of Yome and doesn't care about Jack, there were some minor advantages to being in Jack's group. Although for the past week he's been showing up to class every day as if a truck had hit him and doing nothing but sleeping in class, things are usually very different.
Jack is known throughout the school for his short temper and for immediately resorting to his fists when he gets angry. Jack's physical stats have never been particularly high; in fact, most people who've gotten into a fight with him say he isn't very strong, that his punches are weak, and his movements are awkward. So why are people so afraid of Jack? The answer is simple: it's not because of his strength, but because of his fighting style. When Jack starts a fight, he acts like a rabid dog that feels no pain; he attacks relentlessly and doesn't care about the blows he takes. And if he can't beat you like this, get ready for a surprise outside of school. The most famous example is when he attacked a student from an upper grade at the beginning of the school year. He didn't even come close to winning—in fact, he took a really bad beating. If the teachers hadn't intervened in time to break it up, he might have ended up in the hospital. Despite this, he didn't stop fighting. This earned him a reputation at school as "a fool who's willing to hurt himself just to hurt you." So yes, you can beat up Jack, but in the end, it's not worth it because if he loses, he'll most likely team up with Yome and Stephen to ambush you and assault you in the back alley.
Even if it's known that you're "friends" with someone like that, you can still stay out of trouble. People know that getting involved with her is the same as getting involved with Rabid Dog Jack and his ambushing friends—and that it'll bring trouble your way. Even though the teachers tell them to stay away, they also know that Lucy and Nila's presence keeps Jack and his friends from doing anything extreme. Bullying and violence decrease when the girls are around. However, Jack's recent complete breakdown, Yome and Stephen's preoccupation with other matters, and Lucy and Nila's growing closeness to Seth had effectively broken up the group. But none of that was on the mind of Lucy, at the moment.
"I can't focus"
"I can't focus"
"I can't focus"
Lucy was scribbling furiously in her notebook and had completely zoned out of class.
"Why can't I focus? Why am I constantly thinking about those two? I mean, they've been getting a little closer lately, but isn't this a bit much? What happened all of a sudden?"
Lucy suddenly stopped scribbling. It was as if she'd realized something.
"Nila and Seth getting closer—what's it to me? Why do I care… wait a second, am I… am I jealous? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE—I ALREADY HAVE A BOYFRIEND...." She slammed her hand on the table and stopped herself from jumping up at the last second. "I mean, I've barely seen Yome lately, and he's been neglecting me... When he wasn't there, Seth was, and on top of that..... he took my virginity it felt goo- NO, NO, NO, don't finish that thought."
The sudden ringing of the bell signaling the end of the first class cut through Lucy's thoughts like a knife. And a hand touching her shoulder startled her.
"Lucy, are you okay? You seemed distracted the whole class."
Nila was standing over her with a slightly worried expression. Without even standing up, Lucy hugged Nila tightly around the waist.
"WOAH, don't scare me like that—what happened?"
She held Nila even tighter. "Nothing—just a silly thought. My mind was elsewhere, but you're always here to save me."
Nila sighed as she stroked Lucy's head. "Hah, I swear, sometimes you act like a kid, and I have no idea what you're talking about."
Just as Nila was stroking Lucy's head, an announcement echoed throughout the entire school.
*Ding-dong*
[Dear students, please be advised that due to some technical difficulties, the school will close early today. I repeat, due to some technical—]
Before the announcement could repeat, a joyful scream rose from every corner of the school.
"Ugh, what kind of problem could possibly make the school close early? Especially on a day when I went to so much trouble to dress nicely, ugh," Nila complained, but Seth saw things differently.
'If this "problem" has anything to do with those cops outside and the drug deal, the situation is bigger than I thought—let's hope it doesn't get us involved.'
As the class had already started to gather, a smile began to form on Nila's face.
"Hmm, if we look at this from the bright side… Lucy~ let's go hang out at your place—it's been so, so, so long. You said your cat had kittens; I want to see the little ones."
Lucy hesitated. "My place is fine, but you know my mom's usually home at this hour—"
"Even better—I want to show her how I look right now."
"Hah." Lucy realized it was pointless to resist. "Okay, fine. Let's go."
_______________________________________
As the two of them left the classroom, Seth had just finished packing his bag and was left alone in the room.
"Hades, HADES!.... I'm not at ease—he's never just disappeared without saying a word to me before. I wanted to ask him about this early closing thing, but I guess that'll have to wait.... So what am I going to do today? I mean, I've gotten to know the people in class lately, but not enough to just tag along with them?.... It's weird—it's been a long time since I've had no plans."
It had only been a little over two weeks since Seth had arrived here, but it definitely felt like much longer. Ever since he'd arrived, he'd been constantly busy adjusting to his new life, the city, and EVEN his new body; aside from that, he'd frequently stopped by Erica's place and helped Nila and Lucy with various things. When he really stopped to think about it, he hadn't had any free time at all. Since Jack was coming home, he couldn't go visit Erica.
"So, if there's nothing else to do, I could go out to eat. Even though this world resembles 'Earth' in many ways, it has a history different from what I know. Maybe I can try a traditional dish that doesn't exist in my original world."
He slung his bag over one shoulder and walked out of the classroom. As Seth approached the school gate, he noticed that the number of police officers had decreased significantly compared to this morning. Clark was giving orders to some officers on the street corner. He was watching the kids leaving school as if he were looking for someone.
"I guess they couldn't find anyone this morning who could provide information about this. It must be exhausting for them, too."
Just as Seth was about to follow the other kids toward downtown, he felt a sudden burning sensation in his back. "AH!" A brief scream escaped Seth's lips—not loud enough to make everyone turn around, but enough for those around him to ask, "What's going on?"
When Seth turned around, clutching his back, he saw Nila standing next to Lucy, grinning as they whispered to each other. Seth exhaled.
"First of all, aww. Second, you really should take up a martial art or some sport that involves heavy-handed moves. And third, YOU COULD HAVE JUST SAID MY NAME LIKE A NORMAL PERSON."
Nila shrugged. "Yeah, but this is more fun—and if I'd just said your name, I wouldn't have heard that little scream, would I?" She was grinning with an annoyingly smug expression.
'You little Elf'
"Please don't take it personally, Seth—it's just her personality; she can't help it." Even though Lucy, standing next to Nila, was trying to look serious, you could tell she was struggling not to laugh.
"But don't worry—it's not for nothing. I've won an all-inclusive trip to Lucy's house—the model student everyone knows and loves. You're coming with us to Lucy's house."
"I am?"
"HE DOES?"
"Yes, he does."
Nila announced that Seth was invited, and this surprised Lucy far more than it did Seth. Nila was surprised again when she slipped her arm through Seth's.
".... Nila, what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm just linking arms with my hero—is there a problem with that?" Nila snuggled up close and started walking while tugging on Seth's arm.
"Hero? HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, SLOW DOWN—STOP AND START FROM THE BEGINNING."
_______________________________________
While Seth and Nila walked arm in arm, Lucy walked beside them. She nodded her head understandingly.
"So that's how it went. I never really liked that kid anyway, and as for you...." Lucy put her hands on her head. "I've told you a million times!" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was full of reproach.
"Hehe," Nila laughed nervously, feeling guilty. "Yeah, you did, and I ignored you every single time."
"Hah… at least that explains how the two of you got so close in such a short time. He really did rush to save you, didn't he?" She covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.
Seth sighed. "I swear, you two have been making fun of me so much that I'm starting to regret it."
"Oh, don't say that. Even if we're joking, you really are my hero, and you can be sure I'll make it up to you." Nila licked her lips.
"Ahem, ahem." Seth turned his head. "I guess no matter what she's wearing, Nila is still Nila."
"Oh, you went quiet all of a sudden—what's going through your mind—"
"Ahem, ahem, we're here," Lucy cleared her throat.
Whether they were talking or flirting, by the time they realized it, they had already arrived in front of Lucy's house. It was a two-story, detached house in a nice neighborhood with a pool in the backyard. Lucy took out her keys and unlocked the door.
"I'm home! I brought guests" Lucy called out toward the house.
Another voice answered her from inside: "Welcome home, dear. You're home early today—did you bring Nila? Oh." As she rounded the corner, she paused for a moment, placed her hand on her cheek, and tilted her head slightly. "Who's this young man?"
The woman rounding the corner was, of course, none other than Lucy's mother. She had soft facial features, was a bit shorter than Nila, and was a sweet-faced housewife—but of course, if we were to be a bit more blunt about this polite, gentlemanly description, the first thing that would catch even the most honorable person's eye were her enormous breasts! For a moment, Seth couldn't help but compare her to Erica, but Lucy's mother was definitely the one in the lead—with those body measurements and the apron she was wearing, she was the quintessential MILF. Seth swallowed hard and made a point of maintaining eye contact.
"I'm sorry for the disturbance, ma'am, I—"
Nila slipped her arm through Seth's again and, smiling, took the initiative to introduce him
"Oh, come on, there's no need to be so formal. Auntie Luna, this is Seth, and he's here right now as my boyfriend."
"I AM?!"
"HE IS?!"
"YES, yes, he is."
Seth and Lucy were both stunned again, but this time Seth was by far the more stunned of the two.