If hell had a physical location in Japan, it would be the hallway of Hoshizora High School at 8:20 a.m. on a Wednesday.
I swear every student on campus had gathered around the front shoe lockers, creating a mob that made Tokyo rush hour look friendly. And at the center of that mob was the reason I'd been sweating nervously since sunrise:
Ami.
No armor.No blazing aura.Just a neatly worn uniform, navy skirt swaying around her knees, silver hair tied back with a pale-blue ribbon, and eyes that could make grown adults forget how to breathe.
She looked like an angel who'd accidentally enrolled in a public school.
Which, I guess, wasn't entirely wrong.
Students surrounded her like moths around a lamp.
"Where are you from?""Is it true you lived abroad?""Your Japanese is so good!""Do you know Fujimori-kun well?""How do you get your hair like that—are you part foreign?"
Ami stood there smiling politely, answering with calm, graceful little nods, like she'd been trained by royalty.And I stood behind a pillar like the socially anxious gremlin I was, praying to any god listening that she wouldn't reveal we'd fought a monster last night.
Her gaze flicked toward me.Just for a second.But it was enough.
One second of eye contact and the hallway felt too small.
I forced myself to move, squeezing through the crowd.
"A-Ami! Hey—uh—morning."Smooth. Very smooth. Peak rizz, Aki.
Ami's smile brightened instantly. "Good morning, Aki."
The crowd reacted like I'd won the lottery.
"Whoa—they're on first-name basis?""Bro… he's living the dream.""No way he's not dating her.""He's average as hell—how did he pull that??"
If embarrassment could physically kill a person, I'd be a corpse right now.
Ami, of course, didn't look bothered at all.In fact, she leaned a little closer—as if sensing the chaos it caused—and said softly:
"I felt… nervous without you here."
If there was a god watching, they were laughing their divine butt off.
"L-Let's just go to class," I muttered, ears on fire.
Ami nodded, but her shoulder brushed mine lightly as we walked.A tiny touch.A tiny heartbeat of warmth.And for some stupid reason, it felt like something dangerously close to comfort.
✦ The Classroom Quake
Class 1-B was normally chill.A normal mix of loud idiots, quiet nerds, and people like me who survived by not existing too loudly.
Today was different.
When Ami stepped through the door behind me, the entire class froze like someone pressed pause on reality.
Every head turned.Every jaw dropped.Every brain cell collectively screamed WHO IS THAT??
Our homeroom teacher, Yoshida-sensei, blinked at her like he'd forgotten how teaching worked.
Ami bowed politely.That simple gesture practically blinded the room with elegance.
"Good morning," she said in perfect Japanese. "I am Ami Laurent. I have returned to Japan after several years abroad. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can get along."
The class erupted.
"LAURENT? Like foreign-foreign?""She's so pretty it hurts.""Is she a model? She has to be a model.""Fujimori brought her? What black magic is this??"
I sank into my seat, praying for invisibility.
But Ami didn't let me.No.She walked straight past the empty desks… past the window seats… past literally every logical place to sit—
—and stopped beside mine.
"Is this seat available?" she asked Yoshida-sensei.
He blinked, dazed. "U-uh… yes. It is."
She sat down beside me like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The girls whispered.The guys whispered louder.Someone in the back actually said, "Fujimori gonna die today."
I tried to focus as Yoshida-sensei forced the class into something resembling order.
But then Ami leaned over.
She didn't touch me.She didn't whisper loudly.Just a soft, gentle breath against my ear.
"Aki…" she murmured. "Is this correct? Am I blending properly?"
My heart nearly exploded.
"I-I don't know! Stop talking so close!"
"Oh." She blinked innocently. "Am I too close?"
"Yes! Way too close!"
She nodded thoughtfully.Then stayed the exact same distance.Of course she did.
Yoshida-sensei cleared his throat. "E-Ehem. Let's begin morning homeroom."
He attempted to teach.Nobody listened.
Half the class stared at Ami like she was a legendary Pokémon that had spawned in real life. The other half glared at me like I'd stolen it.
And me?
I tried to pretend like the divine being beside me wasn't resting her fingers lightly over the edge of my desk—close enough that my pinky accidentally brushed hers once.
A shock of warmth shot up my arm.
I snatched my hand back like a coward.
She looked down at our hands… then at me… a tiny, unreadable smile tugging at her lips.
My heart did an embarrassing little flip.
This was bad.Very bad.
✦ The Break That Wasn't a Break
When the lunch bell rang, the entire class swarmed Ami again.
"Ami-chan! Want to eat with us?""What food do you like?""Do you prefer Japanese boys or foreign boys?""What country were you living in?""What do you think about Fujimori?"
Oh god.That last question nearly killed me.
Ami turned her head, scanning the faces with perfect composure.
Then she smiled softly.
"I wish to spend lunchtime with Aki."
Dead. I am dead. This is my funeral.
The class collectively freaked out.
"Fujimori?? Again??""Is she obsessed with him?""No way this is real.""I refuse to accept this RNG."
I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.Unfortunately, the earth was a coward.
Ami, completely unaware of the chaos, quietly lifted her bento.
"I prepared this," she said.
Prepared??When did she—How did—What did she—
She opened it.
Inside was a perfectly arranged bento of vegetables, grilled salmon, tamagoyaki…And also what appeared to be a glowing blue crystal.
"A-Ami… what is that?"
"A mana stabilizer," she said calmly. "It is edible."
"I'm not eating anything that glows!"
She tilted her head, confused. "But it is nutritious."
"Ami.Please.We do not eat magical rocks in Japan."
"Ah."She removed it politely and tucked it in her bag.The other students stared like we were an anime couple having a lovers' quarrel.
I inhaled sharply.This was insane.
"Hey," I whispered. "You can't just—talk to me like that in front of everyone."
"Is it improper?" she asked softly.
"It's… not normal."
Her eyes dimmed slightly.Only slightly—but enough that it felt like someone pressed on my chest.
"Oh," she murmured. "I see."
She stared down at her bento for a moment, fingers tightening just a little.
Something twisted in me.She wasn't sad exactly.But she wasn't okay either.
Damn it.
"Ami," I said quietly. "It's not that I don't want to eat with you. It's just… you're new. Everyone's watching. It's overwhelming."
She looked up again.Slowly.Carefully.Like she wasn't sure what answer she'd find in my expression.
"Overwhelming for you?" she asked.
I swallowed.
"Yeah," I admitted. "A little."
Her shoulders relaxed.She hadn't been sad about herself.She'd been worried she'd messed up for my sake.
And that realization hit me harder than any magic attack last night.
"I will learn," she said quietly. "Please be patient with me."
I nodded, feeling a weird tightness in my throat. "Yeah. I will."
Ami smiled—not radiant or divine—just… soft.
It warmed me more than lunch ever could.
✦ The First Crack in the Mask
But peace never lasts in anime or real life.
Halfway through lunch, Ami stiffened suddenly.Her eyes sharpened.Her fingers curled into her skirt fabric.
"A-Ami?" I whispered. "What's wrong?"
She didn't answer.She was scanning the room, gaze cold and predatory.
The air shifted around her.
Not visibly.But enough that the hairs on my neck rose.
Ami leaned closer, voice barely audible.
"Aki. Someone… is watching you."
My stomach dropped. "Who?"
Her jaw tightened.She didn't blink.
"I do not know."
A cold chill washed over me.
She continued, whispering:
"There is a presence. Faint. Masked. But it is… familiar."
Familiar?
My heartbeat quickened.
Was it from the gacha world?
Ami placed her hand over mine—hidden from the class's view.Her hand was warm. Strong.Reassuring.
"Do not fear," she said softly. "I will protect you."
And even though I was terrified—
I believed her.
✦ Walking Home with a Goddess
After school, Ami and I walked home together.
Students whispered.Teachers stared.Rumors spread faster than light.
But beside me, Ami looked calm—almost peaceful.Her hair fluttered in the breeze.Her ribbon glowed faintly in the sunset light.
"Aki," she said suddenly. "Did I do well today?"
I exhaled, thinking about the chaos, the attention, the instinctive killing intent she radiated for three seconds during lunch.
"…Yeah," I said finally. "You did good."
She smiled.A small, relieved, genuinely human smile.
"I'm glad," she whispered.
We walked a few more steps.
Then she said, almost too softly for me to hear:
"I wish… to live well here. With you."
Something tightened in my chest.
"Ami…" I murmured.
She stopped walking.Turned toward me.Her eyes were glowing in the sunset—soft, vulnerable, warm.
"So please," she said, "don't abandon me, Aki."
My breath caught.
"I won't," I said quietly.
Ami stared at me—really stared like she was reading my soul.
Then she nodded, a tiny whisper of a smile returning.
"Good," she said. "Then I will keep protecting you."
But as we reached my apartment door, she suddenly looked up sharply—expression hardening.
"Aki."
"What?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"That presence from earlier…"She lowered her voice."…It followed us."
My blood ran cold.
Another ripple of magic tingled across my skin.
Ami stepped in front of me, eyes glowing faint blue.
"Stay behind me," she whispered.
And in that moment, standing in the doorway of my home with twilight fading around us—
—I realized something terrifying.
This wasn't over.
My life wasn't normal.
And Ami wasn't the only one the gacha world had released.8