"So this is Chiba Academy? Doesn't look all that special to me~"
Standing at the school gate, Elysia couldn't help but mutter in discontent. Durandal had forced her into this sailor uniform and even made her carry a backpack—she was seriously not happy about it.
Durandal acted like she hadn't heard a thing.
Well, she was stuck in the same getup, so it wasn't like either of them was coming out on top, right?
A few days had already passed since they'd left the battle with the Second Herrscher.
By noon the next day, Durandal had gotten her identification documents as promised.
On the third day, following Connie—who'd just cashed out nearly five hundred million dollars in the stock market—they arrived at Nagazora City on the main island of the Far East, swiftly secured a place to live, and completed the enrollment process for Chiba Academy.
Now, on the fourth day, was Durandal and Elysia's first day at the academy.
Unlike its all-girls' counterpart fifty thousand years in the future, Chiba Academy in this era was a co-ed school.
Otherwise, how would Kevin have been able to transfer in midway, right?
And the class Durandal and Elysia were about to join was Class 2-A—the very same class Mei was in.
It was worth mentioning that when they'd enrolled with Connie yesterday, Durandal had only seen Mei's name on the Class 2-A roster, not Kevin's.
She figured Kevin hadn't transferred over yet.
If that was the case, there should still be some time before the Third Honkai Eruption hit—enough for Durandal (scratch that), enough for Connie to lay the groundwork for the early stages of the MOTH organization.
After all, they were about to start recruiting talents who would've otherwise been scooped up by Fire Moth. If their organization came across as too slapdash or amateurish in any way, those talents might just look the other way.
Not everyone was like Elysia, after all, with leverage that Durandal could use to keep her in line.
Just before stepping into the school, Durandal suddenly turned to Elysia and offered a well-meaning reminder:
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention—the teenagers in this school are at that age where their hormones are running wild. So maybe tone it down a bit, and don't go casually unleashing that so-called charm of yours on everyone."
"What? Are you jealous or something?"
Elysia immediately cupped her cheeks, putting on a dreamy expression.
"See, I knew it—no one can resist Elysia's allure~! Durandal, there's no need to be shy. If you've really fallen for me, I promise I'll treat you better from now on~!"
Durandal shot her a sidelong glance, shook her head, and sighed.
"No, Elysia, you've got it wrong. I just don't want the very first task of our newly formed Flame-Chaser organization to be cleaning up the mess you've made at school, instead of helping me recruit talents to fight the Honkai."
"Durandal!!!"
Elysia's eyes widened, practically shooting flames.
She should've known—that blockheaded goose never had anything nice to say.
"Don't look at me like that, Elysia," Durandal said, her tone earnest.
"Teenagers at this age love to overthink everything. If you're even slightly nice to them, they might spin an entire romance novel in their heads. And then when you tell them you're like that with everyone, wanna bet they'll start jumping off roofs, slitting their wrists, or swallowing pills?"
The fire in Elysia's eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by a hint of unease.
Would it really be that bad?
She wasn't so sure herself...
But asking her not to radiate her natural charm... that was tough!
A beautiful girl like her—even if she stood still and said nothing, wouldn't her charm shine through anyway?
As if sensing what Elysia was thinking, Durandal spoke again: "If you want to avoid that, it's simple—just don't leave my side."
"For one, I can help shoo away any unwanted attention. And secondly, with me around, that alone should be enough to deter most people from trying to get close to you."
"And you still claim you haven't fallen for me?"
Elysia said with a look of utter disdain. "Going to such lengths just to keep me by your side—Durandal, you're really pulling out all the stops, aren't you~?"
"..."
Durandal shook her head, feeling like all her earlier words had been wasted.
"Think whatever you want."
With that, she said no more and stepped into the school grounds.
Alright then...
If she was being honest, Elysia was actually... just a tiny, tiny bit worried that what Durandal described might actually happen.
"Oh well, what can I say? I'm just the kind of beautiful girl who can stir up a storm without even lifting a finger. Fine, I'll listen to Durandal this once~!"
Muttering under her breath, Elysia quickened her pace and caught up.
Noticing that Elysia had indeed followed and was walking closer to her than she had on their way to school, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Durandal's lips—one she didn't even realize was there.
Once inside, Durandal and Elysia headed straight for the second-year staff room to meet their homeroom teacher, Miyako.
Miyako was a middle-aged woman, probably in her early forties, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses with her hair neatly tied back.
Though she had the strict teacher look down pat, she didn't come across as severe at all—instead, she seemed exceptionally kind and approachable.
Rumor had it she was well-loved by the students, some of whom even called her 'Mama Miyako' in private.
Seeing Durandal and Elysia, Miyako quickly set down her teaching materials, stood up, and smiled. "Ah, you must be Durandal and Elysia... Let me check the time..."
She glanced at her watch. "Eight forty-five..."
Then she got up and brought over two chairs. "Let's wait another fifteen minutes. There's one more transfer student joining us today."
"No problem at all, Ms. Miyako~!"
Elysia replied in a sweet voice and promptly took a seat.
But Durandal felt a stir of curiosity and asked, "Um, Ms. Miyako, if it's alright to ask, who is the other transfer student—"
Before she could finish, hurried footsteps sounded from the hallway.
"Sorry, Ms. Miyako! I'm not late, am I?"
Hearing that somewhat familiar female voice behind her, Durandal's eyes widened abruptly. For a split second, her composure slipped—and Elysia caught every bit of it.
Leaning in close, Elysia whispered right by Durandal's ear, "Don't tell me... you know this transfer student too?"
But this time, Durandal was completely unaffected by Elysia's close proximity, her warm breath, or her unique scent. Only one question filled her mind—
Why was Kiana in the Previous Era?
--+--