Oh my god, WE'RE LATE!!!
Valt awoke in his own bed.
He felt refreshed, as if he'd just returned from a relaxing vacation. However, an uneasy sense of foreboding permeated the room, warning him that something was amiss - though he couldn't quite recall what. Groggy and reluctant to leave the comfort of his sheets, Valt lingered lazily under the covers.
That is, until the events of the previous day suddenly came rushing back to him.
With a jolt, Valt bolted upright, his expression etched with fear and panic. How could he have forgotten?! He'd barely escaped being eaten just yesterday. And what about Shu? Valt's panic spiked as he glanced at the star ring on his finger, a reminder of their contract. He cursed his own sheer stupidity.
"Shu?" Valt squeaked, his voice wavering. "Where are we?"
"My boundary," Shu replied, his focus unwavering. "We're here, Valt."
And indeed they were.
The first thing Valt saw was a flurry of colorful, chirping orbs with delicate wings that landed all around him. Floating magical items, like a wand, a potion, and even some phoenix feathers, imbued the realm with an undeniable mystical quality. Valt even spotted a bubble replaying someone's memories over and over again. He was left utterly speechless the second time in his life (the first being when he met Shu).
"Valt?" Shu looked at him with a worried expression, somehow managing to appear both tragic and irresistibly attractive. Valt bit his own tongue, caught off guard.
"I-I'm fine," Valt stammered, pausing for a moment before recalling the earlier events. "Wait a second, WHAT THE FLIPPING FUCK?! WHAT HAPPENED BACK THERE, SHU?!"
Shu winced, his poor ears assaulted by Valt's outburst. Valt's brain screamed at his adorable obliviousness, but he rambled on regardless.
"What was that chasing us?! Why are we wearing these starry things? And what's this about us getting killed if someone finds out?!"
Shu had no idea how to respond to Valt's perfectly justified reaction. After all, this powerless normie had just discovered magic and ghosts were real, and got accidentally bound to one of the 13 most powerful magical beings, and almost got killed for it - all in one day. Shu pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think you better sit down, Valt. Let me explain."
Valt sat down obediently, gesturing for Shu to sit beside him. His face demanded an explanation, now. Shu sighed, feeling an intense headache. He really does have bad luck.
“Okay, where do you want me to start?”
Valt snapped out of his self-pitying lament when he heard the raucous commotion of someone pounding on his dorm door. The frantic rapping quickly devolved into a cacophony of smacking sounds and four distinct voices babbling on top of each other. Valt flung open the door and was immediately assaulted by his overexcited friends.
"Vaaaallllttt!!!!" Honcho bellowed, waving his fan with reckless abandon and nearly clocking the hapless Ken. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? You missed out on so much fun, buddy!"
"Yo," Daigo greeted him coolly, focused on helping Ken untangle his wayward puppets. "You really missed some good stuff. Want me to fill you in?"
"S-Sure," Valt stammered, catching sight of Ben Azuki, Ken's other friend, who had somehow avoided Honcho's flailing fan. Ben's adoring gaze towards Ken was painfully obvious. “What happened?”
Daigo raised his eyebrows, skepticism etched across his face. "You don't know? The whole school's been talking about it. Where were you yesterday?"
Valt hesitated, unable to admit he'd traveled to another realm and essentially painted an epic target on his back. Shu had told him to keep their deal a secret. "I, uh, got detention again. The teacher gave me more homework."
"Again?" Ken's puppet, Keru, chimed in. "At this rate, your backpack's gonna get crushed! Good thing you live in the dorms, huh?"
Valt winced as Besu, Ken's other puppet, spoke up. "Now, now, let's not be too hard on him. Algebra's tough, and the teacher's explanations aren't exactly helpful. You can't blame him for that, Keru."
Daigo tried in vain to intervene and calm the bickering puppets. Meanwhile, Valt descended into a secret mental breakdown over his current predicament.
"Hold it right there," Valt demanded, his face a picture of sheer panic. "Let me get this straight, Shu." Shu looked on with growing dread, wondering if he should just plug his ears now. Last time Valt had pulled a stunt like this, it had cost him a complete eardrum replacement.
"So you're telling me I used my wish to bind you to me, which means I can order you around?" Shu nodded apprehensively. "And you're also saying this kind of contract is totally illegal according to the Mysteries' rules? That if anyone violates it, both the normie and the Mystery get executed?! What the actual fuck?!"
Shu winced apologetically. "Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm really sorry, Valt, but it's the truth."
Valt carried on, ignoring how hot Shu looked when he got concerned. “And what do you mean, I can’t undo it?! So I basically just got a huge target painted on my back saying “just kill me”?! Am I going to end up dead tomorrow?! I’m way too young to die! I haven’t even been in a relationship yet!”
Shu scratched his head, perplexed. Valt plopped down, stewing in dread and guilt. After all, this mess was technically his fault. "So, what now?"
Shu began pacing, worry etched on his face. "We can't let anyone know I'm bound to you. If a Mystery caught wind of it, they'd kill you and drag me in for trial and execution. An exorcist would interrogate you and use me to rat out my colleagues. And the other undead? You'd be a haute cuisine meal for them." He paused. "Normal people won't believe you anyway, so at least we don't have to worry about them."
Valt sighed dejectedly. "That sounds...really bad. Is there any way this doesn't end in, you know, DEATH?! I don't want you to die, Shu! Oh wait, you're already dead."
Shu let out a weary chuckle. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out. By the way, 'normies' is the term we use for regular humans without any innate magical powers or supernatural sight. They can sometimes see us if they're near death or in extreme fear and pain. Or if an undead packs enough energy to mess with them."
Valt sounded awed as he asked, "Was that how I was able to see and touch you?"
"Yup," Shu laughed. "It's also how we Mysteries track people. And how 8th tracked you down." Shu's expression grew more serious. "He must've been on a Night Hunt and sensed the magic at work. I hope no one else joins him."
Valt looked scared. "Who's the most likely to hunt us down right away? We need to prepare for the worst." He was clearly trying not to panic, though Shu decided not to comment on it.
With a thoughtful look, Shu replied, "I'd say... shark-creep, 8th, and Lain." He paused at his disciple's name. "Maybe 1st and 4th too. The others are more likely to sit back and attack only if we set foot on their turf. Unfortunately, their boundary spans the entire realm, so we're at a stalemate. 2nd's the most likely to let us pass if we give them a good show. That's something we can work with."
"Who's the number two guy?" Valt asked, his curiosity piqued. "He seems pretty important, but why the air of mystery around him?"
Shu chuckled. "That's because 2nd has never bothered to meet us. He has zero interest in discussions or meetings. But Phi holds him in high regard - he'd never let anyone blow off an official invite or gift from 2nd and get away with it." Shu paused, a wry smile on his face. "I've seen their assistant, Evel, but he's pretty tight-lipped."
Valt leaned in. "So do you know who 2nd is?"
Shu shook his head. "Nope. 2nd never makes a public appearance or contacts anyone besides Phi. The only things that come out of his territory are our supplies and the occasional 'mortent' - those things are tough as nails and twice as nasty. 2nd must be as strong as Phi to keep his domain even remotely peaceful, what with those godawful stuffed abominations running around."
Valt let out a low whistle. "Dang, sounds like a real big shot. Wonder what their deal is..."
With a panicked shout, Ben shrieked as Honcho somehow slapped him right in the face, leaving a mark that resembled a handprint. "What the hell, Hairdo?! Everyone's gonna think I'm dating a girl when I'm gay!"
Ken frantically tried to reassure Ben, but Daigo scowled at the scene. "Ken, you don't have to do that. Here, I'll handle this," Daigo said.
Leaning towards Valt, Honcho stage-whispered with a nervous chuckle, "Wow, I'm kinda terrified of Ken. The guy's managed to snag the two scariest and sharpest dudes in school without even realizing it! How does someone that oblivious not see those two pining after him like lovesick puppies?"
Valt snickered. Daigo had fallen for Ken almost instantly, while it had taken the more stubborn Ben a bit more time to get worn down by Ken's endearing shyness. The whole love triangle situation could be pretty entertaining to watch, if only the three of them would stop denying their glaringly obvious feelings for each other. The group had spent countless days mercilessly teasing the lovestruck trio, only to nearly get their butts handed to them by the fiery-tempered leader of the Beasts in retaliation.
"SHUT YOUR TRAPS, YOU MORONS!" a gruff voice bellowed from the neighboring room. "IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND I'M TRYING TO SLEEP! KEEP IT DOWN OR I'LL COME OVER THERE AND KICK ALL YOUR ASSES!"
Ben winced as he rubbed his cheek. "Ouch, who's that grouch?" he asked Valt. "Sounds like he's got a major attitude problem. But let him try to take me on - I'll wipe the floor with him!"
Valt lowered his voice. "I think that's Fumiya, Arman's rival. Apparently, he's kind of a jerk. Arman and Taka say he's good for nothing except feeding the worms." Valt wondered if Fumiya could hear them through the door. "I don't know why Ichika's even dating him, he's such a loser."
Fumiya's bellowing voice cut through the air, "I CAN HEAR YOU, DIPSTICKS!" His outburst was followed by a high-pitched shriek and unhinged laughter. Valt sighed, realizing Pheng had joined the fray. He hoped Laban wouldn't get roped into the mess too, recalling the last time they pulled a stunt like this - Valt had to call the principal to sort out the chaos, still baffled by how Fumiya hadn't kicked Pheng out for pranking him.
"WOOHOO!" Sure enough, Laban had jumped in, and by the sound of it, he'd dragged both Clio and Cuza back into the room as well. Valt could hear Fumiya screeching at them all to "fuck off" so he could sleep, praying that other senior who frequently studied near here wouldn't hear the commotion or wasn't around to lecture them.
"Should we, uh, help them?" Besu questioned nervously. "I really don't want to get yelled at by that guy again..."
Valt sighed. "Yeah. I don't either, buddy. Let's go."
The five of them peeked into the adjacent room, greeted by a scene of pure chaos. Clio and Cuza were bouncing on the beds, cartwheeling and giggling as they crashed into each other. Pheng was engaged in a raucous pillow fight with Fumiya, who was unleashing a barrage of curses Valt had never heard before. Feathers and books flew everywhere as the two combatants hurled anything they could find as makeshift weapons.
Pheng's eyes gleamed with manic glee as he bellowed, "GAHAHAHAHA! BOW DOWN BEFORE ME, MORTAL! I AM PHENG HOPE, THE ULTIMATE PILLOW FIGHT CHAMPION!!!" Fumiya's expression suggested he had just sealed his own fate.
Cuza collapsed on top of Clio, giggling and snuggling in his arms. "Weeee! This! Is! Fun!! Hi Vaaalllltt!" he laughed. "Where's Dante? Weeee!"
Daigo dodged a stray pen tossed by Fumiya. "Um... Can you guys, uh, quiet down? That guy's gonna kill us all when he hears you yelling again," he said, wisely choosing his words.
"WHO?!" Fumiya shrieked. "I swear, if that guy talks to me one more time, I'm going to become a serial killer! His constant yapping makes my legs go numb in three seconds flat! He talks too much!"
A bone-chilling, eerily calm voice cut through the chaos: "Who talks too much?"
Everyone froze as a man in a white lab coat glided into the room. Pale skin, azure hair with dark stripes, and three spikes on each side - this was no ordinary person. Clutching an iPad, notebook, and pen, his cold, dark eyes surveyed the group, the temperature in the room plummeting in record time.
"I said," he repeated, each icy word dripping with danger, "who talks too much?"
Valt shivered as Fumiya and Pheng cringed. This was not going to end well.
Honcho began, "Um..." but quickly clamped his mouth shut as the man, Evel, leveled an icy glare at him. Even Cuza and Clio took the hint, huddling alongside Ben, Ken, and Daigo. Valt swore he saw a bluish aura surrounding Evel as the man zeroed in on Fumiya and Pheng.
"Who. Talks. Too. Much?" Evel demanded, his voice dripping with menace.
"Eh, eh, I-I mean no one!" Fumiya stammered nervously. "W-We were just play-fighting! Nothing about that! You don't need to worry, E-Evel!"
Evel's anger seemed to intensify, making the air feel thick and unbreathable. Pheng lost his bravado, quickly shielding himself with a blanket. Ken huddled close to Daigo, who patted his head and gave the unfortunate pair a pitying look. Even fearless Ben looked spooked, and that was saying a lot for someone who'd tackled a bear and made a rug out of it.
Suddenly, the door burst open again and a cheery voice rang out, "Hey, Evel! Where were ya? Been looking all over for you!"
All eyes turned to the door as a striking figure entered the room. A pretty young person with messy lavender hair and piercing green eye (as the hair was covering one) sauntered in, their expression a curious mix of annoyance. Clad in a spiked collar, a crisp white shirt, a light purple button-up jacket, and black pants, they carried a blue tote bag as they made a beeline for Evel, who visibly softened at their arrival.
"Where the fuck have you been? Kyle's useless and Phi's gone AWOL. Do I have to scour the whole damn campus just to find you?!" they yelled, clearly peeved. "It's bad enough I'm the only sane one left when you disappear. I don't want to waste time tracking you down, only to catch you terrorizing someone else! Jeez, at this rate I might as well pretend to be a girl, just to find some other normal people around here. Quit running off, Evel P. Oxford!"
Valt's face flushed with embarrassment as he realized the fiery individual was actually a boy - one who had simply let his hair grow long and unkempt, lending him a distinctly feminine air. Ken and Pheng's reddened faces showed their own embarrassment, while Honcho spit out his lollipop, coughing violently. But the duo ignored them all.
"I wasn't terrorizing anyone," Evel coolly explained. "I was just scolding them for being loud and wrecking school property. I know even you can hear it from the other side, Hyde."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Hyde snapped. "I've got perfectly fine senses, Oxford! And look at Pheng and Fumiya - they look like they're about to piss themselves! Damn it, you know I can't bail you all out forever!"
With a scowl, Hyde grabbed Evel and dragged him out of the room, muttering curses under his breath. Valt caught a glimpse of another green-haired boy in a black fox mask lingering outside. At the sight, Hyde launched into a scolding tirade, waving his arms as the masked boy laughed and led them both away. The onlookers watched their exit with stunned expressions.
"Well, that was...something," Keru remarked, his usual snark surprisingly absent.
Pheng plopped down in a chair, sighing. "You can say that again. I thought for sure I'd have to saw my feet off by the time old Gasbag was done with us."
Fumiya scoffed, "He's not even that old, y'know. Heck, he's the same age as that smokin' hot piece over there. If the dude was a chick, I'd be askin' him out in a heartbeat. It's just not fair for someone to be that ridiculously attractive and also be a femboy. That's just criminal!"
Honcho let out an exasperated sigh. "True dat, my friend. True dat."
Daigo spoke up, his voice cutting through the late-night chaos. "Alright, listen up everyone. It's 11 PM and we've got a Chemistry test tomorrow. We should probably clean this mess up before we call it a night."
Honcho's eyes went wide as he realized he had forgotten about the impending exam. "NOOOO!" he shrieked, whipping around to face Daigo. "I totally spaced on that! Daigo, please, can I please copy your notes?! I'm begging you!"
As Honcho practically groveled, Valt recruited Clio and Cuza to start tidying up the room. Turns out Pheng and Fumiya had really gone all out, scattering every loose item they could find. Ken and Ben, bless their souls, ended up lending a hand and getting the place shipshape in no time.
Finally, they were done. "Alright, great work team. Let's hit the sack," Valt announced, stretching his arms overhead.
Daigo sidled up to Valt. "Hey, did you hear the latest? Apparently some hot new seniors are joining our school, and one of them is even rooming with you. Rumor has it they're total School Mysteries with god-like good looks. I can see where that's coming from, to be honest."
"Wait, seriously?" Valt tried to hide his surprise. He had been expecting this, thanks to Shu. "So, who's my new roommate?"
Daigo shrugged. "No idea. Hopefully, it's a good one."
Shu paced around the room, formulating a plan. "Obviously, I can't leave you unsupervised either. If you get hurt or a Mystery spots you, they'll know what we did right away. You definitely can't be on your own."
Valt silently thanked Shu for making it a 'we' situation. "Okay, so what's the plan then?"
"It's high time I do this anyway. I'm the only one left who hasn't." Shu sat down, looking resigned.
"Do what?"
"Become a human student."
Valt stared at him, unsure if Shu was joking. But the other boy looked dead serious.
"Wait, you're gonna turn human?"
"Yes." Shu nodded, wincing slightly. "Every Mystery can take on a human form to do our work discreetly. And we need to keep up with the changing world, so we each do the human thing every century or so. We can switch back whenever, but it's such a pain. Relearning algebra over and over? No thanks."
Valt could totally relate. Normal classes were hard enough; he couldn't imagine going through that century after century. Then something finally clicked in his brain. “Hold it. You’re gonna be my roommate?”
Shu flipped open a book, not even bothering to read it. "Yup. But you've gotta be careful, Valt. Our worlds aren't really separated, so you might accidentally run into another Mystery. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself." Shu grinned. "I'll pose as a transfer student and move in with you. Sounds good?"
Valt felt butterflies swirling in his stomach at the thought of rooming with Shu. "S-Sure, I guess that's okay..." He paused. "Wait, Shu. Have I met a Mystery before?"
Shu squinted at Valt. "No, I don't think so. Every supernatural being leaves a magical imprint when they interact with a normal person. You've got nothing, so you couldn't have. Still, the fact that you can see and touch me is pretty surprising. Most normies can't even see the ghostly flames I use - they just see a blurry shape. I'm not sure how you're able to hear those howls and travel through the portals without passing out. Maybe you're from an area with a lot of past spellcasting?"
Valt let his head drop into his hands, dejected. "Yeah, I guess so."
Ken glanced over at Valt. "You okay, man? You've been zoning out for a while."
"I-I'm fine," Valt replied, then caught sight of Honcho crying as Daigo refused to let him copy his notes. Valt snickered. "You should ask Honcho about that. He looks like he's about to kick the bucket."
"Get to bed, you slackers!" Ben bellowed at Pheng, who was being driven like a slave by him. Nearby, Clio had booked a one-way portal ticket to the dorm (on the other side of campus) and leapt back with Cuza in his arms. "MOVE IT, YOU MORONS! IT'S MIDNIGHT!"
Daigo strolled over to the clock, checking the time. "Hold up. If it's midnight, what are those three seniors doing out and about? They'd be punished for breaking curfew, unless..." He flipped a switch, and the clock suddenly lit up, then changed the time. "Pheng, did you unplug the clock?"
"Uh...maybe?" Pheng looked at the clock nervously. "I-I don't know!"
Ken flung open the curtains. Sure enough, it was a bright and sunny day, while the clock read 8:45 am. "You're right! It's-" he double-checked the clock, "Monday! The day of the test!"
The group's eyes nearly popped out of their heads as they stared at the clock. Honcho was the first to react. Unhelpfully.
Honcho went into full meltdown mode. "WHAT?! OH CRAP, I'M SO DEAD!! Wait, WE'RE LATE FOR SCHOOL! WE'VE GOT 15 MINUTES, GUYS!!"
Valt let out a panicked scream, "WHAT?! How come you didn't tell me?!" He whirled around to face the trio standing by the door, who looked thoroughly guilty.
"We thought you already knew," Ben answered sheepishly, his eyes downcast. "And with all the mess with Fumiya, we sort of...forgot. Sorry about that."
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Fumiya and Pheng shrieked simultaneously - a minor miracle given their constant clashing since first meeting. "Fuck you, you pieces of shit!"
"SHIIIIIIT!" Valt charged back to his room, frantically searching for his clothes and getting himself tangled in his blanket. "I FORGOT! Help me!"
Honcho came bursting out of his adjacent room, yelling something unintelligible but equally frantic. Within 5 minutes, the two of them had hastily thrown on their uniforms and were shoving homework into their bags. Daigo just sighed.
Pheng and Fumiya, miraculously, had also managed to get dressed, but were now bickering and brawling on the floor over whose notes were whose. It was, once again, pure chaos
"Hey! What're you doing? We're gonna be late!" a new voice called from the hall.
"Aiger!" Valt yelled, still focused on locating his Chemistry notes. "Wait a sec! No, Pheng, those are MY notes! Help!"
Aiger grumbled and rushed in to intervene. He managed to wrestle Fumiya to the ground, clutching the scattered notes. Valt hurriedly stuffed the remaining papers into his backpack. "We gotta go! If we're late, that senior's gonna kill us!" Valt yelled.
"I think someone's replacing him today," Aiger spoke over the chaotic scene. "He's really harsh, though. SO MOVE IT, SHITHEADS! I CAN'T GET ANOTHER DETENTION OR MOM'LL MURDER ME!"
"COMING!" The group took off at full sprint out of their rooms, barreling towards the classroom and scaring the crap out of everyone in their path. "COMING THROUGH! MOVE, PLEASE!"
Just before they could crash into the poor door, it suddenly slammed open with brutal force. A dark, ominous presence glared down at them with seething anger, freezing the group in their tracks. Poking out beside him, Delta and Dante looked annoyed and struggled not to laugh. The senior spoke up, his voice chillingly calm.
“What. Do we have. Here?”
They were so in for it.