Hey there, it's me, Aria.
Right now, I'm at a loss.
Minami Kotori is hugging me—her face buried in my chest, trembling.
What am I supposed to do here?
She keeps mumbling the same thing over and over.
"This is all my fault... I... I'm sorry!"
Yeah, I get it. But can you calm down, woman? Of course, I can't actually say that out loud.
Instead, I try to reassure her. "There's no need to be sorry, it's not your fault."
Before I can say anything else—
"Miyazaki Aria!!"
Someone shouts my name so loudly that I almost flinch.
I glance up.
A boy is approaching, fast.
He's tall for our age, with sharp features and a presence that demands attention. Handsome, sure, but the way he's glaring at me? Not very friendly.
I barely have time to process before he lunges straight at me.
"Yuya! STOP!" Kotori's voice cuts through the moment.
Ah, so his name is Yuya.
His fist stops just inches from my face.
Yuya's expression shifts from anger to confusion. His whole body tenses, like he's fighting against something unseen.
"What? How? My wind power disappeared?"
…Wind power?
What is this guy talking about?
He clicks his tongue, clearly frustrated, and shifts his stance like he's preparing another attack. His arm moves in a way that suggests he's trying to charge up something—something that isn't happening.
And that's when it clicks.
The group name "Royal Guards."
The strange fighting stance.
The talk about powers.
Right.
This guy is a Chunibyo.
"Let me get this straight, Kotori."
"Y-Yes?" Kotori sniffled, her cheeks still streaked with tears.
"This so-called Royal Guard attacked me… because of you?"
"Uh, yeah…" Kotori mumbled, looking guilty. "Because they thought you were a guy trying to hit on me."
…Seriously?
I looked down at myself—school uniform, skirt, everything. I was very clearly a girl. How did they still manage to think I was a guy? Were they blind? Or just stupid?
Before I could even process the sheer absurdity of it all, Yuya sneered.
"Don't think I don't know… you crossdressing freak!"
What.
Before I could even react, he lunged at me again, fist flying toward my face.
Oh, that does it.
"First of all—" I caught his fist mid-swing. His entire body jerked to a stop, his eyes widening in shock.
"I am a girl. A genuine one."
Then, I squeezed. Hard.
Yuya flinched. "Tch— You…!"
"Secondly—"
"How dare you—" I growled, driving my knee straight into his stomach.
He choked on his breath, doubling over, his body collapsing under the force of my strike.
This guy was seriously pissing me off.
"Now, are you back to reality, young man?" I said, my tone dripping with mockery.
Yuya staggered, still clutching his stomach. "How… why did my power have no effect on you?!"
Oh my god. How deep is this guy's chūni phase?
"Power, my ass. You don't have any power at all," I scoffed.
His eyes flared with anger. "Are you mocking me?! I have the power to control wind… I am an A-rank Esper!!"
I sighed. Enough of this nonsense.
Without warning, I slapped him across the face. His head snapped to the side, and before he could react, I grabbed him by the collar, yanking him close.
I leaned in, whispering directly into his ear.
"You don't have power. You never had power. What A-rank Esper? You're just some ordinary guy, blind to what's real and what's not. You need to wake up."
His breath hitched, his entire body stiffening.
Then, to really hammer the point home, I took his hand and pressed it against my chest.
"It may be small, but I'm still growing." I stared him dead in the eye. "You feel that? I. AM. A. GIRL."
I tossed him aside like a discarded ragdoll.
Turning to Kotori, I dusted off my skirt and crossed my arms. "Kotori, you don't need to apologize. Seems like your Royal Guard is just full of idiots."
Just like the brats who follow me.
Suddenly I heard voice from behind me.
Irana rushed toward me, her eyes filled with concern, while Viola followed at a leisurely pace.
"Onee-chan! Are you alright?" Irana asked, scanning me for any injuries.
I blinked at her sudden worry. I mean, I appreciated the concern, but wasn't she just casually eating lunch while I was fighting off multiple guys?
"I'm fine, Irana. There's no way these amateurs could beat me in a fight," I said, flashing a smug grin.
In my past life, I trained in all kinds of martial arts, and thankfully, my skills carried over. However, I had to admit that fighting in this body was a little different. Men and women were built differently, after all. It's a good thing I was still in my early teens—there was plenty of time to adjust.
"Really?" Irana asked, squinting at me like she didn't believe a word I was saying.
Before I could respond, movement caught my attention.
At the corner of my eye, I saw Viola calmly slapping a pair of handcuffs onto Yuya's wrists.
I blinked.
"Uh… Viola?" I called out.
She looked up at me, expression as neutral as ever.
"Where did you get those handcuffs?"
Viola tilted her head. "I always have them."
"...Right." I decided to leave it at that. Everyone has their own hobbies, I guess.
"Onee-chan!" Irana's voice snapped my attention back to her.
She looked even more serious now, her brows furrowed, her hands curled into fists at her sides.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Tell me honestly. What happened?"
"Alright, alright… So, basically, Kotori over there has a group of devoted followers—maybe servants? Anyway, their so-called leader, that guy over there," I nodded toward Yuya, still restrained by Viola, "mistook me for a boy and, well… you saw the rest."
Irana shook her head. "That's not what I meant."
I raised a brow. "Then what do you mean?"
"You really don't know?"
"Yeah?"
Irana stared at me for a moment longer. Then, just as quickly as her intensity had appeared, it was gone.
She let out a small breath, forcing a casual smile. "Never mind. It's nothing."
"…You're acting weird."
"I said it's nothing," she said smoothly, her usual cheerfulness slipping back into place. "Anyway, I'm just glad you're okay!"
Huh. That was weird. But if she wasn't going to explain, then whatever.
Still, for some reason, I got the feeling I'd just missed something important.
"You guys—what are you doing here?"
Uh-oh.
I turned my head to see Elizabeth-sensei approaching, her sharp gaze sweeping over the scene.
Busted.
"I heard there was a fight in the cafeteria. Are you all alright?" she asked, her tone concerned.
Oh, so she doesn't know about what just happened here yet? Nice. Maybe I can play this off—
Then her eyes landed on Yuya, more specifically, on the shiny pair of handcuffs locked around his wrists.
Her brows furrowed. "...Why is he handcuffed?"
"He tried to attack Aria," Viola answered flatly.
Elizabeth-sensei's face twisted in shock. "What?"
I mean, yeah. That's a reasonable reaction. I'd be just as surprised if someone told me a guy randomly threw a punch at a girl in broad daylight.
Yuya gritted his teeth, his frustration visible even as he remained restrained. "This is a misunderstanding!"
A misunderstanding? Oh, please.
I crossed my arms and raised a brow. "Oh? Which part? The part where you tried to punch me in the face or the part where you accused me of being a crossdressing freak?"
Well… It is a misunderstanding, but that is beside the point.
Elizabeth-sensei's gaze snapped back to Yuya, her frown deepening. "Is this true?"
Yuya struggled against the handcuffs for a moment before glaring at me. "She—he—whatever—was getting too close to Kotori! I was only protecting her!"
"Again with this?!" I groaned, running a hand down my face. "For the last time, I. Am. A. Girl."
Elizabeth-sensei sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yuya, attacking a fellow student, regardless of the reason, is unacceptable. And handcuffing a student without proper authority—" she shot a glance at Viola, who just shrugged.
"I carry them for… emergencies," Viola said nonchalantly.
Elizabeth-sensei exhaled slowly, as if debating whether it was worth questioning. Eventually, she gave up and turned back to me.
"Aria, are you alright?"
I shrugged. "I'm fine. It's gonna take more than some amateur attacks to hurt me."
Elizabeth-sensei still looked troubled, but before she could say anything else, Kotori suddenly stepped forward.
"Elizabeth-sensei," she said softly, her hands clenched at her sides. "It's my fault."
I blinked. Wait, what?
"If I had just stopped them sooner… if I had spoken up, none of this would have happened."
Yuya's eyes widened. "Kotori, no! You don't need to apologize—"
She turned to him, her gaze sharp. "Yuya, enough. I never asked you to fight for me."
That shut him up.
Elizabeth-sensei let out a weary sigh. "Alright. Everyone, we're taking this discussion to the faculty office. We'll sort this out properly."
Well, that's just great. First, I don't get to eat my lunch. Then, I have to deal with a chūni butler attacking me. And now, I'm getting dragged into a formal discussion with the teachers?
Today is just not my day.