Akira had survived many things in the last seventy-two hours. A Rift Beast attack. A magical binding ritual with a near-nude catgirl. A "spirit bath" that ended with Kurumi glowing like a human light bulb in his arms.
But none of that prepared him for the humiliation of walking into school with both girls flanking him like bodyguards.
Kurumi, dressed crisply in her school uniform, arms crossed and eyes narrow, walked stiffly at his right. Her lips were a thin line of repressed emotion, and her cheeks still bore the faintest tinge of pink. The events of the night had clearly left her rattled, but her death glare was in full effect for anyone who so much as glanced at Akira.
On his left was Sera Rymer—now miraculously enrolled in their school as a third-year transfer student. She'd traded her usual oversized hoodie for a modified uniform blouse that was unbuttoned just low enough to threaten school dress code violations. Her skirt was a full three centimeters shorter than regulation. The cat ears atop her head twitched with glee as she clung to Akira's arm like an overly affectionate girlfriend.
"Stop touching me," he hissed through gritted teeth.
"But you're so warm," she purred. "And clingy cuddling helps regulate mana channels. Don't you want me at peak magical performance?"
"You're not performing anything in public!" Akira snapped, pulling his arm away.
Kurumi shot Sera a venomous look. "Try clinging to him like that again and I'll rip those ears off."
"Oh? Jealous already, Third Star?" Sera smirked, tail swaying behind her.
Kurumi's eyes twitched. "You flashed me last night and called it a ceremony. I'm not in the mood."
"You enjoyed it." Sera winked.
Akira groaned. "Please stop talking."
They arrived at classroom 2-C just as the bell rang. The moment the door opened, every student froze.
A literal wave of silence swept through the room.
Akira slunk to his desk, already sensing the burning stares. Kurumi followed wordlessly. Sera, on the other hand, strode in with her usual smirk, her tail swishing playfully.
The silence broke when their homeroom teacher, Miss Ayaka Shirosawa, entered. She was a tall woman in her early thirties, always wearing long, elegant blouses and long skirts. Her sharp glasses couldn't quite hide the piercing gaze of someone who knew too much.
She blinked once at Sera, then slowly turned to the class.
"Students… please welcome our new transfer student. Miss Sera Rymer."
The murmurs began instantly.
"She's hot…"
"Are those real ears?"
"Why is she walking like she owns the place?"
"She's got Akira's seatmate! Lucky bastard…"
Ayaka Shirosawa's fingers tapped the podium. "Rymer-san, would you like to introduce yourself?"
Sera grinned. "Of course. I'm Sera. I like cuddling, magic, and warm milk at night."
A few boys in the back erupted in nosebleeds.
Miss Shirosawa's eye twitched. "I see. Thank you. Please take the seat beside Akira."
Akira groaned. Kurumi stiffened. Sera beamed and practically skipped to the seat beside him, humming a tune as she did.
For the first half of class, things were relatively calm. That is, until Sera began "adjusting her uniform." Every time she leaned forward, the top few buttons of her blouse threatened to surrender to gravity. More than once, Akira found himself turning very quickly to the window, ears red.
And then came the first magical surge.
It was subtle—just a flicker of light that glowed under Sera's skin, like embers hidden beneath the surface. Akira felt it first, the Cresettla Stone at his chest growing warm.
Kurumi leaned closer to him, eyes narrowing. "Something's wrong. She's leaking mana."
"No, she's just being—"
BOOM.
A textbook exploded in the front row, sending pages flying like confetti.
The class screamed. Miss Shirosawa flinched but quickly composed herself.
"Sera Rymer!" she barked. "What was that?!"
"Oops." Sera waved sheepishly. "Sorry. My mana's just… overflowing. Might be Akira's fault. He's just so resonant."
The teacher's eyes gleamed with an odd, knowing flash. She walked over and leaned down, face inches from Sera's.
"Who are you really?" she whispered.
Sera's cat pupils narrowed. "A Cresettla Companion. You know what that means, don't you, Miss Shirosawa?"
The teacher said nothing—but her hand twitched toward the chalkboard, drawing a sigil only a mage would recognize. It glowed faintly before disappearing.
"You're not the only one in hiding," she whispered back. "Watch yourself."
Then she turned to the class. "Everyone! Take out your math workbooks!"
Just as Akira relaxed, another disaster struck.
Sera stretched—deliberately. Her skirt rode up, just barely covering her thighs. She let out a soft yawn, and Akira felt a wave of mana pulse through the room. This time, three desks levitated briefly before crashing down.
Kurumi slammed her hands on the desk. "Enough!"
Everyone turned to look.
"She's doing this on purpose!" Kurumi stood, finger pointed at Sera. "She's leaking magic to get attention!"
Sera batted her lashes. "You're just mad because you're not as magically stacked."
"Stacked?!"
Kurumi launched herself at Sera with a growl. "I'll show you stacked!"
Magic flared between the two girls as a mini-aura clash sparked in the center of the classroom. Wind gusted, papers flew, and Akira ducked behind his desk with a yelp.
"Ladies!" Miss Shirosawa tried to intervene, but it was too late.
BOOOOM.
A massive pulse of energy exploded outward, sending desks flying. Both girls were now surrounded by glowing auras—Kurumi's a fiery pink, Sera's a shimmering silver. The room descended into chaos.
Akira stood up, hands raised. "Stop! Stop it before the Stone overloads!"
But it was too late.
The Cresettla Stone at his chest blazed with power. In a flash, the three of them were sucked into a vortex of light—vanishing from the classroom.
---
Elsewhere – Inside the Stone's Inner Realm
They landed in a shallow pool of glowing water. The air shimmered with stardust and energy threads. Crescent moons floated in the sky above.
Akira gasped. "Where the hell are we now?!"
Sera stood, water streaming down her clothes. "The Cresettla Nexus. The Stone's inner world. Guess your body couldn't handle all the stimulation."
Kurumi blinked. "You brought us to another dimension because you couldn't stop flirting?!"
"I was calibrating," Sera said innocently.
Suddenly, all their clothes began evaporating into energy threads.
"W-Wait! What's happening to our clothes?!" Akira turned to hide.
Sera, already nude and shimmering with magical sigils, walked toward him. "The Stone requires total honesty. No lies, no barriers. That includes clothing."
Kurumi turned, blushing furiously as her own robe dissolved. "I hate this stupid magic rock!"
Akira covered his eyes. "Can we please go back to normal reality?!"
Sera pressed her forehead to his. "First, you need to stabilize our link. All three of us."
"What do you mean?"
She reached out and took Kurumi's hand, pulling her into the embrace.
"The Star Bond requires unity. Physical, emotional… spiritual."
Kurumi gulped. "W-Wait… are we all doing this together?!"
Sera nodded. "The Pact is a triangle now. One stone. Three souls."
Their bodies glowed with magical energy, merging into a triple aura of pink, silver, and gold.
Akira groaned. "I'm so dead when we go back…"
Sera whispered, lips brushing his cheek. "But you'll die happy."
Kurumi punched him in the arm. "Idiot."
---
To Be Continued…