«I'm pleased to introduce you to another new classmate,» announces Professor Misaki Yuunami.
Standing next to her is a stunning girl with sharp European features.
Her long red hair is tied into a ponytail.
Two icy eyes pierce straight through you.
Her expression is stern.
Her eyes are half-lidded, like a soldier analyzing her surroundings.
Her body is clearly athletic, her chest is smaller than Yuzu's, but still impressive and her hips and thighs look almost exactly like Rika's.
It's like she's a perfect middle ground between the two Kurotsuki sisters.
Professor Yuunami continues.
«...She comes from the most prestigious high school in all of France. Her name is Chantal Carreaux.»
The moment he hears that name, Hakuto's eyes go wide.
His jaw drops.
His face doesn't show surprise. It shows pure terror.
«As the professor mentioned, my name is Chantal Carreaux. I am honored to join the esteemed Tsugumi High School, and I will do my best to meet its standards,» declares the girl.
She speaks flawless Japanese with a soft French accent.
Her tone is stiff. Her posture is perfectly straight, like a soldier.
~So this is the surprise my dad mentioned last night...? That bastard... I swear, when I get home, he's gonna pay~
«Hakuto, are you okay? You look like a U.S. soldier reliving 'Nam flashbacks,» Itsu asks.
He clearly notices the look on his seatmate's face.
«Do I look okay to you?!» Hakuto snaps.
Professor Yuunami shoots him a sharp glare.
She clears her throat and gestures for Chantal to sit in the empty seat behind Hakuto.
Without hesitation, Chantal walks to her seat.
Her steps are straight and precise, like a soldier on parade.
The air around her is heavy with authority and discipline.
Every student in Class 2-B instinctively averts their eyes when she looks at them.
When her eyes land on Hakuto, she doesn't stop.
She just scans him with that same cold, analytical stare, then looks away.
Hakuto exhales in relief. His shoulders slump.
He feels like his back is glued to a slab of ice.
Just having Chantal behind him sends nonstop chills down his spine.
♡♡♡
«That smug know-it-all... She's been in our class for one day and I already hate her guts!» Rika grumbles, clearly irritated.
It's mid-afternoon.
Rika and Yuzu—she's clinging tightly to Hakuto's arm—are walking home from school.
It's their usual routine. The Narkhalis' mansion is only a thirty-minute walk from Tsugumi.
Now they're in the final stretch—a narrow forest path that leads straight to their gate.
«Tell me about it...» Hakuto mutters.
He's still lost in thought.
That morning turned into a full-blown showdown between Rika and Chantal.
It was a battle of brains—both racing to answer the teachers' questions faster and more accurately.
In the end, it was a tie. The whole class was stunned.
Until yesterday, Rika was the undisputed genius of Tsugumi.
But now? Chantal's arrival was shaking that title.
The only silver lining for Hakuto?
Chantal didn't say a single word to him—not even during break.
She acted like he was a complete stranger.
«And who's this...?» Yuzu chimes in.
She's completely out of the loop—being a first-year and all.
«Some girl who transferred from France! You should've seen her—so proper, so composed, with that smug 'I-know-everything' face and... It's her!!!»
Rika suddenly stops talking.
Right in front of them, blocking the path, stands Chantal.
Her icy, sharp gaze is locked on all three of them.
Hakuto gulps.
A cold sweat forms on his forehead.
This can't be good.
«At the end of this road there's only our house! What the hell are you doing here?!» Rika shouts.
She's clearly pissed.
Chantal doesn't answer.
Her eyes slowly shift, then lock onto Yuzu.
«Get your hands off my boyfriend, you filthy demonic whore.»
Her voice is flat. Emotionless.
But every word cuts like a knife.
~Shit... She remembers me. And Dad must've told her everything... We're screwed...~
«W-What did you just call me...?!» Yuzu snaps.
Her voice is boiling with rage.
In response, she clutches Hakuto's arm even tighter.
Her massive breasts press hard against him.
She's clearly focused more on the word whore than demonic.
Rika, on the other hand, steps back.
Her legs are shaking.
«W-Who is this girl...?» she whispers.
Her voice is small and trembling.
«It's been a long time, Hakuto... but I never thought you'd change this much.
We swore eternal love. And now look at you—surrounded by two little whores from N'raeth.»
«W-We never swore anything! And for the record, watch your damn mouth when you talk about my sisters!»
«Your sisters...» Chantal shakes her head.
«Don't be ridiculous. They're nothing but two filthy demonic whores. I wonder... did you tell them about our kiss? About the promise of eternal love we made?»
«KISS?! ETERNAL LOVE?!» Yuzu and Rika shout together.
Their eyes blaze as they glare daggers at Hakuto.
«We were eight! At that age I didn't even know how to spell the word 'love', let alone understand it! And it wasn't even a real kiss!» Hakuto blurts out.
His face is beet red with embarrassment.
«Damn it... Those two demonic whores must've brainwashed you with their filthy magic. But don't worry, Hakuto—I'll break their spell myself!»
«I told you—never call them that again. Their names are Yuzu and Rika. Don't make me say it twice.»
Hakuto's eyes narrow.
His voice is firm, his fists are clenched tight.
«Or what?» Chantal snaps back.
The coldness in her eyes turns into a sharp, defiant glare.
In a flash, Hakuto's right arm crystallizes from shoulder to wrist.
A massive sword forms in his hand.
Its blade shines like diamond. The hilt is trimmed in gold.
His whole body ignites in blazing white flames—Sacred Flame.
«I'll make you apologize to them... by force!»
Chantal's smirk widens. Her eyes gleam with challenge.
Her body erupts in the same blinding white flames.
In seconds, the fire gathers in her hand, forming a sword identical to the one Shin summoned the night before.
«Demonic whores.»