Early summer.
Bright sunlight poured into the classroom, the last vestiges of spring gradually fading away. The warm breeze lulled the students into a stupor, yet for Kiana, who had just opened her drowsy eyes, all sleepiness vanished in an instant.
Her grand-aunt, who was clearly so small but always pretended to be mature, was actually dancing in the classroom during a lesson? On top of the desks?
This was more absurd than a Herrscher fighting for humanity. Why was this happening right in front of her?
Was she still dreaming?
"Ow~"
Kiana pinched her own arm, hard.
No, this isn't right...
Kiana looked around the classroom in a daze. What was going on? Why was everyone acting as if they couldn't see it?
The adjutant at the podium continued to lecture about things she couldn't understand. Her classmates stared intently at the blackboard, occasionally lowering their heads to write and draw.
Everyone was attending class as usual, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
So strange.
"Grand-Auntie?" Kiana called out in a low voice, but Theresa ignored her.
The mechanical, repetitive dance sent a primal sliver of panic through Kiana.
She turned her head, searching for her pillar of emotional support.
"Mei, what's happening? Mei?"
The anticipated meeting of their eyes never came. Just as everyone else ignored her grand-aunt, Kiana was now being ignored by Mei.
Bang!
Kiana slammed her palms on her desk and shot to her feet.
"Mei, Mei!"
No matter how loudly Kiana yelled, Mei showed no reaction, as if Kiana were nothing but air.
Normally, causing such a ruckus in class would have earned her a piece of chalk thrown by the adjutant instructor, but today, even she acted as if she saw nothing.
"Bronya?"
No reaction.
Kiana started to panic.
"Aha! You little munchkin, playing Homu Adventure in class again! Teacher! Bronya is playing games again!"
No reaction.
"Class Rep, Class Rep, you're not going to mess around with them too, are you?"
No reaction.
"..."
Kiana's pretty face turned pale. Everyone was ignoring her existence.
If this was a prank, it was going way too far.
"Hey, stop messing with me already."
"This is just bullying."
"If you keep this up, this young lady is going to get angry!"
Kiana felt like a ghost, a specter haunting the classroom.
"Hmph! If you're going to ignore me, then this young lady will ignore you too! I'm leaving!"
Kiana rushed out of the classroom and bolted down the stairs, her two braided pigtails flying in the air.
"Seriously, even Mei is pranking me..." Kiana muttered, resentfully kicking a small stone on the path.
Although she felt a sense of unease, she didn't think too much about it.
"Hmph, even if I sleep in class, you guys are taking this too far. This young lady is going to hide somewhere you'll never find me, and then we'll see if you get worried!"
It wasn't until she reached the school gate that the Tuna finally lost it.
She was clearly walking in a straight line out of the gate, but when her foot landed, she was stepping back into the school, facing the familiar, church-like architecture of the main building.
"Wh-what's going on?"
Unconvinced, Kiana tried to step out of the campus again, only to end up stepping back in. The words [Please come back to explore the area ahead later] floated before her eyes.
"?"
So, Kiana placed one foot outside the gate and kept one foot inside, straddling the threshold as if standing on a boundary line between two worlds.
She looked ahead. In front of her was the school's green-lined walkway, with the religious-style school building standing against the blue sky at the end of her vision.
Then, Kiana looked back, only to see the exact same scene!
When she pulled her foot back inside the gate and looked out again, the scenery outside the school was back to normal. There was a coffee shop across the street, and not far from it, a tram platform leading to the city.
What terrified Kiana even more was that just then, two students brushed past her, walked out of the school gate, and headed towards the coffee shop, laughing and talking.
"Eh? W-wait!"
Just like before, there was no response.
Kiana reached out her hand and chased after them, but the moment she stepped out of the gate, it was like a mirror had flipped, and she was back inside the school grounds again.
Losing her balance, Kiana tumbled to the ground.
"Wh-what the hell? What is going on here?!"
Kiana scrambled up, the panic on her face no longer concealable.
Before, she could force herself to ignore the feeling of dissonance, writing it off as a massive, coordinated prank.
But now...
As if to shatter all her insecurities, Kiana swung her fists wildly.
"Whatever kind of monster or demon you are, this young lady will take you all on... Guk!"
"Hey, there."
Just then, a strange yet gentle voice sounded.
"Who?"
Who else could it be but Ye Feng?
While playing his 'shooting' game with Da Yaya by the office window, Ye Feng had spotted Kiana down below.
Her deviation from her "trajectory" and her vivid, lively demeanor instantly caught his attention.
Ye Feng immediately pulled out and got dressed.
He followed Kiana, observing her actions. Her behavior made it seem as if she had "transmigrated" here as well.
This was truly... wonderful.
Right now, Kiana followed the voice and saw a seemingly bright and cheerful young man strolling towards her.
His gaze, which carried an inexplicable meaning, landed on Kiana.
This was the first time Kiana had made eye contact with anyone since she woke up.
Even if she wasn't moved to tears, a sliver of relief rose within her.
"A new day begins with a wonderful encounter."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Ye Feng."
"Ye Feng?"
"It's okay if you don't recognize me. I can solve your current predicament. For instance, why everyone is treating you like you're thin air."
"You know what's going on?"
Kiana rushed excitedly in front of Ye Feng, as if she had found the one person who could understand her in a world that had completely betrayed her.
"Of course, I do. However, Kiana, now for the paid segment."
"Paid segment?"
"For every question I answer, you will satisfy one request of mine."
"Deal!"
Ye Feng smiled. "Agreeing so readily? Then first, let me see your panties."
"Huh?"
Kiana froze, her brain failing to process the words.
"I gave up my time playing the shooting game with Da Yaya to come and resolve your confusion. You can't even fulfill this one small request?"
"I get it. You want a taste of this young lady's fist!"
Kiana clenched her fist and swung it fiercely at Ye Feng.
"A guy like you, first let me teach you a—Eh?"
Before her fist could even connect with Ye Feng's body, a series of terms flashed before her eyes.
[Unattackable]
[Absolute Defense]
[Invincible]
...