The wooden door of the Oosuki household slid shut behind me with a quiet thunk.
Morning sunlight spilled across the street, bathing Sainan's residential district in gold.
The air was crisp, the kind of morning that promised nothing unusual perfectly ordinary, deceptively peaceful.
I adjusted the strap of my school bag and exhaled slowly.
Today is the day the plot started.
For years, I'd lived with the knowledge of what was to come, training in secret, biding my time.
But today, the curtain would rise.
The chaos of To Love-Ru was finally about to begin.
My eyes drifted toward the house next door.
Right on schedule, the door creaked open, and out stepped a boy with messy brown hair, his tie slightly askew, expression caught somewhere between sleepy and nervous.
Yuuki Rito.
"Ah—Jay?"
he blinked at me, surprised.
"Morning, Rito,"
I said with a faint smile.
"Heading to school?"
"Y-yeah."
He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish laugh.
"Guess we're walking together again."
I smirked. "Like old times."
And it really was.
Ever since Mamako adopted me, Rito and I had been neighbors, friends dragged together by proximity and childhood routines.
I remembered Mikan toddling after us when we were kids, scolding Rito for forgetting his pencils or getting mud on his uniform.
The Yuuki siblings had always been a picture of contrast Mikan, sharp and mature but just a little kid; Rito, clumsy and eternally flustered.
And me? I had been the outsider-turned-family.
A reincarnated soul with too many secrets, hiding behind a smile.
We started down the street, our footsteps falling in rhythm with the morning cicadas.
"So,"
"How's Mikan doing?"
"She's fine," Rito replied quickly.
"Still more responsible than me, as usual."
"Not hard, considering you almost forgot your homework three times last week."
"H-hey, that was only because—"
he paused, then groaned.
"Okay, fine. You're right. She's been keeping me in line since forever."
I chuckled.
"She was scolding you when we were ten years old dude. Some things never change."
Rito gave me a wounded look, and I shook my head, amused.
Ordinary conversation, ordinary life yet I couldn't shake the tension coiling in my chest.
Because beneath this mundane stroll, the world with aliens might be dangerous and in To Love-Ru many alien races that I don't know.
We turned a corner, joining the growing stream of students heading toward Sainan Metropolitan High. The chatter of morning greetings and clattering bicycle wheels filled the air.
Rito sighed.
"The school day always feels long."
"You'll survive," I replied.
"Easy for you to say. You actually like studying. I'm just trying not to fail math this semester."
I smirked. "If you're desperate, I'll tutor you. For a price."
He looked at me suspiciously.
"What kind of price?"
"Hmm. Maybe a week's worth of your mikan curry."
"That's a robbery!"
We passed through the gates, and the crowd of students thickened. Standing just ahead, clipboard in hand, was Kotegawa Yui.
Her eyes swept the crowd with military precision, catching every untucked shirt and every boy laughing too loudly.
Strict, sharp, unwavering—that was the image she worked hard to maintain.
But when her gaze shifted toward me, something cracked.
For a split second, her breath hitched.
Yui's PoV
…What happened?!
The boy walking beside Yuuki-kun wasn't the same Jay she remembered before.
He was taller than before —shoulders broad, posture steady, moving with a quiet confidence that most boys in this school lacked.
His white hair caught the sunlight like polished silver, and his eyes blue, crystalline, sharp as glass glanced around with calm disinterest, as though the noise of the crowd was beneath him.
And the problem is his face…
Refined, sculpted, dangerously handsome. It wasn't softness that drew attention, but a sharp, striking beauty that left no room for carelessness.
His very presence seemed to command the space around him.
Yui's cheeks warmed before she realized, and she quickly straightened, snapping her gaze away.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. He's just another student. Nothing special. Nothing at all!!
Her grip on the clipboard tightened as she forced her expression back to calm discipline. But she didn't look his way again
Jay's Pov
I caught the flicker of red on Yui's cheeks before she turned, and couldn't help the And of course, Yuuki Rito noticed none of this.
He was too busy fumbling with his collar like a criminal avoiding arrest.
Amused smirk tugging at my lips. So even Kotegawa isn't immune. Interesting.
Inside the classroom, the atmosphere buzzed with new-term energy.
That's when another reaction surfaced.
Sairenji Haruna.
She was laughing with her friends, her voice soft and bright as always. But when she turned toward the doorway and saw me step in alongside Rito, her smile faltered.
Her eyes widened slightly. Her lips parted as if to say something, but she stopped herself. A faint blush crept across her cheeks before she quickly looked away, pretending to be absorbed in her conversation.
Unlike Kotegawa, she didn't try to erase the reaction completely. It was honest, subtle. She wasn't shy by nature, but she also wasn't used to being caught off guard like this.
I took my seat casually, letting the background noise swallow me. Still, I could feel the weight of eyes glancing my way and then pulling back quickly. The shift in air when someone entered a room and changed its balance.
Only one person remained completely oblivious.
Yuuki Rito.
He was fumbling with his bag, sighing under his breath like always.
I leaned toward him, my voice low, teasing.
"Oi, Rito. How long are you gonna wait before confessing to Sairenji Haruna?"
"E-eh?!"
His head shot up, face instantly red.
"W-what are you even—?! T-that's not—!!"
I smirked, leaning back.
"Don't play dumb. She's been glancing your way too since we got here. Even an idiot would notice."
"I-I don't…! That's…! Ugh, just shut up!"
He buried his face in his notebook, his ears practically glowing.
I chuckled under my breath.
"Figures. You really are hopeless."
The rest of the morning flowed in the rhythm of introductions and lectures.
To most students, it was just another ordinary first day. But I could see the subtle currents—Kotegawa stealing restrained glances when she thought no one noticed, Haruna's smile softening whenever Rito blundered through an answer.
The stage was assembling itself piece by piece, the roles falling into place.
By the time the final bell rang, the sun was already tilting westward. Chairs scraped, chatter filled the air, and students scattered out in groups.
I shouldered my bag, waiting by the door until Rito caught up.
"Ready to head home Rito?" I asked.
He nodded, still avoiding my eyes after the tease I gave him this morning.
We stepped outside together, leaving the classroom behind.
The streets of Sainan glowed with orange light, bicycles clattering, voices echoing with after-school plans.
To anyone else, it was just another peaceful walk home.
But I knew better.
This was the beginning.
The prologue was over.
The first act had begun tonight.
And I would be here—not only watching the story unfold, but rewriting it.
As we walked down the familiar street, I glanced sideways at Rito, who was still sulking a little from my morning tease.
A thought crossed my mind, and I decided to lighten the mood and began planning.
"Hey, Rito," I said casually.
"Can I play or stay at your house today? Well, I wanna hang out there after a long time… and honestly, I kinda want to avoid Masato for a bit. He's been a pain since morning."
Rito blinked, surprised.
"Eh? You… wanna come over? Today?"
"Why not?" I shrugged.
"It's been a while. Mikan probably won't mind, right?"
He scratched his cheek, a little nervous.
"W-well, yeah… I mean, Mikan's fine with you. She always says you're more reliable than me, anyway…"
I smirked.
"Smart girl. She knows the truth."
"Oi!"
Rito pouted, glaring at me, but it was half-hearted. After a moment, he sighed.
"Fine, fine. Just don't expect me to have snacks ready or anything, okay? You better help if Mikan tells us to do chores."
"Deal,"
I said, hands in my pockets, grinning.
"Better than dealing with Masato's whining."
Rito groaned.
"Man, you two really don't get along, huh?"
I didn't answer, only let the silence stretch as the cicadas sang overhead.
My grin lingered, but my eyes stayed sharp on the horizon.
All according to my plan.
TBC