FEAR!
"... I will destroy you."
Matt felt goosebumps form all over his body. He could feel the cold air seep into his skin as he stared deeply into the eyes of his interlocutor.
The atmosphere was extremely tense, enough to make one hyperventilate, and he felt trapped. His heart wouldn't stop racing in excitement, yet he felt the instinctive drive to take a step back in retreat.
After indecisively staring at Number 01 for some time, Matt reluctantly decided to open his tightly shut lips and speak. However, no matter how hard he tried, it was extremely difficult to do so.
It felt like his lips were frozen together!
Still, he decided to keep trying. He mustered some bravado and finally got the courage to speak.
'There's no way I can back down now!'
"I—"
"That's enough, you two!" A female voice interrupted what looked like an imminent clash, instantly bringing both boys to heel.
They shifted their gazes in the direction of the one who spoke, and so did Violet—yes, it wasn't her who stopped them. No, it was someone else in the room.
It was…
"Lucy?" Matt remarked, as he experienced a surprising reunion between him and the Loli who had him make a choice.
Lucy's white hair and crimson eyes distinguished her from everyone else, so did her elegant gown with ribbons. Her shoes, which seemed to be made of glass, clacked on the ground as she stepped forward.
It seemed she popped out of yet another mysterious door while the two boys were having a standoff, and now she was approaching all three of them, her face quite stern..
Matt glanced at her steely face nervously, but for some reason, he could feel a certain warmth radiating from her. Her crimson eyes also gave off a similar vibe. They made him feel at ease and—
"W-what did you just call her?!" Number 01 suddenly asked, cold as ice, making Matt jump in shock.
The mood was ruined in an instant.
"U-h… Lucy?"
Matt felt a bit awkward—no, nervous. Did he make a mistake? Violet and Number 01 were looking at him strangely, especially the latter.
'That's her name, right? She introduced herself to me like that.'
"You dare call the director by her name? You should know your place!"
The boy's tone suddenly switched from his previously composed manner to something far more temperamental. He glared angrily and his fists were tightly clenched. He had a confrontational vibe about him—like he could pounce on Matt at any moment.
'What's his deal? It's not like she told me not to call her by her name.' Wasn't Number 01 being a bit melodramatic?
Besides, the person he was fighting for didn't exactly seem to mind, so what was his deal? Despite these thoughts, however, Matt knew he couldn't expressly tell Number 01 to mind his business.
'I've dealt with people like this before. There's a perfect way to handle this.' Matt thought calmly.
He wanted to avoid a conflict, so this was the best he could do.
"I don't think you should raise your voice in front of the director. Who do you think you are?"
"W-wha—? Um, wait a moment. I…"
"She's right in front of us and you're raising your voice?" Matt felt quite satisfied that he was able to extract a flustered expression from his interlocutor.
Just as he suspected, Number 01 was too naive to understand his game plan. He was no match for Matt's expertise in manipulation—his specialty being gaslighting.
"B-but you shouldn't have called her by her—"
"That's enough, you two, seriously." Lucy's firm voice stopped both Matt and Number 01 in their tracks.
They both stood upright, standing at attention for their director. As for Violet, she was already standing straight, chuckling a little at the funny scene that just played out.
"It's fine if Matt calls me by my name, Noah. I permitted it. Besides, nothing is stopping you from doing the same." She spoke calmly.
"B-but, how can I do tha—?"
"You can even call me what you used to back then. Your dear Aun—"
"P-please stop that! I mean… I apologize, director." Number 01, flustered and blushing furiously bowed his head..
'Eh? For real? Is this the same guy from earlier?' Matt was quite shocked.
Number 01, whom he had considered a cold sigma, was reduced to a bumbling idiot before Lucy.
'Do they know each other from somewhere? Sounds like it.' He mused.
"Noah, eh? That's your name?" Violet smiled, staring at Number 01, but he clicked his tongue and looked away again.
"H-hey, come on!"
"Alright, you three. That's enough." Lucy interrupted the childish interactions between the three of them—though Matt and Violet still snickered covertly at Noah's expense.
"Haa… kids." She muttered, shaking her head slightly.
"In any case, I wish to congratulate you on your endeavors. You three passed the exams, thus becoming official members of the Chuunibyou Society."
The moment Lucy said this, he felt pride swelling within him. Not only did he pass the exams, but he did so on his first try, and without any training. There was also the fact that his opponent was Rose.
In hindsight, he realized he did quite a spectacular job.
'How did I manage to do so well?'
"Official members of the Chuunibyou Society need code names for their activities in the organization, and outside. On duty, you must operate using those names." Lucy continued, causing each to nod.
They would no longer be Matt, Violet, or Noah. Their numbers were also useless now that the exams were over. All that mattered in the organization were their code names.
"I have come here, not just to congratulate you three, but to give you your code names—among other things."
A special visit from the director of the Chuunibyou Society made her audience realize just how important the current matter at hand was.
"Now, listen carefully. These are your code names…"