[Chapter 9: [Operation: Blending in with the crowds.]]
Time flies by quickly, before we know it, summer break has passed and fall season arrives in September.
For the past month, Ayaka and I trained myself to be the perfect side character, in order for me to embody a true shadow hero who blends in with the crowds this time around.
During that one month time span, I trained to act normal around people, how to dress, and interact properly with them.
By the way, Haruka-san and I met a couple more times to finish up the photo shoot, it was for some magazine if I remember? So I had the time to observe her, copying her behavior as an expert normie with her communication skills.
I wish I could tell more, but it's another story to tell for another time.
Right now, Ayaka and I are preparing ourselves for school.
Before leaving the house, Ayaka kept reminding me of our training to do things just as we practiced this past month.
"Make sure to act just as we practiced."
But of course, for me, I am willing to act accordingly as this is necessary to truly become the shadow of the heroes that I so aspired for.
"Of course, who do you think I am." I told her with a confident tone.
"Not Phantom I presume?" Ayaka jokingly teased while fixing my tie with a cheeky grin on her face.
"That's what you thought, that just means it's already working." I countered, with a cocky tone as a comeback to her joke.
I am confident enough about blending in, acting as one of the normal characters this time around. But of course, beneath this façade of being just a normal person, Phantom is hiding underneath this mask. Someone whose pretending to look weak but is actually strong, a "Hidden Strong character" is what it's called.
After we're all set, I opened the door of our house so to start Operation: [Blend in with the crowds].
"Let Operation: [Blend in with the crowds] commence."
I stepped out the door, marking operation [Blend in with the crowds] already started.
This is my first mission as a true shadow hero.
I clenched my fist tightly, with my resolve to be a true shadow hero this time around.
And so we stepped out of the house, made sure to lock the door on our way out, through the gates, then continued on our way to our own respective schools.
Going out the gate, I headed to the left while Ayaka went the opposite way cause the middle school Ayaka attends is on the opposite way from my high school.
Just before we were completely far apart, not able to hear each other, right before she made her next turn on corner, Ayaka shouted and called out to me...
"Onii! Good Luck!"
She waved her hand up and down wishing me luck with operation [Blend in with the crowds].
"Yeah!"
I nodded and gave her a simple smile and a thumbs up as a reply, with confidence saying "I got this."
And so, we parted our ways and proceeded to walk our own journey to a place called school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything is going smoothly... I think?
I took the same route I usually take to school. However, it feels like nothing and at the same time, something has changed.
On the way to school.
As I walk on the roadside, along with other students commuting to school, I still got these stares from people around me. However, somehow it feels different.
"Who's that?"
"He wears the same uniform as us, do you know him?"
"I don't know, it's the first time I've seen him."
There were girls whispering on my side, asking her friend who was the person walking beside them's name is.
As I walk, there are people secretly taking glances of me, however, I wasn't thinking too much of it as I was already used to people staring. [Gets attention because he's weird]
Its working! ..So far no one has avoided me yet since the moment I left the house.
That's right, I Yukiya Saito is walking along with the crowd without anyone turning away.
But I wonder why I still get stares though... It's not as much as before so it did change somewhat... Maybe having a few stares was actually a normal thing after all?
Now that I think about it, back then, even before I had my Phantom attire. Other people also sneak glances at me so this must be normal. Yeah, normal... [not aware of his face/good looks.]
I was thinking how people no longer move away when I come closer. While not knowing what the complete meaning of the change in treatment is, I just assume that it was because I no longer have my Phantom attire that's been intimidating normal people this entire time.
Now that I'm wearing normal clothing, the intimidation was gone along with not wearing the Phantom attire. I assumed the part where people are starting is actually common, from my past experience before I even had my Phantom attire, people secretly stared at me also.
After walking a while, I finally reached "Hokkyokusei High School", the school that I'm currently attending.
'So far no one has avoided me, so operation [Blend in with the Crowds] seems to be going all according to plan. Kukuku.
With all things going smoothly. I confidently made my step passing through the gates entering school campus.
"Who's that?"
"Is he new?"
"I haven't seen him around campus, that guy must be definitely new."
"He's so dashing"
"Do you know what class he's in?"
Students were wondering who could that handsome person be? Maybe a new transfer student? However, the person they were referring to was me, Yukiya Saito, just your average normal student but is "Phantom", the hero who dwells in the shadows.
I entered the school, walked straight through the halls while some students were glancing at my direction.
Again they didn't avoid me while some quietly sneak some glances. However, I paid it no mind because I was already used to people staring.
A/N: Just to show Yukiya's level of confidence.
I continued walking until I stopped at a certain classroom.
Now stand directly in front of the door of Classroom 1-A, which is my classroom, I stayed standing still for a moment, preparing myself on entering as I clenched my fist with resolve.
"Is that his class?"
"Perhaps a new transfer student? It's not that weird for a student to transfer school in the middle of the semester break." People gossiping behind my back.
Now that my mind is settled, I slid the door then entered the classroom.
...
As I walked in, the room went silent. An unfamiliar person just suddenly walked inside the classroom. However, I paid it no mind and continued walking to my desk.
All the attention is directly pointed at me from the moment I entered.
Walking straight to my seat, which is at the far back end next to the window side, I took my seat, this time I was sitting properly unlike the usual cross legged intimidatingly sitting on a throne pose I usually do before.
"Who's that?"
"I don't know, but don't you think that he's kind of, attractive?"
"I can't deny that, but who is he?"
The students in the classroom were silently gossiping to each other about the unfamiliar person who walked in the classroom just now.
They were all looking at me who just suddenly sat down inside their classroom without a word. I don't need to say anything because this is also my classroom, however, no one recognizes me with my new appearance so it was understandable they were confused ...Just to show how my normal appearance was working if they do not recognize me.
"Class Rep, is that guy the new transfer student?"
Vice representative Soba Hito inquired to our class representative.
"I don't know, I was informed that there will be a new transfer coming, but they said the new transfer will be coming tomorrow."
"Then who's that?"
"Maybe a transfer from another class? ..Or maybe he just entered the wrong classroom? ..I guess we better ask."
"Yeah. I think we should."
As I sat down, behaving like a proper student, the class representative walked towards my spot, preparing to ask what all the students in class were wondering about.
She then introduced herself and asked,
"Um, excuse me. My name is Hitomi Risuna, this room's class representative." She introduced herself, though it was not necessarily.
"We were just wondering, are you a transfer student?"
"... No."
I hesitated to answer class representative Hitomi Risuna's question for a moment, because,
'Why would she ask that to a classmate?' [The guy whose appearance completely changed.]
"I'm sorry to say this but, I think you might have entered the wrong classroom."
Class Rep Hitomi Risuna explained politely.
"No, ...I'm pretty sure I'm in the right class though." I denied the idea that I entered the wrong classroom.
"What do you mean?"
Everyone was confused. If that guy wasn't a transfer student, then who could he be?
I then opened my mouth to reintroduce myself. They might have already forgotten cause it has been a while since I last talked to them.
Pointed my finger to my face. I said,
"It's me, Yukiya Saito. Your classmate." I said with a pefect smile, reintroducing who I was.
"... Whaaaaaaaaatt!!!"
The whole room that was silent went on an uproar. You can notice they paused for a second to process the information, after realizing who I was they couldn't help but to raise their voice.
They suddenly flocked to my desk hearing my answer, asking questions left and right, one after another.
"That can't be true!"
"What the hell!"
"Is that really true? Are you really Saito!?"
"Ah-, yeah... I am Saito alright." [A perfectly normal response.]
I agreed to the claim that I was Yukiya Saito with a smile. Ayaka did say to smile all the time for people to think I'm approachable. The smile I was copying was Haruka-san's approachable and professional smile.
"Look at that smile! It shouldn't be legal!"
To them I looked like I was shining.
"So behind that weirdo of a guy, a prince was just waiting to be awakened!?"
"If I knew that was the case I would have taken dibs!"
"M, me too!"
Some girls were talking about me at the back of the crowd, but I couldn't quite hear them clearly. The reason is questions keep coming left and right so I can barely make up what everyone is saying.
The guys at the back however,
"Damn that Saito, We barely even get the attention from the girls and now he's hogging them all!"
"Yeah, this is unfair!"
"They only judge you based on their looks. Appearance really is everything. It's unfair."
"How will we compete with that with our average faces!"
After quite some time, the boys at the back of the crowd who were complaining about how unfair it was made a Counter Saito Alliance or CSA for short.
Again, I couldn't make sense of what everyone was saying because they were all unorganizingly speaking at once. It was hard to hear especially the guys who were complaining at the far back of the crowd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Ayaka at her middle school.
"Ayaka, what's up with that huge grin of yours, did something good happen?"
A girl that's wearing the same uniform as Ayaka wondered why her friend was smiling out of the blue.
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering how's brother doing right about now. Fufufu."
"Bro-con." She sneered at Ayaka.
"Shut it, Kaori. Don't treat me as your typical anime sisters."
Ayaka anoyedly told Kaori, grossed out of her degenerate remarks.