Before I went to Bearist High School, I used my magic to forged the documents that needed for the transfer process. Of course I didn't want to do this, but I convinced myself that this was the only way to find the truth. I call myself Mia when I'm a teenager because I can't use the same name when I transform into a teenager. And when I'm the true me, I acted like Mia's mother.
After completing the transfer process and preparing everything I needed, I waited for the day to go to school.
The day has finally come. I used transform magic and turned myself into a teenager and went to Bearist high school. From this day, my double role has started. High schooler Mia and Mia's mother lumina.
I didn't want to be late, so I quickly combed my hair and had a quick breakfast. When I was ready to leave, I talked to myself while looking at the bathroom mirror.
"OK. I'm ready. Act like a normal student and you'll be fine."
I hid my purpose and acted like a normal high school student. I followed my homeroom teacher to the class. Ms. Venester had curly hair on her glasses. I heard some of the students were insulting her ugly face. I can tell from her face that she is uncomfortable about it. The class was filled with noise.
"Everyone, quiet!"
The students' noisy chatting time was over due to Ms. Venester's loud voice. They focused their eyes on her.
"Good morning, everybody. Today we have a transfer student."
I introduced myself in a nervous state.
"Hello... I'm Mia. Nice to meet you all...."
I looked around the room. There were many students looking at me with different facial expressions. Some were curious, while others stared at her with dislike and judgment. Ms. Venester found a seat in the middle of the desk that was empty and pointed with her finger.
"You can sit right over there."
"Okay, thank you..."
I smiled timidly and walked toward the empty seat that Ms. venester pointed out. I sat on their chair and opened my backpack and prepared stationery and pen. Two male students were looking at me and whispered to each other.
"Wow. She's beautiful."
"I want to ask her out."
"You don't have the guts."
I really wanna smash their head, but I pretended that I didn't hear anything.
When the first lesson is over, one female student speaks to me. She had short hair and sparkling eyes.
"Hey, you're a transfer student, right?"
I calmly introduced myself to the appearance of a female student.
"Yes, my name is Mia."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Linda."
"Hello Linda."
I thought in my head
'She is kinda attractive…'
"Let's eat together at lunchtime. What do you say?"
When Linda asked about that, I answered without hesitation.
"Sure. Why not?"
I thought that I would be able to hear about school teachers while making friends one by one. After all, the whole teachers is suspect to me.
"Ok. I'll guide you to the cafeteria at lunchtime."
Linda was happy to hear that answer. We chatted for a few minutes until the school bell rang.
After the boring class time, lunchtime has come. I followed Linda to the cafeteria. And I accidentally bumped into a male teacher in the hallway. He's a middle-aged man with a grim face who has a sturdy build. I apologized to him.
"I'm sorry."
"You should watch where you are going if you have your eyes."
The male teacher left. I saw his back in disapproval.
"Why is he so grumpy?"
Linda explained.
"That's Mr Halloway. Our gym teacher. I heard that nobody saw his smiling face."
"He seems to have a rude personality. Is he always like that?"
"You'll get used to it."
"Alright. I need to adapt to this school life."
The cafeteria was crowded and noisy. Staying in a noisy place was destroying my eardrums. I hope I can get use to that too. We found an empty seat holding a bowl of food on the tray. When I tried to take a bite of a meal, I saw my home class teacher, Ms Venester was having a conversation with a handsome young male teacher with a happy faces. Linda saw them and said.
"Here comes our school couple."
"Couple?"
"Words getting around that Ms Venseter and Mr Wilson are dating each other."
"Dating, huh?"
I looked at Mr Wilson. He is pretty handsome. It doesn't surprise me if they're really dating. Linda looked at me with a sly smile.
"What's wrong, Mia? Having a crush on a handsome teacher?"
I smirked at her with no agitation.
"Well… he's handsome. I'll give you that. But he's not my type."
"You ever thought about having a boyfriend?"
I suddenly remember my sister amelia toasted for me to have a boyfriend. I hesitated for a while and answered.
"I can't say no. Maybe I'll find my true love."
"Well, let's hope that you meet a boyfriend before you graduate here."
I smiled awkwardly and thought to myself.
'Too late for me. Cause I'm already graduated.'
When it was time to go home after class, I walked through the school gate with Linda and came out of school. We waved to each other.
"Bye mia, it was nice knowing you."
"Yeah, I'll see you at school tomorrow."
Linda turned around and left. When she turned around the corner, I heard a scream.
"Ahhhh!!!!!"
I sensed that something bad had happened to Linda. Running to the place where I heard her scream, my eyes widened in shock as I saw the situation. I saw Linda being attacked by a guy there. That guy was wearing a black hat and a mask and attacked Linda. It looked like she was being attacked by a robber. The guy punched Linda and knocked her down.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
I shouted to Guy. The guy saw me and quickly ran away. I rushed to Linda's side.
"Linda, are you okay?"
"He… He stole my wallet…"
Linda pointed at the guy who robbed her.
"Don't worry. I'll get your wallet."
Without a moment's hesitation, my fox instincts kicked in. I chased after the robber, my footsteps quickening as adrenaline pumped through my veins. When the robber turned his head back and saw I was coming after him. He fled into a narrow alley next to him. Unlucky to the robber, that place was a dead end. I slowly approached the robber with a firm voice. It echoed through the alley.
"Give me the wallet! Now!"
The robber picked up the iron stick from the ground and swung it at me. His sloppy attack was easy to avoid for a fox girl like me. But I grabbed the pipe and took it away and kicked him. The robber got mad and rushed at me. I avoided his punch and gave him a strong triple punch to his stomach. It reminds me of the day that I beat up the bully fox with one punch. The robber grabbed his stomach with pain. I launched another strong punch at the robber's face. The robber fell to the ground and collapsed. I saw the pink wallet on the ground.
"I hope this is her wallet."
I checked the inside of her wallet. There was the picture of Linda and her family.
"Yep. Definitely hers."
I pick it up and returned to where Linda was. When I turned around and left the place, I made eye contact with a blunt teenage girl who had long black hair.
"Nice fighting."
The girl complimented me on fighting against the robber. When I turned around to her, I smelled something from her.
'This smell… could it be…'
I calm myself and act natural.
"Well Thank you."
"I saw you chase that robber and fight with him."
"Ah....you saw that?"
I was surprised that she had witnessed the whole fight.
"It's impossible for a human to show that speed and strength."
My eyes widened slightly from the girl's observation. I started to regret about not controlling my power when I used my legs and fist.
"Well....uh... I've been taking self-defense classes,"
"Self-defense class, huh?"
I hope she didn't notice my lie. I quickly rolled my head to brush off the topic casually. And suddenly, I noticed something.
"Wait... You're in the same class as me, aren't you?"
She nodded and answered.
"So you noticed. I'm Violet."
"Yeah, I thought I saw you in my class. I'm mia."
I replied, feeling a bit relieved that the conversation had shifted to something less dangerous.
"So how was your first day of school?"
"It was... alright, I guess. A bit awkward since I'm the new student here."
"I would be careful if I were you. Sometimes the school is not filled with fun."
I raised an eyebrow, sensing a hint of seriousness in Violet's words. Her blunt expression did not change during the conversation with me.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see soon enough."
I tilted my head, not fully understanding what Violet meant by that.
"I see... Well, thanks for the heads-up."
"I'm just telling the truth. No need to thank me."
Violet walked away from the alley. I thought as I looked at her walking back.
'If my nose isn't wrong, Violet is a fox girl like me.'
When I was a kid, my father told me that foxes can recognize their own tribe with magic and a sense of smell, even if they hide their ears and tails.
'But that means violet would also notice my identity.'
It was an unexpected situation. If Violet reveals my identity, I won't be able to find the clue and will be kicked out of the school. I started to feel anxiety.
Few minutes later, I arrived next to the school gate. Linda was sitting on the bench and waiting for me. I ran into Linda and gave her a wallet.
"Here's your wallet. I got it back from the robber."
Linda was surprised and checked the wallet.
"Oh, thank you mia. I thought I'll never find it."
"You're welcome. It was nothing."
"Are you alright? Did that robber hurt you?"
I sensed Linda's concern.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
I bet Linda wouldn't believe it if I beat up the robber. So I decided not to talk about it. I saw Linda had a bruise mark on her cheek.
"I'm worried about your face."
"Yeah. It really hurt. But I'm sure it'll be fine if I apply medicine."
Linda rubbed her cheek and put her wallet inside her pocket.
"I really gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow!"
Linda waved her hand at me and left. I hope she doesn't get robbed again.
I returned to my house. When I entered my house, I returned to my adult form and revealed my fox ears and tail. I reminisced about the past. The memories of my mother's death still weigh heavily on my mind. The kindly shot photo in the living room captured a happier time. My mom, amelia, and me. I gazed at a framed picture. A sorrow hit me.
"I really miss you mom."
I remembered the times when my mother was still alive. With a mixture of sadness and resolve, I placed the photo back on where it was. I ate a meal in the kitchen and thought about how can I find a clue about the culprit.
After finishing my dinner, I laid back on the bed, the events of the day replaying in my mind. Exhaustion tugged at my eyelids, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of loneliness that crept up in the silence of the house. I had to think about something else. The first thing in my mind was violet. I drank hot milk and lay down on my bed.
'I hope violet doesn't spill the beans.'
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