Chapter 64 - Meeting Friends
The morning sun cast a warm glow over the school grounds as Bell stepped through the gates of Misaki Town High School.
The familiar sight of the school building brought a strange sense of nostalgia.
His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted two figures standing near the entrance: Satsuki Yumizuka and Arihiko Inui.
Satsuki, waved enthusiastically as soon as she saw him.
Arihiko, gave a casual nod too.
Bell returned the gesture.
"Shiki! Good morning!" Satsuki called out, her voice carrying a hint of concern.
"How are you feeling? Your health... is it good? Or bad?"
Bell smiled faintly. "It's good. No need to worry about me."
Satsuki opened her mouth as if to say more, but she hesitated.
She seemed to sense that Bell wasn't in the mood for more conversation, so she simply let the topic drop.
Soon the entered the classroom.
The first few classes passed uneventfully.
Bell found himself adjusting to the rhythm of school life, though his mind occasionally wandered to the System infos.
He was no longer Bell Cranel, the adventurer from Orario.
He was Shiki Tohno, a high school student with mystic eyes of death perception.
'Five heroines,' he thought to himself. '5 pulls with them. It's not going to be easy.'
Anyways...
When the lunch bell rang, Bell headed to the cafeteria with Satsuki.
The two of them grabbed their meals and found a quiet corner to sit.
Satsuki chatted animatedly about school life, her worries from the morning seemingly forgotten.
Bell listened, occasionally chiming in with a comment or two.
It was... nice. Normal, even.
Their peaceful lunch was interrupted when Arihiko joined them, his bento box in hand.
He plopped down beside Bell with his usual carefree grin. "What's up, you two? Planning something without me?"
"Not at all," Bell replied. "Just enjoying the food."
Soon they began eating, while on it the cafeteria's TV screen caught their attention.
A news broadcast was airing, the anchor's voice grave as she reported on a series of recent murders and kidnappings in the area.
The atmosphere at the table grew tense.
Satsuki's face paled as she listened to the report. "Shiki," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "you shouldn't go anywhere during the evening or night. It's too dangerous!"
Bell chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm a boy, Satsuki. You should worry about yourself."
"But don't worry—I'm here. Nobody can do anything to you."
Satsuki's cheeks turned bright red, and she stammered, "B-Baka Shiki! I'm just... I'm just worried, okay?"
Arihiko burst out laughing. "Man, you two are something else!"
"Oh well, Shiki, you've really changed since the summer break."
"What happened? Did living with your family make you this cheerful?"
Bell shrugged.
"Maybe. It's natural, isn't it? Being with family changes a person."
Suddenly , Bell's gaze drifted across the cafeteria.
His eyes landed on a girl with glasses, her presence almost ethereal.
She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, her calm demeanor standing in stark contrast to the bustling cafeteria.
Bell recognized her immediately—Ciel, the enigmatic upperclassman he had met earlier in the year.
[Here! we go again!]
'Shut up, system!'
Then without hesitation, Bell called out to her. "Ciel-senpai! Did you eat yet? If you don't mind, you can join us."
Ciel turned her head, her expression unreadable.
For a moment, she seemed to consider his offer.
Then, with a small nod, she walked over to their table.
"Thank you, Shiki," she said. "I'll join you for a while."
Satsuki and Arihiko exchanged curious glances, but neither of them said anything.
***
"Shiki, how have you been these days? It must've been hard for you." As if a switch had flipped, Ciel asked Bell with a calm smile.
Bell gave her a blank look and said, "You're doing it again, senpai."
Ciel laughed softly, the kind of laugh that girls often do.
Of course, she's a girl.
Wait, no—she should be an old hag by now.
Bell sighed.
Without anyone noticing, Ciel cast some kind of spell or something that made Satsuki and Arihiko stop paying attention to them.
Bell could clearly feel it, but he chose to stay quiet so Ciel wouldn't get suspicious.
Once everything was ready, Ciel sighed and spoke in a serious tone. "Shiki, be careful at night."
Bell made a confused expression, as if he didn't already know.
But he pretended anyway. "Okay, senpai. I'll follow your advice."
"That's it, Shiki. Now you look like a good boy."
"Was I a bad boy before?"
"Guess!"
"Ciel-senpai!!!"
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