Ethan
We arrive at school just in time, blending into the crowd of students entering through the gates.
I silently pray the guard won't notice us, but he eyes us suspiciously. I force a nervous grin and grip Rubielle's arm and tug her along with the crowd before he can ask questions.
Heading to the classroom, her mismatched appearance still bothers me. Even though she changed into a school uniform using magic, she looks far from normal.
Her silver-white hair looks like a wig but feels so real, and her big, bright orange eyes… Yeah, there's no way we can stay unnoticed like this. Maybe we just got lucky yesterday, thinking she was a cosplayer or something, but we better solve this before it gets out of hand.
"Hey," I whisper as we walk through the bustling hallways.
"What are you gonna do about your look? No matter what, you stand out from the rest of us."
"Who knows, maybe the government will take you and do experiments on you," I tease.
Rubielle flinches, her brows furrowing slightly. "Don't worry. I'll use a simple memory alteration magic on everyone"
"but…" She hesitates as she averts her gaze.
"But?" I press, already sensing something's off.
"Erm... It doesn't work on people who already know me or are very aware of me." She fidgets. "But nobody knows me here... probably… I guess!" Her confidence wavers by the last word.
"I also made up a story to seem less suspicious!" she adds proudly.
"That sounds... unreliable." I sigh.
"Why not just change your hair and eye color? It's magic, after all."
She look at me with a serious face, "Eh? What are you saying? How can you possibly change the melanin in your body? Are you stupid or delusional?" She blinks at me like I've just suggested turning water into gold.
"WHAT?! You can mess with people's brains but can't change your appearance?! What kind of stupid rule is that?!" I exclaim,
"And why do you even know the term 'melanin'?!"
"I saw it on your so-called PC." She pouts like she's just been misunderstood.
"I was joking. You can't change appearance with magic, but with alchemy it's possible."
"Alchemy…" My face lights up hearing that fantasy term. It really feels like an isekai anime!
Before I can ask more, her expression turns serious.
"Ethan... that night you found me... how many lights did you see?"
It was a bit unexpected.
"Erm... I can't remember properly… Is it really the hearts you're talking about? There were two big lights like you and some smaller ones... maybe two or three?"
Her face darkens, and her lips press into a thin line, as if she just realized something unsettling. She doesn't say anything more as we walk into the classroom.
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As we enter, eyes follow us. I'm kind of nervous... My pulse quickens. Why does this feel like the first day of school all over again?
"Hey~ Ethan! Good morning!" A cheerful voice calls out from behind.
I turn to see Mia short for Marianne, waving with her usual bubbly energy.
We've been classmates since elementary school, making her practically my best friend.
"Morning, Mia," I reply,
I tried to sound casual, even though I feel a little on edge with Rubielle next to me.
"Hey, did you see that new anim- huh? Ethan, who's she?" she asks, as she narrows her eyes noticing Rubielle standing silently.
"Erm-! She's... my dad's... cousin's... brother's... best friend's... long-lost... daughter...?" I stammer, making up a believable story but she eyes us suspiciously instead.
"Hmm..." She pouts, staring at us with her wrinkled brows while tapping her chin..
"But I never heard from uncl-"
"WAAHHH! Look, it's the teacher! We should get to our seats!" I blurt out, cutting her off before she can think too much about it.
The teacher walks in just as I finish speaking, and the class settles down, the awkwardness momentarily slipping away. Rubielle suddenly claps her hands loudly, falling the entire room into silence.
A strange sense of normalcy takes over the room, as if there's nothing strange about her presence.
"Oh, Rubielle, you decided to come to school now? Since it's your first time, why not introduce yourself?" the teacher says, as if she's always been part of the class from day one.
With her head held high, Rubielle walks confidently to the front. But suddenly—
"Sniff... sniff... Sorry, teacher... I only attended class now because of everything that happened to me~!" Her voice quivers, and she bats her eyes for effect.
"My family died, my house burned, my dog died, my—"
She sniffles dramatically, like she's delivering the most tragic monologue of all time.
WHAT?! What kind of ridiculous backstory is this?! Why did EVERYONE have to die?! Is this her idea of a 'less suspicious' story?!
I glance around the room, catching the wide-eyed stares of my classmates. Some look concerned, others confused. But I can't help but bury my face in my hands. Rubielle's making this worse than it has to be!
After her chaotic introduction, she returns to a vacant seat and flashes me a smug thumbs-up, clearly pleased with herself.
'How's that?' her look says. I sigh heavily.
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(Lunch Time)
We head to the cafeteria and buy our lunch. Of course I paid for Rubielle.
Good thing we came first with these many of people ordering food. We were able to spot on the empty table because of that, lucky~
We sat down with our food but I'm still processing everything that just happened.
"I can't believe that actually worked..." I mutter.
"Of course it worked!" Rubielle boasts proudly.
"But... I noticed some people weren't as affected by the memory spell." she whispers.
"Wait, really?" I ask, turning to her.
She nods, glancing around the cafeteria.
"Yeah. Some people were definitely wary of me. I didn't do anything to them, but they seemed... suspicious."
My heart skips a beat. "Like who?" I ask, suddenly nervous.
"The girl in front with long hair emits a strange energy and wears a wary expression."
Who is she talking about? There are many girls with long hair in the class.
"And also her, she was the most wary of me." Rubielle points at the person sitting next to me,
I looked beside me and see the person besides me.
"WAAHHH! M-Mia! When did you get here?!" I jump, startled.
Mia crosses her arms, clearly unimpressed carrying her lunchbox to join us.
"Well, of course, I'd be suspicious of you! I've never heard of her before! And she even has that unrealistic tragic story!" She glares at Rubielle, clearly unconvinced.
"What should we do...?" I whisper, trying to think of something to smooth this over.
"Maybe we can convince- huh? Where are you looking?" I ask, noticing Rubielle staring at the floor with a serious face.
"Ethan, get me that food," Rubielle says suddenly, her voice casual as she continues to stare at the ground.
"It looks delicious. I want it."
"Hah?! Get your own! Why am I paying?!" I grumble, grabbing my wallet. Well... I pity her, and I did say I'd help.
"Wait! I'll come too!" Mia says, following me as I head toward the food line.
*STOMP*
"Hm? What's that?" I glance back, confused.
It's Rubielle, stomping her foot loudly on the ground. She's drawing way too much attention to herself.
What an attention-seeker...