(T/N: That's it.
Only 3 chapters this day as I have something to do later today.
Happy Valentine's you fooks!)
There was still about a week left before the cultural festival. Yet, Haruto had already received five invitations.
Should he… just invite everyone together?
That thought was quickly dismissed. Among the five invitations, both his senpai and Annie preferred one-on-one interactions, so grouping them together wouldn't be good for anyone. As for the other three, they might accept going as a group, but it would undoubtedly dampen the mood.
Three days, five invitations.
It was a happy dilemma.
Meanwhile…
Haruto's class was also busy preparing their event. A stage play.
A fairly common choice for the festival's performances. If a class didn't have students particularly skilled in singing, dancing, or forming a band, they usually opted for a play or a group recital as a safe bet. And when it came to classic love dramas, Titanic was the classic choice.
Yui excitedly dragged Yukinoshita into practice.
Yukinoshita looked completely lifeless. Why was she being subjected to this suffering?
Meanwhile, sitting off to the side, Megumi looked even more resigned. She had once again been completely ignored by everyone.
At first, when Haruto mentioned her, Yui still paid some attention to her. But as soon as Haruto stepped out, Megumi was forgotten.
Her assigned role in the play was a completely insignificant background character. All she had to do was gasp dramatically during moments of crisis to help create tension.
Still, watching rehearsals was at least entertaining. So, Megumi sat quietly and observed.
The Rehearsal
After two or three days of practice…
On this particular afternoon, after classes ended, most students left, and the classroom was locked for a full run-through rehearsal. They were going to go through the entire play as if it were the real performance.
The first scene began.
However…
As the actors entered and spoke their lines, the performance completely deviated from the script of Titanic.
Sitting below the stage, Megumi tilted her head in confusion.
Words like kingdom, rebellion, and monarch kept popping up on stage.
Titanic was a Western love tragedy about the protagonists fighting against obstacles to pursue love.
Where the hell did a king come from?
Megumi watched the play, puzzled. Had they changed the script last minute without telling her?
That was possible.
After all, Megumi was used to being overlooked. Forgetting to inform her about a script change would be nothing new.
So, she continued watching.
Then—
One of the actors walked onto the makeshift stage wielding a steel blade.
Megumi: !!!
The blade struck the walls and desks, sending wood chips flying—clearly, it was sharp and real.
But the real question was—why was there a real sword in a stage play?!
Moreover, Megumi didn't recall anyone bringing such a weapon to school. It was way too conspicuous to go unnoticed.
A sense of unease crept over her.
Something was wrong.
"Yukinoshita-san, is that steel blade a prop? Why is the scene completely different from the script?"
Megumi reached out and shook Yukino forcefully, trying to get an answer.
Though Megumi was usually ignored, shaking someone so aggressively was bound to get a reaction.
Yukino turned to look at her, only to realize she had completely forgotten Megumi's name.
She only vaguely recalled that this was a classmate of hers.
Yukino responded, a little awkwardly,
"The scene is perfectly fine. That steel blade is a prop, and the performance is exactly as written in the script."
Saying that, she even pulled out a copy of the Titanic script.
Megumi took it and saw that the script was exactly the same as before.
Her back broke out in a cold sweat. The script hadn't changed, but Yukino was claiming the play was identical to it.
"...No, this is completely different," Megumi insisted, trying to make Yukino realize something was off.
However, Yukino simply turned to Yuigahama beside her.
"Yuigahama-san, the play is exactly as written, right?"
Yuigahama nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! It's a perfect performance! Everyone practiced so hard!"
Megumi's eyes widened.
The performance on stage had nothing to do with their rehearsals.
A growing fear gnawed at her as she sought reassurance from other classmates.
But—
Every single person gave the same response.
They all insisted that the play was an exact performance of the script.
Megumi felt lost.
Just then, the first act reached its climax.
And then—
In the corner of the makeshift stage, a figure appeared out of nowhere.
A tall man in ancient royal attire, wearing a crown. His face was obscured, and he clutched a scepter, adorned with gems and treasures, radiating an aura of a true king.
He had simply appeared out of thin air—yet no one reacted.
It was as if Megumi was the only one who could see him.
She instinctively tried to grab Yukino again.
But seeing the calm expressions on Yukino and Yuigahama's faces…
Megumi realized—they couldn't see the king.
Or worse, they saw him but believed he was supposed to be there. Just like how they saw nothing wrong with the bizarre performance.
Megumi wanted to run.
Flee from this eerie place.
But…
These were still her classmates.
Even if they ignored her, even if they weren't close, Megumi couldn't abandon them.
Yet, what could she do alone?
No one would believe her.
They would probably just ignore her again.
In her moment of helplessness, a familiar figure flashed through her mind.
That's right. If it's him, he would understand.
Megumi remembered the boy who had promised never to forget her.
Haruto's Battle
Holding onto her last hope, Megumi took out her phone and dialed Haruto's number.
The call was quickly connected.
"Megumi, what's wrong?"
The boy's voice was as clear as a mountain spring, inexplicably calming Megumi.
"Haruto, I... I don't know how to explain this to you. Everyone in class is acting really strange... Haruto, are you okay?"
Megumi carefully chose her words while listening to the sound of the wind and crashing noises on the other end, her concern growing.
"Ah, I'm fine. Just say whatever you need to. No matter how strange it sounds, I'll believe you."
Haruto's calm response reassured Megumi, helping her settle her anxious thoughts.
Meanwhile, Haruto put down his phone and smacked the creature beneath him with a heavy punch.
"You really think you're a werewolf, huh? Do you even know how much you've messed up my plans?! Trying to run? Go ahead, try it again, I dare you!"
At this moment, Haruto wasn't in Japan but in the City of Rome.
His system's anomaly detection had flagged an irregularity here. Initially, Haruto had planned to let the local Foundation personnel investigate.
But within two days, the number of anomalies had started spreading.
Realizing the urgency, Haruto rushed to the City of Rome himself—And discovered that this anomaly was none other than a legendary werewolf.
Just as Haruto was making a call—
The werewolf, which had been playing dead, slightly opened its eyes. Noticing that Haruto wasn't looking, it attempted to sneak away.
It had learned its lesson—this human was not to be messed with.
However, just as it got up and was about to take a step—
A silver-white blade pierced through its paw in an instant.
The werewolf turned its head and met Haruto's ice-cold gaze.
His expression seemed to say:
"Run. I dare you."
The werewolf had no choice but to remain motionless—And continue playing dead.