Lunch hit Y Academy like a wave.
The cafeteria was massive, bright, and way too nice to be real. Steam rose from fresh food, trays clattered, voices overlapped—but none of it had that depressing "school lunch" smell Nate remembered from his past life.
He stared at his tray.
Grilled meat. Rice that actually looked edible. Soup that didn't look like a war crime.
'Yup,' he thought. 'This is a fictional world.'
Nate sat at a long table with his usual group—Kunou beside him, Hailey across, Fumika next to her. Bocchi sat stiffly at the edge, clutching her tray like it might explode.
Kunou smiled at Bocchi. "You can eat, you know."
Bocchi nodded rapidly. "…Y-yes."
She did not eat.
Nate had just taken his first bite when—
Shadow.
A presence slid over the table like perfume and danger.
Kurumu Kurono stopped beside them, lunch tray balanced on one hand, smile sweet enough to be illegal.
"Hey," she said lightly, eyes locked on Nate. "Can I join?"
The cafeteria went quiet.
Not silent—just focused.
Every male student within line of sight turned.
And glared.
Hard.
Nate felt it. Dozens of stares. Jealousy. Murder. At least three imaginary death threats.
He chewed once.
Swallowed.
Then calmly raised his middle finger—subtle, precise—aimed vaguely at the entire cafeteria.
"Sure," he said casually. "You can sit on my right if you want."
Kurumu's eyes lit up.
She sat immediately.
Too close.
Kunou blinked. Hailey slowly lowered her chopsticks.
Bocchi made a strangled noise and shrank into herself.
'I'm sitting with popular people,' Bocchi thought in pure terror. 'This is how I die.'
Kurumu leaned in slightly, smiling. "You're interesting, Nate."
"People keep saying that," he replied, unfazed. "Usually right before something goes wrong."
She laughed softly.
Across the cafeteria, several boys looked like they were one bad decision away from forming a mob.
Then—
Cold.
Again.
A tray scraped against the floor.
Someone sat down.
Nate didn't even have to look.
"I knew you'd be here," a quiet voice said from across the table.
Mizore Shirayuki sat down opposite Nate, lollipop in mouth, eyes never leaving him.
The temperature dropped two degrees.
Kurumu stiffened. "Oh?"
Mizore stared at her. "…You're loud."
Kurumu smiled wider. "You're cold."
Bocchi was now visibly shaking.
'Why are there two scary pretty girls fighting over him,' she thought. 'I just wanted to eat rice.'
Kunou calmly sipped her drink. "Nate, you attract strange people."
Nate sighed, rubbing his temples. "I didn't even do anything."
Mizore leaned forward slightly. "You exist."
Kurumu nodded. "Exactly."
Nate looked at the ceiling.
'It's day one,' he thought. 'It's lunch. And my life is already off the rails.'
He took another bite of food.
"…Still worth it," he muttered.
Blizzaria glanced at Mizore, her red eyes calm, ancient, and cold.
"I see," she said.
Mizore met her gaze for a long second… then nodded once.
Respect.
Nate took a slow drink from his water bottle.
'And the ice Yokai have acknowledged each other,' he thought. 'Given Blizzaria's rank, Mizore's instinctively treating her like a senpai.'
He paused mid-sip.
'…Actually, how strong are they?'
Nate flicked a finger under the table.
A thin layer of Spirit Bond energy spread—soft, gentle—wrapping around Bocchi's ears like invisible earmuffs.
Bocchi just blinked, unaware, happily poking at her rice.
Nate spoke next.
Just one word.
Quiet.
Flat.
But every supernatural being in the cafeteria felt it hit their spine.
"Z."
Forks froze.
Kunou didn't even hesitate.
"SSS."
Hailey nodded.
"SSS."
Fumika added, deadpan.
"SSS."
Blizzaria tilted her head slightly.
"Z."
Kurumu's playful smile faltered.
"…B," she said carefully.
Mizore followed, voice soft but honest.
"B."
The air shifted.
Not pressure.
Perspective.
Kurumu swallowed, glancing sideways at Nate again—this time with something new behind her eyes.
Not just lust.
Calculation.
Mizore stared openly now, lollipop forgotten.
'Z class…' she thought. 'That's not a student.'
Bocchi, blissfully unaware, looked around. "Uh… why did everyone stop eating?"
Nate waved it off. "Cafeteria drama."
He took another bite like nothing happened.
Around them, hidden Yokai lowered their heads.
Devils avoided eye contact.
And Kurumu leaned closer, voice quieter now.
"…You really are dangerous, aren't you?"
Nate didn't look at her.
"I'm eating lunch," he said calmly. "That's it."
Blizzaria smiled faintly.
Mizore watched.
And somewhere deep in Y Academy, several fate flags quietly snapped into place.
Later, as class ended, chairs scraped and students poured into the hall.
Nate crouched by his desk, pulling on his shoes, when he felt it again—that faint pressure.
He looked up.
Kurumu was standing there, watching him with an unreadable smile.
"Yes?" Nate asked flatly.
She stepped closer, leaning in just enough that her voice dropped, warm and teasing. The charm magic brushed against his senses—soft, persuasive, trying to hook in.
"You telling me your rank," she whispered, close to his ear,
"…just makes you more interesting."
She pulled back before it could linger, smiling like she'd already won something.
Nate straightened, unfazed.
"Fine by me," he said calmly. "Curiosity's healthy."
Kurumu blinked.
That wasn't the reaction she expected.
She laughed lightly, turning on her heel. "You're weird."
"Yeah," Nate replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I get that a lot."
As she walked away, Kurumu glanced back once—this time without charm magic, without the act.
Just genuine interest.
'He didn't even flinch,' she thought. 'That's dangerous.'
Behind Nate, Kunou crossed her arms. "She was flirting."
Nate shrugged. "She was trying."
Hailey smirked. "You didn't shut it down."
"I didn't encourage it either," Nate replied. "Balance."
Blizzaria watched Kurumu disappear into the hallway, eyes narrowed slightly.
'Succubus,' she thought. 'Troublesome.'
Nate headed for the door.
Unaware that, for Kurumu Kurono, this had just gone from hunt to challenge.
The group kept walking down the hallway
Fumika looked at her. "So, like what if she cornor you one more time and says I want you, what will you do then".
Hailey laughed. "He will run away".
Nate just looked at them. "Add her to my Harem".
Everyone paused.
The hallway went quiet.
Like… record-scratch, soul-leaves-body quiet.
Fumika stopped walking.
Hailey stopped laughing.
Kunou froze mid-step.
Even Blizzaria blinked.
Nate kept walking like he hadn't just dropped a mental flashbang.
"…You're serious," Hailey said slowly.
Nate nodded. "Completely."
Fumika stared at him. "That wasn't even a joke."
"Nope."
Kunou tilted her head, ears flicking. "You'd really just… accept her?"
Nate glanced back at them, calm, grounded. "If she wants me, yeah."
They resumed walking.
"I'd rather she be with me," Nate continued, voice steady, "than latch onto the next powerful supernatural guy she finds. And let's be honest—most of them are either idiots, manipulators, or walking red flags."
Hailey snorted. "Or all three."
"Exactly," Nate said. "At least with me, she gets honesty, boundaries, and someone who won't use her."
Fumika crossed her arms, studying him. "You're not worried?"
"I am," Nate admitted. "But not about her."
Kunou smiled faintly. "You're worried about yourself."
"About responsibility," Nate corrected. "Power attracts people. Ignoring that doesn't make it go away."
They reached the stairwell.
Blizzaria finally spoke. "You are reckless."
Nate smiled sideways. "Yeah."
Then, softer: "But I don't abandon people."
From down the hall, unseen by them—
Kurumu paused, hand on the corner wall.
She hadn't meant to listen.
But she heard enough.
Her smile this time wasn't playful.
It was… thoughtful.
'He didn't reject me,' she realized.
'He evaluated me.'
And somehow—
That was worse.
—and better.
She walked away, tail swaying, already rethinking her approach.
Meanwhile, Nate headed toward his home, completely unaware that he'd just rewritten the rules of the game.
Again.
When Nate got home—
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Nate shouted.
He was pointing straight at Mizore.
Mizore Shirayuki sat stiffly on the couch, back straight, hands folded in her lap, a lollipop in her mouth like emotional support candy. Her long lilac hair spilled over her shoulders.
Lily barely flinched. "Nate, meet Mizore Shirayuki. She's Tsurara Shirayuki's daughter."
Nate blinked.
Then blinked again.
"I know her," he said slowly, still pointing. "She's in my class. I met her today. Why is she here?"
Yasaka sipped her tea like this was none of her business. It absolutely was.
Lily answered calmly. "Her mother is an old friend of mine. Also a yo-kai I've summoned before. Her family lives in Hokkaido, and since Mizore is attending Y Academy, her mother asked if she could stay with us."
Nate opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again. "Okay. That explains why she's here."
Lily smiled. "Good."
"…Why is she sitting on our couch?"
"She lives here now."
Nate froze.
"Also," Lily added, still way too casual, "she'll be sleeping in the same room as you."
Silence.
Nate stared at his mother.
Then stared harder.
Then slowly lowered his pointing hand like his brain was buffering at 1% CPU.
"…She's sleeping where?"
Mizore's eyes flicked to him for half a second, then away again. Her grip on the lollipop tightened.
"In your room," Lily repeated.
Nate dragged a hand down his face. "Mom. She is my classmate."
"Yes."
"The girls who sleep in my room," Nate continued carefully, "are in my harem."
Lily nodded once. "Then add her to the list."
The room went dead silent.
Kunou's ears twitched.
Hailey dropped her bag.
Fumika slowly turned her head.
Blizzaria blinked. Once. Twice.
Nate looked at Mizore.
Mizore looked at the floor.
Her voice was quiet. "…I can sleep on the floor."
Nate immediately snapped, "No."
Everyone looked at him.
He exhaled sharply. "I mean—no, you don't have to. That's not happening."
He turned back to Lily. "You cannot just casually assign new girls to my harem like side quests."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "You added Kurumu in one afternoon."
"That was different."
"How?"
"…I don't know, but it felt different."
Yasaka finally spoke, amused. "You do realize this is how legends start, yes?"
Nate groaned. "I hate this house."
Mizore peeked up at him. "…I won't cause trouble."
Nate paused.
Looked at her.
Sighed.
"…Fine. We'll figure it out. But ground rules."
Mizore nodded immediately. "Yes."
Kunou smiled. "Welcome home."
Hailey smirked. "Told you nothing normal would happen."
Nate stared at the ceiling.
'It's the first day,' he thought.
'It's literally the first day.'
Nate sighed as he went to her. "Sense we are in this mess".
He looked at Mizore as he grabbed her hand and used Spirit bond to make wrist band for her. "I guess I will just add you to my harem, like my mom said".
He patted her head. "We will bond over time".
Mizore blinked looking at him. "Are you not comfortable sleeping with girl's?"
Nate looked away Awakard. "If they are not my girlfriends, I feel like I am taking advantage of them".
Mizore tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. "…Is that bad?"
Nate scratched the back of his neck. "I mean—yeah. For me, at least. Trust matters. Feelings matter." He glanced at her, then quickly away again. "I don't want anyone thinking they're just… an option."
Mizore stared at him for a long moment.
Then she spoke quietly. "You're strange."
Nate sighed. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
But instead of pulling away, Mizore tightened her grip on the spirit-made wristband, her fingers brushing his.
"…I don't dislike strange," she added.
Nate froze for half a second.
"…Great," he muttered. "That's not ominous at all."
The room went dead silent.
Like… painfully dead silent.
Fumika slowly turned her head toward Nate.
"…Wow."
Hailey blinked once. Then twice. "That is… unexpectedly wholesome."
Nate was still holding Mizore's hand, the spirit-made wristband faintly glowing before settling into a calm, steady light. He didn't let go, but his grip wasn't possessive either—just… reassuring.
Mizore stared at him for a moment longer, clearly processing.
"…That is strange," she said honestly.
Nate sighed. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
From the couch, someone muttered, "Bro really said ethical harem."
That earned a few snorts.
Mizore tilted her head. "So… I am not required to do anything?"
"Nope," Nate said immediately. "No pressure. No expectations. No weird stuff. You live your life, I live mine, we get to know each other, and if feelings happen naturally—cool. If not, also cool."
He glanced around the room. "I'm not collecting people like trading cards."
Hailey smirked. "Could've fooled me."
Nate shot her a look. "I swear, I hate all of you."
Fumika crossed her arms, studying Mizore carefully. "And if she changes her mind later?"
Nate shrugged. "Then we talk. Like normal people. Communication—revolutionary concept, I know."
Mizore's twitched slightly, a soft sound like ice crystals brushing together.
"…You are different from the others," she admitted.
"Yeah," Nate said flatly. "That's kind of the problem."
There was a small pause.
Then Mizore nodded once. "…Very well. I will try this… bonding."
She hesitated, then awkwardly leaned forward and lightly hugged his arm.
Nate froze.
Absolutely blue-screened.
Everyone in the living room collectively leaned in.
"…Okay," Nate said stiffly. "We are starting with personal space tutorials."
Hailey burst out laughing. "Oh my god, he's doomed."
And just like that, the tension broke—replaced with laughter, teasing, and the very clear realization that whatever this mess was…
It was only getting started.
To be continued
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