[Aezel's POV]
You ever walk into class and feel like you missed a memo? Like, a big one? That was me today.
Everyone was buzzing. Sylvia was whispering to a group of girls. Ren was scribbling in his sketchbook like he'd been hired for a secret mission. Even Reina had a tiny crease in her forehead a big deal by her standards.
Then boom. Our homeroom teacher strolled in, holding a bright pink clipboard like it was a loaded weapon.
"It's that time of the year, everyone! Cultural Festival!"
Cue chaos. People whisper-shouted. Desks squeaked. Someone behind me dropped a pen with such intensity, it sounded like a declaration of war.
"And this time it's not just for fun. It's a competition."
Dead silence.
"Whichever class wins gets a 5% bonus on the upcoming academic assessment."
I swear, someone in the back screamed.
You could see the stress level rising. I'm pretty sure Aeron sighed through his nose, which might be his version of full panic.
Me? I was already mentally assigning roles in a fantasy-romance drama. Café host boys, fortune-telling booths, possible love triangles… This was the perfect setting for plot development.
But then bam. Another twist.
"Class Representative Reina and Assistant Lucas will organize everything."
Reina's the rep?
Since when?! Has she been holding secret meetings in the dead of night? Did I miss an election? Was there a secret campaign involving spreadsheets and blood oaths?
[Reina's POV]
I never asked to be the class rep. They just voted for me because "Reina can handle it" and "Reina doesn't complain" and "Reina has murder-eyes so she'll keep everyone in line."
Fine. I could handle it. But now, with the whole class's academic future at stake?
Lucas, my co-organizer, was already building a shared doc titled: "Operation: Beat Class B Into Dust."
He looked up. "Haunted house. Strong contender."
"Too common."
"Matchmaking booth?"
"Too dangerous."
"Café?"
"Too overdone."
He paused. "A play?"
I blinked. "A play… might actually work."
And that was the beginning of the end.
[Aezel's POV]
I marched up to Reina with purpose, which is probably how I always approach her, to be honest.
She was surrounded by at least four different people asking her questions like, "Should the ghosts in the haunted house be historically accurate?" and "What kind of tea should we serve the judges?"
"Reina," I said, cutting in. "Real talk are you okay?"
She blinked at me. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you're acting like a Google Form come to life. You haven't blinked in five minutes."
She rolled her eyes but gave me the faintest twitch of a smile. Victory.
Then I leaned in closer and whispered, "Also, you didn't tell me you're the class rep. Was this part of your plan to overthrow the school?"
She didn't laugh but her lip twitched. And that's as close as Reina gets to admitting I'm funny.
[Aeron's POV]
The classroom was full of noise. Voices. Movement. Excitement. I hated it.
Even worse Aezel was somehow in the center of it all again.
She was bouncing from person to person, whispering ideas, joking with Reina, and for some reason… laughing in my direction?
Then she walked over. Because of course she did.
"You gonna help with the festival?" she asked.
"No."
"You kinda have to. Everyone's assigned a role."
"I'll pass."
She smirked. "Scared of being in a play, pretty boy?"
"I don't 'play.'"
"Ohhh," she said, pretending to take notes. "Aeron doesn't play. Aeron broods. Aeron stares meaningfully out windows."
I clenched my jaw. "You're annoying."
"And you're allergic to fun."
We stared. Long, awkward pause.
Finally, I walked away.
She called after me, "You'd make a great vampire, though!"
[Ren's POV]
During lunch, I found Reina sitting near the back of the courtyard. She looked calm. Too calm. Like she was trying really hard not to flip a table.
"You okay?" I asked.
She looked up, caught off guard. "Yeah. Just trying to plan a festival that could decide our futures."
I sat beside her, holding out a juice box. "Stress sugar."
"…Thanks."
"You know," I said, "you don't have to do it all alone. Other people can handle things too."
"I don't like relying on people," she said simply.
"I get that," I said. "But sometimes, when you do... they surprise you."
Friends are always there to help when we need.
She looked at me for a beat longer than normal.
"You're kind of weird," she said.
"I get that a lot."
[Aezel's POV]
After school, I stayed behind to "help" with decorations, which actually meant poking around the classroom while everyone else folded paper flowers.
That's when I found it. A note.
Tucked into my desk.
No name.
Just the words:
"You're getting too close. Back off, or we both lose."
On the back, the same strange symbol I'd seen on the letter when I transmigrated here.
My heart thudded.
Was this… from them?
The ones pulling strings in this world?
Was the festival just a distraction?
I tucked the note into my pocket. No one could see my hands were shaking.
I don't know who was i really up against ?
But I was more determined than ever.
[Aeron's POV]
As I left the classroom, I spotted Aezel staring at a piece of paper like it held state secrets.
I paused.
She quickly stuffed it into her pocket.
"You okay?" I asked before I could stop myself.
She jumped. "What, you care now?"
"No. Just asking so you don't faint and make it my problem."
She gave me a side-smirk. "You're terrible at pretending not to care, you know."
"And you're terrible at staying out of things."
"Guilty," she said, walking past me. "But hey when we win this festival, I'll let you pretend you helped."
"I won't pretend anything."
"Exactly," she said over her shoulder, "because your whole personality is pretend."
I didn't reply. But I watched her walk away.
Now may be the intresting part will come.
Aezel
Later That Night -My Bedroom of Panic
I sat on my bed, staring at the note like it might explode.
"What does it mean?" I muttered.
"Stop digging"? Into what? Reina's love life? The future? The structure of this world?
Did the original plotline have defensive measures against meddling?
And if so… what would happen if I ignored the warning?
I flopped back onto my pillow.
Then sat bolt upright.
The festival. That's where everything would converge. The drama. The romance. The danger.
This wasn't just a fun school event anymore.
It was the next battleground.
And I was on the frontlines.
End of Chapter 9