Stretching out my arms, I relaxed my shoulders as I let out a big yawn as the last chimes of the bell rang through the school.
The many conversations of the students across the classroom began to stir up again, mixing into a nasty mix of sounds for my ear. One could say it was comparable to taking a bunch of different species from different worlds and fusing them together to create something that could only be described as an incomprehensible eldritch horror.
It was nothing more than complete and utter gibberish nonsense.
"We gotta hurry! Else they'll run out of yakisoba at the cafeteria!"
"Man! I'm so hungry! Let's go!"
A few shouts amongst the masses grabbed my attention. I looked towards the door, watching some of my classmates hurry out of the room with a hastened pace of walking.
~Is it lunch time? Does that mean I get a break?
The question passed by my mind. I had sat through about four lectures— Or rather, I had survived four lectures. Thankfully, all of the times Ener talked my ear off prepared me for situations such as these. Though, that aside, I still had to get through that long period of time without any textbook of any kind and purely off the intel I acquired from my dream.
I let out a sigh, having concluded it was really lunch time. I was relieved I was finally getting a break. Once again, with a longer yawn, I stretched out my arms across the desk.
My arm knocked down the history book I borrowed from the library.
I reached out to grab it, but a foot quickly came between my hand and the book. Somebody had stepped on it as if it were their slave.
Looking up, I found a boy with short blonde hair, glaring down at me.
~Tomachi? No… this is a different boy. Tomachi has darker hair and is taller than this one.
"Something the matter?"
I questioned, despite seeing the clear look of scorn written across his face.
"Yeah. You put our captain, my good friend, out of commission! So heck yeah, I have a problem with you!"
"Right… I already got suspended so…"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Meet me after-school in the courtyard."
The boy muttered as he stuck a piece of paper against my forehead. Ripping it off, I looked at it. On it, it had a date, a time, and a location.
A familiar girl walked up to me as I picked up the book from the floor and read the note. I could see her long hair flow just above my eyes as I sat up in my seat. Yes. It was none other than 'miss class representative'--- Mori.
"Yuruichi! You made enemies of the baseball team with that stunt of yours!"
Mori nudged my head down with her fist, giving me a rather violent noogie.
"Ah. Baseball team. That explains the captain thing." I said, dismissing the fact I was just threatened and continued to stare at the note.. "---Wait. School ends at four in the afternoon? Dang. What time is it now?"
"Uh, yeah." Mori stated, as if it should have been totally obvious. "That's only if you don't have any club meetings to attend, too. Pretty sure our school's curriculum requires you to have one, too. So have you thought of on–"
"Four more long hours of lectures to go, yay…" I groaned semi-enthusiastically, interrupting her explanation.
"I said… Have you thought of a club to join yet, Yuru-i-chi!" She poked my face as if thrusting a spear at my cheek.
For someone who is supposedly of a high status in the class, this girl seemed rather… playful. Her jovial nature reminded me a bit of Soul, though nowhere near close to his level.
"No. I haven't." I grumbled, my speech disoriented by her finger pushing against my cheek and jaw.
"Then you need to find one."
"Fine." Using my hand, I blocked her rapid finger assault with an open palm.
I stood to my feet, grabbing the borrowed book and the wrapped box lunch Mia gave to me.
"I'm going to the library."
"You can't eat in the library thou-"
Before she could finish her sentence, I had left the classroom in a flash.
…
Ssh.
"Oh. If it isn't the legendary transfer student. Huehuehue."
The mocking giggling of a human girl resounded in my ears before I even set foot in the room. With a turn of my head, I gazed blankly at the source of laughter. There behind the previously empty counter sat a small girl with glasses, wearing the school uniform in a neat and tidy fashion as she continued to chuckle with her left hand supporting her cheek.
"Hello."
I spoke to her without emotion, or expression of care. In return, she looked at me with curiosity, studying me up and down. Finally, setting her eyes on what was in my hand, she spoke.
"Didn't your class representative tell you? You can't eat in the library."
Looking down, I held up the wrapped box.
"I see." I set the box down on the counter. "Then you can have it. I'm not hungry anyways."
"Eh?" She looked at the box and glanced up at me in confusion. Though, I simply waved her off as I continued to walk deeper into the library.
Going through the small aisle of books, I placed the history book in my hand back into the exact spot I had found it in. I reached out once more to grab a different history book, but—
Riiiing. Kzzzt.
~Agh. My head.
Slumping down to my knees, I held my head as it felt as if a thousand daggers were piercing through my brain.
"Damn.. it."
My blurring vision quickly darkened into blackness.
…
The sound of colliding iron, the whirling of wind, the ignition of fire, the ripple of water. Such sounds reverberated around me.
As I opened my eyes, the shining light of the white moon above me penetrated my retinas. With a groan, I sat up but my drowsy state did not last.
Woosh.
I turned my head, my eyes widening as a sphere of black electricity zipped towards me. I quickly leapt to my feet, but it was too quick. There wasn't even time to think of a countermeasure. A shiver ran through my spine as I felt something phase through me. The visions came after, flooding my mind with information about… Computers? Coding? Video Games? Content Creation?
With those thoughts in mind, the images of a boy at a computer stopped and were replaced by a white figure summoning a robotic hand to catch the sphere like a baseball that was just pitched.
"What-?"
Confused by the sight, I looked around me. There were a larger number of figures than before, both of light and darkness.
A wall of silver flames erupted from the water beneath me. Barely evading the sudden rupture, I fell back onto my back and found myself staring up at a quarter moon.
~It's less full now… And… there's more of them…
Sensing more danger, I rolled backwards onto my feet. I quickly created a visible barrier around myself, blocking attacks from the fisticuffs and blade wielder from before. Expanding the barrier at a high speed, I forced the assaulters away.
Drip. SPLASH.
"Crap-"
Struggling, I found myself sinking. Physically, mentally, emotionally, those murky waters swallowed me whole.
I stretched my arm out quickly, trying to reach the surface, but I could not move. I could feel the water grasping at my arms and legs, gripping them with enormous strength. There was no way I could escape by any normal means. But, there was still a chance.
Expelling magic energy from my body, I pushed the waters around me away and swam upwards like a jet. Though, much to my dismay, a black hand, gooey and elastic like slime, grappled my ankle.
"Agh-"
Deeper and deeper, I sank. Deeper and deeper, I fell into blackness. Soon, all that was visible to me was a tiny light above me.
Once last chance, one last thrust of my arm, I reached out.
And it reached back.
"Yuruichi!"
A voice called out to me.
Drip.
The image of a girl reflected in my eyes. Blonde hair so pale it could be mistaken to be white, eyes so deep they reminded me of the endless abyss inside me, a simple smile that made that abyss fade into the back of my thoughts.
"Yuruichi!"
Drip.
"Who is that…? There's… something about her…"
Drip.