After class, Kotori, Irana, Viola, and I made our way to the cafeteria, navigating through the crowd of students. The smell of freshly cooked food lingered in the air, but before we could even step in line, I spotted a group of brats eyeing us from the side.
They were trying to approach.
Tch. Not happening.
I shot them a sharp glare, sending a silent message to back off. Their movement halted for a brief second before they hesitated, exchanging glances. Then, as if they'd come to a mutual agreement, they slowly backed away—though I could tell they weren't happy about it.
Or maybe they had simply noticed Kotori standing beside me.
That's right. The same Kotori who just so happened to be the leader of their rival group.
Either way, I wasn't going to complain.
That was close.
Just as I exhaled in relief, another movement caught my attention. A different group of boys was now approaching us—this time, Kotori's followers.
I almost groaned. Seriously? Is this going to be a daily thing?
But then I noticed Kotori subtly raising her hand, sending them some sort of signal. Whatever it meant, it was enough to make them stop in their tracks.
A mutual, unspoken truce, huh?
At least for now.
Come to think of it, those mischievous boys had been following me for quite some time now. Not by choice, of course. At first, they had practically forced me into being their leader, pestering me nonstop until I just gave in. I had no real interest in their group, but they just wouldn't leave me alone.
And as you might have guessed, I regretted it ever since.
I had tried multiple times to dissolve the gang, but they were persistent, constantly returning to me whenever they got themselves into trouble. Eventually, I set one condition for staying their so-called leader:
Don't involve me unless the problem directly concerns me.
Simple enough, right?
Except, of course, Kotori's followers declaring war on them apparently fell under the "concerns me" category. So now, here I was—dragged into yet another headache.
By the way, what was our group's name again? The Mischievous Boys' Group? …But the leader is a girl? That doesn't even make sense.
Now that I think about it, I never actually knew our group's official name. Maybe "Violeta" would be a fitting one. It had a nice ring to it, though I wasn't sure why it felt so right.
Anyway, today's breakfast was corn porridge. It was not bad. I liked it, though I still wished for green bean porridge. Meanwhile, Irana stared at her bowl with the same lack of enthusiasm as yesterday.
Since we were already sitting and eating, now was the perfect time to ask Kotori about that so-called declaration of war.
But before I could speak—
"Hey... Aria..."
Kotori's voice sounded unusually hesitant.
I glanced at her, only to see her fidgeting slightly.
"I'm sorry!!"
…Wait.
Why did she just raise her voice like that?! And why did she suddenly slam her head onto the table?!
Now everyone in the cafeteria was staring at us.
"...Kotori... what are you doing... please lift your head up!!" I whispered harshly, feeling my face heat up from the attention.
Kotori slowly lifted her head, and I froze when I saw tears streaming down her face.
What?! Why is she crying?!
"Can you tell me why you're apologizing?" I asked cautiously. I already had a good idea, but I wanted to hear it from her.
Kotori sniffled, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform.
"...Because of my careless words... those idiots are now targeting you, Aria. I'm really sorry. And no matter what I do now, it seems like I can't get rid of that misunderstanding!"
Well… the way she's apologizing right now is probably making the misunderstanding even worse.
I sighed. "...So it really is your fault, then."
Oops. That kind of just slipped out.
"Yes, it's my fault... so please forgive me?!"
Ahhh!! Why is she raising her voice again?!
This was not what I expected from Kotori. She had always seemed like the strong, confident, tomboyish type. I never imagined she would apologize like this—so openly and dramatically.
But before I could respond—
"Enough!!... How dare you make the princess cry in front of everyone!! Your actions are completely out of line!!"
Oh no…
Now things have gotten even worse.
To my dearest mother from my previous life,
How are you now? Are you in heaven? Or perhaps… you've been reincarnated like me?
Wherever you are, I just want you to know—today is my second day of middle school.
Do you remember what happened last time? On my second day of middle school in my past life?
Chaos. Absolute chaos.
And now, history seems to be repeating itself.
Oh, beloved mother… please send me your prayers from heaven.
Because I really need them right now.
May you rest in peace.
. . . .
The guy who just shouted didn't hesitate—he lunged at me without a second thought.
Of course, I wasn't about to stand there and take his punches. I dodged effortlessly.
"You dodged that? …Then how about this?!"
He attacked again. This time, I grabbed his arm, twisted it with just enough force to make him scream, then drove my foot into his stomach.
"...If you want to fight, just fight. Stop with the pointless talking, you damn idiot."
He dropped. Out cold.
Only then did I take a second to assess my surroundings.
The cafeteria had turned into a full-blown battlefield—delinquents and Kotori's followers were clashing in chaotic waves of fists and fury.
I felt a strong sense of déjà vu. This is like me and the brats from back in the day.
I glanced behind me. Irana and Viola were still sitting there, completely unfazed.
But Kotori…?
Where was Kotori?
Irana silently pointed under a table.
I crouched down and, sure enough, there she was—clutching her head, trembling.
Wait… wasn't she supposed to be the leader of this group? Why was she hiding?
I might've misunderstood her character.
Yesterday, the brats told me about her and her followers. I had assumed her situation mirrored mine, leading a group of weirdos against her will.
I pictured her as a strong, capable person—Like me.
I hadn't considered the possibility that she was just… an ordinary girl pushed into a role she never wanted.
Ah. That was close.
I was in the middle of a battlefield—I couldn't afford to get lost in thought.
Another one of Kotori's followers suddenly charged at me, shouting, "I will save you, my princess!!"
…Why do I suddenly feel like the villain who kidnapped the princess? Should I told them the princess is in another castle?
I took another look around. Most of the uninvolved students had already fled the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Irana and Viola…
They were still sitting there, eating breakfast. Completely unbothered.
Why weren't they scared? Why were they just calmly enjoying their meal like this was some kind of live entertainment? Aren't Irana disgusted by that porridge?
Their reaction was a stark contrast to Kotori's.
Maybe it was because of my influence that they weren't afraid.
Ah—here comes another one.
Fine. You two keep eating. I'll handle this.
I landed a clean punch to the jaw, sending another attacker sprawling and knocking a few teeth loose.
"Someone, call a teacher or security!!" I shouted, kicking another guy in the groin.
I took down about seven people before security finally arrived.
Believe me when I say this is an elite school. They might not have janitors, but their security guards? Intimidating as hell.
They looked like retired MMA fighters. The kind of people you really wouldn't want to mess with.
Now, if you're wondering how people like the brats and Kotori's followers got into such a prestigious school—
The so-called "brats" were just kids playing at being gangsters. Especially Arthur. Strip away their rotten attitudes, and you'd think they were well-mannered honor students.
As for Kotori's followers… they looked like something straight out of an Otome game. Handsome. Smart. Devoted to their "princess" like a brigade of loyal knights.
I needed to get out of here before the teachers showed up. I don't want to get in trouble.
There were CCTV cameras, but if they reviewed the footage, I could just claim self-defense.
By the time security started breaking up the fight, Irana and Viola had already finished eating. I hadn't even touched my breakfast yet.
Oh well. Who cares about breakfast now?
But I still needed energy.
I downed my corn porridge in one gulp, then ducked under the table and pulled Kotori out. She was still trembling.
I signalled Irana and Viola, and we slipped out of the cafeteria.
I picked Kotori up princess-style and carried her out.
From behind, I heard someone yell—
"They're kidnapping the princess!!"
…Excuse me?
I really wanted to yell back, "Who's kidnapping the princess?! Do I look like Bows*r to you? Your princess is in another castle!!"
But I didn't have time for that.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a bald security guard knock out a student with a single punch.
Yeah. Not sticking around for that.
Once we made it out of the cafeteria, I let out a deep breath.
For some reason, Irana and Viola immediately headed to the restroom.
I thought about following them, but first—I had to deal with Kotori.
She was still clinging to me, crying softly.
She really was a delicate princess.
I gently set her down and patted her head.
"It's okay. You don't have to be scared anymore. We're far away from the cafeteria now."
She sniffled. "This is all my fault... I... I'm sorry!"
Then, to my surprise—she threw her arms around me, burying her face in my chest.