A dull ache throbbed behind Rin Takakura's eyelids as consciousness slowly returned. The ceiling that greeted him wasn't the familiar stained plaster of his tiny, rented room. This one was high, ornate, and bathed in the soft, diffused light of a morning sun filtering through heavy curtains. He sat up, his body feeling strangely… light.
Then, the memories hit him – a torrent of information, alien yet intimately his. He was still Rin Takakura, seventeen years old. But this wasn't his world. Not anymore. The life of a high school dropout, an orphan slogging away at a convenience store just to scrape by, had ended with a clumsy fall, his head cracking against the sharp edge of a cheap cabinet. A pathetic end, really.
This new Rin, however, was different. Orphaned, yes, but not from birth. His parents, a wealthy and influential couple, had perished in an accident just last year. With no other relatives, their entire fortune, a staggering sum that could keep him comfortable for several lifetimes without lifting a finger, had passed to him. And unlike his previous self, this Rin was a student. Today, in fact, was supposed to be his first day at the prestigious Kuoh Academy. A thrill, faint but undeniable, sparked within him. It had been too long since he'd last stepped into a school.
His new home, he recalled from the flood of memories, was less a house and more a mansion, complete with staff. As if on cue, a soft knock echoed, followed by the gentle click of the door opening.
"Rin-sama, it is time to wake up," a calm, feminine voice said.
Rin turned, and his breath hitched. Standing in the doorway, bathed in the morning light, was a girl with honey-blonde hair tied neatly, her intelligent blue eyes regarding him with a polite, professional demeanor. He knew her. Impossibly, he knew her.
Hayasaka Ai. From Kaguya-sama: Love is War.
His head pulsed with another wave of memories, these ones specific to her. Ai Hayasaka, a year his senior. Her family had served the Takakura clan for generations, a lineage of loyalty and dedication. She was, for all intents and purposes, his personal attendant.
"Are you alright, Rin-sama?" Ai asked, her voice laced with a subtle concern that didn't quite match her composed expression. "You seem a little… disoriented."
He forced a smile. "Yeah, just a bit groggy. Bad dream, maybe." A colossal understatement.
Is he truly okay? He looks pale. I'll need to keep a close eye on him, especially with it being his first day at Kuoh Academy.
Rin blinked. He'd heard that. Not through his ears, but directly in his mind, as clear as if she'd spoken it aloud. He almost blurted out, "Did you just think…?" but caught himself, a cold dread mixing with utter bewilderment. What in the world was happening?
As if to answer his unspoken question, a translucent blue panel shimmered into existence before his eyes.
[STATUS ALERT]
Name: Rin Takakura
Age: 17
Condition: Healthy (Slightly Confused)
Titles: Last Scion of the Takakura Family, New Student of Kuoh Academy, The Transmigrator
Abilities:
* Mind Reader (Novice): Can perceive surface thoughts of individuals in close proximity.
* System Interface (Unique): Can view and interact with the 'Status Window' of self and others.
Overall Affection View:
* Hayasaka Ai (Maid/Childhood Acquaintance):
* Loyalty: 95/100
* Respect: 70/100
* Familial Love: 60/100
* Romantic Love: 15/100 (-) (+)
* Sexual Interest: 5/100 (-) (+)
* Perception of Rin: Master, Younger Brother Figure, Not a Man.
Rin stared, dumbfounded. It was like something out of a JRPG. He glanced at Ai. She was still looking at him, a slight frown now gracing her features, but her eyes showed no sign of seeing the glowing blue window hovering in the air between them.
He's spacing out. Perhaps he's nervous about the new school.
"Rin-sama, we should get you ready," Ai said, her professional mask firmly in place as she moved towards his wardrobe. "Your uniform is prepared."
She began to unbutton his pajamas with practiced ease. Rin, whose past life had involved zero personal maids undressing him, felt a hot blush creep up his neck. "H-Hayasaka-san, I can do that myself!"
Ai paused, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. He's acting strangely this morning. I've been helping him dress since he was a child, especially on important days. Is he finally hitting that rebellious phase?
Her thoughts, and the status window's blunt assessment – "Not a Man" – stung his newfound, seventeen-year-old pride. He was rich, he was (technically) a student at a good school, and he had a system! Yet, to her, he was still just a kid.
His eyes drifted to the (-) and (+) signs next to her "Romantic Love" and "Sexual Interest" scores. Curiosity, a dangerous and potent force, welled up within him. What would happen if…
He focused his intent on the (+) next to "Romantic Love." Mentally, he pushed. The number flickered. 16… 20… 35… 50… He kept pushing, a strange thrill coursing through him as the number climbed. 70… 85… 99… 100. Maxed out.
Then, he did the same for "Sexual Interest." 5… 20… 50… 80… 100. Max.
He noticed something else. As those two stats skyrocketed, her "Loyalty" dipped slightly to 90, and "Respect" dropped to 60. "Familial Love" plummeted to 20. The system seemed to be auto-balancing, adjusting other affection parameters to make the new, overwhelming romantic and sexual interest… make sense?
Ai, who had been reaching for his uniform, suddenly froze mid-motion. Her hand trembled. Her breathing became shallow, then hitched. The air in the room grew thick, charged with an unspoken tension.
Silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.
Then, her head snapped up. Her blue eyes, usually so calm and collected, were now wide, pupils dilated, and fixed on him with an intensity that was utterly terrifying. A flush spread across her cheeks, a stark contrast to her usually pale complexion.
I… I can't… What is this feeling? Rin-sama… I need…
"Ai…?" Rin managed, his voice barely a whisper. A primal fear began to prickle at the back of his neck.
She didn't answer. Instead, she took a step towards him. Then another. It wasn't the measured, graceful gait of a professional maid. It was the predatory advance of someone who had lost all restraint.
"Rin-sama…" she finally breathed, her voice husky, raw, and filled with an emotion he couldn't decipher but instinctively recoiled from.
He scrambled back on the bed, his hand instinctively darting towards the blue window, trying to tap the (-) sign on the stats he'd so recklessly altered.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Status modification locked once initiated. Changes are permanent for this cycle.]
Permanent?!
Ai lunged.
Rin's physical stats, as he vaguely recalled from his own brief status glance, were decidedly average, if not slightly below. He was no match for a girl, even one as composed as Ai, if she truly meant him harm. Or… something else.
Can't hold back… anymore… He's right there… Mine…
Her thoughts were a maelstrom of possessiveness and raw, unfiltered desire. There was no logic, no reasoning, just an overwhelming, consuming need. Realizing the futility of escape, and a strange, fatalistic acceptance washing over him, Rin closed his eyes.
The world outside his mansion was bright when Rin finally emerged, his uniform slightly rumpled, his hair a mess despite Ai's earlier, aborted attempts to groom him. He was running incredibly late.
Ai was not attending school today. She was, according to her last coherent thought he'd managed to pick up amidst the… chaos, resting. Deeply.
Fortunately, this Rin Takakura owned a rather sleek sports car, and the chauffeur was already waiting. As he slid into the back seat, the events of the morning replayed in his mind – a bizarre, terrifying, and undeniably life-altering experience. His first day in a new world, his first day at Kuoh Academy, and he'd already managed to… well.
He glanced at his own status window, which had helpfully updated.
Titles: …Conqueror (Unwilling?)…
Rin sighed, leaning his head against the cool leather. This new life was going to be anything but boring.