I Fell In Love With A Girl Who Died Before I Was Even Born

It was already warm that early spring day, so that meant the gym was blazing.

Hotter than it had any right to be.

The overhead lights glared white-hot, burning down onto the polished floor like a thousand tiny suns, their harsh glow amplifying the noise: voices shouting, stomping feet reverberating like thunder, plastic folding chairs scraping and screeching against the hardwood.

In the center of the chaos, Hina Suiren stood surrounded by half a dozen noppera-bō.

Faceless nightmares guarding their veiled spider-queen.

This was Crescent Moon Academy's gymnasium dialed to eleven. And I was heading straight into the heart of it.

Only this time, I wasn't alone.

I had an entourage now, a thought that made me cringe internally, but it was undeniably true.

Inego stood to my right, effortlessly casual in his school uniform, his wand discreetly tucked up his sleeve like he was waiting for someone, anyone, to give him a reason.

Shion stalked to my left, arms folded defiantly, jacket draped over one shoulder, the picture-perfect embodiment of some delinquent warlord straight out of a lost anime.

Yuki hovered slightly behind us, serene and poised, her white hair drifting like mist caught in the stifling heat.

And close enough to make my pulse spike uncomfortably walked the unholy succubus, Murasaki.

A perfect group for a black dragon.

If only I didn't feel like an imposter pretending to be someone I wasn't. And begging a punk-rock kitsune goddess that this was all really happening to me.

The moment we stepped into the gym, it felt like someone had turned the thermostat to "hell." Or maybe that was just my nerves. Or the silent intensity radiating off Murasaki.

The crowd was massive and oppressive.

Every bleacher was packed full, a chaotic sea of expectant faces.

Faculty members lined the walls, sharp eyes narrowed in judgment, some clutching clipboards, others glowing tablets, and a few even wielding actual, honest-to-God scrolls.

Magic students. Yokai students. Exorcist students. Skuzz the disgusting zombie (he was easy to spot. No one sat within two meters of him). Everyone had turned out.

We stopped for a moment by the edge of the bleachers.

And then—

"Ryu-sama!"

Azuki's voice cut through the chaos like a siren.

I barely had time to turn my head before she leaped from one of the bleachers, landing in a perfect little spin that sent her plaid skirt flaring dramatically. Her eyes sparkled with excitement like gold coins catching the midday sun, and she looked like she'd just won some grand prize.

She rushed over, enveloping me in an enthusiastic hug before I could react.

"You're gonna do amazing!" she beamed. "Remember what the tanuki told you! Especially the old one!"

I blinked.

"Wait," I said, my voice cracked a little. "I hadn't actually believed it until just now."

She shrugged and blushed, turning slightly static.

I couldn't help but smile.

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Her boundless energy was contagious. For a brief moment, the deafening crowd noise melted away.

"Ugh. It's not fair," she said out of nowhere. "You're so lucky! You even get to go to the Nightlands! Ugh, I'm so jealous!"

She gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth, eyes wide in panic.

"What're you talking about?" I asked.

"Wait—no—crap! I wasn't supposed to say that yet!"

I blinked, confusion clear in my voice. "Come on, you've gotta tell me, right?"

Before Azuki could clarify, Murasaki stepped forward, her voice clipped and icy. "Are you quite finished now?"

The air around me seemed to drop five degrees instantly.

Jealousy radiated off Murasaki like electric static, and I found myself genuinely baffled because, in the back of my mind, I could literally feel her jealousy towards the tanuki.

This was Azuki. Sweet, mystical, chaotic Azuki.

Sugar incarnate, twice as sticky and harmless as a kitten.

I placed a hand gently on Murasaki's shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

She didn't pull away.

Instead, she relaxed beneath my touch.

"Hey," I said softly, "it's okay. Azuki's my friend. She matters to me—just like you do. I trust her. Like I trust you. So, please… don't be mean. Not to her."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Azuki freeze.

Then, her entire face flushed the color of a nuclear strawberry.

"Ryu-sama… stood up for… ME?!"

She spun on the spot, seemingly unable to process the emotion any other way.

"See me after clubs!" she said, running back towards the bleachers. "We're gonna help the tanuki together! You promised!"

I laughed softly, nodding. "Yeah, I did."

"You got a thing for raccoons now?" Murasaki asked, arms folded defensively.

Shion chuckled. "He's got a thing for vampire bats."

Murasaki scowled sharply. "That's NOT funny."

"Maybe I should go fight Ken now," I muttered, mostly to myself.

"Enough," Yuki said calmly but with an unmistakable firmness. She floated gracefully to land at my side. "Focus on Ryu. He needs us."

I looked at her, steady, serene, luminous, and realized that of everyone here, Yuki was the one I leaned on most. Her calm. Her certainty.

And I liked it.

No matter what life threw at me, no matter how brutal, unfair, or painful it might get, I knew, deep down, that I'd be fine.

Because I wasn't facing it alone anymore.

Inego grabbed my arm and leaned in.

"Well, you're in the thick of it now, old chum," he said, voice low.

I couldn't tell if he was joking or just resigned to my fate.

"Thanks," I muttered. "But some actual advice might be more helpful right now."

He shrugged like it wasn't his life on the line.

"Yeah, probably. Too late to tell you not to piss off an orc. So… best advice I've got?"

He scratched under his chin, eyes narrowing.

"Rely on your wits. He's stronger than you, sure, but he's not a thinker. Orcs are built to be brutes, but they're not fast. And he angers easy. Use that against him. Let him lose before you do."

That… actually sounded useful.

"Thanks. Seriously," I said.

He grinned.

"Aye, just try to live through it, yeah? I'd still like to come over this weekend and play guitar. We're so close, you know? It'd be a real shame if you got pancaked by an orc now."

I snorted a laugh, but Yuki huffed beside me.

"I assume he means 'flattened,'" she said, folding her arms. "Though I don't find that funny in the slightest."

"Good luck, mate," Inego added, stepping away.

Then Murasaki stepped in front of me.

Her eyes held that soft, low-burning intensity again, the one that made it hard to breathe.

"Darling," she said, brushing my arm with her fingertips, "remember… you're a dragon."

She leaned in, voice low. "You have more than he does. More than you know. Don't forget that."

She fluttered her eyelashes.

"And afterward… I'll be waiting."

She brushed her hand across my cheek. Her skin was cool, smooth, and grounding.

Then she turned and glided off toward the bleachers.

Shion lingered beside me.

"This is as far as we go," she said, her voice quiet.

The three of us stood at the gym's edge like it was a cliff.

"Yeah," I said. "I figured."

I glanced at Yuki.

"I doubt I'll be able to keep you by my side this time."

She frowned but nodded.

"I sensed that too. Strange, isn't it? It's like I know without having to be told, but you've got to face this by yourself," Yuki said.

Shion rolled her eyes.

"If only the magical, mystery tour could just kick the orc's ass for you, huh?" she asked.

That made me laugh.

"You think Paul, the walrus would drop-kick him into eternity?"

She shook her head.

"No," she said.

Then she stepped forward.

I tensed, but Shion put her arms around me and hugged me.

I relaxed and hugged her back.

"You'd better be okay," she said. "And not because you've got to play guitar with the Jeff Lynne wannabe over there, or because you're taking a tanuki dancing."

She pressed her stiff, cold body against mine.

"But because you know damn well that, no matter who takes me to Dick's Discotheque…"

She gave me a wicked grin.

"Yeah," she said. "You know."

Without having to say a single word, I did.

"Now, go get 'em, tiger," she said, stepping aside.

I looked up, across the gym floor, expecting to see tall and lanky Ivan.

But no.

Instead, Ken stood there.

As soon as he saw me, that slow, predatory grin spread across his face. He brought his thumb to his throat and dragged it across in one deliberate, cutting motion.

I remembered that from last time.

But this time, I returned his gesture with one of my own, telling him, in my own way, that I thought he was number one.