บท 2: Meeting Chuunibyou
"Do you want to live?"
"Go kill yourself, then."
...
"Ah...!" Austin jolted awake, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. Beads of perspiration clung to his forehead like a glistening veil as he struggled to shake off the remnants of the vivid nightmare that had ensnared his sleep.
His hand darted instinctively to his chest, fingers frantically searching for any sign of injury. The frantic thud of his heart beneath his trembling fingertips reassured him.
"There's none. There's no injury! It was just a dream, it was just a nightmare..." he murmured both in relief and fear.
The nightmare was so real that it took Austin a while to recover.
"What a strange dream…. where's my phone?" Austin muttered in confusion while fumbling around for the device, which was typically within arm's reach.
Even though it's proven unhealthy to keep your phone next to you when you sleep, Austin, being a Gen Z, could only doze off after watching some Itube videos.
However, there were times when he would instead jolt awake because his grip on the phone slipped, resulting in the device smacking him in the face upon its descent.
Anyway, after a few seconds of searching, Austin still hadn't found his phone, and confusion began to settle in.
'Strange... I don't remember my bed being this soft and tidy. Did someone secretly replace my mattress? Is it Harry?'
As he pondered, his gaze naturally shifted towards where Harry would usually be. Yet, after a few moments, he was struck with bewilderment.
"Where the hell am I?" he finally realized that it wasn't his mattress that had changed, but that he had somehow slept in an entirely unfamiliar room.
Fuck!
Where am I?
Was I drunk and somehow booked a hotel room for myself?
But I don't remember being drunk...
Was I kidnapped, then?!
Hold on, what was the last thing I did last night?
Let's start recounting.
I was heading to the dorm after grabbing some snacks from the convenience store. When I passed by the Art Faculty Building on the old campus, a spontaneous idea struck me. There had been a lot of chatter on the school's online forum about a beautiful, blonde ghost wandering around the second floor of the building and I have been curious in finding out the truth ever since then. Hence, without hesitation, I tried to sneak my way inside.
Surprisingly, the security guard was fast asleep, and the main building was left unlocked. It felt as if even heaven was approving my actions.
Once inside, I made a beeline for the second floor. Disappointingly, there was nothing there. Just as I was about to leave, feeling let down, I unexpectedly bumped into a stunning, pale, blonde woman.
She was exceptionally gorgeous under the moonlight's touch.
For a moment, I wondered if this was the rumored ghost because she looked undeniably human.
But then, something bizarre happened— the blonde woman suddenly floated!
Yes, floated! She hovered and gracefully landed right in front of the still-stunning me. Under her captivating gaze, my consciousness blurred, and a wave of weakness overwhelmed my body.
However, just before I completely lost consciousness, someone else appeared beside me.
It was another stunning woman with long, slick, pink radiant hair. The woman's features were not unfamiliar to me because she was the most popular person in Alves College and hardly anyone doesn't know her.
She was Alysia.
She appeared beside me and looked in interest at the sight of the blonde ghost.
Then, a series of events I couldn't comprehend started.
The blonde ghost first looked startled before staring at Alysia hostilely. Then, she swiped her slender fingers in a claw-like movement.
Alysia agilely jumped back and easily evaded the blonde ghost's claw attack.
Undeterred, the blonde pressed on, launching another series of moves, and they went back and forth with kicks, elbows, hands, and palms. As I watched, it felt like I was witnessing a scene straight out of a martial arts movie, with the two of them exchanging blows in a fast-paced and intense choreography.
After a couple of minutes of physical combat, the blonde ghost seemed to have had enough. She puffed her cheeks before blowing air from her mouth.
Shockingly, her breath appeared to carry a magical power capable of freezing things, as I sensed the temperature around me dropping drastically.
My body shivered in chilliness, and some parts of the walls and floor were covered in a layer of frost.
However, in the face of such a strange power, Alysia appeared calm. She unhurriedly raised her hand and said, "Disperse."
Immediately, the ice that had accumulated and frozen the majority of the hallway broke into countless ice dust particles, as if being swept away by an invisible force.
I observed the blonde ghost's face turning enraged and she began to blow another freezing air again. In return, Alysia continued uttering the word 'disperse' throughout the fight.
The battle between the two women persisted for a while, but it became increasingly evident who was on the losing side.
The blonde ghost's already pale face seemed to grow even paler. Her body also slowly became blurry and invisible. It almost looked like she was about to disappear at any moment.
On the other hand, Alysia's expression remained unchanged, and her overall condition was better.
Suddenly, the blonde ghost rushed toward Alysia, seemingly ready to deliver her final blow.
However, she neither blew her breath again nor swiped her claw. Her body abruptly exploded.
But the explosion didn't result in gore. There was no blood, no intestines—just a cloud of ice dust that instantly enveloped the entire corridor.
Even as I retreated to a distance, the remnants of the explosion reached me.
Instantly, my body froze; I felt my blood flow halt and freeze.
On the other hand, Alysia appeared shocked for a moment before apparently realizing something and started shouting in my direction.
However, from my frozen state and the distance, I couldn't comprehend what she wanted me to do.
Then, I saw the blonde ghost again, but this time, her condition was worse than before. She had shrunk to the size of a palm and flew toward me, looking desperate.
Being frozen, I could do nothing but watch her crash onto my forehead.
Upon impact, I felt like my head was splitting as my consciousness was forcefully suppressed by something.
I didn't know what was happening, but I had a hunch that if I relented to the pain, I might die.
That's the only thought that drove me forward to expel whatever was causing me this massive headache.
I don't want to die!
However, being motivated and succeeding are two different matters.
Even though I had done everything I could do, I could sense that my consciousness was slowly slipping away.
And that it's only a matter of time before I succumb to darkness.
It was at this moment that Alysia arrived in front of me.
At that time, if I'm not mistaken, she asked me, "Do you want to live?"
To which, I replied with a stiff nod of my head as I couldn't speak properly.
"Go kill yourself then," Alysia said before seemingly realizing there seemed to be something wrong with her words. "Oh, I forgot that you've become an ice statue. Then I'll help you."
Then, to my utter shock, she proceeded to plunge something sharp into my chest.
Due to my frozen state, I could only stare at her with shock and helplessness.
A mix of loss, humiliation, and betrayal enveloped me.
Afterward... there's no afterward; I slipped into unconsciousness and then roused awake...?
"Damn it! Isn't this just the whole content of my nightmare? Did I accidentally hit my head and lose a chunk of my memory as a result?" Austin mused aloud.
No matter how many times he tried to recall his previous night's memory, the only memory that emerged was his encounter with that blonde ghost and Alysia.
But, if that's real and not a nightmare, then how did he escape unscathed?
He distinctly recalled a sensation of something piercing his chest, and his clothes should have been torn and stained with his blood.
However, in the present, his clothes appear clean—or well, rather dirty and unkempt, but not because of blood or anything.
There's no scar either, which puzzles him even more.
...
"Whatever, when I exit this room, I will definitely find the answer," Austin said, shaking his head, trying not to overthink the matter.
Before leaving the room, he first goes inside the lavatory, which surprised him because of its size.
After all, only the wealthy could afford to have such a huge lavatory directly connected to their bedroom!
After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, he looked at the mirror and was surprised to find that his facial features had become more striking.
His once listless black eyes, weighed down by dark circles from often pulling an all-nighter, were now vibrant, exuding a mysterious calmness and charm that he couldn't quite explain.
His chin, which had always been a bit doubled since he entered college, had now returned to its sharp form.
Due to his active outings during the summer a couple of months ago, his skin had become extremely tanned, and it had yet to recover since then. But now, somehow, his tanned skin had transformed into a pale white, and when he meant pale, it was extremely pale, almost looking like he had just dipped into a pile of flour!
"Holy crap! How did my skin turn fairer and paler all of a sudden? I remember that having a good sleep will make your skin healthier, but I don't remember it will change your skin tone either." Austin couldn't resist pinching his cheek, wondering whether he was still in a dream.
However, the pain that was transmitted to his brain indicated that this was all real!
"Unbelievable..."
...
As he stepped out of the room, the harsh sunlight greeted him.
For some, he found himself harboring an intense dislike for the sunlight today.
Surveying his surroundings, his earlier suspicion of not being in a hotel but rather in an unfamiliar residence turned out to be accurate.
However, the realization hit harder than expected—it wasn't just any house; it was an enormous mansion!
Aside from his room, there were other rooms with the exact same door as the one he had slept in. He guessed that these rooms were designated for guests, and one of them had been assigned to him.
The hallway stretched wide, adorned with clear glass doors that opened up to a picturesque garden and the other wings.
As he meandered about, looking for someone to ask about his situation, he finally heard a distant voice.
A cold, emotionless voice reached his ears. "Young miss, there's a report that a few people of what is suspected to be the Holy Judgment Army members were seen on the outskirts of Alves Mountain."
"What do you think they're planning?" Another voice, calm and serene, echoed in his ears, a voice that felt oddly familiar.
The owner of the cold voice seemed to pause, carefully choosing her words before responding. "I believe they were sent to probe our strength. If they planned to seal off our entrance to the Demon World, they would have dispatched several platoons to overwhelm us, not just a few individuals."
'Pfft, Demon World? Holy Judgment Army? These girls must've been Chuunibyou. That would explain how they can talk about something as ridiculous as this without bursting into laughter,' Austin thought.
"So, what course of action do you suggest?" The owner of the calm voice inquired.
"Massacre them!" The cold voice answered decisively, as if eager to execute the order.
Austin instinctively halted his steps, his breath caught in his throat.
'Damn! This girl is out of her mind. Even if you're a Chuunibyou, how can you casually throw around the word 'massacre'? Aren't you afraid someone might take your words seriously and report you to the police?"
At this moment, the owner of the calm voice spoke again. However, her words almost caused him to lose his footing. "Friend on the outside, you may come in."
Did she refer to me?
Austin scanned the hallway but found no one besides himself.
But how? I moved barefoot, and my steps were light. How could she discern my existence?
"How impudent! The young miss has graciously invited you, yet you refuse to enter. Allow me to drag this barbaric person to you, young miss," the cold voice declared once more.
Damn it!
From her tone of voice, Austin sensed that the girl might actually follow through with her threat.
As a man with pride, how could he allow himself to be dragged away by a girl?
Gritting his teeth, he entered the half-opened door without hesitation.
Once inside, his eyes widened in astonishment and amazement.
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