Alistair returned to class after a "delicious" lunch with Tomomi.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
He chugged two bottles of Oolong tea to wash away the cloyingly sweet taste of milk. He didn't hate the taste—he actually liked it—but Tomomi had gone overboard, holding his head and practically drowning him in it. He only finished his lunch because of [Life Return]'s digestion boost.
"Hey, Alistair, do you want more? I have plenty~" Tomomi smiled joyfully. Alistair saw that "infinite refill" look in her eyes and waved his hands in a frantic "No." It was good, but it was too much. Where was she even storing it all?
"By the way, Tomomi, is the afternoon class National Language with Ms. Shirakawa?" Alistair asked, seeing her take out a textbook.
"Yes. She's our only teacher for that. You should try to pay attention. You're an exchange student, so she's likely to call on you to answer questions."
"I know, I know," Alistair sighed. He'd told her he was a first-year, but she insisted on "tutoring" him in second-year material. With his brain buff, he'd picked everything up instantly. In Tomomi's eyes, he was a genius who just hated studying. He'd finally had to threaten to stop "helping her with her chest problems" just to get her to stop lecturing him.
Knock, knock.
A girl in a Student Council uniform stood at the door. "Excuse me, the Student Council needs Alistair-kun to assist with some work. Which one of you is Alistair-kun?"
"Alistair, that's you," Tomomi whispered.
"I'll go see what they want." Alistair stood up and walked to the door.
"You're Alistair? You really are handsome," the girl said, slightly stunned. She'd seen pretty boys online, but rarely in person. "Follow me. The President wants to see you."
Alistair didn't ask questions. Seira wouldn't have told the messenger the real reason. He wondered what she wanted. They were both on the path of evolution; she shouldn't do anything reckless. If things got ugly, he could always just kill her.
Wait... where are we going?
This wasn't the way to the Student Council office. They were supposed to go up one floor, but they were headed downstairs, toward the cathedral. Was Seira planning something there?
Alistair felt an instinctive resistance to the church. Unlike local shrines, which were a dime a dozen, this Western church represented "holiness"—the polar opposite of the lustful, negative energy he used to evolve. He expected to feel weakened or repelled.
Wait... the discomfort is gone?
As they approached the cathedral, the repulsion vanished. Instead, he felt a strange sense of... familiarity?
Did I become a hero overnight? Or did a demon take over the church?
Alistair activated his [Special Vision]. His jaw nearly hit the floor.
The cathedral was riddled with black pollution. It looked like a black piece of cloth with a few white speckles. The "holy" church was almost entirely corrupted.
"My God... is there a demon that powerful in this school?" Alistair muttered.
Strangely, despite his shock, the girl leading him didn't react at all. She continued walking as if she hadn't heard a thing.
"Something's wrong." He looked at the girl. She was moving like a puppet, eyes glazed. She was under mental control.
They reached the front of the cathedral. To the naked eye, it was still white, bright, and serene. Inside, a single nun was praying in the empty hall.
"Alistair-kun, you're here. I've been waiting for you."