"Did you hear? There's a crazy-impressive transfer student in Class C."
"What do you mean?"
"You know Tajima from Class C, right?"
"Tajima... yeah, unfortunately. He's a total prick."
"Tell me about it. But he's basically the leader of all the third-year delinquents. I heard he knows some really bad people outside of school."
"Wait, so? What's Tajima got to do with the transfer student?"
"You know that girl Tajima likes? Ando? From Class C?"
"The one with the buckteeth?"
"Forget the teeth! The point is, she confessed to the transfer student yesterday and got rejected. When Tajima found out, he and a bunch of guys cornered the new guy on the rooftop during lunch today."
"What?! So... is he dead?"
"That's what everyone thought. Someone even tried to tell the homeroom teacher, but once they heard Tajima was involved, they were too scared to step in. But do you know what happened?"
"Just tell me, stop dragging it out!"
"The transfer student walked off the rooftop by himself. He used the stairs!"
"Wait... you mean he won?"
"Hell yeah. At the end of lunch, people saw Tajima and his crew limping back to class, covered in bruises and looking pathetic!"
"Unbelievable... My friend actually got harassed by Tajima before. That feels so good to hear. Who is this new guy?"
"And here's the real kicker—what's happening after school today."
"What now?"
"They say Tajima couldn't take the hit to his pride. He called in those 'bad people' from outside. They're waiting at the school gates right now..."
Riiiiiing—!
The shrill sound of the school bell cut through the teacher's lecture and the girls' whispering in the back row. It also jolted a slender, golden-haired figure awake.
Kaede Kono furrowed her brow, her long, wavy blonde hair disheveled as she lifted her head from her desk. There was a red, rectangular mark on her smooth forehead from where she had been leaning on her eraser.
The teacher expressionlessly packed up his materials and left. Instantly, more than half the students scrambled to pack their bags, rushing out the doors like a disturbed hive. The other half crowded around the windows, peering down at the school grounds.
Kaede rubbed her eyes, her brain struggling to process the scene.
Am I... dreaming?
A high school classroom. Desks she thought she'd never see again. Familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Then, a familiar voice chirped beside her. "Kaede! You were dozing off again! School's over!"
Kaede jumped, turning to see two fashionable girls with light makeup smiling at her.
"Haruka? And... Kana?"
Haruka Taniguchi and Kana Arai. Her former friends and deskmates. They weren't her absolute best friends, but they were the ones she'd go shopping and have lunch with. Birds of a feather flock together; while they weren't as stunning as Kaede, they were beauties in their own right. Together, they formed the "Gyaru Trio," sitting at the top of the third-year social hierarchy.
"In the flesh! You've slept yourself stupid, Kaede-chan." Kana patted Kaede's hair with a playful grin. "Come on, pack your bag. We've gotta go or we'll miss the show!"
The show?
Kaede was hurried into packing—not that there was much to pack, as she was never a studious girl—and was led out of the classroom in a daze.
Through the hallways, down the stairs, to the shoe lockers. Looking at her locker, covered in J-Pop stickers and the name tag "Kono," she felt a surreal mix of nostalgia and alienation.
Is this really how I used to live?
Kaede instinctively reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She unlocked it with FaceID and opened the calendar. A note below the date read: 27 days until Summer Break.
Am I... back? Two months before the crash?
She put her phone down, her ears ringing. Following habit, she swapped her shoes and followed the girls out of the building. Her eyes remained vacant as she looked at the massive crowd gathered ahead.
What do I do now?
If this were two weeks ago, she would have been ecstatic to be back in civilization. But now, she didn't feel happy at all.
Where... where can I find Master Chuck?
The thought weighed heavily on her heart. Chuck was from China. Two months ago, he would have been thousands of miles away. If only she had returned to the past, he wouldn't even know she existed.
Kaede felt her eyes sting. She was on the verge of tears.
"Oh my god... is Tajima serious?"
"Should we call the cops? Someone's gonna die."
The whispers around her were just background noise to her longing for Chuck. Two weeks ago, she could never have predicted she would become this dependent on him. Even though she was off that godforsaken island, even though she didn't have to worry about food or shelter, her heart felt like it had a giant hole in it.
I was being so good... Master Chuck.
She covered her face, her nose twitching as she prepared to sob. But suddenly, the crowd erupted into chaos. Kaede blinked her red eyes and looked up.
"He's here!"
"The transfer student is here!"
"Wow, he's actually really tall..."
"Height won't save him today. He's done for."
The crowd parted. Even Haruka and Kana turned around, eyes wide with shock. The noisy atmosphere suddenly went dead silent. The eerie tension made Kaede's skin crawl.
The transfer student? Me?
As everyone stared, Kaede felt her face flush, unsure of what to say. But then, a deep, hauntingly familiar voice spoke from behind her.
"Excuse me."
As the voice spoke, the crowd split like the Red Sea, automatically creating a path. Kaede jumped aside and looked up.
Her heart stopped.
A tall figure, carrying a single-strap backpack, brushed past her with an expressionless face. Though the face looked seven years younger, she knew it better than her own. It was the face of the man who had dominated her nights and her heart.
"...Master Chuck?"
The transfer student... was him?!
Wait, what? Why is he a transfer student at our school?! And why is he so young?!
"Hey! Transfer student!"
Before Kaede could process if she was dreaming, a hostile shout rang out from the front of the crowd—a voice with that classic, rolling "R" of a Yakuza thug.
"Get your ass over here!"
Chuck walked calmly through the path the students made, looking like the lead in a teen drama. He stopped in front of about a dozen thugs wearing baggy pants, with neon-colored hair and various makeshift weapons.
He looked down at the boy in the center—short, scrawny, and ugly, but wearing an incredibly arrogant expression. Chuck sighed.
About four hours ago, he had woken up on a school rooftop. He'd been holding a yakisoba bun and a carton of milk. Before he could even take a bite, the door had been kicked open, and a familiar screen appeared.
[Warning: Your companions have triggered a 'Trial of the Other Shore.']
[1. Setting: This trial world simulates a parallel reality prior to the crash. Your age has been reduced by 7 years. You are a Chinese transfer student in Tokyo due to your parents' work. On your first day, you rejected a girl who was being pursued by the school delinquent.]
[2. Constraint: Follow the persona. Do not let the trial subjects detect any 'anomaly' or the trial will fail automatically!]
[3. Note: This is a multiple-subject trial. Subjects: Shizuka Yamama, Kaede Kono.]
[4. Objective: Achieve 'Double Capture' (sexual/romantic union) with both subjects within 48 hours.]
[Remaining Time: 43 hours, 28 minutes]
Chuck didn't know where the girls were at the time, but the uniform he was wearing matched the ones he'd seen them in. Another sudden trial.
His body was back to its "normal" level from seven years ago, but his 100% Mental Stat bonus remained. A transfer student from a "Great Eastern Power" who knows a bit of Kung Fu? That fits the trope, right?
Looking at the ridiculous, bruised face of the boy in front of him, Chuck suppressed the urge to laugh and spoke as calmly as possible.
"First. My name isn't 'Hey'."
"I don't give a damn what your name is!" Masao Tajima pointed at his swollen eye. "You were pretty cocky earlier. Let's see you try that now!"
Chuck remained stoic. "Second. It was self-defense."
"Orrrrraaaa! I'll kill you!" Tajima cut him off, resting a baseball bat on his shoulder. He pointed at the ground. "Get on your knees and apologize. Maybe I'll let you live."
"Move! Everyone move!"
Just as the tension reached a breaking point, more chaos broke out in the crowd. Chuck glanced sideways and saw a familiar, short-haired girl in a track suit burst through. She ran straight to Chuck, standing in front of him with her arms spread wide.
"Stop it! No fighting!" Shizuka Yamama shouted at Tajima.
Chuck put on a look of "stunned surprise," but inside, he was proud.
In the distance, Kaede saw Shizuka's unwavering intervention and felt a pang of realization. Once again, Shizuka beat me to it. Even though Shizuka was usually the one who yielded to her, she was always the first to move when it came to Chuck.
Kaede smiled weakly, her gloom evaporating. Even if the island memories were a dream to this world, as long as Chuck was here, they could start over.
"What's this? The girls' volleyball team coming to play hero?" Tajima hesitated for a second, then sneered. "You think I won't hit a girl?"
Shizuka's shoulders trembled, and her face went pale, but she didn't budge. "I won't let you hurt him!"
"Wait, why is Yamama from the volleyball club helping him?"
"Is she the transfer student's girlfriend?!"
"Poor girl..."
Whispers broke out again. A few other girls from the volleyball team stood in the back, terrified. They wanted to help, but their legs were like lead. They were just high school girls; facing armed thugs was a nightmare.
But then, another commotion.
"Kono?!"
"Why is Kono from Class B going out there too?"
"They say she and Yamama are childhood friends..."
"Oh my god, someone get a teacher!"
As a golden-haired girl stepped out and joined Shizuka in front of the transfer student, the crowd went into a frenzy. Unlike the low-key Shizuka, Kaede was the "Queen Bee" of the school. Her influence was massive.