“Status window…”

I muttered words that are usually spoken when one’s life hits rock bottom or when one is completely at their wit’s end.

But nothing happened.

I suppose hoping for a status window or a point shop was too greedy of me.

Given that I had suddenly undergone a gender change, wouldn’t it be reasonable to expect at least one or two abilities?

Seriously, I’m spewing fire out of my body…

With a sense of despair and nothing to do, I instinctively grabbed my phone, following the modern instinct to cling to it.

I checked to see if there was anything interesting, but my contact list was unnaturally clean, and the call history contained just a single text message.

The content was a congratulatory message for my admission to Aegis Academy, asking me to arrive by 8 AM on March 1 for Class 1-A.

And the current time was 7:40 AM on March 1.

…Can I avoid being late?

*

Once I stepped outside, I realized an important fact.

I didn’t know where I was going.

Where am I, and who am I?

Where did we come from, and where are we going?

As I pondered these philosophical questions, a bicycle skidded to a stop next to me with an eek sound.

I turned my head slightly and saw Yoon Si-woo, the protagonist of The Holy Sword of the Academy, riding his bike and looking my way.

This is what they mean when they say looks matter.

There were descriptions saying he was so handsome he could make a celebrity blush, but seeing him in person, he seemed even more striking.

White hair with heterochromatic black and white eyes — how can a character soaked in chuunibyou not seem natural?

Honestly, with a face like that, even if he dyed his hair rainbow, it would still suit him.

No wonder heroines flock to him like flies; it makes perfect sense.

His looks were on the level of tactical nuclear weapons, not just a bomb. And if he treated you kindly, how could you not fall for him?

While I was in awe of his appearance, Yoon Si-woo pointed behind him with his chin.

“It looks like you’re a student at our school. If you keep standing around like that, you’ll be late. Want a ride?”

In that split second, I quickly shook my head to refuse.

My instincts were screaming a warning.

If I got close to that guy, I’d not only become a girl physically but in my heart as well!

They say the heart follows the body, and hanging around a tactical nuclear weapon like him could mean a girl might start growing little by little inside me.

No way I was going to indulge in the heart-pounding experience of riding a boy’s bike.

“Well, I’ll go ahead then. You hurry up too.”

Fortunately, Yoon Si-woo rode off on his bike after saying that.

My masculinity was safe for now, but the threat of being late was still looming.

However, thanks to Yoon Si-woo, I had a rough idea of which way the school was. If I just ran, I’d probably make it.

And then it was already past 8.

Why is school so far away…

Even though I was supposedly a superhuman with physical abilities that exceeded those of regular humans and had run without a break, if I still couldn’t see the school, maybe I need to wake up earlier starting tomorrow.

At that moment, an old lady passing by looked at me with a puzzled expression and spoke.

“Student, aren’t you going to school? It’s already past 8.”

“Uh, I, um, got lost…”

“If it’s for school, you need to head in the other direction.”

…!

Only then did it dawn on me, the part about Yoon Si-woo being late on his first day flashed through my mind.

I can’t believe I just remembered that; am I really that much of an idiot?

Thanking the lady for her directions, I began walking, thinking that being a bit late was okay since I was already late. I spotted a huge building with “AEGIS” written in big letters on an oversized shield.

It wasn’t far from home, yet here I was lost—this is all Yoon Si-woo’s fault.

When I checked the time, it was 8:55. I found Class 1-A and opened the door.

The students, gathered in small clusters, momentarily shifted their colorful gazes to me, then reverted back to their conversations when I stood there silently.

Class 1-A, with the protagonist Yoon Si-woo also in the same class, but he didn’t seem to have arrived yet.

If he had been there, nobody would’ve noticed me.

I glanced around the classroom and found an empty seat.

Since it was the protagonist’s class, the students sitting there didn’t look ordinary.

Among them, one person stood out—a beautiful girl sitting diagonally in front of me to the left.

Even in the noisy classroom, she radiated an atmosphere as if she were in another world. This was Sylvia Astra, the main heroine with Elven lineage.

Her skill must surely be turning people around her into cephalopods.

There were already plenty of fellows who had become captivated by her noble presence, and I was among them.

Did I stare too long?

Noticing my gaze, Sylvia turned her head and made eye contact with me.

Surprised, I quickly lowered my head and greeted her, and she responded with a slight smile.

Gratitude… overwhelming gratitude…

That alone alleviated 90% of my anger towards the being that had thrown me into this world.

My face turned red with excitement, and before I knew it, my hair had caught fire.

Seeing that, Sylvia looked surprised for a moment, her eyes wide, then laughed softly and turned away.

At that moment, the classroom door creaked open with a creak, and silence fell over the noisy classroom.

With part of the class already turned into squid by Sylvia, the remaining students who had been chatting forgot how to speak upon the appearance of Yoon Si-woo.

It was like a scene from a myth.

In a fish market filled with squid and cuttlefish, a male god and a female goddess made their entrance.

The male god naturally walked over and sat next to the goddess, as if saying, “This is where I belong,” while everyone watched their first meeting with bated breath.

“Ahaha, I guess I arrived earlier than you. I’m terrible with directions.”

The male god turned 180 degrees in his seat and spoke to a cuttlefish.

That cuttlefish was me.

Something… something was happening.

I discreetly glanced around.

‘Why is that cuttlefish butting in, not even knowing her place?’
‘What? Do they know each other? That’s kinda annoying.’
‘A cuttlefish between these two? That’s just awful.’

For some reason, I felt like I was hearing those thoughts in my head.

Stinging gazes were directed at me as if scolding me.

I could hear mockery from somewhere.

And the final blow was the goddess giving me a sideways glance with a somewhat uncomfortable smile.

“Evande…”

Diagonal seat behind the academy heroine.

At the same time, directly behind the male protagonist of the academy.

I could hear the sound of my school life starting to unravel.