◇Epilogue◇
“…W-What the hell… is this?”
A raging torrent of magic power was exploding right in front of my eyes. A full-blown magical rampage.
I couldn’t help but suck in a breath at the insane spectacle that had no business existing in the peaceful spring courtyard.
And there I met him—a being that felt like he could kill me just by existing, a walking natural disaster, a literal spring storm.
This was the beginning of the best and absolute worst story between me and “that kid.”
—A story about a hidden succubus who just wants to live a quiet life until the day he gives the most special kiss in the world.
And now, the days of being obsessively hunted by a bunch of super-intense hot bastards officially begin.
**◇◇**
“Fuck, it’s cold… Isn’t this still winter?”
A slightly chilly spring breeze brushed my cheek one morning.
I was rubbing my arms over my gloves, shivering and muttering to myself as I walked, when a familiar voice called out from behind.
“Morning, Fren. It’s pretty cold today… Want my jacket?”
The owner of the voice was my childhood friend and one year older, Claude.
His knightly, perfectly combed dark-brown short hair. Beneath it, those sharp yet gentle sea-colored eyes were staring at my trembling arms.
“Morning! Nah, I’m good! I’ll warm up once I start walking.”
I waved my hand to stop him from taking off his jacket.
Claude had to be cold too, yet he was ready to hand it over without a second thought—seriously, he’s way too nice. A bit overprotective, though.
We’ve known each other for over ten years, and he’s been like this since we were kids. Sometimes I wonder how old he thinks I am, but I actually really like this relationship.
“Mind if I…?”
Along with his words, Claude’s big hand reached for my head, and out of habit I tilted my head up and stayed still.
“There we go… Your back hair was sticking up again. You never change, Fren.”
“Thanks as always. I can’t really see the back, and besides…”
“Besides?”
My light-gray eyes reflected in Claude’s as he tilted his head curiously.
“I figured it’s fine if you’re the one fixing it for me?”
“…Tch. What are you gonna do when I’m not around? You’ll be in trouble.”
“Hmm—”
I fiddled with the tips of my spring-rose-colored hair that reached all the way down my back, tilting my head and looking up at Claude, whose face had gone a little red.
“Even with bedhead I’m cute, so it’s fine! Right?”
I hooked my arm through his, asking for agreement like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“…Ngh…”
He muttered something under his breath and then shut up completely.
*(…Did I annoy him?)*
That reaction kinda bothered me, but it’s normal for us, and Claude knows exactly what kind of guy I am, so it should be fine, right?
By the time we were walking together, my body had warmed up anyway, so I decided not to worry about it and just head to school.
**◇**
“Ah! The class lists are up!”
A crowd had already formed in front of the bulletin board—our destination. New class rosters for every year were plastered all over it.
Our school is a four-year elective system with a ton of students, so finding your name every year is a pain in the ass. I’m a little on the short side, so times like this are always a struggle. After getting jostled around in the crowd, I finally found my name and ran over to Claude, who was waiting a bit behind me.
“I’m in class 3! Same homeroom teacher as first year, Ms. Emi! What about you, Claude?”
“I got into Knight Course Class 1, just like I wanted.”
“Whoa! Claude, that’s insane! Isn’t Class 1 super hard to get into?”
The school we attend is the prestigious private Crossford Academy, a famous traditional institute for magic and combat tactics that gathers humans, demons, beastmen, and all sorts of other races.
Among them, the Knight Course is especially elite, and the third-year Class 1 that Claude got into is reserved only for the top students. Sometimes there isn’t even a single person qualified for it.
He’s always been called a genius, but damn, I’m seriously proud of my childhood friend.
I looked at him with genuine admiration, but…
“It’s just getting in. But thanks.”
Claude answered casually, without a hint of arrogance—like it was totally normal.
That’s what truly amazing people are like; they stay humble.
“The first bell’s about to ring, don’t be late. See you tonight.”
“Roger that! Later!”
First- and second-years are in a different building from third- and fourth-years, and they’re pretty far apart. I waved at Claude and jogged toward the second-year building.
New class—who’s gonna be in it? A little excited, a little anxious, I hurried to the classroom.
**◇**
The moment I slid open the classroom door, the noisy chatter inside froze for a second—then I got swarmed by a ton of people.
“Fren… I’m so glad we’re in the same class again. You look as delicate and beautiful as ever today.”
“Same class as Fren this year too! Hell yeah, lucky me!”
“Um… nice to meet you… I’ve always thought you were insanely pretty and really wanted to talk to you…”
Half the people were from my class last year, half were new, and they all said stuff like that. I just grinned and replied,
“I’m super happy to be with you guys too! Let’s get along!”
And then—
“Tch! You gotta be kidding me, same class as you again…? Still loud as fuck, my ears hurt.”
Someone lightly smacked my back—it was the familiar spiky blond head I knew all too well.
“Ugh… Kai, it’s you.”
“That asshole’s in this class too, huh.”
The moment I spotted that spiky blond head—Kai—every single person who’d been crowding around me started awkwardly scattering like I had the plague.
Kai’s your classic delinquent. These days that shit feels straight out of the stone age, but he swears it’s his “policy” and sticks to it no matter what. On top of his shitty behavior, he’s got that intimidating werewolf build and sharp golden wolf eyes that make him look like he’ll rip your throat out, so yeah, pretty much everyone’s scared of him.
“Hey, come on! You’re totally thrilled to be in the same class as me again, admit it! I still remember you cornering me on the entrance ceremony day!”
“S-Shut the fuck up, idiot! That was only because I thought you were a chick back then…!”
Even while making excuses, Kai’s ears were bright fucking red.
“I still remember it crystal clear, y’know? ‘You’re so cute, be my girl…’”
“T-That’s enough of that shit! Anyway, you hear about this year’s freshmen? They’re supposedly insane.”
“…Insane how?”
I was kinda pissed he cut off my perfect imitation of his voice, but I asked anyway. Kai grinned like a smug bastard, leaned in dramatically, and lowered his voice.
“That dragon clan freak—the ‘Evil Dragon’—apparently enrolled here.”
**◇**
First period in the new class, and I immediately ditched to go sneak a peek at the entrance ceremony.
*(The teacher’s the same as last year, and we already did intros in class, so it’ll be fine… right?)*
The spot behind the well at the back of the grand auditorium is perfect for this—hardly anyone notices, and you can see everything from outside. I headed there, thinking how great it was, when I spotted someone already squatting in my hiding place.
“You here to check out the Evil Dragon too?”
That same spiky blond hair I’d just seen a million times today. Kai looked up at me from his crouch.
“You’re the one who told me about him, so now I’m curious… Which one is he?”
“Figured you’d be interested… but there’s nobody who looks the part.”
I peeked in alongside him, but yeah, no one stood out.
“Huh… Guess I’ll head back to class then?”
“Nah, too much of a pain. I’m gonna crash on the rooftop. You?”
“I’ll swing by the school store first… Wait, you’re gonna sleep already? It’s literally morning.”
“I’m nocturnal, dumbass.”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
I watched Kai bullshit his way up the roof tiles and disappear, then headed toward the courtyard—it’s the shortcut to the store.
**◇**
This school’s huge, but the courtyard is easily one of the biggest parts.
It’s called a courtyard, but it’s basically a mini forest with a fancy fountain and benches. Super comfy—I love it.
“…Huh?”
Normally you hear little birds chirping or bugs buzzing, but right now? Dead silence. It felt off, but I stepped into the courtyard anyway to take the shortcut.
—The instant I did, a heavy, crushing wave of magic pressure slammed into me so hard even I could feel it clear as day, and I suck at sensing magic.
“…W-What the fuck… is this?”
It felt like my body weight suddenly doubled. My lungs were getting crushed, I could barely breathe.
The pressure was heavier than the Cerberus we saw in magical beasts class last year—goosebumps all over my skin.
The courtyard was completely silent, yet my heartbeat was pounding so loud I thought my eardrums would burst.
“It’s coming from over there…”
I knew I should run, but a tiny bit of curiosity won out and dragged my feet straight toward the source.
*(If it’s a magical beast, I’m screwed… I should go get Claude, but he’s in class right now.)*
I glanced up at the third-year building, steeled myself, and peeked out from behind the trees toward the center of the courtyard.
There stood a tall, long-haired boy with black-and-white two-tone bangs—actually, he was half-crouched, staggering like he could barely stay up.
“…Knew it.”
The second I saw him, I knew my hunch was right. I recognized that magic pressure vibe. Bingo—it was a magical rampage.
Magical rampage happens when someone can’t control their own magic anymore and it explodes out. He’d only just started, but if I left it, shit would hit the fan. Not just for everyone around, but his life was in serious danger. The staff room’s too far, and there’s no guarantee he’d stay put if I went to get a teacher. This was urgent.
“…Guess I’ve got no choice.”
After thinking it through, the best move was definitely for me to stop his rampage right here, right now. I wasn’t sure it’d work, but I unfolded the magic formula I’d only just learned and leaped out.
“Sorry if this hurts, okay?”
I hugged him tight from behind and poured my magic into him.
This was the control spell I’d finally managed to learn the other day. I’m still not great at it, but no time to bitch about that.
“…!?”
Probably startled from the sudden hug, the boy staggered and tried to shake me off. But if I let go now, he’d die. My arms aren’t strong, so it’d take time to finish the spell, and getting swung around by someone bigger than me was scary as hell, but I dodged as best I could and talked to him.
“It’s okay, don’t be scared.”
It didn’t really calm him down, but I started getting used to his movements. A few minutes later—maybe because I acted fast, or the new spell worked perfectly, or our magic just clicked really well—the rampage finally stopped.
I felt the crushing pressure lift and slowly let go, speaking gently.
“You’re a first-year, right?”
“…”
He averted his deep green eyes—kinda weird pupils—and stayed dead silent.
“Feeling sick? Want me to take you to the nurse?”
“…”
Unlike before, he was standing steady now, no more staggering. Looked like he was fine. Relieved, I pushed a little further.
“Skipping on your very first day? Pretty bold. Well, I’m skipping too… I’m heading to the school store—wanna come?”
I held out my hand, but he didn’t even glance at it.
“…”
Ignored again.
Okay, honestly, isn’t this kid’s silent pressure kinda intense?
The rampage is over, but there’s still this weird vibe coming off him that’s making me wanna back down.
“Not coming? Okay, but don’t push yourself too hard.”
“…”
“I’m Fren. If you ever need anything, you can totally rely on me, okay?”
I gave him what I’m pretty sure was my cutest smile ever, but Two-Tone Bangs didn’t say a word and just walked off.
“What a cold little shit. Ignoring a super cute upperclassman like me? Most people wouldn’t.”
I watched his long black-and-white braid sway as he left, muttering to no one in particular. If Claude or Kai had been here, I’d probably bitch about this for another half hour. Whatever, no point grumbling alone. I left the courtyard and headed to the store.
“He probably doesn’t want anyone asking about the rampage… Yeah, I get it.”
Looking at him brought back old memories—scary, lonely ones. The terror of not being able to stop my own magic flow is still crystal clear even now.
Lost in those dusty memories and overlapping his face with mine from back then, I suddenly realized something.
“Ah, crap—I forgot to ask his name.”
I whipped around to look back at the courtyard, but he was long gone.
The spring storm I met in the quiet courtyard on the first day of school.
I still don’t know his name.
—But from this day on, my peaceful life definitely started to change.