Chapter 6: The Transfer Werewolf

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, far too cheerful for how little sleep I'd gotten.

I rubbed my bleary eyes and stumbled into the living room, where the day’s first disaster was already waiting for me.

"Good morning, Mistress," Chester said, standing rigidly with his usual butler-perfect posture. Draped neatly over one arm was a pristine sailor-style school uniform, complete with shoes, a bag, and a stack of suspiciously professional-looking documents.

Balanced on a silver tray beside him was also... a tiny glass vial of shimmering blue liquid, bubbling ominously.

I squinted at the strange display.
"What's all this?" I mumbled, still half-asleep.

"For Miss Lunaria," Chester said smoothly. "Her enrollment has been... expedited."

My brain struggled to process that through the fog.
"...You forged documents?!"

"Expedited," Chester repeated, his faint smile sharp enough to cut glass.

Before I could start listing all the ways this could get us arrested, Lunaria peeked around the corner, blinking curiously at the uniform like it was some exotic animal. Her silver ears twitched once, betraying her excitement.

"And this," Chester continued, lifting the vial delicately, "is a concealment potion. It will hide her... more conspicuous features during school hours."

He offered the vial to Lunaria with all the ceremony of a sacred offering.

She sniffed it—and immediately scrunched up her entire face in disgust.

"It smells like dead bugs!" she wailed.

I sympathized, honestly. The potion did look like it belonged in a medieval torture chamber.

Still, with a theatrical grimace, Lunaria pinched her nose shut and gulped the potion down in one heroic swig.

The effects were instant. Her silver ears shimmered once and vanished from sight, along with any hint of her tail.

I watched the magic ripple over her with wide eyes, more than a little impressed.
Chester really could forge documents and brew illegal magical concoctions. I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or deeply, deeply afraid.

I slumped deeper into the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, wondering how my life had spiraled into this mess.

How the hell was I supposed to pass off a half-feral wolf girl as a normal student?

Still, it wasn't like I had a choice.
I gestured weakly at the uniform. "Go change. Quickly."

Lunaria beamed, grabbing the clothes with both hands and scampering off toward the bathroom like I'd handed her a prize.

I sank onto the nearest sofa, slumping sideways like a corpse.

This was a terrible idea. A catastrophic idea.
No way she was going to make it through even one day without blowing her cover.

I was still mentally preparing my funeral when the bathroom door creaked open.

I looked up.

And instantly forgot how to breathe.

Lunaria stood there, fidgeting shyly with the hem of her skirt, the navy-white and blue uniform perfectly crisp against her silver hair and bright, uncertain smile.
The way she clutched the little satchel awkwardly in front of her chest—her aura still pure puppy, even without the ears—was lethal.

Something inside my brain short-circuited.

"C-cute," I blurted before slapping a hand over my own mouth in horror.

Lunaria's face lit up like I'd handed her a medal.

I tore my gaze away before I could do something even more pathetic, like start clapping.

"Alright," I muttered, dragging myself upright and grabbing my bag. "Let's go before something even worse happens."

xXx

The walk to school was somehow even more stressful than I'd feared.

I tried to set ground rules as we walked, rattling them off like a drill sergeant.

"Don't talk about your ears. Don't show your tail. Don't sniff anyone. Definitely don't bite anyone."

"Got it!" Lunaria chirped, nodding enthusiastically.

Ten seconds later, she was poking at a streetlamp like it might growl at her, and I realized she had already forgotten half the list.

I clutched my bag tighter, praying we could just... get through the morning without a full-blown supernatural incident.

It was a hopeless prayer.

The moment we reached the school gate, heads turned.

A ripple of whispers followed us almost immediately.

"Whoa, who's the silver-haired girl?"
"Is she a transfer student? She's so cute!"
"Look at her eyes! They're so bright—are those contacts?"

Lunaria smiled shyly at the attention, which only made it worse.

Thankfully, Chester's "magic liquid" was working. Her wolf features were completely hidden from sight.
But the way she practically vibrated with excitement, tail invisibly wagging behind her, was not exactly "normal human" behavior.

A group of second-year girls rushed over, cooing and fussing over her like she was an exotic pet.

"You're adorable! Are you new here?"
"Here, have a cookie! I baked it this morning!"

Lunaria’s entire soul lit up at the word "cookie," and before I could stop her, she practically dove into the girl's hands to accept the snack.

I yanked her back by the collar just in time to prevent her from licking anyone.

The girls just giggled, finding her "energy" even more endearing.

I, meanwhile, was two seconds away from throwing myself into the nearest bush and hiding forever.

Somehow, somehow, we made it to the classroom.

xXx

First period was a blur of disaster.

The teacher, Mr. Nakamura, introduced Lunaria to the class as "a recent transfer from overseas," which explained away any strangeness.

"Please take care of me!" Lunaria said, bowing so enthusiastically she almost slammed her forehead into her desk.

Half the class melted on the spot.

The lesson began, and it immediately descended into chaos.

Whenever the teacher asked a question, Lunaria's hand shot up like a rocket, her face bright with eagerness.

Every time she answered, she got it completely wrong.

But she was so cheerful about it. She beamed every time the teacher gently corrected her. Even Mr. Nakamura started praising her "enthusiasm" and giving her bonus points for trying.

Meanwhile, I sank deeper and deeper into my seat, trying to pretend I didn't know her.

The worst moment came halfway through the period, when Lunaria suddenly leaned toward the girl next to her and inhaled loudly.

"You smell like bread," she whispered, wide-eyed with delight.

I nearly leapt over two desks to grab her by the collar and yank her back before she could start nibbling.

The poor girl blinked, confused, while Lunaria just looked a little dazed, like she'd been dragged away from a warm bakery.

I wanted to die. I wanted to evaporate from pure secondhand embarrassment.

And yet... somehow, nobody seemed suspicious.

Just... charmed.

Lunaria had some kind of unshakable puppy magic that made everyone around her forgive everything she did.

Even me.

Which was honestly terrifying.

xXx

By the time lunchtime rolled around, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I grabbed Lunaria by the hand and dragged her up to the rooftop, desperate for five minutes of peace.

"Listen," I said, pressing my forehead into my palm. "Just... stay up here. Don't sniff anyone. Don't talk to strangers. Just eat your lunch quietly, okay?"

"Okay!" Lunaria said brightly, already tearing into the lunchbox Chester had packed for her.

I sighed, sinking down beside her and opening my own lunch.

For a blissful ten seconds, everything was quiet.

Then the door to the rooftop creaked open.

I tensed immediately.

Reina strolled out, lunchbox in hand, her red hair catching the sunlight, her expression casual, but her eyes locked onto Lunaria like a hawk spotting prey.

"Yo," she said, plopping down across from us without waiting for an invitation.

Lunaria looked up, curious, and offered a big, sunny smile. "Hi!"

Reina didn't smile back.

Instead, she leaned in slightly, squinting at Lunaria with the kind of intense scrutiny usually reserved for cursed artifacts.

Lunaria just tilted her head innocently, nibbling on a rice ball.

Meanwhile, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

Reina was looking at her like she could see through her.

And when I met Reina's gaze for a split second, I could read it clear as day.

She knew.

Maybe not exactly what Lunaria was, but enough to know she wasn’t human.

I forced a casual smile, laughing awkwardly.

"Haha... new transfer student," I said weakly. "Bit of a weirdo, right?"

Reina didn’t laugh.

She just took a slow bite of her sandwich, eyes never leaving Lunaria.

I swallowed hard.

There was no doubt left in my mind.

Reina wasn’t normal either.

And somehow... things were about to get a whole lot more complicated.