First Phase: Fated Meeting

A/N: For those who don't know:

Chūnibyō — “Eighth-Grade Syndrome.” A phase where teens act as if they have secret powers or a hidden destiny, speaking dramatically, adopting mysterious personas, and imagining themselves in a grand, fantastical story.

***

My name? That’s a secret.

My age? Let’s just say I’ve lived for centuries.

I am who I will become.

A villain of unknown origin. One who stays hidden among the shadows. People bow down in my presence.

“SHADOWLICHT!!!”

Yes. That’s what they call me—

“Ren! Could you please quiet down! I’m watching TV!” my mom yelled from downstairs.

“My apologies! I mean—I’m sorry!” I yelled back from my room upstairs.

Ren Akiya. That’s my name. I’m just your average high school student.

Ahem, cue the pose and deep voice:

“With a dark past.”

Well, jokes aside, I’m an aspiring actor. That cringe… you had to bear witness to was me practicing the role of a…

What was it called again?

I quickly glanced at the script in my hands.

Chuunibyo.

“Indeed, it is fairly cringe. Not even my ‘dragon’s eye’ would want to gaze into the void called eighth-grader syndrome.”

Speaking of my dragon’s eye, it contains a unique ability.

“DRAGON DESTRUCTION DANCE, LV2!!!”

And pose dramatically.

“REN, SHUT THE HELL UP!!” Mother yelled again, her voice louder and sharper than before.

She seemed frustrated.

Well, of course she would be. Wouldn’t anyone?

Sighing, I fell backwards onto my bed as countless script papers flew up into the air, scattering like my thoughts in that moment.

Am I really cut out for this? Acting… should I give up before embarrassing myself?

Haa… my future really does look bleak.

***

“All right, students, it’s about that time of year again,” Nishino-sensei said before slamming both hands on his desk. “Future plans!”

“Take your forms!” Slam.

“Fill them out!” Slam. Slam.

“And… I don’t know, thank the class rep for handing them out,” he added unenthusiastically, before leaning on the edge of the desk and sipping a cup of steaming coffee.

Uproar filled the classroom as my classmates reacted, some excitedly sharing their future aspirations, some nervous, and some not caring at all.

I was of the first kind.

Spinning my pencil around my finger—and failing miserably as it fell to the ground—a trembling voice spoke from upfront.

“B-Bro, stop acting so nervous, it’s just a f-form.”

My eyelids lowered. Who’s really acting nervous?

“Have you taken your anxiety pills yet?” I asked, bending down to pick up my pencil.

“They’re vitamins!” he shouted before taking out a small container from his trouser pocket.

“Look!” he added, shoving the container in my face.

Vitamin C. Take two tablets a day

I shook my head in disappointment.

Is this really what the world has become?

“May you find a girlfriend as quickly as possible,” I said, praying it into existence.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with a raised brow before turning to take his medication.

Haruto Ishikawa.

My childhood friend and a reclusive hermit, well, a shut-in. He truly is someone who deserves to be studied.

Even though he hates going outside, he never misses a day of school. And he’s somehow a social magnet.

“Haruto, you should really take better care of yourself,” said a feminine voice, soft and clear.

The class rep stood beside him, handing him his future-plans form, which he took with a shaking hand.

“Thanks,” he said simply before ignoring her completely and turning to his form, biting his nails.

The class rep stepped toward me.

Yuna Kobayashi.

She’s always been the center of attention. Kind. Rich. Beautiful. Smart. Talented.

Did I mention rich?!

The type of rich where if you married into her family you’d be set for life!

Her father owns this school, not to mention a few others and a lot of companies.

Today her hair was tied in a ponytail. Yesterday it was a bun. The day before, it loosely hung over her shoulders.

“Akiya-kun?” she exclaimed, holding out the form. “You there?”

“You really are beautiful—”

“No.” She placed the form on my desk before walking down the line, continuing her work.

“Tch.” I clicked my tongue. “I guess that was my final attempt.”

Haruto turned back toward me, leaning the back of his head against the window.

“My last try ended last week,” he said. “Every time I approach her alone, she runs away.”

“That girl… she’s way too smart for her own good.”

He added this with a satisfied grin—which I broke immediately.

“You some sort of kidnapper?”

He turned to me, frowning. “What?”

“I mean, anyone would run if a guy wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and black shoes, carrying a metal pipe, came up to them,” I said, glancing at the metal pipe sticking out of his school bag.

“Why are you even carrying something like that in the first place?”

He looked up toward the ceiling as the light above him flickered ominously. He sighed deeply before speaking.

“I should probably tell you about what happened to me five years ago. It was a rainy—”

His words, although I wanted to listen, were drowned out by the sudden silence of the class and whispering among the students.

“Look, it’s Ice Queen Hoshizora,” a girl said to her friends.

“This is my first time seeing her this up close!” another said excitedly.

There, a girl stood in the classroom doorframe, scanning the room with beautifully sky-blue eyes.

Her platinum-blonde hair wrapped around her neck like a silk scarf.

She felt cold. Almost as though the whole atmosphere had dropped. The silence didn’t help.

Badump.

My eyes glued themselves to her. Unblinking, I took in every detail that was her, until our eyes met.

Badump. Badump. Badump.

My heartbeat sped up, pounding in my ears like a street drummer.

Did I really fall for her at first sight? Was I really that weak?

My cheeks burned. My ears felt like lava. My heart refused to slow down.

Instinctively, I dropped my head and stared holes into my desk as the girl began to speak in a soft, beautiful, serene voice.

“Is Ren Akiya here?” she asked.

She said my name.

My heart sped up again.

She said my name with her sweet voice.

My face grew warmer. My throat tingled slightly.

What expression was I even making? I knew I was smiling, but how wide?

“Ren Akiya…”

My thoughts spiraled.

Why won’t my heart quiet down?!

“Ren Akiya…!”

Was love really that powerful—

“REN AKIYA!” Nishino-sensei called, snapping me back as I shot up from my desk.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, my pulse beating louder than my voice.

“You’re being called,” he said, gesturing toward the beautiful girl before taking a sip of his tea.

The girl nodded.

“Bring your bag with you. I’ll be waiting outside.”

“Y-Yes,” I replied.

She left.

I fell back into my seat as whispers filled the classroom, everyone wondering what my relationship with Ice Queen Hoshizora was.

That girl really was poisonous to me.

My whole body felt like it was about to collapse or fail. My hands shook. My legs trembled.

I grabbed my bag and packed away my notebooks and stationery.

Was I really about to talk to someone who could basically kill me?

My heart felt like it was going to fail!

Although an exaggeration… it really felt like that.

And that idiot Haruto wasn’t even paying attention. He was still mumbling about a dog.

Yes.

That was the day I met the person who would later be known as my girlfriend, and my biggest rival.

The first meeting between Ice Queen Hoshizora and her knight, Ren Akiya, who would later be known as The King of the Stage.

Their names would be etched into the school’s history for generations to come.

The two rulers who revived the dead acting club.