The moon hung high above the academy.
A gentle breeze rustled the trees, and the once-bustling courtyard was now silent, peaceful, almost eerily so.
Yuto stirred with a groan, lying sprawled across the stone tiles of the campus walkway, arms splayed, face to the sky.
His eyes blinked open slowly.
"Did they try to drag me out?" he muttered in disbelief.
He sat up with a long sigh, brushing dirt off his shirt.
His tie was slightly loosened, and his sword felt heavier than usual strapped across his back.
He didn't bother fixing anything.
What was the point?
"They must have argued for hours and forgot I existed"
He let out a dry laugh, shoulders slumping as he pushed himself to his feet.
"Some harem this is…"
The night air was cool against his skin as he walked back toward the dorms, the sound of his footsteps echoing faintly in the empty grounds.
Lights from the windows glowed faintly, warm and distant.
A peaceful night.
A normal night.
"..."
Too peaceful.
Too normal.
His eyes narrowed slightly as a strange feeling settled in his chest.
It wasn't dangerous, not exactly.
Just... something.
Something off.
He looked up at the moon again, his jaw tightening.
"Everything's been going too well lately"
Sure, there was the Duke.
The sudden engagement.
Winning the tournament.
Finding a spirit beast that bounded with him.
Summoning Lilith on accident.
The girls nearly killed him.
Okay—maybe not that well.
But somehow, deep in his gut, it all felt... shallow.
Rehearsed.
Like he was walking through a play he didn't remember signing up for.
'Is this really all there is?' he wondered.
Despite the chaos, the drama, and the near-death by angry partners, Yuto felt bored.
Empty, even.
Like something important was missing, and he couldn't tell what.
A shadow passed overhead.
Just a bird, maybe.
But his instincts told him to stay sharp.
He stopped walking and looked over his shoulder.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No whispers.
No aura.
And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling...
'Something's coming'
And this time, it wouldn't be solved with apologies and cracked knuckles.
He glanced over his shoulder once more, but still, there was nothing.
The grounds were empty, save for the distant glow of the dorms and the faint rustling of the trees in the breeze.
"Get it together, Yuto"
He shook his head, muttering under his breath, trying to push the growing unease away.
The last thing he needed was to start imagining threats where there were none.
He'd survived enough chaos to know that sometimes, the mind plays tricks on you.
But then, the shadow flickered again, a movement, fast, just on the edge of his vision.
His heart skipped a beat.
Before he could react, a voice called out from behind him.
A soft, lilting tone, almost like a whisper carried on the wind.
"Yuto…"
He froze.
The voice was familiar, but it didn't belong here, not at this hour, not in this place.
It was almost too familiar, sending a cold shiver down his spine.
But the major problem was… he had never heard this voice.
Turning around slowly, his eyes scanned the dimly lit courtyard, his heart hammering in his chest.
There, standing under the moonlight, was a figure, a girl.
Her hair was as white as snow, eyes glowing a faint red, and her form seemed... unreal, like something out of a dream.
Her lips curved into a soft smile, one that was almost too serene.
"Don't you remember me, Yuto?" she asked, her voice hauntingly familiar as it was distant.
Yuto's hand gripped his sword tighter, his heart pounding.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice steady despite the unease creeping through him.
"What do you want?"
She stepped forward, and the world seemed to grow colder, the moonlight casting long, sharp shadows behind her.
"I am the one you've been waiting for"
Yuto's eyes narrowed.
Her words struck something deep within him, something buried beneath the noise of his daily life.
He had heard those words before.
From somewhere.
From someone.
And then, it hit him.
'The old hero'
The connection, dreams, assumptions.
His breath caught in his throat.
"Mi-..." he whispered, disbelief in his voice.
He shook his head, pulling out his sword, and held it against her.
"Are you the one who kept showing me these dreams?"
"Dreams?" she tilted her head, as if the word itself puzzled her.
"No... not dreams, Yuto. Memories. Fragments of what you were"
Her voice was soft, like freshly fallen snow, but each word carried weight.
Finality.
As though she was revealing something that couldn't be taken back.
Yuto didn't lower his blade.
"Bullshit," he said flatly.
"I don't remember any of it"
"And yet," she said, stepping closer, "you remember more than you think"
His grip tightened.
The memories—those dreams, had always felt too real.
Too consistent.
No dream repeats like that.
Not with such detail.
Not with such pain.
Sometimes he would wake up in a cold sweat, grasping his chest as if he had been stabbed.
He clicked his tongue.
"Then tell me who you are," he demanded.
"Don't dance around it"
She stopped just a few feet from his sword's edge, the moonlight catching in her eyes like twin rubies.
"I was your bond," she whispered.
"Your oath. The one you made before it all burned. Before the world forgot. Before you forgot"
Her hand reached up slowly, not threatening, just enough to brush her chest.
"I'm the one who waited. The one who watched your story end... and begin again"
His mind reeled.
It made no sense, and yet, something deep inside him resonated with every word she spoke.
"That's impossible," he muttered.
"I'm just a student. A swordsman. I'm not some hero from a past life"
"No," she agreed.
"You're not a hero"
She leaned in slightly.
"You were the villain who chose to save the world instead"
That stopped him cold.
The air felt heavier.
"What… what the hell does that mean?"
She finally smiled, a touch of melancholy in her eyes.
"It means your story was never about being good or evil," she said.
"It was about sacrifice. About memory. And now… It's happening again"
Behind her, the shadows thickened, stretching unnaturally as if drawn toward her presence.
She stepped back, her voice dropping lower.
"You don't have much time, Yuto. They're coming. And they remember you too"
He raised his sword again, nerves on edge.
"Then start explaining. Who exactly are you?"
This time, her answer came with certainty.
No riddles.
No half-truths.
"The one you loved… and the one you left, my name… You shall learn it when you earn it"
She did a quick twirl while humming an uncomfortable song before stopping in her tracks, twirling around and giving him a bow.
"Till we meet again, my love"
"WAIT!"
She vanished.
Not in a flash of light or the flutter of wind but as if she were never there to begin with.
One moment, the moonlight traced her figure; the next, the space was empty, cold, and humming with the echo of her voice.
Yuto stood frozen, sword still raised, breath caught in his throat.
"Damn it…" he whispered.
His sword lowered slowly, the tip clinking against the stone pathway.
His arms were trembling, not from fear, but from the weight of her words.
"Memories... fragments... the one I left…"
He clenched his jaw, shutting his eyes for a moment.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
It wasn't just her appearance or her cryptic warning that shook him.
It was the way everything, the dreams, the deja vu, the strange familiarity with battle and blood, clicked into place.
"Who the hell was I…?"
The wind stirred again, colder now.
The warmth from the dorm lights in the distance felt farther away than before.
And something else began to stir.
From the far edge of the courtyard, a sound echoed, slow, scraping, like claws dragging against stone.
Yuto turned sharply, eyes narrowing.
Figures were emerging.
One by one.
Crawling from the deeper shadows.
Their forms were grotesque, twisted, black as ink with glowing white eyes.
No aura.
No presence.
Just wrong.
The first of them stopped just at the edge of the light, tilting its head, mimicking her earlier motion.
Then it grinned, wide and unnatural.
"...They remember me too, huh?" Yuto muttered, sliding back into a fighting stance.
The weight on his back didn't feel so heavy anymore.
He took one breath.
Then another.
And as the first creature lunged, Yuto whispered through clenched teeth—
"Let's see if I remember you"
He moved on instinct, his body flowing through techniques he didn't remember learning.
Each swing was clean, precise, lethal.
They lunged from every angle, claws slashing, teeth gnashing, but none could touch him.
His blade sang through the air, cutting through them with blinding speed.
He was outnumbered.
It didn't matter.
One by one, the creatures fell.
Hissing.
Melting into black mist before they ever hit the ground.
Yuto stood at the center of the courtyard, panting, sword dripping with ink-like blood that quickly evaporated under the moonlight.
The silence returned.
But it wasn't peaceful anymore.
"... Ah fuck this, I'm going back"
By the time he reached his dorm room, his body ached.
Not from wounds, none of the creatures had landed a hit, but from the weight of something heavier.
His past?
His identity?
He couldn't tell anymore.
He eased the door open quietly.
The room was quiet, save for the gentle rhythm of breathing.
Ayla was curled up in her wolf form, tail twitching slightly in her sleep.
Lilith was sprawled sideways across his bed, an open spellbook still resting on her chest, one hand clinging to a pillow like it had personally betrayed her.
Yuto sheathed his sword silently and sat at the edge of the bed, careful not to wake either of them.
He stared at the floor for a while.
Then at the moon outside.
And finally, at his hands.
"…The old hero," he murmured.
"That's what they both called me"
Lilith had said his mana didn't belong to this era, which is why she didn't attack him when he first summoned her.
Ayla had been more subtle; she just followed him.
Said he felt familiar with the old hero.
And now this… girl.
She didn't call him a hero.
She called him a villain.
A villain who saved the world.
His fingers curled slightly, the leather of his gloves creaking faintly in the quiet.
"...So which was it?" he whispered.
"Hero? Villain? Or just some idiot who got stuck in something bigger than himself?"
Lilith stirred a little in her sleep and muttered something about demons stealing her snacks.
A soft smile tugged at Yuto's lips.
Whatever the answer was… it wasn't coming tonight.
He poked Lilith's stomach.
"Move over, I want to sleep"
Lilith groaned in protest, cracking one eye open just enough to glare up at him.
"You're so needy, darling," she mumbled, voice thick with sleep.
"Fine, but only because I love you"
He rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say Lilith"
She rolled over with a dramatic sigh, making just enough room for him on the mattress.
Her spellbook flopped to the floor with a dull thud, pages fluttering slightly from the impact.
Yuto lay back beside her, careful not to disturb Ayla or make too much noise.
The bed was a little too warm from Lilith having claimed it for herself, but honestly?
He didn't mind.
His body sank deeper into the mattress, the adrenaline from earlier fading now that he was surrounded by the soft, steady breathing of the two girls.
The room smelled faintly of old paper, perfume, and wildflowers, probably something Lilith had conjured at some point without thinking.
"You're being quiet," Lilith murmured beside him, her voice softer now, almost concerned.
"Too quiet"
He glanced over at her, only to see her staring at him now, her eyes faintly glowing in the dim room.
"I'm tired," he said simply.
Lilith studied him for a beat.
"Liar"
But she didn't press.
Instead, she slid a little closer, her hand brushing lightly against his arm as she got comfortable.
"You did well tonight," she whispered.
"Whatever it was"
Yuto blinked at her, caught off guard by the rare sincerity in her tone.
"You don't even know what happened"
"I don't need to," she said, curling up a bit more.
"I can feel it. You came back alive. That's enough for me"
"…Thanks," he muttered, barely above a breath.
She gave him a sleepy hum in response.
Moments passed in quiet.
Then—
"By the way," she added lazily, "you're really warm. You should be honored"
"I was trying to sleep," he grumbled.
"Shhh," she said, already drifting off.
"Sleep, darling. You'll need it"
He exhaled, finally letting his eyes close.
Ayla shifted but didn't wake.
He chuckled as he slowly wrapped his arms around Lilith.
Much to her joy she too wrapped her arms around him.
'Just for tonight Yuto… you can be selfish'
Tomorrow could bring whatever it wanted.
Tonight, he'd rest.
And that would have to be enough.
Morning
Yuto blinked as he patted the empty spot next to him.
He forced his body to sit up when he heard a squeak and chuckle.
Lilith and Ayla were already in uniform, Lilith had her usual grin, while Ayla was pretending to cover her eyes.
"What?"
"Darling, you're so bold"
'Bold?'
He turned to Ayla, but as soon as their eyes met she immediately turned away.
'What's going on?'
He looked down and saw… well, a completely normal reaction to when a woman as beautiful and alluring as Lilith holds you tight through the entire night.
"Shit"
He scrambled for the covers, dragging them over his lap with the speed of a man whose pride had just been stabbed.
Lilith burst into laughter, nearly doubling over.
"Oh, don't act shy now, you were clinging to me like I was your lifeline," she teased, fanning herself dramatically.
"I felt cherished, darling"
"You were drooling on me," he shot back, cheeks flushed red.
"That's how you know it was real love," she said with a wink.
Yuto groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"Why are you two even awake this early?"
Ayla, still hiding half her face behind her sleeve, peeked with a small smile.
"Lilith said mornings are for bonding..."
Lilith added, "And fashion advice"
Ayla had her hair now braided to the side, wearing the standard academy uniform with her skirt slightly longer than average.
Still barefoot, though.
"She refused the shoes," Lilith explained with a shrug, already halfway done styling her hair with magic.
"Wolf instincts or something"
"I like the grass," Ayla said softly.
"And the wind"
Yuto sighed but couldn't help smiling a little.
"Fine, just don't get detention for breaking dress code"
They finished getting ready with some light bickering.
Lilith insisted Yuto fix his tie, and Ayla helped him button his blazer properly.
Somehow, it felt like a small, strange family.
As they stepped outside, the sun hung low in the sky, casting golden streaks across the campus grounds.
Waiting by the front gates were two familiar figures.
Alice, arms crossed and clearly annoyed.
And Reika, perfectly composed but with one brow raised.
Alice was the first to speak.
"You're late"
Yuto raised his hand in a lazy apology.
"Morning stuff"
Reika's gaze slid from him to the girls beside him.
"You've been busy"
Lilith leaned into Yuto's side, smug as ever.
"You have no idea"
Alice's eye twitched.
Yuto chuckled as he pulled them into a hug.
"Let's not argue, the sunlight feels nice, so let's not start anything"
Except as soon as he pulled them in, they heard the other students.
"This bastard is engaged to Lady Evelynn, and he's cheating?"
"What a rat"
"Man… I wish I were him"
"Gonna slug him one of these days"
The murmurs grew louder.
Whispers turned to jeers.
Yuto could feel the glares burning into his back.
Alice's fists clenched.
Reika's eyes narrowed, her aura prickling with restrained annoyance.
Lilith just sighed, already preparing a fireball.
Then—
Click.
He heard the sound of heels against stone before he saw her.
Evelynn.
Poised.
Elegant.
Smirking like she owned the damn sun.
"Honestly," she said, her voice silk over steel.
"So much noise this early in the morning"
Yuto turned, eyes widening.
"Evelynn—?"
He didn't get another word out.
She stepped in smoothly, hands lifting to his collar like it was the most natural thing in the world and kissed him.
Full on.
Gasps erupted across the courtyard.
One student dropped their notebook.
Another choked on their breakfast burrito.
Even Lilith blinked.
Alice looked like she was going to scream.
Reika's jaw actually twitched.
Yuto stood there, stunned stiff, arms hovering awkwardly at his sides as Evelynn pulled back just enough to lock eyes with him.
Those cold, calculating eyes, glinting with satisfaction.
Then, she turned toward the growing crowd, wrapping her arms around Yuto's right arm and pulling him close like she was claiming property.
"Who dares," she said, voice sharp enough to cut glass, "speak ill of the fiancée of one with noble standing? Hm?"
Silence.
No one dared move.
"I'm waiting," she added sweetly, but there was venom beneath it.
Someone in the back cleared their throat nervously and walked away.
Another student immediately started pretending to study a rock on the ground.
Yuto, still processing the kiss, muttered, "...What the hell just happened?"
Evelynn leaned closer, whispering into his ear with a mischievous lilt.
"Just keeping up appearances. Smile, remember that we need to keep up the act"
He did not smile.
But the damage was done.
Lilith burst out laughing.
Reika rubbed her temples.
Alice looked two seconds from conjuring a war hammer.
And Ayla?
She tilted her head, then calmly walked to Yuto's left and wrapped her arms around his other arm, hugging it quietly.
Yuto was now officially being held hostage on both sides by smug magical women.
"…I hate mornings," he muttered.
Lilith had already conjured a tiny illusionary banner above her head that read "Team Yuto #1 Wife – Suck it, nobles!"
Alice was vibrating with rage.
Reika's pen snapped in half.
One student whispered, "Is this a harem war?"
Someone else gasped, "Is that legal on academy grounds?"
"How the hell did he get so lucky?"
Evelynn arched a brow at the crowd.
"Anyone else have something to say?"
She licked her thumb and rubbed a smudge off Yuto's cheek like they'd been married for ten years.
"No? Lovely"
Evelynn didn't let go.
Ayla didn't let go.
Yuto was being dragged and restrained by three different girls with varying levels of magic and murder in their eyes.
"Can someone just throw me into a volcano?" he asked the sky.
The sky, unfortunately, offered no assistance.
Just when the scene couldn't get any worse, a group of noble boys, clearly from one of the higher circles approached.
One of them, a tall smug bastard named Lucien with perfectly styled brown hair, stepped forward with a mocking clap.
"Well, well," he said.
"The rumors really don't do you justice, Akimitsu. You've got quite the collection"
Yuto's eyes twitched.
"Don't start, Lucien"
Lucien smiled, the kind that promised violence disguised as politeness.
"I'm just curious. Do you plan to lead them all on, or are you just indecisive?"
Lilith conjured a flame in her palm.
Alice was ready to fight.
Evelynn didn't even blink.
But Reika beat them all to it.
She stepped forward, pulling her sword from her side just enough for it to gleam (she may have infused a bit of magic into it).
"Insult Yuto again," she said quietly, "and you'll be chewing through a straw for the rest of your stay here"
Lucien's smile vanished.
He raised his hands in mock surrender, muttering something about "sensitive women" as he backed off.
"Class time," Reika snapped.
Yuto exhaled like he'd just escaped death.
And so they walked.
But Yuto's thoughts were everywhere.
He was at the center of chaos.
Flanked by an actual demon, a prodigy, a wolf spirit, a childhood friend on the brink of homicide, and a high-class lady who just publicly kissed him.
With every step he took, whispers followed.
Somewhere deep in his mind, Yuto wondered if fighting monsters last night had actually been the easier part.
Class
It felt suffocating.
Not because of studies, but because Yuto Akimitsu walked in flanked by five very different, very dangerous-looking girls.
It was like watching royalty enter.
Except one of the royals looked like she might set someone on fire for blinking too loud.
Students whispered furiously behind textbooks and hands.
"How does he keep surviving this?"
"That pink-haired girl looks like she's going to stab someone"
"Nah, Alice is too sweet for that"
"You sure? Because it looks like she's gonna rip someone's face off"
"Wasn't he kissing Lady Evelynn this morning?!"
"Yeah, my buddy said he was holding her with a smug grin"
"Who's the one with bare feet?"
"Feet?"
"Don't focus on that man!"
"They all walked in together. What is happening?"
Yuto flopped into his seat with a groan.
His back arched; he had been feeling that since he woke up on the road but it confused him as to why he still felt the slight pain.
"Wait… why was I on the floor yesterday? At night?"
Lilith, seated gracefully beside him, flashed a smile that only he knew had a touch of something darker lurking behind it.
"You fainted, darling. From all the affection. Too much love can be overwhelming, you know"
Yuto stared.
"No… I think I remember you knocking me out"
She gave him a wink, but didn't deny it.
Ayla leaned over gently.
"We tried carrying you. But you wouldn't stop muttering in your sleep"
"What was he saying again?" Alice asked sharply.
Lilith smirked.
"Something about no more paperwork and I don't want another pact, Lilith, I'm tired"
She gave a dramatic sigh.
"So I let him sleep. Right on the floor. He was cute"
"I tried to carry you," Alice grumbled.
"But Lilith said, and I quote, Let the floor have him"
"I stand by that," Lilith said brightly.
Yuto buried his face in his arms.
"I want to go back to the floor"
Then the door slammed.
Professor Hideo had entered with a stern look.
He stared at Yuto like he was a personal insult.
"Mr. Akimitsu," he said, voice calm but lethal, "would you care to explain why my classroom was full of gossip before I even arrived?"
Yuto sat up slowly.
"Uh. Morning?"
Hideo's eyes scanned the girls surrounding him.
Lady Evelynn, pristine and smug.
Reika, already taking notes.
Alice, radiating fury.
Ayla, quietly watching everything.
And Lilith, smiling too sweetly.
No one in the room knew what she was.
No one but Yuto.
Which is why he considers her a giant pain.
Hideo narrowed his eyes.
"You seem to have assembled quite the… entourage"
Yuto didn't respond.
Mostly because he had no idea how to answer that without dying.
Hideo sighed.
"Five engagement petitions. All filed last night. All listing you as the common party"
The room exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"ALL FIVE?!"
"WHAT SPELL DID HE USE—"
"I THOUGHT LADY EVELYNN WAS JUST A RUMOR—"
"IS THIS LEGAL?!"
"SOMEONE CUT HIS BLOODY DI–"
Yuto stood so fast his chair scraped.
"I didn't agree to anything! I was unconscious!"
Lilith laughed under her breath.
"You were also smiling in your sleep"
Reika added, "We talked it over. No one's trying to kill each other. That's progress"
Evelynn rested her chin on her hand.
"It was efficient. I even drafted the legal forms"
Alice mumbled something about "blackmail" and "duels"
Ayla smiled quietly.
"We love you Master"
Yuto froze.
"Wait, you're okay with this? All of you?!"
Everyone nodded.
Some more smugly than others.
Yuto turned pale.
"How is this my life?!"
Professor Hideo cleared his throat.
"I don't care how many of you want to throw yourselves into this circus. But if it interrupts my lecture—"
He let the silence hang.
"—I will personally assign Yuto a month of detention. With no magic. And only calculus"
A collective gasp of horror.
Even Lilith winced.
"Cruel"
Alice shivered.
"He wouldn't"
"He would," Reika said without missing a beat.
Yuto sat back down, defeated.
"Understood"
As Hideo began his lecture, trying desperately to pretend this wasn't the weirdest start to his week, Yuto leaned toward Lilith.
"Did you really knock me out?"
She smiled wider, her eyes glowing just a bit too brightly.
"You needed the rest, darling. And I wanted to talk to the others without you interrupting"
Yuto stared.
Lilith simply laced her fingers together and whispered, "We agreed, Yuto. We're staying"
Yuto dropped his head to the desk.
"I am not surviving this semester"
From behind, a student whispered, "He better watch his back. That's too much power for one guy"
Another hissed, "Too much plot armor"
And the chaos was just getting started.