After school, near the entrance.
Closing the shoe locker, Mocha-san recollects her thoughts, processing what happened on our revelation scene.
'There's no doubt about it.' Thinking back to that moment, Mocha-san concluded. 'Yukiya-kun's true character, is a "Master Manipulator"
In her mind, there are several factors that lead to her assumption.
'On our first encounter, I accidentally discovered Yukiya-kun trespassing, so he tried to silence me as soon as we met the second time.'
'The reason why he left the room yesterday during lunch, was probably out of consideration. He didn't want to draw attention away from the transfer student. But I ultimately ran away and blew it.'
'During PE, he draws everyone's attention to cover the volleyball incident. Instead of being remembered as the girl who blocked the ball with her face, he overwrote it as me being the first victim of the hundred carry incident. He was even generous enough to step out of the room when Hitomi-san and the others was to have our talk.'
'The way he acted yesterday was also totally different. Contradictory to what I assumed, he's quite popular judging by the letters he got in his locker. To think I actually assumed we were the same, I was just projecting myself and my own insecurities to him.'
'He advised me to watch him, probably with intentions of showing me how to act in front of others. But I couldn't adapt to the environment, and just smiled like a fool until the break ended.'
Mocha-san can't help but reflect on what I said,
'He's right. I'm nothing but a lowly parasites.'
Disarray of everything, she doesn't know what to believe about me anymore.
'Does that mean the way he got embarrassed earlier about his past also an act? To demonstrate how much he can manipulate the atmosphere of the place, hence why he grinned at me so smugly during recess?'
'He said he would help me achieve my purpose. But what is he getting out from this?'
Mocha-san then asked me,
"Y-Yukiya-kun. ...Why did you decided to take me in as your disciple?" with a somewhat timid and dejected tone, Mocha-san inquired.
"Call me master" I corrected her.
"M, master." Mocha-san hesitantly and shyly corrected her self.
After the revelation scene I advised her to call me that. "From now on, call me Master"
Mocha-san is thinking about the whole Master disciple relationship,
'This, is quite embarrassing... But this is the route that I chose.'
At that moment she took my hand, only one option was open. [The Discipleship Route]
Now, to answering Mocha-san's question of "Why did you take me in as a disciple?"
I simply replied with a grin,
"It's interesting"
Mocha-san's eyes glew up.
'T-There it is! The cliche "she's interesting" line.'
Rather than her being interesting, I was talking about the concept of having a disciple.
Although shadow heroes are always portrayed as lone wolves, having a disciple isn't as bad of a concept. Even vigilantes like batman took in orphans to become his sidekick. Plus, I could observe Mocha-san's behavior to further polish my "background character mode".
By the way, "Background Character Mode" and "Perfect Side Character Mode", though fundamentally the same in aiming not to stand out, "Perfect Side Character Mode" is at least a forgettable named character, while background character mode aimed at being nameless altogether.
I think we're getting off track a bit.
Anyways, after changing out of our indoor to our casual shoes, we proceeded to head out of the school building.
The moment we stepped out, something unexpected greeted us, and probably nobody else in the school would entirely.
At a distance, we could see a lot of students crowding near the school gate. All of a sudden, there was a huge square leveled platform. It wasn't there before this morning so it sticks out like a sore thumb for us who go here in this school.
However, what really drew the crowd's attention was something else entirely.
At the center of what seems to be the focus of the crowd's attention, there was a guy. Judging by how people seem to look at him, he seemed like someone famous.
"Hey, isn't that Hidetoshi Fumidai-kun!?"
"Oh my god. It really is!"
"Who's the handsome dude. Is he famous?"
"Are you kidding. You didn't know? He's only the most talked about celebrity since last year for being a young prodigy. Hidetoshi Fumidai, dude!"
"Fumidai ..Ah! You mean that Fumidai guy who got replaced in Haruka's photoshoot?"
"Yes. That one."
People in the crowd gossip about why such a famous person doing to our school.
[Narrator.] Hidetoshi Fumidai. Last year, at the age of 15, he popped out of nowhere and became a young artist known for possessing great talents, and on top of that, superior looks and a perfect pitched voice as his main arsenal.
Thanks to his rich and influential family, it was easy for him to debut in the entertainment industry as a young genius in the world of celebrities.
Because of his perfectly good looks and variety of talents, he only became the most demanded newcomer in the entertainment industry.
However, due to his hard to work with personality, a lot of people find him difficult to handle. From being raised in a very fortunate household, and being overly praised by his many admirers, it led him to develop an ego which made him think he's superior to everybody else.
Though he have a hard personality, his talent is certainly no joke. With his face, acting, variety of talents, especially his voice are very exceptional. In simple words, he was a very marketable talent in the entertainment industry.
Because of his market price, and the support of his die hard fans, it gave him a lot of exemptions on a bunch of controversial things that he's done in the past.
However, when he got replaced in Haruka Fumiya's photoshoot, the number one idol selected in the popularity polls, mostly everyone agreed that he deserved it. As Haruka Fujisato's influence is not much less than Fumidai's in the industry.
Because things didn't turn out the way he wanted, it took a huge hit on his ego. That is the reason why he wanted to meet the guy who apparently replaced him in the photoshoot, to see what's so good about him for thinking he alone was enough to replace him.
Thanks to a trusted anonymous source, he was able to pinpoint the location of that certain person, saying the person he's looking for could be found at a school named Hokkyokusei High School.
He wanted to prove a point, a point that he couldn't be easily replaced by some random nobody with a name he doesn't even know. And that nobody's name was... [End of narration.]
As we got closer and closer to the crowd, Mocha-san and I discovered what the commotion was all about.
At the center of the stage, there was a pretty looking boy who seemed to be just about the same age as us.
In front of the microphone, stand where he stood, he holds the microphone in his hands and announces to the crowd loudly.
"TO THE GUY WHO CALLS HIMSELF PHANTOM! SHOW YOUR SELF! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!!!"
He said with an irritated and frustrated tone, asking for a duel with a person who calls himself "Phantom."
Amongst the crowd who heard him, I, Yukiya Saito was there, ominously grinning as if, I was actually hoping for something like this to happen.
Where all eyes could see, and everything is now out on the open. Today, the world shall know mine name.
'I, am...'
...Hmm, I may have said that last line out loud.
Mocha-san thought she heard me speak, so she looked in my direction.
"M, master. Did you say something."
The moment Mocha-san turned her head ...I was no longer there to be found on the scene.
Eh? W, where did he go?" Mocha-san wonders in confusion. 'He was just here a second ago.'
Without a trace, Yukiya Saito was nowhere to be found on the scene.
On the other hand, at the center of everybody's attention, Hidetoshi Fumidai began to lash out on the stage about the guy calling himself as Phantom.
"Phantom, I already know you were here. There's no more point in hiding."
Hidetoshi Fumidai shouts as he runs out of patience.
"To think they would choose a no name nobody likes you over me. Me? Hidetoshi Fumidai? They must have been out of their minds for thinking there's someone qualified enough to even come closer to ever replacing me. I am the only person worthy enough to stand on equal footing with someone like Haruka Fujimiya, the top of the top, the best of the best! Why was someone like you chosen? Tell me why? Now!"
A minute has passed since, and there's still no sign of the guy calling himself Phantom entering the scene.
"Come on now, come and face me you coward! I'm already getting tired of waiting!"
Hidetoshi Fumidai frustratedly shouts as his patients get thinner by the second.
He then stopped and thought for a second, proceeding to resort that maybe taunting might work.
"Oh, or could it be that you're scared? What a coward." He sneered.
In the middle of Hidetoshi Fumidai's rant, a cylindrical tube, a smoke screen rolled down to his feet. With excessive smoke coming from one end, the stage got covered in smokes in a matter of seconds.
The smoke screen fogged the entirety of the stage, which caused everybody present confusion and slight panicked.
'What is going on?' is what everyone was wondering and concerned about.
"W-What's this? W, what is going on...?"
Hidetoshi Fumidai was confused about 'What is going on right now exactly? Why is there smoke? They didn't arrange for this.'
"Could this be a terrorist attack?" or so some of the onlookers at the scene were thinking out of worry.
But then,
"Kukuku... KU WHA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"
A loud and mysterious maniacal laughter echoed through the stage. But from where?
There was smoke everywhere so it was hard to pinpoint where the mysterious laughter was emitting.
The mysterious voice then spoke,
"Me? Scared? Don't make me laugh!"
The voice said, with a rough and deep tone still location unknown.
Standing at the center of the smoke confused, Hidetoshi Fumidai inquired with caution.
"W, who are you? R-reveal yourself!"
"Kukuku... KU WHA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"
Unbeknownst to everyone present for it was a blind spot, at the top of the supporting bars, the open roof of the stage, a boy in black clothing, wearing a hooded cloak was ominously standing from above.
With his back turned, he free fall head first and landed on his feet at the very last second.
With the edge of his long cloak spreading, the moment he hits the floor, the edge of his cloak fanned the smoke away from his landing spot.
When the smoke cleared out, a figure of a boy wearing black clothing, a hooded cloak and an eye covering mask was revealed standing at the center of the stage.
"Wait, you are...?"
Hidetoshi and everyone present gazed at the peculiar person in bewilderment.
The mysterious hooded person then opened his mouth and spoke,
"I am Phantom, the hero who lurks in the shadows!"
The mysterious person proclaimed, with one eye peeping through the gaps of his fingers, striking your typical Chuunibyou pose in front of everyone present.
'Are you seeing this, Mocha-san? How was my "Mysterious Character Entrance"
This sight of an anonymous/mysterious/shady character suddenly showing up unannounced with a flashy entrance. I bet everyone is wondering, who is that mysterious person? What is his purpose? He looks so cool, or so I would like to think.
Mocha-san on the crowds watching over as everything unfolds, notice that.
'W, wait... That hood... isn't that-!?'
Yes, that's right, it was the same hood Mocha-san saw on our first encounter. I'm also wearing a completely different set of "Phantom attire" that has no resemblance to our school uniform. I just recently integrated the hood on my Phantom attire cause I thought it looked more ominous and mysterious than without. With this, my "Phantom" identity has been completely reformed as the perfect mysterious character known as a shadow hero.
The reason why I disappeared on Mocha-san earlier was;
Firstly, it's fricking cool. Suddenly disappearing on someone once they turn their eyes was so mysterious character-like.
Secondly, and is probably the main reason. I have still yet to officially introduce myself as Phantom to Mocha-san so,
Remember the time I mumbled "I.. am... (mumbling)" Then suddenly disappeared on Mocha-san. It was foreshadowing when I introduced myself as "I am Phantom."
Wearing the hood she discovered from yesterday, it was an obvious hint to deduce that Phantom and I were the same person.
"Don't tell me that, Y, Yukiya-kun, and Phantom, ...are the same person!?"
With the obvious hints, Mocha-san had realized that Phantom and Yukiya Saito, are in fact the same person.
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A/N: I just compressed the two chapters because it felt it's too short.