Japan, Monday morning. A time when most people woke up early, got ready, and started their day. Unfortunately, Nozomi Nakagawa wasn't, in more ways than one. She could be seen running alongside Seiza as her life depended on it. Considering her teacher for the first period was Manabu Kibishi, it might not be a complete exaggeration depending on her mood.

Late, late, late! Must. Keep. On. Running! Nozomi thought as she ran nonstop to school. She risked arriving late for the second time this week.

Inside the school, Nozomi dropped to her knees running straight from her house to school, barely stopping to breathe. "Phew...made...it." Once she caught her breath enough to not pass out, she slowly got up and slid the classroom door slightly open to see carefully if she could sneak past the teacher. To her surprise, the teacher wasn't anywhere inside her class.

Has the teacher not arrived yet? Lucky! Nozomi thought with a smile before sliding the door open and stepping inside her classroom.

Inside, Nozomi was greeted by her best friend, Yoshino Kettei, who waved at her with a small smile from her seat.

As she sat, all the adrenaline in Nozomi's body vanished as exhaustion set in. "Let me guess...you forgot to set the alarm?" Yoshino teased with a grin.

When Nozomi was about to reply with a "Maybe," Seiza responded for her. "Yes," he said plainly, playing along with Yoshino's tease while containing a smile of his own.

Shocked by the betrayal, Nozomi lightly shook her schoolbag, which contained Seiza. "Seizaaaa!" she groaned, prompting her two friends to giggle.

After her friends calmed down from their teasing, Nozomi was reminded she hadn't eaten breakfast yet by her growling stomach. She sighed in relief that it wasn't loud enough to overpower the classroom noise before the first period. Otherwise, Seiza and Yoshino would have heard it, and she'd be blushing red with embarrassment.

As she finally tasted her breakfast, Nozomi remembered an urgent question she needed to ask Yoshino. "Hey, Yoshino...how's Henry, is he alright?" she asked, nervously biting her lip. This was the third time she'd asked since encountering him on the train.

Seiza's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah, is your uncle okay? Did...his limbs finally regrow?" he asked, calmer than Nozomi.

Yoshino's smile disappeared as she looked away from them and nodded. "He's...fine, I guess?" she shrugged before sighing. "He has recovered both his missing limbs and was able to eat breakfast with everyone at the table fine enough..." Yoshino trailed off, her expression turning to a frown.

"But...?" Nozomi asked with bated breath, knowing there was more.

Yoshino's expression grew frustrated as she scratched the back of her neck. "But, I could see how much of...everything he did required more effort than usual. The fact that he lied, saying he was fine when I asked if he was alright, just makes me want to scream, y'know?"

Nozomi looked down with a slightly guilty expression, her appetite vanishing. Even though she had promised Yoshino she wouldn't blame herself for what happened to Henry, it still saddened her knowing he was in pain because of her actions. "I...hope he truly recovers soon."

Noticing Nozomi's reaction, Yoshino swiftly tried to fix her mistake. "With that said...considering he's already regrown his limbs, I think he should be close to recovery by now." Yoshino nodded. "He seemed more energetic as I left home."

Nozomi wasn't sure if Yoshino was truthful, but chose to believe her, respecting her friend's attempt to make her feel better and uphold their promise. "I see..." Nozomi managed a small smile. "That's good..." she muttered, continuing her breakfast with her appetite returning somewhat.

When the classroom door slid open, Nozomi sighed in relief over finishing her breakfast just in time, although she couldn't properly enjoy it.

Laying eyes on Manabu as she entered, Nozomi was surprised at her appearance. Whereas once her teacher had the ideal look, this time it wasn't the case. Manabu's hair was messy, her posture improper, her clothes appeared hastily put on, and she had a bad odor of trash. Her tired frustration and a small wooden stick stuck in her hair convinced Nozomi not to ask what happened, fearing the consequences of such an act.

"Hello class, how's everybody doing? Well, I'm not doing well, so I hope we won't have any problems today. Otherwise, we might have some early suspensions this year, understood?" Manabu said, directing a forced cheerful expression at Nozomi, prompting her to nod reflexively.

Manubu clasped her hands. "Good, now with that out of the way, it's time for you guys to meet your new classmates. You guys can come in now," Manabu declared, turning to the classroom door as the students followed suit.

Stolen novel; please report.

As the door slid open, three people entered, standing side-by-side in front of the class. Nozomi noticed how different and strange each looked from one another.

From left to right, the first, and least strange to Nozomi, had fierce brown eyes and a bored expression as if she'd rather be elsewhere. Her lax posture with one hand in a pocket and the other carrying a schoolbag over the shoulder made it obvious. Long messy brown hair reached her waist, suggesting she came out of a forest. A small wooden stick and a few green leaves stuck in her hair made it a real possibility. Even her uniform wasn't spared; Nozomi noted stitches in the shoulder parts of her sleeves, implying they had been ripped and reattached.

If Nozomi had to describe a delinquent, this wouldn't be far off. They even had the build for it—not monstrously muscular, but someone who could lift Nozomi by the uniform collar with one hand without breaking a sweat.

Yet, she was still less strange than the other two entrants. The second one, standing in the middle, looked the most normal at first glance. Almost everything about her—from her expression to her uniform—was a contrast to the delinquent beside her. Her dark green eyes and hair, the latter in a ponytail, the inviting smile, and how she held her schoolbag by the top handle were eye-catching.

Nozomi could only describe her as the perfect model student—someone who could easily become class president if desired.

Yet, something seemed off. Her face gave a plastic-like impression to Nozomi, and her eyes looked glassy, almost like a doll made to resemble a human convincingly. Nozomi waved those thoughts off as ridiculous and rude, given she seemed the most approachable of the three.

Then there was the final classmate. She had long, lanky limbs, making her look anorexic and noticeably taller than the other two new stundents. Her long black hair barely missed the ground, covering most of her face except for one eye, which Nozomi realized never blinked.

Nozomi knew it was mean to judge a classmate by appearance, but she looked like the monster from a horror movie she and Yoshino secretly watched as kids. It introduced Nozomi to the horror genre and sparked her interest. What was the name of that movie again...oh, yeah, The Child of the Well! Nozomi thought nostalgically.

Although admittedly creepy, on closer inspection, Nozomi noticed the girl's body language: how she held her schoolbag in front, how her eyes only stayed in one place briefly before darting elsewhere, as if afraid someone would think she was staring. It painted a picture of someone shy, if not outright nervous about those around.

It made her seem friendlier than her appearance suggested, or at least to Nozomi.

"Now, introduce yourselves...without being rude, please," Manabu instructed the transfer students sternly. Nozomi felt the last part was directed at the delinquent.

The delinquent muttered something while rolling her eyes and stepped forth, but Nozomi couldn't hear it. "Heiwa Rea, fifteen years old, transferring from Kosakana public school," she declared, looking away dismissively.

"Hey, did y'know? I've heard a rumor she went to prison for assault!"

"Really? Why is someone like her allowed here?"

"Scary! I think she looked at me for a second!"

Nozomi felt uncomfortable hearing such negative comments from her classmates about someone they didn't know.

After Rea sat in the front under Manabu's eyes, the green-haired student introduced herself with a polite bow and an odd smile. "Hagurama Yvy, fourteen years old, an exchange student from Brazil. My hobbies include gardening, soccer, and music."

"I look forward to this year with you all," Yvy concluded with another bow.

"Wait, isn't there a corporation with Hagurama in the name?"

"I think my mom just bought a coffee machine from them."

"I heard her dad is the CEO!"

Nozomi wasn't sure what to make of these whispers about the new student. They weren't mean like the ones directed at Rea, but they weren't much better as her classmates seemed more interested in what surrounded Yvy than in herself.

When Yvy sat, the last student stepped forth, taking a deep breath before nervously introducing herself and bowing. Her hair touched the ground. "Jea-, I mean, Thurston Jean! I'm fourteen and an exchange student from the USA, state of Ohio. I like comic books, b-but I also do not mind reading or watching other things."

"P-please take care of me!" Jean finished with a bow similar to Yvy's, but less graceful and confident.

"Creepy, what's wrong with her arms and legs?"

"Yeah...I'd rather take my chances with the delinquent."

"I pray I never ended up alone in a room with her!"

Nozomi felt upset by these whispers. Even if Jean looked unsettling, it felt uncalled for. It didn't help that her introduction reminded Nozomi of her own when she was younger, particularly the nerves.

After Jean sat beside Yvy, Seiza whispered to Nozomi from her schoolbag. "Psst, Nozomi."

"Uh? What is it, Seiza?" she asked, surprised he'd risk breaking cover.

"I saw zodiac signs glowing above two of them. They have the potential to become magical girls," Seiza declared quietly.

"Eh?" Nozomi whispered, surprised at the sudden reveal of two potential magical girls. Her eyes widened.

"But that's not all...the girl with the green hair, Yvy...I can't see her sign at all," Seiza whispered, almost flipping out and risking exposure.

Nozomi couldn't blame him as the revelation nearly made her yell, though she suppressed it, spurred by Manabu's earlier threat. All her surprise channeled inward. WHAT?! she thought, eyes wide like saucers.

She didn't need to be a genius to know life was about to get more hectic.

As Manabu pulled out her Homeroom book to start class, Nozomi and her classmates prepared. She calmed herself down just in time, avoiding suspicion.

Seiza moved out of the way so she could grab her Homeroom book. Nozomi saw a small note with Outsider's number on it. She mentally scolded herself for forgetting to discuss it with Yoshino and made a note to talk about it when possible.

"Now...Nakagawa Nozomi, could you tell us what we learned last class?"

Nozomi's eyes widened, unprepared for her name to be called. As she stood, her mind drew a blank on the last class's content. "O-oh, yes! Hmm...Er..."

She ended up making a fool of herself. The recent stressful experiences made it difficult to remember Manabu's lessons. Seriously...why me? Nozomi thought in frustration as she sat back down.