I play the role of the Villain in order to be my own Hero.

Reina had a long and tiring day. She spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the academy and familiarizing herself with her surroundings. She met a lot of students and had a few short conversations with them, but they all seemed quite busy themselves. Although Reina arrives on the island late one week late, she still has two whole weeks before the start of the term.

She honestly doesn't know what to do with her spare time. She doesn't have any friends or even acquaintances in the academy, so she just spends her time wandering around aimlessly. It is a bit lonely, but she gets used to it.

Reina was walking through the hallways, heading towards her room. She is currently dressed in her uniform as she enters the academy grounds before. As a field agent trainee, she wears a black blazer with gold buttons, a white shirt, a red ribbon tie, a black skirt, white socks, and black shoes. Black pants were also provided as an option, which students may wear depending on the class or their preference.

But for now, Reina wear the skirt option.

As she was passing by the common room, she noticed a commotion. A large crowd of students had gathered, and they were all staring and whispering among themselves. Curious, Reina tried to get a better look at what was going on. She asks someone from the crowd, a brown-haired girl with glasses, "Excuse me, what's going on?"

"It's a celebrity," The girl answered.

"A celebrity?" Reina is a bit surprised. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure. Someone said that she is a foreigner, I'm just curious to know who she is." The girl replied.

"What's the name of this celebrity?" Reina was still a bit curious, so she asked another question.

"Her name is... Eva?" The girl replied, unsure of the name. "Eva Lawerence, I think?"

Reina's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat. There is no way. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but it was too late. She was already rushing forward to get a glimpse of the person.

She pushed her way through the crowd, her heart pounding in her chest as she approached the center. At last, she could see a small part of the figure. A girl with shoulder-length silver hair and blue eyes. A friend that she said goodbye to just a few weeks ago.

"Eva?" Reina couldn't help but call her name out loud.

***

Eva was surrounded by a lot of people. Most of them were just curious about her and wanted to talk to her. They kept asking her questions, and she didn't know how to handle the situation. Usually, she avoids this situation unknowingly by being polite but distant. Eva also goes outside her room when only needed, usually during the night or busy hours.

But Ryuji has asked her to meet him in the common area. Where a lot of students gather and socialize during their spare time. Eva was none the wiser and agreed. She knew she was famous now but not THIS famous. She had to admit it was overwhelming.

But Eva can't be rude and turn her back on the students' curiosity. So she does her best to answer their questions and tries to be friendly. However, as time passes, her patience grows thin. Where is Ryuji anyway? He should be here by now.

Eva was about to give up when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She looked up and saw Reina pushing her way through the crowd. Her black eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly open.

"Eva..." Reina's voice was trembling as she spoke.

"Shit," Eva cursed in her mind. She forgot about Reina again. She still hasn't told her that she'll be attending the same academy as her. Eva can only smile awkwardly at her.

***

Reina can't believe her eyes. Is this really her? Eva was wearing the white version of the uniform, so she was undoubtedly a student. How come? Isn't she supposed to be moving back to her home country in Britannia? How did she enter the same academy as her? And also, how come Eva didn't tell her anything?

Reina had so many questions and thoughts in her mind. But she just stands there, stunned. The crowd still surrounds Eva, and Reina doesn't have the courage to confront her yet. But Reina can see that Eva is trying her best to be polite to the crowd, but it is obvious that she is overwhelmed. Seeing her friend in trouble, Reina decided to help her and try to break the crowd away from her.

"Give her some space, guys. Don't you think it's too much?" Reina said with a fake smile, trying to keep her tone friendly.

"Hey, who do you think you are?"
"Yeah, stay out of this. We're just talking to her."
"Are you jealous?"

The students are being unreasonable, and it is apparent that they are not going to move away.

"I'm her friend, and the teacher asked me to fetch her. Come on, guys." It was a lie, but it was better than nothing.

The crowd didn't believe it at first, but when Eva backed up her statement, the crowd reluctantly moved away. Reina then took Eva by the hand and dragged her out of the common area, ignoring the students' complaints. She carefully led Eva out of the common area, careful not to make her cane slip or hurt her foot.

"Reina..." Eva started

"No," Reina cut her off. "You're gonna explain everything when we reach your room."

"My room is in the opposite direction... "Eva tried to correct her.

"I'll just bring you to my room, then."

"Um...okay."

Reina didn't know what to think as she led Eva to her room. It is hard to believe that she is here, standing beside her. She is happy, but she is also upset that Eva didn't tell her anything. But maybe Eva had her reasons, and she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She needs to hear her side of the story first.

"Here we are," Reina said as they reached her room. She opened the door and let Eva inside. Eva was a bit hesitant, but she walked in after a short pause. Reina followed and closed the door behind her.

The room was quiet, and neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Tea or Coffee?" Reina broke the silence.

"Uh...Tea is fine, thank you."

Reina prepared tea for the both of them and gave Eva her cup. They sat down on the chairs by the table. Reina took a sip of her tea and then looked at Eva.

"So... Are you going to explain yourself now?" Reina asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Yes..." Eva looked at the cup of tea in her hand, and she seemed a bit nervous. "It was kind of a sudden thing... I can't really explain why I am here right now. I'm sorry, but it's related to my father's work. I don't have the full details, but even if I did. I can't tell you since I don't want to compromise my father's work."

Reina could see that Eva was genuinely sorry. If it's really about her father's job, then she probably can't talk much about it, considering the nature of his work. Reina was slightly disappointed, but she also understood where Eva was coming from. She can't blame her for that. Even Reina has her own secret now, and Adele told her that under no circumstance that she should tell anyone of her involvement in the pursuit of Moonlight that day.

"Fine, I'll let it go. I'm just glad that you are here." Reina smiled.

"You're not angry?"

"Of course not, it's just that... you should have at least told me when you're here. You're a very important friend to me, and I'm happy that we're attending the same academy."

"I'm sorry..." Eva looked down at the floor.

Right now, Eva looked like a puppy with her ears down. It was cute. Usually, she was a confident and outgoing person, but at times like this, she became timid. But she felt terrible that Eva was apologizing. It wasn't really her fault, and it was not something to apologize for.

"Ehem, no. I was just being selfish. So you don't have to apologize." Reina cleared her throat, embarrassed.

"Okay..." Eva's expression lightened a little.

"With that out of the way. What happened there in the common area? Is that always like that?" Reina decided to change the topic.

"Well, no... Usually, it was just a few greetings and questions, but it was the first time it happened. I wasn't expecting it, so it was overwhelming," Eva answered.

"I see..." Reina thought for a while. "Since you're here, that means Ryuji is here, too."

When the name Ryuji was mentioned, Eva's seemed to have just realized something. "Oh, right... He wanted me to meet him in the common area."

"You forgot, didn't you?" Reina asked, already knowing the answer.

"Kind of... It's also his fault for being late. Let him wait. He's not getting my attention." Eva shrugged, looking nonchalant.

"Hahahaha..."

The mood between the two lightens as they laugh together. It was great. She had missed Eva's company, and the feeling was mutual. They continued their conversation until it was late in the afternoon.

***

"I should probably get going," Eva said as she checked the clock on the wall. "It's getting late."

"Do you need someone to escort you to your room?" Reina asked, looking concerned.

"I'll be fine. My room isn't far." Eva gave a reassuring smile.

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Reina nodded.

"See you."

Eva left the room and headed towards her own. Her room was just a few doors down the hallway. It wasn't a long walk, and she encountered no trouble. However, she could hear her phone ringing the entire time. When she checked the log, it was a message from Ryuji, and there were many of them.

Ryuji: Miss Eva, are you okay?
Ryuji: Why aren't you answering your phone?
Ryuji: Please answer.
Ryuji: Miss Eva, please forgive my lateness.
Ryuji: Please reply to me.

There were more messages like this, but Eva ignored them and put her phone away. "Serve him right," she thought. He did leave her hanging and make her deal with a crowd. But still, maybe she shouldn't be that harsh, but she's not going to admit it.

***

Two suspicious persons were wandering around the newly-opened Seria Tokyo Island's campus. One is wearing the standard issue Astral Agent uniform, while the other is disguising themselves as students. The two of them have come to this place for a very specific purpose. They're looking for someone who goes by the codename: Moonlight.

"Iori... are you sure this disguise is good enough?" The one in the standard-issue uniform whispers. He seems rather nervous and keeps checking his surrounding every five minutes.

"What's the matter, Haruto? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now." The one who disguised as a student, Iori, replied with a smug smirk.

"We are taking a huge risk without a solid intel," Haruto replied, glancing around nervously, not trusting their disguises at all. "My face is plaster on the internet right now. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out who I am."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Iori says, waving a hand dismissively. "Our disguise is pretty solid. We should be fine if we keep our heads down and don't draw attention to ourselves."

"We better be. We're here for a reason."

"Don't worry. I'm just as eager as you to get the information on Moonlight."

The two of them walk side by side, pretending to look like regular mentors and upcoming students who just happened to be visiting the campus. It's a little difficult because they don't know much about the academy, so they don't know where they're supposed to be going. They tried to act as casually as possible, but their stiff body language clearly didn't help.

"So... how are we supposed to find this person anyway?" Haruto asked, his nerves fraying. "Do you even have a plan?"

"Of course I do. Matsuka's foresight might not have given us the exact location of Moonlight, but he was able to pinpoint this island as her hideout. She must be hiding somewhere here. We just have to find her."

"That's not very helpful, you know," Haruto said, his brows furrowing. "This island is huge, and why on earth are we even searching on the school's campus first? Wouldn't she hide somewhere a bit more discrete?"

"I know that. But didn't I tell you this academy holds an Astral Weapon that could trace the remnant of any Astral Power used? She may have concealed herself, but it would be impossible for her to conceal her use of Astral Power on this island."

"Right..." Haruto muttered, remembering their briefing.

"If she ever uses her superhuman strength here, the weapon would immediately pick up the residue of her Astral Power, and we would be able to locate her easily with the weapon combined with the help of Matsuka foresight."

"Well, it sounds simple enough," Haruto admitted, his confidence returning. "Let's get this over with."

But the longer they wander on the campus, the more their frustrations grow. They've been walking around aimlessly, hoping to find some clue, but all they've found are dead ends and wasted time.

"Dammit, where is this weapon?" Iori hisses in frustration, kicking at the ground in irritation. They search every lab in the building but still with no luck. "This is starting to get annoying."

"Relax," Haruto says, trying to soothe her. "This is only the first day. We've still got plenty of time."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to wear this damn outfit."

Haruto ignores her and continues walking down the corridor, his eyes darting around.

"Excuse me? Are you both lost? Do you need any help?" A sudden voice stops Haruto and Iori on their track. The two of them turned to see a young girl with shoulder-length silver hair and blue eyes approaching them. She is holding a walking cane in one hand, and she seems to be looking at them curiously.

"Shit." Both of them cursed in their mind.