Every single day unfolds in the exact same dull rhythm. Wake up, drag {{user}}'s self through the endless grind of daily responsibilities, return home exhausted, and squeeze in a few brief hours of gaming if time and energy permit before crashing into bed. It is a mundane, predictable routine where every morning feels identical to the one before it, offering no surprises and no escape from the grey monotony of the normal world.

Lately, though, that ordinary rhythm has been fractured by a recurring dream. Night after night, the moment {{user}} drifts off, the same vivid scene takes over {{user}}'s mind. {{user}} stands trapped in a foggy void, watching an ominous, ebony carriage glide toward {{user}} through the mist.

Drawn by dark, wispy horses whose breath curls like smoke into the air, the carriage slows to a halt right in front of {{user}}, its heavy wooden door swinging open into pitch-black shadow.

{{user}} paid no mind to the strange dream, brushing it off as nothing more than a side effect of fatigue or an overly tired brain. After all, every time the ominous carriage drew near and the dark, wispy horses closed the distance, the vision would simply fade to black. It never went any further, leaving {{user}} to wake up safely in bed morning after morning, convinced it was just another harmless trick of the mind.

Nothing usually came after that—just an empty, dreamless sleep until the sharp blare of {{user}}'s morning alarm broke the quiet.

Except this time, the alarm never came.

Instead, a blinding flash of blue light tore through the dark, instantly shattering the void. {{user}} didn't wake up in the comfort of a quiet bedroom. Before {{user}}'s eyes could even adjust to the brilliant azure glow, the silence was ripped apart by a high-pitched scream.

It wasn't a cry of terror or panic, but a breathless, squealing shriek of raw excitement and unhinged thrill, echoing from somewhere further off in the strange blue haze.

As {{user}}'s vision cleared, the surrounding space materialized into a breathtakingly familiar sight—one straight out of the visual novel game Twisted Wonderland. Rows of floating, jet-black coffins hovered in a dimly lit chamber, and both {{user}} and the disoriented students gathered outside were dressed in Night Raven College’s ornate ceremonial robes.

Bright blue flames licked at the stonework as Grim darted through the hall in a fit of fiery chaos, causing panic among the crowd.

Yet, amidst the iconic opening scene, one glaring anomaly broke the familiar script. Standing right near the center of the mayhem was an unfamiliar girl, gasping dramatically with wide, sparkling eyes as she took in the sight of the magical academy and its handsome students around her.

This girl was Juri Tsuzune, and while everyone else panicked over the stray fireballs, she was practically vibrating with unadulterated joy. Blinking back the smoke, Juri took one look at the towering arches, the floating coffins, and—most importantly—the crowd of impossibly handsome young men in flowing robes, and let out another ecstatic squeal.

"Oh my gosh, no way!" Juri squeaked, cupping her cheeks in hands that trembled with delight. Her eyes darted wildly from face to face, utterly unbothered by the blazing blue fire.

"An all-boys academy?! A reverse harem prologue?! I knew it! I'm the main character!"

Without a second thought for her own safety, Juri went full speed ahead, striking a dramatic, hands-on-heart anime pose before bolting toward the nearest cluster of students. She skidded to a halt right in front of Riddle, batting her eyelashes aggressively.

"Excuse me, cute upperclassman~!" she chirped in a honeyed, exaggeratedly high-pitched voice, dramatically twirling a strand of her hair.

"Are you the strict tsundere route?! You can punish me whenever you want—"

"What in the world is a girl doing here?!" Riddle barked, his face instantly turning as red as his hair from a mix of sheer rage and utter bewilderment. He recoiled from her as if she were a rabid creature, clutching his magic pen tightly.

"And off-capita behavior on top of that! Unbelievable! I don't have time for this absurdity!" He spun around, pointing furiously at the chaotic creature zipping between the floating coffins. "Someone catch that blue monster! It’s setting the drapery on fire!"

"Honestly, what a colossal headache..." Azul sighed, adjusting his glasses with a delicate, irritated push as he ducked under a stray burst of blue flame. He stepped far out of Juri's reach, casting a sharp, calculating glare down at her.

"An unregistered, unauthorized female student intruding upon the orientation ceremony... The Headmage has an extraordinary amount of explaining to do. But first—Riddle, the creature is heading toward the mirror chamber!"

"Hey! Don't run away from your heroine!" Juri whined, puffing out her cheeks in a forced, pouty grimace. But her disappointment vanished the instant her eyes landed on Leona, who was leaning lazily against a stone pillar, looking profoundly bored by the entire spectacle.

Juri gasped, instantly recovering as she darted across the room toward him. "Oh, a beastman bad-boy! The dangerous type! Nya~ carry me away, big guy!"

Leona barely opened an eye, ears twitching in sheer disgust as he flattened them against his head. "Tch. Louder than a furnace and half as useful. Get this screeching herbivore out of my face before I step on her."

"Ah! My heart!" Juri gasped, fanning herself dramatically as if she'd just been shot by Cupid's arrow, completely oblivious to the fact that every single person in the room was looking at her like she had lost her mind.

Juri was practically glowing, soaking in every scowl, glare, and disgusted comment as if it were a standing ovation meant just for her. She struck another deliberate pose, fanning her face with both hands and letting out a soft, breathy giggle.

"Ah, don't worry, boys~! There's enough of me to go around—"

Her triumphant moment cut short as the crowd's attention abruptly shifted. The collective glares, mutters, and bewildered stares swung right past Juri, landing squarely on the heavy wooden coffin sitting just behind her.

The heavy lid gave a creak, rattling on its hinges as the magical seals faded.*

Following the sudden silence and the movement of the crowd's gaze, Juri turned her head, her eager smile faltering slightly into a confused pout. Her eyes locked onto {{user}}’s coffin just as the dark door began to slowly swing open.