Who The Heck Is This Girl?!

Ah, college life.

So full of energy and youthful exuberance. The clear blue sky and fragrant spring air, the numerous students strolling leisurely across the grounds, the massive structures standing tall and proud—everything felt amazing.

"Spring sure is nice." A certain dark-haired boy commented as he inhaled the fragrant scent of the blooming flowers around.

He was wearing a plain, white shirt, and his blue jeans fitted nicely. He was taller than average—about 6'2 in height—and he had a slender, slightly muscular build. His handsome face drew some appreciative looks from female students, mostly freshmen.

However, he was out of their league. After all…

'I'm finally a sophomore, baby!'

He was now in his second year of college—a well-rounded, brilliant undergrad studying his dream course.

"Hey, Matt!" Someone called out his name, causing him to snap out of his thoughts and look behind him.

His dark hair fluttered with the wind as he gazed upon his group of friends walking toward him. The guy who called his name was among them, and they increased their pace to catch up with him—though one seemed to be dragged along even though she would rather just walk normally.

"You guys…" He smiled at his friends, most of whom were already out of breath. "Didn't we decide to meet at the cafe?"

Currently, he was amid his inner circle—his closest friends in college. Since this was their first day as sophomores, they were supposed to settle in, and then meet up at their usual hangout spot.

'I mean, I was on my way there already, but—'

"Yeah, yeah, we decided to go as a group."

The excitable young man whose voice was ridiculously loud, went by the name of Nathaniel Holland, although everyone called him Nate.

"I mean, what's the harm?" This voice belonged to the blonde in their group.

She had long, attractive hair. A single twirl would cause her admirers to drool in pleasure. Her name was Queen Erica Defoe.

Yep, she was french!

Ah, and yes, her name was actually Queen—that was what practically everyone called her. Everyone except her friends, of course.

"Hahaha! I can't believe you guys are out of breath already!" The only buff member of their little group chuckled lightly.

He wasn't being condescending. That was just an expression of Hakeem's cheery personality.

That's right, Hakeem Ahmed was an foreign exchange student. His ebony skin, unusually tall stature, and his very buff physique, made him stand out quite a lot on campus. However, Hakeem was just so nice and friendly, that almost all the attention he got was because his goodwill drew people to him.

"Speak for yourself, not all of us have gasoline for blood." The final person who spoke was Nadia Clayford—a genius in her own right.

It was a mystery how she had become such an integral part of their circle, considering how she was considered by many as a snobbish girl whose only strong points were her grades. Well… her looks too.

She was flat as a washboard, but Nadia had a pretty face and nice long legs. Her pale skin also gave her this oriental and exotic vibe. According to her, she was part Asian.

"That's why you guys need to work out. Especially you, Nate. You're skinny." The grinning Hakeem chuckled even more.

"H-hey! I'm trying to bulk up, you know?" Nate responded, slightly affronted.

"By eating junk food? Please… pfft." Nadia made her comment in her usual condescending tone—though everyone in the group was used to it at this point.

"Well, Matt has a good physique, wouldn't you say?" Queen Erica gleamed as she focused on his somewhat large shoulders, as well as his lean, muscular build.

"Umu! Indeed, indeed." Nadia bobbed her head in response.

Once more, all eyes were on Matt. Their eyes scanned every part of his body, causing him to finally break his silence and laugh awkwardly.

"Haha! You guys…" Even though his palms were quite sweaty due to how uncomfortable being watched by his friends was, Matt couldn't help but give a genuine smile.

He was ecstatic, after all.

'Yes! This is my identity now.'

He was Matt Lewin—a sophomore studying Biology in the prestigious, Ivy-League, Stanford University. Surrounded by four amazing friends, living an amazing life, and enjoying the intrigue his line of study offered him, particularly regarding Evolution; Matt was living the life.

"You know, I work out a little."

His statement was followed by joint laughter from his friends, and all of them ventured to their cafe together.

Amid the laughter and the chatter, Matt's gaze was suddenly pulled away from the group.

His eyes were distracted by a girl that brushed past him. Her frame was smaller and shorter than his, as such he almost didn't notice her presence. However, something about her pulled him in and caused him to look back even after she had long walked past.

'Pink hair, those glasses, and is that a pink stuffed animal she strapped on her cardigan?' Matt thought contemplatively, wondering who still dressed in such a bizarre way in this day and age.

Her skirt was short, and her woolen sweater seemed oversized. The most intriguing part of her outfit was the stuffed bear that dangled by her side with each step she took. Sure, the pink bear matched her hair, but…

'Isn't that weird?'

They were in California, which had its own manner of oddities—usually charming—but Matt felt weirded out by her fashion choice.

'I haven't seen her around before. Is she a freshman?' He concluded that the girl had to be a newbie, considering her brazen outfit.

'Give it time and she'll get over it.' Inhaling and exhaling to calm himself, he returned to the company of his friends—not that he ever left them physically, his mind had merely wandered

He took in the lovely ambience of companionship, happy he had been successful in befriending everyone he was currently laughing with.

This was College. Loners were weirdos, and to be deemed normal, it was preferable to belong to a clique. He had struck a jackpot by getting acquainted with this crew, though.

And for that, Matt remained eternally grateful.

More laughter echoed around him; he felt nudges and pushes from his friends, and he returned the favor to them.

Pouting faces. Silly grins. Serious expressions. Non-stop chatter. It went on and on, and Matt enjoyed every second of it, this normal life he lived.

It was simply perfect.

*

*

*

"Wow. I can't believe those guys ditched me."

Matt stepped out of the school library, holding his smartphone close to his face. It was dark out already, but all his attention was on the bright surface of his phone.

On the screen, a message from Erica informed him that everyone had already gone to their dorms, as they were all exhausted.

"Those guys…" Sure, their little party at the cafe ended up being a tad stressful, and they had to go to the library for a brief study afterward, but he didn't expect to be the only one left after just a couple of hours studying.

"We didn't want to interrupt your study session. Take it easy, though. Jeez, even Nadia is calling it a night." Matt read the last message Erica sent to him with a sigh.

Had he overdone it on his first day?

'You need to be more considerate, Matt.' He thought to himself as he began walking back to his dorm.

Nadia was a bigger bookworm than he was, so she would have definitely taken longer in the library. Unfortunately, she was just as frail physically. The activities they had enjoyed during their rendezvous must have tired her out, so she needed the rest.

As for the others, they were all pretty good students—even Nate, who seemed like a flunkie, had decent grades. Sure, they didn't take studying as seriously as he and Nadia, but they weren't lazy either.

'We wouldn't be friends, if that were to be the case.' Matt grinned to himself as he quickened his pace.

It was past 9:00 PM, and his personal curfew was 10:00 PM. Nothing was going to mess up his personal schedule, absolutely nothi—!

"Martin. Martin Lewin."

Matt stopped dead in his tracks the moment he heard that name.

The voice that had spoken was melodious, but it contained a grave seriousness that gave him the jitters. However, more than the serious tone of the voice itself, what really made him stop was the name.

>CLACK, CLACK, CLACK<

He heard footsteps draw closer to him… to HIM!

'M-my former name? H-how? Who?' Matt's hands were shaking with anxiety at this point.

How long had it been since he last heard anyone call him that? His heart began racing uncontrollably, and his face took on a pale hue.

He dreaded seeing the face of whoever was calling him. Could it be someone he knew in the past? If so, how did they recognize him? Wouldn't he be admitting to it by turning back? Hold on, the fact that he had paused for this long was sufficient evidence that he was indeed the person in question.

'What should I do? What should I do? What should I—!'

Suddenly, he felt a sensation on his back. It was warm and soft, like the touch of a—

"Eeeeep!" He jumped, swiftly turning around in reflex.

What his eyes saw when he finally faced his assaulter, though, was a little underwhelming.

"U-uh… you…?" It was none other than the girl that had brushed past him in the morning.

Her pink hair swayed with the wind.

Her glasses were a bit skewed due to his swift turn, but she expertly put the thing back in its place.

Her slim stature was accentuated by her oversized sweater and bulky boots. Her stockings were nice—albeit they did not provide proper coverage, especially in the thigh area.

It was just a passing thought, but Matt wondered why this girl would wear such a short skirt on a breezy day. However, his mind soon returned to the present situation.

—HIS NAME!

"You are Martin Lewin, are you not?" She asked once more, causing him to stagger a few steps back before freezing in place.

Matt instinctively gave the most generic, unconvincing response.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." He averted his gaze from the girl as he spoke.

You know, for additional effect.

"Yes you do. It would be unwise for you to utter a lie in my presence." Her tone sounded graver this time, causing Matt to break into a nervous sweat.

"I… I…"

"These eyes of mine see through your deception. Your identity, your past, they are revealed to me."

'U-uh? Why is she talking like that?' Matt thought confusedly.

It sounded weird. Then again, even the girl's outfit was odd.

"I wasn't trying to deceive you or anything. I'm just confused about—"

"About what? My knowledge of your past? Which part causes your confusion? Your name, or perhaps something else. Something more."

The girl's eyes narrowed, causing Matt to look away uncomfortably.

As another passing thought, Matt noticed how cute the girl in front of him was. Something about her felt familiar too, but he couldn't put his finger on it, so to speak

Could it be her almond-shaped eyes? Her amber eyes? She reminded him of a certain someone, but that person never had pink hair, or wore glasses, and would never—ever—speak in such a strange manner.

Yet again, his mind returned to the present.

"What… how much do you know?"

" Be careful. Your question possesses several dimensions to it. My knowledge is—"

"How do you know my name? What else do you know about me?" Matt's patience was wearing thin, due to her vague answers.

Sure, hardly anyone was around so late at night—and even the few who walked around barely paid any attention to the two. Still, he felt like a fool for being so flustered in the presence of the girl.

"Very well. I shall tell you. Martin Lewin, I shall bestow upon you my name."

"I don't care about your—"

"Shhh…" She raised her hand to his face, stopping Matt mid-speech.

The weirdo further made a 'tsk, tsk' sound while shaking her finger in the negative. Matt felt stupid, but he could do nothing but watch.

"Once I reveal my name to you, the revelation of the truth shall finally open your eyes." Her choice of words still creeped him out, though.

'How will telling me her name… oh wait!' Matt's eyes widened, realizing this person was most likely someone from his past.

Was she someone who knew about his humiliating Chuunibyou days? No, with the way she was speaking, she had to be a Chuuni as well.

'But, I don't recall anyone else being a Chuuni back then. Argh, this is so confusing!' Matt thought to himself, a bead of sweat sliding down his right jaw.

Overcome with both fear and curiosity, Matt finally decided to be brave.

"T-tell me your name!" His voice wavered, but his eyes were steely with resolve.

Once the girl saw this, a cocky grin instantly manifested on her face. She nodded in approval, finally dropping her hand while also twirling… her hair?

Matt was so confused by this overly dramatic display, but he waited patiently.

"Dum dum dum… bshuuuu…." The girl made funny sounds, but he held his ground and waited for her answer.

"My name…"

Matt gulped.

"... is…"

He tightened his jaw and clenched his fists.

"... Violet!"

He was about to shut his eyes and tighten his ass cheeks when he suddenly paused. It took him a while to process it, but as her name kept echoing in his head, so also did the pieces start coming together.

Truly, the girl before him greatly resembled the Violet he knew in High School. A few things—well, more than a few things—were different, but…

"V-V-Violet… Chan…?!"

This really was the girl he had known all those years ago.

The one he was in love with back then. The one who broke his heart. The one who changed him.

That very same Violet was standing right in front of him, grinning sheepishly.

"Hehehehe."

Well, one could hardly call her the same.

If he didn't know any better, Matt—just like practically anyone out there—would mistake her for a Chuubibyou. But that couldn't be. Right?

RIGHT?!