Crimson Beginnings!

As we followed the teacher, we soon reached our homeroom. Unlike the auditorium, the floor here was a deep shade of crimson red. At the entrance, two massive intricately detailed statues of owls stood guard. A little over the top and a waste of space, but I have to admit they were pretty cool looking.

Taking our seats after the teacher, the girls and I settled at the front of the class, with Yunyun to my right and Megumin to my left.

I turned towards the front of the room where the teacher was waiting for the other students to settle. I was still a little irritated from what happened earlier, and no, it wasn't because I was nervous about being in a class full of girls.

Okay... maybe it was.

I was now twelve years old, just a few years younger than when I had passed away.

So I was once again in that stage of life where I started caring about what the opposite sex thought about me. I wanted people to look at me and think I was cool… Wait, what am I talking about? What's wrong with me? When did I become so, so chuuni. No, I must be overthinking it.

It's the perfectly normal to want other to think I'm cool, right?

Yep, that must be it.

Ahem, anyway, this was only part of the reason why I felt irritated.

The other reason was that I simply wanted buddies of the same gender. While I still in school, I wanted my own friend group where I could talk about stuff I wouldn't normally chat about with my childhood friends or my parents.

But now that was out of reach, especially since I'd just learned there weren't any other guys in my generation.

As everything quieted down and the students found their places, the teacher finally began, "Before we begin today's class, let's start with introductions. I'll go first, and then the students at the front. Make sure you pay attention; this is how you'll need to introduce yourself to others in the future."

Following his instruction, the teacher took a deep breath and exhaled. Small, shiny ice crystals formed behind his back, and then he held his staff up.

"I am called Pucchin! The strongest homeroom teacher of the Crimson Demons, the one who will eventually become the principal!"

The class erupted into applause, clearly amazed by the teacher's introduction.

Yunyun and I, though, seemed to be the only ones with different reactions in the class. While the other students were impressed, I wasn't quite as taken aback. His posing was good, but not that good. He was certainly no Dio. The visual effects behind him were lacking, but considering we were inside a school building, unleashing powerful magic could result in property damage.

As for Yunyun, her face was flushed red which she covered it with her hands. She was embarrassed and nervous because she knew she would have to do the same thing next.

"Okay, settle down class," Pucchin said after he enjoying the attention he was getting. Then he pointed at Yunyun. "You go first."

Yunyun's face flushed an even deeper shade of red as all eyes turned towards her. With a shaky breath, she rose from her seat and did a cute pose. "U-um... hi, everyone. I-I'm Yunyun, and I'm... uh, excited to be here."

As Yunyun finished, she quickly sat back down and quickly hid her face behind her hands.

"Good effort, Yunyun," Pucchin-sensei consoled her.

At least she tried and I was proud of her. If it were the Yunyun I've seen in the anime, I doubt she would have stood up and introduced herself. Hmm, I'll cook her something nice later to cheer her up.

"Next."

Pucchin-sensei gestured for me to go next. I rose from my seat and with an exaggerated flick of my robes, I brought my right hand to my face, while my left hand diagonally crossed my stomach.

"I am called Hyutaro! The foremost coolest and handsomest among the Crimson Demons! And who will one day become the strongest man in the world!"

"Now that's a Crimson Demon introduction!"

After Pucchin-sensei's praise, I quickly sat down, unable to believe what I had just done. It was one of the most embarrassing moments I have ever experienced.

The applause from my classmates didn't help either. It only intensified my feelings of humiliation, as I could sense that they were genuinely impressed.

However, amidst the embarrassment I felt, another feeling surfaced. Apart from the humiliation, there was a strange sense of pride creeping in. Oh god, have I really been indoctrinated into the Crimson Demon ways?

No, I must just be tired. Haha, Yeah, yea.. That's it!

"I am called Megumin! The one who will one day become the Demon King and conquer the world!"

My attention snapped back to reality as Megumin made her dramatic proclamation. I then turned to my side where Megumin was standing as I gave her a thumbs up and started clapping as well.

"Good, good," Pucchin-sensei applauded encouragingly, regardless of Megumin's ambitious aspiration to become the Demon King.

Though he probably didn't take it seriously and thought of it as a child's fantasy. Then again, given how 'unique' Crimson Demons were, it wouldn't be entirely surprising for Pucchin-sensei to truly believe that Megumin's aspiration to become the Demon King could be a genuine ambition and had support it wholeheartedly.

Of course, none of that really mattered, as Megumin's true dream was to reach the pinnacle of explosion magic.

And I was somewhat envious of her. While she had a clear goal in mind, I still had no idea what I wanted to do in the future. The things I mentioned earlier were just the first things that popped into my head.

While it was true I was good looking.... Mhhh, now that I think about, maybe it is really true that I am the best looking among the Crimson Demons.

Ahem... anyway, I supposed I'll figure out what I want to do with my life eventually.

Just then, the next student, rose to introduce herself.

"I am called Arue, the most voluptuous among the Crimson Demons, and a future author," Arue said in an elegant manner, her demeanor exuding confidence as she spoke.

This was the eyepatch girl who had commented earlier about me and the girls being in a relationship. And of course, this wasn't true, considering I had always been mentally older than Megumin and Yunyun.

After spending most of my childhood around them, I came to view them more as little sisters than anything else.

Still, it wasn't like I was oblivious to the feelings they developed towards me.

Yunyun was, well, a little too obvious. While Megumin, on the other hand, did a better job of hiding it. Actually… I don't know. I think she just thinks of me as her personal cook.