A Monster Goes To School

Looking into the mirror for the umpteenth time this morning, I looked over the tight, yet perfect sized uniform. It was lucky that my older sister had made me get all kinds of sizes just in case I entered some crazy growth spurt throughout high school.

I'd called her crazy for thinking I'd grow a few inches overnight...but it would seem that her thoughts weren't without merit.

Though there's no way she could ever think I'd be sent to hell and back to get those few inches in height. Ruffling my now black hair I looked over my new appearance and wondered...how am I going to explain this to people? My original appearance was brown hair and brown eyes. Now my hairs gone as pitch black as that Wolf's fur and my eyes are just as bright and wild-looking as well.

...This is truly an annoying conundrum.

[Master,] a voice spoke in my head yet it didn't startle me - I'd been dealing with it since last night when I woke up and saw the changes in my body. It connected some time after the cards appearing. Said something about finally having verified that I was a worthy host.

Sighing, I answered, "For the last time; call me Ikki," I said, feeling odd when it called me 'Master'. Not in the 'I have a cute girl who keeps calling me master and it's embarrassing' way but rather the 'I have another sentient being calling me master and it's making me uncomfortable' way. I don't know but it just does.

[...Ikki, we must talk about your new body's state,] it's serious monotone voice in my head caused me to concentrate on it as it carried on with a gesture from me, [You're no longer fully human, Ikki. You're part Monster, making you a Human-Monster Hybrid. This has only brought advantages to you. Your body is over 12 times more powerful, and you have awakened Monster Mana which can be used to protect your body from magical-based damage. This state as been reached the way you thought it has - through the monster meat you ate. I would also like to advise you to eat as much monster meat as possible. The more you eat, the stronger your body will get and eventually, you may undergo an evolution of some kind.]

"Evolution? Into what?" I asked, seriously. Not scared, just curious. Evolution in these sorts of settings usually goes hand-in-hand with gaining more power.

[A higher-form of life. You remember the information on Angels, yes? How they go from 2-Winged Angels, to Four, then to 6, and so on? That is what will be happening to you. Right now you are the Human-Monster equivalent to a 2-Winged Angel. Though you probably have more power because of your skills--] before it could carry on, I cut it off with narrowed eyes.

"Skills? Like my Innate Ability? But why use a plural? I only have one ability," I said, wanting answers on a discrepancy I'd found in the Sacred Gear's words.

[...You have more than one skill, Ikki. You gained them from eating the monster flesh.]

"And why didn't you tell me this last night?" I asked, a sharp tone to my voice.

[Because you told me to, and I quote, 'Screw off so I can sleep!'. Do you wish for me to ignore such orders in the future?] it innocently asked but I could sense the sass coming off of it. It truly is a damn sentient being if it can use sass. Goddammit.

"Can you just tell me my new skills instead of being clever? Please?" I asked, my patience wearing thin. Though that did trouble me because I'd usually been such a patient guy but right now I felt anger boiling just under the surface of my skin, begging to be let out. Maybe this is a side-effect of being part monster?

[Certainly, Ikki,] it said, probably sensing my anger itself and carried on, [Upon surviving the consumption of monster flesh, you gained a skill called {Devour}. This allowed you to gain power off of the monster you ate, while also gaining two of it's skills. One active and another passive. The active you gained was {Beginner Electrokinesis} which allows you to generate and use low-levels of electricity. The passive is something called {Iron Bones} it is a basic passive that most monsters have and gives them, and you, very strong bones that scale off of the amount of Monster Mana you have in your body. The more you have, the stronger your bones.]

I felt a stream of knowledge enter my head and suddenly, I had arcs of dark blue electricity flowing up and down, all over my arm.

It didn't damage my school uniform, luckily, but that didn't stop me from raising my eyebrows in shock. Which was practically my new equivalent of jumping away in shock and exclaiming - my new mind didn't let me feel much shock or surprise, really, so raising my eyebrows was already quite a lot of shock.

I reached toward some coins on my desk and touch one of them. Remembering something from an anime, I used what little control I had and sent a burst of electricity down my arm in a ring-like shape and into the coin, which went flying as a blur and into the wall behind it, embedding itself half-way into the wall. The destructive potential of this ability...even I could see it. It would be a good offensive skill to use.

Especially seeing as magic was actually a thing.

"Can you tell me how strong my body is, or do I need to go and test that out on my own?" I asked, flexing my fist as I looked at it, feeling the power coursing through my veins.

[I can tell you. I doubt you would be able to get a real test at a regular gym, anyway, Ikki. Your strength is out of the realm of normalcy now,] it's monotone voice was slowly becoming more...informal, I guess you could call it? Anyway, it carried on, [Your strength would allow you to lift something around 1000kg or a ton in weight.]

"...1000kg? Damn," was all I could as I smiled. Looking up at the clock I saw that it was nearly time to head to school, causing an annoyed frown to prop up on my face, "Damn."

And with that, I got on my way to school.

. . .

Walking into the gate was...an experience. Like I've said before, I was decently handsome but with my new appearance? I was on the same level as Yuuto. I was practically Idol-level. And if Yuuto was the Prince Charming, I looked more like some kind of bad boy who wanted to steal your girl.

...Not that I wanted to. It's just what I look like, I swear!

Anyway...the girls looked at me with hearts in their eyes, while they whispered to each other, asking about who I was. That made me raise my eyebrow in surprise - did the facial changes really make me look that much different? It would seem so because as I was about to enter the school building, the Student Council President stopped me.

"And who might you be?" she asked, her glasses glinting a little under the morning sun. She gave off a stern aura and with my sensing capabilities...she was actually making my body feel the need to run.

...Interesting. I wonder, what kind of power do you have, Prez?

But having to prove my identity? Well, that took me away from my curiosity as I dragged a hand across my face, "It's me, Prez...it's Nagumo," I said and almost instantly, Souna* lost her cool and exclaimed.

(*A/N - Souna is Sona's human alias. It'll get changed when he finds out who she is.)

"Ikki! Ikki Nagumo?!" she gave out a shout and people began to look, some people from my class looking at me in shock before whispering to their friends. I quickly grabbed Souna by the shoulder before dragging her inside. She seemed surprised by my strength and I was surprised by hers...which was weird.

She's a normal girl, right?

...Or could she be one of the three races?

Oblivious to my thoughts, her purple eyes looked up at me, narrowing as she pushed up her glasses before she questioned me, "How can you be Ikki Nagumo? He has brown hair and eyes, while you do not. Neither is he as tall and broad as you!" she said, sounding like some kind of detective listing off evidence. Not that I can blame her because it truly does look like I am impersonating my old self.

Knowing I had to bring out the big guns, I smiled before leaning against the wall and speaking, "If I weren't Ikki Nagumo...how would I know that you have a hobby of baking cakes and that you use the Culinary Room every Friday evening to practice your hobby?" I asked and from her twitching eyebrow...I knew I'd somewhat convinced/annoyed her. Knowing I'd have to explain some more, I shrugged as I carried on, "And me being taller and broader? I had a growth spurt. Dyed my hair yesterday as well. My eyes...well, I don't know what happened to them. They were just different when I woke up," I said before standing up from my leaning position, "This should be good enough, right, Prez?"

Souna went quiet for a while before pointing up at me, "Don't ever mention my...hobby, ever again! We had a deal!" she pouted, which was...adorable, before she walked past me and back to her usual post outside the school building.

As she walked past me, I asked Dungeon Master if they knew what Souna was. The answer gave me a bit of a surprise.

[She's a Devil, Ikki. That doesn't make her bad - my hosts have met Devils in the past. They're a lot like Humans; there are bad Devils and good Devils. I would recommend to play it by ear for now. You don't want to jump to conclusion and hurt someone you consider a friend,] it said and I nodded.

What Dungeon Master said had some clarity to it. I shouldn't judge Souna just because of her race. That'd genuinely make me a racist.

Resting my arms a little, I felt that it was quite hard to control my strength right now. Though I had been assured that it would slowly sort itself out, I didn't exactly want to break the class door if I swing it open too hard.

Shaking my head, I guess I just had to hope that someone opened the door before me so I could slip in.

Getting on my way to class, I made it there in no time, my enhanced body being able to make supremely easy work of the journey But when I got to the class, I bumped into someone who was absentmindedly walking about. It turned out to be one of the few people I didn't want to see today because they'd notice the most changes.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there," Yuuto laughed, trying to cover up whatever worry he had on his face. When he looked up to my face he paused for a moment before speaking, "Do...do I know you?" he asked, unsure. But I could tell he'd already recognized me and simply wanted me to confirm it.

"It's me, Yuuto. It's Ikki," I said, sighing. I knew he'd find out in class - we were in the same class, after all, and the teacher calls out our names for Homeroom. But I at least didn't want to suffer getting questioned so much this morning. Guess there's no rest for the wicked, huh? Or Human-Monster hybrids in this case.

His shocked face which was soon filled with an urgent curiosity pretty much confirmed that.

Goddammit.

(A/N - Right now I'm writing two stories and I'm deciding which one to continue writing. Whichever one has more collections will be focused on. This one is currently in the lead but the other one is only like 5 collections behind. Please go and give the other one a look (click on my profile and go and read it) and then give me some feedback on which one you'd rather see.)