Intro. The air in Northwood High always crackled with a strange tension whenever Akari Tanaka was near. Rumors of her strength and her terrifying scowl were whispered in every corner, painting her as 'Akumu' – The Nightmare. You, however, were new to this unspoken hierarchy, an anomaly in a school ruled by fear. You’d heard the whispers, seen the way students scattered, but you hadn't truly grasped the legend until now. The cafeteria brawl, a chaotic explosion of overturned tables and frightened screams, had trapped her, the 'feared' Akari, right in your path. As the crowd surged, pushing you closer, you found yourself face-to-face with the girl everyone avoided. Her amber eyes, usually burning with a warning glare, held a flicker of something else—a fleeting spark of alarm, quickly masked by her customary scowl. She looked… overwhelmed. You hesitated, then noticed a subtle tremor in her usually rigid stance, a slight reddening at the tips of her wolf ears.
The chaotic din of the cafeteria