Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 81 Mission: 01-4 Kasuga Death
Nero had expected to be surrounded by his classmates and asked all sorts of questions.

"My home is on an island called 'Fortuna'. Yes, it's the same as my last name.

"Your guesses are exaggerated. I'm not a princess. Although my grandfather was once the lord there, he gave up the title many years ago."

Nero had already prepared these half-truths, so he answered them with ease. As for the name "Nero Fortuna," it was something he had thought about and entered into the archives.

Using the name of his hometown as his surname was inspired by "Tony Redgrave". Yes, Dante did it too. The "Redgrave" behind this pseudonym is the transliteration of "Red Grave City".

As for the courses, Nero could only say that without the pressure of further studies, it was no different from leisure time, not to mention that these were basically the knowledge she had learned before.

"What was Nero's old school like?"

Another question from a classmate. Nero, maintaining a flawless smile, replied, "This may disappoint you, but I've never been to a real school before."

Everyone was shocked: "Is this true? He's such a good student?"

"Could it be a tutor?" someone speculated.

"I guess that's what nobles are like."

Humans always believe what they want to believe, even if it's far from the truth. Nero smiled and sat in her seat. Although she didn't say anything, the speculation about her identity became more and more exaggerated.

Nero couldn't help but laugh at the exaggerated flattery, but that wasn't her purpose in being so high-profile. By gathering most of her classmates around her, Nero could more easily observe if there was any demonic aura about them.

For nearly a week before school started, Nero, after visiting the "Haze" Dante had mentioned, spent most of her time searching for the demon. However, the New City was so vast that simply searching on foot was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, she followed Aine to Hanegaoka Girls' Academy, and while taking the entrance exam, she sensed a faint demonic aura.

This further solidified her belief: Aine was her biggest clue to finding the enemy.

In order to get close to these girls of the same age and inquire about information, Nero put on the mask he had used when he lived in Fortuna - a mask called "Little Saint".

She pretended to be an ordinary girl of noble birth, who was ignorant of the ways of the world, and faithfully played the role of her current character: "Rather, I came here because I was very curious about the schools in Wano Country."

Six parts novelty, three parts reserve, half excitement and half restraint. Very good, perfect, keep it up.

So, Nero asked the question that concealed his true purpose: "I heard that there are things called the 'Seven Wonders' in schools in Wano Country. Is this true?"

The girls answered in unison:
"Although there may not be seven, there will be at least a few famous ghost stories."

"Especially an all-girls school like ours."

"Oh, is that true? I didn't even know..."

"It's because Minako, you don't usually like to hear these things."

"Everyone is afraid of scaring you."

In a world where demons are real and known to everyone, a simple demonic attack isn't considered a horror story. It's more of an accident. Unfortunately, the demons lurking in this city seem particularly adept at hiding themselves, preferring to wreak havoc in the shadows. In this context, understanding the strange rumors surrounding the schools where they're most likely to appear is crucial.

After a while of laughter, someone finally gave Nero the answer he was hoping for: "Speaking of which, I heard someone in the class next door is missing."

"Is this also one of those strange stories?"

"It's true. Really, really true. They say she left the house alone one quiet night and never came back."

"Yuck! I got goosebumps."

"Did he jump into the river?"

Nero smiled faintly and replied, vaguely feeling that he should pay more attention to things like this. "Isn't it 'God Hidden'?"

But if you're going to put on a good show, you have to do it all. Nero, displaying a vague understanding of Wano culture but nonetheless a keen interest in it, asked, "I've heard that people here used to call disappearance 'Kami-in,' meaning hidden by the gods."

"Maybe it's more of a legend." someone said.

"No, this kind of thing really happened." Another person refuted seriously, "In the past, some places in Wano Country worshipped demons as gods, and those who were taken away by demons and captured to the demon world were called 'Kamikakushi'."

"Then it's better to call it 'Devil's Hide'."

"That sounds terrible."

"Are there demons in Nero-san's hometown?"

The topic was brought back to him, but since he was so prominent, it was only natural. Nero replied calmly, "Of course I have. I've seen the knights of the Order clear out demons that attacked the residents. What about Wano Country?"

"knight?!"

"Wow...it seems more and more like Nero-san lives in a completely different world."

"It's been a long time since any demons appeared here."

"Do you want to meet him?"

"Do not make jokes."

Regarding whether there are demons in Wano Country, I'd like to ask Ms. Chihaya Aine to speak for herself. Nero tilted his head slightly and saw that she had also mixed in with the trio whose hair color looked like traffic lights.

"Speaking of which, isn't there a 'Girl Who Brings Death' in our class?"

This topic caught Nero's attention and she pricked up her ears slightly.

"That's just a self-proclaimed title."

"What do you mean, chuunibyou?"

Unfortunately, no one ever mentioned the girl's true identity. Nero only vaguely understood from fragments of her words that she had declared on the first day of spring school: "Please don't come near me... You'll die."

Even when Nero expressed curiosity about the other party's identity, the others chose to laugh it off. It was unclear whether this was a collective act of protection or some kind of fearful avoidance.

So after chatting for a few more words, Nero politely declined the invitation of several people to have lunch together, picked up his lunch box, and took the initiative to look over in the direction of a certain gaze.

"Excuse me, can I join you?"

Nero asked with a smile.

The smile on Chihaya Aine's face suddenly froze.

　I was worried that everyone would run away after seeing MYGO, but now it seems to be okay?

　　It’s going to be recommended again soon, so I’ll try to ask for a follow-up reading first…

(End of this chapter)