(Hachiman POV)
Morning
On the Road
I am walking along a road that leads to Kuoh Academy. Today is my first day of school, and the first time in years that I've put on a school uniform again.
I check the uniform; the quality is decent, fitting for a prestigious school. Externally, it's not much different from the uniforms in my old world, just with a bit more flair. A black blazer with white trim, worn over a long-sleeved white button-down shirt with vertical pinstripes, a black ribbon at the collar, matching black trousers, and brown leather shoes.
I've heard that Kuoh Academy was originally an all-girls private school, but it went co-ed shortly after.
As for the reason behind that change, I can take a pretty good guess. It's likely due to the influence of the Gremory and Sitri families, who stepped in to govern this territory after the previous owner. I don't know who that was, because Azazel only told me this much.
High-ranking devils who want to operate in the human world usually choose to set up a base in a form that blends in perfectly with human society. And what blends in better than a school? It's a place where people coming and going is normal, there's an excuse for gatherings without being suspicious, and most importantly, it provides the perfect front of ordinary human students.
Especially after hearing about the Evil Piece system and Rating Games, I'm even more convinced that this might be their true reason for holing up at this school.
To put it bluntly, it's essentially a 'personnel breeding farm.' In other words, this school is a front for screening humans worthy enough to become 'servants.'
As I walk, uninvited memories suddenly float to the surface. Images of the road on the first day of a new term at Sobu High, the scent of cherry blossoms blooming during that same season. It was another beginning of youth—and at the same time, its end.
'This time, even if I get hit by a car, I won't die—no, I wonder if the car would even reach me.'
The current me is vastly different from before. You could say it's a total night-and-day difference.
After walking for a while, the road gradually becomes more crowded with students as the school gets closer. Most walk in groups of two or three; some groups are laughing merrily, while others are staring intensely at their phones.
Then, my eyes catch the uniform of a girl walking nearby. Even though I've seen illustrations in books before...
'The author of this story must have a real obsession with that part to design clothes like this.'
The female uniform consists of a long-sleeved white button-down shirt with vertical pinstripes, a black ribbon at the collar, a black shoulder cape, and a matching black buttoned corset. This is paired with a magenta skirt with a white petticoat underneath.
Overall, the most prominent feature is definitely the chest. The combination of the shoulder cape and the black waist corset makes the white shirt exposed between them stand out exceptionally well due to the perfect color contrast.
'Quite the fan service for the protagonist, isn't it?'
Why do I say that?
Like I mentioned before, the protagonist of this story is a lost cause whose head is filled with nothing but breasts. Designing a uniform that intentionally emphasizes curves and highlights strategic points this clearly is no coincidence. It's a calculated composition designed specifically to cater to that guy's carnal hunger.
'This isn't just a school uniform anymore; it's a clearly calculated visual trap.'
If this were the old Hachiman, I would have turned my head away in disgust, grumbling in my heart about the moral decay of the school. But the current me can't really accuse him like that anymore, Because the ladder I've climbed… is many times higher than his
Even so, having to spend a life that I barely managed to save being entangled in a world driven by this kind of lust-fueled logic... it's the most disastrous waste of life capital I've ever encountered.
The more I think back to when I read Zaimokuza's manga and had to close it immediately because I couldn't stand the protagonist's horniness, the more I want to go back, return my enrollment form, and just go sleep at the safe house.
"What an utterly irrational world..."
I mutter while letting out a heavy sigh. The gaze I cast upon the groups of girls walking past doesn't have a hint of lust in it. Instead, it's the look of someone analyzing the 'misfortune' about to occur. If this beauty, crafted to please the protagonist, is the starting point of the plot, then this very beauty is what will lead me to a disaster more real than the devil world I just fled from.
.
.
.
Finally, I've arrived at the school gate. I have to say, it's 'huge.' But it's understandable; within the walls of Kuoh Academy, there are multiple levels: elementary, secondary, and college. So it's no surprise it's so vast.
The architectural style is like a top-tier European university or private school, blending modern buildings with ancient structures.
I slightly adjust the black bracelet on my left wrist, feeling the magic working faintly but constantly. It perfectly suppresses the energy leaking from my body, making me look no different from an ordinary human in everyone's eyes—whether they are human or not.
"Hey, look at that guy. Who is he?"
"Where? Oh! You're right. I've never seen his face before."
"Maybe a new student?"
Hmm... it seems my appearance has attracted a group of girls. Honestly, normally they shouldn't even notice me? In my old world, whenever I walked around, people wouldn't pay attention unless they really knew me. At that point, I had developed another one of my 108 loner skills: 'Invisible Hikki.' This skill erases one's existence from the surroundings.
So why isn't it working?
Maybe it's the appearance. Right now, my body isn't normal... yeah, it's really not normal from my perspective. Taller than average, more muscle mass. The most striking parts are probably the left eye color and the patches of white hair at the front.
'Hmph... it seems in this situation, the 'Invisible Hikki' skill is useless.'
"But... he looks kind of rough, doesn't he? Like a delinquent. Or maybe he's some dangerous guy who transferred from another school?"
"Oh, come on, you're overthinking it. He's way better than the Perverted Trio of our school."
Another girl quickly retorted, looking at me with a different kind of gaze, her cheeks slightly flushed and breathing a bit heavily.
"Besides, looking closely, he's actually quite cool. A rugged, manly kind of handsome... he has this aura that's hard to describe. Just imagining those sharp eyes staring at me while he speaks cynically or scolds me harshly... my body feels strange... Eek!"
...Hello? Are these girls masochists or something?
I pretend to walk past as if I didn't hear anything, but I'm screaming on the inside. Normally, the look I'd get from girls would be like they're looking at wet trash or some disgusting creature. But in this world, a body bathed in blood and tears from experiments for a whole year has turned my 'villainous aura' into a charm that attracts girls with weird tastes.
'Ruggedly handsome? Manly? Talking down to you makes your body feel strange? Do you girls see me as some R-rated movie protagonist?'
That 'body feeling strange' part—please save that for your future boyfriend. Don't use it on a new student who just wants to walk to class quietly.
Truly fitting for an ecchi series. Even the background characters are like this; how extreme will the main ones be?
It's starting to get scary—oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not afraid of them. I'm afraid of myself, because of some stupid influence inside me.
Speaking of which, it's happening.
After hearing that girl's words, my symptoms started acting up again.
"Ugh... ha... ha..."
'Dammit, why now!'
My body starts feeling strangely hot and moves according to instinct. Whenever this happens, that cursed symbol appears in my left eye. I quickly close that eye, afraid someone might notice.
'Curse these devil cells!' I really hate this.
Luckily, they aren't as charming as her. Otherwise... I really don't know what would happen next.
I quicken my pace slightly, trying to shake off those creepy whispers. The 'Invisible Hikki' skill I was once proud of truly died along with the car that hit me that day. Now, I've become the center of attention in the worst way possible... the way someone like Hikigaya Hachiman hates to the core.
If fading into the background is this hard, I'll just have to keep my 'dead fish eyes' face as stoic as possible. At the very least, it's to prevent those girls' imaginations from running any wilder, before I become even more of a visual prey.
Alright, the faculty room is next... I hope the teachers here aren't the type to exploit student labor like that iron-fisted teacher in my old world.
{BREAK}
.
.
.
"Okay, that's enough for now. You can follow me then."
"Yes, sir."
After the stiflingly awkward conversation in the faculty room ended, I followed the back of my homeroom teacher out into the hallway. My teacher's name was—I've already forgotten, but it's not important. What matters is that he asked all the right questions, and I gave all the right answers.
(Flashback)
"You transferred from the countryside? What's your reason for choosing this place?"
"My guardians moved to this city for work. This school is closest to home."
"Did your whole family move together?"
"Yes, but they're currently busy unpacking, so they couldn't come today."
Every answer was smooth, no stumbles, no hesitation. Because Azazel had prepared a background story so complete I could memorize it by heart—including fake parents' names, a fake address, and a fake academic record. Everything was consistent, for which I felt slightly grateful.
"Hmm.. I see. If you need anything, feel free to ask."
"Thank you."
(End Flashback)
I walk two steps behind the teacher, my eyes scanning the hallway out of trained instinct, evaluating exits, blind spots, and points of interest.
A long hallway with windows lining one side. The morning light streams in intermittently, making the polished stone floor alternate between shine and shadow all along the way.
This school is extremely well-maintained—better than what tuition fees alone could cover.
Thud... thud... thud...
'Hm?'
I shift my gaze forward, following the rhythmic sound of shoes hitting the floor.
And then I see a woman.
She is coming from the opposite direction.
Long black hair reaching her waist tied in a high ponytail. Each strand looks so unnervingly smooth that it's surprising not a single one is frizzy or out of place. A fair face with sharp features that remind one of a statue more than a real human. Deep violet eyes looking straight ahead without any distracting emotions. She walks upright with a posture that says she knows every square inch of this hallway better than anyone.
She is beautiful in a way I don't want to admit. That provocative hourglass figure is prime eye candy for any man. And besides, that part is...
'....Isn't that a bit too big?'
She sees the teacher first, pauses her step slightly, and bows politely.
"Good morning, Kawaii-sensei."
"Ah, good morning, Himejima-chan. Where are you off to so early?"
"Club business," she replies briefly with a fake smile. Then, her gaze naturally slides to me.
In that moment of close observation, a memory of a book cover I once glanced at flashes through my mind.
'This woman is likely one of the main characters in the protagonist's harem.'
Two seconds. No more than that.
I nod my head as a courtesy between strangers.
And she nods back in return.
Then, she continues walking toward where she came from.
I continue following the teacher.
As we pass each other...
'Huh?'
My left eye perceives something that forces me to refocus my attention back on her.
the flow of energy reflected through the lens of my left eye makes me frown. Normally, devils have a murky and heavy aura like what I sensed from the Gremory family. But within this woman, there are two completely conflicting flows of energy circulating. One is the darkness of a devil, but the other is a spark of light that is both brilliant and somber at the same time... An aura of a Fallen Angel?
'Strange... she has the power of two opposite poles mixed together... a reincarnated devil?'
There is no other explanation. Is she originally from the Fallen Angel race? Before being turned into a devil servant.
…By the way, her aura feels kind of strangely familiar… like that old Vice Governor guy.
Well... whatever. It's probably just my imagination.
"Alright, we're here."
Room sign: Year 2, Class B
"Wait here for a moment. When I call you, just come in."
"Understood."
I sigh... I feel a bit nervous. I hope this first greeting doesn't fail.
{Break}
~Third Person POV~
Year 2, Class B
Inside the classroom, the atmosphere is filled with the typical morning chaos before homeroom starts. If one observes closely, there is a clear imbalance in the number of students. Since Kuoh Academy was originally an all-girls school, the ratio of female students in the room significantly outnumbers the males.
Groups of girls are scattered in corners talking about fashion and nonsense, while the boys, being the 'minority,' tend to huddle together to create their own little empire.
And in one corner of the room, the empire famous for being the most 'degenerate' in the school is holding a strict meeting.
"Hey guys, have you heard the rumors everyone's buzzing about downstairs? That a new student is transferring into our class today!"
A bespectacled boy with a professor-level database on women opened the topic. His name is Motohama.
"Huh? A new student?.... Seriously! What's the intel? Male or female!? If it's a Grade-A beauty, I won't let those guys from other classes beat us to the punch!"
A boy with a buzz cut immediately snapped his head around, eyes sparkling. He is Matsuda.
"Yeah, Motohama! What's the data? How beautiful? What cup size!?"
And another brown-haired man, the leader of the group sitting with his chin in his hand, eyes suddenly wide. He took a deep breath as if trying to catch the scent of possibility. He is the protagonist of the story, Issei Hyoudou.
"If it's a cute girl sent by God to be my first girlfriend in this school... Ohhh! Just thinking about it makes my body feel energized!"
Issei asked with a voice full of undisguised expectation.
"Calm down, guys..."
Motohama adjusted his glasses with a serious face. "The intel I got is still vague. I heard the girls at the school gate gossiping that he's 'rough,' or 'like a delinquent,' and some even said he's 'dangerously cool'."
"Wait a sec..." Issei paused. "If those girls are saying that... does that mean it's a 'guy'?"
"No way!"
Matsuda slammed the table in disappointment. "Dammit! If it's some handsome guy coming to steal our already low rating, I hope he stays single for the rest of his life!"
"You guys worry too much." Issei shook his head with a superior look. "No matter how handsome he is, if he doesn't have a powerful 'perverted spirit' like us, there's no way he can reach the hearts of the girls in this school. Right?"
While the trio was arguing over nonsense, the sound of the front door sliding open rang out.
Rattle!
The homeroom teacher walked into the room and cleared his throat once to get everyone's attention.
"Alright everyone, take your seats. Today, as many of you probably know... we have a new friend joining us from today onwards."
At the teacher's words, the whole room went silent. Every pair of eyes was fixed on that wooden door with various feelings. The group of girls started whispering about the handsome guy they saw at the front of the school, while Issei's group could only glare as if they wanted to devour the new member about to step onto this chessboard.
"Come in, Hikigaya-kun."
Behind the door
Hikigaya took a deep breath before stepping through the door into the classroom for the first time.
Thud... thud... thud...
When the boy's figure stepped past the threshold, the room that was once noisy suddenly fell into a moment of silence, as if everyone was processing the person in front of them.
Hachiman's current appearance has an aura completely different from a typical high school student. His above-average height and the muscles hidden under his black blazer made him look like a tiger that had wandered into a flock of sheep. The white patches in his hair and his cold dead-fish eyes only reinforced the 'rough' image from the rumors.
"Whoa... he's the real deal."
Matsuda muttered while staring at the new member with a mix of envy and awe.
"Tch! This guy clearly has a dangerous aura. Look at his face; it's like he's ready to fight everyone at any moment."
Issei gritted his teeth, thinking that his plan to find a girlfriend might have just gotten even harder.
Meanwhile, the girls' side had a completely opposite reaction. Whispers broke out along with faces starting to blush.
"That's the guy from this morning!"
"Wow... so cool. Look at those eyes; it's like he's looking down on us...!" One female student squirmed.
Hikigaya stopped in front of the blackboard, his dead-fish eyes quickly scanning the room to assess the situation. He tried to maintain control so that 'that instinctual symptom' wouldn't flare up in the middle of the classroom.
"Hikigaya Hachiman. Transferred from the countryside... I look forward to working with you."
He spoke briefly in a flat but deep voice. As soon as he finished his greeting, the classroom that was once silent exploded with questions from the female students, which the teacher could barely stop.
"Hey, Hikigaya-kun! Which province did you move from? Why move in the middle of the term like this!"
"Is that white hair a fashion statement? Or did you get into a fight with someone? It's so cool!"
"Do you have a girlfriend yet? What kind of girls do you like? Do you like seniors with big chests?"
Hikigaya's eyebrow twitched when he met the last question, which clearly reflected the tastes of people in this world.
Observing closely, the bespectacled girl who asked the last question felt like a certain classmate from his old world. Even though that one was a fujoshi.
"Uh... well..."
Hachiman tried to answer, but was interrupted again.
"Can you please scold me harshly once?" another female student said with an entranced face.
(Hachiman POV)
...These girls have really gone crazy. Normally they should be afraid, but I've become honey attracting insects instead.
This is getting bad. If this continues, observing the protagonist from a distance will be difficult.
I caught a glimpse of the 'Perverted Trio' looking at me as if they were about to spit fire, especially that Issei guy who seemed to hold a grudge against me despite us not having said a single word.
"Quiet down, everyone!"
The teacher had to quickly intervene before I was swarmed any further.
"Hikigaya-kun, go take the empty seat behind Hyoudou-kun... Hyoudou, raise your hand."
Issei raised his hand huffily, his eyes meeting mine for a moment before he turned away.
It seems the first meeting with the protagonist has created a bad impression.
{Break}
~Third Person POV~
Lunch Break
In the corner of Year 2 Class B, the atmosphere around the Perverted Trio was as gloomy as if the world were ending. Issei sat with his arms crossed and a crumpled face, while Matsuda and Motohama also looked equally stressed.
"This is bad... beyond bad, guys!"
Motohama whispered with a trembling voice while adjusting his glasses that were sliding off.
"Just having Kiba Yuuto, that prince on a white horse, was enough to make our rating so negative we barely had a place among the girls."
"He's right... one smile from that pretty-boy prince and all the girls in school practically throw themselves at him. But now there's a new wave like that Hikitani guy coming in!"
Matsuda slammed the table lightly in frustration. "Look at those girls this morning; they were actually asking him to scold them! What kind of fetish is that!"
"And that guy has a rough aura that we can never imitate," Issei spoke through gritted teeth with envy. "If we leave it like this, my dream of having a beautiful girlfriend... it's going to be ruined!"
"Hmm...!... I have an idea! We have to use the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' plan!"
Motohama proposed an idea.
"We have to pull him into our group! If we can turn the new student into one of the 'Pervert Group' like us, his cool aura will be tarnished, and the girls will lose interest in him on their own. Two birds with one stone: we get a formidable new member, and we eliminate a rival at the same time!"
"Brilliant! As expected of Motohama!" x2
"Of course. What are you waiting for, guys? Start the plan!"
"Oh!" x2
.
(Hachiman POV)
School Rooftop
Currently, I am sitting alone leaning against a concrete wall during lunch break. In both hands, I hold yakisoba bread and a Max Coffee. I take a bite of the bread; it's an ordinary taste but it makes me feel nostalgic for the past, before taking a sip of the coffee.
"Gulp... Haa~.. This is the taste."
The sheer sweetness of the liquid caffeine flows down my throat, helping to wash away some of the exhaustion from putting on a face to answer those girls in class.
'Alright, what should I do next?'
Regarding the protagonist... my current situation makes it impossible to observe him from a distance because I stand out too much. Actually, I don't really need to observe him according to Azazel's orders.
I could just report that he possesses a red gauntlet Sacred Gear and is a good person who particularly likes girls' chests. But that would look too suspicious, because the protagonist hasn't revealed his power yet.
Besides, I only know a little bit about this story. Coupled with my existence interfering in this world, I don't know what might change. I can't trust the story from here on out. Therefore, I'm forced to keep observing for now.
'Then what should I do—'
Suddenly, the rooftop door opened, revealing the figures of the school's Perverted Trio.
"Oh, there he is!"
'Hm?'
Are they looking for me? Why? To bully the new kid or something? Probably not; looking at them, these guys seem cowardly as hell.
Issei walked in and stood in the middle with a stiff posture, while the other two tried to make their faces look as formidable as possible.
"Hey! Hikigaya!" Issei opened by calling my name loudly. "We have something important to talk to you about!"
"About what?" I asked back with my usual dead-fish voice.
"We noticed you were being swarmed by girls and looked like you were in trouble... right?"
Motohama adjusted his glasses while smiling mischievously.
"A peace-loving person like you probably doesn't like being honey attracting insects."
"A little..." I answered tentatively.
"Then are you interested in joining our 'Lust Guardian Alliance'!"
Matsuda blurted it out without any shame.
"If you stick with us, I guarantee your cool aura will vanish in an instant. The girls will look at you with disgust like they look at us, and you'll get your peace back!"
How can these guys be so thick-skinned?—Wait? Come to think of it, I can keep a close eye on the protagonist. Plus, I can get rid of those girls. The 'rough' image they like will turn into the 'perverted' image they hate instead. This is an opportunity that just fell into my lap. If I don't take it, I'm an idiot.
"Fine... I agree," I replied.
"Whoa! Really!?" Issei's eyes sparkled as he patted my shoulder, which I secretly found a bit gross.
"Welcome to the Trio... Hey! Now it must be the Perverted Quartet of Kuoh Academy! Hahaha!"
I looked at Issei's goofy smile and could only sigh internally. Being a pervert in the eyes of others is still better than risking my 'Incubus Instincts' flaring up because I'm surrounded by girls... At least this should help me dodge trouble for a while... I hope this path works.
{Break}
After School
I'm currently packing my books into my bag in a hurry to catch up with the protagonist.
If you ask why?
"Hey, Hikigaya-kun! Are you free after this?"
"Let's go hang out with us."
It's the same as before. The girls just won't stop swarming me.
The only choice is to act repulsive toward them and join up with those three idiots so they see I'm worthless. Plus, I can observe the protagonist. 'Two birds with one stone.'
Even if I don't really like the things they talk about.
"Sorry, I have business."
I got up from my chair and walked past them indifferently toward the door. Before stepping out, I turned my face halfway toward them with cold eyes and said:
"Besides, I find you all very annoying."
"....."
After finishing the sentence I intended to be as heartless as possible, I prepared myself for the impact of dead silence or fearful gazes that should occur according to normal human instinct. I expected them to be stunned or at least step back from a 'rough' guy like me so my plan could start working.
But what I got back... was light-years away from any logic I knew.
"Ah... Annoying... did he say that? He said we're annoying!" a female student exclaimed with a trembling voice.
Instead of running away in anger or fear, a female classmate closest to me had a reaction that almost made me lose my mind. She slumped down to the floor, rubbing her hips uncontrollably. Her once cute face was now flushed red to her ears. Her breathing became slightly shallow like someone lacking air. Her eyes staring at me were trembling with a feeling I didn't want to interpret for my own mental health.
"Amazing... that cold gaze, and those biting words... it's really stimulating!" she whispered faintly with an entranced face as if she had drifted into another world.
"Hah?"
I stood frozen, eyes twitching uncontrollably. That feeling of 'making a mistake' from the past flashed back to remind me how dangerous this world is to my morality. This was me trying to drive them away? The result was that I just added fuel to their masochism until it went off the charts.
'I can't take it... these girls are truly lost causes!'
I didn't wait for others to show more strange reactions; I immediately turned around and bolted out of the classroom without looking back at that empire of degeneracy. My goal now was to find Issei before I was swallowed by these girls' madness and actually became an R-rated movie protagonist.
.
.
I ran until I reached the open field in front of the school, trying to calm down and control the Incubus Instinct that seemed to be lightly awakened by the atmosphere just now. I had to quickly change tactics, because trying to be repulsive in a school full of people with strange tastes like this might just be digging a deeper hole for myself.
I left the field and walked along the road for a while until I saw a pedestrian bridge.
By the way, where did that guy go? I vaguely remember a scene where the protagonist gets confessed to by a mysterious girl, but I don't know exactly when it happens—
"Um.. excuse me.. would you.. go out with me?"
? ..
I immediately turned toward the voice and saw the back of the individual I was looking for. It was the protagonist, Issei Hyoudou.
In front of him was a beautiful black-haired girl who was blushing. She was wearing a school uniform different from Kuoh Academy—a red top and a dark green short skirt. I assumed she was from somewhere else.
I quickly hid behind a tree to eavesdrop on their conversation.
'..So this is the confession scene.'
"Eh.. just now... what did you say?"
The girl's words caught Issei off guard.
"I've seen you often when I walk past here. And so.... I've come to like you, Hyoudou-kun."
"So please, be my boyfriend!"
Whoa.. that girl is quite the actress. Her sweet voice was sickeningly sugary. Every syllable out of her mouth felt overly artificial by miles—the timing of the pauses, the shy squirming, or even the pitch of her voice that was intentionally made to sound like a heroine in a cheap romance novel. It looked as if she had a script in her head and was reciting it according to a well-prepared sequence.
An ordinary person might see this as a sudden bloom of love, but for a professional observer like me, the aura she emitted lacked any sincerity. It was a performance aimed at a specific result.
Especially the line 'I've seen you often when I walk past here' sounded like the stupidest reason I've ever heard. Who would fall in love with a sexual monster like Hyoudou just by walking past? Utterly ridiculous.
That kind of thing only happens in cartoons.
'....'
...Wait, this is a cartoon world—no, it's the reality I'm currently in, right? Or is it not? Uh... should I look at this as a cartoon world or reality? I'm getting confused—
"y-yeah!Okay!"
I snapped my focus back to the scene in front of me from the boy's high-pitched voice.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Hyoudou-kun."
"Ah.. yeah, definitely."
Then the girl walked this way. I quickly hid on the other side of the tree. She walked past without noticing me.
I poked my head out slightly, squinting my golden left eye, trying to look through the mana flow to find the truth hidden beneath that fake face.
'Eh!... That girl is a Fallen Angel.'
The faint magic energy coming out was similar to that crow geezer. Previously he said he had sent a subordinate to observe.
'Could it be her?'
And she's using this method to observe the protagonist? Am I even necessary anymore? ...No, she still can't be trusted. Otherwise, that geezer wouldn't have sent me.
"Yahoo!! Finally, I have a girlfriend! Hahaha! Tomorrow I have to go brag to those guys. I really want to see their reactions."
Issei ran and jumped all the way home happily.
After a while, when his shadow was gone, I revealed myself from hiding.
'Sigh'
After this, I don't know what will happen next. I can't just leave it and act like I don't know. Preventing the problem at the source is better than letting it escalate. Tomorrow, I'll have to keep an eye on her too.