Sure, I'm not an Angel

Ai Morishita leaned in close to Yuki Gyukai. Though they were strangers meeting for the first time, she pressed so near that he couldn't fathom what she was thinking.

But judging by her expressionless face and those eyes devoid of any emotional ripple, this was probably just a trivial matter to her.

"Hey, that's way too close!"

Watching her body draw nearer, Yuki Gyukai couldn't help leaning back.

"Hey hey, what exactly are you doing? You started spouting a bunch of nonsense the moment you came over."

"Hmm... I'm observing." With a probing gaze, Ai Morishita's eyes flickered with an unreadable gleam, staring intently at the spot on his chest where his heart rose and fell.

The wind blew gently, the trees around them rustling, as warm sunlight climbed steadily from the horizon.

Come to think of it, had the crowd around them thinned out that much?

It was certainly quieter now.

Musing to himself, Yuki Gyukai took a step back without a sound.

"So, are you done observing? If you don't mind, could you tell me what exactly you're observing?"

The non-human lifeform had already grown wary and was deliberately avoiding my observation. It seems getting this close to observe him again won't be easy from now on.

Ai Morishita withdrew her gaze with some regret, her once slightly animated expression sinking back into stillness.

Her pale, rosy fingertips lightly traced her delicate lower lip: "I'm just curious about you. In the past ten-plus years of my life, I've never heard such a peculiar sound."

"You're different from anyone I've ever observed. My intuition tells me you're not human—you must be an alien, right!"

Looking at the girl with her rather sharp eyes, he was at a loss for how to handle her, so he simply chose to ignore it.

"Read fewer novels. I'm not some weird thing like an alien. Besides, the opening ceremony is about to start. I'm off."

He hurriedly bid farewell to Ai Morishita—though "farewell" was just him unilaterally leaving.

Earlier, when she sensed he was about to leave, she grabbed his clothes alertly. As if he'd let her catch him.

But for her to spot his difference at first glance was absurd enough.

He had to admit, she was the legendary prodigy from the original story who could seriously claim to hear the forest's voice and make perfectly accurate judgments based on her intuition.

Yuki Gyukai sprinted swiftly through the buildings.

After some careful deliberation along the way, his first conclusion was to head to the classroom.

After all, his dear fiancée, the charming and lovely Tomie, was still waiting for him in the classroom.

If he didn't go fetch her, he could already imagine the consequences—he'd definitely end up being stepped on by her black-stockinged feet.

Paired with her angelic face and demonic personality, plus that contemptuous look in her eyes like she was staring at trash...

Tch!

Running down the corridor, Yuki Gyukai clicked his tongue. He swore he hadn't felt excited just now—he was definitely not a pervert!

Shaking his head to clear those intrusive thoughts, he fixed his eyes forward, a hint of resolve returning—making me think such improper things, Tomie, you're done for tonight!

Having lived in Tomie's family for over a decade, Yuki Gyukai had long grown accustomed to the daily allure of the Tomie clan, so these thoughts must be his fiancée's doing.

That wasn't just passing the buck!

"Um... Yuki from Class B, please wait a moment."

Just as Yuki Gyukai was busy clearing the clutter from his mind and shifting all the blame onto his fiancée, who was obediently waiting in the classroom, an unfamiliar voice came from the side.

He stopped and turned around in one smooth motion.

His jet-black hair, carried by inertia, drifted slightly, with a few stray strands falling across his forehead.

Following the source of the voice, he saw a short adult woman standing at the corner of the stairs, her pink hair a mess and her complexion terrible.

Watching her stagger up, supported by the wall, and catching the increasingly strong smell of alcohol, Yuki Gyukai immediately matched her image to someone in his memory.

As expected of you, Chie Hoshinomiya.

[Image of Hoshinomiya]

Even on the first day of the new school year, she could drag her hungover body in just in time for class. How indulgent.

Still, she was probably better off than Sae Chabashira from Class D.

Though his mind was elsewhere, his hands moved quickly.

He bounded down a few steps and swiftly reached Chie Hoshinomiya's side, letting her grab his clothes so he could support her better.

Once that was done, he directly helped her—or rather, dragged her—up the stairs at a brisk pace.

"So, are you a staff member here? Showing up hungover on the first day—you're definitely a salary thief, aren't you? Apologize to all the taxpayers right now."

He said this to keep up the act, since from his current identity, he wasn't supposed to know this Class B homeroom teacher yet.

"What salary thief? I'm your homeroom teacher for the next three years... You'd better show me proper respect."

Chie Hoshinomiya, her eyes glazed, retorted instinctively, even starting to use her position to bully the student.

Well, physically bully him.

Feeling the young, hot body beside him, the faint, crisp scent cutting through the thick reek of alcohol, Hoshinomiya's hand, clinging to Yuki Gyakukai, couldn't help but shift.

"Man, you've got a great build. When I first saw your file, I thought you were handsome, but up close, you're even hotter. Haha... Little Yuki, you better work hard these next three years. A handsome guy like you should stay in the class... ugh!"

Caught off guard and drenched, Yuki Gyakukai's face was full of black lines.

"Teacher, when you're about to throw up, could you give me a heads-up?! You stink!"

As he said this, he felt unclean all over, like he'd been defiled.

But there was no helping it now. Dragging his defiled uniform, he continued toward the classroom.

He felt himself on the verge of collapse, but there was nothing he could do. This was his only uniform, he was still in the school building, he had to attend the opening ceremony soon, and worst of all, he didn't even know where the dorm was...

This idiot, dammit!

"Hey! What happened here?"

A cute girl with pink-gold hair happened to step out of Class B's doorway, her right hand covering her mouth, staring at the two in shock.

Her chest was more generous than two Tomies combined.

The moment she appeared, Yuki Gyakukai, already on the brink of collapse, felt like he'd seen an angel, as if holy light was scattering around her.

"Big angel, come help! Drag this drunk homeroom teacher inside!"

[Ichinosé—Figure]