Ai Morishita leaned in close to Yuki Gyakukai. Though they were complete strangers who had only just met, she was standing so close that it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
But judging by her expressionless face and emotionless eyes, she probably considered this no big deal.
Hey, wasn't she standing a little too close?
As her body inched closer and closer, Yuki couldn't help leaning back.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing? You started saying all sorts of weird things as soon as you came over."
"Hmm... I'm observing." With an inquisitive look in her eyes, Ai Morishita gazed intently at the spot on his chest where his heart rose and fell, a strange light flickering in her eyes.
The breeze whispered through the trees around them, and the warm sunlight slowly climbed above the horizon.
Come to think of it, had there really been this few people around all along?
It was certainly gotten quieter.
Thinking this, Yuki casually took a step back.
"So, are you done observing? If you are, could you tell me what exactly you're observing?"
This nonhuman life-form has grown wary and is deliberately avoiding my observation. It seems it'll be very difficult to observe him from this close again.
Ai Morishita reluctantly looked away. Her briefly stirred expression sank back into stillness.
Her fair, rosy fingertip lightly traced her soft lower lip. "I'm just curious about you. In all the years I've been alive, I've never heard a sound as unusual as yours."
"You're different from everyone I've observed before. My intuition tells me you're not human. You're definitely an alien, right?"
Looking at the girl with her remarkably perceptive gaze, he had no idea how to deal with her, so he simply chose to ignore her.
"Read fewer novels. I'm not some weird thing like an alien. Besides, the opening ceremony's about to start, so I'm leaving."
He hurriedly said goodbye to Ai Morishita—or rather, he left while she was still there.
Earlier, when she realized he was about to leave, Ai Morishita had warily grabbed his clothes. As if he'd let her catch him!
To think she'd noticed he was different after only meeting him once. That was downright ridiculous.
As expected of Kamito, who in the original story could seriously tell people she could hear the forest's voice, and whose intuition was supposedly right one hundred percent of the time.
Yuki Gyakukai hurried through the school buildings.
After thinking it over carefully on the way, he'd concluded that he should head to the classroom first.
After all, his beloved fiancée, the charming and adorable Miss Tomie, was still waiting there.
If he didn't go get her, he could already guess what would happen: she'd step on him with her little legs wrapped in black stockings.
And with her angelic face, devilish personality, and that scornful look in her eyes, as if he were garbage...
Tsk!
Yuki, running down the hallway, couldn't help clicking his tongue. He swore he hadn't felt even the slightest hint of excitement just then. He absolutely wasn't a pervert!
He shook his head, trying to clear away his stray thoughts, and looked ahead with renewed determination. So you made me have such awful thoughts? Tomie, you're in for it tonight!
Having spent more than ten years living with Tomie's family, Yuki had long since gotten used to being surrounded by all those bewitching Tomies. So these thoughts had to be the doing of his fiancée, who was so obediently waiting for him in the classroom.
I'm not just shifting the blame!
"Um... Yuki Gyakukai from Class 1-B, could you wait a moment?"
While Yuki was busy clearing his mind of stray thoughts and blaming everything on his fiancée, who was waiting obediently for him in the classroom, an unfamiliar voice came from nearby.
He stopped and turned around in one smooth motion.
The black strands of his hair lifted with the momentum, while one or two stray locks drooped over either side of his forehead.
Following the voice, he saw a not particularly tall adult woman standing at the corner of the stairs. Her pink hair was a mess, and she looked terrible.
Seeing her leaning against the wall as she climbed the stairs—and smelling the increasingly strong scent of alcohol—Yuki immediately matched her to someone in his memory.
As expected of you, Chie Hoshinomiya.
[Hoshinomiya—image]
It was the first day of the first-year students' school year, and she'd still shown up right on time while nursing a hangover. She was unbelievably irresponsible.
Still, she seemed much better than Sae Chabashira of Class 1-D.
Though his mind was elsewhere, his hands moved quickly.
He immediately hurried down a few steps and went over to Chie Hoshinomiya, letting her grab his clothes with both hands so he could support her more easily.
Once he'd done that, he helped her up the stairs—or, more accurately, he practically carried Chie Hoshinomiya upstairs.
"By the way, are you a member of the school staff? Showing up hungover on the first day of school—you really are a freeloader on the public purse, aren't you? Hurry up and apologize to all the taxpayers."
He said it to keep up appearances. After all, as far as their current identities went, he hadn't met this homeroom teacher of Class 1-B yet.
"What do you mean, a freeloader? I'm going to be your homeroom teacher for the next three years... You should show me the respect I deserve."
Chie Hoshinomiya, her eyes unfocused, couldn't help talking back. She'd even started using her position to bully a student.
In a literal, physical sense.
Feeling the young, warm body beside her, and catching the faint, clean scent that cut through the strong smell of alcohol, Chie's hand on Yuki shifted slightly.
"By the way, you've got a great body. When I first saw your file, I thought you were really handsome, but now that I've gotten a closer look, you're even more handsome.
"Haha... Little Yuki, work hard over the next three years, okay? A handsome guy like you should stay in our class forever... Bleh!"
Yuki had been caught completely off guard. He stared at his clothes, his face dark.
"Teacher, could you warn me before you throw up? You stink!"
As he said it, he felt filthy from head to toe, as if he'd been defiled.
But there was nothing he could do now. He dragged his defiled uniform along as he continued toward the classroom.
He felt like he was on the verge of breaking down, but there was nothing he could do. This was the only uniform he had, and he was still in the school building. He had to go to the opening ceremony soon—and, most importantly, he didn't even know where his dormitory was...
You idiot! Damn it!
"Huh? What happened, classmate?"
A cute girl with golden-pink hair happened to come out of the doorway to Class B. She covered her mouth with her right hand and stared at them in astonishment.
Her chest was even more impressive than both Tomies put together.
The moment she appeared, Yuki, who'd been on the verge of breaking down, felt as if he were looking at an angel. It was as though holy light had descended all around him.
"Great angel, come help me! Hurry and drag this drunk homeroom teacher inside!"
[Ichinose—image]
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