Shiina's Measurements

(Brain storage!)

Inside the bus.

"Huh? Where is this? Is this still in the country? Where the hell did I end up?"

U Amakusa was nothing but bewildered; heaven knows how he got here.

One blink ago, U Amakusa was still sitting on the toilet at home, and the next blink, he was on a bus.

He was just playing a round of Naruto while on the pot, so what? Did he commit some heavenly crime?

Fortunately, U Amakusa was a veteran reader of certain web novels, so he was used to this kind of thing—isn't it just transmigration?

U Amakusa calmly rummaged through the original owner's backpack and saw the admission letter inside.

Advanced Nurturing...

Oh my god, did he transmigrate into the world of Classroom of the Elite? U Amakusa was sweating bullets.

But it was a relief that the original owner was also named U Amakusa. As for the origin of the name U Amakusa...

His father's surname was Amakusa, and his mother's surname was U. That should be easy enough to understand.

There was also a phone in the bag. Luckily, it used facial recognition. He didn't know what to expect, but he was shocked the moment he opened it.

The photos were all certificates of merit—math competitions, physics competitions, you name it.

The fortunate part was that the knowledge for these subjects existed clearly in U Amakusa's mind. The unfortunate part...

U Amakusa let out a deep sigh. He had just successfully passed his postgraduate entrance exams, damn it!

Thinking this, U Amakusa put the phone away. Fiddling with it further wouldn't be of much use; after all, in Classroom of the Elite, one had to use the phone specifically issued by the school.

He dug through it again, wanting to see what else was in the bag.

There didn't seem to be anything strange inside, just the things a student should have, except...

"This is incredible... to think he'd have something like this. Who on earth is this kid?"

But for now, he had no choice but to accept reality. U Amakusa looked up at his surroundings.

An old lady walked up, and this familiar scene made U Amakusa jump in surprise.

Well, he had overthought it; many people stood up to offer the old lady their seats.

There was no short-haired blonde girl, nor was there any muscle-bound man obsessed with beauty.

Clearly, it wasn't the same bus.

U Amakusa let out a breath, but he quickly sucked it back in.

Someone was sitting next to him, but that wasn't the point. Was it because the person next to him was a girl?

No, that wasn't the point either.

The point was that there was something on that girl's head!

On the girl's head, a few large characters were clearly written.

[...Expand]

What is this?

U Amakusa was very confused. He felt an involuntary urge to tap the girl's head, but he held back.

"Um... classmate, it looks like you have something on your head." U Amakusa chose to find an excuse to make a move.

"Hm? Is that so?" The girl stopped reading and began to tidy her hair.

"Here, no, not that side, on the left—no, no, it's on the right. Sigh, let me do it."

Plan successful.

U Amakusa gave a wicked smile. Before the girl could speak, he stood up and pretended to fix her hair, while actually reaching out to touch the text.

But an accident occurred. U Amakusa's hand passed right through the text; he couldn't touch it, and nothing happened.

What's going on? What exactly is this?

Despite his confusion, U Amakusa had no choice but to sit back down.

"Thank you. What is your name, classmate?"

"Hm? My name is U Amakusa." U Amakusa brushed the girl off casually; his thoughts were entirely on that text.

"I am Hiyori."

"Oh... wait? What did you say your name was?" U Amakusa suddenly snapped to attention.

"...Hiyori. Is there something wrong with my name?" Hiyori shifted slightly further inward.

"Ahaha, nothing, it's just very similar to a friend of mine." U Amakusa tried to cover up his awkwardness.

"Is that so? What a coincidence." Clearly, Hiyori didn't quite believe him.

"It's true, her name is Mashiro Shiina!"

"Right, right, right."

"..."

Silence returned, and U Amakusa could only sigh. What he wanted to know more than anything right now was what was going on with the text hovering above Shiina's head.

Until the turning point arrived.

The bus jolted violently, and the book in Shiina's hands slipped, falling to the floor.

U Amakusa picked it up and handed it back to her, catching the title as he did so.

It was a book he had read before.

"Oh? This book? I've read it," U Amakusa said casually.

Shiina perked up at these words; she was eager to discuss it with him.

Shiina really wanted a fellow book lover.

"This book is primarily about human nature, specifically exploiting the weaknesses of human nature to commit crimes," U Amakusa offered his insight.

"I think so too! The detective who solved the case at the end was amazing, too. To deduce the truth despite the lack of evidence... and also, also..."

Once Shiina started talking about books, she couldn't stop.

U Amakusa simply quieted down to act as a listener; most people tend to have a lot to say when it comes to the things they love.

After talking for a long time, Shiina finally realized that she had been doing all the talking, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Sorry, my apologies... I got a little too excited."

"It's fine. It's pretty boring on the bus anyway, isn't it?" U Amakusa shrugged to show he didn't mind.

Seeing that Shiina was still a bit embarrassed, U Amakusa took the initiative to chat about the book, and Shiina began to restrain herself a little.

After all, she couldn't be the only one talking, so Shiina made an effort to pause occasionally to hear U Amakusa's thoughts on the content.

The two chatted back and forth like this for a long, long time, to the point where they forgot the time and forgot where they were.

Some people on the bus noticed the pair—students in the same uniform, white-collar workers in suits, and an elderly woman walking with a shaky gait.

Just as they were deep in conversation, U Amakusa felt something strange on his hand. A pair of glasses slowly materialized out of thin air! The sight left U Amakusa stunned for a moment.

Seeing him freeze, Shiina asked with concern, "Amakusa-kun, what's wrong?"

"Shiina-san, can't you see this?" U Amakusa shook the glasses in his hand.

"What? Ah, so Amakusa-kun can do magic tricks too."

I see. It wasn't until the glasses fully materialized that Shiina could see them.

U Amakusa put the glasses on without hesitation, then used his index and middle fingers to push them up the bridge of his nose.

Ability: Super Deduction.

As expected, the [...expand] above Shiina's head changed.

[Hiyori Shiina

Grey long hair, purple eyes, over-the-knee socks, Aquarius, literary girl, airhead.

Birthday: January 21, Measurements: ...

Family relations: ...

...

A quiet girl who enjoys solitude, a regular at the library, especially fond of mystery novels.

Recent actions: After entering school, she will join Class 1-C and will join the Tea Ceremony Club.]

"Amakusa-kun? What is it?" Shiina asked, looking a bit confused.

After putting on the glasses, U Amakusa had been staring at Shiina intently without saying a word, which made her feel strange. Was her previous insight that hard to understand?

Clearly, Shiina didn't think in that direction; she just tilted her head in confusion.

Suddenly, the bus took a sharp turn.

Because U Amakusa was in the middle of observing information, he lost his balance and tipped to the side.

Fortunately, he caught himself with his hand just in time to avoid falling, but...

"Amakusa-kun... that's too close..."

Shiina blushed and used her book to shield herself. Was this development moving a bit too fast? They were just book friends, after all.

Only then did U Amakusa realize that his face was very close to Shiina's.

So cute—ah, no, what am I doing? I'm not a pervert!

"Sorry, Shiina-san, I didn't mean to. I lost my balance during that turn..."

"It's fine... as long as you aren't hurt."

Shiina's voice sounded unnatural; it was clear that the incident had given her quite a shock.

As a sheltered young lady, this was the first time she had been face-to-face with a boy this closely.