Self-Introductions!

Ding-ding-ding—

The crisp class bell suddenly cut through the corridor's clamor.

The murmuring conversations in the classroom came to an abrupt stop.

The students quickly and orderly returned to their seats, and the air filled with the solemnity and anticipation of a new term.

After a brief silence.

The classroom door was gently pushed open.

A long-haired beauty in a tailored women's suit, black high heels, and sheer black stockings walked in at an unhurried pace.

The sharp, rhythmic click of her heels against the floor rang especially clearly through the quiet classroom.

Her expression was serious and composed as she walked straight to the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and turned toward the blackboard.

Her slender yet firm wrist moved, and the chalk made a soft scratching sound against the board.

Before long, clear, elegant handwriting appeared on the blackboard.

"My name is Sakai Shion. From now on, I will be your Japanese homeroom teacher."

Sakai Shion extended a long finger and lightly tapped the number written on the blackboard.

"This is my contact information. If anything comes up in the future, you can call me."

"Also, according to school regulations."

"Every student must join at least one club this week."

"Otherwise, credits will be deducted."

As soon as she finished speaking, quite a few boys in the class stared wide-eyed.

They had never expected their new homeroom teacher to be so beautiful.

Saionji Nanase instinctively covered her slightly parted mouth in surprise. Her long lashes fluttered, and delight shimmered in her eyes.

She turned slightly toward Natsume Chikage beside her and whispered in an excited tone:

"Natsume-kun, our homeroom teacher... is actually such a gorgeous woman..."

Natsume Chikage had been observing the new teacher and had not expected Saionji Nanase to suddenly share such an impression with him.

He nodded, his tone carrying sincere agreement. "She really is."

It was not a perfunctory response.

Ever since entering the campus that morning, he had noticed that the female teachers at this school were, on the whole, far more attractive than those at many other schools.

As for their academic backgrounds, there was hardly any need to doubt them—anyone able to teach at Moonlight Academy would surely have top universities such as the University of Tokyo or Waseda University stamped on their résumé.

The strictness of this prestigious private high school's faculty selection process had long been an open secret.

"Well then—"

Sakai Shion's cool voice rang out again, interrupting the students' faint commotion.

She picked up the class roster from the podium and looked toward the first seat in the front row on the left.

"Next, starting with the first student in the first row on the left, introduce yourselves in order."

After saying that, she quietly sat down in the teacher's chair.

Her gaze appeared to rest on each student who stood to introduce themselves, but in truth, she occasionally lowered her eyes to the detailed class roster in her hands.

The paper rustled faintly beneath her fingertips.

The roster recorded personal information such as the students' grades, family circumstances, talents and hobbies, home addresses, and more.

Time passed bit by bit amid introductions that were either smooth or nervous.

At last, it was Saionji Nanase's turn.

When her name was called, the eyes of quite a few boys in the class seemed to be pulled by invisible strings, instantly shifting away from the cool and glamorous homeroom teacher and focusing in unison on this equally eye-catching girl.

The reason was simple: Saionji Nanase's pretty, adorable face and noble bearing did not pale in comparison to the teacher at the podium.

She rose lightly to her feet, a perfectly sweet smile blooming on her face like a newly opened cherry blossom.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Saionji Nanase."

"My hobby is collecting all kinds of interesting things."

"Whether they're strangely shaped stones, antiques steeped in time, or novel little trinkets..."

"As long as it's interesting, I love it!"

Listening to Saionji Nanase's candid and unusual introduction, Natsume Chikage had not expected this girl, who looked so naturally cute, to have such a distinctive collecting habit.

At the podium, Sakai Shion's gaze also fell beside Saionji Nanase's name on the roster.

Her slender finger lightly brushed across a particular line on the paper, and a trace of understanding flashed through her eyes.

The information showed that this girl's family background was anything but ordinary—her father was a highly renowned figure in Japan's collecting world and also one of the major players in the auction industry.

She must have been deeply influenced by her father, developing this refined hobby of collecting through constant exposure.

After that.

The self-introductions continued in an orderly fashion.

Before long, it was Yukimura Suzune's turn.

Natsume Chikage had been paying considerable attention to this girl.

After all, she possessed the special equipment he needed.

Moreover, he had vaguely overheard his classmates discussing how Yukimura Suzune seemed to have won some kind of literary award.

Though he did not know exactly which award it was, he knew very well—writers were admired by many people in Japan.

Among society's many professions, only certain occupations such as writers, lawyers, and doctors were respectfully addressed as "sensei."

And a somewhat famous author could have several rumored girlfriends at once without the public saying much of anything.

If you did not have a few girlfriends, the public might even look down on you and think you were not good enough.

By contrast, celebrities, lawyers, doctors, and people in similar professions would basically be torn apart by the media over even a single scandal.

Japanese society's tolerance for authors was just that absurd!

With that in mind, Natsume Chikage was no longer surprised that quite a few classmates approached Yukimura Suzune during breaks to ask for autographs and discuss novels with her.

Cool and pristine as snow, Yukimura Suzune slowly rose to her feet.

Her expression was indifferent, her long lashes lowered, as though the noise around her had nothing to do with her.

"My name is Yukimura Suzune. My hobbies are reading and writing novels."

"My dream is to win more literary awards. That is all."

As soon as she finished speaking, she sat back down as though she had never risen at all. Her pale fingers reopened the hardcover book on her desk, and she quickly immersed herself once more in her world of words.

Sakai Shion's gaze paused briefly on Yukimura Suzune's name.

Her file clearly stated her background—the renowned literary Yukimura Family.

This family had produced a literary giant over the course of Japanese history.

Though no later descendant had reached such heights again, members of the family still occasionally won a variety of literary awards.

After reviewing the literary girl's file, Sakai Shion finally shifted her gaze to the last name on the list—Natsume Chikage.

Previously, her attention had been focused more on the other students, and she had hardly noticed the window seat in the corner of the classroom.

When her gaze truly fell upon the standing Natsume Chikage for the first time, the fingers holding the roster paused almost imperceptibly.

The boy standing beneath the podium had features so refined they seemed almost unreal. Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, outlining him in a hazy glow.

At the sight of that excessively outstanding face, an indescribable flicker of surprise passed through Sakai Shion's heart.

She quickly lowered her eyes. Her fingertips moved swiftly beside the name "Natsume Chikage" on the roster as her gaze carefully swept over the lines of fine print. Her lips moved soundlessly.

"Grades: D-..."

"Special skills: None..."

"Hobbies: Gaming, using his phone..."

"Club affiliation: Going-Home Club..."

"Personality: Relatively quiet..."

"Class activity participation: Extremely low..."

Her gaze continued downward and landed on the family background section.

"Family situation: Previously operated an IT company... Bankrupted due to a major strategic mistake... Recently sold off nearly all assets..."

"Current situation: Not taken in by wealthy relatives... Presumed to be relying on each other with his younger sister... Current residence: Under investigation..."

Her fingertips lingered over the final few lines as Sakai Shion fell silent for several seconds.

She raised her eyes again toward the boy standing straight beneath the podium, his expression calm. An extremely complicated emotion flickered in the depths of her gaze—scrutiny, regret, and perhaps a trace of pity that was difficult to detect.

Knowing it was his turn, Natsume Chikage rose calmly to his feet.

His tall, straight figure instantly drew the attention of most of the classroom as though he were a magnet.

Even Yukimura Suzune, who had kept her head down and remained focused on her book, did not turn around. Yet the fingertips holding the edge of her page seemed to tighten slightly, and her small ears twitched almost imperceptibly.

"My name is Natsume Chikage. My hobbies are..."

Before he could finish, a boy jeered from the crowd.

"Natsume, do you already have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're this handsome, so someone must have claimed you ages ago, right?"

"That's right, that's right. Come on, spill it."

The boys appeared to be merely heckling him, but each was secretly making calculations of his own, hoping Natsume Chikage would hurry up and become taken.

After all, two of the class beauties—Saionji Nanase and Yukimura Suzune—sat beside him.

As long as he had a girlfriend, they would have one less powerful potential "threat" to worry about.

That blunt question happened to hit the mark for many of the girls in the class.

They had actually wanted to ask long ago, but since they had only just met, they had maintained their maidenly reserve and found it awkward to ask outright.

At that moment, their gazes instantly turned fervent, locking tightly onto Natsume Chikage at the front of the classroom.

Saionji Nanase blinked her lively eyes as well, her long lashes fluttering while she looked at Natsume Chikage with curiosity.

Natsume Chikage merely shook his head lightly.

"I don't have a girlfriend."

A brief silence followed.

The boys all fell silent, all sorts of complicated emotions flashing through their eyes—surprise, disbelief, even a slight sense of disappointment.

The girls, meanwhile, were like dry kindling struck by a spark, instantly growing excited as the dam of their restraint burst apart.

"Natsume-kun! What type of girls do you like?"

"Do you like cute, chubby girls?"

"Have you had a girlfriend before? How many girls have you dated?"

The classroom immediately filled with the girls' overlapping questions.

"Quiet!" Sakai Shion frowned. "It's still class time!"