Asaba Kotone felt too awkward to ignore them, so he obliged the few classmates asking for his autograph.
"By the way, Asaba, did you get those eyes through a contract with a devil? I've heard people who make contracts with devils can gain their powers."
A boy looked at Asaba Kotone's eyes and asked curiously.
"That's right."
Asaba Kotone went along with it and nodded.
Devil powers were the most convenient explanation for his eyes. He could hardly tell them he had traveled to this world and received some special cheat ability.
"They look so cool! Devils are scary, but Devil Hunters who make contracts with them are pretty cool too!"
"I heard the devils that make contracts with humans are usually ones Public Safety has already captured, or ones that are relatively friendly toward humans. I'm really curious what devil you made a contract with, Asaba."
During the break, his classmates chatted enthusiastically with Asaba Kotone.
Meanwhile, a few classmates had also gone over to Kobeni Higashiyama.
"Kobeni, why did you call out 'Asaba' just now? Do you know him?"
"I never would've guessed you knew that Asaba, Kobeni. How did you meet him?"
"Didn't a devil show up at the library a little while ago? I remember it was around five in the afternoon. You usually go to the library around then, right, Higashiyama? Is that where you met him?"
The classmates who had come over were all girls, and they seemed to get along fairly well with Kobeni Higashiyama.
"Ah... yes... that was when I met Asaba..."
Kobeni Higashiyama tended to break out in a sweat whenever she got nervous. Her expression was stiff and her cheeks flushed as she admitted it in a tiny voice.
In front of other people, she was too embarrassed to call him Asaba-kun, so she switched to the more formal Asaba instead.
"So it was a hero-saving-the-damsel story. How nice..."
"I'm jealous, but I wouldn't dare wish for something like that to happen to me. Just thinking about getting eaten by a devil is scary."
A petite girl with twin ponytails leaned close to Kobeni Higashiyama's ear and whispered, "So? Do you have feelings for Asaba, Kobeni?"
"Huh?! Feelings... you mean that kind of thing?!..."
Kobeni Higashiyama immediately panicked. Although the girl had only asked whether she had feelings for him, the question had struck right at her heart.
The girl was a little surprised too. Did I actually hit the mark?
Kobeni hadn't admitted it, but her expression made it all too obvious. Her reaction was far too strong.
Still, it made sense when she thought about it. A boy her own age had saved her life, and he was handsome too. He was practically a prince charming straight out of a fairy tale. If it had been her, she would definitely have fallen for him too.
Fortunately, the girl with twin ponytails had whispered the question in Kobeni Higashiyama's ear. The other classmates nearby hadn't heard, or they would surely have started teasing her.
The girl with twin ponytails was considerate of Kobeni Higashiyama's feelings. She already had her answer, but she kept it to herself.
The break was only ten minutes long. Before long, the second class was about to begin, and everyone returned to their seats.
There were four classes in the morning, and they didn't finish until twelve thirty.
Classes would start again at one thirty, leaving less than an hour for their lunch break. That was why high school students in Japan liked to prepare their lunches in the morning and bring them to school. If the cafeteria was too crowded, they wouldn't even have enough time to eat.
Asaba Kotone wasn't in the habit of bringing a packed lunch, so he planned to buy something simple at the cafeteria.
As soon as class ended, the girl with twin ponytails went over to Kobeni Higashiyama and whispered in her ear, "It's Asaba's first day at our school. This would be the perfect chance for you to show him around, Kobeni."
"Huh? Well..."
Kobeni Higashiyama looked a little embarrassed. Mostly, she simply didn't have the nerve.
"Don't be shy. This is such a great opportunity! It would be a shame to let it slip away."
The girl with twin ponytails encouraged Kobeni Higashiyama.
Kobeni Higashiyama still felt hesitant and conflicted.
After a little while, she took a deep breath, as though she had finally made up her mind, and got up to approach Asaba Kotone. Even so, her movements were still rather awkward.
"A-Asaba, since it's our lunch break, I could show you around..."
Before Kobeni Higashiyama could finish, however, another girl suddenly came right up beside Asaba Kotone.
"Asaba, since you're new here, would you like me to show you around the school?"
Kobeni Higashiyama had clearly spoken first, but this girl spoke faster and didn't stumble over her words.
Kobeni Higashiyama immediately fell silent, staring blankly at them.
But then, to Kobeni Higashiyama's surprise, Asaba Kotone politely turned the girl down.
"Sorry, I've already arranged to go with Higashiyama."
Asaba Kotone had heard Kobeni Higashiyama come over and invite him, so he politely declined the other girl's offer. He also pretended that he and Kobeni Higashiyama had already made plans, which would help ease some of her embarrassment.
Kobeni Higashiyama had already lost the nerve to speak again, but Asaba Kotone's reply gave her a pleasant surprise and renewed her courage.
"All right, then."
The girl could only respond with disappointment.
The other classmates nearby were all surprised. Since when had Higashiyama become so bold?
As far as they knew, Higashiyama was usually introverted and easily embarrassed. She hardly ever interacted with boys. Never mind boys-she didn't even interact with girls very much.
They had never expected the quiet, introverted Higashiyama to do something like this.
What was more, she seemed to have known Asaba for some time. They were quite curious whether there was a story behind it.
Seeing that Kobeni Higashiyama had all but succeeded, the girl with twin ponytails behind her was delighted for her. Nicely done, Kobeni.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Kobeni Higashiyama shyly led Asaba Kotone out of the classroom.
Before you continue