With the Transfer Student...

A gentle breeze blew, and the air was naturally far from hot, yet Uraraka Shige distinctly felt a heat rising from the bottom of his heart.

It wasn't because of some primal desire that had always existed in human blood, but because of-

The shame of having an embarrassing moment witnessed by a child only seven years old, who had then recounted it to his face in a tone of utter admiration.

It was like some kind of public humiliation play, giving Uraraka Shige the feeling of being held over a fire and roasted. Surely that burning sense of shame would be irresistible to certain people with strange tastes?

It was just like going out in women's clothes, only for a gust of wind to blow up your skirt, revealing a mysterious bulge underneath to a group of burly men nearby, while you blushed and tried to hold down a skirt that simply wouldn't stay down.

Hmm... if what followed was that the men's eyes suddenly gleamed when they spotted the mysterious bulge, and all the burly men around you suddenly crowded closer and tried to strike up a conversation, and they ultimately followed you into the men's room... then it would probably be ready to consume...

Especially for certain people giving off a purple aura.

Uraraka Shige shook his head, trying to shake those wildly disruptive, gay-as-hell thoughts out of his mind.

But Terumi Genga, who was clasping both hands in front of a chest he was trying hard to puff out and gazing at him with stars in his eyes, saw this and couldn't help thinking, Did my lord knight come to hate me because of what I said?!

Terumi Genga's eyes instantly filled with tears, and he bit his lower lip. He looked at once like an innocent young girl unwittingly offering herself up for the taking, and like a sorrowful little loli wearing an aggrieved, woeful expression.

"Wah~"

At the same time, he let out a whimper like a puppy abandoned by its owner...

Uraraka Shige had just managed to rid his head of those wild thoughts and was looking at Terumi Genga, his suspected admirer, once more, so he took in every detail of Terumi Genga's expression.

He couldn't help quietly exclaiming in his heart, What a budding beauty. He'll definitely grow up to be a captivating little vixen.

Then Uraraka Shige suddenly remembered what the shiny-headed math teacher had called this transfer student in the previous class. His heart skipped a beat, and his manner instantly turned serious.

"Are you... a boy or a girl?"

Terumi Genga looked at Uraraka Shige, full of grievance, hoping that he would comfort him like a true lord knight comforting a wounded warrior. Instead, the question was what his eager anticipation got him. If he had been one of those volatile explosives commonly known as brats, wouldn't he have blown up on the spot?

Then, driven by a powerful desire for revenge or the urge to take everyone down with them, they would have left both themselves and anyone who came near them battered and bruised.

Fortunately, standing before Uraraka Shige was Terumi Genga, who was introverted and shy, but also very polite despite his admiration for him, so nothing of the sort happened.

"Ah... um... I..."

Terumi Genga hadn't expected Uraraka Shige to ask such a slightly rude question so abruptly. After responding instinctively, he began earnestly preparing an answer, but his naturally shy disposition, combined with the question's rudeness and abruptness, inevitably made him stumble over his words again.

"I... I'm... a boy..."

Terumi Genga finally lowered his head, gave up on a more elaborate response, and reduced his answer to a few words. His voice, however, was so faint that even Uraraka Shige, standing right in front of him, couldn't quite hear it. Wanting to make sure, he instinctively repeated the question.

"A boy?"

The instant the words left his mouth, he realized something.

"Um... I... I'm male... a boy..."

Unfortunately, before he could correct himself, Terumi Genga had already confirmed it again, emphasizing that he was male.

Unable to take back his words in time, Uraraka Shige could only apologize for his rudeness.

"...Sorry..."

Then, to change the subject and prevent things from becoming awkward, he casually followed up with another remark.

"But you really are a boy..."

Both of them froze on the spot.

A moment later, the class bell rang, freeing them from the awkwardness. They entered the corridor one after the other and headed for the playground, though they remained silent with each other.

"Oh, right!"

Uraraka Shige suddenly spoke up, only to do so at exactly the same time as Terumi Genga. He instinctively stopped and let Terumi Genga speak first.

"Um, anyone who saw me looking like this would get the wrong idea... so I can't blame you, my lord knight."

His slow, careful delivery made it clear that Terumi Genga had thought it over before speaking. He had even managed, quite noticeably, to overcome his tendency to stumble over his words when shy.

Only after finishing the whole sentence did Terumi Genga take a deep breath. He seemed much more relaxed, and he gave Uraraka Shige a grateful look that made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Uraraka Shige nevertheless bore it, and said nothing more about whether Terumi Genga was a boy or a girl. Instead, he began thoughtfully and resumed what he had stopped saying earlier to change the subject.

"Um... you just transferred here today, so you probably don't know the schedule yet, do you?"

Although Terumi Genga had actually learned the class schedule during math earlier, he also knew that Uraraka Shige was trying to change the subject and prevent the situation that had embarrassed them both from continuing. So he cooperatively nodded, allowing Uraraka Shige to carry on with the new topic.

This naturally made Uraraka Shige reflect that this transfer student, his suspected admirer, might look like a little loli in women's clothes while actually being a cute boy, but regardless, wasn't he extremely considerate?

"Our next class is P.E..."

With that thought, Uraraka Shige put the earlier awkwardness behind him and glanced at the transfer student. Then he began earnestly explaining the class schedule to Terumi Genga.