"How should I know... Huh, isn't that Tsuchimikado's sister?"
"Since when did Tsuchimikado's little sister get so rich? She's even driving a sports car!"
"Brother! Here, this is your lunch." Tsuchimikado Maika spotted the blond high schooler and immediately grew excited. She hurriedly got out of the car and handed over the lunchbox she had prepared.
"Wow~ my beloved little sister, thank you for the lunch, nya~" The blond high schooler, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, took the lunch with a grin and started showing off to his two friends. His smug expression and tone were enough to make anyone want to punch him.
"Jealous, aren't you? Want some~? Beg me~."
"I'm not begging someone who makes his step-sister wear a maid outfit!"
"So what if I make my step-sister wear a maid outfit~ nya!" Tsuchimikado Motoharu, an extreme siscon in his late stage, immediately refuted, "Maid outfits are a man's justice~ nya! Watching girls wear maid outfits is a sacred and inviolable right of men~ nya!"
"Tch!" The spiky-haired boy named Kamijou Touma clicked his tongue, clearly showing his disdain for Tsuchimikado's hopeless declaration.
"Trash!" The blue-haired boy with an earring sneered as well. "I didn't expect you, Tsuchimikado, to be satisfied with just maids. A mere little maid-siscon—how childish."
"You should know, my affection for women is broad. Not just little sisters—I'm into senpai, kouhai, older sisters, younger sisters, widows, twins... everything! Oh-ho-ho-ho!"
After finishing, the blue-haired earring boy let out a queen-like laugh. Combined with his rugged voice, it was enough to make everyone's skin crawl.
"..." The speech left both Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Kamijou Touma momentarily stunned. For a second, they felt that in a certain realm, their level was far inferior to that of the blue-haired earring guy. (Don't ask why he's called the blue-haired earring guy—official records never gave him a name.)
"Forget about how perverted that declaration of yours is." Recovering his composure, the spiky-haired boy could no longer tolerate it. "Even widows? How degenerate can you get?!"
"Aaaaah... Brother, what are your classmates even talking about?!" Why does my brother know such a bunch of weirdos?! Tsuchimikado Maika couldn't bear to look, covering her face in shame. Turning toward the car, she carefully asked, "Mi... Miss Selene?"
"Huh? Maika, what are you talking about, what 'Miss'..."
The car door opened, and when the high school trio saw Selene step out, the blue-haired earring guy instantly froze like a wolf spotting fresh meat. His eyes sparkled brightly, and he immediately changed posture, bowing politely with exaggerated grace. "Beautiful lady, may I have the honor of serving you in any way?"
"'Beautiful lady'? That's Tokiwadai's uniform. She's younger than you, idiot." The spiky-haired boy muttered as he saw the earring boy's obsequious behavior. After being chased by Tokiwadai middle schoolers before, he was now very familiar with their uniforms.
"Now that you mention it, yeah, that's Tokiwadai's uniform. So she's some kind of rich young lady. But seriously, are middle school girls developing this well nowadays?" The earring boy whispered to his two companions.
"You pervert! Keep your voice down! Don't make it sound like I'm as disgusting as you!" Kamijou snapped, glaring at him. How can someone whisper so loudly?! It's like he wants everyone to hear he's a creep!
"Hey, you three over there—did you think I didn't hear your disgusting comments?" A cold voice cut through the air, followed by a series of crackle crackle! sparks. Selene walked toward them, her body wrapped in arcs of electricity. "This is the first time I've met people as disgusting as you!"
"Ah, crap, I knew hanging around you two would get me in trouble!" Seeing the electric sparks, Kamijou suddenly felt a traumatic flashback. Another Tokiwadai Electromaster?! God, not again!
"Um, Miss Selene, please calm down! My brother and his friends didn't mean any harm—they're just... kind of perverted!" Seeing that Selene seemed ready to attack, Tsuchimikado Maika quickly rushed forward to stop her.
"Tch. Fine, I'll let you go this time—for the little maid's sake." Selene glared at the three of them with a frosty look before turning away, clearly unwilling to stoop to their level.
Of course, even if Tsuchimikado Maika hadn't stopped her, Selene wouldn't have actually attacked them—she just wanted to scare them a little. After all, this was the school gate, a public place; there was no way she would really start a fight here.
Otherwise, by tomorrow morning there would definitely be some new urban legend like "Level 5 Brutally Beats Up Powerless High School Students."
Besides, the reason Selene came here today was merely to witness the so-called "Kamijou charm" firsthand, and maybe take a look around A Certain High School while she was at it.
After that, Tsuchimikado Maika stayed behind, while Selene passed by them peacefully and left.
She wandered around the area for a while, confirming that it really was just an ordinary high school—not nearly as well-equipped as the School Garden, and the nearby shops weren't as complete or fancy either.
Before she knew it, evening had fallen. Club activities had ended, and students were returning to their dorms one after another. Watching the sky darken, Selene decided it was about time to head back.
Suddenly—
"Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho..."
A rhythmic chant echoed through the air. But instead of a rough male voice, it was a soft, childish tone.
Following the sound, Selene spotted, in front of a nearby department store, a tiny figure—only about 130 centimeters tall—wearing a pink dress and sporting pink hair. The "little girl" was struggling to carry a shopping bag even larger than herself, wobbling and staggering with each step.
Then, with one wrong move, a few bottles of alcoholic drinks and packs of cigarettes tumbled out of the bag and scattered onto the ground.
"Alcoholic drinks?" Seeing the bottles and cigarettes that had rolled to her feet, Selene immediately recognized the person. Short stature, pink hair, a love for drinking and smoking—there was only one possible candidate.
One of Academy City's Seven Mysteries—the ageless legend: Tsukuyomi Komoe.
In her rush to pick up the fallen items, Komoe didn't pay attention to the rest of her bag. Losing her balance, she tilted forward, and even more things spilled out onto the ground.
Watching her flustered movements, Selene couldn't resist indulging in a bit of mischief. Using Spatial Telekinesis, she lifted all the scattered items back into Komoe's shopping bag, then smiled warmly at the "little girl."
"Thank you, miss student." Seeing someone help her, the pink-haired "loli" let out a sigh of relief. If she'd had to pick everything up by herself, it would have taken forever. Raising her head, she looked up at the Tokiwadai student towering over her, who looked far more like an adult than a student.
Noticing the strange look in Selene's eyes, Tsukuyomi Komoe instantly knew this was another person deceived by her childlike appearance. She really did wish she could grow up faster. "Don't look at me like that! I'm an adult already. My name's Tsukuyomi Komoe, and I'm a teacher here at this high school!"
"Really? You totally look like an elementary schooler. Are you sure you're not lying to me?"
"This student, I really am an adult—and I've been teaching for years! You can call me Komoe-sensei." Feeling distrusted, Komoe-sensei puffed out her cheeks indignantly and even pulled out her teaching license to prove it, placing her hands on her hips in an attempt to look authoritative.
"Oh? Really? Then, Komoe-sensei, my name's Selene. I'm a second-year student at Tokiwadai Middle School." Selene pretended to be respectful under the teacher's "dignity," though the amusement in her tone was impossible to hide.
"Geez... what'll it take for you to believe me?" Komoe-sensei nearly burst into tears. "I have photo albums and documents that can prove it! If you want, you can come to my house and I'll show you... uh..."
Mid-sentence, she froze. Inviting someone to her home might not be such a good idea—especially since the state of her apartment wasn't exactly... presentable.
"Alright, alright. Komoe-sensei, I believe you now, okay?" Seeing the teary look in her eyes, Selene suddenly felt guilty. Fine, I won't tease her anymore.
"So... would you like me to help carry your things home?"
"Eh? Really? Is that okay? You're wearing a Tokiwadai uniform—won't it be a problem if you stay out this late?"
"It's fine. I have a manor nearby, so I can stay there anytime."
"M-manor? As expected of a Tokiwadai ojou-sama..." Komoe-sensei froze for a moment, but then realized it wasn't surprising. Every Tokiwadai student was basically from a wealthy family anyway.
The rest of the trip went quickly. After asking for Komoe-sensei's address, Selene simply opened a Spatial Transfer Gate and brought her directly home.
Once they arrived, Selene immediately understood why Komoe-sensei had hesitated earlier. She knew all too well what Komoe's apartment looked like—it was practically a landfill. Yomikawa Aiho once called her home "a human-shaped ashtray piled into a mountain."
Not wanting to embarrass her further, Selene simply greeted her politely and left. Komoe-sensei thanked her profusely as Selene disappeared into the evening light.