"Ugh, so that Teacher Koichi was really that disgusting, huh?"
In the classroom where Kita Ikuyo usually sat, a small group of girls had gathered around the desk of a transfer student, chatting with her as they ate lunch.
Almost every class had a few friendly and outgoing students who would immediately reach out to any new transfer student, helping them integrate into the class. Normally, Kita Ikuyo would have been one of them, but nowadays, she usually spent her lunch breaks at the Paranormal Research Club, so she wasn't present.
One of the girls couldn't help but sigh after hearing the transfer student talk about her previous school:
"Miyamoto-san, you really had it rough, dealing with such a disgusting teacher all the time."
That's right—the transfer student was Rei Miyamoto. At the behest of her father, Miyamoto Tadashi, she had transferred to Private Toyosaki Academy.
To be honest, the school was quite far from her home, and Rei didn't really understand why her father had insisted on her transferring here. However, right as she was completing the transfer process, her former teacher, Koichi Shdio, had suddenly died under mysterious circumstances.
The cause of death was still unknown, but the only clue was that he seemed to have seen something terrifying right before he dropped dead.
Though Miyamoto Tadashi never said anything, Rei had a gut feeling that her father was responsible for Koichi's death. After all, the Shido family had a long-standing feud with theirs, and the timing—Koichi Shido dying just as she was transferring—was too much of a coincidence.
Logically, it was likely that her father had gained some kind of power and secretly killed Koichi, meaning he had truly taken a life.
But strangely, Rei didn't feel scared at all. In fact, she felt a little excited.
If it had been anyone else, she might have felt it was wrong, but since it was Koichi? Good riddance!
In fact, she even thought his death wasn't brutal enough.
That bastard had abused his power at school just because his father was a local politician, making Rei's life miserable—even forcing her to repeat a grade. She had long since grown to despise him.
Fortunately, Koichis father had too many enemies and didn't seem to realize that his son's death was connected to Miyamoto Tadashi.
"It's fine, I've already left that school behind~"
A faint smile crossed Rei's face. Now that she was free of that awful place, she felt much lighter.
Besides, Rei was naturally outgoing, so she quickly got along with her new classmates.
"This school doesn't have any teachers like that, right?"
"Well, some teachers are pretty strict, but none are as disgusting as that guy."
As students, it was only natural to have some complaints about teachers, but the girls still gave a relatively fair assessment.
"Though there are some who care too much about their students, like Hiratsuka-sensei..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's reputation for being overly attentive wasn't just limited to Shin's class—it was well-known throughout the entire school.
Of course, most students didn't actually mind her concern. Only a few troublemakers found her constant attention annoying.
"I see..."
Seeing the expressions on the others' faces as they talked about the teachers, Rei nodded in understanding. At the very least, the teachers here seemed decent—certainly better than Koichi.
However, Rei hadn't transferred here without a purpose. Her father had given her a task.
"By the way... is there someone named Shin at this school?"
The moment she asked, the girls around her froze.
---
After lunch, Shin was the last one to leave the Paranormal Research Club.
Just as he was about to lock the door and head back to class, a pair of hands suddenly draped over his shoulders.
At the same time, a soft body pressed against his back, and a familiar voice whispered behind him:
"Shin-kun, what are you doing here all alone?"
Even without the voice, the sensation of those two soft mounds pressing against his back was enough for Shin to guess who it was.
After all, there weren't many girls in school with such a voluptuous figure. It wasn't like Tohru had suddenly decided to visit.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai, isn't this a little too intimate? What if someone sees us?"
Shin paused his lock-turning motion and responded with a faintly amused tone.
"Because of how close you and Eriri looked at the school gate, I got called in by Hiratsuka-sensei for a lecture today."
"Oh? That's wonderful. That means everyone knows you and I have a special relationship now, right?"
Rather than being embarrassed, Kasumigaoka Utaha only teased him further.
"As for whether someone might see us here... I've actually been wondering something. Why is it that this area is always empty during lunch?"
Her fingers traced lightly down his spine as she asked curiously:
"I've tried coming here a few times before, but something always stopped me... Did you use some kind of Stand ability or something?"
Utaha had actually guessed correctly. The reason no one came near the Paranormal Research Club at noon was because Shin had used 「Blackbird Requiem」 to enforce the rule: "No outsiders can approach the club at lunchtime."
After all, Shin didn't just eat lunch in the clubroom—he'd also done some... other things there. He didn't want any interruptions.
The amount of ki required to maintain this effect was so negligible that Shin barely noticed it, so he kept it active.
Before, Shin hadn't been close to Utaha, so she had been classified as an "outsider." Thus, no matter how hard she tried, something would always prevent her from approaching the club at noon.
But now, after the events at the weekend's comic convention, Shin considered her an ally—so she could finally enter.
"So, what did you come here for?"
Instead of confirming whether her guess about his Stand was correct, Shin simply asked for her reason for seeking him out.
(Of course, not denying it was practically an admission.)
Utaha smiled.
"There is something, but it's not something we should discuss in the hallway. Let's go inside first, okay? I am a member of the Paranormal Research Club, after all, and I've never even been inside."
Shin shrugged, pocketed the key, and reopened the clubroom door.
To be continued…