Class was about to begin.
Kaito rested his head against the desk while staring absentmindedly out the window, watching birds fly across the bright morning sky. Around him, the classroom was filled with noise. Students laughed, introduced themselves, and talked excitedly about vacation stories.
I guess this much noise is normal on the first day, he thought.
Still…
Honestly, I'm pretty frustrated with you right now, Kaoru.
{ And what exactly did I do, Kaito? } Kaoru asked calmly inside his head.
When I first came to this world, I thought I might actually get to live peacefully for a while. You didn't appear immediately, and that voice never gave me a clear purpose. It just said I'd eventually receive missions.
Kaito sighed internally.
I just didn't expect it to happen this fast.
{ That is precisely why I delayed my appearance, } Kaoru replied. { I wanted you to enjoy at least a little peace before reality caught up with you. Unfortunately, the inevitable cannot be avoided forever. }
Yeah, yeah… I figured as much.
Kaito closed his eyes for a moment.
Still, even if it's annoying, I should start thinking about how to stop Lala from meeting Rito.
If I remember correctly, they're supposed to meet tonight.
…Which means I need a plan before then.
As he was lost in thought, the bell signaling the beginning of class rang throughout the school.
At almost the exact same moment, the sound of high heels echoed from the hallway outside.
The noisy classroom instantly quieted down.
Then the door opened.
A beautiful woman stepped inside.
She calmly walked toward the podium, placed several books down, and turned toward the class with a composed expression.
"My name is Kirisu Mafuyu. I will be your homeroom teacher."
Her voice was cool and professional.
The moment she introduced herself, the classroom reacted immediately.
More specifically—
the boys did.
Some stared openly.
Others whispered among themselves.
A few looked completely captivated.
Meanwhile, Kaito slowly lifted his head from the desk.
And the moment he saw her—
he froze.
Standing at the front of the classroom was none other than Mafuyu Kirisu.
The Ice Queen herself.
Long silver hair.
Cold blue eyes.
An overwhelming beauty paired with a strict and distant atmosphere.
Kaito stared at her blankly.
In my opinion, she should've been the one who won, he thought seriously.
{ Kaito, you have received a new notification. }
What is this? Are you a smartphone now?
{ I was merely informing you, } Kaoru replied with slight irritation. { If you do not wish to check it, then don't. }
I was joking. Don't get offended so easily.
{ Hmph. }
Kaito suppressed a sigh before quietly muttering:
"Status."
Immediately, the familiar translucent blue screen appeared before him.
NAME: Kazama Kaito
AGE: 15
HEIGHT: 1.78 m
SKILLS: None
SPECIAL PHYSIQUE: None
BROKEN DESTINIES: —
MISSIONS: 2
There's a missions tab now?
Kaito narrowed his eyes.
And why are there already two missions?
{ Open them and you will understand. }
If anyone sees me poking invisible screens in the middle of class, they'll think I've lost my mind.
Kaito discreetly tried pressing the screen anyway.
Nothing happened.
…Kaoru, nothing opened.
{ When I said "open," it was merely a manner of speaking. You simply need to think about it. }
Kaito immediately narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
You did that on purpose, didn't you?
{ "..." }
Silence.
That confirmed everything.
Kaito mentally clicked his tongue before focusing on the missions tab.
The moment he thought about opening it, another screen appeared.
The first mission was the one involving Lala.
At the top corner, he noticed something written:
(1/2)
Kaito imagined sliding the screen to the side.
Immediately, another mission window appeared.
But before he could read it—
cough.
Someone coughed directly in front of him.
Kaito slowly looked up.
Standing beside his desk was Kirisu Mafuyu herself, staring down at him with cold eyes.
"Young man," she said calmly, "were you listening to anything I said?"
Cold sweat instantly ran down Kaito's back.
"I-I'm sorry, Sensei. I wasn't paying attention."
Her expression became even colder.
"What is your name?"
"Kazama Kaito."
"Come to my office during the break."
After saying that, she turned around and calmly returned to the podium.
Kaito stared blankly ahead.
…I got in trouble because of you, Kaoru.
{ This is entirely your own fault, } Kaoru replied immediately. { I merely informed you about the notification. You chose to check it during class. }
…Yeah, okay. That's fair.
Kaito let out a tired sigh.
Seriously…
My luck is awful.
The moment lunch break began, Kirisu closed the book in her hands and dismissed the class.
But not before giving Kaito one final look that clearly said:
Don't forget.
Once she left the room, Kaito immediately relaxed against his chair.
The entire class felt incredibly stressful.
What kind of student stays calm while a teacher like that keeps staring at them? he thought.
{ You. }
…I'm starting to think you enjoy seeing me suffer.
{ "..." }
Kaoru wisely chose silence.
Kaito stood up from his seat.
"Looks like you got yourself into trouble on the very first day," Rito said while approaching him alongside another boy.
"Yeah," Kaito replied tiredly. "Amazing luck, right?"
"I'm sure Kirisu-sensei will forgive you if you apologize properly," Rito said reassuringly.
Kaito looked at him for a moment.
You only say that because you don't know how terrifying she actually is.
"I hope so," he answered.
"But honestly," the boy beside Rito suddenly said, "getting scolded by a teacher that beautiful doesn't sound so bad."
Kaito glanced at him.
Brown hair.
Round glasses.
A suspiciously perverted expression.
…Ah.
Saruyama Kenichi.
Rito's degenerate friend.
At that exact moment, Saruyama was probably imagining something inappropriate involving Kirisu.
"Saruyama," Rito whispered nervously, "don't say things like that out loud!"
"What are you saying, Yuuki?!" Saruyama declared dramatically. "Can a man not express the burning passions within his heart?! Ever since I first laid eyes upon Kirisu-sensei, the flames of youth have consumed me!"
He clenched his fist passionately.
Students nearby immediately started staring at them.
"See?!" Rito whispered in embarrassment. "Now everyone's looking!"
Then he turned toward Kaito.
"Sorry about him. He's weird, but he's not actually a bad guy."
"Kaito?"
No response.
Because Kaito was already gone.
The instant he recognized Saruyama, he had quietly slipped out of the classroom before the inevitable chaos escalated further.
As Kaito walked through the hallway toward the teachers' office, he reopened the status screen.
"Status."
The blue window appeared instantly.
This time, he opened the second mission.
MISSION — THE PERFECT TUTOR
Objective:Make Mafuyu Kirisu choose you as the tutor for her two problem students.
Kaito stopped walking.
…Excuse me?
He stared blankly at the screen.
I haven't even dealt with Lala yet, and now you're throwing another disaster at me?
{ I should clarify that I have absolutely no control over how the missions are assigned. }
Then what exactly do you do?
{ I answer your questions… and provide companionship. }
"…Ah."
Kaito's expression subtly changed into disappointment.
{ "…You are surprisingly rude sometimes, Kaito." }
Ignoring Kaoru's complaint, Kaito continued walking.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
Hey, Kaoru.
{ Yes? }
Can you at least tell me what kind of anime worlds exist here?
You know…
Just so I can mentally prepare myself.
Kaoru remained silent for a brief moment before answering.
{ Unfortunately, even I do not know the full extent of this world. However, I highly doubt you were reincarnated into a universe filled with planet-destroying monsters or absurdly overpowered beings. }
Kaito visibly relaxed.
That's good enough for me.
{ I said I "highly doubt it," not that I am certain. }
Kaito's expression immediately stiffened again.
…Please stop talking.
By then, he had already arrived near the teachers' office.
And standing outside—
waiting for him—
was Kirisu Mafuyu.
The moment she noticed him approaching, she crossed her arms.
"You're late."
"I'm sorry, Sensei. I ended up talking with friends."
Kaito thought carefully.
Like Rito said, I should probably apologize sincerely.
Then—
without warning—
he bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"I'm extremely sorry for not paying attention during class, Kirisu-sensei! I promise it won't happen again!"
Kirisu blinked.
For the first time since entering the classroom earlier, her cold expression cracked slightly in surprise.
"…You don't need to go that far."
Her voice sounded noticeably softer now.
"Just make sure it doesn't happen again."
Kaito immediately straightened up.
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Good. Now follow me."
Kaito blinked.
"…We're going somewhere?"
Kirisu looked back at him.
"Of course. I called you because I need help with something."
…Wait.
So she never intended to scold me?
{ Hahahaha! } Kaoru burst into laughter inside his head. { You panicked for absolutely nothing! }
Shut up.
{ You even bowed with perfect form just to look more sincere! }
Please shut up forever.
Kaito followed behind Kirisu while desperately trying to hide his embarrassment.
Unfortunately for him—
Kaoru continued laughing the entire way.
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the school parking lot.
Kaito immediately froze when he spotted a pink car nearby.
His expression became serious.
I need to remember something very important.
Never.
Ever.
Ride in a car driven by this woman.
Anyone who watched the anime would understand why.
{ I think you're simply a coward. }
Yes.
For the sake of my continued survival.
Meanwhile, Kirisu searched through her bag for her car keys.
A bag she had apparently forgotten earlier and needed to retrieve from the teachers' office.
Eventually, she found them.
"There are several boxes in the back seat," she explained. "I need help carrying them to my desk."
Kaito stared at her.
…That's it?
Why not ask another teacher?
Still, he smiled politely.
"Of course, Sensei."
{ Your ability to complain internally while acting polite externally is genuinely impressive. }
Quiet.
Kirisu opened the trunk.
Inside were two large boxes overflowing with random objects.
Kaito stared at them silently.
Kirisu noticed immediately.
"I know what you're thinking," she said flatly. "But these are all necessary items."
"I'm sure they are."
Kaito absolutely did not believe that.
He picked up the first box.
It was lighter than expected.
Thinking he could carry both at once, he reached for the second box—
—and nearly regretted his existence.
"…Never mind. This one's ridiculously heavy."
"You can take them one at a time," Kirisu said calmly. "Leave them near the office."
"Got it."
As Kaito carried the first box across campus, he noticed students happily eating lunch together.
The smell of food drifted through the air.
And somewhere inside his bag—
Mikan's homemade lunch waited for him.
…I'm genuinely jealous right now.
{ The faster you finish, the faster you can eat. }
You're right.
Kaito immediately quickened his pace.
As he crossed the courtyard, he unknowingly passed near Haruna Sairenji.
She quietly watched him for a moment before he disappeared into the building.
After leaving the first box outside the teachers' office, Kaito returned for the second one.
This time, Kirisu accompanied him.
Three exhausting minutes later, he finally reached the office while breathing heavily.
That box was way heavier than it looked…
"Thank you, Kazama-kun," Kirisu said.
"Do you want me to carry them inside too?"
"No. I can manage the rest."
Then she handed him a can.
"This is your reward."
Kaito accepted it instinctively.
Only after Kirisu disappeared into the office did he finally look down.
"…Hot tea?"
During lunch?
Kaito genuinely didn't know how to react.
{ Your teacher is quite unique. }
Without a doubt.
Kaito sighed before turning around.
At least now I can finally eat Mikan's lunch.
By my calculations, I still have ten minutes left.
He had barely taken two steps—
when someone called out to him from behind.
"Excuse me… you're friends with Yuuki-kun, right?"
Kaito froze.
For one brief moment—
he considered pretending he didn't know Rito at all.
But that lie would collapse instantly.
So he turned around.
Standing there was Haruna Sairenji.
"Yes," he answered calmly. "I'm his friend. Do you need something?"
"My name is Haruna Sairenji. We're in the same class."
"I know. You greeted Rito this morning."
"Ah… right."
Haruna hesitated slightly.
"Kazama-kun… I actually wanted to ask you for some advice."
Kaito blinked.
"…Advice?"