Monday.
Another school day began.
Yukima Azuma had just stepped into the classroom, and his classmates immediately perked up. They were all eager to ask where he'd been during his recent absences.
But before anyone could say a word, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"You—come with me right now!"
Standing in the doorway, Kirisu Mafuyu wore a terrifyingly stern expression. Her presence alone froze the classroom.
"Sensei, it's not even time for morning class yet," Yukima Azuma replied with a dramatic sigh, putting on an exaggerated look of sorrow. "If you're going to scold me, at least wait until class is over."
His deadpan delivery cracked the tension. Laughter rippled through the classroom. Even Eriri, usually indifferent and reserved at her desk beside him, turned away to stifle a snort.
"Stop talking back! What, have I been too soft with you lately? Or are you just at that rebellious age?" Kirisu fumed. "Come to the office. Now!"
She wasn't just upset—she was furious.
She'd granted him leave in good faith, but it had only been a week since the new term started, and he'd shown up for just two days. If this went on, she wouldn't see him again until next month.
With a helpless shrug, Yukima followed her out.
"Back at it again, huh? And so early in the morning too," another teacher remarked as they passed by, clearly amused. "Kirisu-sensei's really dedicated, sacrificing her break time for a delinquent like you."
Yukima covered his face, pretending to be ashamed. "If only I'd known, I would've been a model student."
Kirisu didn't respond. She just grabbed his ear and dragged him into the office.
The atmosphere inside was oddly light-hearted, despite the scene.
Taking her seat, Kirisu pulled open a drawer and plopped a thick stack of worksheets onto the desk.
"I prepared these in advance. Now sit down and do every single one."
"Eh? But what about morning class?"
Kirisu narrowed her eyes. "Oh, now you remember there's a class?"
"I meant you, Kirisu-sensei."
"I already asked another teacher to cover it."
That answered that. Azuma knew he wasn't getting out of it.
He sighed, pulled a chair from a nearby desk, and sat down. Kirisu shot him a sharp glare for dragging the chair instead of politely asking, but said nothing.
The assignments were from multiple subjects—Japanese, math, English. It was clear they were based on content covered over the past week. Kirisu must've prepared them herself to help him catch up.
Realizing this, Yukima's heart softened just a bit. He picked up the pen and began to write faster.
It didn't take long.
"Sensei, I'm done."
Kirisu had just taken a sip of tea when he spoke. She nearly spit it out.
Coughing, she checked the time on her phone. Barely five minutes had passed.
Her temper flared again.
This guy… Not only had he skipped school, but he'd also treated the assignments she painstakingly prepared like they were nothing.
Snatching the papers from him, she scanned through them, expecting a mess.
But—
Wait. All the answers looked correct.
She blinked, double-checked with the answer key.
Every single one—right.
Kirisu was stunned.
This boy was the top scorer in the entrance exams, yes—but this level of genius felt unfair.
Still, even if he could ace exams after missing class, she couldn't just let him off easy.
She pulled out a second set of papers—last year's final exams for every subject.
"Do these too."
She refused to let him get cocky.
By the time morning classes ended, Yukima looked drained.
"Kirisu-sensei… if there's nothing else, can I go now?" he asked wearily.
It was almost funny. Even if she'd brought out graduation-level exams, he could probably solve them just as easily. Reincarnated, with an intelligence stat of 8—high school exams were child's play.
Kirisu turned from the towering stack of corrected papers, sighing.
"Not yet. I still have some questions." Her voice had softened. "What were you doing last Thursday and Friday? I checked your official match schedule. You didn't have any games."
Azuma scratched his head. She even looked up his match calendar?
Most teachers wouldn't go that far.
"I went abroad… to handle some company business," he said, a little hesitant.
Lying would only make things worse. Kirisu was the type to press until she got the truth.
"Company?"
She stared at him, bewildered.
"It's from a game I developed before," he explained. "I earned a bit from it. And with how Japan's economy is right now… I didn't want to just leave the money sitting in a bank. So, I met with an investor I trust and launched a small company overseas."
Kirisu was at a loss.
What was she supposed to say to that?
A student, sitting in her office, calmly explaining foreign investments and economic strategy—it was absurd.
"Sigh… Fine. As long as you know what you're doing."
She sounded like a parent trying—and failing—to relate to a kid who'd already gone off and built an empire.
"If Kirisu-sensei ever runs into trouble, let me know," Azuma added with a grin. "I'd be happy to help."
It was a sincere offer, despite the teasing tone.
She had cared enough to track him down, scold him, and prepare catch-up work. For all her cold exterior, she was clearly invested in her students.
Kirisu instinctively nodded, then froze mid-motion.
Wait. Why was she agreeing to be helped by a student!?
"It's time for class! I'm heading back!" Azuma said quickly, bolting before she could snap out of it.
"Y-Yukima Azuma! You delinquent! I'll get you for this!!" Kirisu's yell echoed through the office.
Back in class, the math teacher didn't say much about Azuma's return. After all, he'd seen him breeze through an entire semester's worth of tests earlier.
As long as Azuma didn't disturb the class, the teacher was fine—even if he fell asleep at his desk.
Geniuses had their perks.
Azuma had just sat down when a crumpled piece of paper landed on his desk.
He opened it. The neat handwriting told him it was from Kato Megumi.
[Did Azuma-san get scolded? Kirisu-sensei looked really mad.]
Just reading it, Azuma could practically hear her soft voice.
He scribbled a reply.
[I did, but I managed to survive somehow.]
And so began their paper-passing conversation.
[Well, it was your fault for not coming to school.] (Megumi)
[Wait—are you mad too?] (Azuma)
[I had to do everything by myself in cooking class on Friday.] (Megumi)
[I'm really sorry!] (Azuma)
[Just kidding. I'm not mad. I figured it was something important.] (Megumi)
[Megumi-sama, you're an angel!] (Azuma)
[Flattery won't get you anywhere.] (Megumi)
[Making Megumi-sama smile is reward enough.] (Azuma)
[You sound like the protagonist of some trashy light novel about a flirty delinquent.] (Megumi)
[Oof. Emotional damage.] (Azuma)
[Just kidding~] (Megumi)
Suddenly, another note rolled across the desk.
This one was from Eriri.
[You two, knock it off! Focus on class!]
Azuma replied with a grin.
[Want to go shopping after school?]
[Didn't you have club activities?] (Megumi)
[Grrr! There's a limit to this flirting!] (Eriri)
[Club's fine—I'm skipping today. Eriri, weren't you free anyway?] (Azuma)
[They got suspended… So that's why.] (Megumi)
[That's how you invite someone? I'm deducting points! But… since you begged, I'll go!] (Tsundere Eriri)
As they passed notes, one slipped and landed near the teacher's feet.
Eriri froze in horror.
The teacher picked it up, glanced at it, then quietly returned it to Azuma's desk without a word.
The bell rang.
"Whew… I thought I was done for," Eriri muttered, holding her chest in relief.
"This is your fault!" Azuma grinned. "You need more practice throwing notes!"
Eriri bared her teeth at him. "Hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to find Kita-chan."
She stormed off—though, when she found Kita Ikuyo, something seemed… off.
After school, Eriri looked troubled.
"Is something wrong?" Megumi asked gently.
"I don't know. Kita-chan's been acting kind of distant lately. When I talk to her, she just… zones out."
Eriri frowned. She immediately regretted saying so much to Megumi—they were friends, yes, but not exactly close enough for heart-to-hearts.
"If that's the case," Azuma said, "why don't we follow her? See where she goes."
"Isn't that kind of rude?" Eriri hesitated.
"What's more important? Manners, or a friend in trouble?"
That sealed it.
The three of them quietly followed Kita Ikuyo from a distance.
Kita didn't go home.
Instead, she headed to Shimokitazawa—a lively district filled with thrift shops, cafés, and music stores.
Her walking alone wasn't unusual, but for someone like Kita, it felt… out of place.
They watched her enter a music store, briefly chat with the owner, then leave with a large instrument case slung over her shoulder. Likely a guitar or bass.
"Looks like she plays an instrument," Megumi said, glancing at Eriri.
"I… didn't know that," Eriri admitted, looking surprised.
Yukima said nothing. He'd already started piecing things together.
While they whispered, Kita disappeared around a corner. When they followed—she was gone.
She must've entered one of the shops nearby.
They had no choice but to give up.
"Guess we'll talk to her tomorrow," Eriri said.
"In the meantime," Azuma pointed to a nearby crepe stand, "why not enjoy the evening? We did plan to go shopping, remember?"
The three of them ducked into the shop.
Shopping with Megumi was surprisingly fun.
She'd once mentioned liking it, though most people forgot that.
Eriri wasn't big on shopping herself, but Azuma's teasing brought out her tsundere side and kept the mood light. Still, after that rainy night, he had started to dial it back—he didn't want to cross a line again.
"Ooh, let's check out this fortune-telling shop!" Eriri said, pointing at a dimly lit storefront with purple décor.
The sign read:
"Fortune-teller—Banishing Evil Spirits"
"Free Consultations—No Taboos"
"Love, Wealth, Career—All Covered"
Typical scam setup, Azuma thought. But Megumi seemed curious.
So they went in.
At the entrance stood two girls in Shuka High uniforms—Bocchi's school.
"Do you have any strong bracelets for banishing evil spirits?" one girl asked.
"Something that won't break easily," added the other.
"Oh, how cute! I just enchanted this one today," the old woman said, pulling out a bracelet.
It actually looked decent—for a scam.
But just as one of the girls slipped it on—
BANG!
The bracelet exploded, shards flying.
Azuma reacted instantly, stepping in front of Eriri and Megumi. He raised his hand and caught several flying pieces midair.
"Are you two okay?" he asked.
"I-I'm fine," Eriri nodded, still stunned.
"Azuma-san, that was amazing," Megumi said, impressed.
The fortune-teller glanced over.
"Oh, must've been an old rubber band. Sorry, I'll get another."
She casually turned and disappeared into the back.
Azuma narrowed his eyes.
There was no way a rubber band snapped like that.
And then, he caught a faint scent—something foul. Not strong, but unnatural.
He turned toward the two girls from Shuka High.
Behind them… was nothing.
But the smell was coming from right there.
Azuma's expression darkened.
Something wasn't right.