At the entrance of Chiba Municipal Sobu High School in Chiba Prefecture.
A handsome young man in a Sobu High uniform stood there, a hint of emotion on his face.
"It's been seven years, and Dad still remembers. I wonder how Yukino agreed to it—did she not object at all?"
Shaking off his thoughts, the boy stepped through the school gates.
His name was Shirou Takayama, a transmigrator. In his previous life, during a university internship, an accident sent him to this world as a newborn.
Born into a wealthy family, Shirou grew up without want, traveling the world with his business-minded parents. His talent for languages gradually became apparent.
Now, transferring to Japan was naturally a breeze for him.
It was already class time, so he didn't encounter any students along the way. Entering the school building, Shirou climbed the stairs and soon found the second-year teachers' office.
Knocking on the open door, he said, "Excuse me, I'm the transfer student arriving today."
As soon as he spoke, a female teacher in the office looked up. "Ah, you're here. Come in."
Entering the office, Shirou turned his gaze to the teacher who had spoken.
Long black hair, a white lab coat over a fitted women's suit, and a somewhat lazy expression—she was quite a striking figure.
Looking at Shirou as he approached, the teacher said, "You must be Shirou Takayama, right? I'm your homeroom teacher for the next two years, Shizuka Hiratsuka. Takayama, you're a bit late—today's already the second day of school."
Shirou smiled apologetically. "I couldn't help it. I was coming from France, and my flight got delayed. Plus, since I haven't been here in years, I had to visit a few elders yesterday. That's why I could only come today. My apologies, Hiratsuka-sensei."
"Alright, if that's the case, I'll let it slide. According to the records I have, missing one day of class won't be a problem for you."
Checking the time, Shizuka stood up. "Let's go. There are two minutes left in this period. I'll take you to the classroom. Did you bring all your textbooks for today?"
"I did. I checked the schedule."
"Good."
Following Shizuka down the hallway, Shirou realized that the teacher, who had seemed average in height while seated, was actually over 170 cm tall.
She seemed even more impressive than the Shizuka Hiratsuka he remembered.
But alas, still single.
Soon, they arrived at the door of Class 2-F just as the bell rang.
Hearing the teacher inside dismiss the class, Shizuka pushed the door open.
Seeing Shizuka enter with an unfamiliar student, the teacher knew the transfer student had arrived and said to the class with a smile, "Alright, everyone, hold on a moment."
Some students who had already left their seats sat back down upon seeing Shizuka enter with a male student.
Many had received news yesterday that a transfer student would be joining their class—was this the one?
After the classroom quieted down, Shizuka gave Shirou a glance.
Picking up a piece of chalk, Shirou wrote his name on the blackboard before turning around and saying, "Hello everyone, my name is Shirou Takayama, and I'm from China. I enjoy good food and sports, and while there are things I dislike, they're few and far between. I look forward to getting to know you all."
Though brief, it was sufficient. Based on their short conversation on the way here, Shizuka could tell this young man had a pleasant personality.
Nodding, Shizuka said, "Alright, this is our transfer student, Shirou Takayama. He'll be studying with you all for the next two years, so let's get along well. As for seating, there's an empty spot in the last row of the first column—Takayama, you can take that seat for now."
Shirou nodded and walked straight over, settling into the vacant seat.
As for the boy with dead-fish eyes sitting in front of him, Shirou naturally recognized who he was but chose not to say anything further.
With matters settled, Shizuka left with the English teacher, and the classroom immediately buzzed back to life.
Many students crowded around Shirou, peppering him with curious questions.
From their first year to now in their second year of high school, there hadn't been a single transfer student in their grade—Shirou was the first, and a foreign one at that. Naturally, this piqued their interest immensely.
"Takayama, what made you decide to transfer here?"
"You mentioned you like sports—want to join our track and field club?"
Questions came one after another, but Shirou remained unfazed. He answered everything except the reason for transferring to Sobu High.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the classroom, a group of boys huddled together. Among them, a handsome blond boy gazed thoughtfully at Shirou, lost in recollection.
As if sensing the attention, Shirou turned and gave him a slight nod.
"So it really is him..."
"Huh? Hayama, what are you talking about?"
"Do you know that transfer student?"
Hayato Hayama nodded and whispered, "We met a few times when we were kids. He's an outstanding person."
As for the reason behind Shirou's transfer, Hayato had a rough guess.
It seemed he had come here for that person.
The break soon ended, and the second-period math class began with the chime of the bell.
For someone as sharp as Shirou, the coursework at a Japanese high school posed no challenge. Still, since it was his first day, he played the part of a diligent student, paying attention in class.
When called upon by the teacher to answer a question, he responded effortlessly.
After the fifty-minute class ended, Shizuka returned to the classroom and called Shirou out.
In the staff room, she handed him a sheet of paper. "You probably saw the club recruitment notices on the bulletin board when you arrived, right? Since you're here, you should join a club. This afternoon, the clubs will still be recruiting—you can go check them out."
"Clubs, huh."
Picking up the club application form and glancing at it, Shirou nodded with a smile. "Hmm, I already have a club in mind that I'd like to join."
Hearing this, Shizuka raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh? You already have a club you want to join? That's even better. Alright, since everything's settled, you can head back now. The rest of today's classes are pretty relaxed, so take the chance to get to know your classmates better."
"Then I'll be going, Hiratsuka-sensei."
After bidding farewell, Shirou returned directly to the classroom.
Soon, the morning classes came to an end, and it was time for lunch break.
Declining invitations from a few classmates to eat together, Shirou went alone to the school store to buy some sandwiches and drinks before heading to the club building.
"The Service Club... this is the place."
His fiancée should already be here by now.