Back row, by the window—the throne of kings.
As the teacher droned on at the podium, Akihiko gazed out at the blue sky and white clouds.
Below the sky was the schoolyard.
A class was having P.E. there.
Girls in gym uniforms—a sight Akihiko had only seen in anime before… Well, doujinshi too, of course. There were plenty of interesting scenarios involving gym uniforms in those.
Ahem—pure love doujins, obviously!
NTR stuff was instantly forgotten…! Disgusting! Absolutely vile! Just thinking about it made him sick—
Akihiko shook off the intrusive thoughts and continued watching the girls bask in their youth, completely ignoring the Japanese boys.
His eyes locked onto a black ponytail in the crowd.
Tall, slender limbs, snow-white skin.
It was Ryouka Yotsumoto, currently doing warm-up exercises. As she bent forward to touch her toes, the eyes of everyone around her—boys and girls alike—were glued to her.
Ryouka stood out like a blooming flower in a field of grass.
"Hm?"
Mid-stretch, Ryouka suddenly turned her head and looked up toward the school building.
Her gaze met a certain boy watching her from a window.
…Kobayashi-kun.
The corners of her lips curled faintly as she raised a hand and waved lightly in front of her chest.
"What's up, Ryouka?" a female classmate asked.
"Nothing…" Ryouka chuckled.
"Oh? Did you see Ayumu-kun?" The girl teased. "You two are so close… I'm kinda jealous…"
"N-No…" Ryouka quickly denied. "Ayumu and I are just childhood friends."
That's right. Ayumu was just her childhood friend.
As for Kobayashi-kun…
Just a classmate.
Nothing more.
What sharp senses.
Akihiko clicked his tongue. From this distance, and from above, Ryouka had still managed to pinpoint his location instantly.
Was this the composure of the karate club's ace?
He averted his gaze and continued listening to the lecture.
[...Host! It's already been half a day, why haven't you asked Ai-chan for help!? Beep! Ai-chan is making a fuss to get the host's attention!]
"This question…"
Akihiko looked down at his textbook.
Though he could now be considered proficient in literature, English remained his weakness… Wait, no—this was actually a math book.
High school math had long been tossed into some forgotten corner of his mind, and even the Pythagorean theorem had completely slipped his memory.
Math was the most honest subject—it never lied. If you didn't know, you didn't know.
So Akihiko quickly gave up and resumed staring out the window.
The system? What a useless thing…
Just yesterday, it had been spouting nonsense about 'Love's Crematorium,' and now, less than half a day later, it was back, shamelessly demanding attention.
Pathetic.
[Host—]
Cut off. Time to think about something else. Spinning his pen, Akihiko pondered—
Before he could even begin considering the situation in Syria, the teacher's sharp voice rang out—
"Kobayashi!"
"Y-yes?"
"Care to explain how to solve this problem?"
Sometimes, actions had consequences. Daydreaming in class meant risking being called out.
"Ugh…" It was a fill-in-the-blank question. The chalkboard was covered in a string of English symbols and formulas, making Akihiko wonder, Is this really math? If it had been multiple-choice, he might've had a shot at guessing.
But no—it was fill-in-the-blank!
Though Akihiko had lived two lives, his math skills hadn't improved. But in other areas—like his face—he'd grown considerably thicker.
Just as he was about to answer with an "I dunno," an idea struck him.
'Hey, stupid system! You there?'
[Here here here here here here here here here here! Beep! Ai-chan is always ready to assist the host… But Ai-chan must emphasize that Ai-chan is not stupid! Ai-chan's IQ is higher than…]
'If you're really so smart, tell me the answer to this question.'
[Hehe, Ai-chan knew the host would eventually rely on her! After all, in this era, the system is justice… Beep! Ai-chan proudly puffs out her 36D…]
'If you can't do it, shut up!'
[…0…]
"The answer is zero," Akihiko immediately replied.
"…Oh? Kobayashi, I didn't expect you to be paying attention." The math teacher sounded surprised. "Then stop looking around."
"My eyes were just a bit tired, so I was looking into the distance." Akihiko sat back down gracefully.
"Oh, so it was zero?"
"I thought it was one. Kobayashi's a zero?"
"Zero is the correct answer…"
The surrounding students began discussing their own answers.
'Not bad.'
[Of course! Ai-chan is a high-intelligence system. Beep! Ai-chan spins around proudly. Also, even though the host scared Ai-chan just now, Ai-chan won't say it out loud. Ai-chan hopes the host will notice and comfort her with kind words…]
'Ah, the sky is so blue…'
[Hey hey hey, host, you're totally ungrateful! Talk to Ai-chan, talk to Ai-chan now…]
As his thoughts drifted further away, the artificial idiot's voice grew fainter, until only the last, distant whisper remained—
[Jerk!]
...
The blue sky turned fiery red as the school bell rang, signaling the end of classes.
Akihiko sighed, "The clouds are so hot," before standing up absentmindedly, packing his bag to head home.
"Hey, Kobayashi! Let's go home together!" said Anshi Masashi.
"Sure."
"By the way, come with me to get a haircut!" Anshi added.
"Ah, I just remembered I have something to do. You go ahead."
"Hey! You're the one who told me to get a haircut!"
"Yeah, but I never said I'd go with you. It'll take at least thirty minutes, not counting the waiting time… I don't have that kind of free time!"
"Enough excuses! I'm sticking with you today!"
Anshi slung his arm around Akihiko's shoulders and didn't let go until they reached the school gate.
"Kobayashi-kun…"
Ryouka Yotsumoto, holding her bag, waved at Akihiko, then glanced at the stunned Anshi. "And this is…?"
Anshi hurriedly released Akihiko's shoulder and took a quick step back, putting distance between them.
"Oh! Lovebird! I'll take it from here alone! See ya! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
He laughed heartily before sprinting off in the opposite direction of home.
What the—!?
So Akihiko and Ryouka are already this close? Lovebird… You must find happiness!!
"He…?" Ryouka pointed a slender finger at Anshi's rapidly retreating figure.
"Idiot," Akihiko said. "Are you waiting for Matsubara?"
"Yeah," Ryouka lowered her eyes and nodded. "And for you too."
"…Hah…" Akihiko sighed.