Shizuka Hiratsuka—a Japanese name that seems ordinary, yet most anime fans know better.
It's actually Shizuka-chan... is this for real?
Natsuo couldn't believe it.
He was all too familiar with that name, but she shouldn't logically exist here.
Could it be...!
Natsuo finally understood the true benefit the "World" had mentioned.
He hadn't been resurrected in Japan; he had transmigrated into the world of anime!
"Hey, kid, who are you? What are you doing here?" Shizuka Hiratsuka stood up and walked toward him.
"Uh, Shizu-ka... I mean, Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm..."
Natsuo nearly blurted out her nickname, but she understood nonetheless.
"What did you say?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka advanced menacingly towards Natsuo, cracking her knuckles, radiating a frightening aura. However, she stopped short of hitting him, instead patting Natsuo's shoulder with evident satisfaction.
"You've got some taste, kid."
Natsuo glanced at Hiratsuka's hand on his shoulder, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
He clearly remembered that Hiratsuka was adept at martial arts. If she had punched him, he definitely wouldn't have survived.
He had only become younger, not stronger.
"Kid, what are you here for?" Shizuka Hiratsuka withdrew her hand and asked again.
"Oh, I'm the transfer student. My name is Natsuo," Natsuo promptly answered.
He was now completely unresistant to repeating school, and certainly not resistant to becoming a high school student again.
After all, if Shizuka Hiratsuka was here, then the others must be too, right?
He was eager to go to class right now and meet his new classmates.
"It's you," Shizuka Hiratsuka nodded, looking enlightened.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, you know me?"
"Yes, I'm your Japanese language teacher and your lifestyle guidance counselor. I've already read your file. I'll take you to your class once the period starts."
"Understood," Natsuo replied with a smile.
Having Shizuka Hiratsuka as his teacher was the best possible outcome.
"By the way, let me remind you of something. Don't ever say that phrase again. Show some respect, kid," Shizuka Hiratsuka warned him, seeing Natsuo still beaming happily.
"Which phrase?" Natsuo hadn't caught on.
"What do you think?" Shizuka Hiratsuka smiled slightly and clenched her fist.
Crack...
Accompanying the crisp sound of cracking knuckles, Natsuo couldn't help but twitch.
"...Sensei, are you threatening a student?"
"How could I? This is a friendly conversation, but if a student is disobedient, what can I do?" Shizuka Hiratsuka's smile remained unchanged.
"Why don't you want people to call you that?"
"Are you serious? I'm a teacher. Is that appropriate?"
"But Sensei, you looked very happy just now."
"Nonsense. I'll let it slide since it's your first offense, but don't let there be a next time," Shizuka Hiratsuka said, holding her fist up to Natsuo, a powerful threat.
"I understand..."
Natsuo had only blurted it out due to surprise; he wasn't going to casually call her that.
"In that case, find a seat and wait for a while."
"Sure." Natsuo immediately sat in the chair Shizuka Hiratsuka had just vacated.
"Hey, you little brat... you transfer students are bold, aren't you?"
"Didn't you tell me to sit anywhere I liked? I'm just listening to your instructions, Sensei," Natsuo retorted with a smile.
"You brat... I have a feeling you're trouble. I'm warning you, don't use your decent looks to hurt any girls!"
"You don't need to worry about that."
"I worry about it a lot."
"..."
School starting time in Japan is relatively late. Natsuo sat in the office for half an hour, met a few other teachers, and was finally escorted to the classroom by Shizuka Hiratsuka.
He could barely wait. Although his expression was calm on the way, his heart was pounding with excitement.
Arriving at the door of Class 1-F, Shizuka Hiratsuka asked him to wait outside while she entered first.
Natsuo looked inside from the doorway. He scanned the class. The hair colors in the classroom were varied, but they looked completely natural.
His gaze settled on a girl with short, light-brown hair tied in a bun.
Natsuo instantly recognized her identity. There was no mistaking it: Yui Yuigahama.
It really is her!
At this point, he had no further doubts.
If he had known this was the world he was going to, he would have been enthusiastically cooperative and dedicated from the start.
He was now determined. Whether the "World" was real, whether it was using him, or if they were mutually beneficial, he didn't care.
What was there to question when he had the chance to live in this world?
"...And one more thing to share with you all. We have a transfer student joining our class. Please treat him well. Come in, Natsuo."
Inside the classroom, Shizuka Hiratsuka called Natsuo in.
Natsuo steadied his breathing, maintained his smile, and walked into the classroom.
Everyone in the room turned their attention to him—girls with light-brown hair, golden hair, chestnut hair, and black hair.
"He's a handsome guy~"
"Lucky~"
"Yumiko, are you crushing on him?"
"Don't talk nonsense! You should ask Yui... Yui, do you have any thoughts? Is this transfer student your type?"
"Huh? Me... I'm not sure?"
"Why is that a question?"
"Well, haha..."
The murmurs beneath the podium were clear to the person standing on the platform.
Unless you stood at the front, you would never realize how obvious your actions were.
"Quiet!" Shizuka Hiratsuka yelled sternly.
Silence immediately fell over the class. It seemed her authority over the students was considerable.
"Alright, Natsuo, introduce yourself."
"Okay."
Natsuo nodded, looking calmly at the dozens of faces below, and began his self-introduction.
"Hello everyone, my name is Natsuo, and I'll be your classmate from now on. I look forward to studying with you."
Finished, Natsuo turned and wrote his name on the blackboard.
"If you have any questions, ask them quickly. Once you're done, I'm continuing the lesson," Shizuka Hiratsuka urged, looking annoyed.
"I have a question! Natsuo-kun, your name is a bit strange. Is your surname Natsu (Xia)?" a bold girl raised her hand and asked directly.
"That's right, my surname is Natsu. My father was Chinese, so I'm a Chinese-Japanese hybrid," Natsuo answered with a smile, though he didn't recognize her.
"I see. No wonder you're so handsome."
"Stop being boy-crazy! Natsu-kun, can I ask you a question?"
Another girl raised her hand.
"You may."
"Ahem, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Ooooh—!"
As soon as she asked, the classroom instantly erupted in noise. For teenagers of this age, this kind of question was the most gossiped about, especially when it concerned a transfer student and a handsome guy.
Natsuo wasn't bad-looking in his youth, but perhaps as compensation from the "World," his features and facial contours were now more defined.
He was a beautiful youth who could immediately capture attention.
"No," Natsuo shook his head, speaking the truth.
"Eh? Why not?"
"For now, I'm prioritizing my studies," Natsuo replied, sticking to his established identity.
"Studies?" The girl paused.
"I forgot to tell you something," Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly interjected. "Natsuo's entrance exam score was perfect."
"Ehh—!"
"A perfect score?!"
"That's incredible!"
A chorus of compliments rose and fell, which Natsuo found quite satisfying. Perhaps this was one of the small perks of being a student again.
However, he felt a little unsure.
Kyoshu Bunbu High School did indeed have an entrance exam, but he never took it; the score was entirely part of his established background.
He didn't think his current knowledge level was capable of getting good grades, and with March already here, final exams were approaching.
I might completely mess up.