"Second time? Natsu-kun has been there before?" Yui Yuigahama became even more curious, inching closer.
"You're getting too excited..." Natsuo subtly moved back a little, reminding her.
"Oh... sorry," Yui Yuigahama realized, slightly embarrassed, and sat back properly.
"I only went there the night before yesterday, on Friday night."
"Friday night... I don't think anything happened to me that night?" Yui Yuigahama rested her finger on her chin, looking up in recollection.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Hehe~" Yui Yuigahama chuckled sheepishly.
"Natsu-kun, were you alone there on Friday night?"
"No, I had someone with me," Natsuo shook his head candidly.
"Who was it..."
Tap-tap-tap~
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside, and then a student walked in.
"Good morning."
It was a boy who entered, enthusiastically greeting both of them.
"Good morning," Natsuo replied.
"G-good morning," Yui Yuigahama responded hastily, quickly sitting up straight and facing the front. She whispered to Natsuo:
"W-we'll talk later."
"Okay," Natsuo nodded, then pulled out his textbook and began studying seriously.
He had been busy writing his novel for the last two days and hadn't made any progress in his schoolwork.
He had the persona of a top student; he couldn't ruin that.
The benefits of being a Transmigrator were great. His learning ability was exceptionally strong now; he could memorize information instantly and easily achieve comprehensive understanding.
Fortunately, it was only the first year of high school, so he hadn't fallen too far behind. The material from elementary and middle school wasn't difficult either; a quick review would refresh his memory.
However, he didn't have his junior high textbooks. He would have to borrow them. The best candidate right now was Yui Yuigahama.
The two of them were now, arguably, partners who had shared an experience of adversity.
Natsuo wasn't sure if he could ask Yukino Yukinoshita to borrow hers. Since the two of them hadn't met in reality, it was unlikely.
In Class: Anomalies and Interruptions
Classes in Japan start quite late, with no morning homeroom. The first class begins after 8 a.m.
Natsuo read for a long while before other students gradually began to arrive in the classroom, all seemingly coordinated to arrive around the same time.
"Yui? Why are you here so early today?" Yumiko Miura arrived and was surprised to see Yui Yuigahama already in her seat.
She remembered that ever since the school year started, Yui Yuigahama always arrived later than her.
"Ah... well... I woke up a little early today," Yui Yuigahama clearly fabricated an excuse.
Yumiko Miura didn't think much of it. She joked playfully, "You're not interested in Natsu-kun and wanted to see him earlier, are you?"
"N-no way!" Yui Yuigahama quickly denied it, her face flushing.
"Hehe~ I'm just kidding. Why are you so worked up?"
"Um... I was afraid Natsu-kun would misunderstand," Yui Yuigahama glanced at Natsuo.
"Is that so? Natsu-kun might actually be happy about it."
"Miura-san, good morning," Natsuo put down his book and greeted her.
"Good morning. So, what do you think?"
"It's true. Yuigahama-san is so cute; if she came early just to see me, I'd definitely be happy," Natsuo replied truthfully.
"C-cute!?" Yui Yuigahama froze.
"Did you hear that, Yui? Natsu-kun says you're cute."
"Miura-san is cute too," Natsuo said calmly.
"I... You guy, are you really the type who just says whatever comes to mind?" Yumiko Miura was also embarrassed by his comment.
"I'm just telling the truth."
"You guy... you might be quite dangerous," she said.
"Huh?" Natsuo looked at her in confusion.
"Figure it out yourself!" Yumiko Miura turned her head away, her golden hair swishing, looking annoyed.
"..."
Natsuo didn't understand what she meant, so he returned to reading.
One comes to school to attend classes and study diligently. Surely no one harbors other intentions, right?
The first class of the morning was Japanese History. This was the subject Natsuo needed to focus on most, as he was completely unfamiliar with the local history.
Fortunately, it was rote memorization, and his memory was now very strong.
However, as he flipped through the textbook, he discovered many anomalies—things that completely contradicted his previous knowledge.
Natsuo had read many anime and novels related to Japanese history and remembered them clearly, but the content in the textbook was totally different from what he recalled.
Most significantly, many place names had changed; only Tokyo remained the same.
But even that was wrong. After all, Yukino Yukinoshita and others shouldn't even be appearing here.
Is it because the world has been invaded?
Or is it because this is a composite world, resulting in many changes?
Natsuo didn't know, but he considered it a good thing. With everyone gathering in one place, he would be able to meet more people.
The Japanese History class passed peacefully. The second class was Japanese Language, and Natsuo saw Shizuka Hiratsuka again after two days.
She seemed to be in a good mood today; she didn't target him or ask him any questions. The class ended quickly.
"Phew—" Natsuo couldn't help but sigh in relief when Shizuka Hiratsuka left the classroom with her long strides.
During her class, he couldn't help but feel anxious, given the questionable nature of his grades.
"Natsu-kun, you seem... afraid of Hiratsuka-sensei?" Yumiko Miura noticed his behavior.
"Miura-san, just call me by my first name. Hearing 'Natsu-kun' feels awkward."
"Is that so? Just call you Natsuo?" Yumiko Miura didn't stand on ceremony.
"Yes, that's fine. Yuigahama-san, please call me that too."
"Eh? I... um..." Yui Yuigahama looked toward Yumiko Miura.
"Go ahead and call him that. Natsuo is part foreign, so they often call each other by their first names over there," Yumiko Miura said.
"Oh, is that right... Then... Natsuo?" Yui Yuigahama stammered.
"Yes, that's perfect," Natsuo nodded, satisfied.
"But you can still use the original way to address us," Yumiko Miura added.
"I don't mind."
"That's really strange... Oh, right, you still haven't answered my question," Yumiko Miura remembered and continued her inquiry.
"Ah, yes, I am a little afraid of Hiratsuka-sensei."
"Eh? Why?"
"I got on her bad side when I reported on Friday. We had a small conflict."
"A small conflict?"
"It's just that..."
"Hey! Look over there!"
"Isn't that..."
"Why is she coming to our class? Is she looking for someone?"
"She's so beautiful, the 'Ice Queen' of our school."
"Keep it down!"
"Hmm?"
The class suddenly became noisy. Natsuo scanned the room and found everyone excitedly looking at the back door. He followed their gaze and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
A striking figure walked through the back door, looking utterly detached and elegant.
"Yukinoshita? Why is she here?" Yumiko Miura frowned when she saw her, clearly annoyed.
"She's so beautiful," Yui Yuigahama genuinely gasped.
Natsuo vaguely guessed her purpose, and their eyes met. This confirmed his suspicion.
Yukino Yukinoshita walked straight toward Natsuo, her steps steady, ignoring the gazes of everyone around her, until she stopped right in front of him.
The moment she stopped, Natsuo felt the eyes of the entire class converge on him, an attention even heavier than the day he transferred.
"Natsu-kun."
Yukino Yukinoshita spoke. She stared at Natsuo, her cherry-blossom lips slightly parted, her voice clear and haughty.
"Could you come with me for a moment?"