As the last afternoon class ended, Hiratsuka Shizuka came in to oversee the seat change. She instructed all the students of Class 2J to line up outside the classroom and then pulled out a list.
"Next, I'll call out names. Whoever I call, go inside and pick your seat." After that, Hiratsuka swiftly called out the first name, "Hoshimi Kiyokawa, you're first to pick a seat."
"Huh?" Hoshimi, who had been whispering to Yukino at the back of the line, froze.
I'm first? Is Hiratsuka-sensei picking on me? Or is there some hidden reason behind this seating change?
He glanced around and, seeing the surprised expressions of his classmates, instantly understood.
Could this seating order be based on exam rankings?
"Hoshimi, why are you standing there? Hurry up and go, don't waste everyone's time."
Hearing Hiratsuka's urging, Hoshimi stepped out with a complex expression and headed toward the classroom door. As he passed Hiratsuka, he paused instinctively to greet her.
"Hiratsuka-sensei..."
Before he could finish, Hiratsuka's seemingly delicate hand patted his shoulder. The next moment, she smiled warmly at him. "Hoshimi, you did well. Considering your grades, I won't hold the workplace visit issue from last Friday against you."
"Also..." Hiratsuka's grip on his shoulder tightened slightly. "I read your essay. It was good, but your handwriting is a bit rough. Practice more and write more neatly, and you'll be able to improve your language scores."
"That's all. You can go in." She patted his shoulder, signaling he could go inside.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, it's such a waste that you're not a boxer," Hoshimi muttered through gritted teeth, his shoulder half-numb from the pressure.
"Hmm?" Hiratsuka raised an eyebrow, her intimidating aura immediately flaring up.
"Ahem." Hoshimi cleared his throat and quickly turned to leave, thinking, better not argue with a brute.
After entering the classroom, Hoshimi scanned the room and chose Yukino's old seat — second to last by the window. He had been eyeing that seat for a while. First, it was by the window, perfect for enjoying a peaceful breeze and sunlight for a nap. Second, it was the classic protagonist seat in anime, second from the back by the window.
With the triple identities of a Japanese high school student, a time traveler, and an orphan, he figured he deserved some main character treatment. And it all starts with sitting in the protagonist's seat.
As soon as he sat down in Yukino's former seat, Hoshimi contentedly squinted his eyes. This seat is perfect — a cool breeze and warm sunlight, simply the best place to take naps.
Satisfied, he rested his chin on his hand, smiling as he watched the classroom door.
As expected, the next person to enter was Yukino, ranked second in the overall exam scores.
"Yukino, sit here," Hoshimi called out, pointing to the seat in front of him.
"..." Yukino walked up, thought for a moment, and chose Hoshimi's original seat.
She didn't want to sit in front of Hoshimi...
First, because sitting in front of him would make it harder to see his face. Second, she was worried that Hoshimi might pull some mischief from behind.
"Yukino, why aren't you sitting in front? Wouldn't we be closer?" Hoshimi looked at Yukino and asked in confusion.
"..." Yukino was too lazy to answer. She shot him a sideways glance and said, "Give me my books from the drawer."
"Alright..." Hoshimi didn't press further and quietly exchanged their belongings from their old seats.
As they swapped items, Hoshimi also kept an eye on the students entering the classroom. The top ten students entered individually. The next twenty or so entered in pairs, and by the time there were seven or eight left, they all came in together.
Seeing this, Hoshimi felt a twinge of emotion. Though Hiratsuka-sensei can be a bit rough, she's actually quite considerate about the physical and mental well-being of her students.
In Japan, to protect students' "personal information," things like exam rankings aren't allowed to be posted publicly. As a public school, Sobu High had to follow the rules. But where there's a policy, there's a workaround. To instill a sense of shame and motivation, some subtle tricks like this were bound to happen.
However, to protect the self-esteem of the lowest-ranking students, Hiratsuka didn't make the last seven or eight students come in one by one, which helped preserve their dignity.
How should I put it? This approach is a bit delicate. It's not entirely good or bad, but it shows Hiratsuka's effort to ensure her students' well-rounded development. She's quite responsible.
Clap, clap—!
A familiar sound of clapping rang out. Hoshimi looked up and, sure enough, it was Hiratsuka's usual tactic to get the class's attention before making an announcement.
"Alright, the seat change is done. After tidying up your things, you can leave. Those on duty, remember to stay and clean the classroom."
After she finished speaking, Hiratsuka turned and strode out, and the classroom, which had just quieted down, became lively again.
Watching Hiratsuka's decisive departure, Hoshimi raised an eyebrow.
Not bad. His favorite thing about Hiratsuka-sensei was her no-nonsense style — clear, straightforward, and efficient, unlike those "let me just say two more things" leaders who end up talking for an hour.
"Hoshimi, let's head to the clubroom."
"Got it!"
Yukino and Hoshimi grabbed their bags and left the classroom, both silently agreeing not to mention what had happened in the clubroom at noon. Hoshimi didn't dare bring it up, afraid that if he did, Yukino might give him a hard push while he was eating a banana again.
As for why Yukino didn't mention it, it was simple. Girls are shy — there's no way she'd bring it up herself.
…
Not long after, the club activities ended, and Yukino was walking arm-in-arm with Hoshimi on the way home.
"Hoshimi, don't you think something's off between Yuigahama-san and Hikigaya-san? Did you notice?" Yukino suddenly asked thoughtfully.
"If you noticed, how could I not?" Hoshimi, who had just taken a nap in the Service Club, replied lazily.
"What happened between them?" Yukino lightly poked Hoshimi's side, trying to wake him up a bit.
"Haa~~" Hoshimi yawned and raised his energy a little. Casually, he said, "What else could it be? It's obvious they're having some sort of conflict."
"A conflict? What could they possibly argue about?" Yukino was puzzled.
Yuigahama's people-pleasing nature and Hikigaya's tendency to avoid conflict made it hard to imagine what could have caused friction between them.
"Ha~" Hoshimi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes after yawning again. "I don't know the specifics; I'm not a fortune teller. I can't tell just by looking, but I'd guess something probably happened during the workplace visit."
"..." Yukino frowned slightly, pondering for a while before turning to Hoshimi. "Hoshimi, go find out what happened."
"Huh?" Hoshimi tilted his head, looking innocently at Yukino. "Why me? I don't want to. It's just a small conflict. It'll be resolved sooner or later."
"Just go when I tell you to go. Stop complaining." Yukino, slightly displeased, jabbed Hoshimi's side twice with her elbow.
Hoshimi winced, reluctantly saying, "Fine, I can go investigate, but I don't work for free, you know..."
He glanced at Yukino, pursing his lips with a coy smile. "So, Yukino, you know what I mean..."
Yukino's earlobes turned red, and she shot Hoshimi an irritated glance. "What do you want? And let me be clear—don't even think about anything crossing the line. We still have over a year until we graduate."
Hoshimi blinked, then leaned down to whisper in Yukino's ear. "Yukino, I'm not asking for much. Just wear white stockings tonight. Oh, and wear the thinner stockings. Forget those thick ones you have at home."
"Ugh~" Yukino's cheeks flushed a bright red. She gave Hoshimi a playful glare. "You're so demanding."
"Hehe~" Hoshimi rubbed his cheek against Yukino's slightly warm face, grinning. "So, do you agree or not? If you do, I'll start investigating tomorrow."
"Sigh~" After hesitating for a while, Yukino sighed softly and reluctantly nodded.
If you want the horse to run fast, you have to feed it grass. She understood that principle.
Hoshimi's request wasn't too outrageous this time. It didn't have much of an impact, so agreeing wasn't a big deal...
"Yukino, there's a store up ahead that specializes in stockings. Let's go buy them now."
"Ugh~ Hoshimi! Can't you be serious for once?"
"Hey~ What are you talking about, Yukino-chan? Let's go. We still have to get home after. Hurry, hurry."
"Ugh~" Yukino, being pushed along by Hoshimi, felt both embarrassed and annoyed, elbowing him again.
This shameless guy—always thinking about improper things. What she said last time was true: on the surface, he seemed polished, but inside, he was completely rotten.
But... maybe that's fine. Except for that blind little girl who liked him, no one else would see past his shiny exterior...
Thinking about that little girl suddenly made Yukino feel a bit frustrated.
Speaking of which, that girl would be back soon, right? Then her peaceful time with Hoshimi would be disrupted again.
Ugh~ so annoying. She'd better find a way to deal with that irritating little girl soon.
Then she could have Hoshimi all to herself, with no one to compete with her...
...
That evening, back at her apartment, Haruno, watching the scene unfold in Yukino's living room through her surveillance system, blushed and cursed.
"Shit!"
She had talked so much to Yukino last Friday, and it was all in vain.
Yukino had barely resisted for a weekend before getting cozy with Hoshimi again, and now they were being even bolder!
Yukino-chan in white stockings! Haruno hadn't even seen that herself, and now...
"Damn!"
Unable to contain her emotions, Haruno cursed again.
It seemed she needed to launch another attack soon. She couldn't let Hoshimi keep winning without any pressure anymore.
...
As the night deepened, the lights of the city illuminated the sky.
Around 8 p.m., a taxi stopped at the gates of Sobu High. From the car stepped a beautiful girl with long black hair, perfectly styled and with flawless makeup.
The girl gazed at the now-closed school, murmuring to herself, "So this is the place? Not bad. It's a pity that I didn't make it in time today. I can only come back tomorrow."
She took a long look at the front of the school before returning to the taxi. Calmly, she said, "Driver, take me to Chiba Okura Hotel."
Before she bought her ticket to Chiba, she already knew she wouldn't make it in time today, so she had booked a hotel while still on the train.
Does she still have to wait one more night? She can't wait any longer...
But she has endured for such a long time, so a little more time won't make a difference.
Like fine wine, the longer it aged, the sweeter the taste. So would their reunion...
...
Meanwhile, in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Kotoko stood expressionless, watching as a girl with a princess-style haircut thrust her sword through the heart of the "criminal."
Swish—!
The girl withdrew her blood-stained sword and casually flicked it, sending a string of blood droplets through the air.
She sheathed her sword and approached Kotoko with her companions, smiling. "Priestess, thank you for your help. Without you, it would've taken us much more effort to 'deal' with him."
Kotoko's delicate face remained stern as she coldly replied, "No need to thank me. I was just doing my duty. Besides, you really need to improve your intelligence network. You're a government organization, yet I arrived here sooner, even though lives were at stake."
The princess-style haircut girl shrugged casually. "Priestess, there's no point in complaining to me. Besides, we came as soon as we got the intel. It's the local 'authorities' who delayed things, not us."
"..." Kotoko glanced at the two of them without saying another word. She turned and stepped onto the large hand of the Gashadokuro, which lifted her up and carried her away from the scene.
The job was done, and it was time to go home. She'd been away for several days. Who knew if Hoshimi had missed her?
Oh right, she should pick up that new training method on the way back. She'd heard that a new technique perfect for Hoshimi had been found.
"Wow~ The Yokai Priestess sure has an impressive entourage~"
Watching the giant skeleton leave, the princess-style haircut girl wrapped her arm around the short-haired girl beside her and joked, "Kagura, did you see that? A Gashadokuro! Only the Yokai Priestess could have such a powerful creature as a bodyguard."
"Wow~ And those other class yokai that follow her around... No wonder her intelligence network is so fast. Wow~ The Goddess of Wisdom sure is something..."
After a bit more joking, the princess-style haircut girl, prompted by her short-haired companion, finally remembered to deal with the corpse of the "criminal."
Once they had cleaned up, the two left the scene as well.
...
The next day, Tuesday.
At the front gate of Sobu High, Kasumigaoka arrived with a smile on her face during the first class of the morning.
Hoshimi, here I come!
===
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