Looking at the girl standing at the classroom door, just the same as before but now with a touch of determination, strength, and resolve, no longer curled up like a small animal hiding behind others as she did years ago, Rozen's mind couldn't help but conjure up scenes from years ago.
It was from the time they last met at the Izanagi family's mansion, the scene of their parting.
"Please accept it and keep it with you," the girl had said back then, handing a ribbon with a bell to the boy. Her face expressed shyness, expectation, and a courageous look as she stole glances at the boy. That ribbon was a proof of the girl's youthful infatuation.
Perhaps, from that moment onwards, the fate between the boy and the girl was tightly bound by that ribbon, that is, if you can call it fate.
For the girl, it might just be an event from several years ago, but for Rozen, it was a memory from decades ago.
Therefore, seeing the girl, who had grown a bit but still had shades of her former self, appearing before him once again with such excitement, Rozen couldn't help but utter the girl's name.
"Hinowa..."
In the Izanagi Clan's heiress, the prestigious family of the Far East, the legitimate daughter of the Domon lineage—Domon Hinowa.
This genuine princess, the heir apparent of the Izanagi Clan, a young lady proficient in the ancient "Onmyoudou," has finally appeared once again before Rozen.
And moreover, it was in a distant land, far from the island nation of the Far East, within another nation's academy.
"Nura...!"
Hinowa was somewhat excited as she stepped into the classroom, intending to call out Rozen's name in this world.
Seeing this, Rozen quickly stood up and stopped Hinowa.
"Why are you here?"
Rozen's words were partly an attempt to stop her and partly genuine surprise.
But before that...
"Rozen...?"
A somewhat terrifying voice rang out from beside Rozen, making his face freeze, and he slowly turned to look.
There, Yaya was wearing a beautiful smile but devoid of any real emotion, surrounded by a dark aura as she spoke.
"May I ask if you know her? Rozen?"
Yaya asked with a gentle voice, though for some reason, it filled Rozen with extreme dread.
"Rozen?"
At this moment, Hinowa seemed to catch on in her excitement. Upon hearing Yaya refer to Rozen, she was a bit surprised and then understood.
(Is Nuragami-sama hiding his identity?)
Is that why he stopped herself from saying his name?
Hinowa grasped this point.
However...
"So, is she the greatest creation of Karyusai Shouko, the 'Moon' automaton from 'Setsugetsuka'?"
In the midst of Hinowa's excitement fading, a mysterious hostility replaced it as she looked at Yaya sitting next to Rozen.
It couldn't be helped.
"I...I didn't expect the automaton to be so beautiful."
This was surely something Hinowa had not anticipated.
The two girls, each representing the sun and the moon in their names, were now separated by half the classroom, their gazes locked in a fierce confrontation, friction sparking between them.
Watching this unfold, all the students present were bewildered, unable to keep up with the unfolding events.
Even Kimberly's brow furrowed deeper, and she glanced at Rozen.
"He actually knows the princess of the aristocracy?"
Kimberly mused.
Even Charl and the little dragon named Sigmund, looked surprised.
"That guy actually knows the 'Dark Princess' in that way?"
This was indeed an unexpected turn of events.
"It seems he not only possesses formidable abilities but also holds an extraordinary status."
Sigmund made this judgment, observing the situation.
In this situation, Rozen's eye twitched strongly.
"This is trouble."
Seeing Hinowa and Yaya glaring at each other like this, that was Rozen's only thought now.
Although he didn't know why Hinowa appeared here, he could at least guess the reason behind the sudden hostility between these two girls.
"In simple terms, it's a battlefield, isn't it?"
Rozen's mind was finally clear, seeing through this point. However, he didn't feel a sense of elation; instead, he felt a headache.
After all, irrespective of Hinowa, Rozen had some understanding of Yaya's pathological personality.
If left unchecked...
"I'm afraid things might get out of hand here."
Rozen had only this premonition.
At that moment, Rozen wanted to stop the confrontation between the two girls.
Unfortunately...
"Prepare to dieee!"
Accompanied by a roaring shout full of anger, a sturdy young man charged in from behind Hinowa. Seizing the moment when everyone present hadn't reacted yet, he swung a powerful punch at Rozen's face.
"Thud!"
The muffled impact woke everyone in the room, making each student turn their heads in astonishment, looking in Rozen's direction.
"Nuragami-sama!"
Hinowa ultimately couldn't control herself and called out Rozen's name in this world.
"Rozen!"
Yaya, on the other hand, noticed the attack only at this moment, exclaimed in surprise, and prepared to rush over.
However...
"You're still as rough as ever, Subaru!"
Using the technique of "Rigid Body" to enhance his body, Rozen caught the oncoming heavy punch, simultaneously engaging in a strength contest with the other person while wearing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
The person throwing punches without a second thought at Rozen was none other than the heir of the prestigious Kamo family, second only to the Domon family within the Izanagi Clan and a long-standing bodyguard for Hinowa since childhood —Kamo Subaru.
"Shut up!" Subaru yelled while raising his other hand, shouting, "Let me punch you! Ya jerk!"
After saying this, Subaru swung his other fist, carrying a whistling wind, towards Rozen's face.
"Thud!"
Another muffled sound rang out.
However, this time, Subaru still didn't succeed in landing a punch on Rozen. Even the other fist was intercepted by Rozen's other hand.
"Think again! Idiot!"
Using both his hands, Rozen intercepted Subaru's fists, even pushing the other's fist back with such force that the veins in his arms bulged.
Subaru immediately pushed back, unwilling to be outdone, pushing his fist forward as well.
As a result, the two entered a state of grappling with each other in the middle of the classroom. It wasn't just their arms; even their foreheads were touching, and they were both exerting force while bickering.
"Why are you guys here!?"
"It has nothing to do with you! Jerk!"
"If it has nothing to do with me, why do you have the nerve to hit me!?"
"I just want to punch you! I can't vent my anger without hitting you!"
"How interesting. Do you even remember who was the one rolling in agony from my beatings back then!?"
"What do you mean rolling in agony from beatings!? I just lost to you in a duel! Don't spout nonsense!"
"Is that so? Let's duel again!"
"I'm up for it! Do you think I'm the same as I was back then!? Watch me send you flying!"
The two boys were grappling with each other in the center of the classroom, not just their arms, even their foreheads were bulging with veins.
"These two really are perpetually immature kids..."
Outside the door, Mutsura watched this scene and made a wry, amused sound.