"Next!"
With Matsue Aimi's call, she realized that the next student was Chitanda Mirai, who was in a wheelchair. Startled by her oversight, she quickly apologized:
"Chitanda-san, I'm sorry! I didn't notice. You can introduce yourself while seated."
"Thank you," Chitanda Mirai replied with a polite nod, but instead of following the teacher's advice, she placed her hands on the armrests of her wheelchair and shakily stood up.
Her sickly pale skin and labored breathing worried Shindai Hakuka, who instinctively shifted in his seat, preparing to catch her if needed.
Ubahara Junko, sitting in front of Mirai, stood up immediately, not even hesitating to support her.
Seeing this, Matsue Aimi panicked as well, jumping down from her small stool and rushing over to the back of the classroom to help Mirai stand.
"Chitanda-san, please don't push yourself. You're not in good health. Please sit down," Aimi pleaded, her face filled with concern. "Everyone here will understand."
Chitanda Mirai, her forehead dotted with beads of sweat, smiled gently as Junko and Aimi supported her. She shook her head slightly.
"Thank you, Sensei," she said softly. "But there's no need to worry too much. I can stand for a short time."
Matsue Aimi still looked concerned but sighed, relenting under Mirai's determined gaze. "Alright, I understand."
Mirai turned to face the students, smiling as she began her introduction.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Chitanda Mirai."
"I've been weak and sickly since I was a child, so I usually need to use a wheelchair to get around," she explained, her tone gentle. "But I can stand if needed. So, if anyone thinks I can't walk, that would upset me~."
She puffed out her cheeks playfully, pretending to be upset, which made some of the worried students chuckle.
Once the mood lightened, Mirai continued, "As I mentioned, I'm Chitanda Mirai. I enjoy reading and chatting with others."
"I'd love it if you could come talk to me about literature or novels. That would make me really happy."
Her beautiful appearance, paired with her playful and charming demeanor, immediately won over the class. The students found her intriguing and likable.
"And one more important thing," Mirai added, turning her head slightly to look at Junko. "Junko-chan is my childhood friend. She may seem a bit fierce at first, but once you get to know her, you'll find she's a wonderful person. She's just not great at expressing herself."
"I hope you can all be friends with Junko-chan too."
Encouraged by Mirai's words, Junko hesitated briefly before looking around the classroom with her sharp gaze. Despite noticing that many students were still intimidated, she lowered her head slightly and spoke in a low, stuttering voice.
"H-hi, everyone. My name is Ubahara Junko."
Although brief, her introduction broke the ice. The tension in the room began to dissipate, and several students even nodded in response.
"Oh, she's just not talkative."
"If Chitanda-san isn't afraid, there's probably no need to worry, right?"
"What an interesting pair."
"Nice to meet you!"
Hearing the positive reactions, Chitanda Mirai breathed a sigh of relief, smiling warmly.
"Thank you for your understanding, everyone," she said before slowly sitting back down in her wheelchair with the help of Junko and Matsue Aimi.
With Mirai settled, Matsue Aimi returned to the front of the classroom, standing on her small stool once again as she prepared to continue the introductions.
"Alright, now onto the last row of students!"
As the students introduced themselves one by one, Shindai Hakuka suddenly felt a light tap on his desk. Turning his head, he found Chitanda Mirai looking at him.
Her head was slightly tilted, and a strand of her tied-up hair had slipped loose, resting on her left cheek. With her pale hand, she gently tucked the hair behind her ear, smiling softly.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Hakuka shook his head. "No need to thank me. I didn't do anything."
Mirai simply smiled, not offering an explanation, and turned her attention back to the introductions, listening intently.
Before long, it was the turn of the girl seated in front of Hakuka.
She stood up slowly.
Since she was sitting in front of him, Hakuka couldn't see her face clearly, but her voice was oddly familiar.
"My name is Mizuno Maki," she said coolly.
"My interests are reading, and my goal is to get into Tokyo University."
"For the next three years, I have no interest in dating or doing anything else."
"That's all."
Her introduction was brief and to the point, much like many of the others, but her tone was distant and as if she was merely going through the motions.
Matsue Aimi seemed to understand Mizuno Maki's sentiment and smiled knowingly, adding her own commentary.
"Don't think Mizuno-san is joking, everyone. She's serious!"
"Mizuno Maki got into Shujin Academy with the second-highest score in the entire city. With her excellent grades, she's on a full scholarship!"
"Getting into Tokyo University is just a matter of time for her."
The class murmured in amazement.
"Wow, she's not only beautiful but also smart?"
"I'm so jealous!"
"Too bad she's not interested in dating..."
"Wait, Aimi-sensei, if Mizuno-san is second, who got the top score? Which class are they in?"
Matsue Aimi shot the student a stern look. "First of all, don't call me Aimi-chan! It's Matsue-sensei!"
Still, she answered the question with a smile. "And the student who got first place is also in this class."
She then glanced over at Chitanda Mirai and gestured toward her.
"That would be Chitanda-san!"
The class erupted in chatter, surprised that both the first and second highest-scoring students were in the same classroom.
Chitanda Mirai, ever modest, smiled and said, "It was just luck. Really."
Mizuno Maki, meanwhile, froze for a moment, narrowing her eyes at Mirai as though lost in thought.
"Alright, enough chatter!" Matsue Aimi tapped on the teacher's desk, bringing the class back to order. She glanced down at her list of students before looking up again.
"Now, the last student!"
"Shindai Hakuka."
At that moment, Matsue Aimi blinked, a sudden memory crossing her mind.
Wait... isn't he Satou Ayaka's nephew?