Ekoda High School.
As usual, Koizumi Akako entered Classroom 2-B ten minutes before the first period.
It wasn't because she had overslept or taken too long to get out of bed.
She simply enjoyed the sensation of being the center of attention, making her entrance last, like the protagonist of a grand story.
Sure enough, today was no different.
The moment Koizumi Akako stepped into the classroom, she instantly attracted the eyes of many classmates.
The boys, who had been talking loudly among themselves just moments before, reacted as if they were Minecraft sheep suddenly noticing a player holding wheat—completely drawn in by her presence.
The chatter came to an abrupt halt.
Immediately, greetings filled the room.
"Good morning, Akako-sama!"
"Lady Akako, you look as stunning as ever today!"
"It's been too long, Akako-sama!"
At Ekoda High School, nearly every male student addressed the transfer student, Koizumi Akako, as "Akako-sama."
The primary reason was, of course, her natural allure as a witch, which captivated the hearts of all men.
But it was also tied to the queen-like demeanor she carried at school.
Originally, when Koizumi Akako transferred into Class 2-B, many girls had tried to befriend her, drawn by her outstanding beauty and the novelty of a transfer student.
However, due to her extraordinary upbringing, Akako maintained a condescending and aloof attitude toward everyone.
After being repeatedly turned away, many of the girls quickly excluded her from their social circles.
To make matters worse, just days after transferring to Ekoda High School, Koizumi Akako had become the object of extreme admiration from nearly every boy in school.
On occasions like Valentine's Day, her classroom would be packed with male students eagerly hoping to receive chocolate from her.
Incidents like these only deepened the girls' resentment toward her.
In the past, there had been girls who, driven by jealousy and other emotions, had deliberately picked fights with Koizumi Akako.
She knew she couldn't expose her magic in public.
So she could only use it in secret.
Even so, just a small demonstration of her abilities—executed discreetly—was enough to terrify those who had tried to challenge her.
With the aid of magic, Koizumi Akako had no fear of standing against one person, two people, or even a group.
No matter how many ordinary people came after her, they were nothing more than insignificant pawns.
And Akako never let those who foolishly provoked her off easily.
She had no qualms about using magic on them to deliver a "minor punishment."
Strange, inexplicable misfortunes would befall these individuals, or they would find themselves publicly humiliated in bizarre ways.
Furthermore, Koizumi Akako enjoyed using crystal balls and tarot cards to foretell people's futures in a cryptic manner at school.
Over time, rumors spread among the girls—if you angered Koizumi Akako, misfortune would surely follow.
Thus, the boys' and girls' attitudes toward her became increasingly polarized.
Even though months had passed since Akako had transferred in, many of her female classmates still spoke in hushed tones and lowered their heads whenever she entered the room.
It was clear that, deep down, they still feared her.
Even after reaching high school, Koizumi Akako found people her age to be hopelessly childish.
For that reason, her classmates' strange behavior never caused the slightest disturbance in her heart.
No matter when or where she appeared, she would always be the protagonist of the scene.
And these so-called "classmate relationships," which were held together purely by luck, were no different from those between strangers passing each other on the street.
Koizumi Akako walked briskly to her seat.
As she passed by a girl's desk, a sharp sound suddenly came from the floor.
Perhaps due to nervousness upon seeing Koizumi Akako, the girl had gripped her mechanical pencil too tightly, causing it to slip from her fingers.
She had kept her head down ever since Akako had entered the room, but now she instinctively reached out to pick up the fallen pencil.
However, the moment her eyes met Akako's—who had also been drawn to the sound—she instantly recoiled, as if electrocuted, and looked away.
"Oh."
Koizumi Akako scoffed with a hint of sarcasm.
Without hesitation, she stepped over the pencil and walked back to her seat.
---
In all of Class 2-B, the only person who piqued Koizumi Akako's interest was Kuroba Kaito.
He was the first man completely unaffected by her presence, showing not even the slightest interest in her.
Akako turned her gaze toward Kuroba Kaito.
There he was—completely different from the dashing and confident Kaito Kid persona he assumed at night.
Right now, he was resting his chin on one hand, looking at his phone with an expression of boredom.
Despite the continuous echoes of "Akako-sama" in the classroom, Kaito didn't spare her a single glance.
This immediately displeased the proud Koizumi Akako.
She walked straight to Kaito's desk and picked up the phone he had casually placed on the table.
"Why does Kuroba-san look so lifeless on the first day of school?"
When Kaito finally looked up at her, Akako smirked and continued.
"Shouldn't Kuroba-san greet me properly?"
"People who snatch someone else's phone don't have the right to say that."
Kaito replied flatly and simply lay down on his desk.
Just as Akako wondered why Kaito wasn't even trying to get his phone back, she heard him say—
"That's Aoko's phone, not mine."
At those words, Akako turned around and saw Nakamori Aoko staring at her anxiously.
She paused for a moment before handing the phone back to Aoko.
"What were you looking at?"
"A play that premiered at the Empire Theater two months ago."
"I had been waiting for it to be released online for a long time. It finally came out yesterday, and I thought it was really good, so I wanted Kaito to watch it today too."
As Aoko spoke, she turned toward Kaito.
A trace of disappointment flickered across her delicate face.
"Unfortunately, Kaito doesn't seem interested at all."
---
At the same time—
The girl who had dropped her mechanical pencil earlier saw that Akako's attention was now focused on Kaito and Aoko.
Seizing the opportunity, she quickly reached down and retrieved her pencil.
Straightening up, she cast a resentful glance at Akako's back.
"What an awful personality. So irritating."
That thought had just crossed her mind when—
Koizumi Akako, who had been chatting just moments ago, suddenly turned around and locked eyes with her.
The girl froze.
Those crimson eyes pierced straight through her.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately averted her gaze, turning away in a panic.
---
(End of the Chapter)