When Shun discovered that the place he had been transferred to was called Shuchi'in Academy and that the teacher in charge was Kirisu Mafuyu, he deliberately sought out more information about her.
After studying under the pretense of learning, Shun decisively moved to a place nearby. Coincidentally, the house next to Mafuyu's was vacant.
With this, Shun managed to become her neighbor.
Had Shun not seen Yotsuya Miko on the day of his move and encountered a ghost on the roof that morning, he would have made the first move as a neighbor.
As the elevator reached the fourth floor, Shun took the lead and opened the door of the room next to hers under Mafuyu's watchful gaze.
"Kirisu-sensei, this world isn't as safe as it seems to most people. If there's any danger, please contact me immediately." Shun said, then closed the door.
He didn't just seek revenge overnight—he lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.
❀❀❀
Separated by a wall, Mafuyu experienced rare insomnia.
She recalled the strange events of the night, feeling that all her beliefs over the past twenty years had been shattered.
It turns out that ghosts do exist, and there are people like Shun who can vanquish evil spirits.
This setup was just like a manga plot. In the middle of the night, when no one knew, the handsome high school protagonist would defeat one evil spirit after another, secretly protecting the city until one day he was inadvertently caught by a girl...
"Although those six-pointed star eyes were a bit scary, thinking back now, they looked really cool and had a very Shonen manga vibe."
Hidden under her blankets, Mafuyu gently touched the wall, pondering:
What kind of person is this Takema Shun, separated by just a wall?
At first, he seemed like a bright, gentle boy—an almost excessively perfect high school student in every way.
But his cold, ruthless look when exorcising ghosts, and his expression when he teasingly carried her on his back, couldn't help but cloud Mafuyu's mind.
These thoughts left her lying awake.
The image of this mysterious young man walking through the night felt like the night sky after a summer rain—mysterious, radiant, and enticing to explore.
Mafuyu picked up her phone and unconsciously brought up Shun's contact details on the messaging app, peeking at his avatar and profile.
Seeing his display picture and posts made her heart skip just a little.
"Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso? So he's also a manga artist?"
Her fingers moved on their own, scrolling through Shun's profile and lingering over his photos.
The night passed quickly.
❀❀❀
The Next Morning
After a sleepless night, Mafuyu rode the train to school, arriving early.
After Shun changed into his school uniform, he casually glanced at his phone.
When he saw Mafuyu's name on his contacts, a confident smile spread across his lips.
Sending her a friend request with ease, he opened the door to a bright new day.
Shun arrived at his destination by train, grabbed breakfast at a convenience store, and bought some puddings. As he exited the station, the sight of girls in sailor uniforms turned heads.
With the merging of some schools, Shuchi'in Academy's uniform now looked more contemporary and less strict.
Young men admired the girls' outfits, especially the black stockings, white socks, and thigh-high areas.
After enjoying the sights, Shun returned to his seat in class.
As soon as he sat down, he could feel the envious stares around him.
Nakano Itsuki, who sat to his right, looked at him but said nothing, though her face expressed her thoughts.
Seeing Itsuki's pouty cheeks and her swaying ahoge (hair antenna), Shun smiled and offered her one of the puddings he'd bought.
"Limited-edition strawberry cheesecake pudding, as a thank-you gift for Nakano-san's help."
"Wow... it looks delicious!"
Itsuki quickly accepted the pudding, her eyes sparkling as she focused solely on the treat.
"Takema-kun, where did you buy this?"
"The convenience store at the station. By the way, their oden is also pretty good."
Itsuki diligently noted down the store location, saying she'd visit it on her day off.
Shun left her to enjoy the limited-edition pudding, while she savored it with delight.
The peaceful daily lives of the students continued like this. Apart from Mafuyu's slightly dark eye circles, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
When the lunch bell rang, Shun joined the crowd heading to the school cafeteria.
With two portions of yakisoba bread and lemon tea, he found a spot on the playground and began eating, focusing on replenishing his energy.
"Takema-kun…" An unexpected voice called from behind him. It was a blonde girl. "Could I have a minute?"
"Kitagawa-san?"
Shun looked in surprise at the pretty blonde standing before him. He hadn't spoken much with her before; why had she suddenly approached him?
"Please, sit down."
Noticing that she held bread from the cafeteria, he realized she hadn't had lunch and scooted over for her.
Marin, usually cheerful and outgoing, sat next to him without hesitation, gazing at Shun intently with her bright red eyes.
"What's up? Is there something wrong?"
"Um... last night, I saw you with Kirisu-sensei. Are you two... in a relationship?" Marin asked cautiously.
"Hmm…" Shun suddenly understood, recalling that Marin had seen him last night.
"Kirisu-sensei and I aren't dating."
"Eh? You're not?"
Marin felt as if the entire romance manga storyline she'd imagined the night before had just crumbled.
"But… but Takema-kun was so close to Kirisu-sensei."
"In a normal relationship, Kirisu-sensei, who's usually so distant, wouldn't show expressions like that!"
"Besides, after Kirisu-sensei woke up, I saw you talking and laughing together. Even though we were a bit far apart, I could tell she was touching you!"
Marin felt a little embarrassed after saying this.
"Well, I wasn't trying to follow you or anything… It's just that my apartment is close by too... So I saw you get into the elevator at the end."
"That's because Kirisu-sensei and I are neighbors."
Shun didn't want any misunderstandings, even if he wasn't dating anyone.
"For certain reasons, I'm just protecting Kirisu-sensei. We're not a couple."
"Then why did Kirisu-sensei touch you? And you didn't resist?"
Marin didn't seem entirely convinced.
"That's because Kirisu-sensei…"
Shun was at a loss. How could he explain to Marin that there were supernatural forces in the world? She probably wouldn't believe him.
Seeing his silence, Marin looked smugly satisfied, interpreting it her way.
"Don't worry, Takema-kun. I'll keep your secret!"
At this point, Marin was having a romantic fantasy, patting his shoulder kindly as she said:
"And, if you and Kirisu-sensei ever need help, I'll definitely support you!"
Shun was speechless for a moment. This was a misunderstanding that wasn't going to be easy to clarify.