For the first time in my life, I was hugged by a girl.
A girl's body is incredibly soft, making it impossible to resist. With the scent of jasmine, it feels very comfortable — as if my soul is about to ascend.
Of course, Houtarou has been hugged by his sister before, but a sister is a sister, and other girls are other girls. This is a completely different experience.
"So, what are your thoughts?"
A girl's voice reached his ears. However, it wasn't Kei's voice, but Masumi's cold tone.
Houtarou and she had already arrived on the third floor, on their way back to the classroom. Five minutes ago, the two were in the hallway of Class 1-D, and he was hugged by Kei Karuizawa from Class 1-D.
This is high school, where students come from various backgrounds, but there might be one or two familiar faces. However, for him, the students at this school were completely unfamiliar.
Kei suddenly hugging him — it was probably a mistake. But judging from her delighted expression, it didn't seem like she was playing some truth or dare game. She genuinely seemed excited to discover he was at this school too.
Moreover, she knew his name. Unlike other students who called him Oreki-kun, she called him Houtarou. Which means…
He glanced at his phone screen. He and Kei had exchanged phone numbers. She had sent him a message.
| Kei Karuizawa — New Number |
| I'm so happy, I never thought I'd see you here, Houtarou. |
| I'm grateful for you saving me back then. |
Oh. What exactly was she talking about? What did "saving" refer to? He had no idea.
He searched through his memories and found no recollection of any interaction with her. He didn't even recognize the middle school she attended.
So, was there something wrong with Kei? Not necessarily.
After all, he had already encountered something supernatural — the system. Therefore, this missing part of his memory related to her might actually have existed.
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"Well, we'll part ways here."
Houtarou and Masumi arrived at the classroom. No students remained; everyone had gone to explore the school.
Although they had spent Points to obtain the school rules from Tr. Mashima, this was merely information. They still had to spend three years in this school, so it was better to experience it firsthand.
As expected of the excellent Class A, the students' quality and caliber were high. They had gone to explore the school or to the shopping district for daily necessities.
From today onwards, it would be a three-year boarding school life. The school had assigned dedicated student apartments — single rooms with individual key cards.
Houtarou was assigned to room 303.
However, Masumi lingered by his side.
"Are you thinking about Class D?"
"Indeed, Class D is like a garbage dump. Allowing them to freely choose whether to spend points on information was actually a small scheme. Self-disciplined students with a broader perspective would choose to stay. We can remember those 11 students who remained — they might be the cream of Class D."
"They have many liabilities, but don't forget there are also valuable elements among them. In terms of social skills, you certainly can't match Kushida and Hirata, right? Therefore, once the number of Class D dropouts is sufficient and these liabilities are gone, they could pose a threat to Class A. So, don't underestimate them."
He analyzed, then looked at Masumi, wondering if she had taken it in.
She hadn't. She didn't even question him.
Despite her usual sense of belonging to their class and desire to ride this Class A train, now she wasn't listening to his analysis?
"What are you thinking about?" Houtarou asked.
Masumi's furrowed brow relaxed as she said, "I just saw you being hugged by that ponytailed girl, and you froze up."
"..."
He decided to increase the difficulty of her tutoring. Or, when he no longer needed her, he'd hand her over to Arisu.
Arisu's physical weakness complemented Masumi's excellent physical abilities perfectly.
"Kamuro, I need one more favor." Houtarou said, "Investigate the cameras in this school. For the behavioral norm exams, the school likely observes students through cameras. It's crucial to find some hidden spots without cameras."
"After all, we need places to relax." He continued, feigning seriousness, "You don't want to maintain a flawless image all the time, right? That's exhausting."
This rhetoric was just a facade. Having obtained Teleportation, he couldn't use it in front of others. He might end up dissected.
So, finding a secluded place without people or cameras was vital. It would be perfect for teleporting between school and home.
But he didn't want to do this himself. He stared at Masumi.
"Well, that's quite troublesome." She said, her face growing stern again.
Yet, it seemed she didn't mind being given tasks. In fact, she appeared to enjoy it a bit. What kind of trait was this?
M?
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After parting with Masumi, Houtarou took a deep breath and quelled the restlessness in his heart.
A mix of excitement and anxiety coursed through him. The reason?
〖 Congratulations, host has obtained a special reward: Teleportation! 〗
〖 Teleportation: Can go to places you've been three times a day 〗
〖 Congratulations, host has obtained an Additional Reward: Set home as a Base Point, can use Teleportation to return home unlimited times per day 〗
He could go home from this boarding school. Wasn't this a fantastic opportunity?
He needed to test it out.
However, just as there were cameras in the classroom for behavioral norm exams, the school had installed cameras in various places. If this kind of superpower were discovered, he might end up dissected. So, he needed to find an absolutely safe place without cameras.
He had already tasked Masumi with searching, but he also had a special place in mind.
The student dormitory. His room number was 303.
Standing by the mailboxes on the first floor, he could see that the students' names had already been pasted on them, one for each. Here, he could see the mailbox names of all the students in his class, as well as lists from other classes.
It seemed each grade had its own building. The school had intentionally separated different grades. But these details weren't important right now.
Beep!
Swiping his room card, Houtarou entered his room.
The room had a nice layout. A 1.2-meter bed, a desk, and a chair. There was also a private bathroom and a small balcony. It even had a small kitchen. Though compact, it was complete. In terms of living conditions, it was quite good.
However.
Thud!
Closing the door, he shut his eyes.
〖 Do you want to use Teleportation to go home? 〗
"Yes!" Houtarou didn't hesitate for a moment.
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Thud!
His body rippled like a wave, but it wasn't uncomfortable. The sound around him changed, revealing a spacious courtyard.
Rustle, rustle—
Houtarou opened his eyes. Before him lay an ordinary courtyard, the sun's radiance dazzling as it neared noon. Sunlight bathed the watermelons planted there, giving them a warm glow.
This was his home. He had really… come back!
He pinched his cheek…
Ouch!
Wasn't this amazing?
For the entire afternoon, Houtarou lounged in his room.
Meanwhile, back at school...
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