“What? Shido pushed Yamabuki down?!”
“Where did that guy come from? I definitely didn’t see him a moment ago!”
“Was he hiding just for this moment?”
“I never expected Shido to have this side to him.”
“I thought he wasn’t interested in girls!”
“This is unbelievable!”
Influenced by Mai and Mii, the surrounding classmates who knew Shido all wore expressions of utter shock, their postures frozen in disbelief. Some even whipped out their phones, snapping photos with insistent clicks.
This, at least, confirmed that Kotori had successfully returned Shido to school.
However, Shido found no joy in the situation. Becoming the center of attention and a campus celebrity on the very first day of school was hardly a desirable outcome. Moreover, considering Kotori’s current expressions, it was highly probable that this entire spectacle was her deliberate doing. Perhaps it was to hone Shido’s ability to interact with girls, or simply to tease him, or even a combination of both. As the commander of the incredible airship, Fraxinus, such a feat was hardly surprising for Kotori.
“Um… I don’t know what you’re so troubled about, but could you please get up? You being like this is quite problematic for me!”
At that moment, Yamabuki Ai, pinned beneath Shido with both his hands, unable to move, voiced her displeasure. Her face, whether from Shido’s proximity or not, appeared flushed.
“My apologies! I’ll get up right away!”
Shido immediately shot up, his head snapping back, only for his gaze to land upon a pair of snow-white… panties!
Following his line of sight, he saw the owner of the panties—a beautiful, white-haired girl with an expressionless face, much like a delicate doll, staring intently at Shido.
“Shido, so this is your type, huh?”
“No, it wasn’t! That was just an accident!”
Shido hastily denied it, unwilling to have strange rumors circulate about him at school because of such an incident.
“So, you mean your target was actually someone else, and you just accidentally ambushed Yamabuki Ai due to an unexpected turn of events?”
“No, that’s not it either! More importantly, who exactly are you?”
“You don’t remember?”
Leaving that single, indifferent remark, the girl departed as quietly as she had arrived.
“You’re kidding me! Shido, you actually don’t know Origami Tobiichi?!”
Yamabuki Ai brushed the dust from her school uniform, gazing at Shido with disbelief.
“Origami Tobiichi? Is she famous at school?”
Shido’s eyes widened in surprise. He was certain he didn’t remember anyone named Origami Tobiichi, yet it was clear that Origami knew him, and seemed to recall having met him somewhere.
“Of course! Origami Tobiichi is a super genius beauty who consistently ranks first in academics at school. She even placed first nationwide in a mock exam once! She’s a star student, excelling in everything from sports to home economics. If you don’t even know her, Shido, you must be incredibly uninformed!” Ai looked at Shido with an expression usually reserved for an idiot.
“Furthermore, Origami Tobiichi is renowned as an ice queen. Boys call her ‘The US-Soviet Cold War,’ ‘Permafrost,’ or ‘Ice Magic,’ considering her the most challenging girl to ‘conquer,’” Mii added from the side. She even cast a disdainful glance at Shido.
“How does she know you? And it looks like you don’t even recognize her. This isn’t some cliché childhood friends scenario where one person forgets the other when they grow up, is it?”
Mii echoed, “This is unbelievable!”
“No, I truly have no idea what’s going on!”
Shido was certain he had no childhood friends. To put it bluntly, he’d never had a close relationship with any girl other his sister, Kotori, throughout his entire life. However, with Ji Qianye’s precedent in mind, Shido had a burgeoning suspicion: perhaps Origami was also a Spirit?
“Regardless, let’s head to class first. We can deal with the Origami situation later!”
Shido didn’t want to dwell on the issue, using the excuse of student responsibilities to change the subject.
“Right! Looks like we don’t have much time left!”
“Let’s hurry to class! We can’t be late on the first day!”
“This is unbelievable!”
It seemed his attempt to change the subject had been successful. The trio stopped their questioning and headed towards their classroom, which, coincidentally, was the same as Shido’s. Origami Tobiichi was also headed there. In such a situation, if nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected was bound to occur.
“Oh no, a teacher has fainted!”
Suddenly, a student cried out loudly. Shido followed the sound with his gaze, indeed spotting a silver-haired teacher collapsed on the ground.
“Excuse me, I’m coming right away!”
Whenever Shido encountered such a situation, his body instinctively rushed forward. He hurried to help the teacher up.
“Are you alright…? Puh-ha, Ms. Reine?”
Indeed, the person before him was none other than Murasame Reine, the Ratatoskr analyst Shido had met aboard the Fraxinus.
Her slightly weary eyes gazed blankly at Shido. Her exquisite features, framed by cascades of silver hair, perfectly complemented Reine’s melancholic expression, stirring a sense of tender pity in anyone who beheld her.
“You… what are you doing here? Why are you here?!”
“Can’t you tell? I’m currently a teacher at this school. By the way, I teach physics, and I’m also the assistant homeroom teacher for Class 2-4.”
“Class 2-4? Isn’t that my class?”
“That’s right!”
Reine even pointed to the name tag pinned to her chest, which indeed bore her name.
“The moment you were teleported away, Kotori had already completed my employment procedures. Now, I am your teacher!”
“This is just too much!”
Shido exclaimed loudly, causing the surrounding crowd to turn their attention towards him.
“She… she seems to be fine now…”
Shido, unwilling to endure more strange glances, released Reine and, as if everything were resolved, prepared to turn and leave. However, things rarely proceeded according to Shido’s wishes.
“Shido!”
Reine gently cupped Shido’s face with her soft, jade-like hands, her melancholic, stunning face slowly drawing closer to his.
“Ms. Reine, are you going to…”
It wasn’t Shido’s first time in such a predicament; he had experienced something similar when Ji Qianye had forcefully kissed him. However, he hadn’t truly processed that moment. This time was different; Reine’s face was inching closer, little by little. Her full, ample breasts pressed tightly against Shido’s body, her slightly greyish lips drawing nearer and nearer, while the surrounding crowd erupted in a flurry of camera clicks.
“Mmm…”
“Huh!”
Reine attached an earphone to Shido’s ear, then turned and walked away.
“What are you still expecting? The school bell has already rung!”