“Well, look at you, full of vigor, you lucky lecher, Itsuka!”
After class, Tonamachi Hiroto delivered a resounding slap to Shido’s back, then leaned back slightly, a wide smile gracing his features as he spoke.
“Lucky lecher? What in the world are you babbling about?”
Shido winced, rubbing his aching back, a testament to Tonamachi’s surprisingly muscular physique.
“Don’t play coy, it’s already the talk of the entire school. Every guy is buzzing about you and three girls… getting intimate.”
“Huh? What in the world are you talking about? Don’t spread such utterly misleading rumors!”
Tonamachi, however, completely disregarded Shido’s protest. Instead, he slung an arm around Shido’s neck, letting his hand rest casually on his shoulder, and with a mischievous grin, pressed on.
“Hehe, come on, drop the act. Spill the beans — how did you manage to ambush Yamabuki like that?”
“Yamabuki? That was merely an accident! I swear I didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll take your word for it, Mr. Lucky Lecher!” Tonamachi shrugged, then cast a knowing glance towards Ai, Mai, and Mii—the famed Maji-shiku-kowa trio. Unluckily for Shido, their gazes were firmly fixed on him as well.
“Look! That Tonamachi guy is cozying up to Itsuka again!”
“They’re not talking about pushing Ai down this morning, are they?!”
“Stop it, Mii! This is utterly mortifying!”
“Maji-shiku-kowa!”
Meeting the trio’s stares, Tonamachi flashed what he believed to be a dashing smile, clearly hoping to leave a favorable impression.
“Alright, then. If you insist the Yamabuki incident was just a ‘lucky lecher’s exclusive accident,’ then what about Origami? When and how did you two become so incredibly close? Spill it!”
“Origami? What are you even talking about now?”
“Don’t play the innocent fool! Didn’t she willingly engage you in pleasant conversation this very morning?”
As Tonamachi spoke, he gestured with a finger towards the seat right beside Shido.
There, in that very seat, the silver-haired, expressionless girl, Origami Tobiichi, sat quietly engrossed in a book.
As if sensing Shido’s gaze, Origami slowly lowered her book, then deliberately shifted her eyes towards him.
“Ugh…!”
Shido, feeling a surge of embarrassment, averted his gaze. Tonamachi, however, brazenly waved a hand at Origami.
“…”
Noticing Shido had stopped looking, Origami, without a flicker of expression, returned her attention to her book.
“See that? That’s the legendary girl, rumored to be the hardest in the entire school to win over. She consistently ranks in the top three of ‘most desirable girls to date.’ How on earth did you manage to capture her heart?”
“Honestly… I have no idea.”
“How is that even possible? If you truly don’t know, then how could an ice queen like her initiate a conversation with you?”
“I genuinely have no clue! I didn’t even know who she was until today!”
“Aha?” Tonamachi threw his hands up, his face contorting into an expression of utter disbelief.
“No way! Itsuka, are you seriously that clueless? That’s *Origami*! The peerless, super-genius beauty—top-tier in academics, sports, and looks—Origami Tobiichi!”
“Yamabuki and the others have already filled me in on all that!”
“Hmm, so what Yamabuki and her friends said might actually be true? Are you, by any chance, her incredibly close childhood friend, someone she harbors feelings for that transcend mere friendship, and yet you’ve simply forgotten her?”
“How could something that only ever happens in light novels possibly be happening to me?”
“Who’s to say it won’t? Perhaps this entire world is, in fact, a light novel with you as the protagonist!”
Tonamachi gave an exaggerated shrug and continued, “After all, you seem to be on excellent terms with the new, beautiful physics teacher, Murasame Reine. I’d wager you’ll soon have a voluptuous, Yamato Nadeshiko-esque upperclassman, or perhaps a charming underclassman constantly calling you ‘Senpai,’ added to your harem.”
“Ugh, I’m afraid such blessings are beyond my capacity to handle!”
Shido offered a wry, helpless smile, considering that Ji Qianye alone was already proving to be quite a handful.
“By the way, where did that pink-haired girl who was with you earlier disappear to?”
No sooner had Ji Qianye crossed Shido’s mind than Tonamachi deftly steered the conversation towards her.
“You still remember that incident?”
Shido involuntarily shivered, Tonamachi’s infamous declaration, ‘Shido’s rectum is quite warm,’ still vivid in his mind.
“Er, I don’t seem to recall it very clearly anymore!” Tonamachi scratched the back of his head, pondering. “I just remember she forcibly kissed you, and then she kept pestering you for a date. Everything after that is a bit hazy!”
‘It’s a relief he doesn’t remember *that* part!’
Shido couldn’t help but breathe a profound sigh of relief.
“Seriously though, she’s incredibly beautiful, and with heterochromia too! For such a stunner to actually take an interest in Shido… there’s no explanation other than you being the protagonist of a light novel!”
Tonamachi jested, completely unaware that his casual remark would draw another person into their conversation.
“Describe her in detail—that pink-haired girl with heterochromia!”
Origami, having risen from her seat at some point, approached Shido with an utterly frigid expression, her voice devoid of warmth as she questioned him.
“Um, for certain reasons, I’m unable to divulge that information!”
Shido firmly declined, knowing full well that the matter concerned Spirits—beings that defied all conventional understanding.
“Please!”
Origami pressed her palms together, tilting her head to rest against the back of her hands, and spoke in a manner almost akin to a girlfriend playfully pouting.
Yet, when combined with her utterly flat tone, the gesture struck Shido as profoundly odd.
“Well…”
Wooooooooooooooooooooooosh———————
Just as Shido found himself at a loss for how to respond, a shrill, urgent alarm pierced the air.
“Due to an observed imminent spatial quake, all residents are urged to proceed immediately to the nearest shelter for evacuation. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill!”
“Tch!”
The classroom broadcast had just announced the impending spatial quake, urging residents to evacuate, and Origami couldn’t help but feel a flicker of disappointment.
“Shido, hurry to the nearest shelter!”
“But, Origami, why are *you* heading in the opposite direction…?”
“No issue whatsoever!”
“What do you mean, ‘no issue’?”
Shido questioned in bewilderment, yet his words did nothing to deter Origami, whose skirt billowed behind her as she strode determinedly in the opposite direction down the corridor.
“Please, everyone, remain calm! There’s absolutely no need to worry! Now… Itsuka, and Origami, what are you two still doing? Hurry and evacuate!”
Okamine Tamae, Shido’s homeroom teacher, was busy maintaining order among the students rushing to the shelters. Noticing the peculiar behavior of Shido and Origami, she couldn’t help but call out a reminder.
“Exactly! Who knows what Origami is up to, but Shido, why are you standing there stunned? Are you planning a heroic rescue?”
Tonamachi, still joking, began to drag Shido towards the shelter.
“Leave Shido to me, Tonamachi. You should evacuate first!”
Murasame Reine, having materialized beside Shido at some unknown moment, pulled him along while instructing Tonamachi.
“But Murasame-sensei, we should…”
Okamine Tamae attempted to interject and prevent them, but Tonamachi swiftly cut her off.
“I understand, Itsuka! You and Murasame-sensei just enjoy yourselves, Mr. Lucky Lecher, hahahaha!”
“Tonamachi, what are you doing? Let go of me!”
“What in the world is happening now?”
Shido couldn’t help but wipe a bead of sweat from his brow, the day’s unexpected events proving overwhelming.
“It’s nothing, Shido! Just press the earphone I gave you!”
“Earphone?”
Shido pressed the earphone nestled in his ear, and a familiar voice instantly resonated through it.
“Idiot Big Brother, our date—or rather, our war—is about to begin!”