Ding-dong, ding-dong~ Ding-dong, ding-dong~
As the school bell rang, their stern-faced homeroom teacher, Kazuko Saotome, began tapping her pointer against the palm of her hand.
Seeing her expression, several students exchanged glances.
They already had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen.
“Today, there’s something extremely important that I need to ask all of you.”
Wearing an exceptionally serious expression, Ms.
Saotome swept her gaze across the classroom.
“When frying an egg, should the yolk be cooked all the way through, or should it be left runny?”
Having posed her question, she raised her pointer and abruptly aimed it at a particular student.
“Yes! Nakazawa, you answer!”
“Uh… isn’t either way fine?”
“CORRECT!! Either way is perfectly fine! Anyone who thinks the way a girl fries an egg determines her worth as a woman is completely mistaken!!”
Kazuko Saotome, who was still unmarried at the age of forty, raised her head proudly.
“Girls, make sure you never date a man who insists on eating his fried eggs with runny yolks! And boys, please don’t grow up to become adults who only accept fried eggs cooked that way!”
The teacher adopted the solemn demeanor of someone imparting an invaluable life lesson.
Then, perhaps because she had finally gotten something off her chest, she quickly returned to her usual dignified manner as an educator.
In any case, Makoto, who had been watching the entire spectacle with his chin resting on his hand, couldn’t figure out whether the teacher’s habit of openly complaining in front of her students was some modern educational technique designed to bring teachers closer to their classes, or whether she was genuinely expressing her personal frustrations.
Perhaps it was a little of both.
However, there was one thing he could be certain of—
Apparently, Ms.
Saotome’s relationship with her nineteenth boyfriend, whom she had been dating for four months, had most likely come to an end.
Well, there was no helping it.
Relationships in the real world, at least once people moved beyond adolescence, inevitably involved weighing personal interests and practical considerations.
There was always a certain degree of helplessness and compromise involved.
As for Ms.
Saotome herself, perhaps because she spent so much time surrounded by students, she was the kind of person who remained rather stubborn and uncompromising when it came to matters of the heart.
She was determined to find a boyfriend who perfectly matched her expectations.
Unfortunately, the chances of that happening were probably next to nonexistent.
While Makoto was quietly making these observations to himself, he saw Kazuko Saotome suddenly clap her hands together.
“Alright, everyone! Today, I’d like to introduce a new transfer student.”
With a bright smile, she abruptly changed the subject.
“Hey, hey, hey! You’re only bringing up something that important now?!”
Several students who were fairly familiar with her immediately voiced their complaints.
However, the middle-aged teacher, who was still unmarried at forty, acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing and began beckoning toward the classroom door.
Mitakihara Private Middle School had a rather peculiar, futuristic style of interior design.
The desks and chairs could retract into the floor and disappear at any moment, while the walls were made entirely of glass, allowing everyone to see the scenery outside at a glance.
Consequently, as Kazuko Saotome spoke, the vast majority of the students, including Makoto, turned their heads to look through the glass walls.
Beyond the transparent glass stood a rather beautiful figure.
Tap, tap, tap~ Tap, tap, tap, tap~
The crisp sound of footsteps accompanied the teacher’s words.
The figure on the other side of the glass walked around the wall and entered the classroom, gradually revealing her appearance.
Long, jet-black hair reached her waist, swaying gently from side to side as she walked.
She wore a yellow blouse paired with a black-and-white checkered skirt, with a red ribbon tied at her collar.
It was the standard uniform of Mitakihara Private Middle School.
Her delicate facial features were complemented by exceptionally pale skin that seemed almost untouched by sunlight.
Even dressed in such an ordinary school uniform, the girl possessed the striking, aloof beauty of an ice queen.
Entering the classroom, she lowered her head and clasped her hands in front of herself.
“My name is Homura Akemi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She bowed slightly and recited her introduction almost as though she were reading from a script.
Ms.
Saotome, standing beside her, seemed to have anticipated this behavior.
“Homura has been hospitalized for quite some time because of a heart condition, so she hasn’t been able to attend school regularly. She may be a little shy and awkward when interacting with others, so please do your best to help her settle in.”
The cheerful teacher winked at her students before turning around to write Homura Akemi’s name on the electronic board.
What the teacher failed to notice was that, the moment she turned her back, Homura, who had been keeping her head lowered, raised it once again.
The girl’s gaze immediately shifted toward a particular direction in the classroom.
It was only then that Makoto realized her earlier behavior had nothing to do with the shyness Ms.
Saotome had described.
Of course, that didn’t mean Homura was particularly friendly.
Rather…
She was visibly maintaining a state of extreme vigilance, as though she had recently experienced some terrible crisis and was constantly prepared to attack.
Her violet eyes swept across her surroundings with the sharpness of a hawk’s.
She resembled a frightened cat with all its fur standing on end.
At this level of tension, even the slightest provocation might cause her to lash out instinctively.
However, when her gaze finally landed on a particular figure, the prickly, almost tangible aura of hostility surrounding her rapidly disappeared.
In its place emerged a strange, indescribable emotion.
Following her line of sight, Makoto saw a girl sitting not far from him.
Her name was Madoka Kaname.
She was a rather petite girl.
Like everyone else, she wore the modest uniform of Mitakihara Middle School.
Her pink hair was tied into twin tails with two red ribbons, and she possessed a pair of wine-red eyes.
She served as the class health representative.
Recently, perhaps because of something she had experienced, she seemed to have become considerably more cheerful and confident than before.
So, could Madoka Kaname’s recent changes have something to do with this transfer student?
Watching Madoka gradually grow flustered and uncertain under Homura’s emotionally charged gaze, Makoto’s imagination almost instinctively began constructing an entire series of melodramatic scenarios.
The moment these thoughts emerged, his consciousness began wandering without restraint.
Under the influence of his Sensory Manipulation ability, his vision and hearing started changing.
Dramatic background music began playing in his ears.
Before his eyes, he could almost see Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname on the verge of grabbing each other and breaking into a fight.
The corners of Makoto’s mouth unconsciously curled upward as he eagerly anticipated the scene.
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However, before the imaginary drama could develop any further—
“Tsukimi? Tsukimi!”
Ms.
Saotome’s somewhat stern voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Makoto snapped back to his senses.
Everything around him that had been on the verge of twisting and transforming immediately returned to normal.
Turning his head, he met the eyes of the teacher standing at the podium.
To his surprise, he could detect a trace of concern in her expression.
Concern?
Why?
For a moment, he couldn’t understand what was happening.
Kazuko Saotome: “Tsukimi, do you know Homura?”
Makoto Tsukimi: “?”
Wait, this has something to do with me?
Hearing the teacher’s question, Makoto instinctively turned toward Homura Akemi.
Only then did he realize that the somewhat old-fashioned girl wearing red glasses had, at some point, shifted her attention away from Madoka.
Now, she was staring directly at him.
Those violet eyes contained a sharp, unmistakable hostility that was completely at odds with her seemingly timid demeanor.
Her gaze was as piercing as a knife.
It was almost as though she intended to run him through on the spot.
Makoto Tsukimi: “…”
So…
did I actually do something to offend her without realizing it?
To be perfectly frank, Makoto wasn’t particularly confident that he hadn’t.
After all, he was someone who could slip into a world of hallucinations at the slightest distraction, easily mistaking one person for another.
His thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of the situation.
However, before he could react, everything within his field of vision suddenly changed.
In an instant, the world around him seemed to come to a complete standstill.