Kitano Ryūichi and Tazuna hayakawa stood before the school gate, staring blankly at each other. Both were stunned by what had just happened, and only after a long moment did they start reacting.
"Um… Miss Tazuna, this should be our first time meeting, right?" Kitano forced down the twitch at the corner of his mouth and carefully asked, "Why do you know my name? Have we… met before?"
Kitano had already made up his mind — if Tazuna couldn't give a reasonable explanation, then he would immediately jump into the river and restart. Yes, unlike mobile games where giving up a run could restart instantly, Kitano had only one reliable way to reset: die. The method didn't matter—as long as death was certain, the loop would reset.
Kitano had restarted several loops due to all kinds of accidents already. Though the process was painful, compared to the rest of his miserable life, death in exchange for a fresh beginning wasn't a bad deal.
And he had a very good reason for wanting an emergency restart—
If this wasn't a successful reset, then it meant the horsegirl he trained last loop still remembered him. He hadn't fulfilled her dream. He disappeared out of despair.
After treating her that terribly, if he saw her again…
She'd beat him half to death for sure.
A horsegirl's physique was more than three times that of a human—racehorsegirls even more so. Getting beaten up by one would be a fate worse than death. A clean death was better.
So Tazuna's answer would determine Kitano's fate this time. But she herself also had no idea why the name "Kitano Ryūichi" slipped out of her mouth as naturally as breathing.
And now that she got a good look at him, she felt… he looked familiar somehow.
She was certain it was their first meeting.
But why did he seem so familiar?
As if—
They had known each other for a long time.
But though she was shocked, she was still an experienced senior assistant. She quickly composed herself, her eyes flickering slightly before she gave a gentle smile.
"Oh my, my apologies. I know your name because we received notice beforehand. A new trainer was joining the academy, and I've already read your file, so I was here to welcome you."
She wasn't technically lying—she was waiting for the new trainer. She simply hadn't confirmed this young man was Kitano yet.
Feeling she hadn't said enough, she tilted her head slightly and teased:
"But, Kitano-trainer… if we truly have never met before, how did you know my name? Have we met somewhere? Or perhaps… we knew each other before?"
"Ah… well…"
Kitano was at a complete loss.
Of course this wasn't their first meeting—in the game before he reincarnated, and in countless loops after reincarnation, he had interacted with her many times.
As the chairman's assistant, Tazuna often helped the trainers, and since Kitano usually worked solo, the two frequently crossed paths across many loops. They gradually built a sort of friendship—two lonely people bonding.
In a few loops, the relationship even felt subtly ambiguous…
Of course, that was just Kitano's personal interpretation. He never had the courage to confirm it.
If he misread the situation and lost his only friend and drinking buddy, he would die of embarrassment.
But regardless, all of that was past.
In this loop, they should be strangers.
Kitano relaxed a little and answered awkwardly:
"I—I did some research before coming to the academy. Since I'm joining this new family, I wanted to get to know the seniors. If I can get along with everyone, it'll help me settle in."
"…Is that so?"
Tazuna stayed silent for a moment.
She could tell he was lying—his gaze darted away. He definitely knew her.
But why didn't she remember him?
And if she truly didn't remember him… why did she instinctively know his name?
What is wrong with me today…?
Yet hearing him say he didn't know her made an odd discomfort flicker in her heart.
This feeling made her purse her lips, and with a subtle tone she asked:
"So then… since Kitano-trainer knows me, does that mean… you want to get along with me?"
"...?"
Was she always this bold?
Making jokes like this with someone she just met?
Even after countless loops, Kitano felt he was meeting a new version of her
"I'm sorry, I think I went too far with that joke."
She quickly bowed, cheeks turning faintly pink—but that wasn't all. Even near her hips, something behind her began swaying ever so slightly.
Calm down, Tazuna
You just met him today.
Be composed…!
After taking a deep breath, she regained her professional smile—though it looked the tiniest bit strained… and disappointed.
"Welcome to Tracen Academy, Kitano-trainer. From now on, you're one of us."
"I hear you were the only one who passed this round of exams, and the youngest trainer to ever join us. I believe we have welcomed another genius trainer."
"Genius, huh… you'll be disappointed."
Kitano shrugged.
Anyone would look like a genius after taking the same exam for dozens of lifetimes.
Though this was indeed his fastest entry ever, he knew it was all fake—just brute-force memorization.
And theory didn't equal practice.
His actual training skills, in his own opinion, were catastrophic.
He had no grand dreams anymore. He just didn't want to be a burden.
"Oh? But Kitano-trainer, you—"
"—Genius or not, everyone will judge for themselves. All I can say is—don't expect too much from me, Miss Tazuna."
He sighed and asked:
"Anyway, where are we headed now?"
"According to procedure, new trainers must first report to the chairman's office, and then meet the student council president."
Tokai Teio hesitated for a moment, wanting to comfort him, but swallowed her words and continued with a gentle smile:
"Don't worry, the chairman is very kind. As for the current council president… she used to have a temper, but now she's gentle and magnanimous."
"And who's the current president?"
Kitano asked—not out of curiosity, but to confirm the timeline.
Without thinking, she answered:
"Her name is Symboli Rudolf. Why? Would you like to meet her too?"
…No thank you. I've met her more than enough.
Hearing the expected answer, Kitano felt a faint bitter nostalgia.
Symboli Rudolf…
Well, probably just once in this loop. No need to think too much.