In the morning, Raize woke up in his room with a face full of dark lines as he looked at Sei sleeping on his chest, drooling slightly.
Sei, dressed in pajamas, lay there defenselessly. Raize could smell the faint fragrance of a girl and feel the softness pressed against his chest.
Shameless! And this thing is supposed to be the God of Bible in this world!? Absolutely despicable! I was here first, and you, who came later, are acting so arrogant…
The system inside him started grumbling early in the morning. Raize ignored it.
Anyone could hear the jealousy and resentment in its voice.
Raize gently pushed Sei aside, letting her sleep peacefully. After preparing breakfast, he headed out alone for school.
The weather was nice. His class was having PE, running on a 400-meter rubber track striped red and white.
It was the last class of the morning. After this, they could finally rest a bit.
Unfortunately, the gorilla-like PE teacher wasn't about to go easy on them, forcing long-distance runs and other exercises until the students were exhausted.
The boys managed. The girls were outright wailing.
But the straight-laced PE teacher showed no mercy to students who cried after running a few steps.
No wonder he was still single.
"Still nothing compared to my military training in my last life…"
Raize stood resting off to the side. Around him was practically a vacuum—no one dared approach within four or five meters. The muscle definition visible beneath his sportswear was intimidating enough.
He wasn't even breathing hard as he looked at his classmates sprawled on the ground. His current physical condition was inhuman; this level of exercise barely affected him.
Even before his transformation, this amount of activity wouldn't have been an issue for him.
After the teacher announced free activity, the students finally got a chance to breathe.
Some of the boys gathered together, secretly watching youthful girls resting nearby with pale legs exposed, whispering about typical guy topics.
Others immediately grabbed sports equipment and started playing. Boys really did have endless energy when it came to having fun.
"Hey, Yotsuki-kun, when did your body get this good? I've never seen you so relaxed during PE before."
Raize was standing there alone, killing time by browsing the system interface, when he suddenly heard the voice of a familiar classmate.
Turning his head, he saw Yumiko with her small group: Ebina Hina and Yuigahama Yui, two high school girls.
Yuigahama glanced timidly at Raize, as if she were afraid of the aura around him. If Yumiko hadn't taken the lead, she probably wouldn't have dared come close to Raize at all.
On the other side, Ebina's pretty face was slightly flushed, her eyes faintly glowing as she stared at the solid muscles on Raize's arms and calves. When she was quiet, she really did look like a refined and gentle girl.
But Raize knew her true nature. The moment she opened her mouth, her fujoshi tendencies would be fully exposed.
Right now, her gaze was clearly off. She was staring at Raize absentmindedly, and it was obvious that she was internally cooking up who-knows-what kind of fantasies involving him.
"Ebina-san, Yuigahama-san, hello!"
Raize didn't feel like engaging with Ebina any further, so he simply greeted the two politely. Then, noticing Yumiko's curious look, he raised his well-built arm slightly and replied in a calm voice, "After I was discharged from the hospital, I started exercising regularly. PE classes aren't a problem now."
"That's so nice. If only I could make up my mind to work out like you, then I wouldn't have to restrict my dessert intake anymore."
Yumiko looked at Raize's physique, then lowered her head to glance at her own still-developing body. She pinched the soft flesh at her waist, and her expression darkened slightly.
If girls wanted to maintain a good figure, they absolutely couldn't eat recklessly. Yumiko knew her own situation well—she was the type who gained weight easily if she ate too much.
So if she wanted to keep her current figure, she could only grit her teeth and restrict sweets, allowing herself just one indulgent dessert day each month.
"Don't tell me you're the type who gains weight easily, Miura?"
Raize looked at her with mild amusement, his gaze casually sweeping over her slender, youthful figure.
Yumiko had a pretty face, but to truly deserve the title of a beautiful girl, a good figure was also important.
In his previous life, Raize had known a girl with a very pretty face. After breaking up with her cheating boyfriend, she started binge-eating and gained a lot of weight. By then, she looked like a completely different person.
Fat people might be potential stocks, but every woman with a good figure is also a potential stock for gaining weight—she's just missing the trigger.
As for so-called bodies that never gain weight, those only existed in anime.
"Shut up!!!"
Hearing Raize's words, Yumiko bristled like a startled cat and shot him a fierce glare.
It was basically saying: you know too much.
"You really get along well with Yotsuki-kun, Yumiko."
Watching their smooth and friendly exchange, Yuigahama finally relaxed and let go of her fear toward Raize.
Just like Yumiko had told her before, Raize wasn't scary and wasn't a bad person. It was just that some people disliked him and spread rumors, combined with Raize's taciturn personality, that led to very few students daring to talk to him directly.
"And now the question is, who would Yotsuki-kun make a good couple with? It doesn't seem like anyone in the class really fits…"
Ebina adjusted her glasses, which reflected the sunlight, and muttered softly to herself.
"Shut up Yui!"
Yumiko clearly caught Yuigahama's comment with her sharp ears. Her slender arm shot out, hooking Yuigahama—who hadn't reacted yet—into her arm lock. With her other hand, she pressed a finger against Yuigahama's temple and twisted it.
"I told you to come along earlier and you were reluctant. Now you're daring to gossip about me?"
"Eek! Yumiko, I'm sorry! I was wrong, okay?!"
The slight pain at her temple made Yuigahama struggle while begging for mercy at the same time.
They really get along well.
Raize watched the girls fool around and sighed inwardly.
However, the sight of three girls chatting happily with one guy didn't sit well with certain people.
Tobe Kakeru, who was playing soccer with his classmates, noticed the scene and immediately felt displeased.
He liked Ebina—the fujoshi standing beside Yumiko. Tobe didn't know Ebina's true nature. After all, when she kept quiet, she really did look like a gentle and elegant girl.
As for Raize, the aloof top student who didn't interact much with others, Tobe didn't have particularly strong feelings toward him. But seeing the girl he liked chatting happily with another guy made him uncomfortable.
Especially since Raize was superior to him in almost every aspect—academics and looks alike. There wasn't a single thing Tobe could beat him in.
A vague sense of crisis suddenly arose in his heart, an inexplicable fear that Ebina might be taken away by Raize.
"Hayato, doesn't it look like Miura and that Yotsuki guy get along really well?"
After passing the ball away, Tobe pulled over Hayama Hayato, the central figure of their class, the ace of the soccer club, and the king of popular guys. He pointed toward Raize in the distance as he spoke.
Hayama glanced at Tobe with a strange expression and asked in confusion, "So what if Miura and Yotsuki get along well? What's wrong with that?"
It wasn't like he didn't know Yumiko and Raize had a decent relationship. Yumiko never tried to hide it, and she often even asked Raize to help her with studying. Hayama himself had exchanged words with Raize before for academic reasons.
He had a good impression of Raize—just quiet and somewhat solitary.
So he didn't understand why Tobe suddenly brought Raize up.
"But if this keeps going, won't Miura end up developing that kind of relationship with Yotsuki? After all, Miura is kind of with you…"
Tobe scratched the back of his head and pointed again toward Yumiko, trying to steer the topic in that direction.
He was clearly trying to use Yumiko's feelings for Hayama as leverage.
After all, anyone familiar with Yumiko knew she liked Hayama. Because of that, many people who wanted to pursue her had given up—no one thought they could compete with the king of popular guys.
"Tobe!! Miura and I aren't like that. Since when did you get so gossipy?!"
Tobe's little scheme was obvious, but Hayama wasn't going to bite. He frowned, his tone growing a bit stern.
"If Miura finds out you're gossiping about her like this, you'll seriously regret it."
"How other people's relationships develop isn't something we have the right to interfere with, even as friends!"
With that, Hayama turned around and went back to playing soccer, leaving Tobe standing there with an ugly expression.
Tobe frowned and glanced toward Raize again, then cast an unfriendly look at the soccer ball rolling back and forth on the field.
If he couldn't interfere… then he'd just teach him a lesson.
On the other side, Raize was chatting happily with Yumiko and the others to pass the time. Yuigahama and Ebina gradually let go of their initial unfamiliarity and caution toward him.
They realized that Yumiko had been right. Raize was just quiet and not proactive. When you talked to him, he responded politely and kindly, sometimes even joking around. He was nothing like the negative rumors spread about him.
Raize also wasn't the withdrawn bookworm they had imagined. Once they got closer, Yuigahama felt that she could probably ask Raize for help with her studies in the future, just like Yumiko did.
"Hey, Yotsuki-kun, did you recently join that club with Yukinoshita?"
While chatting, Yumiko suddenly brought up Raize's club situation. Or rather, that was the thing she wanted to ask him about the most.
She didn't get along at all with that Yukino person, and she really didn't want one of her friends getting close to someone she disliked.
"I didn't join. It's just because of Shizuka-sensei and some personal reasons…"
Raize didn't hide anything and explained that he was simply sharing an activity room with Yukino.
He knew Yumiko didn't get along with Yukino. If he tried to hide it, it might lead to a situation he didn't want to see.
So he told her the truth while glossing over unnecessary details.
After hearing his explanation, Yumiko's slightly furrowed brows relaxed.
"That girl has a terrible personality and a really sharp tongue. Yotsuki-kun, it's better if you don't get too involved with Yukinoshita. If you can, you should move out of that activity room as soon as possible."
Yumiko had personally experienced Yukino's venomous tongue. Their personalities clashed badly, and whenever they met, arguments were almost inevitable.
Raize knew Yumiko didn't mean any harm. She just disliked Yukino and didn't want him getting close to someone she hated.
As for Raize himself, he found the situation between the two girls troublesome. He didn't want to fall out with either of them.
Whether it was Yumiko, whom he was fairly close to, or Yukino, whom he hadn't known for long but shared an activity room with.
Just as Raize was organizing his words to respond, a dark shadow came whistling through the air with tremendous force.
From the distance, startled shouts could be heard.
Instinctively.
Raize's gaze turned ice-cold in an instant, a faint flash of lightning flickering through his blue eyes.
His reaction speed was astonishing. His muscles tensed violently, his body completely still, like a venomous snake lying in wait.
The three girls in front of him also saw the soccer ball flying in from behind Raize. Their eyes widened as they were about to shout a warning and tell him to dodge.
But Raize's arm exploded into motion.
In a flash, he spun around and threw a punch like a cannon shot.
Boom!!
The impact sounded like an explosion, sharp and piercing.
Students who were resting or fooling around nearby, as well as the PE teacher standing to the side, all witnessed an utterly shocking scene.
The cold-faced boy who was about to be hit in the head by the flying soccer ball seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He turned suddenly and threw a punch so fast it left no afterimage, smashing the ball like an exploding shell.
His clenched fist and powerful arm pierced straight through the soccer ball. A visible shockwave burst outward, even blowing up the hair of Yumiko and the others standing nearby, lifting their hair into the air.
On the field, the boys who had thought Raize would definitely be hit were all frozen in shock.
Even Tobe, who had "accidentally" kicked that ball, stood stiff with cold sweat pouring down his face, staring at Raize as if he were a monster.
Raize expressionlessly raised his other hand and calmly removed the ruptured soccer ball hanging from his arm. The ball, now completely destroyed, dropped limply to the ground and didn't bounce again.
He cast a silent, emotionless gaze toward Tobe on the field. That lifeless look made Tobe stumble backward in fear.
"Be more careful when you play soccer next time…"
Raize's voice wasn't loud, but everyone on the field heard it clearly. Following his line of sight, they saw Tobe bow repeatedly, drenched in sweat, apologizing nonstop.
After giving him a brief glance, Raize turned to the still-dazed PE teacher.
"Teacher, I'll pay for the soccer ball."
"Huh? Oh!"
The PE teacher finally snapped out of it and nodded quickly, though it was unclear whether he'd even fully processed Raize's words.
"Miura, Yuigahama, Ebina, excuse me for now."
After saying that to the three girls, who were still in shock, Raize turned and walked toward the school building without looking back.
Once Raize had completely left, the students erupted into noise.
"No way… did I see that right? He punched a soccer ball apart with his bare hands. That's insane!"
"Yotsuki-kun is that strong?!"
"He's cheating, right? This completely defies physics!"
Someone tried to deny what they had just seen.
"Defies physics? Want to experience it yourself? I feel like Yotsuki-kun could kill you with one punch!"
"Who was unlucky enough to kick the ball at Yotsuki-kun? I'm calling it now, that guy's done for."
"Looks like it was Tobe. Poor guy. If Yotsuki-kun gets revenge, he'll probably end up in the hospital."
"Relax. I don't think Yotsuki-kun would just send him to the hospital. More likely he'd send him straight to the grave…"
"Holy crap, that's even worse!"
"Well, sucks to be him. It's not our problem anyway."
Raize punching a soccer ball apart was just too terrifying.
A soccer ball isn't fragile. When fully inflated, it's hard and elastic—you can kick it away or knock it flying.
But crushing it like that… was something else entirely.
Piercing it with something sharp might not be difficult, but like Raize earlier—blowing it apart with a bare-handed punch—was something that simply did not exist in theory.
Because of that, Raize's action just now directly scared a whole crowd of onlookers stiff.
They had no doubt that if that punch had landed on a human body, it would probably have snapped someone in half, turning their guts into a messy spiral.
After snapping back to their senses, the boys were left utterly shocked, while the girls' eyes sparkled with excitement—especially Yumiko and the others who were closest to Raize.
They had personally experienced and witnessed it up close, something that was impossible and shocking in everyone else's eyes.
They had originally thought Raize would get hit in the head by the ball. Who would have thought this absolute beast would not dodge at all, simply turning around and smashing it with a backhand punch.
If anyone dared to scare Raize from behind in the future, that person's head would probably end up like a smashed watermelon.
As for Tobe, who was the subject of everyone's discussion, he was almost scared into wetting himself—especially by the looks in the surrounding boys' eyes, which seemed to say, "You're about to be buried, and we'll probably be attending the funeral." They looked at him with sympathy and pity.
Recalling the scene of Raize punching a soccer ball to pieces, and replacing the ball with himself… yeah, that picture would definitely not be pretty.
Thinking this, Tobe's face went from pale to purple, completely at a loss as to what he should do.
Smack!
A hand landed on Tobe's shoulder. Startled, he hurriedly turned around and saw Hayama looking at him with a complicated expression.
"Tobe, don't worry…"
Those opening words of comfort made Tobe's fragile heart find a lifeline, thinking his good friend would protect him.
But Hayama's next words directly sent his already delicate heart plunging back into the abyss of despair.
"Find a chance to properly apologize to Yotsuki-kun. As long as your attitude is sincere, Yotsuki-kun will probably… maybe… possibly… perhaps forgive you!"
Hayama's expression was uncertain, so he didn't dare say it with confidence. He himself wasn't sure whether that fierce guy who had just left would forgive Tobe's rude behavior.
And that uncertainty turned Tobe completely gray, like a stone statue.
I, Tobe… do I really have no future left?
[TL: Word count ranges from 1,800 to 6,000 per chapter]