"Whoosh~"
As the bus doors opened, students disembarked one after another. Natsukawa Sosuke also successfully stepped into this isolated island. Along the wide, clean tree-lined avenue, cherry blossoms were in full bloom, pink petals scattering in the wind, adorning this secluded world. Sunlight filtered through the lush branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and the air was so fresh it didn't feel like Tokyo.
Natsukawa Sosuke, dragging his still somewhat weak body, walked along the main road leading to the school building. After several days of dietary supplements and rehabilitation training, this body finally wasn't collapsing at a breeze, but several consecutive days of processing information and preparing for enrollment still left it noticeably fatigued. He was slightly panting, his steps a bit unsteady, and a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Compared to the energetic and brisk new students around him, he seemed out of place.
"Um... student, are you alright? Do you need any help?"
A clear, gentle voice, like a warm spring, sounded beside him.
Natsukawa turned his head, and what met his eyes was a girl with pink-gold long hair. Her face held a genuinely concerned smile, and her blue eyes were clear and sincere, as if they could dispel all gloom. The uniform, identical to that of other new students, fit her exceptionally well, highlighting her dignified demeanor.
Natsukawa immediately recognized her—Ichinose Honami, the leader of Class B, an existence called an "angel" by countless readers.
"It's fine, just a little... unaccustomed." Natsukawa replied in somewhat stiff Japanese. In his previous life, Natsukawa, as a seasoned otaku, had self-studied Japanese in college, passed the N1 exam, and daily communication was not an issue. However, after starting work, he had no opportunities to use it, and his spoken Japanese had become rusty. Hearing Ichinose's question, he subconsciously straightened his back, but a slight dizzy spell made him sway.
Ichinose immediately stepped forward half a pace, offering a perfectly timed supportive hand, showing concern without overly invading his personal space. "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to go to the infirmary first? I know the way." Her tone was natural and considerate, without any hint of reluctance or curiosity, as if helping others was the most natural thing in the world.
"No, really, thank you." Natsukawa took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Maybe I didn't sleep well last night. I'm Natsukawa Sosuke, a new student."
"I'm Ichinose Honami, also a new student like you." She introduced herself with a smile, her eyes still filled with concern. "Do you know your class... If not, then we're going the same way. The notice board is in the school building ahead. Let's go together, and tell me anytime if you're not feeling well."
Her kindness enveloped Natsukawa like warm sunlight. He couldn't refuse, nor did he want to. In this completely unfamiliar environment, this pure kindness felt especially precious. He nodded, "Then... I'll trouble you, Ichinose-san."
At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that the timeline perfectly aligned; his year corresponded exactly to the main storyline of the novel. If it were other years, the pressure to repay those 20 million would be immense.
The two walked side by side, Ichinose considerately slowing her pace, occasionally pointing out passing facilities and briefly introducing one or two, her tone light and friendly. "Look, that's the gym, it looks so big!" "This seems to be the Library, we can come read together sometime!" Her words naturally dispelled the awkwardness of their first meeting.
Arriving at the notice board where the class assignments were posted, many students had already gathered. However, since the entire grade only had 160 people, the crowd wasn't too dense. Natsukawa and Ichinose stepped forward and quickly found their names.
Ichinose, as expected, was in Class B, and Natsukawa scoured the class assignment list, finally finding his name in 1st Year Class D.
'It's alright. Class A has its own strategy, and 1st Year Class D has its own ways. Although 1st Year Class D has many capable individuals, it also has many great masters. A scattered group is also suitable for me to make some small moves.'
Being assigned to 1st Year Class D wasn't entirely without benefits for Natsukawa; at least it was better than being assigned to Class C. Although the Dragon Boy pursued the naive idea of all members transferring to Class A using points and worked hard, and Hiyori was very cute, in Class C there was no privacy, and one had to endure Ryuuen's violent domination, which was not conducive to Natsukawa making money. So, even though Hiyori was very cute, Natsukawa still politely declined Class C.
Ichinose also saw the results. A fleeting hint of regret crossed her face, as he was the first classmate she had met, but it was quickly replaced by an even warmer smile. "That's great, we both found our classes. Natsukawa-kun, even though we're not in the same class, please take care of me from now on!" She bowed slightly, her tone sincere.
"The same to you, Ichinose-san." Natsukawa returned a polite nod. "Thank you very much just now."
"Don't be so formal!" Ichinose waved her hand, her smile radiant. "I'm happy if I could help. Well then, I'll head to the Class B classroom now. See you at the entrance ceremony?"
"Okay, see you at the entrance ceremony."
Watching Ichinose Honami's departing figure disappear around the corner, Natsukawa felt a slight stir in his heart. Was this the radiance of an "angel"? Even if Class B later fell to 1st Year Class D, and even if Ichinose felt lost, the people of Class B only had Ichinose as their sun. But he immediately shook off this sentiment. Warmth couldn't buy food, much less repay a twenty million debt. He turned and walked towards 1st Year Class D.
Arriving at the 1st Year Class D classroom, a clamor emanated from behind the closed door. Pushing it open, students gathered in twos and threes, discussing topics of interest. Some students even had their feet propped on desks, unconcernedly filing their nails. In a normal school, social cliques would form today and largely solidify, leaving those left out to a lonely three-year existence as a lone wolf. Unfortunately, this was not a normal school.
Natsukawa's gaze calmly swept across the classroom, over faces both familiar and unfamiliar, and soon found his nameplate on a seat in the back row by the window. 'Back row by the window, the king's homeland. So I'm sitting in this spot.' Natsukawa's gaze flickered backward, immediately meeting a pair of emotionless eyes—belonging to the original protagonist, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Konnichiwa, I'm Natsukawa Sosuke. Nice to meet you."
"Hello, I'm Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Nice to meet you."
Both fell silent, continuing to stare wide-eyed 0_o
'As I recall, Ayanokoji was quite eager to make friends at the start of school. The current him is like a college student fresh out of society, a blank slate, and also yearns for a peaceful, ordinary campus life.'
With this in mind, Natsukawa went straight to the point, "Ayanokoji-kun, what do you usually do? Practice calligraphy while carrying a piano?"
"I can play a little piano, and I can do some calligraphy, but do ordinary people practice calligraphy while carrying a piano?"
"Some brothers, yes, some do. There are 9 more behaviors like that..."
Afterward, the two chatted about books they had read. Given that Natsukawa hadn't read many Japanese books besides famous ones like Higashino Keigo, they discussed classic Chinese history, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, not the version rewritten by Yoshikawa Eiji. As Natsukawa spoke of how the Three Kingdoms wouldn't have risen if Guo Jia hadn't died, he even accidentally switched to Chinese, and Ayanokoji continued to listen, as if switching between two languages was no problem for him at all.
A few minutes later, a woman dressed in a professional office worker's outfit, with her long hair tied in a ponytail, walked into the classroom.
With a bang, she heavily placed a stack of documents on the podium.