Upon returning to the teaching building, it was lunchtime, and the first thing Kurusu Akira did was seek out the Dean of Students.
"Is Principal Shinba at school?"
Kurusu Akira directly asked Ito Misui.
In just one day and night, the Dean of Students seemed to have aged somewhat. A thick stack of reports lay on his desk, but upon seeing Kurusu Akira, he still forced a smile, "With such a big incident happening at school, the Principal naturally had to return to personally take control of the situation."
Ishihara from Class 2-A actually didn't go missing just yesterday; she had been missing for quite some time, having not attended school since the entrance exam. The Police Department's inefficient work only finalized the case and publicized the news yesterday… Of course, it's also possible that her disappearance was confirmed earlier, but someone was secretly manipulating things to try and cover up such a scandal. Perhaps because her parents had been tirelessly working on this during this period, the Police Department, as a tool, was on the verge of being unable to cover it up, and thus reluctantly overrode superior orders to forcefully push for the case's handling.
Such speculation is not unfounded, especially since the previous principal resigned due to a political scandal, and the new principal has been in office for less than a month.
Kurusu Akira's gaze went past Ito Misui, looking at a copy of "The Selfish Gene" on the office bookshelf. "I'd like to discuss the scholarship and club funding with the Principal in more detail."
Ito Misui's breathing became heavy. "Are you dissatisfied with these conditions?"
"Not at all. Ito-sensei, you know my family situation isn't good, so this time I wanted to thank Principal Shinba in person."
Ito Misui breathed a sigh of relief. "Then you'll have to wait until after school. The Principal is currently in the meeting room questioning the teachers of Class 2-A, and he also needs to accompany Ishihara-san's parents to the Police Department this afternoon."
It seems that a serious incident like "student disappearance" happening right after taking office must indeed be a headache.
But… is all this really not self-directed?
After all, the performing arts academy involved in the recent disappearance case in Kawasaki was an asset under Shinba Takakiyo's name.
Kurusu Akira thanked Ito Misui and then left the office.
He still had to go back to the club room to eat his lunch for the day.
----------------
The midday sun filled the aerial corridor connecting the teaching building and the club building.
The shadows of the railings cut out narrow sections on the hazy white tiles, as if magnifying a clump of horsetail grass through a lens.
Iseri Nina, carrying a bag of yakisoba bread and a bottle of milk, jogged towards the music classroom with the "Psychological Health Education Department" sign on its door.
Her shadow contracted in the sunlight that enveloped her from all directions, like a cat, small and nimble, leaping over the grass.
'If I remember correctly, it's this classroom.'
Iseri Nina, the sole member of the Psychological Health Education Department, calmly pushed open the classroom door.
A gentle breeze, lingering endlessly, blew into the classroom through the pale golden curtains. A quiet and warm atmosphere.
Kurusu Akira, who was playing "MasterDuel," watched with a twisted expression as his opponent commanded the large penguin of the Floowandereeze family to deliver a fatal blow, clearing his LP which was like a candle in the wind.
The seemingly omnipotent power of Tearlaments was thwarted for the first time.
All this tragedy began the moment that "Macro Cosmos" effect passed.
He dejectedly put down his phone.
Then, a girl as vibrant and beautiful as a rose bloomed beside him.
It was Yoshizawa Kasumi, a well-known gymnastics prodigy, who opened a bento box full of side dishes and smiled charmingly, fawning over the owner of this classroom—
At least, that's how it looked to Iseri Nina.
"Senpai! Try this tempura!"
"Senpai! This is the cherry blossom sauce I specially prepared!"
"Senpai, I specially used this pork cutlet…"
A sweet voice, a bright and lovely face, coupled with unconcealed admiration and worship in her eyes.
Evidently, if conditions allowed, she would be very willing to tenderly feed him the food, just like lovers would.
A strong "normie" aura instantly overwhelmed Iseri Nina in the corner of the music classroom, making her feel breathless.
It was too much, too bold!
Iseri Nina stared intently at the two, whose behavior seemed to grow more intimate, wishing she could take their place—
Seventeen-year-old Iseri Nina had zero dating experience, had never held a boy's hand, had never chatted with a good-looking boy, let alone engaged in such intimate acts as sharing food during lunch break.
Seeing a junior younger than herself effortlessly achieve what she had only fantasized about, and then recalling her own bleak, monotonous middle school life that would end in two years, Iseri could not help but shed tears.
But soon, the atmosphere in the club room subtly changed.
Yoshizawa Kasumi was whispering something next to Kurusu Akira, her expression showing some apprehension.
Kurusu Akira, meanwhile, was eating while casually answering Yoshizawa Kasumi a few words, and then the first-year gymnastics prodigy immediately looked dejected.
Seeing this scene, Iseri Nina inexplicably felt a surge of schadenfreude.
Even as the disheartened Yoshizawa Kasumi left the classroom, she maintained a polite and gentle smile, then bowed halfway to Iseri Nina with a very sincere greeting, an undeniable genuineness clearly felt.
"Good afternoon, Iseri-senpai."
This child… is so cute.
Iseri Nina retreated three steps, leaning against the wall, feeling an unprecedented tremor.
She had never seen such a well-behaved high school or middle school student.
She was clearly a focal point of the school, yet even when facing someone like herself, who had average grades, was not good at socializing, and had no special talents, she could still greet her so sincerely…
Current Iseri Nina suddenly felt a little envious of her own club president.
After Yoshizawa Kasumi left, Kurusu Akira continued to finish his bento.
Iseri Nina curiously leaned in, "What were you two just talking about?"
"Curiosity kills the cat."
"Huh~ huh?"
Iseri Nina looked bewildered.
Then she saw Kurusu Akira pick up a slice of fried pork cutlet, dip it in salad dressing, and put it in his mouth with rice, saying indistinctly, "That's not something a child should know."
"Who's a child?!" Iseri Nina was very displeased with his deliberate evasiveness and riddles.
Kurusu Akira's gaze, filled with sympathy and sadness, swept over Iseri Nina's flat chest, then looked her up and down, finally resting on the milk carton in her hand, "Keep up the good work, Iseri."
By the way, Yoshizawa Kasumi, who had just left the music classroom, was fifteen years old and 162cm tall; Iseri Nina, who was currently in the music classroom, was seventeen years old and 152cm tall…
Iseri Nina keenly caught his gaze, and was instantly enraged, "Amamiya Ren!"
Kurusu Akira unhurriedly finished the rice in his bento, "Please call me President."
"I'm quitting the club!"
"Well, I'm afraid you probably can't quit this club."
"!!!" In Iseri Nina's eyes, widened with extreme shock, Kurusu Akira stood up and closed the lid of the empty bento box.
He stretched, and his school uniform shirt lifted a short distance, revealing his gradually defined abs, "Due to various special reasons, the school will not allow this club to disband due to insufficient members. If you don't believe me, you can go ask the Student Council or the teachers in the Academic Affairs Office."
Iseri Nina no longer cared if she could quit the club; she just stared blankly at the sight revealed beneath Kurusu Akira's shirt for a while, then belatedly covered her eyes with both hands.
Her upbringing since childhood made her uncomfortable with such scenes.
Kurusu Akira was amused by her somewhat comical appearance, "That's why I said you're still a child."
Iseri Nina, blushing, yelled at him. "Pervert! Molester! Kidnapper! Chuunibyou!"
"Yes, you are right," Kurusu Akira, who prided himself on having a broad mind like the Seto Inland Sea, showed a benevolent smile.
The arrogant Sengoku general, standing at one meter five, was thus inadvertently struck down by Lord Uesugi Kenshin's casual blow.
----------------
After returning the clean bento box to Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira, feeling sleepy, slowly returned to the classroom.
Iseri Nina, who had been repeatedly defeated, followed him, pouting.
Gentle light streamed through the window, casting a hazy glow on the white wall, with a slightly warm breeze lingering nearby, and the faint sound of Koshien's cheering song, "Abarenbo Shogun Theme," carried on the wind.
In the distant corridor between buildings, someone was reciting English words; on the sports field, the track and field club occupied the running track, and the soccer club fiercely competed for the ball on the soccer field; the metallic clang of baseball bats echoed through the rose-tinted azure sky of late spring…
Back in the classroom, Kurusu Akira sat by his desk, wanting to play some mobile games, but every time his fingers hovered over the app icons of those games, his gaze would unconsciously fall on the "Metaverse Navigator" in the furthest corner, and he couldn't help but think of the missing girl in Class A next door.
During lunch break, he indirectly probed many students from second-year Class A, piecing together a complete image of "Ishihara Reimi" from their scattered words:
She was beautiful, had a "curvy" figure, was skilled in piano and tennis, had excellent grades, and after advancing to the second year, she enrolled in many cram schools. She was a very popular figure in Class 2-A and had a certain reputation in surrounding schools. It was said that recently several idol agencies had invited her, but she refused all of them, citing her desire to "focus more on college entrance."
Studying diligently, reviewing assiduously, she participated in the entrance exam, but unfortunately, she did not live to see the results announced. That Ishihara might become a school-bound spirit due to her immense resentment.
Because the grade list would only be announced once, she might have to guard the bulletin board for eternity, waiting for a non-existent high school miko or a Soul Reaper from the Soul Society to help her achieve Buddhahood.
So, why not skip school now and investigate the situation in the Police Department's Mementos?
'Damn it, my MP is almost in the negative, why would I go to the Police Department's Mementos? To die?'
He couldn't even squeeze out a single point of "MP" now, and he didn't even dare to jump into the lowest hole in Shujin's Mementos.
Kurusu Akira sighed, turned off his phone, and lay directly on his desk to sleep—sleep was the most effective way to restore mental energy.
'Ishihara's vengeful spirit, please rest assured, as soon as I wake up from school, I will immediately investigate your cause of death.'
Whether she actually died or not is irrelevant for now; the point is to catch the masterminds and make them all repent.
The class bell rang.
Kurusu Akira slept soundly, sprawled on his desk.
But the sleeping Kurusu Akira was not simply unconscious; his consciousness had instead delved into the Velvet Room… He always marveled at the Velvet Room's magic, this world existing in the gap between "consciousness" and "matter," which could both accommodate the entry and exit of pure consciousness and allow the circulation of matter.
As a contractor, Kurusu Akira used to be able to freely travel to and from the Velvet Room through dreams after falling asleep, but after transmigrating to a parallel world, he seemed to have lost this function.
"Not lost."
"It's just that the path to get here through dreams has been blocked by this world's original Velvet Room."
Lavenza, dressed in a thin nightgown, sat behind a large television screen, tapping a controller back and forth. The screen showed a humanoid figure in armor fighting a group of ugly frogs with large red dead eyes on their heads in a cesspool.
It was from a game very famous in Kurusu Akira's previous life, "Dark Souls III."
Compared to the 75-inch LCD screen, Lavenza appeared excessively petite.
Her platinum-blonde hair cascaded like a waterfall from behind her to the ground, flowing with mysterious and noble colors in the sunlight shining through the porthole.
A pair of brilliant golden eyes nervously watched the screen, then sluggishly operated the character to dodge the attacks of monsters called "Curse-Rotted Greatwood."
It seemed that she could never connect to the "Sea of Souls," and also confirmed that the executives and boss living there would no longer give any missions or responsibilities. Lavenza simply changed out of her blue dress and began to dress according to Kurusu Akira's preferences.
Anyway, she was Kurusu Akira's personal Velvet Room attendant, only needing to care about her master's mood.
The Phantom Thief looked down at his school uniform, then walked to the television and sat down next to Lavenza, "How did you do this?"
Lavenza used power outside the program to forcibly pause the game, then pointed her finger to the corner of the Velvet Room.
In the corner stood a humanoid cardboard cutout, glued to a guitar-shaped computer case, which was filled with a large stack of hard drives.
Kurusu Akira recognized the cardboard cutout—it was his Persona, Dioscuri, which had awakened with his transmigration.
"This Persona is very special. It has been extracting the master's sights and sounds, then uploading them here for backup. I copied the parts about video games, processed them, and made this game console."
Saying that, the cute little secretary pointed to the television screen in front of her, "It contains all the games the master played in his previous world."
Kurusu Akira's hand unconsciously reached into Lavenza's embrace… and then snatched the game controller.
The faint roar of the plane cutting through the atmosphere was barely audible.
Lavenza's expression, however, gradually took on a hint of complaint, "Master."
"Let me play for a while." Kurusu Akira hadn't played a console game in almost a month.
Seeing "Dark Souls" on the TV screen now, his homesickness was erupting like never before.
"Lavenza worked so hard to reopen the dream pathway for Master, but after Master came in, he not only didn't praise Lavenza, but also snatched Lavenza's game controller…" The little secretary, like a tired white dove, pressed her slender but soft and warm body against Kurusu Akira's embrace, her voice laced with unconcealed grievance and loneliness.
Kurusu Akira's blood pressure instantly spiked—in every sense of the word. He truly couldn't resist this move, so he quickly shoved the controller back into Lavenza's hand.
"I was wrong." The Phantom Thief honestly admitted his mistake.
Lavenza showed a triumphant smile, then handed the controller back to Kurusu Akira, then knelt on his lap, intimately embracing his shoulders, "I was just joking."
She gently stroked Kurusu Akira's cheek, "Master has worked very hard. Please rest well here. For the actions after school, you must do your best."
On the television screen, "Dark Souls III" resumed from its "paused" state. The Curse-Rotted Greatwood, previously fixed in the cesspool, immediately swarmed forward, and the pale, deadly mist of curses spread, engulfing the armored Ashen One, who was in an overloaded state.
Lavenza's barely suppressed laughter came from Kurusu Akira's embrace.
----------------
The dismissal bell echoed outside the window, signaling six o'clock in the evening.
When Kurusu Akira opened his eyes, only Iseri Nina remained in the classroom, diligently writing at her desk—she was rushing to finish her homework.
'Didn't Shujin dismiss before four o'clock? The bell just rang, so it must be six in the evening. Club activities should be over by now. Why is this girl still here doing homework?'
'Oh, I'm the club president, I remember.'
'It seems I'll miss band practice today.'
Kurusu Akira, who had just had a long, beautiful dream, stood up and stretched, facing the twilight outside the window.
Hope the principal is still in the office.
Noticing Kurusu Akira had woken up, Iseri Nina put down her pen, her eyes filled with resentment, "President, what about our club activities?!"
"You go to STARRY first." Kurusu Akira yawned widely, "I'm going to the administration building to take care of something."
"That's so unfair! Nijika and the others have been urging for ages!"
"It's fine, I'm the rhythm guitarist; my role isn't more important than the bassist."
"I'm almost done with today's homework." Iseri Nina's resentment was practically overflowing.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Kurusu Akira patted her shoulder, "Keep it up! Study hard! The future of Shujin rests on young people like you."
With that, he briskly escaped the classroom.
After a nap, his mental energy had indeed recovered somewhat.
Driving his Persona to fight through the Mementos should be no problem.
On the way to the principal's office, he saw some students on duty who had finished their work passing by.
"Oh, it's that 'legendary Amamiya'!"
"Amamiya hasn't gone home yet? Want to walk together?"
"..."
Kurusu Akira politely declined each time, "No, I'm going to see the principal about something now."
Walking up the stairs to the top floor of the administration building, he knocked on the office door.
The office was quiet; through the door, nothing could be heard.
After a while, a gentle, calm voice came from inside.
"Please come in."
Kurusu Akira pushed the door open and entered the principal's office.
The principal stood by the bookshelf, flipping through a book filled with English text, his entire face covered in the deep shadows of twilight, blurring his expression and eyes.
Kurusu Akira glanced at the book's cover; translated from English, it was "My Pedagogic Creed."
The author of the book was John Dewey, a famous representative of pragmatic truth in the last century.
Shinba Takakiyo turned around, allowing Kurusu Akira to see his face clearly this time.
He was a moderately bald, well-built middle-aged man with proper features, showing a sense of practicality and integrity.
"I know you, the exceptionally talented transfer student."
Shinba Takakiyo began the conversation with a pleasant and appreciative tone, "Amamiya Ren, Ito told me about you."
"It seems I really have quite a reputation."
"Haha, have teachers from other schools already contacted you?"
"No, I didn't. I'm very grateful for the principal's financial support."
Kurusu Akira looked at Shinba Takakiyo's perfectly ironed suit and concluded that this middle-aged man must have a harmonious family and a virtuous wife.
Shinba Takakiyo smiled kindly, "You are very smart."
"Thank you for the compliment," Kurusu Akira accepted calmly.
"I've always liked to sponsor smart students," Shinba Takakiyo said to Kurusu Akira, "If you can get into a good university, you'll also be bringing glory to Shujin. So today, I specifically took the time to discuss it with Ito and decided to appropriately increase the 'Club Fund' based on your monthly test scores for the rest of the semester."
Kurusu Akira stared intently into Shinba Takakiyo's eyes, unable to find any abnormality.
Finally, he nodded, "Then I will embrace this gratitude and strive to improve my academic ability."
"You should also pay attention to balancing work and rest."
The principal's hearty laughter blended with the evening bell signaling the end of school.
The first negotiation between Shinba Takakiyo and Kurusu Akira ended so uneventfully.
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