“All right, everyone~ We have another transfer student joining our class~”
Today was the day the Fire Keeper, having completed her basic common-sense lessons, transferred to Raizen High School.
“Please come in~”
As soon as Tamae-sensei finished speaking, the classroom door opened and the Fire Keeper stepped inside.
“Wooooah!!!”
The boys, struck by the Fire Keeper’s beauty, let out cheers just as they had for Tohka and the other young ladies.
They really were consistent, these guys.
“Now, please introduce yourself~”
“I’m, um...”
The Fire Keeper seemed to struggle, unable to find the words.
I only knew her name was Sachi, not her surname, so I had been curious. I couldn't understand why she was hesitating to simply state her name.
“I, I’m Hi...”
Hold on. Something feels off.
“My name is ‘Higakieta Sachi’... Pleased to meet you all...”
“Whaaaat?!!!!”
Now I understood why she’d been hesitating.
That damn commander. She said they’d handle the surname themselves, and then she used mine?
Every single pair of eyes in the class was fixed on me now.
“Uuugh...”
The Fire Keeper’s face turned bright red as she bowed her head in embarrassment.
Unable to handle the barrage of stares, I sent a desperate look to Itsuka-kun for help.
Itsuka-kun. Help me!
Sorry. I can’t do anything either.
Please!!!
Sorry.
Our silent conversation ended with Itsuka-kun pointedly avoiding my gaze.
“Ha, hahaha... A student already got married? Where is my marriage partner...?”
Tamae-sensei completely lost her composure and failed to assign seats.
Given her age, I could understand the reaction, but right now I really wished she’d just end this chaos.
“Uh, where should I sit...?”
“Ah! The seat is the empty one... next to Hieta-kun~”
Thankfully, the teacher recovered and told the Fire Keeper where to sit. The way she seemed a little depressed at the end was probably just my imagination.
“A-all right, then I’ll start taking attendance~”
Once Tamae-sensei finished the roll call, the class swarmed me and the Fire Keeper, firing off all sorts of questions.
“Hieta-kun! Are you and Sachi-san married?!”
“W-what?! No, we’re not!”
“Hmm... Isn’t a strong denial actually a strong affirmation...?”
“Please don’t make me out to be someone who got married while still a student...”
“Sachi-san! What’s your relationship with Hieta-kun?”
“W-well... maybe... a relationship where we can’t live without each other?”
“Oh my, oh my~”
Her answer only made the atmosphere more heated.
“N-no, I mean! That’s not—”
“...Isn’t it?”
“It is, but...!”
I do need the Fire Keeper to raise my stats, and she needs me for her mission.
So technically, it is a relationship where we can’t live without each other, but that’s not what they're talking about...!
“So you two really are like that~”
“Absolutely not! It is not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of!”
“Hieta-kun, aren’t you denying it a little too hard? Sachi-san looks like she’s about to cry.”
Just as one of the girls noted, the Fire Keeper really did look like she was on the verge of tears when I denied our relationship.
“...Yes, we are in that kind of relationship...”
A smile bloomed across the Fire Keeper’s face.
Yeah. If she’s happy, then I guess that’s fine...
*
After class ended, during homeroom, Tamae-sensei returned with an important announcement.
“All right, everyone, listen up~ Our school trip destination has been changed.”
School trip. That was a word I hadn’t heard in a very long time.
I hadn’t gone on a trip at all since starting high school, so the idea of traveling again actually made me a little excited.
“Eeeh~”
The class complained about the change, but honestly, I didn’t care where we went.
“D-don’t be too disappointed! The new destination, ‘Arubi Island,’ is also a wonderful place~!”
At the mention of Arubi Island, the class started buzzing.
Apparently, no one knew where Arubi Island was, and a few students even began debating what might be there.
“All right! Anyway, the new place is still great, so first let’s assign rooms~ Please form groups of about four to five people with your close friends~”
Everyone fell for the teacher’s diversion and began gathering with their friends.
I naturally moved over to Itsuka-kun.
“Itsuka-kun. Would you like to be in a group with me?”
“Hm? Sure, I don’t mind.”
“Shido! I want to be in your group too!”
Tohka wanted to join Itsuka-kun’s group as well, but...
“Tohka. You’re a girl, so that won’t work.”
Since we were organizing room-sharing groups, boys and girls couldn’t share a room.
“Tch...! Then!”
“Cross-dressing is not allowed either.”
Well, Tohka’s thought process was obvious.
She looked completely dejected after hearing my response.
“You can’t room together, but airplane seats are free, so maybe sitting next to each other would be okay?”
“Thank you! Rinne!”
Tohka grabbed both of Rinne’s hands and shook them up and down vigorously.
After hearing Rinne's suggestion, Tobiichi also declared that she would sit next to Itsuka-kun. In the end, it was decided that when we boarded the plane, one of the two would give up their seat to Rinne.
“My benefactor, I would also...”
Before I knew it, the Fire Keeper had approached me, mentioning that she wanted to sit next to me on the plane.
“Yes, I don’t mind. More than anything, no man would be unhappy to have a beauty sitting beside him.”
“U-uuugh...”
Blushing bright red, the Fire Keeper returned to the group of girls.
Looks like she’d already made friends.
“Wow... So that’s why people fall for him.”
“What a player.”
“That’s seriously such a turnoff~”
I have no idea what those three are talking about.
Anyway, that was how my group with Itsuka-kun was completed, along with two other boys.
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