After the chaotic breakfast ended, we all headed to school together.
"Wow, it’s been a while since I last wore a school uniform!"
Mana was walking with a light step, apparently excited to be in a uniform again after so long.
Normally, Mana, Yoshino, the commander, and Miku wouldn’t be students at Raizen High School, but White Arus had used her authority to make them part of Raizen.
I had to admit, for all her usual airheadedness, she was surprisingly capable when it came to things like this.
"M-Mana in a school uniform... this is kind of tasty—no, I mean fresh~"
At Miku’s mutter beside her, Mana rubbed both arms.
"Ugh. I’m getting goosebumps..."
"Ahaha. Miku, isn’t that a little too obvious?"
"Huh? Oh no, did you notice?"
"It looked less like subtle interest and more like a lion staring at prey."
Did she really think she wouldn’t get caught?
There was blatant greed in Miku’s eyes.
"More importantly, going to the same school as my darling! Even if this is a game, I love it~"
"I’m happy about it too, but could you give me a little space?"
Right now, Miku was walking with her head leaned against me.
Since that was dangerous, I gently pushed her head off my shoulder and went into the school while chatting with the others.
*******
As soon as we entered the classroom, the whole class erupted.
The reason was, of course, Miku. She was originally a student at Rindoji Girls' Academy, but she had come to Raizen as an exchange student, which meant she was now sitting right next to me.
"M-Miku...!? W-What the hell is going on, Hieta...!"
Tonomachi’s reaction was by far the biggest.
He must have been a fan, so it was a pretty understandable response.
"No, if you ask me what’s going on, I wouldn’t know either... I really don’t."
This was all White Arus’s doing, so I had no idea.
"But, Miku. Weren’t you one grade above us?"
Come to think of it, Miku was a year older.
Normally, she should have been on a different floor, not this one.
"Forget the little details, seriously! You’re happy too, right, darling?"
"If you’re asking whether I’m happy or not, then yeah, I am..."
Honestly, a cute girl who says she likes me transferring from another school to the same one as me? Of course I wouldn’t hate that.
Still...
"Did you hear that, ma’am? She said ‘darling.’"
"Yes, ma’am. In this day and age, saying ‘darling’ is just impossible. And on top of that, she’s leaving Sachi alone and hanging onto another girl. Hieta is really something."
"What a turnoff~"
Those three’s conversation stabbed straight into my heart.
That was exactly why I felt a little uncomfortable.
Sure, this wasn’t the real world, and those three probably weren’t even real human beings, but it still hurt.
"Still, maybe it’s a relief that we’re not in the same classroom..."
"Huh~? I wanted to be in the same class as my darling~ But unfortunately, I’m in the same class as Kaguya and Yuzuru~"
"Ahaha. Well, at least I’m in the same class as people I know—wait, is that actually the setup?"
Kaguya and Yuzuru were in the next class over, though?
"I think so. That’s why I was looking forward to it..."
"Even if you’re disappointed, there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s already decided. And it’s not like we’ll never see each other again."
Anyone listening would think being in different classes meant they couldn’t meet at all.
After comforting the disappointed Miku, I looked around and saw the commander too.
From what I heard in the conversation between Itsuka-kun and the commander, it seemed the commander had been set up as a grade skipper.
As expected of a dating sim!
Incredible!
"Huh? Hey, isn’t that an ambulance passing by?"
"Where?"
I was looking out the window while listening to Itsuka-kun and the commander talk, and sure enough, an ambulance was driving past.
Mayuri and the Fire Keeper must have been curious too, because they came over and watched the passing ambulance from the same angle as me.
"Arus. Is that also part of the event?"
At my question, Arus shook her head and said,
"No. That is not something I did. It happened independently."
"Huh? So that means..."
"Heeey~ So the game’s systems have a certain degree of independence and can move on their own?"
The commander, who had come over near us at some point, looked at White Arus with interest.
"A-All right, everyone! Class is about to start! Miku and Kotori, please return to your own classrooms~"
For the record, Yoshino was our homeroom teacher.
"Please take care of me, big brother!"
"Y-Yeah."
Mana ended up in the seat next to Itsuka-kun instead of Tobiichi.
"Yoshino, you look happy to be playing the role of teacher. You really seem to be trying hard."
"Indeed."
Just as the Fire Keeper said, Yoshino was clearly holding back tears and doing her best to stay in character.
Watching her, I felt like the once-terrified Yoshino had really grown up.
*******
"Ugh, did I sleep too much?"
Apparently I’d dozed off in the middle of class and ended up fully falling asleep, because when I opened my eyes, class was already over.
"Urrrrgh!"
Stretching out my stiff body, I looked around and saw everyone moving desks around and taking out their lunch boxes.
It was already lunchtime.
The moment I realized that, the classroom door opened and someone walked up to me.
"Darling! Your lovely Miku has come to see you~!"
It was Miku.
Yoshino and Mana also came over.
"I hope Hieta stubs his pinky toe on the corner of a desk. I hope Hieta stubs his pinky toe on the corner of a desk. I hope Hieta stubs his pinky toe on the corner of a desk. I hope Hieta stubs his pinky toe on the corner of a desk."
"Wow, that’s some lively cursing."
Tonomachi muttered his curse at me, and I let it go in one ear and out the other.
Stubbing your pinky toe on a desk corner doesn’t even hurt that much anyway.
"Hieta, you look really worn out."
"Haha, I just woke up. But why are you here, Mana? Aren’t you sitting next to Itsuka-kun?"
Mana gave an awkward smile at my question and said,
"Well, the other side is kind of... chaotic."
"Huh?"
When I turned to look at Itsuka-kun’s side, it really was chaotic.
Seeing Tokisaki, Rinne, and Tohka arguing and trading barbs with each other, I could understand why Mana had fled over here.
"U-Um, Hieta... The staff room is full of strangers, so... Would it be all right... if I stayed here too...?"
"Yeah, sure. Miku and Mana are here too, so why not Yoshino?"
"You’re weak to Yoshino, Hieta? I overheard something like that last time... Are you really into that kind of thing?"
"What!? Of course not!"
I vehemently denied Mana’s words.
That kind of taste is obviously just being a lolicon!
Just like before, and just like now, I seemed to be getting hit with all kinds of weird misunderstandings.
"Hehe~ Darling is just kind to children~ Besides, you said you like big ones!"
"That’s the first I’m hearing of it! I never said anything like that!"
"Eeh~? But~ you were looking at this part of me~ with a very, very lewd gaze—"
"Yoshino is right here, what are you talking about...?"
I clamped both hands over Miku’s mouth before she could say anything else weird.
Why does this idol keep making jokes like that?
"...Higakieta Hai."
"Eek!"
I jumped when White Arus suddenly appeared behind me.
Wondering why she was calling my name, I turned around and saw White Arus looking down.
"Do you... like big ones?"
"What are you talking about...! Arus, that was just Miku messing around, so you shouldn’t take it seriously..."
I let out a long sigh.
Miku was an idol making weird jokes, Mana was blushing after hearing them, and Arus was taking them seriously.
Why was this happening at my desk, of all places?
*******
The bell rang, signaling the end of school.
Having everyone attend the same school somehow made me feel even more drained.
I was even more exhausted than yesterday.
"Hmm. What should I make for dinner tonight?"
I walked down the hallway while thinking about what to have for dinner.
"For now, I’ll just go shopping and decide then."
Nothing was coming to mind, so I decided to think about it while shopping.
Then White Arus appeared in front of me.
"Ah, Arus. Is there anything you want to eat?"
"...So school is over now."
"Arus?"
"Once again... choose, and show me. The possibilities that may have existed..."
White Arus didn’t answer my question. Instead, she just said something strange.
The problem was that my bad-feeling sensor was going crazy right now.
It felt like my alarm bells were screaming, You’re screwed now.
"Ah, wait, this feels really bad. Arus? No, wait, don’t tell me you’re really—"
Before I could finish speaking, my vision flashed.
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