Katou Megumi's mind was reeling. What's happening? I… I was kissed? We barely even know each other. The warm, lingering sensation on her lips had left her thoughts in complete disarray.
It was only when she was left gasping for air, feeling as if she might faint from lack of oxygen, that Hozuki Nozomi finally released her.
He flashed a thoroughly unrepentant, scoundrel's grin. "Alright. Thanks for the treat, Megumi."
Katou Megumi brought her fingers to her lips, her cheeks puffing out slightly. On her typically placid, expressionless face, a rare flicker of resentment appeared. "You can't just do that, Nozomi-kun… Kissing… Why are you so skilled at it?"
"And," she continued, her large eyes blinking slowly, "I really don't remember us being acquainted. And you're calling me 'Megumi'… such an intimate name. Is that really okay?"
"It's fine," he replied breezily. "Because I'm a playboy. I'm a scumbag."
"You actually admit it." Katou Megumi felt a wave of helplessness. She had been… bitten by a scoundrel, and she had nowhere to file a complaint. It was incredibly vexing. Yet, strangely, she didn't seem to dislike it as much as she thought she should. Was it because he remembered her? Katou Megumi had never been involved with anyone before, so for a moment, she couldn't quite decipher her own heart.
"So, Katou," Nozomi changed the subject, "why have you come to Soubu High?"
"I'm here as an exchange student. For academic and cultural exchange," she explained flatly. "I just… accidentally got lost."
"I see. Then I'll take you to the Student Council office. The others should be there by now."
Hearing this, Katou Megumi tilted her head slightly, a curiously cute gesture as she touched her lips again. "Then… thank you?"
"No need for thanks. After all, I got a taste of dessert too."
Katou Megumi's heart gave a little skip. Dessert…? Was he referring to my lips? He really was the worst! But then a thought surfaced: Even a great beauty like Kasumigaoka Utaha-senpai was treated this way by him… should I feel… honored?
Hozuki Nozomi used a bit of playful magic (a gentle tickle) to rouse the still-fainted Ebina Hina. After a quick, flustered introduction, the two of them escorted the now-composed Katou Megumi to the Student Council office before returning to their classroom.
As an exchange student, Katou naturally needed to register with the others at the Student Council before being assigned to a class.
The results came back swiftly. By some twist of fate, both Katou Megumi and Eriri Spencer Sawamura were assigned to Class 2-F.
Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura's entrance caused Class 2-F to erupt once more. Up close, Sawamura was undeniably, dazzlingly beautiful. Her high-quality golden twin-tails shone like silk, her skin was flawless porcelain, and her delicate features were crowned with rosy lips. She was illegally cute. The twin-tail attribute, combined with her special status as a foreign-born mixed-race beauty (blonde hair, blue eyes), and her charming, polite smile, made the boys feel like they were falling in love at first sight.
The very next second, however, they all, as if by some unspoken pact, shifted their gazes to Hozuki Nozomi, eyes filled with intense wariness.
Yamada, the male exchange student from Toyotosaki who had accompanied Eriri, also glared around at the Soubu boys with a protective scowl. He felt the sacred duty of guarding his school's prized beauty rested solely on his shoulders.
Hozuki Nozomi, meanwhile, remained blissfully unaware of—or utterly indifferent to—the collective male glare. Amidst their internal wails of despair, he naturally greeted the blonde twin-tailed girl.
"Yo, Eriri. What a coincidence. You actually ended up in our class."
"Yes. What a coincidence," Eriri Spencer Sawamura replied with a sweet, amicable smile.
The collective hearts of the boys in Class 2-F turned to stone. It's over. We never had a chance. Whether it was a transfer student or an exchange student, if they already knew Hozuki Nozomi, that succubus in human form, they were inevitably already under his spell.
Hiratsuka Shizuka observed the peculiar atmosphere in her classroom with a raised eyebrow before clapping her hands to regain everyone's attention. "Class, this is Sawamura-san, an exchange student from Toyotosaki Academy who will be studying with us. Now, Sawamura-san, please introduce yourself."
As soon as she finished speaking, Eriri Spencer Sawamura gracefully walked to the podium, her slender legs sheathed in black over-knee socks. She picked up a piece of chalk with her delicate, snow-white hand and wrote her name elegantly on the blackboard.
"Hello, everyone. I am Sawamura Spencer Eriri, an exchange student from Toyotosaki Academy. From now on, please take care of me!"
With that, she executed a perfect, polite bow. Her movements were impeccable, radiating a refined beauty.
Warm applause immediately filled the room.
"Alright, Sawamura-san. Please take a seat."
"Okay."
The boys in the back rows watched with bated breath. However, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, acting entirely on her own, walked straight over and sat down in the empty seat directly behind Hozuki Nozomi.
Nozomi immediately felt the weight of dozens of envious, jealous, and hateful stares land squarely on his back. He knew Eriri was a little nearsighted; sitting closer to the front would have been better for her. But… with a beautiful girl choosing to sit right behind him, what was there to complain about? Studying wasn't the most important thing. What mattered was Eriri Spencer Sawamura's feelings.
"Alright, very good. Let's begin class then," Hiratsuka-sensei announced.
Hozuki Nozomi's mouth twitched. "Um, Sensei… it seems there's still a Katou Megumi. You didn't have her introduce herself."
"Ah?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression froze. She then noticed Katou Megumi standing quietly beside her desk, wearing a look of utter, placid resignation. The beautiful teacher immediately felt a pang of guilt.
"Ah! I'm so sorry! I somehow forgot there was another student. I must not have slept well last night… Haha, um, Katou Megumi-san, please introduce yourself as well!"
"Yes."
Katou Megumi's gaze drifted briefly to Hozuki Nozomi—the one who remembered her, who had even kissed her—and an inexplicable, strange sense of anticipation flickered in her heart. She wrote her name on the blackboard in neat characters, then turned and introduced herself in her characteristically flat tone:
"Hello, everyone. My name is Katou Megumi. I look forward to studying with you. Please take care of me."
She bowed politely. Another round of applause echoed through the room. Although the students were slightly surprised at how they had subconsciously overlooked her, they didn't dwell on it and welcomed her warmly. She was a cute girl, after all. Even if she seemed somewhat ordinary compared to Sawamura's striking twin-tails and exotic features… maybe there was still a chance?
Naturally, Katou Megumi took the seat behind Shiina Mahiru, which was next to Eriri Spencer Sawamura's.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura, meanwhile, was wide-eyed. She stared at Hozuki Nozomi's back, then occasionally shot sharp, suspicious glances at Katou Megumi. This Kano—no, this Katou Megumi—how does Hozuki Nozomi know her? Furthermore… she was strange! How could she be so easily ignored by a room full of people? Had she maxed out some kind of stealth skill? Was she sure she wasn't a ghost or something?
After the first class ended, a small crowd immediately gathered around Eriri Spencer Sawamura and Katou Megumi. Beautiful girls were always popular. However, significantly more people flocked around Eriri.
Ogiwara Sayu and Shiina Mahiru, being socially adept, took it upon themselves to introduce their classmates to Eriri, and of course, they didn't forget to include Katou Megumi. After all, Nozomi seemed to know this girl.
Sayu and Mahiru were already somewhat familiar with Eriri Spencer Sawamura. She was, after all, part of the same game and animation development circle as upperclassmen like Misaki and Aoyama Nanami, and she visited Sakurasou Dormitory frequently.