"If we follow that line of thought, then Alistair is the Kami-sama? That's obviously a joke. Junior Koan doesn't even know about this religion; the puzzled expression he had when he picked up the item was absolutely genuine. Besides, how could the Kami-sama be attending school here? Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Madoka shook her head, rejecting Hikari Matsuda's idea. Not even some novels would write something like this; the premise was too... well, too outlandish. No one could generally accept it.
"Is it possible it was just a simple, intermittent agitation?" Madoka suggested an alternative, which sounded more reasonable than the previous idea. Hikari Matsuda tentatively accepted this seemingly equally unreliable theory.
Alistair was unaware and unconcerned about the situation with Hikari Matsuda and Madoka. Although he coveted them, he hadn't had any opportunity to deepen their relationship. Therefore, he decided to stick to his plan and head to the sports field to check out the athletic clubs.
When he arrived at the sports field, the scene was somewhat unexpected. The Track and Field Club and the Soccer Club were sweating and training hard in their respective areas. However, the members of the Baseball Club were mostly sitting dejectedly on benches at the edge of the field, with some even lying down on the benches in the rest area, looking utterly lifeless. Only a handful still looked energetic.
"Excuse me, has something happened here? Why isn't anyone training?"
Alistair, who had mostly guessed the reason but still wanted verbal confirmation, put on a curious façade, approaching a student to ask.
"....? ...!!!"
The student looked up at the newcomer, initially looking dazed and numb. As he recognized the face before him, he felt a sudden chill down his spine. He abruptly remembered the identity of the person in front of him, his expression instantly turning terrified. He subconsciously stood up and backed away a few steps, stumbling and nearly falling.
Alistair was utterly confused. He didn't know why this person was so afraid of him, and he couldn't think of any reason why. He could only attribute it to the student having either witnessed him assaulting people before or having been assaulted by him. Otherwise, why would they be so terrified? It made no sense.
Losing this junior was fine; there were others. However, when Alistair looked up at the others, he realized that this student's reaction had already alarmed the rest. A significant number of them recognized Alistair's identity and spontaneously moved away from him.
A strange scene formed at the Baseball Club's field: half of the members retreated from a seemingly harmless student in the center, while the other half looked on in confusion. These were the senior students, who didn't recognize Alistair. But seeing the juniors act this way, it was clear that the seemingly harmless boy was trouble. So, they, too, slowly distanced themselves from Alistair's position, following the lead of the freshmen.
"Hey, Sakata, who is that kid? Why did you all run away?" A sophomore senior, Yokoyama, poked the freshman next to him with his elbow, asking with confusion.
"Senior Yokoyama, you're a sophomore, so you might not be aware, but the word is spreading among the freshmen. This guy is a super nisei (second generation), a big shot. Don't let him fool you. The last guy who tried to mess with him, along with his best friend, has already been encased in concrete."
Sakata, the freshman, swallowed hard, struggling to suppress the rising fear as he explained to the senior. His legs were still visibly shaking as he spoke, surprising Senior Yokoyama, who looked at Alistair with newfound wariness.
"Are you serious? There's someone like that in the freshman class? Shouldn't big shots like him be attending private schools? Why is he at this run-down school? And he doesn't look like that kind of person, either."
Yokoyama lowered his voice, questioning Sakata. He was well aware of the nature of this school—it was mainly for show. Any parents with any means would send their children to a private institution. Most of the previous students here, he knew, ended up as small-time employees or factory workers, except for a few students in Class A and B who might stand out. Alistair looked like a stereotypical good boy. If he were truly a big shot, shouldn't he have some kind of imposing presence?
"That's exactly why you need to stay away from him! He was targeted because of his innocent face, and then that guy and his best friend both vanished. They haven't come to school for a day, and they haven't asked for leave. You should know that those two never missed school before, and their attendance was almost perfect." Sakata spoke with a solemn face, recounting Alistair's "legend" to Senior Yokoyama.
"But didn't the semester just start barely two weeks ago?" Yokoyama hesitated, raising a question. How could they know the background of those two students so thoroughly barely half a month into the semester?
"Yes, but their parents called the school, too. According to a well-informed student, less than two hours after the parents called to look for their children, they called back to say the children were found, staying at a friend's house. But if the parents knew their children were at a friend's, why wouldn't they make them come to school? You know how strict parents are about school attendance, don't you, Senior?" Sakata said quietly. Yokoyama frowned and nodded, agreeing with Sakata's point.
"Well, if the kids were found, and they're just playing at a friend's house, there shouldn't be a problem, right? So coming to school shouldn't be a burden?" Yokoyama nodded, agreeing with Sakata's logic again.
"Then here's the crucial point: why didn't those two students come back? And supposedly, their files are already being transferred out. You can probably guess the shady details behind that, can't you, Senior Yokoyama? Furthermore, we've confirmed that this guy has Yakuza connections and a very wealthy family background outside of school. So, you can imagine the true situation, right, Senior Yokoyama?" Sakata's face was expressionless, but the words he spoke one by one filled him with growing dread.
"Hey! What's going on? What are you all gathered here looking at?" A clear, gentle female voice, tinged with confusion, broke the bizarre atmosphere.
Everyone turned to look. A girl with a voluptuous figure and a charming face came into view.
"Senior Nanao..." A freshman student subconsciously spoke the identity of the girl, drawing her attention.
"What's happening here? Slacking off from training is bad enough, but now you're causing a commotion?" Akane Nanao looked at the student, asking with some severity in her expression, clearly irritated.
"Because, because..." The student stuttered for a long time, unsure how to explain. Should he publicly reveal Alistair's "feats"? He thought he valued his own life too much. But since the manager, Senior Nanao, had asked, he had to give an answer.
"Because of what? Him?" Akane Nanao looked at Alistair, the focus of the crowd. A strange sense of familiarity inexplicably washed over her, but she couldn't recall anything. She felt like she should know him well, yet she had absolutely no memory. This strange feeling made her frown, and she felt a slight irritation. Still, she took two deep breaths to adjust her emotions and walked toward Alistair, who was standing there looking at the commotion curiously.
"Hello, student. Can I help you with something?" Akane Nanao wasn't sure if Alistair was a sophomore and couldn't use a specific title, so she used the practical term "student." Even as she stood in front of Alistair, Akane Nanao was certain she had met him before, but she couldn't recall his details, which left her feeling helpless.
"Hello, Senior Nanao. I'm looking for Coach Togo." Alistair looked at Akane Nanao with interest. It seemed this girl had no memory of that night, to the extent that she didn't recognize him at all.
"You're looking for him? Coach Togo resigned. He packed up and left over the weekend. So, I'm sorry, you won't be able to find him. Our current coach is temporarily Professor Ariel Hatsufuji. If you want to find her, she's over at the track field, coaching the Track and Field Club." Hearing the name "Togo," Akane Nanao's face visibly chilled. In her eyes, Alistair was instantly equated with that scum, Togo. Could anyone looking for Togo be a good person? Definitely not, so she didn't need to be polite.
The surrounding students saw Akane Nanao's attitude and inwardly mourned for her fate, sighing that such a beautiful girl was about to either perish or become Alistair's exclusive "tool." To speak so disrespectfully, given Alistair's background... tsk, tsk, tsk.
"Oh? Is that so? Then there's no problem. You can go back now." Alistair raised his eyebrows in surprise at the news. He intended to dismiss Akane Nanao so he could ask around about the situation.
Akane Nanao was about to ask Alistair some questions, but her mind suddenly blanked out. When she regained consciousness, she was already back in the rest area. Shouya Katase, whom she had always liked, was standing right in front of her, looking at her with concern.
Shouya Katase reached out to touch her forehead, but a wave of revulsion suddenly welled up inside her, causing her to instinctively recoil from him.
"Akane?" Shouya Katase called out her name with confusion, but it did nothing to alleviate the strange feeling that had suddenly sprung up in Akane Nanao's heart.