The commuter train from the hospital toward the school was packed so tightly that Watanabe Tetsu's feet were barely touching the floor.
Yet even this quintessential slice of Tokyo daily life couldn't bring him fully back to reality.
Swaying with the movement of the train, he felt a moment of dizziness—
Where am I now? Where am I supposed to go next? And what do I do when I get there?
When the train finally arrived, he drifted out with the crowd like a sleepwalker. Only when he stood at the slope leading to Shinkawa Academy, surrounded by uniformed students laughing and chattering, did his mind finally return.
He stepped onto campus again, walked past the tall oak tree, and headed to the office.
Koizumi Aona had been waiting for him for quite a while.
"Why are you so late?" she asked the moment she saw him.
They had agreed to meet at seven. That early, the school was almost empty—perfect for talking privately.
But now it was already eight. Morning homeroom was about to start.
"Sorry, Supervisor. I… overslept. I'm used to waking up around seven-thirty," Watanabe Tetsu said awkwardly.
"Really?" Koizumi Aona clearly didn't buy it. "We'll address that later. What's this about transferring schools? Is someone bullying you? Or are you having trouble at home?"
"Supervisor!"
"Eh? Huh? What is it?"
Watanabe Tetsu suddenly raised his voice, startling her—and several teachers nearby turned to look.
"I'm not going to Hokkaido!"
Koizumi Aona blinked in confusion.
"Tetsu, what's going on? You can tell me anything. I'll help you, no matter what the problem is."
"I want to stay in Tokyo—for you, Supervisor! And also, I lied just now!"
"For… me?"
Her white, egg-shaped face turned visibly red as the other teachers' gazes gathered.
She quickly shifted the topic. "What lie did you tell?"
"I wasn't late because I overslept. I stayed up all night studying English! I like Hokkaido, but I like you more, Supervisor Koizumi!"
The entire office fell silent.
Ms. Akiko, who had a mouthful of water, forgot to swallow.
The elderly math teacher pushed up his reading glasses.
The middle-aged teacher watering plants on the balcony froze, her watering can held at the same angle for far too long.
Koizumi Aona's face turned scarlet as she shot to her feet.
"W-Watanabe! What are you saying!?"
"Supervisor Koizumi, come here for a moment."
The principal—who tended to wander around with his hands behind his back and show up whenever something interesting happened—was now calling from the doorway.
Watanabe Tetsu felt faint.
He only wanted a random excuse to cover up his transfer and his tardiness—how did the principal end up here!?
He hurried to explain:
"Principal! What I meant was that I like Supervisor Koizumi as a teacher. As in—deep respect!"
The principal looked at the two of them.
A young, beautiful supervisor.
A student still boyish but undeniably handsome.
Regardless of what the boy felt, Koizumi Aona clearly had no such intention.
And a male student admiring a beautiful teacher—well, no one could stop that.
Hands behind his back, the principal gave Koizumi Aona a small warning glance, then spared them both trouble and left.
After he exited, Ms. Akiko gulped loudly and gave Watanabe Tetsu a thumbs-up.
"Watanabe, amazing. I support you!"
"Thank you, Ms. Akiko. I will continue walking down the path of becoming a 'Tokyo Heartthrob.'"
"No, no, I meant your looove life! You and Aona are only a few years apa—"
"Akiko!"
"…Ahem. I'm going to get some water."
Holding the cup she'd only taken one sip from, she walked off—throwing Watanabe Tetsu a teasing grin on the way.
Good luck, kid.
That was the meaning he interpreted from her smile.
He returned a youthful grin of his own—
Thank you for the support, but it's really not what you think.
Ms. Akiko froze mid-step, staring blankly at him. Then, as if realizing something catastrophic, she snapped out of it and left—holding the cup to her lips without drinking a drop.
…Huh?
He had no idea what that gesture meant.
Koizumi Aona dropped back into her seat with a sigh.
"What am I going to do with you? You nearly got us both in trouble."
"I'm sorry, Supervisor. But everything I said was true—about studying English, and about respecting you."
Koizumi Aona blinked fast, then turned away to stare intensely at a potted succulent.
"Well… as long as you're not transferring. Go—morning assembly is about to start."
"Okay. I'll head back to class. Goodbye, Sensei."
"Wait—make sure you tell your family about the transfer decision."
"I will." Watanabe Tetsu turned back and answered with a smile.
"…Watanabe."
"Yes, Sensei?"
"You…"
She looked at him only from the corner of her eye.
"…Can you stop smiling like that?"
Watanabe Tetsu froze—
He had forgotten.
The charm he exchanged to save his life—[Smile · Enchanting].
"I-I didn't mean your smile looks bad or anything! I just—something more natural, okay?"
"Maybe I slept face-down… my cheeks feel numb." Watanabe Tetsu rubbed his face.
"Oh—well, studying is important, but remember to rest."
The Enchanting Smile wasn't completely useless after all.
Even Koizumi Aona was flustered enough to believe such an excuse.
But in the end, aside from being his destined future supervisor, she was still just an ordinary woman.
Not like Yūki Miki—the elite heiress with an iron will.
To avoid smiling unconsciously, he kept rubbing his cheeks as he walked back to class.
The classroom was lively, filled with Monday chatter about weekend plans, outings, and unfinished homework.
Just as he sat down, Kunii Osamu and Saitō Keisuke leaned over.
"Morning, Watanabe."
"Morning."
"What happened to your face?"
"Toothache."
Saitō Keisuke nodded sympathetically.
"Ah, toothache sucks. You can't eat, you can't sleep…"
"Is it that bad?" Kunii doubted. "Worse than getting your toe smashed by a baseball?"
"Toothache is worse!"
"No way—getting your toe smashed is definitely worse!"
Stop arguing. Getting kicked in the groin is the worst of all…
Watanabe Tetsu wisely did not say that out loud.
After chatting, Koizumi Aona entered.
"Everyone, return to your seats. Morning assembly begins now."
Watanabe Tetsu gazed out the classroom window.
The early summer breeze pushed clouds across the sky.
A crow flew past the tennis court fence.
Koizumi's gentle voice lectured the class.
And from afar, he could faintly hear the train whistle from Yotsuya Station.
This—this was the world of normal people.
Kidnapping, poison, bloodletting with knives, heiresses with trillion-yen empires, black-clad underlings…
None of that existed here.
Yet the way Yūki Miki had driven off in her luxury car, confidently leaving him to "return to school," her expression practically declaring that he already belonged to her—
That image lingered in his mind.
To the Yūki family, keeping him under surveillance—locking up a poor countryside boy—made no difference whether it was Tokyo, or anywhere in Japan.
'Use the Super Memory 10% Coupon. Exchange for Super Memory.'
[Super Memory Discount Coupon Used]
[10,000 Points Deducted]
[Player has gained: Super Memory]
He now had 184,000 points left.
In June, a new purchasable item would appear—five random new skills.
Plus Tamamo Harumi's one-month check-in reward, and Yūki Miki's one-week check-in reward.
Good.
His chance of survival was rising.
Watanabe Tetsu took out The Great Gatsby.
He had skimmed it before and only remembered:
"Improve yourself, and most things become easier."
And some English vocabulary.
He flipped to a page, glanced for one second, then looked out the window.
"Inside, the crimson room bloomed with light. Tom and—"
"…and and…"
Was this the so-called Super Memory?
He could already memorize a single sentence after one second even before getting the ability!
He stared at the book seriously this time, read a half-page with real focus, then looked up at the ceiling.
"Inside, the crimson room… arms."
"When—when we—when we…"
Half a page.
Good enough.
Yūki Miki… I am growing at a pace you can't even imagine.
And when my brilliance finally shines—
that is when you will feel pain.
"Watanabe!"
"Huh? Here!"
"Even in morning assembly, you must pay attention. Why are you looking down?"
"I was reading English literature. Only in your English class, Supervisor Koizumi, do I—"
"Alright, alright! Sit down!"
"Yes, ma'am."