"Ughhhhh," Ryuji moaned.
Looking up, his vision cleared to see Ren holding Suzui like a princess—legs firmly planted, not a hint of strain on his face. Just quiet resignation to the unexplained situation.
"U-uhhh, thanks, Ren-san, but you can put me down now," Shiho squeaked.
"Oh—no problem, Suzui," Ren said, gently setting her back on her feet.
"Call me Shiho. After all that… I get why you don't like honorifics," she sighed, brushing off her clothes.
"What happened to Morgana?" Ren asked, looking around.
"Yeah… where'd he go?" Ryuji added.
"MFFFFMFFMFMFFFFFFF."
The sound came from Ren's bag.
He gently unzipped it—
Revealing a black-and-white tuxedo cat.
"I don't even know what I was expecting," Ren sighed. "Looks like he's unconscious and snoring. I'll let him sleep."
He picked up his glasses and slid them on, not noticing that they had somehow been repaired.
"Well, we gotta get to class—like, now," Ryuji said, stretching his neck. "Let's talk on the roof during lunch."
"Sounds good to me. I've gotta go to the faculty office. See you later, guys," Ren said, waving.
--------------------------------------------
"I guess he isn't coming," the young teacher sighed. "So much for first impressions."
She stood and headed toward the exit of the faculty office.
"Ah!" she yelped as she opened the door and nearly ran into the very student she was waiting for.
"Sorry, Sensei. I got a bit lost," he said, looking utterly exhausted.
'Well… I guess that's understandable. His records say he's from Inaba,' she thought.
"My name is Sadayo Kawakami. I'll take you to homeroom—you'll be in my class," she said, stifling a yawn.
Reaching into his bag, Ren carefully avoided the sleeping not-cat and pulled out the iced coffee he'd been saving for later.
"Here. Looks like you need it, Sensei."
"Uh—are you sure?" she asked, shocked.
"I live in a café," he said with a grin.
As she studied his face, she couldn't see how this kid was supposed to be violent. Mischievous, maybe—but not dangerous.
"Thank you," Kawakami said, accepting the coffee. Her expression quickly dimmed. "I don't know how it happened, but someone's already leaked your records… I promise it wasn't me."
"It's okay, Sensei. I figured it'd happen eventually," Ren replied plainly.
"Haaa… well, let's go introduce you to the class."
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"My name is Ren Amamiya. It's a pleasure," Ren said with a polite bow.
"He seems scary."
"I heard he got nailed for assault."
"Shhh—he might have a gun."
"Alright, everyone, quiet!" Kawakami called out, and the classroom quickly settled. "Amamiya-kun, take a seat over there—second from the back."
As Ren passed through the rows, he noticed the girl he'd met earlier—Ann.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
"Huh? Oh—yeah, I'm fine," she said, startled.
Ren took his seat as murmurs resumed around him.
"Do they know each other?"
"Did he hit on her earlier?"
"Doesn't he know that's Kamoshida's girl?"
Ren narrowed his eyes.
'The rumors feel unnatural,' he thought. 'She's clearly afraid of him.'
Checking his bag, he confirmed Morgana was still asleep.
He turned his attention back to class. Time began to pass in a blur.