Chapter 88: Is Higashiyama-san a Brother-con?
"Just call me Otonashi," Chiya stated simply.
"Oh, oh! Mr. Otonashi, please, take a seat."
Watanabe-sensei, already aware that this youth was connected to Higashiyama-san, gestured toward the direction of her desk. The principal had specifically instructed her to take good care of this young man. She understood the reason well enough; his attire clearly marked him as someone from Tokyo Public Safety—except for that military cap, which looked quite unique and gave her a vague sense of having seen it somewhere before...
Sitting at Higashiyama Kobeni's desk, Otonashi Chiya instantly became the focal point of the entire classroom. Surrounded by middle-aged parents, Chiya was the only one who looked roughly the same age as their children, yet he exuded an air of profound maturity.
The parents were puzzled; they assumed the boy was the older brother of the student assigned to that seat, especially since Watanabe-sensei didn't seem to mind. A few parents recognized the Public Safety uniform and found it quite novel. They were curious about which student had a family member working as a Public Safety Devil Hunter.
Outside the classroom, a crowd of students pressed against the windows or huddled by the door to peek inside.
"Isn't that Higashiyama-san's seat? I had no idea her older brother was a Public Safety Devil Hunter..."
"What are those? Contacts? Where do you get colored contacts that look that cool?"
"I don't think they're contacts. He probably made a contract with a devil that turned his eyes like that."
"..."
The students outside were buzzing with talk about Chiya. Soon, a group of students—girls in particular—swarmed Kobeni. They seemed intensely interested in the person they had assumed was her brother.
Kobeni felt... well, it was hard to say. She wasn't exactly embarrassed, just unaccustomed to the attention. Usually, due to her personality, she was practically invisible in class; now, she was suddenly the center of a crowd.
"Hey, hey, Higashiyama-san! That guy in your seat is your brother, right?"
"Of course he is. It's not like he's her father; he looks so young, barely older than us."
"Your brother is so handsome! And a Public Safety Devil Hunter too? You never told us!"
"Wait, he looks so familiar! I just realized—isn't he the Devil Hunter who saved Higashiyama-san when the Soccer Devil appeared? So he was her brother all along!"
"..."
To these students still sheltered in school, the title of "Public Safety Devil Hunter" sounded incredibly prestigious and safe. They didn't consider that such a high-risk profession could result in a sudden, violent death at any moment. Of course, the primary factor was that Chiya was exceptionally good-looking; if it were a plain-looking hunter, he wouldn't be nearly this popular.
Besieged by questions, Kobeni didn't know how to respond and could only maintain an awkward smile. She didn't feel like clarifying that Otonashi-kun wasn't actually her brother. Being misunderstood as siblings wasn't necessarily a bad thing; it was less likely to raise suspicions among her classmates.
"Um, Higashiyama-san, could you introduce me to your brother?"
"Introduce him to me first! Why would her brother be interested in you?"
"Psh! True friendship only exists between men. Introduce me to your brother so I can be his sidekick!"
"..."
Kobeni had been handling it fine until she heard her classmates setting their sights on Otonashi-kun. Suddenly, she felt a sharp surge of protectiveness.
"That's absolutely not allowed!"
The words blurted out almost subconsciously. Although Kobeni realized the impropriety of her outburst immediately, it was already too late. Her face flushed a deep crimson as she mentally scolded herself for losing her composure.
The students were momentarily stunned, and a sudden silence fell over the group as they stared at Kobeni with bewildered expressions.
"Ah... sorry, sorry! We didn't consider your feelings, Higashiyama-san."
"Yeah, yeah, we shouldn't have joked around like that. Don't be mad, Higashiyama-san..."
"It's all your fault for making her upset!"
Once the students regained their senses, they scrambled to apologize. However, a new theory began to take root in their minds: Could Higashiyama-san be a brother-con...? If that were the case, her intense reaction certainly made sense.
"Ugh..." Kobeni immediately turned away, covering her face in utter embarrassment. She knew that after this incident, her classmates would likely label her a brother-con for good. While she certainly had feelings for Otonashi-kun, she wasn't a brother-con!
Inside the classroom, Chiya was oblivious to the drama outside, focusing seriously on the meeting. Watanabe-sensei was going through the academic reports and providing feedback to parents regarding their children's behavior, etiquette, and mental health.
When it was time to discuss Kobeni, Watanabe-sensei turned to Chiya.
"Kobeni is a very good girl. Her grades are excellent, though she is quite introverted. But that's just her natural personality; as long as she's physically and mentally healthy, there's no issue," Watanabe-sensei said. "In the future, perhaps you could take her out to relax more often. She seemed quite repressed before, though she appears much better lately."
"I understand. Thank you for your concern, Watanabe-sensei," Chiya replied, sounding exactly like a responsible guardian.
Suddenly remembering something, Watanabe-sensei added with admiration, "By the way, I heard Kobeni has been working a part-time job lately, yet her grades haven't slipped at all—in fact, they've improved! That's truly impressive."
Chiya smiled but remained silent, feeling a sense of relief. It seemed that being a tutor for Denji hadn't negatively impacted Kobeni's studies. Likely, now that she was free from the shackles and hardships of her family life, her academic performance had risen instead of falling.
While Watanabe-sensei moved on to speak with another parent, a few nearby parents tried to strike up a conversation with Chiya. Out of politeness, he engaged in some friendly, casual small talk.
The parent-teacher meeting for Grade 11, Class 1, concluded successfully. Parents began filtering out of the classroom.
Chiya walked out and said to the waiting Kobeni, "I assume we can go home now?"
"Yes!"
Kobeni's face was still tinged with shyness because of the "brother-con" misunderstanding from earlier. Chiya, however, remained completely in the dark, only noticing that quite a few gazes were still fixed on him.
Some of the girls looked on with regret, thinking it was a pity that Higashiyama-san was a brother-con—they basically didn't stand a chance now.
AN-
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