On the street early in the morning, Koushi Hōoin was rushing toward school at a speed bordering on fleeing.
He looked... quite spectacular.
Around the collar of his normally tidy school uniform jacket, a flashy, finger-thick gold chain hung conspicuously—this was the result of him trying to use his Reason Law ability to "restore" the uniform to its original state that morning.
It was the byproduct of his Understanding going severely awry.
His jacket was open, revealing a pure white T-shirt underneath, emblazoned with two extremely arrogant black characters across the chest: Strongest.
Coupled with his messy hair and dark circles from lack of sleep due to the "ability test disaster" that morning.
And the bandages wrapped around his arms and fists from cleaning, his whole person exuded a strange aura of "I'm very sleepy, but I'm very street."
"OH MY GOD! This outfit looks like I escaped from a rap music video set! This damned gold chain! It's so heavy it's going to strangle me! And this'Strongest' T-shirt... Good heavens, I look exactly like some shut-in girl who ate instant noodles non-stop at home until she gained impossible love handles! This is all the fault of that scoundrel, Aha!"
Koushi muttered bitterly under his breath as he ran, "Trying to make a cola resulted in boiling blue motor oil! Trying to connect to WiFi resulted in forcibly changing the network name of the entire building to 'Long Live Koushi-sama'! What kind of earthly suffering is this!"
Just as he wished he could dig a hole with his toes and crawl into it, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Koushi? Wait for us!"
Koushi's body stiffened. He slowly turned around and saw Itsuka Shido and his sister, Itsuka Kotori.
(GOD DAMN IT! It's the pure-hearted herbivore protagonist and his devilish tsundere sister! I'm finished, I'm finished. My perfect disguise isn't going to be exposed, is it!)
Shido stared at his outfit, his eyes wide. He opened and closed his mouth, finally managing to squeeze out a difficult sentence:
"Koushi...? Your... your new look... it's quite... quite unique, huh?"
His gaze swept back and forth between the dazzling gold chain and the "Strongest" T-shirt, his expression indescribable. "Is this a new style that's trending lately?"
(Unique? HOLY SHIT! This guy actually called it unique! Did Tohka eat his fashion sense?! Wait, Tohka hasn't appeared yet... Anyway, this aesthetic is hopeless!)
Kotori, who was next to him, had a lollipop in her mouth. Her eyelids, which had been drooping from staying up late to deal with the "new Spirit" incident last night, suddenly lifted when she saw Koushi, a flicker of astonishment crossing her face.
(OH NO! Is it the hidden commander mode? Can White Ribbon Kotori instantly transform into the Commander too? No... she just looks like she hasn't woken up. Thank goodness! If she saw through me, I'd be screwed! After all, last night I might have been playing a round of Need for Speed... or maybe Grand Theft Auto? At least I ended up being a five-star good citizen.)
Koushi forced out a carefree (contorted) smile: "Ahaha... that's right, a little bit of personal... performance art. Expressing my rebellion against the mundane daily routine!"
(GEEEEZ! What idiotic nonsense am I spouting! This excuse is terrible! It sounds as suspicious as saying, "I'm an alien, please be gentle!")
The little person inside Koushi was detaching from his body, hugging a street-side utility pole, and frantically smashing its head against it, trying to lessen the feeling of social death.
"...Wow." She looked Koushi up and down. Her sleepy brain seemed unable to process such overly avant-garde fashion information, and she finally offered only a dry remark.
"...Very spirited."
After speaking, she yawned again, continuing to immerse herself in her sleep-deprived world, temporarily failing to connect the flashy spectacle in front of her with the Spirit who rode a motorcycle last night.
Koushi roared internally: "Unique my ass! Isn't this all the fault of your good future father-in-law, Aha!"
But on the surface, he could only force out a carefree (contorted) smile: "Ahaha... that's right, a little bit of personal... performance art. Expressing my rebellion against the mundane daily routine!"
Shido: "...Oh." (Completely confused but greatly shaken.jpg)
Kotori: (Squinting, feeling that this guy was particularly asking for a punch today, but drowsiness trumped all suspicion.)
The three of them, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, arrived at the school gate.
Koushi, enduring the "Strongest" outfit, finally made it to the break time.
The classroom was crowded and distracting. Koushi's restless nerves and the heavy gold chain around his neck made him feel suffocated.
Koushi strolled out to the corridor, leaned against the windowsill, pretending to look at the scenery, but actually wanting to catch some air and calm down his little heart, which was still pounding wildly from the morning's ability test and the scare at the school gate.
(Phew... I can finally catch my breath. This "Strongest" burden is too heavy; my face is stiff. I should have told the system to change the words on this T-shirt to "Normal"...)
Koushi had just sighed in relief, thinking he had gotten away with it, when suddenly—
A cool, cylindrical object pressed against his lower back gently and without warning.
!!!!
Koushi's blood instantly ran cold! His heart stopped!
(WHAT THEeeeeee—?!)
(Is it a gun?! It has to be a gun! AST Special Forces?! Are they here to arrest me! Because I was speeding illegally yesterday? Or because I changed the WiFi name to 'Long Live Koushi-sama'? Wait, was that can of motor oil cola some kind of bio-weapon? OH MY GOD! Is my life going to end here?! I haven't even eaten breakfast, you scoundrels!)
He had just twisted open the coffee he planned to drink at noon and taken a sip when a cold sensation, like the gaze of a poisonous snake, came from his back!
"Pfft—!" Koushi nearly spat a mouthful of coffee onto the glass, choking and coughing.
His blood instantly ran cold! His heart pounded frantically against his chest, like it was playing heavy metal rock!
He didn't even need to turn around! That feeling of being targeted by a high-precision sniper rifle could only be exuded by one person in the entire school!
(She's here! She's here! The haunting Master Origami! This is school, hey! There are surveillance cameras in the corridor, sister! Do you have to be so dedicated?!)
(I'm finished, I'm finished, I'm finished! Is it because of the WiFi incident this morning or the motor oil cola?! Is Master Origami here to settle the score?! I knew Aha's Silent Mode wasn't reliable! I'm going to die, I'm going to die! Is it too late to transform now?!)
He stiffly turned around little by little, like a slow-motion replay.
Sure enough, Tobiichi Origami stood silently behind him like a ghost, still wearing her usual emotionless expression, but her eyes were sharp enough to peel off a layer of skin.
Koushi forcefully suppressed the cough in his throat and the urge to run, struggling to maintain the "Strongest" composure (even a hint of impatience) on his face.
He even deliberately swung the massive gold chain around his neck, letting out a clanking sound, trying to boost his aura.
(Hold steady! If I don't panic, she'll be the one panicking! It's impossible for her not to panic when soloing a Spirit 1v1, although theoretically, she won't panic at all...)
His brain played out countless tragic endings in a fraction of a second.
Cold sweat instantly poured down. His body was stiff as a stone; he even forgot to breathe.
Just as Koushi was about to raise his hands and shout, "I surrender, please get me a lawyer," a calm, unruffled, yet incredibly familiar voice came from behind him.
"Today's."
Her voice was as indifferent as ever, but the cool object pressed against Koushi's lower back... didn't seem to carry any killing intent?
Koushi stiffly lowered his head little by little. He saw that Origami was holding an open small notebook and a pen in one hand.
Her other hand... was holding a can of iced coffee, the bottom of which had just been pressed against his waist.
Origami expressionlessly shoved the coffee into his hand and stated concisely: "Intelligence."
"..."
Koushi looked at the coffee in his hand, then at the serious-faced Origami waiting for the continuation, and was stunned for a full three seconds.
(SON OF A BITCH! It was coffee! Just a can of coffee! HOOOOOLY SHIT! My heart! My little heart almost jumped out of my throat to do a tap dance! Master Origami! Can you please stop handing over drinks like a professional assassin?!)
(Intelligence transaction! Can you please stop using that gun-drawing posture to hand over a drink, Master Origami! You nearly shortened my lifespan by ten years!)
A tsunami of complaints rose internally, but Koushi's face quickly switched to the composed expression of a veteran intelligence dealer, as if the person who had nearly peed himself moments ago wasn't him.
He even weighed the coffee in his hand, his tone seasoned: "Mhm, today's'supply' received."
(NICE! Steady as an old dog, plan successful! That's right, Koushi! Let her see what self-cultivation for a professional actor looks like!)
Koushi skillfully glanced left and right, lowering his voice: "Ahem, listen up, exclusive secret."
He leaned in slightly, as if sharing a state secret: "Shido seems to be particularly interested in Nanatsujiya's steamed buns lately. Yesterday, he stared at the convenience store shelf for a long time. Although he finally bought strawberry milk, I suspect that was just a smokescreen!"
(SECRET MISSION START! Come on, Master Origami, let me show you what top-tier intelligence operation looks like! Watch me sell off every last one of Shido's little secrets!)
Origami's gaze instantly became more focused. The pen in her hand rapidly recorded in the notebook, [Target preference: Nanatsujiya steamed buns (suspected)].
Koushi continued to up the ante, his expression as serious as if he were giving an academic presentation:
"Also, the notebook he lent to Ozawa from the next class last week had a sticky note inside that read 'Good luck.' The handwriting was neat, suggesting he might have practiced it beforehand. Furthermore,"
He paused, throwing out the real "trump card," his voice dropping even lower, "Based on my meticulous observation, he recently switched to a different shower gel—it's refreshing sea salt scented. Is that detailed enough for you?"
(YES! YES! YES! She took the bait! Completely took the bait! This information is enough for her to digest for a whole day! Shido, forgive me, this is all for survival! Brothers are meant to be sold!)
With every piece of information, Origami's recording speed increased, and her eyes grew brighter, as if she had received an invaluable treasure.
She nodded solemnly: "High value. Continue observation." Having said that, she turned and disappeared into the crowd as abruptly as she had appeared.
(WHEW! I finally managed to fool her... Wait, did I sell out my teammate too thoroughly? I even mentioned the shower gel scent? OH NO! Shido, you're on your own...)
Koushi watched the direction where Origami disappeared, letting out a long, silent sigh. He felt his back was soaked with cold sweat.
(I'm a professional at selling out teammates... Shido, for the sake of my life and the harmony of your harem, sacrificing a little privacy is worth it... probably.)
Just then, the class bell was about to ring. Koushi caught sight of Shido sitting in the classroom, gazing blankly out the window.
His eyes darted, and a plan came to mind.
(OKAY! PLAN B! It's time to pump this guy for information and see if he's going to get lucky and run into a beautiful Spirit girl today!)
He walked to the classroom entrance and called out to Shido: "Hey, Shido! Come out for a second, I have something to ask you."
When Shido walked out, looking puzzled, Koushi pretended to lean casually on the corridor railing, took a sip of the "hush money" coffee Origami had given him, and asked:
"It's nothing major, just wondering, do you have any plans after school today? Want to go have some fun at the arcade?"
(NICE POSE! Perfect! I look exactly like a good friend concerned about his buddy! Who would guess I just sold him out for a good price?)
Shido was taken aback by the question and scratched his face: "Plans? Nothing special... I guess I'll just go home and do homework? I also have to take Kotori to the children's restaurant. Why?"
(ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Nothing special?! Today is your fated day of encounter, you idiot! Your life is about to be turned upside down! Fine, this blockhead is completely unaware that today is his turning point!)
Koushi internally pressed his hand to his forehead, but outwardly remained calm: "Oh, it's nothing, just asking casually. Go back, class is about to start."
The moment Shido turned to go back to the classroom, Koushi and Origami, who was hiding behind the wall at the stairwell corner, exchanged an "intelligence confirmed" look.
Origami nodded slightly and disappeared into the shadows once more.
(SECRET EYE CONTACT! Perfect! Double agent mission accomplished!)
Koushi sighed, preparing to return to the classroom as well.
However, just at that moment—
Woo—woo—woo—!!!
Spatial Quake alarm! It wailed shrilly and without warning, echoing across the entire school!
A huge roar came from the distance, and the ground began to tremble slightly!
Koushi's expression changed, and he nearly crushed the coffee in his hand!
(OHhhhhhh NOOOOOOOOO!!! It's happening again?! I swear this time I didn't do it! Aha, you bear witness for me! Damn it, this alarm is more grating than my grandmother's old flip phone ringtone!)
"—This is not an exercise. This is not an exercise. Due to the observation of foreshocks, we predict that a Spatial Quake will occur. Residents in the vicinity, please proceed to the nearest shelter immediately. Repeat—"
"A Spatial Quake?!" Shido, who had just sat down, suddenly stood up, his face filled with shock.
Koushi looked at the column of dust rising in the distance outside the window, then glanced at Shido, who looked anxious and seemed ready to rush out, his heart pounding wildly.
(HOLY CRAP! It's here, it's here, it's here! She's finally arrived! Lady Tohka is making her entrance! Everyone step aside!) (AND SO! The show—starts now!)
The chaos officially begins!