Chapter 47: The Ominous Start of a New School Term
The long summer vacation had finally come to an end.
Kazuma headed to the academy with a gloomy expression. Looking at the school building, which hadn’t been particularly damaged in the Humanoid Ibinom assault incident, Kazuma thought.
“(I should’ve destroyed it amidst the chaos…)”
Kazuma, who could probably turn the entire surrounding area into scorched earth if he got serious, found himself fantasizing like a mentally exhausted corporate drone.
Reaching his classroom, Kazuma hung his bag on his desk and slumped face down. Akatsuki, Taichi, and Kosuke, the three of them, hadn’t arrived yet.
Since Kosuke was in the same dorm, he could have come to school with him, but Kosuke hadn’t returned a single one of his messages, so Kazuma had walked to school all alone and lonely.
“(Ah, what a drag… Today’s just the opening ceremony and the Ability Test in the morning, huh? It’s a pain, but to live peacefully, I need to improve my Transposition…)”
Confirming the day’s schedule, Kazuma reaffirmed his goal. To live as peacefully as possible. That was Kazuma’s objective, but so far, it was proving difficult.
After all, since the Humanoid Ibinom assault incident, Kazuma had been marked by the National Defense Force as a person of utmost importance concerning the Crimson Knight.
There was no surveillance for now, but hidden cameras and listening devices had been planted in the dorm where Kazuma lived.
Thanks to that, he couldn’t even take care of his personal needs to his satisfaction. Of course, it would be possible if he acted naturally, but even Kazuma wasn’t willing to put on a public display. It was embarrassing, so that was a given.
Moreover, the National Defense Force was diligently monitoring his internet activity as well. The keywords Kazuma searched for were all laid bare. Therefore, as if out of spite, Kazuma had been exclusively searching for trivial terms like the names of adult film actresses and his favorite body parts.
Thanks to that, the fact that Kazuma was the Crimson Knight hadn’t been exposed yet, but it was as if his sexual preferences had been. However, Kazuma didn’t have any peculiar fetishes, so it wasn’t a problem.
“(I need to be careful starting this second term, huh…)”
The surveillance would probably continue. Until they understood that Kazuma was completely unrelated.
“(Still… that person didn’t talk about me, huh? There must have been Mind Reading Gift users too, so how did she manage to deceive them…?)”
“That person” was Hatsune Kaguya, who had tried to brainwash Kazuma. Her real name was Yumemiya Sakura. She was a historical criminal who had caused a major incident that shook the nation.
Of course, Kazuma didn’t know her true identity. However, if they were to become hostile, he would undoubtedly be forced into a tough fight.
Kazuma probably wouldn’t lose in a head-on battle, but he was terribly weak against indirect tactics. Enemies like her, who attacked from the periphery, couldn’t just be punched head-on and sent flying, which was why Kazuma struggled against them.
After all, he was an idiot.
“Yo, Kazuma!”
“Ouch! What was that for, Kosuke? And what’s the deal with you not replying to any of my messages?”
Kosuke greeted Kazuma, who was lying face down, cheerfully, simultaneously smacking him on the head. Slightly irritated by the smack, Kazuma turned around and complained to Kosuke for ignoring his messages.
“Ah, sorry. Actually, I was working on my assignments until the very last minute.”
“Ah, well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll forgive you.”
“Alright!”
“However, a hit for a hit.”
Kazuma slammed his fist not into Kosuke’s head, but into his solar plexus. Taking the surprise blow, Kosuke collapsed on the spot, clutching his stomach.
“Ugh… That actually hurts…”
“Hmph… Right in the solar plexus, after all.”
Kazuma fully demonstrated the skills he had cultivated in the other world. He looked every bit like a thug. It was a move unbecoming of the Hero who had defeated the Demon Lord and saved the world.
Just as the two were horsing around, Akatsuki and Taichi arrived at school. They gave a small wave to the two in greeting, then headed to their own seats to put down their bags.
“Yo, long time no see.”
“It’s been a while, you two. By the way, why is Kosuke crouching?”
“He’s sobbing from overwhelming emotion…”
While Akatsuki rejoiced at their reunion after a long time, Taichi asked Kazuma why Kosuke was crouching. Kazuma, knowing the reason, concocted a suitable lie.
“That’s a lie…”
The crouching Kosuke desperately protested, but his words didn’t reach them.
After that, the four of them shared their summer vacation memories. They got excited over trivial stories, bombed with their classic jokes, and continued chatting until the morning homeroom began.
“Alright, everyone, take your seats~”
The one who entered as the morning bell rang was Kazuma’s homeroom teacher, Tanaka. Still looking sleepy, he stifled a yawn, rubbed his teary eyes, and then checked attendance on the tablet he was holding.
“Okay, everyone’s here. We’re going to the gym for the opening ceremony now~. Don’t skip just ’cause it’s a pain. Also, you might still be sleepy after the summer break, but make sure you stay awake.”
After giving a perfunctory warning, Tanaka led the classmates towards the gymnasium where the opening ceremony would be held.
Arriving at the gymnasium, Tanaka directed the classmates to their designated spots and then headed to the area designated for teachers.
Kazuma, lined up in order of attendance number, had no one around to talk to, so he stared blankly at the stage.
He was yawning, silently grumbling for it to start quickly and end quickly.
Then, about ten minutes later, the opening ceremony finally began.
It started with the principal’s unnecessarily long speech, followed by a brief greeting from the student council president, and then announcements.
Kazuma, uninterested, let it all go in one ear and out the other, but when it was announced that new teachers had joined and would be giving greetings, he perked up his ears slightly.
“Nice to meet you. I am Onoda Masafumi, who was just introduced. Starting today, I will be assigned as a teacher in the Combat Course at the Seventh Esper Academy. I look forward to working with you all.”
It was a particularly unexciting greeting, but Kazuma raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.
“(It’s the second term, so new teachers make sense, but… he’s strangely気になるな (concerning/piques my interest).)”
Standing on the stage was Masafumi, dressed sharply in a suit, with an appearance that screamed seriousness. Kazuma was suspicious, but since he was a Combat Course teacher, he decided not to worry about it any further.
As Masafumi descended from the stage, another new teacher who had entered took his place. The male students buzzed with excitement at the sight of the new teacher. Kazuma was no exception.
“Hello everyone, nice to meet you! Starting today, I’ve been assigned to the Support Course at the Seventh Esper Academy. My name is Aiba Manami. It hasn’t been long since I became a teacher, so I might cause some trouble, but I’ll do my very best, so please take care of me!”
Greeting everyone energetically on stage was Aiba Manami, a female teacher with an adorable bob cut. The male students were excited by her appearance, which was more cute than beautiful.
With the new teachers’ greetings over, the opening ceremony came to an end. Whether it could be called a surprise or not, thanks to the two new teachers, the students managed to stay awake until the end without dozing off. How easily swayed they were.
Returning to the classroom, Kazuma and the others started chatting until their homeroom teacher, Tanaka, came back. Naturally, the topic of conversation was one of the new teachers, Aiba Manami. Being male high school students, it was only natural for them to talk about female teachers rather than male ones.
“Hey! That new teacher, Aiba-chan! Isn’t she super cute?!”
“Yeah! She makes you feel like you want to protect her!”
Kazuma agreed with Kosuke, who was speaking excitedly.
“She sure is~. I wonder what subject she’ll be in charge of?”
“From the looks of her, maybe humanities or something?”
Akatsuki, sharing the same opinion, wondered what subject she would teach.
To that, Taichi replied that she seemed like a humanities teacher, judging by her appearance. It was perhaps a bit too soon to judge by looks, as she might be a science teacher.
“I don’t care what it is. Anyway, I want to get closer to Aiba-chan!”
As long as he could get closer to her, Kosuke didn’t care about anything else.
“Hahaha. Well, if she’s that cute, she probably has a boyfriend.”
“Kazuma! Don’t say such dream-crushing things~”
“Kosuke… You understand too, don’t you?”
“Ugh… True, she’s that cute. It wouldn’t be strange if she had a boyfriend or two… right~”
Faced with an undeniable reality, the two slumped their shoulders in disappointment.
“Alright, you guys, take your seats~. I have something important to talk about, so don’t make any noise.”
Tanaka said as he entered the classroom. He was a little late in returning, but the students didn’t mind. In fact, they thought it would have been fine if he had been even longer.
“Well, I don’t have any particular announcements from my end. Everything was said at the opening ceremony.”
Looking around at the quieted students, Tanaka cleared his throat theatrically and got to the main point.
“Ahem. Now, I’m about to tell you something important, you lads. Absolutely no ruckus, okay? It’ll bother the other classrooms.”
As Tanaka glared sharply at the male students, giving them a stern warning, the boys grew excited, wondering what it was all about.
“Alright then, I’ll introduce the transfer student now. Come on in.”
“Yes.”
And then, the one who entered was a lovely girl. With a dignified air, she stood beside the teacher’s podium, bowed her head, and introduced herself.
“I am Shinonome Momoko, and I have just transferred to the Seventh Esper Academy. I look forward to getting to know you all.”
The male students were, as one might expect, greatly excited by Momoko’s radiant smile. Of course, Kazuma was also excited, but inwardly, he was quite flustered.
(In the dorms, there are security cameras and listening devices. And then, the two newly appointed teachers. To top it all off, a transfer student. If I’m not just being self-conscious, this must all be to monitor me…!)
The new school term—what will Kazuma’s life become? Will he truly be able to live peacefully, as he wishes? That, no one knows.