"People who truly care about you will be heartbroken."
The girl's rigid posture softened as Akifumi Mugiho spoke, and he couldn't help but notice a faint smile on his lips.
"Well, ready to run?"
Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her hand and ran, pulling her along.
Under the small umbrella, they moved against the wind and rain, splashing through puddles.
Passerby couldn't help but smile, seeing in the pair the warmth of youth that had long since faded from their own lives.
[021] The New Transfer Student, Shiina Mahiru
Underneath the apartment building, Akifumi closed his umbrella and removed the two heavy bags hanging from his hand, leaving behind a few centimeters of dark bruising.
"Ugh."
The pain shot through his nerves, and he couldn't help but suck in a breath, making his small contribution to global warming.
He glanced at the two bags, now mostly soaked, and let out a bitter smile.
'Why did I even bother?'
Not only had he gotten himself drenched by meddling, but it was also likely he wouldn't even hear a word of thanks in the end.
"Thank you, and... I'm sorry..."
At that moment, the girl's cold voice sounded from beside him.
Huh?
Akifumi looked up to find her gaze fixed on the bruising on his left hand, her face marked with clear guilt.
"Sorry."
It seemed the worst-case scenario hadn't come to pass.
Akifumi smiled and waved his hand dismissively.
"Honestly, it's like when you come across a box of abandoned kittens on a rainy dayyou don't really need any special reason to help. Maybe you won't take them all home or give them an umbrella, but at least you'd try to find them shelter and some food."
There's no real reason, he thought. He just did it because he wanted to. Simple as that.
"Unlike you, I already thought about the consequences before acting."
So...
"There's no need for thanks or apologies."
What a kind person, she thought to herself.
Even though her words were simple and truthful, what Akifumi had done wasn't something that most people would do.
Most of them would just ignore it, but the person being saved should never take it for granted.
The girl spoke seriously:
"Perhaps it seems like a small thing to you, but the fact remains, you saved me."
"Whether you accept it or not, a 'thank you' is the least I can do, and it's truly from the heart."
Akifumi felt a little warmer hearing her words. Her tone was different nowshe seemed more energetic and alive than before.
He shook his head in resignation.
"Well, since you're insisting on it, I'll graciously accept your thanks."
He was relieved to see she wouldn't do anything foolish now.
With that in mind, Akifumi handed her the umbrella he had borrowed.
"I've reached my place, so you can keep this umbrella."
"It's one of those shared umbrellas from the convenience store. Just make sure you return it afterward, okay?"
Without giving her a chance to refuse or reply, Akifumi turned around and waved as he walked into the elevator.
The girl stood still, staring at the elevator until it reached the 12th floor. Only then did she look away.
She muttered to herself with a resigned expression,
"But... I won't even need this umbrella anymore."
Laughing quietly, she pressed the button for the elevator and took it up.
It stopped at the 11th floor.
Meanwhile, back in his apartment, Akifumi scratched his head.
"Wait, I feel like I've seen that girl before."
"Where have I seen her?"
...
"I really don't want to go to school."
Lying face down on his desk, Akifumi grumbled in a disheartened tone.
"If you say stuff like that on the first day of school, you're definitely asking for trouble, Akifumi," came the dry remark from Kato.
"And especially you, being the top student of the grade... the teacher would probably cry if they heard that."
"Don't believe in that nonsense, Kato! There's no scientific proof behind it!"
Bad luck doesn't just come out of nowhere, right? As for whether the teacher would cry...
'Well, I just won't let the teacher hear it, right?'
With that, Akifumi remembered the important thing he had almost forgotten.
"Oh right, thanks a lot for your help earlier, Kato!"
He pulled out a 10,000 bill from his wallet and handed it to Kato with both hands.
Kato looked surprised. "I thought this 10,000 was some sort of friendship fee to become your friend."
Akifumi rolled his eyes. "Where do you think I'm coming from, some kind of thug?"
"Well, you did borrow money from me the very next day after we became friends. Anyone would wonder what your true intentions were."
"Couldn't it be because I trust you and believe you'd understand, so I didn't hesitate to do something that might be misunderstood?"
"That's a heavy trust, huh."
At those words, Kato's typically expressionless face briefly flashed a small smileso fleeting that Akifumi wasn't sure if it was real.
He blinked in confusion.
"Did Kato just smile for a second?"
It was so brief he couldn't be sure.
Not wanting to dwell on it, Akifumi casually asked, "So, how did you spend your Golden Week, Kato?"
"I went to Hokkaido with my parents to visit my sister."
Kato wasn't an only childshe had an older sister, Kato Hiromi, now married and probably called Mrs. Yoshinaga.
"An older sister, huh... That sounds really nice."
Having been an only child in both lives, Akifumi had often wondered what it would be like to have a siblingespecially an older sister or younger one.
It must be nice, right? At least then, when his parents were out running around, there'd be someone there to take care of him.
"How about you, Akifumi? How did you spend your Golden Week?"
"I stayed at home."
He paused to think and then added, "Stayed at home... really, just stayed at home."
"Hey, don't look at me like 'this guy's so pitiful'!"
Even though he didn't mind this kind of look, the way Kato was looking at him just now stung a little.
"Well, I guess it's kind of hard to understand since you're a shut-in, but staying at home must have been pretty fun for you, right?"
"It was fun!"
They chatted casually about their holidays, and before long, the bell for class rang.
Hiratsuka Shizuka entered the classroom on time.
"Quiet down."
Under Hiratsuka's strong presence, the once noisy classroom fell silent in under three seconds.
"Before the lesson starts, let me introduce a new transfer student."
"Come in, Shiina."
With Hiratsuka's voice, the door opened, and a girl entered, walking to the front of the class.
"Please introduce yourself, Shiina."
[022] "Isnt what Shiina-san said going to get her in trouble?"
On the other side, as the girl entered the classroom,
"Whoa!"
The boys in the class instantly got excited.
"The transfer student is a girl!"
"Not just any girl, but an incredibly beautiful one!"
"Her looks? They rivaled those of Hatsune Miku!"
Even the imposing aura of the teacher, Hiratsuka, couldn't completely suppress the boys' overflowing hormones.
However, knowing Hiratsuka's ability to throw chalk bullets and unleash iron fists, none of these guys dared to act too wild.
As for why there was a new transfer student at this time? That thought never even crossed their minds.
'Ah, so it's her.'
No wonder I felt like I had seen her before yesterday.
Looking at the name written on the blackboard, Akifumi thought to himself. Shiina Mahiru, the protagonist from the anime "The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten," which hadn't aired when I was originally in my previous life world.
Her stunning looks and perfect personality earned her the nickname "Angel-sama" at school.
Though this appearance was just a disguise, no one could deny her beautyflawless skin like porcelain, a straight nose, eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings with every breath, and clear eyes, all contributing to an ethereal, doll-like grace.
Yes, this transfer student was the same one Akifumi had found in the rain yesterday.
Since the anime hadn't aired yet before his "rebirth," he didn't have a very strong impression of her.
He thought he wouldn't cross paths with her again, but now she was sitting in his class.
He quietly listened as the girl introduced herself.
"Due to my mother's job, I transferred to Toyogasaki."
Her mother's job?
In the original backstory, her parents had been forced into marriage for family interests, with no emotional connection.
Her existence was an accident, and she had never received love from her parents.
"Though they're not divorced, both of them have separate families, right?"
Considering these details, the reason she transferred to Toyogasaki couldn't possibly be because of her "mother's work."
"So, another strange twist in the world's timeline, huh?"
While pondering this, Shiina Mahiru finished her introduction.
"I hope I can get along well with everyone."
Her sweet smile caused a stir in the classroom, with some of the boys howling excitedly and clapping like uncivilized monkeys.
"Quiet down."
Luckily, Hiratsuka's cold voice intervened just in time, bringing the class back to order like a bucket of cold water.
"I'm sorry, Shiina."
"There aren't any free seats for you at the moment. For today's class, you'll have to squeeze in with someone else. After the lesson, I'll have the life committee bring you a new desk."
"Okay, Hiratsuka-sensei."
Shiina Mahiru nodded obediently, taking the plastic stool from her teacher and walking down the stage.
The boys' eyes lit up as they watched her carry the stool, their gazes practically screaming, "Sit here, sit here!"
Some girls also gave her warm smiles but, due to Hiratsuka's authority, didn't dare speak up.
However, from the start, Shiina had already chosen her target.
She walked straight to the very back of the classroom, without even glancing at anyone else.
"Hey, would it be okay if I sit here for today?"
Feeling the intense glares from all sides, Akifumi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He smiled politely and nodded, "Of course."
He wasn't socially anxious; he just wasn't interested in initiating conversations with classmates.
The looks from others didn't bother him.
"Thank you."
Her warm smile was so soothing it made him feel a little better, but the warmth didn't quite reach his heart.
Instead, a sense of heaviness filled him.
She had such a difficult past, yet she always showed this bright, cheerful face
Just realizing this weighed heavily on him.
"Sigh..."
Shiina Mahiru sat down and adjusted the pleats of her skirt, then softly asked,
"Um, did I cause you any trouble?"
"We're classmates, so you don't need to be so formal with me."
Akifumi corrected her tone before continuing, "Why would you think sitting here is a trouble?"
"Look at those guys. Their envious looks. They're all jealous that I get to sit next to a beauty like you."
"If you're talking about my sigh earlier, it's just because I was thinking about some other things."
A blush appeared on her flawless face, her amber eyes glinting with a hint of embarrassment as she shyly responded, "I'm no beauty."
"I'm just an ordinary person..." she then heavily sigh.
Akifumi felt curious.
Even someone as cheerful as her had those heavy sighs.
Seems like everyone has their burdens to bear
"If others hear you say that, Shiina-san, you might get beat up."
"Eh?"
Shiina blinked in confusion, "Why?"
Her reaction made it clear that she truly saw herself as an ordinary person.
But maybe, from her perspective, her life was so different that she didn't even compare to ordinary people?
At least
'A true ordinary person would have received the love of their parents.'
Yet, she hadn't known that warmth since she was born.
Akifumi cast a thoughtful glance at the smiling girl beside him.
"Is it because you know me that you chose to sit with me without hesitation?"
Kato, who had been listening, nodded in thought before returning her attention to the blackboard.
"Bang!"
"Ugh!"
Akifumi sharply inhaled as he looked up at the teacher, who was now glaring at him with a chilling, almost murderous smile.
The warning in her eyes was almost palpable.
So scary!!
He quickly ducked his head and awkwardly forced a smile.
Once her gaze shifted away, he sighed in relief.
In just one Golden Week, her aim and strength hadn't weakened at all. Dammit!
Rubbing his head where the chalk bullet hit, Akifumi straightened up and refrained from talking to Shiina Mahiru any further.
Noticing this, Shiina Mahiru felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.
She then turned her gaze to the front of the class, quickly getting absorbed in the lesson.
[023] "Uh... Can we not talk about it?"
The class wasn't that long.
Before long, the bell signaling the end of the class rang.
At the same time, Hiratsuka-sensei calmly spoke: "Class is dismissed."
Then she lowered her head, gathering her materials on the desk.
The students, their tense postures relaxing, leaned back in their chairs to rest.
"Akifumi Mugiho, come to my office for a moment."
With that final sentence, Hiratsuka-sensei left the classroom.
"Yay!"
With that cheer, not bothering to hold it back, the boys and girls who had been sitting at their desks almost immediately stood up.
There was no need to explain the destination.
"Sigh"
As for Akifumi, after letting out a sigh, he helplessly left his desk and walked toward the door of the classroom.
He paid no attention to the malicious glares thrown his way.
These guys, based on his past experiences, probably thought that being called to the teacher's office was a bad thing, but little did they know.
For Akifumi, going to the teacher's office was like coming home.
The teachers were all treat and spoke kindly to him. He loved it there!
What's even better was the chance to bond with Hiratsuka-sensei. It couldn't get any better!
By now, Shiina Mahiru, who had learned Akifumi's name yesterday after he saved her, wasn't surprised.
However, watching his retreating figure, a trace of worry appeared in her eyes.
"Why would Hiratsuka-sensei call him to the office right after class?"
"Did he do something wrong?"
Following that line of thought, the most likely reason was that he had spoken to her during class.
Thinking about it, Mahiru felt incredibly guilty.
"As a top student in class, Akifumi-kun is often called to the teacher's office by Hiratsuka-sensei, so don't worry," Kato, who had spoken up, reassured her.
