Despite their firm conviction that their friend had been possessed by some kind of fox spirit, Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara Katsuhiko still walked alongside Hozuki Nozomi as they continued their journey to school. Hozuki Nozomi, for his part, was rifling through his memory, trying to dredge up whatever information he could about these two.
After a moment of concentration, the relevant details surfaced from the depths of his recollection. Natori Sayaka had actually played a crucial role in the original plot—her sister worked at the Itomori Town broadcasting station, which would become significant later. Teshigawara Katsuhiko, meanwhile, was the son of the owner of Itomori's primary construction company. His father was collaborating with Mayor Miyamizu—Mitsuha's father—and was actively supporting Toshiki's re-election campaign.
When that news had been exposed in the original timeline, both Teshigawara Katsuhiko and Miyamizu Mitsuha had become targets of strange looks and whispered gossip from their classmates. The other students believed their families' collaboration was too cunning, that the election was fundamentally unfair. As children of that so-called "corrupt" alliance, they naturally became objects of envy and resentment.
Lost in thought, Hozuki Nozomi soon found himself standing before Itomori High School. Relying on the system's guidance function, he followed the golden arrow to locate Miyamizu Mitsuha's shoe locker and exchanged her outdoor shoes for indoor ones.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, every pair of eyes swiveled in his direction.
Well, to be precise, every pair of eyes fixed upon Miyamizu Mitsuha's body.
Under normal circumstances, Mitsuha wore her hair in two braided pigtails, coiled at the back of her head and secured with the braided cord. Today, however, she—or rather, he—had styled it in a graceful high ponytail. Combined with the crisp white school uniform shirt, the undeniably good figure, and those long, slender legs, the overall effect was one of striking elegance and vibrant youthful charm.
"Look who's here—the mayor's daughter."
"Yeah, and she's walking with the construction company's son."
Several boys and girls snickered, exchanging pointed glances and whispering about Miyamizu Mitsuha in voices pitched just loud enough to be clearly heard.
Hozuki Nozomi's expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he strode directly to the desk of one boy who'd been particularly vocal and, with a single swift motion, kicked it over.
The desk crashed to the floor with a deafening clatter. The desk beside it—belonging to a girl who'd been gossiping just as eagerly—toppled as well, and she let out a frightened shriek.
Hozuki Nozomi, wearing Miyamizu Mitsuha's face, allowed a cold smile to curve his lips.
"If you have a problem with me being the mayor's daughter, then say it to my face. Don't sit there whispering behind my back like cowards." His voice carried clearly through the stunned silence of the classroom. "What are you all so sour about, anyway? My father can get re-elected as mayor year after year. Can yours?"
The boy whose desk had been kicked over stared up at her, his face cycling through shock, embarrassment, and finally an angry red. His fists clenched at his sides as he stammered, "W-What's so great about that? Your father still had to secretly collude with the construction company president to get votes, didn't he?"
"Oh really?" Hozuki Nozomi shot back with an amused smile. "Then tell me—can your father collude with the construction company president? Can he campaign for votes and participate in elections at all?"
"You... you..."
The boy's face burned, but no words came. His father was just an ordinary worker—he didn't have the connections, the courage, or the qualifications to run for any public office.
"That's what I thought." Hozuki Nozomi's smile widened, though it held no warmth. "If you can't do it, then shut your mouth. From today onward, I don't want to hear anyone talking about me behind my back. Otherwise, you'll deal with the consequences."
He delivered the cold threat with perfect composure, then turned and walked to his assigned seat with head held high, sitting down as if nothing had happened.
The classroom remained utterly silent.
Was this really Miyamizu Mitsuha? The same girl who would lower her head and remain silent whenever anyone whispered about her? The one who never fought back?
Possessed by a fox was putting it mildly.
Hozuki Nozomi's gaze flicked briefly to a long-haired girl across the room—one who always dressed meticulously and had been among the gossipers. She was angrily righting her fallen desk but carefully avoided meeting his eyes. She didn't dare cause trouble now.
The Miyamizu Mitsuha of just moments ago was simply too terrifying.
The yellow-haired boy who'd borne the brunt of the confrontation was drowning in humiliation. He could feel the smirking glances of classmates around him and snapped, "What are you all looking at? I wasn't the only one talking about Miyamizu!"
The other students maintained their silence. While they had indeed participated in the gossip, they hadn't been as blatant about it—hadn't constantly used it to needle and mock Miyamizu Mitsuha the way he had.
Besides, what Miyamizu had said wasn't entirely wrong. Regardless of anyone's feelings about it, the fact that Miyamizu Toshiki kept getting re-elected spoke to his capability. Thinking about it that way, maybe those who mocked Mitsuha were just bitter because their own fathers couldn't achieve the same?
The yellow-haired boy glared resentfully in Hozuki Nozomi's direction, fists clenched, teeth grinding. He'd lost tremendous face today. A girl he'd always looked down upon had kicked over his desk, threatened him, and mocked him in front of everyone.
Sensing his gaze, Hozuki Nozomi's lips curled into another cold smirk. "What? You want to fight about it?"
"I... I don't stoop to fighting girls!" the boy declared stiffly, then dejectedly began picking up his scattered belongings, doing his best to ignore the mocking stares still directed his way.
The pretty girl beside him—his usual companion in mocking Mitsuha—couldn't help but pout at his cowardly display. For all his big talk, the moment he actually confronted the mayor's daughter, he'd folded completely.
When Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara Katsuhiko arrived moments later and heard what had happened, they stood frozen in the doorway, jaws slack.
They exchanged a look and spoke in perfect unison: "She's definitely possessed by a fox!"
Where had the usual timid Mitsuha gone? And since when did she have this kind of overwhelming presence? Also—she'd been super cool about it!
Soon after, the bell rang, signaling the start of first period. It was mathematics, taught by a bespectacled, middle-aged man whose bald head gleamed under the fluorescent lights. Halfway through the lesson, he called out Miyamizu Mitsuha's name and instructed her to come to the blackboard to solve a problem.
Hozuki Nozomi's mood soured immediately. There was something off about the teacher's expression—a barely concealed smugness, an anticipatory gleam behind those thick lenses. Was this another person taking out their resentment about Mitsuha's father on her? Did he expect her to fail so he could lecture her, humiliate her, prove that the mayor's daughter wasn't so special after all?
"The mayor of Miyamizu's daughter, can't even solve a simple math problem." Hozuki Nozomi could already imagine the mockery that would follow if Mitsuha stumbled.
Well. They were about to be disappointed.
With measured steps, Hozuki Nozomi rose from his seat and walked leisurely to the front of the classroom, inhabiting Mitsuha's body with complete ease. He accepted the chalk from the teacher's hand, glanced briefly at the problem on the board, and then began to write.
His movements were elegant, almost artistic, as he filled the blackboard with three distinct methods of solving the problem. When he finished, he casually tossed the chalk back onto the teacher's desk and returned to his seat with the same unhurried grace, as if he'd done nothing more remarkable than take a morning stroll.
The classroom fell into stunned silence.
Students exchanged bewildered glances. Miyamizu? When had she become so effortlessly cool? And more importantly—was any of that actually correct, or had she just scribbled nonsense?
The bald math teacher's glasses nearly slid off his nose in shock. He rushed to the board, examining each solution with growing disbelief. "This... she actually solved it correctly! And one of these methods is typically only taught at the university level!"
For a moment, no one breathed.
Then whispers erupted throughout the room. Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara Katsuhiko exchanged yet another meaningful look, nodding in silent, perfect understanding. There was no longer any doubt in their minds.
Mitsuha was absolutely, unquestionably possessed by a fox.
And not just any fox—this was clearly a highly intelligent, highly educated fox spirit!
When class ended, a crowd immediately formed around Hozuki Nozomi's desk. Students pressed in from all sides, their eyes burning with curiosity.
"Hey, Miyamizu, how did you do that?!"
"You actually know university-level solving methods?!"
"Seriously, are you even really Miyamizu right now?"
Hozuki Nozomi faced the barrage of questions with calm composure, raising a hand to wave them off. "It's nothing special. I just happened to learn the solution methods for this particular type of problem. If you asked me to solve others, I probably wouldn't know."
He felt it was wise to leave some room for plausible deniability. If Mitsuha's soul eventually returned to her body and suddenly couldn't solve advanced mathematics, he didn't want her to become a target of mockery for "losing" her abilities.
"Tch, so it really was just luck after all." Yamauchi Mami—the girl who'd been gossiping alongside the yellow-haired boy earlier—couldn't resist the jab.
Hozuki Nozomi's lips curved into a slight smile. "Yes, luck. If you're so confident, why don't you try your luck next time the teacher calls on someone?"
"I would if I could, but the teacher never calls on me!" Mami retorted, her face flushing.
"Then perhaps I should visit the office right now and suggest to the teacher that he call on you next class. I think, as the mayor's daughter, my recommendation might carry some weight."
"You... I... I'm not so bored that I need to show off like some people!"
Mami's face burned brighter, her composure crumbling. Unable to win the argument through logic, she fell back on familiar tactics—snide insinuations and moral posturing. "Some people, just because their family has connections, think they can do whatever they want. But heaven sees what people do—she won't be this lucky forever."
Her pointed words hung in the air, and Hozuki Nozomi noticed the subtle shift in some of his classmates' expressions. The poison of envy was spreading.
He rose from his seat and walked directly toward her.
Yamauchi Mami immediately shrank back, her bravado evaporating. "You... Miyamizu, what do you think you're doing?"
Hozuki Nozomi smiled gently—and reached out to pinch her chin between his fingers.
Gasps rippled through the classroom. For the students of this small, quiet town, such a scene was practically scandalous. Their eyes widened with a mixture of shock and barely concealed excitement.
"Nothing at all, young lady," Hozuki Nozomi said softly, his voice carrying an almost hypnotic quality. "I simply wanted to remind you of something. I am a shrine maiden who serves the gods. So I will probably always be this lucky." His smile widened slightly. "But you? Perhaps not. Do you believe I could curse you?"
Yamauchi Mami's face cycled through several shades of red. She wanted to retort, to snap back with something clever, but the words wouldn't come. What if she really did get cursed? And today's Miyamizu Mitsuha was far too strange—too confident, too sharp, too utterly unlike the girl she'd mocked for years. Fear mingled with her embarrassment.
Seeing her eyes squeezed shut, her expression caught between defiance and terror, Hozuki Nozomi allowed a playful smirk to cross his features. Then he released her chin and stepped back.
"I'm just joking, of course," he said lightly. "We're all classmates here, all residents of the same small town. I wouldn't actually curse you." His tone hardened almost imperceptibly. "However, the next time you speak ill of me, make sure I don't hear it."
With that, he returned to his seat, leaned back, and closed his eyes, adopting an air of serene indifference as if the entire exchange had been beneath his notice.
The surrounding students stared at him with something approaching awe.
"Did you see that? Miyamizu is so beautiful!"
"No, not beautiful—she's so cool!"
"Way cooler than that Tano guy, anyway."
"Tano? You mean the yellow-haired coward? He got threatened by a girl and couldn't even manage a single comeback. How pathetic is that?"
Tano, sitting several rows away, overheard every word. His face burned crimson, his fists clenching and unclenching beneath his desk. The tables had turned completely. Miyamizu Mitsuha had stood up, claimed her space, and utterly dismantled the social order he'd relied on.
And he, who had built his small sense of superiority on mocking others, had become the clown.