Chapter 1172: Meeting Sayaka Again
"Are you really unaware of everything?"
Nangong Nayue glanced sideways at him, her gaze ambiguous.
"What could I possibly know? I returned home quite early last night!"
Eiji replied with a perfectly straight face.
Nangong Nayue took a sip of black tea without confirming or denying his statement.
Due to the incident at Higashijima, she had worked overtime last night. When she returned home, she indeed found Eiji had already been back for some time, so it was understandable he might not know.
Hmph.
"Wash the cups, and don't be late for morning class."
Nangong Nayue set down her teacup, stood up, and vanished without another word.
Eiji rubbed the back of his head and clicked his tongue twice.
After taking the teacups to the kitchen to wash and put away, sorting the takeout bags into their proper categories, Eiji locked the door and left the building.
It was already September.
The month-and-a-half-long summer vacation had ended, and Saikai Academy's second semester was starting today.
In this world of Strike the Blood, only half a year had passed since the Feast of the Blazing Lights.
The version of him in the Fairy Kingdom was still adventuring with Mash 2400 years in the past, while his counterpart in the Konosuba world was wandering through various surface worlds.
As for the him in this world, he was now a first-year high school student at Saikai Academy.
And unfortunately, his homeroom teacher happened to be his legal guardian.
Saikai Academy operated on a two-semester system and didn't have those tedious and lengthy opening ceremonies. After school started, morning classes were held directly in the classrooms, and once they ended, students were dismissed until formal classes began the next day—a feature widely praised among students on Itogami Island.
Under a barrage of peculiar stares along the way, Eiji arrived at Class 1-B of Saikai Academy High School.
"Good morning! You're getting the star treatment again all the way here!"
Yaze Motoki laughed mockingly at Eiji's expense.
"That's so rude, Motoki."
Aiba Asagi glared at him disapprovingly before looking at Eiji with pity.
"I wonder when you'll be able to remove that disguise on your face? Did Ms. Nangong say anything about it?"
"Nothing at all."
Eiji sat down at his seat with an indifferent expression.
"But personally, I feel like that time is getting close!"
Truth be told, he wasn't particularly bothered by the three-piece disguise. In fact, it helped him avoid a lot of trouble—sometimes being too attractive could be quite a hassle.
Plus, wearing sunglasses made it harder for teachers to notice when he spaced out during class, so he was quite content with the arrangement.
Kojou Akatsuki sat nearby, keeping his head down and saying nothing while furiously tapping away at his phone, most likely chatting with his loli friend.
Even though they theoretically should have gone their separate ways after entering high school, all four of them had been assigned to the same class. One couldn't help but feel there was some fateful hand at work behind the scenes.
While Kojou Akatsuki was quite dismayed by this, Asagi was delighted, and Yaze Motoki had given up offering any opinion on the matter.
"Quiet."
The whispering died down simultaneously even before the bell rang.
Their petite, childlike guardian walked through the door with full authority, stepping onto her specially provided stool that allowed just her adorable upper body to appear above the lectern.
"Nayue-chan still hasn't grown any taller!"
"This version of Nayue-chan is perfect as she is!"
"Ew! See, this is why you lolicon are disgusting! You have no appreciation for the beauty of mature women!"
Eiji could hear the sound of an argument breaking out behind him.
"Yaze, Akira, do you two want to start cleaning toilets on the first day of school?"
"No!"
"Sorry!"
Another loud thump came from behind.
The two had probably slammed their heads hard against their desks.
"Alright, come in!"
Natsuki Minamiya spared the two idiots and turned her gaze toward the door.
"Though it's rather sudden, our class has a transfer student today!"
"Yay!"
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
"A beauty! It has to be a beauty!"
The classroom instantly erupted into chaos.
"Transferring at a time like this is quite unexpected," Asagi Aiba mused, resting her chin in her hand, perking up slightly.
It was already the second semester. Normally, transfers would happen during the first semester, right?
Moreover, Saikai Academy's reputation on Itogami Island was fairly average, with cramped campus grounds—nothing compared to prestigious schools. It was rarely considered by outsiders.
Eiji sat there calmly, even crossing his legs.
He adjusted his sunglasses and let out a light hum.
"I have a feeling it's a beauty!"
"No way, it can't be that coincidental—"
"Hello everyone, my name is Sayaka Kurasaka!"
A tea-haired girl with a stylish high ponytail stepped onto the podium, offering a perfectly polite and gentle smile to the class below.
"It is a beauty!"
"Such a pretty girl, and her legs are so long!"
"I'm in love!"
The boys immediately erupted into wolf-like cheers.
"Wait... she really is a beauty?" Asagi froze.
The girl was a tall beauty, standing close to 170 cm, with excessively long legs beneath her skirt. In a country where women's legs were often considered less attractive, hers had a perfectly exercised beauty, balancing flexibility and explosive power.
Her face was equally striking, like a female celebrity—no, even more beautiful than the average star, without a single flaw.
Though their styles differed, she was undoubtedly a beauty on par with Asagi!
"Do you know her?" Asagi suddenly glanced back.
Her eyes were filled with a sense of crisis.
"Not at all," Eiji replied with a straight face.
Just then.
Sayaka finished her self-introduction and, under Natsuki Minamiya's direction, stepped down from the podium and headed toward the back of the classroom.
For a moment, her eyes met Eiji's, who was sitting right in the middle of the class.
A look of deep surprise flashed in her eyes.
However, the two didn't speak.
Sayaka merely paused for a second before naturally walking past him.
Without any extra movement.
To others, it would only seem like surprise at the weirdo wearing sunglasses and a mask in class.
Even Natsuki Minamiya on the podium didn't notice anything unusual.
But Asagi was different.
Sitting right in front of Eiji, she immediately noticed the girl's expression was clearly off!
There was surprise, but more than that, there was astonishment.
Not the kind of shock from being startled, but the unpreparedness of encountering an unexpected situation.
More importantly.
Though it was only for a moment, Asagi seemed to see the corner of her lips curl up unconsciously, as if she was a little happy!
Asagi looked suspicious.
Even she was amazed that she had managed to pick up on so many details in such a short time.
But as the class bell rang, she could only bury her doubts in her heart.
"Listen up, I'll start calling roll from the attendance numbers. When your name is called, answer 'here.' Don't make me waste extra effort. Number one, Kojou Akatsuki..."
"Here!"
"Number two..."
For a moment, the classroom was filled with responses of "here."
"Number fourteen, Nan Gong Li."
"Here!"
Eiji raised his hand.
"?"
Sayaka, sitting diagonally behind him, slowly formed a question mark in her mind.
Then her pretty face darkened.