Chapter 2 – Entering the Second Semester
The curtains in the Service Club fluttered gently in the breeze.
This place was very quiet, perfectly suited for reading in peace.
Of course, that was thanks to the excellent cooling provided by a certain human-shaped air conditioner. Ordinary people couldn't last a minute here, and although high school students had plenty of adolescent troubles, they wouldn't just randomly come to a club with such a strange name to seek help.
After all, many adolescent troubles aren't really suitable for discussing with others.
In any case, Hikigaya really liked this place now.
And as the original occupant of this room, Yukinoshita Yukino, although initially uncomfortable with not being able to monopolize the room anymore, gradually adapted once she discovered that Hikigaya Hachiman, like her, was someone who liked reading in silence.
So, with the start of the second semester, the Service Club remained as peaceful as ever.
Recently, he had stopped looking for books related to Osiris.
Since that chapter was over, it was time for a change of pace.
As someone who had slain a god, reading mythology was surely a good lifestyle habit. On this point, Hikigaya had no intention of changing.
Now his ne interest is about Chinese Mythology.
For example, myths like Houyi shooting down the suns, Kuafu chasing the sun, or Jingwei filling the sea—stories every Chinese person knows.
A name like Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) just sounded lofty and elegant.
Suddenly, the window frame clattered, and a strong gust of wind blew in.
The pages of the book Hikigaya was reading were thrown into disarray, completely ruining the image of a handsome young man reading quietly.
Speaking of which, since he was sitting next to the window, why didn't he just shut it?
The reason was simple: someone was climbing in through it.
What the hell? You're a person, not an actual bear, okay? Even if you were a bear, you wouldn't be climbing through a window!
"The instructor gave an order." The hairy Russian bear who climbed in looked awkward under Hikigaya's murderous glare. "Not enough tables. I was told to move some."
"Ivanov-kun..." Yukinoshita Yukino's gaze didn't even seem like she was looking at an intelligent lifeform. "Let's put aside calling the teacher 'instructor' for now—why are you climbing through the window?"
"Closer…"
"What?"
"Because it's closer."
Awkward silence…
Yukinoshita Yukino, in the end, was just an ordinary girl. Even if she had a twisted personality, when compared to a Yomi disciple whose values were in a completely different dimension, she really didn't stand a chance.
Hikigaya looked on with satisfaction. His bad mood from earlier had completely vanished.
That expression was just too amusing.
Speaking of moving tables… ah, right, the sports festival must be coming up.
For Japanese schools, autumn was the perfect season for both sports festivals and cultural festivals.
At this school, the sports festival took place right after the start of the second semester, in early September, followed by the cultural festival in mid-September.
Hikigaya was somewhat interested in both.
Speaking of which, he still didn't know what his "parents" in this world actually did. Even after all this time since he crossed over, Hikigaya hadn't seen them once.
Apparently, they were scholars. Ever since Hikigaya and Komachi entered middle school, they were always on business trips, constantly traveling the world. Other than the monthly living expenses directly deposited to his bank account, they never even sent a single letter—only on Komachi's birthday would she receive a message and a gift.
Their favoritism toward the daughter was way too obvious, wasn't it?
Although, during the half-year he was missing, it seemed those two workaholics finally came home for a bit.
But that was fine. It helped avoid awkwardness. After all, accepting the Komachi version of this world was already hard for him—dealing with a new set of parents would be nerve-wracking.
Living freely like this was definitely the best.
Once the little bear had found enough desks and chairs, he was ready to leave—this time, he actually used the door properly—since the window wasn't an option.
But just as he was considering whether to kick the door open, someone very considerately solved the problem for him.
It was a woman with a graceful figure wearing a white dress.
"Hello, Yukino-chan!"
She looked very similar to Yukinoshita Yukino, with short hair that gave off a lively and energetic vibe.
But aside from that resemblance, nothing else about her was similar.
"Why are you at school, sister?"
Yukinoshita Yukino appeared extremely irritated, not at all welcoming in response to the other's enthusiasm.
"Because I haven't visited in a while. Aren't you getting ready for the sports festival?"
Haruno replied cheerfully, ignoring her sister's annoyance.
"Oh, isn't this Hikigaya-kun?" She walked up to him and naturally put on a "long time no see" expression.
Hikigaya had to admit, her act was pretty convincing—at least more so than that of Seishuin Ena.
And then he went back to reading.
The entire school was now within his sensory grasp—this was a power he'd gained from Osiris.
Although no worthy opponent had appeared for him to fully test it out, he really liked this power.
The ability worked by moistening objects and then controlling them.
When the air was humid, he could sense everything happening within the area.
He could make it rain, control rivers, or turn the earth into swampland.
He could even use this power to corrode materials.
Aside from being unable to ignite the sun, theoretically, anything Osiris could do through this essence, he could now also do.
All in all, aside from the rather lame name, he was quite satisfied with everything else.
For instance, although Haruno was pretending well, the moment she stepped into the school she made a phone call—which, thanks to Hikigaya's full awareness of the campus, he heard every word of.
He hadn't expected the Yukinoshita family to be connected to the Official History Compilation Committee.
"Hikigaya-kun is so cold," Haruno murmured, but it was pointless—Hikigaya didn't even look up this time.
This left Haruno a bit uneasy. With her looks, powerful family background, and excellent social skills, she could usually handle anyone with ease.
She'd encountered people who ignored her before and had plenty of ways to get them talking.
But this guy… remembering her father's warning, she didn't dare act recklessly.
In her mind, sorcerers were people who seemed very powerful and mysterious. She didn't really understand what a "god-slayer" was—it probably meant something like "a really powerful sorcerer." But even that was enough to make her seriously consider whether she should act lightly.
So she decided to leave it at that. After all, she only came today to show her face and get familiar.
With Yukino here as a perfect reason, she believed there would be plenty of opportunities to interact in the future.