While Chabashira simmered with anger and the students sat in frightened silence.
Chiba Prefectural Sōbu High School
"Sora, don't be stubborn. When we go report to your class in a bit, apologise properly to the teacher, okay?" Riku said to the girl walking beside him along Sōbu High's campus path.
By now, Sora had grown from a nine-year-old into a sixteen-year-old, tall and slim.
She wore a white one-piece dress; her shimmering silver hair was tied into twin tails with white ribbon. Her features were exquisitely fine, her skin fair as snow. She wore white thigh-highs over her slender legs, an eye-catching look, to put it mildly.
Though it was already class time and the campus was quiet, even passing teachers did a double take when their eyes fell on Sora, who left a pure, almost otherworldly impression.
"Riku, you're so naggy." Sora's brown eyes showed her displeasure. "Why do I have to go to class? It's boring."
"You can't stay home forever. That'd waste your life," Riku said, giving her a pat on the head.
"Stop treating me like a kid." Sora swatted his hand away.
"I'm your brother; treating you like a kid is normal. Sora, can't you at least call me 'onii-chan' once?" Riku withdrew his hand with a wry shake of the head.
"A mere Riku wants me to call him onii-chan? Keep dreaming. I'll never call you that in this lifetime," Sora huffed, then turned aside to mutter under her breath, "Riku baka."
Riku could only rub his nose and laugh. What was this? Seven years, seven years! And still not once had he heard Sora say "onii-chan." Some big brother he was.
"Do I really have to go to school?" Sora glanced back, conflicted.
"You do. School isn't just academics; it's where you meet people and make friends. It's an essential part of life," Riku said with a nod.
School might be optional for him, but he didn't want Sora ending up like him. In Chiba, he was basically the only person she knew.
And lately, with things getting busy, he has spent less time in Chiba than before.
"Hmph, I can't out-argue you anyway. Fine, I'll do it, but Riku has to promise me one thing." Sora's brown eyes gleamed, the corners of her mouth quirking up.
"Name it," Riku said. He was not surprised; this had happened many times in the past seven years.
"This weekend, you'll go out shopping with me. I want to buy some things," Sora said, eyes crinkling with delight. Halfway through saying "date," she hurriedly switched words lest Riku notice.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Riku ruffled her silver hair and nodded.
This time, Sora didn't bat his hand away; she hummed a little tune, plainly pleased.
Sōbu High, 1st Year Class F.
Up on the dais stood a teacher: a mature beauty with long black hair spilling almost to the backs of her knees. She wore a black suit with a white jacket draped over it, giving off a composed, adult air. She scanned the class, eyes landing on an empty seat, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Honestly. Someone's late on the very first day? Forget it, let's not wait."
The students traded looks. Even delinquents don't usually make trouble on day one.
"My name is Hiratsuka Shizuka. I'll be your homeroom teacher," she said, writing her name boldly on the board before turning, hands on the lectern. "All right, let's start self-introductions."
"Hi, everyone, I'm Yuigahama Yui," said the girl in the first seat, jumping up. She was bright and bubbly, with long tea-coloured hair that fell to her shoulders. It was gathered with a black band into a little ball on top of her head, a real beauty.
More than a few boys sneaked extra glances as she stood.
Partway through the round, a handsome blond boy rose to speak.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Hayama Hayato. Here's to a great year." Wearing a warm, sunny smile that was oddly infectious, he drew quickened heartbeats from not a few girls.
Among them was Miura Yumiko, a striking beauty with gently curled golden hair who had already introduced herself. A handsome face plus a sunshine aura, no wonder he drew attention.
But before Hayama could finish, the classroom door slid open.
A silver-haired young man walked in, and every eye was drawn to him on the spot.
Especially the girls were captivated at once. If Hayama easily attracted the attention of younger girls, this newcomer was on a different level entirely.
More handsome than Hayama, with a blend of mature and sunlit poise, deep eyes and that intangible "presence." A lady-killer by any metric.
Even the most reserved might find themselves warming to him, never mind a roomful of high-schoolers.
The girls stared openly; most of the boys ducked their heads, disheartened. With someone like that around, the coming school life looked grim. The girls' attention was going to be hard to compete for.
"Sora, come in," Riku said after a brief glance around the room, his eyes pausing a moment on Yuigahama Yui, then turned toward the hallway.
Wait, so he wasn't a late student? The class stared, baffled.
Sora walked in, none too happy about it.
Another ripple of surprise swept the room. This time it was mostly the boys, who were briefly stunned, then delighted.
Noticing all those looks, Sora averted her gaze, unimpressed.
Hiratsuka rapped the lectern, and the room snapped back to order.
"Riku, your sister is very late for day one. Are you trying to make extra work for me? And please have her wear the school uniform when she comes to school."
She glanced at Sora's white dress, then fixed Riku with a frown.
"Lost track of time a bit," Riku said, shaking his head, speaking to her like an old acquaintance. Seven years ago, he'd nominally "attended" Sōbu High, with Hiratsuka Shizuka as his homeroom teacher.
Nominally, he hadn't even racked up a month of actual days on campus.
"I overslept. Sorry, Sensei." Sora lifted her head to apologise.
"Fine, don't do it again," Hiratsuka said, rubbing her brow. In truth, she wasn't confident. Given Riku's infamous truancy back then… She couldn't push him around with "authority," and lecturing him academically had only got her reverse-lectured. A problem, brother, likely a problem sister, too. These siblings would be a handful.
She sighed.
"Shizu-chan, I'll leave Sora in your care. I've got business elsewhere," Riku said with an easy smile enough to pinken a few cheeks among the girls.
Sora frowned a little, eyes flicking between Riku and Hiratsuka.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Hiratsuka waved him off, rolling her eyes. "Go already. Your face annoys me."
"Don't be like that. Seeing you as spirited as ever makes me happy," he quipped, and with that bit of harmless teasing, he headed out, leaving Hiratsuka's mouth twitching. Same as ever, bold enough to tease a teacher on day one…
"All right, Sora, take your seat," Hiratsuka said, pointing to the empty desk beside Yuigahama Yui and keeping her tone even.
"Okay." Under everyone's gaze, Sora sat down, looking none too thrilled. Classes, to her, were an endurance test.
The bell rang; the first period finally ended.
At once, a gaggle of girls crowded around Sora, chattering excitedly.
Most of their questions were about Riku.
Sora's patience wore thin; she clammed up. No way was she letting a bunch of foxes make a move on Riku.
Sensing the vibe, Yuigahama Yui quickly steered the mood to ease the pressure, earning a glance from Sora.
The boys, for their part, could only watch with envy. It wasn't exactly easy to march up and join that circle, and even if they tried, they'd likely be shooed away.
Rewind a bit.
After settling things for Sora, Riku shifted instantly to Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
"This guy still isn't here," muttered Chabashira Sae at the lectern, face dark, her F-cup chest actually rising and falling with her breath.
Heads ducked across the room. No one dared meet that fuse-shortening glare.
Half the first period gone, and the homeroom teacher still absent, outrageous.
Worse, the school had abruptly stripped Chabashira of the homeroom post and handed Class D to someone who looked absurdly young. It stung.
And to top it off, on day one, he was half a period late? Come on!
She'd even called the director and been told to let it be, that the new guy could do as he pleased. Excuse me?
In that moment, Chabashira concluded the newcomer had serious backing. Why else would the school suddenly move like this?
Backed or not, she wasn't about to tolerate this behaviour.
Just then, the classroom door finally slid open, drawing every eye. They all wanted to see what kind of "big deal" shows up this late on day one.
Chabashira looked up with eyes sharp enough to kill.
"Ah, sorry. I ended up a little late and kept everyone waiting," Riku said casually as he walked in under every gaze.
"…!" The moment he entered, Karuizawa Kei's mouth made a perfect O. She stared, stunned, almost jumping to her feet.
Around the room, boys and girls alike let out varying degrees of surprise. This homeroom teacher is way too young!
"…" The stone-faced boy by the back window narrowed his eyes; for an instant, a rare emotion flashed across his face, was that… fear!?
"Ugh, even more trouble," the boy with the dead-fish eyes beside him rolled his head and sighed.
"You're late by half a period, and you stroll in with that attitude?" Chabashira Sae glared daggers, slapping the lectern in anger.
"What attitude would you prefer? I had things to do. People have unforeseen matters in life," Riku said evenly, ignoring her stare.
"Heh? Then tell me what 'matter' justifies being half a period late?" Chabashira drew a deep breath, suppressing her temper.
"I walked my little sister to school," Riku said offhandedly.
"Huh!?" For a second, Chabashira didn't even process it.
The boys looked baffled, too.
A sister? Did Shiro start going to school?
Kei's face was all question marks. In her memory, Shiro had never attended school; she always stayed home.
"You were late half a period… for that?" Chabashira's fingers trembled as she stared at Riku's infuriating calm.
"What's more important than getting your sister to school?" Riku shot back, perfectly serious. "If something happened, would you take responsibility?"
"…!" The class stared, dumbfounded at this frank, full-power "siscon" line.
Wow. This homeroom teacher is really just doing his own thing.
Chabashira all but choked on air, her face turning red with anger.
"Anyway, women your age just love meddling and have tempers. All right, step outside. I'm starting class," Riku said, walking right past her to the front.
That did it. Her expression froze black. The one thing a woman wants least brought up is her age. Especially an unmarried one pushing thirty.
But there was nothing she could say. Riku was, in fact, the homeroom here; she was only the assistant. If he said class was starting and she kept blocking the way, she'd be the one out of line.
And truth be told, she'd spoken out of anger. As an assistant, she didn't have standing to interrogate him to begin with.
Add in the fact that the Director had told her to let it go… she had no leverage on him.
Grinding her teeth, Chabashira swallowed her fury, walked out, and shut the door a little too hard.
Thud!
Only then did many in the room finally blink free of Riku's youth and looks, swallowing hard.
That cool, hard-edged assistant homeroom teacher had been scary enough. Now this guy had casually sent her packing. What would the rest of the year be like?
"Okay, self-intro time." As if nothing had happened, Riku picked up chalk, wrote a few bold characters on the board, then turned back. "I'm Riku Dola. I'll be teaching math to this class. 'Mr. Dola is fine."
"Barring surprises, I'll be with you for all three years. Before we begin, let's do introductions." He clapped his hands, glanced over the class, and gave the smiling Karuizawa Kei a tiny nod.
Plenty of students blinked in surprise. This "domineering" teacher sounded… reasonable?
"My name's Karuizawa Kei, just call me Karuizawa. My specialities are…" Kei stood first, beaming youthful energy and drawing plenty of eyes. Riku gave her a warm smile, which put a faint flush on her cheeks as she sat down.
A few people caught that exchange. Kushida Kikyo's eyes gleamed with meaning as she glanced at Riku.
"I'm Hirata Yōsuke. Back in middle school, everyone just called me 'Yōsuke', so I hope you will too. I like a lot of things, but soccer is most of I plan to join the club. Please take care of me." He stood with practised ease, radiating affability that made people want to befriend him.
Riku gave him an extra glance. Hirata Yōsuke, the heart of Class D. Indispensable. And a consummate nice guy.
"Everyone, I'm Kushida Kikyo. I like lots of things, but most of all, making friends. I hope we can all be good friends! So please, just call me Kikyo." Kushida's sunshine smile and polished poise, paired with a face both fresh and refined, drew eyes across the room.
"Kushida Kikyo… keep your mask on tighter. When you probe someone's depths, don't let your eyes give it away," Riku said, looking at her, tone unreadable.
The class blinked in confusion. What was he talking about?
"Mr Dola, I don't know what you mean." Kushida's smile paused, then she blinked innocently.
"It's nothing," Riku said mildly. "Next."
Kushida exhaled in secret, shooting him a covert look as her hands curled slightly. Did this teacher… notice something?
The round continued until only four remained.
"My name is Horikita Suzune. I prefer to study alone. Please don't interfere with my studies. That's all." The long-haired, black-tressed girl stood and spoke coolly.
The room's temperature dropped a few degrees.
After Horikita's line, the class went silent; many scowled at her.
The girls had pegged her as aloof, but hadn't expected that. The boys were annoyed, too.
Because what she'd said sounded like she was looking down on everyone else if the class was in her way.
"A very… individualistic statement," Riku said evenly, then added, "and foolish."
"A teacher insulting a student? If I report you, what do you think will happen?" Horikita stared back, voice flat. Whatever favourable impression she'd had on first sight evaporated in a breath.
"Nothing. Believe me here, there's nothing you can do, and I can have you expelled any time," Riku replied, calm as ever.
"…" Horikita fell silent, then drew a breath. "Teacher, you owe me an apology."
"Strong pride, huh." Riku's mouth quirked. "If you want an apology, why not go stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun."
She froze, fists clenching. The air in class grew… odd. People were giving her looks now.
"Solitude isn't a license to scorn others. And even 'lofty solitude' requires strength. You don't have that, you're just sulking in a self-made cage, locking yourself in your own world. A pitiable, twisted solitude." Riku didn't spare her a syllable. "Which is why you're in Class D."
"…" Horikita glared but said nothing, finally sitting frustrated.
The boy with the dead-fish eyes glanced over and shook his head.
The truly solitary don't hurt others; they keep hurting themselves.
Making big pronouncements isn't what solitude looks like; that's how you pack your ice prison tighter, freezing yourself and anyone who comes near. Twisted solitude indeed.
Next, a girl stood. Long red hair tied into twin tails; thick plano glasses hid part of her face, and with her head lowered, you couldn't see her features clearly. In truth, her face was finely shaped, no less than Horikita's or Karuizawa's, and her skin was snowy fair. Her figure was surprisingly mature for her age.
"I'm Sakura Airi. My hobbies are…"
She spoke timidly, clearly rattled by Riku's earlier toughness.
Her intro was ordinary; when she finished, she sat quickly, head down, not daring to meet Riku's eyes.
Riku shook his head slightly. Did he seem that scary?
He turned to the last two: the stone-faced boy in the back, and the one with the dead-fish eyes.
"Uh… I'm Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. My hobbies, um… none. That's… all." With his blank look unchanged, he forced out a few words and sat amid puzzled glances.
Riku spared Ayanokōji, a man of many layers, a measuring look, then let his gaze settle on the last boy.
For Riku, teaching here was about having fun. And Ayanokōji was an essential spice.
"Last one," Riku said.
"Hikigaya Hachiman," Hikigaya stared at him with dead-fish eyes and delivered the shortest possible line.
Tap!
A stick of chalk bounced off Hikigaya's forehead the instant he finished.
"Cutting corners even on your intro, huh. Classic," Riku deadpanned.
"Sensei, ow. And there's no rule against it," Hikigaya said, hand to head, tone flat as ever.
"No rule. I just felt like beaning you. Problem?" Riku's smile turned… uncomfortably playful.
"Nope. None at all. Sensei is wisdom incarnate," Hikigaya grinned weakly and folded instantly.
"Teachable," Riku nodded, satisfied.
Hikigaya exhaled in relief. For a peaceful high-school life, do not pick a fight with this problem teacher.
"Hikigaya, since you like Ayanokōji's 'intro style' so much, you two can share a dorm room starting today," Riku added, amused.
"…" Hikigaya's mouth twitched. Yep, this teacher definitely had it out for him.