Because of the unexpected "surprise" of Sakakibara Kōichi's appearance, Miyauchi Hikage not only checked once more to see if there were any other familiar characters in the class, but even planned to find a time to go to the records office to confirm the list of all students and teachers in the school.
And as their class's male homeroom teacher, who was in his fifties and facing various midlife crises, walked into the classroom, it was time for the entrance ceremony.
After a series of uninspiring speeches from the principal and the dean of students on stage, when it was time for the grade representative's speech, Miyauchi Hikage finally saw the true face of Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Long straight black hair + a buxom figure + thigh-highs and long legs, plus a refined appearance that was slightly more mature than her peers but more natural than a working adult. In terms of looks, Kasumigaoka Utaha was indeed flawless.
From the moment she stood up, she had already attracted the gazes of countless new students in the auditorium.
It was just that today, this super beautiful girl, who was usually quiet and aloof in the eyes of outsiders and whose grades had never left the number one spot, when she gave her speech as the second-year student representative, her gaze repeatedly drifted towards the direction of the first-year new students.
Does this unattainable flower of Toyogasaki Academy have an acquaintance in the first year?
Such a doubt couldn't help but arise in the hearts of many.
You have to know, in the past year, Kasumigaoka Utaha had never shown a special attitude towards anyone. If a person who could interest her had appeared now, that would indeed be big news.
Miyauchi Hikage also noticed Kasumigaoka Utaha's gaze.
Is she looking for Aki Tomoya, or for Eriri and Katō Megumi?
However, Aki Tomoya was currently a "commonplace male high school student" with glasses, while Katō Megumi was also in her "plain and unremarkable" inconspicuous phase.
It would not be easy to find the two of them in the vast auditorium.
Miyauchi Hikage had to rely on his second sister as a landmark to barely find the two of them.
The only one who was truly easy to find was, naturally, Eriri, with her conspicuous blonde twin-tails.
Miyauchi Hikage didn't even have to put in much effort. Apart from Kasumigaoka Utaha on stage, the remaining gazes from the new students' side were basically all focused on that petite, blonde, beautiful girl.
And Kasumigaoka Utaha on stage also quickly discovered Eriri's location and confirmed her identity.
Could she and that Katō Megumi be diary holders?
Kasumigaoka Utaha believed that if that girl known as the loser heroine had gotten the diary, her expression when looking at her would not be so calm.
So she didn't get a diary?
Although we are both losers in the story, I have now obtained the diary, and you have not.
At present, it seems you are still a bit more of a loser heroine.
Kasumigaoka Utaha's and Eriri's gazes met in the air for three seconds. Before a puzzled expression could appear on the other's face, she shifted her gaze back to the speech draft in front of her.
Eriri, below the stage, on the other hand, felt a little baffled.
That woman was staring at her just now!
Their gazes even met in the air for several seconds.
She didn't remember knowing that woman on stage, whose looks were not inferior to her own.
And, for some reason, the look in the other's eyes when she looked at her gave her a strange feeling, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what that feeling was.
"It can't be that that woman knows my Kashiwagi Eri alias, right?" Because of this sudden eye contact, a trace of inexplicable nervousness suddenly arose in Eriri's heart.
If anyone at school besides that guy finds out about this, I might as well just drop out of school!
Thinking of this, Eriri's face even became a little hot.
However, this reaction, in the eyes of the others around her, took on a somewhat unusual meaning.
The beautiful senpai on stage had glanced in their direction several times, and then this classmate of theirs, who was sweet and cute and no less beautiful than the other, had suddenly blushed.
Is there something going on between the two of them?
And so, on the first day of school, some strange rumors about Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri quietly began to spread.
...
After the school's entrance ceremony ended, it was naturally time for the self-introduction session in each class.
When it was Sakakibara Kōichi's turn to introduce himself, he frankly stated that he liked to watch horror works.
Miyauchi Hikage, on the other hand, felt that this guy was too honest, revealing his niche hobby right off the bat.
Although in some works, there were love stories that began when the protagonist revealed his niche hobby and was then noticed by the female protagonist who shared the same hobby, those were in the minority after all.
Probably in the hearts of many people now, because of Sakakibara Kōichi's self-introduction, plus his somewhat gloomy appearance, he had already been labeled a "gloomy loner."
Although it wouldn't go so far as to ostracize him just because of one self-introduction, it would have some impact.
Thinking this, it was soon Miyauchi Hikage's turn to introduce himself.
His introduction was very simple. He didn't mention Asahigaoka, only saying that he grew up in the countryside of Saitama and his hobby was photography.
After all, he had filmed videos in Asahigaoka for three years, boosting the local economy while also making himself a billionaire.
As he graduated from middle school and entered high school in Tokyo, and a valuable mansion suddenly appeared under his name.
There were probably still quite a few eyes on him now.
In any case, if he were to suddenly wash his hands of it and quit after entering high school, it would inevitably make people feel it was abrupt.
The efficiency of filming videos could be slowed down, but it still needed to continue.
Anyway, Toyogasaki Academy had no mandatory requirement to join a club.
As long as he didn't let his classmates know that more than half of the cringey videos that went viral on the internet were from his hand, it would be fine.
This persona also made it more convenient for him to run around with a camera in his spare time.
However, Miyauchi Hikage seemed to have underestimated how attractive a handsome photographer could be to girls of this age.
After he said he liked photography, a pretty and slightly dressed-up girl asked, "What type of videos do you like to shoot, Miyauchi-san?"
Looking at this girl's bold appearance, Miyauchi Hikage glanced around the classroom. There were many other girls also staring at him, all looking as if they were very willing to be his model.
Having stayed in the countryside for more than ten years, he had indeed somewhat forgotten how easy it was for photographers at conventions in his past life to hook up with those cosplayers.
Finally, his gaze fell on his good deskmate, Sakakibara Kōichi.
Sakakibara-san, before you possibly transfer schools in the future, let us become the best horror partners at Toyogasaki Academy.
"I've actually always wanted to shoot a classic horror-suspense film like The Shining."
"Sakakibara-san, I think we can also discuss topics in this area together later on."