The lunch break drifted to its end, chatter echoing across the bustling cafeteria as the Nakano sisters gathered themselves, each heading in different directions with their own laughter and small arguments.
Rito lingered for a second longer, eyes following them until the last flash of identical red hair vanished beyond the crowd. A soft sigh escaped him, equal parts relief and disbelief.
Pocketing his flashcards, he rose from his seat and made his way back through the corridors. Students shuffled along, voices blending into a lively hum that felt oddly comforting after his sickbed days.
His shoes clicked faintly against the polished floor, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to take in the scene with his "reincarnated eyes." The way sunlight poured through tall windows, the mingling scent of cafeteria food trailing behind, and the buzz of carefree conversations—it all looked like an anime frame given life.
Back in class, the ordinary rhythm of high school quickly reclaimed him. The teacher droned on at the front, chalk scratching against the blackboard.
Saruyama leaned back in his seat, already fighting a losing battle with drowsiness. Sairenji, neat as ever, sat quietly two rows ahead, taking notes with diligent strokes of her pen.
Momioka whispered something mischievous to the class rep, earning herself a stern glance.
Rito slipped into his chair, opened his notebook, and tried to focus.
His fever days felt distant now, but the presence of the system was an ever-present shadow at the corner of his vision.
The faint glow of his skill tab lingered in his thoughts, reminding him of the hidden quest he had just unlocked.
Still, on the outside, the world carried on like any normal day. The bell rang, pages turned, and pencils scratched—mundane, familiar, and almost peaceful.
The corridors had grown lighter as the day neared its end. The last period—PE—was more a blessing than anything else, and when the teacher casually announced they were free to do what they liked, the classroom erupted with chatter and the scrape of chairs.
Rito stretched a little, slinging his bag lazily over his shoulder as he thought about the football ground. Saruyama and the others had already talked about meeting there, and he felt a small thrill of anticipation—especially with his Football skill at Level 2 now, the idea of testing it out in real play was exciting.
Humming quietly to himself, Rito made his way through the emptying hallways, his steps echoing lightly. Turning down a stairwell that wasn't too crowded, his eyes wandered out the nearby window, catching a glimpse of the late afternoon sun spilling across the school grounds. It was enough distraction.
His foot caught.
Something thin slid beneath his shoe—a stray sheet of paper. In the instant he felt his balance break, his stomach dropped, and before he could catch the rail, momentum had already betrayed him.
"Waaah—!"
His body pitched forward, colliding with something soft, followed by the muffled sound of scattered pages slapping against the floor. Rito blinked in stunned realization, his hands pressed awkwardly against the ground, his body half on top of a girl kneeling to gather papers.
Wide green eyes blinked up at him, framed by a cheerful mop of short orange hair tied with her signature ribbon. Yotsuba Nakano froze, her cheeks heating up as her mouth opened in surprise.
"E-ehhh!? What's this? what's this?!" she squeaked, scrambling slightly but still caught beneath him.
Rito's heart nearly stopped—of course this kind of thing had to happen. His cursed, ridiculous luck.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—!!" he stammered, pulling himself back quickly, though his face was already burning.
Papers were still fluttering down around them like clumsy snow, the scene so absurdly cliché that even Rito's reincarnated self could only groan internally. 'Really? Already? This is just like the anime…'
But his eyes flicked back to Yotsuba, who, despite the awkward crash, broke into a small laugh, her embarrassment softened by her natural energy.
"Ahaha, wow! You came flying out of nowhere! You okay, Rito-san?" she asked, brushing her skirt lightly while still sitting among the scattered sheets.
Her smile was so bright it nearly blinded him, and all Rito could do was mutter an apology again, gathering papers with clumsy hands.
Yotsuba laughed nervously as she tried to stand, clutching a handful of rescued papers. But fate, as always, had other plans for Rito.
Her heel landed squarely on another stray sheet, slipping out from under her.
"W-whoa—!"
Before she could recover, she tumbled forward again, and in the most unfortunate of angles, her skirt fluttered up.
Rito's world went blank. A flash of pale blue filled his vision—directly across his face, no less—as Yotsuba's weight pressed down. His nose was wedged in the worst possible place, leaving him flailing, speechless and red as a beet.
"G-guhhh—!!"
Yotsuba's face turned scarlet in an instant, her body freezing as her legs twitched weakly. The more Rito tried to push her up, the more awkward and shaky she became, her balance failing miserably.
"I—I'm so sorry! I'm not—It's not—!" Rito babbled, his hands desperately trying to steady her shoulders.
And then—
"…"
The sound of footsteps on the stairwell made him freeze. Slowly, with the weight of a nightmare descending, he turned his eyes toward the landing.
Shiina Mahiru stood there.
Books hugged to her chest, her golden-brown eyes wide, she stared at the scene in silence—Yotsuba red-faced and wobbly on Rito's lap, Rito himself pale and panicking with his face in the worst position imaginable.
The angel's serene mask cracked for a heartbeat, and her lips parted slightly in disbelief.
"…what exactly… am I looking at?"
Rito nearly fainted on the spot.
++++
The faint scent of disinfectant hung in the air as Rito lay slumped on the infirmary bed, tissue stuffed at his nose. His head was still spinning, not so much from the fall as from the scene burned into his memory—Yotsuba's panicked face, the softness of her weight, and worst of all, Mahiru's piercing glare that made his soul shrivel.
Sitting beside the bed, with her usual calm yet mischievous air, was none other than Mikado-sensei. The school nurse, her beauty almost ageless, was watching him with a smile that was just a little too amused.
"I must say," she began lightly, resting her cheek on her palm, "you are indeed quite lucky, Yuuki-kun. To get choked in such a… unique manner. Was it worth dying for, I wonder?"
Her lips curled in a playful grin, the kind that made it impossible to tell if she was teasing or seriously poking fun.
Rito's lips twitched. His whole being screamed to snap back, to at least defend his honor, but he swallowed it down with a long sigh. "Mikado-sensei… please don't joke about it."
He shifted on the bed, rubbing his forehead as the memory of Mahiru's cold stare resurfaced—the way her angelic face twisted into disgust, looking at him as if he were lower than dirt. That glare stung far more than his bruises.
'Damn it… just when I thought she was more human than her "angel" act, I ended up showing her the worst kind of misunderstanding. Why me…?'
Mikado-sensei chuckled softly, clearly entertained by his frustration. "Oh, but misunderstandings are your specialty, aren't they, Yuuki-kun? Perhaps it's a talent you should embrace."
Rito buried his face in the pillow with a muffled groan.
The infirmary door burst open with a clatter, the sound of hurried footsteps following right after.
"I—I'm back…!" Yotsuba's bright voice filled the quiet room. Her face was still flushed, her orange hair bouncing as she half-ran inside, carrying the stack of papers she had finally managed to collect.
She quickly bowed her head toward Mikado-sensei. "Sorry for the noise! I just… um, I wanted to check on him."
Mikado gave her a gentle smile, ever the composed adult. "Ara, how thoughtful. He's just fine—though perhaps a little embarrassed." Her eyes flicked toward Rito with a knowing glint.
Yotsuba turned to him then, her lips pursed, her hands fidgeting with the stack. "Um… Yuuki-kun… I'm really, really sorry about earlier. I-I didn't mean to—"
Rito quickly raised a hand, shaking his head before she could finish, though the tissue stuffed in his nose did little to hide the awkward twitch of his lips. "No, don't apologize. It was… mostly my mistake."
The words came out softer than he expected, almost bitter. Because deep inside, he knew it wasn't just clumsiness. 'This… this was exactly the kind of "accident" that always happened in this world.' His so-called divine "pervert luck"—that twisted trait from his anime self—was still alive and well.
'So much for trying to look more mature. Even with a new mindset, the world still forces me into this role…'
Yotsuba blinked, stunned by his response, then gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her neck. "Heh… well, if you say so… but still! I'll try to be more careful!"
Rito only sighed, leaning back against the bed with a tired smile.
Mikado-sensei, of course, was enjoying the scene far too much, her grin widening ever so slightly. "Ufufu… truly, Yuuki-kun, you live a blessed life."
Rito groaned into the pillow again.
Rito didn't linger in the infirmary longer than he had to. The second Mikado-sensei started humming to herself with that teasing smile and Yotsuba kept fidgeting beside the bed; he decided it was better to make his escape.
With a polite bow to both and a mumbled, "I'll be fine, really… thank you," he slipped out the door the moment the bell rang, marking the end of PE.
By the time he returned to the classroom, most of his classmates were already chatting about heading home. Saruyama waved at him the instant he stepped inside, his loud voice echoing across the room.
"Yo, Rito! Where were you, man? We didn't see you at the ground!"
Rito scratched the back of his head, forcing an awkward chuckle as a few other curious faces turned toward him.
"Ah… yeah, sorry about that. I, uh… had a little accident on the way. Ended up at the infirmary."
"What?!" Saruyama leaned forward, eyes wide in mock shock. "Accident? You okay? Did you twist an ankle or something?"
"Something like that," Rito muttered quickly, waving it off before anyone could probe further. "It wasn't serious, just… clumsy me. You know how it goes."
The group gave a collective laugh, a mix of sympathy and amusement, and soon the attention shifted away as someone else cracked a joke. Rito exhaled quietly, relieved.
The last thing he needed was rumors spreading about him nose-diving into a girl in the middle of the stairwell.
Still, as he sat at his desk, the faint image of Mahiru's cold glare flashed in his mind again, and he felt his stomach twist.
Rito didn't linger in the infirmary longer than he had to. The second Mikado-sensei started humming to herself with that teasing smile and Yotsuba kept fidgeting beside the bed; he decided it was better to make his escape.
With a polite bow to both and a mumbled, "I'll be fine, really… thank you," he slipped out the door the moment the bell rang, marking the end of PE.
By the time he returned to the classroom, most of his classmates were already chatting about heading home. Saruyama waved at him the instant he stepped inside, his loud voice echoing across the room.
"Yo, Rito! Where were you, man? We didn't see you at the ground!"
Rito scratched the back of his head, forcing an awkward chuckle as a few other curious faces turned toward him.
"Ah… yeah, sorry about that. I, uh… had a little accident on the way. Ended up at the infirmary."
"What?!" Saruyama leaned forward, eyes wide in mock shock. "Accident? You okay? Did you twist an ankle or something?"
"Something like that," Rito muttered quickly, waving it off before anyone could probe further. "It wasn't serious, just… clumsy me. You know how it goes."
The group gave a collective laugh, a mix of sympathy and amusement, and soon the attention shifted away as someone else cracked a joke. Rito exhaled quietly, relieved.
The last thing he needed was rumors spreading about him nose-diving into a girl in the middle of the stairwell.
Still, as he sat at his desk, the faint image of Mahiru's cold glare flashed in his mind again, and he felt his stomach twist.