The atmosphere inside Class 1-A grew heavier the moment Seijirou stepped back in.
Dozens of eyes followed his every move, but no one dared to say a word.
That silence cracked when Tadano Taro suddenly stood up, his chair screeching against the floor.
He moved clumsily, his fists clenched though his hands trembled, and planted himself in front of Seijirou's path.
His face was pale, his jaw tight, but his eyes forced themselves to glare up.
"W-where… where's Rei?" Taro asked, his voice shaking despite the effort to sound strong. "What did you do to her?"
Seijirou blinked, caught off guard for the briefest moment. 'Hoh. So the protagonist actually grew a spine for once?'
He tilted his head, studying him like an animal that had suddenly stood on two legs.
Then, slowly, his expression twisted into mock amusement.
"What's it to you?" Seijirou muttered, his voice low but sharp, the kind of tone that made weaker students' stomachs turn. "She's not your property. Move."
But Taro didn't budge. He swallowed hard, his throat visibly bobbing. "I… I won't let you—"
Seijirou's glare cut him off like a blade. "I said, move."
The weight of that look alone made Taro stumble backward, his courage unraveling instantly. His knees almost buckled as his body shivered like a leaf in a storm.
"Pathetic," Seijirou spat, his lip curling in disgust.
He shoved past him with little effort, making Taro crash lightly into a desk, and returned to his seat at the back.
Without missing a beat, he pulled out his phone again, screen lighting up with the gacha game he'd been hooked on. To him, the entire confrontation was less than an inconvenience.
The tension remained until, a few minutes later, the door opened.
Tachibana Rei walked in. Her steps were unsteady, but she forced herself to smile faintly.
At once, Taro and a few other classmates rushed to her side, swarming her with concern.
"Rei, are you okay?"
"Did he hurt you?"
"What did you need Kageyama for?!"
Voices piled on top of one another, anxious, protective. Rei raised her hands, trying to calm them, her forced smile never faltering though her eyes betrayed exhaustion.
"I'm fine," she said firmly, her voice trembling just slightly. "Nothing happened. Really. I just... I just wanted to talk to him, that's all."
"Rei…" Taro's voice was weak, desperate. He reached out to her arm, his worry plain on his face. "If he… if he threatened you, tell me. Please. W-We can report him. The police will do something if the school won't."
Rei shook her head quickly, her smile widening just enough to reassure him. "No. He didn't do anything. I promise."
She gently pulled her arm away, gesturing toward their seats. "Let's not cause a scene. The teacher's coming."
Though unconvinced, her friends slowly nodded, returning to their desks one by one.
Taro lingered a moment longer, staring at her, before reluctantly stepping back.
Rei, however, didn't move immediately. She stood there, eyes flickering across the classroom until they locked onto the figure at the back.
Seijirou didn't even look at her, his attention entirely on the glowing screen of his phone, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as if nothing had happened.
Her chest tightened. She bit her lip, then finally turned away, heading to her seat just as the bell rang, signaling the start of the next class.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of class, and the door slid open with a soft clatter.
Their homeroom teacher, Miyamura Hana, entered with her usual energetic bounce.
Her blonde hair was tied up neatly into a bun, though a few loose strands framed her face. Her glasses glinted under the fluorescent light as she greeted the class with a bright smile.
"Good morning, everyone!" she said in her bubbly tone, waving one hand while balancing a thick stack of papers in the other. "Ugh, I'm exhausted. I was up all night grading your quizzes. Honestly, the school should give me a raise for this kind of abuse."
The students chuckled at her complaint, some laughing openly. Hana pouted, making a show of her frustration before sighing dramatically.
"Anyway, I have your quiz papers here. I'll call you one by one. Come get them."
"Nobadi Kares..."
"Samwan Elusi..."
"Gorudo Shippu..."
The sound of shuffling filled the room as the first names were called.
"Tadano Taro."
Taro stood up awkwardly, walked forward, and accepted his paper with both hands.
His eyes dropped to the score in the corner—38 out of 100.
A ripple of sympathy moved through a few students, though others simply snickered under their breath.
"Don't be discouraged, Tadano-kun," Hana said with her usual cheer. "You just need to review a bit more. Next time you'll do better."
Taro forced a smile, bowing his head before heading back to his seat.
"Tachibana Rei."
Rei stood gracefully, her short pink hair swaying slightly as she walked forward.
She received her paper with a polite bow. 88 out of 100. A solid score, enough to make her classmates murmur softly.
Rei gave a faint smile, though her eyes flickered briefly toward the back of the classroom before she sat down.
"Himejima Haruka."
The white-haired beauty rose, calm and elegant as always.
She accepted her paper with quiet dignity. 95 out of 100. The class hummed with admiration. Haruka's red eyes lowered slightly at the score, and her frown was unmistakable.
She said nothing, but it was clear she had expected perfection.
And then—
"Kageyama Seijirou."
The room stiffened for a moment. Seijirou stood, his presence drawing all eyes whether he wanted it or not.
He walked forward at a relaxed pace, one hand in his pocket, and reached out for the paper with a casual flick of his wrist.
"One hundred points! Excellent work, Kageyama-kun," Hana said, clapping her hands together with visible delight. "Perfect as always. You really make a teacher proud."
Seijirou glanced at the paper. A flawless score. He smirked faintly and returned to his seat without a word.
The silence that followed was heavy, a mix of awe and resentment. He could practically feel Taro's eyes burning into the back of his head.
"Mn," he nodded at Hana.
This woman was not a heroine. However, she was important. She was the only teacher who haven't given up on reforming Seijirou, and believing that he isn't as bad as rumors suggests, and was just misguided.
While playing the game, Seijirou had hated her to the extreme because this woman would always have Seijirou's back, causing many heroines to suffer fate worse than death.
After the last few names were called, Hana set the remaining papers down on her desk.
"Alright, that's everyone. Now, before we move on, I have something special for you all today. Group projects!"
The class groaned in unison, some students slumping in their chairs. Hana only laughed, wagging her finger playfully.
"Don't complain, don't complain. Group work builds cooperation, trust, and communication. Besides, I already prepared how to do the pairings, so don't even think about begging me to switch. Fate has decided for you."
She pulled out a small box with paper slots inside and began calling out groups.
Seijirou leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. If he remember right… this is the event where I get paired with two heroines.
His suspicion was confirmed when Hana clapped her hands. "Group number seven: Kageyama Seijirou, Tachibana Rei, and Himejima Haruka."
The classroom buzzed instantly.
Some students gasped. Others whispered furiously to each other. Rei visibly stiffened in her seat, her golden eyes darting toward Seijirou before flicking away nervously.
Taro's hands gripped his desk so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Haruka, on the other hand, remained perfectly composed, her cold red eyes giving nothing away.
In her mind, she was probably thinking that teaming up with the smartest person in school would be the most efficient to get good grades.
Seijirou smirked faintly, resting his chin on his hand. So the script really is playing out as he remember… this world really is fucked up.
Rei timidly raised her hand. "Um… sensei, is it really okay for me to…"
Hana waved her off cheerfully. "Of course, of course! You'll be fine, Tachibana-san. Seijirou-kun is smarter than he looks, you know. With his brain and Haruka's skills, your group will probably be the best in class."
The teacher's words silenced further objections.
Rei lowered her hand, biting her lip, clearly uncomfortable.
Taro looked like he wanted to shout but couldn't muster the courage.
"Alright then," Hana said, clapping her hands again. "Groups are settled. Use today's class to discuss how you'll divide the work."
The classroom erupted into chatter as students began shifting their desks around.
Seijirou leaned back in his chair, smirking as Rei hesitated and Haruka calmly stood, preparing to move closer to him.
So it begins…