Chapter 7: I Remember Happy Things
Hearing Satoru's teasing, Nia couldn't help but tease back.
Perhaps she found her own words amusing too, as she ended up sitting down beside them, clutching her stomach with laughter.
Life really is interesting~
Originally, she thought school life would be boring—she might have lasted a few days at most before losing interest.
Even with Satoru's appearance adding a bit of fun, their relationship back then was nowhere near as close as it is now, so she didn't take it too seriously.
But the arrival of these two girls brought her a different kind of amusement.
It wasn't because they were girls—after all, before she gained her powers, she'd had some female "good friends" too.
But after learning their true intentions, she immediately distanced herself from them, giving them a little "payback."
What had seemed like a tight-knit group instantly fell apart, and they all became infamous losers.
Looking back now, she realized she'd been pretty childish—they hadn't really done anything that bad.
Well, that's just how women in the real world are.
...But these two girls—they really don't seem like they belong in the real world.
"Calling you 'auntie' is pretty weird too. If we go by that, wouldn't I have to call you two 'auntie' as well?"
"Hahaha~ You're welcome to try~ Auntie Mei and Auntie Ayano~"
Hearing this, Nia couldn't help but burst into laughter again, playfully throwing out those two rather awkward titles. The two girls beside her immediately shot her displeased looks.
"Auntie"? How rude!
Sure, they were both slightly older than Satoru, but by no more than four months at most. "Big sister" would've been fine, but who'd want to be called "auntie"?
Of course, Nia was just teasing. If her own boyfriend called her "auntie," she'd be pretty annoyed too.
But right now, she was far more interested in the reactions of these two girls.
Watching them puff up in anger, pretending to stay calm while their fists clenched, Nia felt another wave of "mental satisfaction."
Truly, these two were just too entertaining~
Mei, of course, was a no-brainer—her simple, slightly airheaded personality was straight out of an anime, making her an absolute joy to be around~!
As for Ayano, at first glance, she might seem like your typical haughty girl, but in reality, she was completely different.
Nia had naturally used her powers to peek into Ayano's past.
Since she was used to living only in the 2D world, she wouldn't feel comfortable interacting with someone without checking them out first.
Ayano was born into a wealthy family, an only child, but she wasn't spoiled—raised under strict discipline, her personality made perfect sense.
Yet her moral compass was rock-solid—right was right, wrong was wrong, textbook-perfect.
If that were all, she might've seemed boring—just another high-achieving bookworm, of which there were plenty.
But after digging a little deeper, Nia found herself liking her just as much as Mei.
Because beneath that cold exterior, she was actually incredibly soft-hearted!
For example, secretly collecting and searching for cat-related content, but on the surface, she would absolutely never admit to liking cats or let anyone know about it... Though she had accidentally been caught by Satoru before.
Or, for instance, secretly reading romance novels and manga, pretending not to care when classmates talked about such topics, but in reality, listening more attentively than anyone else while internally critiquing everything.
She would also sneak snacks she had hidden away late at night, and when she noticed her weight had increased, she would secretly exercise and even step onto the scale completely naked...
"Pfft—!"
At this thought, Nia, who had been silently observing Ayano, couldn't help but burst into laughter, laughing so hard it was almost exaggerated.
"Honjo, what are you laughing at?"
This naturally made Ayano's expression darken as she asked coldly.
But inwardly, she wondered—was Nia laughing because she had been called "Auntie" earlier?!
"Nothing, I just remembered something funny~"
"What funny thing?"
"My royalties just came in, so I'll treat everyone to a big meal tomorrow~"
Seeing Ayano's stormy expression, Nia naturally didn't dare to keep teasing her and quickly extended an olive branch, trying to ease the tension in a peaceful way.
"...Hmph, forget about tomorrow. I might be a little busy."
Ayano snorted, shooting Nia a slightly annoyed glance, though she wasn't as angry anymore. Still, she declined the invitation.
"Oh? What's going on tomorrow?"
"It's about the Service Club. A girl came with a request today—she's transferring here tomorrow and wants someone to show her around the school to get familiar with the new environment. She said she's not good at talking to people and heard about this club, so she came to ask for help."
"Is that so? Sounds like a well-behaved girl. What's her name?"
Hearing this, Satoru casually asked while raising his cup of tea.
Usually, students came to them after enrolling—why was this one approaching them before even starting school?
Had their Service Club really become that famous?
"Ah, so you're excited because it's a girl, right, Satoru?"
"Not at all. I'm just a little curious. Is she a first-year?"
"No, a second-year. Her name is 'Tokisaki Kurumi.'"
"Pfft—!!!"
The moment he heard that name, Satoru spat out the tea he had just sipped!
Luckily, he had the presence of mind to turn his head, or else he would have sprayed it all over Ayano—and given her temper, that would have been playing with fire.
But now, he was utterly shocked, his pupils contracting sharply.
Why...?
Why was this "Time Spirit" suddenly transferring to their school? And why was she targeting them directly?!