It was Vignette's first day as a transfer student, so she had to report to the teacher's office before class.Meanwhile, Kaede and Suzune weren't in the same class as Hikigaya Hachiman, which meant that shortly after they passed through the school gates, they split off in different directions.
Alone, Hachiman walked down the hallway toward his own classroom—Class 1-F.
He'd been delayed a bit earlier by the whole commotion at the gates caused by the arrival of the Elf Princess Ailith.By the time he strolled leisurely into the classroom, quite a few students were already in their seats.
Apparently, the news about the princess's appearance hadn't spread here yet. The classroom remained relatively quiet—no excited chatter about the "transfer princess" from another world.
In the back left corner by the window sat a girl wearing thick glasses, her outfit modest and old-fashioned. She sat perfectly straight, reading a book with the kind of concentration that made her seem detached from the rest of the world.
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Toward the middle sat a girl of elegant bearing and refined features, her long hair styled into a neat fishtail braid that gave her an air of grace.
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Up front, near the right window, a tall girl with a sleek single ponytail stretched her legs—long, slender, and sheathed in glossy black pantyhose beneath her pleated skirt.
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At the back near the right-hand door, a small group of gyaru were clustered together, whispering and giggling among themselves.
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And by the left window sat a familiar face—Miura Yumiko, the radiant blonde known as one of the class's most striking beauties.Technically, she wasn't someone Hachiman was close to—just another "upper-tier" girl he happened to recognize from his former dimension.
Coincidentally, Hachiman's assigned seat was right next to hers, on her right-hand side.
The position was at the far back, near the middle row—not exactly what one would call a "main character's seat."Then again, even in the original timeline—back when he was in Class 2-F—his seat had been by the right wall. Just as unheroic as ever.
Hachiman sat down, unpacked his books, and hung his bag on the side hook of his desk. Then, quietly, he began scanning the students in front of him.
As soon as he'd entered the classroom, his system had emitted its usual beep-beep sound, signaling the detection of new characters.But since he rarely paid attention to the people around him, he couldn't tell which names matched which faces.
Not that it mattered much. The system still didn't allow him to check any detailed "character cards."If it did, he might at least recall who each person was—maybe even predict their narrative arcs based on the laws of meta-dimensional construction.
"Forget it," he muttered under his breath. "Better to focus on the tasks at hand than waste time guessing who's from which timeline."
After establishing the Service Club, the system had rewarded him with the Brotherhood Assassin Template, which boosted his physical abilities.Then, once he'd gathered three members, it had given him something called a Romance List, supposedly capable of teleportation… though its actual function remained unclear.
Given how absurd this world was, these rewards didn't amount to much.
Currently, he had three unfinished missions:
"I Am the Real Service Club President."
"The Purehearted Girlfriend from the Swim Club."
"Support the Elf Princess."
Dealing with Yukinoshita Yukino was already a challenge. Beneath that icy exterior lay a surprisingly adorable core—but thawing that iceberg wasn't something he could accomplish overnight.
And as for supporting the Elf Princess? That wasn't exactly a short-term task either. If he didn't toughen up his body first, he'd probably collapse halfway through and never come back.
That left only one realistic option for now:
"The Purehearted Girlfriend from the Swim Club."
Which, if he remembered correctly, involved beating up some horned bull-headed creep.
"Looks like I'll have to track down that yellow-haired idiot whose name I've already forgotten," he thought with a sigh. "Can't leave an open quest hanging—my OCD won't allow it."
He hadn't been brooding over it long before the bell rang, signaling the start of class.
Just then, news of the Elf Princess's arrival reached the room, sparking immediate buzz among the students—until the teacher's arrival silenced them.
Excitement still flickered in their eyes, though, as Kirisu Mafuyu stepped up to the podium.Clad in her usual professional-looking office suit, she exuded an air of strict authority that immediately quieted the room.
"Kirisu-sensei! Is it true we're getting a transfer student today?""I think I saw a blonde girl waiting in the staff room just now—she was gorgeous!""Wait, wait! Don't tell me the Elf Princess is transferring into our class?!"
By now, word of the "Elf Princess transfer student" had spread throughout the school.Everyone knew she was enrolling as a first-year—but which class she'd join remained a mystery.
The male students were practically buzzing with excitement, and even the girls couldn't hide their anticipation.After all, the princess was otherworldly both in status and in beauty. If she became their classmate, maybe they could even be friends with her.
A real elf princess—from a fantasy world! It sounded like something straight out of a novel.
Kirisu sighed, crossing her arms.
"I know you're all eager to meet the princess," she said crisply. "But you might want to temper your expectations. The Elf Princess is transferring into another class."
Disappointment rippled through the room, but she continued before anyone could groan too loudly.
"That said, the transfer student joining our class is by no means ordinary. So behave yourselves and make a good first impression."
Turning toward the door, she called,
"Tenma-san, please come in."
The classroom fell silent as a petite, golden-haired girl stepped inside.
Her face was flawlessly delicate—almost ethereal—with soft, pale skin that looked like it would bruise if you so much as touched it.Her golden hair shimmered faintly, catching the light in waves that framed her angelic features.
If the Elf Princess exuded an aura of regal nobility, this girl radiated something different—something pure and gentle.
Something like…
An angel, Hachiman thought, watching from the back row as the entire class froze, struck speechless.
To be honest, he had been hoping it would be the princess. That would've given him an excuse to initiate contact for his support mission.Instead, it was this useless angel.
Well—technically, not yet "useless." She hadn't fallen from grace yet.
Ding~!
The familiar notification echoed in his mind.
Character Card Detected: Tenma Gabriel White.New Quest Unlocked: "The Fall of Heaven's Top Graduate."Cause Gabriel, the top-ranked celestial graduate sent to Earth to guide humanity, to fall from grace!Reward: Fallen Angel's Halo.
Hachiman stared blankly.Of course. The system just had to make things weird again.
The previous missions—defeating the bull-headed delinquent, helping the Elf Princess—were odd but still moral in nature. Acts of service, in their own way.But this?
"You've got to be kidding me…" he muttered under his breath."Now you want me to make an angel fall?"
So much for this being a wholesome romance system.
If he actually went through with that, Gabriel's older sister, Gael, would probably descend from heaven herself—and when that happened, he'd definitely be on the receiving end of a very long celestial "chat."