Chapter 2: "A Woman Like You Must Be Quite Unpopular, Right?"
Outside the classroom...
Seito leaned against the hallway wall, nursing his fresh black eye while surreptitiously watching Shizuka Hiratsuka as she lit another cigarette.
He sighed inwardly. He had underestimated Shizuka-chan. She might be a woman, but her "fists of love" were no joke. It was no wonder she had a legendary track record of failed arranged marriage interviews.
Straightening his posture, Seito regained his "elegant" composure. Even with a bruised eye, he refused to let his aesthetic slip. After all, as a wise man once said: Style is eternal.
"Sensei, you should really cut back on the smoking," Seito said casually, slipping his hands into his blazer pockets.
"Hah? Who do you think you're talking to, brat?"
Hiratsuka-sensei gave him a dismissive look, taking a long drag and exhaling a cloud of gray smoke. She clearly wasn't in the mood for a lecture from a first-year student.
Seito shrugged. "Well, I just figured... a woman like Sensei must be quite unpopular with most men."
The air pressure in the hallway dropped instantly. Hiratsuka's face went dark, a literal vein throbbing on her forehead. (▼皿▼💢)
Seeing her fist tremble, Seito felt a cold shiver run down his spine, but he maintained a playful smile. "However... I happen to quite like teachers like you."
The reaction was instant. Hiratsuka's predatory aura vanished, replaced by a momentary look of panic. Her cheeks flushed a faint crimson, but she regained her stern composure almost immediately, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him.
"Listen here, brat!" she snapped, her voice cracking slightly. "Don't go filling your head with those kinds of delusions!"
"Tch." Seito clicked his tongue. "I hear you, Shizuka-sensei."
They lingered in the corridor for ten minutes. During that time, the usually unflappable Shizuka Hiratsuka seemed lost in thought, clearly unsettled by the boy's brazen comment. Finally, she crushed her cigarette butt, smoothed out her lab coat, and led Seito back into the classroom.
The self-introductions were finished. Seito ignored the curious stares and walked straight to his seat. Before sitting down, he glanced at another"Ice Queen" sitting behind him.
Kaguya Shinomiya. Cold as a sculpture now, but he knew better. Inside that icy shell was a disaster waiting to happen.
Kaguya froze for a second, her brow furrowing. What was with that look? Usually, people looked at her with awe or fear, but his gaze felt... knowing. It was as if he were silently judging her in his head. She dismissed it as a delusion, but the feeling lingered.
Once at his desk, Seito dropped the "elegant" act. He let his silver hair fall over his eyes and slumped down, drifting off into a nap almost immediately.
....
3:00 PM – The Final Period.
Seito woke up as the afternoon sun bathed the classroom in gold. His half-awake, messy-haired look drew more than a few glances from the girls in the room. He rubbed his eyes, the blurriness fading to reveal a relaxed scene.
Being the first day, the teachers were lenient. Students were chatting in groups, and even the two instructors were engaged in quiet conversation at the podium.
Not bad, Seito thought, stretching like a cat. Sleeping through the first day... this is the high school life I dreamed of.
"Everyone! Listen up!"
The sudden, cold voice cut through the chatter. Yukino Yukinoshita stood up, her icy gaze sweeping across the room. The classroom went silent. Even Seito propped his chin on his hand, curious.
This wasn't like the Yukino he knew. Normally, she wouldn't bother addressing the "common masses" unless provoked.
"After school today, every major electronics retailer will begin selling the Nerve-Gear Interface," Yukino stated calmly. "The world's first full-dive Virtual Reality game, God's Domain, launches tonight at 7:00 PM."
She paused, her expression unreadable. "I strongly advise everyone here to buy a headset and take this game seriously."
With that cryptic warning, she sat back down.
The class erupted into confused whispers. Behind Seito, Kaguya Shinomiya and Asuna Yuuki shared a look, their eyes glinting with a hidden understanding.
Seito was genuinely baffled. God's Domain? In his memory, it should have been Sword Art Online or New World Online. This was a title he hadn't heard of. Why was the "Ice Queen" acting like a promotional ambassador for a game that had zero pre-launch hype?
Something is off, he mused. This wasn't just a game; the way Yukino said "take it seriously" felt like a warning for survival.
Riiiiiing—!
The chime for the end of the day echoed through the halls. Hiratsuka-sensei stood up. "Alright, class dismissed."
Seito didn't waste a second. He wasn't in the mood to hunt for "waifus" today. Whatever Yukino's warning meant, he needed to get his hands on that hardware.
He bolted from Sobu High school and headed straight for the Akihabara-style shopping district. Sure enough, every shop was plastered with banners for the new tech. He walked into a high-end electronics store.
"Boss, how much for the headset?"
"150,000 Yen," the clerk replied.
"I'll take it. Card."
Seito didn't blink at the price. 150k Yen was a small price to pay for a ticket into whatever "God's Domain" was going to be.
As he walked home, he noticed the streets were packed. It seemed every young person in the city was carrying the same sleek, metallic box. The allure of Virtual Reality was a siren song no one could resist.
By 6:30 PM, Seito was back in his apartment. He entered his bedroom, plugged the device into the power grid, and lay down on his bed.
He pulled the heavy, futuristic helmet over his head. The visor glowed blue against the darkened room.
"Link Start!"
Thank you for reading.