"Ordinary?"
Yukiji widened her eyes and scrutinized the boy standing in front of her.
His slightly curly bangs covered the upper half of his face, thick glasses hid the middle, and only the lower half was visible. It was difficult to tell what he really looked like.
His height was around 170 centimeters—neither tall nor short. Compared to other good-looking boys his age, he was middle of the pack at best.
His clothing looked plain. Nothing high-end. From what she could see, the total cost of his outfit—including outerwear and shoes—probably didn't exceed 10,000 to 20,000 yen.
He looked completely ordinary.
His demeanor wasn't particularly striking either. Even just standing there, he didn't seem to draw much attention.
By both appearance and presence, he didn't stand out.
Even Yukiji's sixth sense told her this boy was just a regular guy.
And yet, it was because of that intuition that she felt something was off.
"Teacher Yukiji Katsura, do I seem extraordinary to you?"
There was no sarcasm in Ren's voice. Not even a hint of mockery. But that calmness only made Yukiji feel more unsettled.
"No, you feel normal. But that's what's so weird."
Ren inwardly admired Yukiji's intuition, though outwardly he wore only a mildly surprised expression.
"But if I'm really that ordinary, how can you still find me strange? Your statement contradicts itself."
"My normality shouldn't feel abnormal."
Yukiji locked eyes with him.
Her instincts and logic both told her the boy in front of her was just a regular person. But the more she thought that, the more her mind screamed that something about him was off.
"Strangeness…"
The deeper she thought about it, the more confused she became. Everything pointed to him being ordinary—and yet, the feeling that he wasn't wouldn't go away.
It was strange.
Hinagiku felt the same.
And not just Hinagiku. All five student council members present shared that exact sensation.
They could all objectively confirm he seemed like an average person—but for some reason, that conclusion didn't sit right with them.
Ren didn't elaborate. He just smiled faintly and shook his head.
"There's nothing strange about it. You're just wondering how someone like me ended up surrounded by a bunch of elite young ladies. So you think I must be an extra, right?"
An extra?
The six girls exchanged confused glances.
"I mean, I don't belong to this world of high society. But my girlfriend does. So, I got pulled into it along with her."
Ren's explanation froze the girls' thoughts for a second. But after a moment of reflection, it actually made sense.
If Ren's girlfriend was one of the wealthy daughters, then it stood to reason he'd end up attending the same parties.
It was a simple and plausible explanation.
Just when the others seemed satisfied with that logic, Kasumi Aika's mind suddenly froze.
Wait. Something's not right.
Thinking back to how excited Sakuya had been earlier… how she had clearly wanted to talk to her privately about something important… it all clicked.
If this guy really were ordinary, Sakuya wouldn't have reacted that strongly over something like a watch.
Seeing that the others—including Hinagiku—seemed to have accepted the explanation, Aika felt even more alert.
She looked at the boy in front of her with surprise.
She didn't fully understand the situation yet, but it was obvious to her that the shift in perception among the others was because of him.
Still, she stayed silent.
She wasn't sure what had happened exactly, but Sakuya's attitude was the biggest clue.
That alone proved this boy wasn't ordinary—he was beyond ordinary.
Aika looked away.
In other words, the reason Hinagiku and the others felt the way they did was because they hadn't realized their perceptions had been altered.
Was it suggestion? Hypnosis?
Kasumi Aika was curious. She also vaguely realized that Sakuya had something important to share with her later.
Click.
The sound of the door opening behind them broke the strange atmosphere.
The six girls turned to see five unfamiliar faces walk in.
"Ah!"
The only one who recognized someone was Hanabishi Miki.
Her eyes locked onto Fujiwara Chika.
"Chika?! What are you doing here?!"
"Hmm? Miki?"
Fujiwara Chika blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected to run into a familiar face here.
"You're here too? Oh, so you were invited to the birthday party as well."
She hadn't expected to see someone she knew.
Hanabishi Miki was equally puzzled.
"Aren't you from Shuchiin… did you transfer schools?"
"Yeah, two months ago. I found out Kaguya transferred, so I decided to go to the same school as her."
Chika spoke casually, then reached over to hold Kaguya's hand.
Hanabishi Miki stared at her for a moment, then eventually sighed.
"That really is something you'd do."
Knowing her well, Miki wasn't even surprised anymore. Fujiwara Chika's thoughts often made no sense—but once you knew her, you got used to it.
Her best friend transferred schools, so she transferred to follow her.
It sounded absurd, but coming from Chika, it somehow felt... normal.
"Didn't your mom and dad object?"
Given what Miki knew, Chika's parents were pretty strict.
"They did. But Grandpa and Granddad were fine with it."
Chika beamed.
That answer left Miki speechless.
Honestly, that probably was how things worked in Chika's family.
The Fujiwara family was deeply embedded in politics. Most members were part of the system, and the family's ties ran far deeper than hers. The elders had far more authority than the parents.
So, if Chika said her grandfathers approved, that was probably all it took.
Miki also knew that the three Fujiwara sisters were all especially favored by the elders. Given their wealth and independence, the Fujiwara family didn't rely on arranged marriages for status. Their daughters had the freedom to live how they pleased.
For someone like Chika, transferring schools for a friend wasn't much of a problem.
(To be continued.)