6:40 AM, Soka Kansai Private High School — Morning in the Classroom
The desks were arranged in pairs, two students sitting side by side.
But no one sat next to this one girl.
She was tall, with sleek black hair tied back in a ponytail. Her face was composed and elegant, a quiet kind of beauty that seemed to shine effortlessly.
Her name was Momo Yaoyorozu.
At the moment, she was quietly focused on her book, sitting alone at her desk.
Around her, groups of students chatted and laughed, but none paid her any attention.
Her social status put a wall between her and the others — it was simply considered strange to try to talk to her.
Her family was among the wealthiest in the country, maybe even the world. Add to that her stunning looks, and it's no surprise the other girls were jealous.
Boys had confessed their feelings for her before, but she had always turned them down politely. After a while, no one even tried anymore.
.
.
Inside Momo's mind:
Momo: "Another boring day..."
Her brow furrowed as she thought quietly to herself. Slowly, she closed her book and glanced at the clock. Then, with a firm resolve, she declared in her heart:
Momo: "Today... I have to make a friend."
Her eyes held determination.
She knew people didn't like her much, and she was shy to begin with. Making friends was never easy.
Once, she'd tried reaching out, but the conversation had felt like they were speaking different languages. It was... disheartening.
Thinking back now, all she could do was let out a soft sigh.
.
8:00 AM
The male homeroom teacher walked into the classroom and immediately quieted everyone down.
Teacher: "Alright, I have an announcement. This year, there will be one new student joining this class."
Whispers quickly spread among the students, who exchanged curious looks with their neighbors.
Teacher: "Send him in!"
The door swung open, revealing a handsome young man with his hands casually tucked into his pockets. What caught some attention was the earring he wore — not something many boys here had.
Teacher: "Introduce yourself."
The newcomer smiled faintly.
Ryujin: "I'm Ryujin Kazuma. Nice to meet you all."
The girls' hearts skipped a beat; good looks like his weren't something they saw every day.
Teacher: "Alright, that's enough introduction for now, right?"
He glanced at Ryujin, who nodded once.
Teacher: "Then, go take a seat next to Yaoyorozu. Everyone else, open your history books."
With that, Ryujin began to walk towards his seat. But just before he reached it, a boy who looked like a troublemaker stuck out his foot, aiming to trip him.
.
Ryujin's POV
I couldn't help but think to myself with a bit of amusement.
Ryujin: "Oh wow, this could be fun. I've got a little show to put on."
Before long, I pretended to trip and, just as planned, threw a solid left hook right into the face of the guy trying to trip me.
I acted shocked and quickly apologized.
Ryujin: "Sorry, the floor was a little slippery."
"Heh, you wanna play rough with me? Bring it on. Back in my old world, I dealt with plenty of punks like you."
I headed straight to my seat. Once I sat down, I glanced over at Yaoyorozu. She looked shocked by what I just did, her hand covering her mouth. Then she leaned in and whispered:
Momo: "Hey, you shouldn't do stuff like that. Go apologize to him."
I heard that and thought, Doesn't she see what he was trying to do? Whatever. Didn't really care.
But I did recognize who was sitting next to me—she was that character I'd seen in one of those character windows I used to read.
So I just figured—
Ryujin: "Everyone for themselves, huh."
I said it with a casual scratch at my ear.
Ryujin: "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Maybe I heard something else."
Momo: "I was saying—"
She tried to say more, but I cut her off.
Ryujin: "Sorry, princess, but I wanna sleep."
I gave her a teasing smirk.
I saw her puff up her cheeks right beside me, and honestly, it caught me off guard—it was kind of cute.
But whatever, I'm not paying attention to her now.
.
.
Cut to 11:55 AM, just before lunch break
The teacher assigned Momo to show me around the cafeteria and introduce me to some spots around the school.
She agreed, and the teacher let us out five minutes early.
But before I could leave with Momo, a group of boys grabbed me and dragged me to the boys' restroom—guess they wanted to "welcome" the new kid.
I looked around. There were five or six of them, including the guy I punched this morning.
One of them sneered:
Boy 1: "Hey, you almost broke my nose earlier."
Boy 2: "Handsome like that? I'm gonna ruin your looks for sure."
Boy 3: "Look, look, he's already scared, guys."
Boy 4: "Think you're gonna get away? And you even sit next to the pretty girl."
Before they could finish, I landed a punch straight to the mouth of the loudmouth, then drove my knee into another guy's chest.
They tried to gang up on me.
But I wasn't scared.
I've never been scared of stuff like this.
I pulled out my phone from my pocket—it's my weapon right now.
I started smashing and bashing their faces with it.
Even though I got hit and touched here and there, I wasn't about to let any of these fools walk away with all their teeth.
.
.
.
Less than ten minutes later, those guys were lying on the bathroom floor, groaning in pain with blood trickling from their noses and mouths.
I walked out of the bathroom, barely a scratch on me—just a little blood on my nose.
Then, I spotted Momo, standing anxiously by the door, holding a metal pipe like she was ready to jump in and save me.
I couldn't help but smirk as I passed by.
Reijjin: "So, when are you gonna take me to eat?"
She quickly ran up beside me, worry clear in her voice.
Momo: "You need to go to the nurse! I was gonna call the teachers, but those guys threatened me..."
Her voice was full of concern.
I couldn't resist teasing her a bit.
Reijjin: "Don't worry, my lady. This knight's tough enough. A little blood never hurt anyone."
That seemed to ease her tension, and a small smile appeared on her face.
Momo: "You're such an idiot! I'm not your lady!"
She gently wiped the blood off my face with a cloth.
For some reason, my heart started beating faster.
I quickly turned my face away as she wiped the blood clean.
Reijjin: "Alright, alright, my lady. Lead the way—I'm starving."
I slipped my hand in my pocket and started walking.
She smiled softly, and maybe... just maybe, we could actually be friends.
Momo thought to herself with a wide smile, while I silently thought,
"This girl's gotta be crazy."
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Reijin POV
It's been almost two months.
After that little "incident" where I beat the crap out of the thugs in the bathroom, people started looking at me differently.
The once-friendly stares turned cold and cautious—like they were afraid of me.
No one dared to come near me anymore.
Well, except for one person.
Momo: "Good morning, Kazuma-kun!!"
The only person I can confidently call a friend.
Yeah... that would be Momo.
Reijjin: "Yo, morning... old lady."
I yawned after saying that. Every morning before school, I go through the system's training regimen.
Then I run 5 kilometers after school—every single day.
Of course I'm tired.
Sure, there's a recovery potion, but it doesn't help that much.
She saw my exhausted face and immediately started nagging.
Momo: "You need to get proper sleep, dummy."
She poked my cheek with her finger, like always.
Not that I mind it or anything—I'm just too lazy to care.
She nags me every single day and pokes my cheek every single day too.
Her reason?
Momo: "Your cheeks are just too pokeable, okay!?"
What am I even supposed to say to that?
These days, we always go to the cafeteria together.
I even walk her home.
Well, she says she wants me to.
But here's the weird part:
Every morning she arrives in a black luxury car.
So why do I have to walk her home like some kind of personal butler?
I sighed and pulled out a snack from my bag.
Then I felt a familiar finger poke my cheek again.
Momo: "No eating snacks in class! And that's not healthy, you know."
I turned to face her, lifted my shirt just a little—just enough to show off my abs.
Her face turned bright red. She covered her eyes with her hands, but—yeah—she was definitely peeking.
Reijjin: "Can't help it if I'm a bit too healthy.
And these solid muscles? They're just waiting for you to hug 'em."
I pulled my shirt back down and let out a small laugh.
Momo: "Idiot!!"
She grabbed my cheek and pinched it hard. Yeah, that actually stung.
I turned back to the front of the class, a little smirk on my face.
Not like I dislike this kind of relationship.
Actually... it feels kinda nice.