"I'm not sure, I don't really pay attention to celebrities."
Kisaki Eri shook her head, turning her attention back to her textbook, but her eyes occasionally drifted toward the classroom door. Clearly, she too was filled with curiosity about this mysterious transfer student.
In his previous life, Hayashi Shuichi didn't pay much attention to the entertainment industry, and it was the same after his rebirth.
Among the three of them, the one who loved chasing stars the most, especially beautiful female celebrities, was Mouri Kogoro.
After entering the classroom and putting down his school bag, that guy immediately hurried to the window to stare at the transfer student at the school gate.
Seeing this, Hayashi Shuichi could only give up on asking him.
As class time drew nearer, the crowd at the school gate grew larger and larger, with noise rising and falling in waves, and commotion ensuing.
"Really now, class is about to start, why are there still so many people missing?"
Ms. Murakami walked into the classroom with a displeased look on her face. Seeing that less than half the students were seated, her face darkened with anger.
"Hayashi Shuichi, go to the school gate and bring that transfer student in."
"Me?" Hayashi Shuichi pointed at himself in surprise.
"Who else? You are the class monitor!" Ms. Murakami said grumpily. "That transfer student has been assigned to our class. As the monitor, this is your responsibility."
"...Alright," seeing that he couldn't refute her, Hayashi Shuichi could only stand up helplessly and walk toward the school gate.
At the school gate, the crowd gathered like a rising tide. The girl frowned deeply, wanting to use magic but worried about being seen.
Seeing that class was about to start, the girl clasped her hands together, feigning a pitiful appearance: "Fellow students, could you let me through?"
The surrounding crowd seemed frozen, unmoved, still encircling her.
"Hey, you idiots, hurry up and make way for this lady!" The girl's face flushed red with anger, and she finally couldn't help but curse.
The surrounding crowd didn't get angry; instead, they were clearly even more excited. Many faces were filled with anticipation, practically screaming, "Curse us a bit more!"
...Still ten more minutes until the Charm Magic wears off.
The girl looked at the dense crowd around her with a mournful expression, her eyes full of helplessness.
Fortunately, these people were only under the influence of Charm Magic; their inner moral baseline still existed. Although they were infatuated with the girl's appearance, they didn't do anything excessive.
It seems I can only stay here until the magic wears off. Today is my first day of school! The girl thought gloomily.
Just as she was filled with despair, Hayashi Shuichi squeezed into the crowd again. "Class is starting soon. The teacher told me to bring you to the classroom."
"Do you think I don't want to go?" The girl rolled her eyes at Hayashi Shuichi. "With these people blocking the way, I couldn't get out even if I wanted to!"
"What exactly is going on?" Hayashi Shuichi looked suspiciously at the students around him, who wore obsessed expressions and dull eyes. "You look just average, why..."
Before he could finish, the girl glared at him fiercely. "What did you say? I look average? Are you blind? I am a genuine beautiful girl!"
"Heh, someone actually calls herself a beautiful girl?" Hayashi Shuichi scoffed. "As expected of someone who's been a scammer, your skin really is thick enough."
"...Hey," the girl's face turned iron-green. "Did you run back here just to get scolded?"
"Didn't I say it already? The teacher asked me to bring you to the classroom," Hayashi Shuichi spread his hands helplessly. "Who asked you to be assigned to our class, and for me to be your class monitor?"
"...Today is just terribly unlucky," the girl's face was full of dejection. "Just wait. In another ten minutes or so, they will disperse."
"Ten minutes or so? Class will have started by then. I can't wait that long," Hayashi Shuichi said, grabbing the girl's hand and starting to push his way out of the crowd.
"Hey, when did I allow you to..." The girl was stunned for a moment, then immediately tried to shake off his hand in annoyance.
"My name isn't Hey," Hayashi Shuichi said with a face full of impatience. "If you want to get out, shut up."
The girl pursed her lips in grievance, a trace of tears flashing in her eyes, but she let Hayashi Shuichi pull her as they struggled out of the crowd.
"It's useless, they will chase after us..."
Before the girl could finish her sentence, Hayashi Shuichi dragged her toward the back of the campus.
Her steps were stumbling, and she was almost pulled into a fall.
The girl asked in astonishment, "...Why go to the back? Isn't the school building in the front?"
"How can I take you to the classroom looking like this?" Seeing that the group of people from the school gate really chased after them, Hayashi Shuichi frowned even tighter. "Are students these days this crazy about chasing stars?"
"...I'm not a celebrity," the girl muttered softly, and was soon dragged behind the school building by Hayashi Shuichi.
"N-no, I can't, I-I can't run anymore!" The girl was panting heavily, covered in sweat, supporting herself against the wall with both hands, her body trembling slightly. "I-I rarely exercise this much usually."
Hayashi Shuichi had intended to take her around the school building and, while the people at the gate weren't paying attention, bring her inside.
But looking at the girl, she clearly couldn't run any further.
He looked around and noticed that a window in the first-floor hallway was open. "Quick, climb in through there."
"Huh? This is a bit high, isn't it?" The girl looked at the window level with her chest. "I can't climb up..."
Before she could finish, she saw Hayashi Shuichi suddenly squat down, wrap his arms around her legs, and lift her up.
The girl was wearing a skirt. Being held like this by Hayashi Shuichi, she immediately screamed, "Pervert! What are you doing!"
"Hurry up and get in," Hayashi Shuichi ignored the girl's struggles and stuffed her directly through the window, then hurriedly jumped in himself.
Just as the two climbed in, the chasing students ran nearby. Not seeing the girl, they continued to chase forward.
"Hey, how exactly did you bewitch them?" Hayashi Shuichi looked at the students' retreating figures in astonishment. "Their behavior is way too abnormal."
"...How should I know!" The girl tilted her head guiltily. "Where is the classroom? Hurry up and take me there."
Although Hayashi Shuichi was suspicious, he didn't think too much about it.
He had seen plenty of similar situations in his past life. Those extreme fangirls chasing their idols were far crazier than these students surrounding the girl.
"Follow me," Hayashi Shuichi got up first and walked toward the classroom. After walking several steps, he saw the girl still sitting on the floor. "Why aren't you moving?"
"I can't walk anymore," the girl said with a bitter face. "Didn't I just say, I rarely exercise."
"From the school gate to here, it's only a hundred or two hundred meters. You ran a few steps and can't walk anymore?" Hayashi Shuichi said in disbelief. "It's not like you're a college student holed up in a dorm playing games all day. Didn't you have PE classes before?"
"...This is my first day of school," the girl blushed slightly. "Before this, I was studying mag... courses at home."
"At home... So you're a rich young lady," Hayashi Shuichi shook his head. "The tutor your family hired didn't make you do any exercise at all? That's completely unqualified."
"Tutor?" The girl paused. Seeing Hayashi Shuichi looking at her, she hurriedly nodded. "Yes, tutor. My family has several tutors."
"...Wait a minute, that's not right," Hayashi Shuichi thought of something. "If you really are a rich young lady, surely you wouldn't go to the streets to set up a stall for fortune-telling and scamming money?"
"...I'll say it again, that wasn't scamming money!" The girl said angrily. "I was looking for someone! Looking for the person who turned my Wheel of Fortune."
"Wheel of Fortune... Have you been reading too many novels and watching too much anime?" Hayashi Shuichi sighed. "No wonder your stamina is so poor. You're actually a hikikomori (shut-in)."
"What is a hikikomori?" The girl tilted her head in confusion.
"A girl who stays at home all day and goes nowhere," Hayashi Shuichi replied casually.
"Oh, then I am a hikikomori," the girl nodded frankly. "I usually study mag... study at home. Sometimes I only go out once every two or three months."
"Just hold on a little longer," Hayashi Shuichi reached out and pulled the girl up, then supported her as they walked toward the classroom. "Once we get to the classroom and close the door, they won't be able to find you."
First Year, Class A Classroom.
"I brought her back, Ms. Murakami," Hayashi Shuichi reported, hurriedly tossing this hot potato to the homeroom teacher.
"So, so cute..." Ms. Murakami's eyes sparkled.
The students in the classroom also stared over with obsessed expressions.
Hayashi Shuichi looked around; even the usually calm Kisaki Eri was staring at the girl excitedly.
"...This is a bit exaggerated, isn't it? What exactly did you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the students in the classroom, who had just looked obsessed, suddenly seemed to have a bucket of cold water poured over them, sobering up one after another.
The expressions on everyone's faces returned to calm, as if the obsession just now was merely a dream.
"So she is the transfer student."
"She really is pretty."
"Too bad Fujimine-san isn't here, otherwise we could compare who is prettier."
...
As the students chattered about the new classmate, Ms. Murakami returned to her usual demeanor.
"Hayashi Shuichi, go back to your seat first. This Koizumi-san, please introduce yourself to everyone."
Hayashi Shuichi walked back to his seat and turned to Kisaki Eri beside him: "Why were you staring at her with an obsessed look just now?"
"Did I?" Kisaki Eri thought for a moment. "For a split second just now, I really did think she was very beautiful, but then I suddenly felt that while she is pretty, that's about it. Strange, why did my thoughts change so quickly..."
This girl definitely has a problem...
Hayashi Shuichi rubbed his temples with a headache.
Could it be that in this Conan-verse, besides drugs that shrink people, there are also drugs that make people around lose their minds and become crazily obsessed?
While he was pondering the issue, the girl standing on the podium looked at the dozens of pairs of eyes below, and her body began to tremble slightly.
As a shut-in who didn't often interact with people, she was so nervous she was breaking out in a cold sweat.
When she left the house in the morning, the reason the girl thought of casting a charm-enhancing magic on herself was to handle this very moment.
She hadn't expected to use the wrong magic, turning it into Charm Magic, and by now, the effect of the Charm Magic had worn off.
"M-my name is Koizumi..."
After stammering for a long time, the girl didn't manage to finish saying her full name.
Seeing her so nervous, Ms. Murakami could only step in to smooth things over.
"Everyone saw the situation at the school gate just now. Koizumi-san might have been frightened, so I'll introduce her for her."
"This transfer student's name is Koizumi Akane. She has been receiving education from tutors at home and hasn't attended school before."
"I hope everyone will take care of her in the future."
"Alright, let me see where you can sit."
Ms. Murakami scanned the classroom. The only empty seat was Fujimine Yukiko's.
"Fujimine-san won't be back for a while. You can sit in her seat for now. Later, I'll have the class monitor bring you another desk and chair."
"...Oh." Not wanting to face everyone's gaze anymore, Koizumi Akane didn't care that the seat was right next to Hayashi Shuichi and hurriedly walked over.
"Hehe, now even the curly-haired fox's seat in class has been taken by someone else," Kisaki Eri gloated a little.
"The teacher said it's temporary," Hayashi Shuichi reminded her helplessly.
Sitting in front of him, Mouri Kogoro, seeing this beautiful girl with crimson hair walking over, hurriedly stood up gallantly. With an ingratiating smile on his face, he pulled out the chair for her.
"Thank you," Koizumi Akane thanked him politely.
"You're welcome, you're welcome," Mouri Kogoro chuckled. Turning his head, he saw Hayashi Shuichi and Kisaki Eri looking at him with disdain.
"I am taking care of the new classmate!" Mouri Kogoro explained guiltily.
"Mouri-kun is right," Ms. Murakami on the podium showed an expression of approval. "Hayashi Shuichi, you are the monitor. Take care of the new classmate more. When you have free time, show her around the school."
"Yes," Hayashi Shuichi responded reluctantly.
During the lunch break, Hayashi Shuichi took out his bento box, intending to eat lunch with Kisaki Eri and Mouri Kogoro.
Seeing Koizumi Akane sitting alone at her desk, looking somewhat at a loss, he sighed and put down his bento box.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the cafeteria."
"Just tell me where it is," Koizumi Akane said sheepishly. "Don't let me delay your meal."
"If you go late, the cafeteria won't have any food left," Hayashi Shuichi said, stepping out of the classroom first.
Seeing this, Koizumi Akane hurriedly followed him out.
"Shuichi is really lucky to be able to accompany a beauty with a legitimate reason..." Mouri Kogoro muttered enviously.
"I'll call Ruri tonight and tell her exactly what you just said," Kisaki Eri said coldly.
"Don't! Ruri will definitely be angry if she knows," Mouri Kogoro hurriedly begged for mercy. "Besides, it wasn't me who told Shuichi to accompany the transfer student. Don't take your anger out on me."
"Here, this is the cafeteria," Hayashi Shuichi pointed to the two long lines in front of them. "Go line up."
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