One word: screwed.
Staying up late reading The Alpaca Princess, Satoru woke late. Dawdling until the last minute, he barely left on time.
Higashi's stunt pushed him closer to his meeting deadline.
He glanced at his wrist. Wait, where's my watch from last year?
Oh, right. Transmigration. No watch.
Damn.
No phone, no watch—clueless about the time.
Exiting the alley, he broke into a jog.
Satoru dashed across an open lot.
"Hey, Kobayashi…"
Yotsumoto Ryoka, hanging upside-down on a pull-up bar, spotted him. About to call out, she tensed her abs, flipping upright to sit atop the bar.
Her face flushed, hands clutching her short plaid skirt.
Ryoka was a "safety shorts" girl—no wardrobe malfunctions.
When Matsubara Ayumu teased her about it, she'd wave it off, laughing, "No biggie! You'd just see another layer of fabric!"
But this time…
She cared.
Would Kobayashi-kun think she was unladylike? So rude.
Satoru, rushing, didn't hear her soft call.
Kobayashi-kun…
Where was he going?
Ryoka hopped off the bar. "He seems in a hurry…"
Curious, she trailed him quietly.
She thought the time gap from dismounting would make catching up tough.
But, surprisingly…
Satoru jogged a few steps, then leaned against a wall, panting.
"God… damn… I'm dead…"
His Swordsmanship Mastery EX only kicked in with a blade.
Illusion Breaker just boosted his right arm's strength.
His stamina? Zero buffs. And this body was a shut-in nerd's—utterly pathetic.
Ryoka, watching from afar, gaped. Kobayashi-kun's stamina is that bad? But he was so cool against Aiha Yamato…
No time to dwell—Satoru started moving again, slower but still running.
Ryoka followed his wobbly pace to the subway.
She snapped out of it. What am I doing? This is straight-up stalking! So creepy…
About to step out and greet him casually, she saw him studying the subway map.
"Sangenjaya… to Shibuya Central Street… takes that long?"
He glanced at the station clock. "I'm toast. No way I'll make it… Should I just go home?"
He grumbled, scratching his head in frustration, but boarded the Shibuya-bound train.
Ryoka's sharp ears caught his muttering despite the noisy station.
…Huh? Kobayashi-kun's meeting someone?
Who?
Moments later, she cursed herself. Yotsumoto Ryoka, you're such a creep! If someone catches you, how'll you face anyone?!
She didn't greet him.
Instead, she boarded the same train.
Same car.
Ryoka gripped the overhead strap, hiding her face in her arm, peeking at Satoru.
Good—he hadn't noticed.
The crowded train made the few steps between them a chasm. Unless you looked closely, you wouldn't spot a familiar face.
Plus…
Satoru was staring blankly upward, reading the Subway Passenger Code of Conduct out of boredom.
"…Phew." Ryoka exhaled.
Just one look.
She set a rule: see who he's meeting, then leave… and maybe grab some sweets.
Yeah, she was just heading to buy sweets, totally on the same route as him. The person he's meeting—maybe that yellow-haired guy who dyed it black?
Soon—
"Shibuya Station. Shibuya Station."
Passengers disembarked as the announcement played.
Satoru among them.
Ryoka followed.
He glanced back.
Ryoka froze, thinking she'd been caught, scrambling for an excuse to play it off as a coincidence. But Satoru wasn't looking at her.
He checked the station clock and sighed.
Ryoka patted her chest, relieved.
But that relief vanished.
Satoru headed straight for Shibuya's famous Hachiko statue.
Before he reached it, a familiar voice called, "Kobayashi-kun! Over here!"
"…Huh?"
Ryoka's pupils shook, then lost focus, as if her world blurred.
The one calling him…
Miyajima Sakura.
Of course, Miyajima-senpai.
She'd guessed Anji Seiji, but deep down, "of course" was her real thought. Her guess was just self-soothing.
Her worst fear… confirmed.
…
Sakura waved from afar.
Her black turtleneck hugged her stunning figure, paired with a hip-hugging skirt and black stockings.
Her legs were long, full, yet not an ounce of excess.
The chilly weather called for a scarf, matching the ribbon tying her side ponytail.
At 1.7 meters, she stood out among girls, her radiant face drawing every passerby's gaze.
But now, she lacked her kendo captain aura, looking like an OL waiting for her boyfriend—though her JK age kept her youthful.
"It's almost 1:30," Satoru said, jogging over. He was over an hour late, past their 12:30 cutoff. "You're still here?"
Sakura's lightly made-up lips curved. "But you came too, didn't you?"
…
…