"Okay then, bye!"
Crossing the road, Mikan waved briefly before heading down her route toward her own school.
"Yeah... bye," Rito called back softly, watching her figure grow smaller until she disappeared around the corner. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, and with a light stretch, he turned and went his own way.
The morning was calm—sunlight spilling between rows of houses, the faint chatter of sparrows mixing with the hum of the city just waking up. The park he passed through was mostly empty, save for a couple of college students chatting near the vending machines. The breeze carried a faint scent of grass and soy sauce—probably from the little takoyaki stall at the corner.
Rito glanced down at the paper tray in his hand, a small smile forming as he chewed on the warm takoyaki ball.
'Man, that old guy really knows how to cook,' he thought, savoring the mix of sweetness and umami. 'Guess he's the same one who gave Yami takoyaki in the anime... figures.'
It still amazed him how vivid this world felt. The textures, the smells—everything was real now. And even though he carried memories of another life, nothing here felt fake. The difference between watching this place on a screen and living it was night and day.
Finishing his snack, Rito tossed the empty tray into a nearby bin and adjusted the strap of his bag. Ahead, the morning sun gleamed against the wide iron gates and the neat white walls of his school. The familiar nameplate came into view, carved neatly in black letters:
Sainan Metropolitan High School (彩南都立高校)
A small smirk tugged at his lips. "Still feels weird seeing that name in real life…"
The school was as lively as ever—students chatting near the gate, laughter echoing from small groups, and the soft rustle of cherry leaves brushing in the wind. The whole place carried that vibrant, slightly chaotic energy unique to morning homeroom rush.
Of course, some things here were still as questionable as ever.
'That principal,' Rito thought with an inward sigh. 'Not as extreme as his anime self, but yeah, still a pervert in his own quiet way. Walking around with an R+18 mag in hand like it's a newspaper… unreal.'
At least he wasn't openly groping anyone. Still, the man's shamelessness had somehow survived the shift from fiction to reality—something Rito had long accepted as "just Sainan things."
And then there were the other strange societal quirks he'd noticed since regaining his memories. For instance, upper-class families here didn't hide their polygamous customs.
Not exactly public knowledge, but accepted. Oddly enough, it felt natural in this world, like some unspoken rule woven into its very structure.
'It's not the same world I remember,' Rito thought, pausing near the entrance, 'but it's close enough.'
He took a deep breath, gazing up at the school buildings bathed in sunlight.
"It's already been a week," he murmured, a faint smile crossing his face. Not since a leave—but since he'd awakened to the truth. The week that followed had passed in a blur of routine. Going to school, interacting with everyone as usual, and quietly testing how far his knowledge of this "fictional" world still applied.
So far, everything had matched closely—except for a few surprises.
As he stepped through the gate, Rito noticed three girls walking just ahead of him. Their faces were oddly familiar, triggering a faint jolt of recognition.
'Wait… no way,' he thought, eyes narrowing slightly.
He knew them. Not from this story, but from another.
The Shiunji Family Children.
The name flashed through his head—an entirely different romantic fantasy anime about adopted siblings discovering they weren't bound by blood and slowly falling into a complicated love web.
Seeing them here, chatting naturally like ordinary classmates, didn't even shock him anymore.
'Guess the multiverse isn't limited to Marvel after all,' Rito mused dryly. 'If I can remember an Earth where this was all fiction, having a few crossover characters walking around isn't that big a deal anymore.'
He adjusted his bag, slipped his hands into his pockets, and walked forward, blending into the crowd of students passing through the gates.
A week ago, he'd been a confused mess.
Now, he was just... living it.
Sliding the door open, Rito stepped into his classroom. The usual hum of morning chatter filled the air—desks scraping, laughter echoing, and a faint whiff of chalk from the blackboard.
"Yo, Rito!"
Saruyama was already there, surrounded by a couple of guys talking animatedly about last night's show. Rito walked over, slipping into the group naturally.
"Morning," he greeted, setting his bag down beside his seat.
Saruyama threw him a grin. "You look lively today. Something good happen?"
"Nothing much," Rito replied with a half-smile. Though, in truth, even normal moments like this still felt a little surreal.
The group burst into light banter—jokes about test scores, teasing one another over love rumors, and typical guy talk. And while Rito chimed in here and there, laughing with them, he could feel a faint sense of disconnection tugging somewhere in the back of his mind.
'It's weird,' he thought quietly, watching them joke around. 'Everything's the same… and yet not. Maybe it's just me.'
Still, Saruyama didn't seem to notice anything off. If anything, he looked relieved—maybe even glad—that Rito had become a bit more open, more talkative.
"Guess I'm blending in fine," Rito muttered under his breath, half amused.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw her.
Haruna Sairenji.
The quiet, kind girl who had unknowingly been at the center of his heart—and, in another life, a heated forum debate.
'Haruna Sairenji…' he repeated in his head, a faint nostalgic ache surfacing. 'People online hated her back then. But… for me, she wasn't some character to judge.'
No, for him, she was the reason he believed this world could be warm.
He remembered it clearly—those days when rumors spread like wildfire. One misunderstanding, one unlucky moment, and suddenly he'd become the "worst guy" in school. Nobody cared to ask. Nobody tried to listen. Except her.
Haruna didn't grandly defend him in front of everyone and didn't make speeches like some heroine from a drama. But when others whispered behind his back, she simply said, "That doesn't sound like him."
And somehow, that was enough.
He owed that small kindness more than he could ever say.
As she walked past the rows of desks, Haruna's gaze briefly met his. For a second, her expression froze—caught by his calm, steady stare.
Rito blinked, then offered a polite nod and a small smile.
Surprised, Haruna's eyes widened slightly before she returned the gesture with a faint, flustered smile of her own and quickly turned toward her seat.
"Oi, Rito…"
Saruyama leaned in, voice low and teasing. "You're not hiding it very well, man. That was some serious staring."
"Huh? N-No, it's not—"
Saruyama grinned, cutting him off. "Heh, relax. I won't tell the others. But seriously, I think you'll do just fine. Why not confess to her already?"
Rito's cheeks tinged red, and he let out a defeated sigh. "You talk like it's that easy."
"Of course it's not," Saruyama chuckled, slapping him on the shoulder. "But hey, you'll never know unless you try."
The bell rang, echoing across the hallway as students hurried to their seats.
Rito stared at his desk, lost in thought for a brief second before smiling faintly to himself.
'Confess, huh… yeah, that's what my old self would've done—after tripping, dropping something, and accidentally grabbing the wrong thing in the process.'
He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "Let's just… survive the day first."
Rito sat down, the chair creaking softly beneath him. A moment later, the sound of heels clicked across the classroom floor.
Their homeroom teacher entered—an attractive woman with reddish-brown hair and matching eyes, dressed sharply in a purple vest, a dark skirt, and high heels that gave off an air of confidence and danger all at once.
Rito leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing in mild curiosity.
'Hmm… brown eyes, reddish-brown hair… yeah, definitely familiar,' he mused, recalling faint fragments from the other side of his memories. 'Though in this world, she's supposed to be just our teacher… right?'
Still, she didn't seem like a simple character. Something about her aura—calm, mature, and faintly teasing—made the class instantly quiet.
"Well then," she began, placing her notes down with a soft tap. "Since all of you enjoyed that week-long gap, let's switch gears back to studying. Class tests are just around the corner."
A collective groan rippled across the room.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of her lips curving into a deceptively sweet smile. "And since my bonus depends on your results, I expect all of you to give it your best. Understood?"
The tension in the room spiked.
Even Saruyama, who had been whispering to the guy behind him, went completely stiff. Nobody dared to speak up—not after the last time someone made a joke during her class and had to write apology essays for an entire week.
'Yup,' Rito thought, watching her turn toward the blackboard. 'Still terrifying… and still beautiful. A deadly combination.'
The lesson began, and the sound of chalk scratching against the board filled the silent classroom. Rito leaned his cheek on his palm, eyes following the words she wrote, his thoughts drifting quietly.
'Alright then… one thing at a time. I'll figure her out later.'
Outside, the sun climbed higher, and the usual rhythm of school life began once again.