Chapter 19: Itsuka Shiori!

“Shidou, where did you go today?”

Origami frowned slightly, an uneasy thought stirring in her mind.

Could he be sick?

Or had he run into some kind of trouble?

With these worries, her gaze unintentionally flicked over to Yatogami Tohka sitting a row ahead.

A calm hostility suddenly welled up in her eyes.

Lately, Shidou had been spending all his time with this girl who seemed to be a Spirit, and their relationship appeared far from ordinary.

As Shidou’s nominal girlfriend, Origami naturally could not allow Tohka’s presence.

If Tohka really was a Spirit, dealing with her would be much simpler.

But there was no trace of Spirit Power emanating from her; for now, she was completely human, leaving Origami no reason to take action.

Tohka noticed Origami’s hostile glance, turned around, and bared her teeth in a grin that looked exactly like a fluffed-up kitten.

Origami snorted coldly and turned her head away.

Looks like I’ll have to ask Kozhu-sensei later what’s going on with Shidou.

As she thought this, Kozhu-sensei on the podium seemed to have finished her nagging and emphasized, “Now then, everyone, please welcome Shiori-san!”

“Shiori?”

Origami looked up.

Though her face remained expressionless, curiosity about this Shiori remained in her heart.

In the hallway, a blue-haired girl casually walked into Class 2-4.

Her gem-like, crystal-clear eyes immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

Her delicate face seemed carved by a master sculptor—no better way to describe it than as a flawless work of art.

Coupled with a well-proportioned figure and impressive height, she radiated even more charm.

Yet at this moment, her expression was somewhat complicated.

“If I have to wear girl’s clothes, why do I have to transfer into my own class in a female disguise?!”

Last night, Shidou had asked like this.

But Kotori had only given a half-hearted answer that somehow sounded quite reasonable.

“The Ryudanshi Girls’ Academy is full of young ladies from noble families.

Your carefree demeanor isn’t exactly the image of a refined young lady.

Do you think Miku would even look at you seriously like this?

You probably wouldn’t even get the chance to meet her.

So, use this new identity to truly experience what it’s like to be a girl, Onee-chan~”

There was no denying Ratatoskr’s efficiency.

The plan Kotori set last night began to be implemented first thing the next day.

“Ohhh! Has Heaven finally started to favor our class?

First we got a gorgeous transfer like Tohka-san, and now Shiori-san joins us too!”

“Shiori-san is the best!”

“Can’t say more, she’s so cute, totally shipping her!”

“Ew, the boys are disgusting!”

“Yeah, seriously, what a bunch of brainless fools.”

“Ma-ji wash your pantyhose~”

“Everyone, quiet down!”

The noise lasted less than ten seconds before Kozhu-sensei called it to a stop.

She sharply tapped the podium twice and then gave Shiori an apologetic look.

With such a near-perfect beauty like Shiori in class, it was only natural for the boys to get excited, but Kozhu-sensei hadn’t expected such an intense reaction.

“Shiori-san, please introduce yourself.”

“Oh… okay.”

Kozhu-sensei’s request snapped Shiori back to reality.

Wearing girl’s clothes in front of his former classmates was beyond awkward.

Thankfully, Kotori and the others were skilled at makeup and hadn’t exposed his identity, or he’d want to find a tofu block to bash his head against…

Still, being dressed as a girl and gazed upon by a crowd of grown men with eyes full of affection and tenderness made Shiori terribly uncomfortable.

His self-introduction was clumsy, but at least it was over.

A quick glance around showed no one had reacted unusually, which indirectly proved his identity was still a secret.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he caught two sharp gazes from the back of the classroom.

Origami was looking at him with obvious delight, while Tohka’s expression was one of confusion.

They’d recognized him!

Fortunately, only two people close to him had figured it out.

Judging by Origami’s personality, she wouldn’t spill the secret.

But Tohka was rather naive—there was a risk she might accidentally reveal it later, so he’d have to talk to her carefully.

“Shiori-san, please sit in the empty seat at the back for now.”

Kozhu-sensei assigned him a seat and prepared to start the lesson.

Shiori nodded and walked toward the designated seat.

At that moment, Origami suddenly stood up and raised her hand.

“Kozhu-sensei, let’s have Shiori-san sit next to me for now!”

Kozhu-sensei frowned slightly. “But isn’t that Shidou’s seat next to Origami-san?”

“That’s okay.”

Origami reasoned confidently, “Shidou-san isn’t here today, right? Let Shiori-san sit here for now—I can keep an eye on her.”

Kozhu-sensei agreed that made sense.

As a new student, Shiori did need special care.

Though Origami seemed cold, her heart was good, so this could be entrusted to her.

“Then Shiori-san, please sit in Shidou-san’s seat for now.”

Shiori gave a bitter smile, having no choice but to accept the teacher’s arrangement.

The morning passed in the blink of an eye, but Shidou swore it was the longest, most agonizing time he’d ever endured.

After class, Shiori planned to warn Tohka not to spill his identity, but he was immediately surrounded by a crowd of girls bombarding him with questions, leaving no chance to say a word.

Origami even grabbed a camera and took photos of him from every angle before finally leaving with a satisfied expression.

“When will this torture end…”

Shidou lamented inwardly.

If possible, he’d risk being put in detention just to steal Shinomiya’s puppet back rather than come to school dressed as a girl again…

***

Meanwhile, on the other side of Tengū City.

“Co-co-cold… so cold…”

In a room of a single apartment, Wanmie Ayase was curled up in the corner wrapped in a thick blanket.

These past few days, Shinomiya seemed to have become obsessed with a tearjerking soap opera she had watched earlier.

Besides eating and sleeping, she just kept binge-watching dramas, making Wanmie feel as if she was living in the Arctic.

The chill Shinomiya radiated was no comparison to the cold inside a refrigerator.

Compared to that, her coldness was far more piercing and bone-chilling.

If it weren’t for Wanmie’s current constitution, she would have frozen solid already.

Finally reaching her limit, Wanmie said to Shinomiya, “Shinomiya, how about we go out shopping? Staying home all day watching dramas is so dull.”

Shinomiya turned her head, excitement flashing in her eyes but quickly replaced by fear.

“But… there are people outside…”

The “people” she referred to were probably AST.

Shinomiya’s Spirit Power hadn’t been sealed, and she couldn’t fully control it.

She was easily detectable by AST.

That was why Wanmie had kept her at home all this time.

But now…

She was almost at death’s door.

If they didn’t go out soon, by the time Shidou retrieved the puppet, he’d find her corpse instead.

Besides, even if AST did find them, Wanmie was confident she could bring Shinomiya back safely.

If worse came to worst, they could ask Kotori for help.

There was definitely danger, but compared to the danger itself, Wanmie feared she’d give out before it even arrived…