"Uh… so they want to meet this weekend about it?"

"Yes. Honestly, I was surprised when they contacted me. The company only makes health products, so where would a special antiviral drug come from?"

"Well…"

That evening, after Rinji returned home and took off his coat, his phone rang.

A glance at the screen showed it was Shirogane's father calling.

According to him, someone had come demanding a special drug to treat a certain viral infection.

Rinji immediately understood. It must be the Shinomiya family, unable to wait any longer, coming to Amano Pharmaceuticals for medicine to treat the already ailing Shinomiya Gan'an.

Back then, after poisoning Gan'an, Rinji had leaked a hint to Kaguya's third brother, Un'yo: that Amano Pharmaceuticals had a drug that could treat Ganan.

For the sake of stabilizing the entire Shinomiya Group, no matter how vicious their internal strife, they wouldn't let Gan'an collapse at such a critical time. Coming for medicine was only natural.

"Uncle, how did they speak to you?"

"Huh?"

"I mean their attitude. How did they phrase it? Were they acting superior?" Rinji asked.

"No, just seemed a little anxious."

"Good. I know about the drug. I'll meet them this weekend."

It wasn't far off. School registration was tomorrow, already Thursday, with one day of class Friday, then the weekend.

Ending the call, Rinji set the phone aside and walked quietly back to his room.

At this stage, Gan'an's survival wasn't that important to him anymore. Gan'an's condition had already destabilized the Shinomiya family, and Rinji had used Kaguya's name during this turmoil to seize plenty of resources. Even if Gan'an recovered, what could be taken was already taken.

Still, Rinji wouldn't let Gan'an wake up so easily.

As long as the Shinomiya family wasn't completely finished, he wouldn't get the chance to awaken.

---

"Morning, Ishigami."

"Morning, Rinji."

The new semester began.

Wearing Shuchiin's uniform again, Rinji ran into Ishigami at the school gate.

Although Hayasaka had still stayed at Rinji's house the previous night, they staggered their commutes, so no one at Shuchiin noticed they were a couple. Otherwise, in this closed-off noble school, rumors would already be flying everywhere.

"Did you finish the winter homework?"

"Barely. You?"

"I scribbled some answers yesterday." Rinji said. "As long as the blanks are filled, that's enough. Whether it's right is another matter."

"…Amazing how you still place first every exam like that."

"Morning~ Takamine-kun."

"Oh, Onodera."

Turning, Rinji saw the blonde JK Onodera Rei, sweater draped over her uniform.

"For Christmas, the gift you gave me was a prank toy. You're so stingy."

"I embarrassed myself at the sports festival partly because of you," Rinji said. "And you're still holding a grudge after all this time?"

"Hasn't it been less than two weeks?"

"…Oh."

Rinji patted his own head.

After staying in Yomiyama North Middle School twenty years ago for so long, his sense of time had become a bit muddled.

…

The three of them entered the classroom. A few students were already scattered around inside.

Some sat on desks, some stood in small groups chatting. They all seemed to be talking about the same topic.

"I heard the school suddenly hired two teachers."

"Really?"

"Looks like a Japanese teacher and a math teacher."

"Then what about my old teacher?"

"Apparently they're now teaching Class A and C. Guess it's too much to have them handle all three classes…"

"True."

That was the girls' discussion, while the boys' side…

"When I passed by the office today, I saw the two new teachers."

"Oh? Male or female?"

"Female, both of them."

After saying that, the boy lowered his voice, looking mysterious.

"And they're really beautiful."

"Oh?"

"One has brown hair, the other black. Both have curves in all the right places, and their looks are breathtaking. Especially that black-haired teacher with an eyepatch, she's like a lotus blooming out of the mud."

"Come on, are you exaggerating?"

"Anyway, they're coming to teach our class, you'll see for yourselves. I doubt the school could even find girls prettier than them. If I had to describe it…"

"If you don't say it, how can we imagine it?"

"Barely close to Takamine in drag."

"Oh oh oh!! Barely close? Then they must be really gorgeous!"

Smack! Smack!

Just as the two boys got excited, they both felt a sharp pain on their heads.

Looking up, they saw Rinji glaring at them, face dark.

"You brats must be tired of living if you're using me as an example."

"Ahaha, it's Takamine…"

At the sight of him, both boys instantly quieted down.

Although in the second half of last semester Rinji wasn't exactly disliked by the class anymore, he still carried the reputation of a suspended delinquent who once crippled a classmate. To the students, he was still intimidating.

"Seems the boys are once again talking about vulgar stuff."

Onodera sighed lightly and put down her schoolbag at her desk.

"That blast included me and Rinji too."

Ishigami casually retorted as he sat down.

As more students filed in, the bell rang.

The first period was Japanese class.

Holding her lesson plan and humming, Misaki entered the classroom. From the day she transferred here, she had been looking forward to this moment.

'Ah, it's been twenty years since we last met. For Rinji it's only been a few days, but I can't wait to see the look on his face.'

With that thought, Misaki walked in.

Her entrance drew every student's eyes. The first thing she did was search for Rinji.

As it happened, almost every student was looking at her—except Rinji.

He was sprawled across his desk, fast asleep, not even raising his head.

Content originally comes from novel✦fire.net