A few minutes earlier.

"Shuchiin Academy is a prestigious school. Its teaching staff is never an issue. For you two to get in as teachers, some strings must've been pulled…"

In the faculty office, Kaname rubbed his face as he looked at the two sisters in front of him.

"Teachers here are carefully selected. Fujioka, you wanting to be a Japanese teacher I won't argue with… but Misaki, you graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, becoming a math teacher is absurd, don't you think?"

"Sorry for the trouble."

Mei said calmly.

"Misaki made the decision without asking me. I'd originally thought of applying as an art teacher."

"Art teacher would've been good." Sagara sighed. "But… first-years' staff are under pressure anyway, and we were expanding teachers, so your timing works out."

"Yes…"

"Still, isn't the reason you're here because the president's wife agreed? Rinji causes a lot of problems here, and normal teachers can't handle him, so they sent you two to rein him in."

"…That's part of it."

Kaname turned her head aside with a troubled face.

"That brat really is a handful. First semester, he put a classmate in the hospital. Second semester, he tossed a stun grenade in school. Then during the student council election he threatened the entire student body… I'm afraid this semester he'll turn the school into a fortress."

Honestly, she was grateful to the student council. Without them, Rinji's antics would've been even worse.

"That kid isn't like an ordinary delinquent. Handling him will bleed you dry. Are you sure you can manage?"

"Of course~"

Misaki smiled and nudged Mei with her elbow.

"Right, Mei?"

"…Yes."

"Good. I've assigned you both to Year One, Class B. Please, make my job a little easier."

…

"First period's my Japanese class, third period is Mei's math."

Walking along the corridor, Misaki held the lesson plan she'd gotten a day earlier.

"I can't wait to see Rinji's reaction. It'll be fun."

"Mm."

"What've you been thinking since earlier?"

"I just feel… the Rinji the teachers described is very different from the one I remember."

Mei thought back to the first-year faculty office.

When she'd asked about Rinji, half the teachers had looked terrified, the rest sighed heavily.

Comments were things like: "He gets good grades, but causes trouble every semester," "likes stirring things up," "be careful."

Summed up: best not to deal with him.

The only positive note was his grades. Everything else was negative.

"He used to not be like that. He cared about his classmates."

"The Rinji I know was reliable too," Misaki said. "Anyway, let's go see him."

---

"…"

Looking at Rinji asleep on his desk, Misaki's brow twitched.

She'd wanted to see his reaction, but he was just sleeping.

She looked at the students. "Can someone wake that sleeping student up?"

"…"

The whispering students instantly fell silent.

After all, the memory of Rinji breaking a classmate's leg was still fresh.

Even if his reputation had softened, it didn't mean classmates weren't afraid of him.

Seeing their fearful expressions, Misaki grew curious. The rumors were true.

Ishigami sighed and stood.

He was about to tap Rinji awake when—

Smack!

Someone beat him to it.

Iino, rolling up her textbook, rapped it on Rinji's head.

Slowly opening his eyes, Rinji saw Iino standing angrily before him.

"Oh, it's you, Iino. Class over?"

"It's class right now. You just got reinstated last term, and this term you're going to sleep through class?" Iino puffed.

"What's the problem, you're so nosy." Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Rinji replied.

"Don't give the new teacher a bad impression." Latest content published on novel-fire.ɴet

"I can't even remember what the old teachers looked like."

"You're awful."

Yawning, Rinji finally lifted his head.

And saw Misaki standing at the podium.

She waved at him with a smile.

"…"

Rinji's drowsiness vanished.

She looked familiar.

Then he saw the name she'd written on the board. He immediately remembered.

Fujioka Misaki, the girl he met at Yomiyama, Mei's sister.

Back then she'd been in middle school, so now she must be…

"Thirty-five, an old hag?"

"Who are you calling old hag!?"

Blurting out his thoughts, Rinji instantly angered her.

"Ah, I didn't mean that… What are you doing here?"

"Of course I'm here as a teacher." Misaki narrowed her eyes with a smile. "Long time no see, Rinji~"

"…Yeah, it has been."

The students glanced between Rinji and Misaki, starting to wonder about the connection between them.

Misaki smiled. "Rinji, you're really disobedient. Looks like I'll need to keep you after school for a make-up lesson~"

'Eh? Could this be an after-school event!?'

Some boys immediately pictured the beautiful teacher keeping a boy behind for private tutoring, and just imagining it made their faces flush red.

Rinji only smiled slightly.

"Impossible. No one can make me stay after class."

The boys: "…"

'What's he being so proud about this time?'