How did I transmigrate and still have to go to school?!
In front of the bus stop, Fuyuji Mikage let out a long sigh to the heavens.
Transmigrating was one thing, but the system that everyone else gets actually ran off, leaving behind nothing but an enrollment letter.
And for some reason, Fuyuji Mikage kept getting the feeling that it had bolted in a bit of a panic...
Gazing at the bolded words "Advanced Nurturing High School" on the terminal sign, Fuyuji lowered his head to face reality.
No choice. He was a stranger in a strange land, the little money he had wouldn't last more than a few days, and if he didn't go, begging was the only option.
Setting aside the suspected enrollment fraud that was the "100% advancement and employment rate," the free room and board was honestly pretty tempting.
The bus pulled into the stop, and the doors slowly opened.
Fuyuji stepped aboard and scanned the carriage, his gaze landing on the only empty seat.
Thank goodness.
No standing all the way to Advanced Nurturing High School. Maybe he could even lean against the window and doze off for a bit.
With that thought, he dragged his legs toward the empty seat.
Just then, a flash of red lightly brushed past his side, and beat him to it, settling into the very seat he'd had his heart set on.
The genial smile that had just appeared on Fuyuji's face instantly froze.
The girl turned her head to look at him, gave a slight bow, and said flatly:
"According to the principle of first come, first served, the right to use this seat now belongs to me. If you want a seat, please look elsewhere."
That unruffled tone, that self-assured attitude — it petrified Fuyuji on the spot.
He took a deep breath and suppressed the surge of anger rising within him.
Don't get mad, don't get mad. Fuyuji, you're a transmigrator. It's just a seat. Be magnanimous. Don't embarrass your fellow transmigrators...
But it really ticked him off!
What she said itself wasn't actually a problem, but that self-righteous attitude...
In a word: infuriating!
Luckily, it didn't last long. A passenger behind the empty seat got off, and another spot opened up.
Letting out a slow breath, Fuyuji took the seat and looked out the window.
The weather was perfect just then, the sun climbing the branches, its light spilling down. Yet inside, he felt overcast and gloomy.
Because the girl's reflection was imprinted on the window glass!
Deep blue hair, two braids draped in front, wearing the same wine-red Advanced Nurturing uniform as him with the pink lining, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought about who-knows-what...
The more Fuyuji looked, the angrier he got. Finally, he yanked the window open with a whoosh and turned his head toward the inside of the bus.
No more looking. The more he looked, the madder he got!
As the bus progressed, the carriage gradually became crowded.
Office workers, housewives, students in the same Advanced Nurturing uniforms, and... an old lady, clearly over sixty, carrying a shopping basket, swaying with the movement of the bus.
That tottering posture...
Fuyuji sighed slightly. He swept his gaze around — people playing on their phones, reading books, handling documents... everyone was minding their own business.
If nobody stepped in and something happened, it would be troublesome.
After a moment of hesitation, he slowly rose to his feet...
At that exact instant, from Fuyuji's perspective, the girl stood up at nearly the same time, leaving her seat. Her deep blue hair swayed gently in the air, the pleats of her uniform skirt fluttering as she rose...
In that split second, he made a completely instinctive decision!
With lightning speed, he stood, stepped out, and swung his leg over — all in one seamless motion — and plopped firmly into the girl's seat.
"Please—"
"Please, come over to my side!"
Fuyuji Mikage raised his hand first and called out, his cheerful voice ringing through the carriage.
The girl turned her head, only to realize that, in that brief moment, her seat had already been snatched away, while the seat behind had actually opened up instead.
The grocery-shopping granny tottered toward them, thanking both with a smile: "Thank you, thank you..."
Fuyuji Mikage answered cheerfully, "Don't mention it. Just thank this one here."
He turned toward the girl and flashed a thumbs-up. "Hey, miss… the right to use this seat now belongs to me. The one in the back is your spot."
"..."
What greeted him was neither flustered anger nor a blushing face, but a pair of large, unblinking eyes.
The girl said nothing, just silently stared at him.
Fuyuji's thumbs-up hung frozen in midair. In the standoff, he could clearly see his own reflection in the girl's bluish-purple pupils.
A strange atmosphere spread between them.
At first, Fuyuji Mikage was still enjoying the glee of revenge. Gradually, he began to feel that something was off.
"..."
That look... it reminded him of the old-fashioned wall clock from his childhood, the one that went "dong-dong" on the hour that he had taken apart.
It was an expression of pure curiosity and exploration, as if she wanted to take him apart and see what was inside.
"Morishita Ai" the girl spoke softly.
Fuyuji was somewhat baffled. "What do you mean?"
"My name is Morishita Ai. Please tell me your name."
"What for? Trying to dox me?" Fuyuji crossed his arms defensively. "You lost, fair and square."
"Name?"
"..."
He really wanted to tell her that his name was actually Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior, but he was afraid this girl would literally take him apart on the spot.
Not receiving an answer, Morishita was not disheartened, and continued to stare at him.
Time trickled by with the forward motion of the bus.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "The back," he said, pointing at his original seat. "The granny will get off soon. Go sit over there."
People buying groceries usually don't go to markets too far away, let alone an old lady carrying so much stuff.
Two stops later, the granny got off.
The girl named Morishita Ai sat in Fuyuji's original seat, chin in hand, gazing out through the window glass.
Fuyuji pretended nothing had happened and pulled out his phone to browse info, but his whole body felt out of sorts, as if ants were crawling all over him.
Not long after, the bus reached its destination.
Fuyuji silently sped up toward the school gate, but unfortunately, he had only taken two steps before Morishita blocked his path.
"Surely it hasn't come to this?" Fuyuji said helplessly. "I just took your seat."
"Please tell me your name." Morishita Ai reiterated, her tone sounding completely unaffected, even a touch more cheerful than on the bus.
He was getting a headache. While scanning for an escape route, he tried to divert the girl's attention. "You answer my question first. Depending on the circumstances, I'll consider whether to tell you or not."
"Go ahead. I have waited long enough," Morishita nodded.
"Why did you give up your seat in the first place?" Based on her earlier actions, she absolutely wasn't the type who cared about what others thought.
"Because when I snatched your spot earlier, I felt a tiny bit pleased about it, so I decided to generously bestow the spoils of war upon her." A hint of satisfaction flashed across her face.
So you knew you snatched my seat! And you still had the nerve to self-righteously shoo me away?!
A girl with such a bizarre thought process — Fuyuji had never encountered one before.
"Your name."
"I'm not telling you!" Fuyuji turned to leave. No, turned to run!
He had figured it out by now. This girl was different. Unfathomable. She gave people a strange feeling. If he told her his name, his high school life would definitely become extremely troublesome.
Twenty minutes later...
Humming an unknown little tune, Fuyuji arrived at his classroom.
Inside the classroom, nameplates with the students' names were placed on the brand-new desks to inform everyone of their seats in advance.
Aha, let me see, my royal—
The tune's pitch dropped, diminished, and finally dwindled into nothingness...
Fuyuji Mikage stared in silence at Morishita Ai, who stood with her hands on her hips, flashing him a victory sign.
Fuyuji Mikage, Class 1-A, seat: second-to-last row by the window.
Morishita Ai, Class 1-A, seat: last row by the window.
What did I do to deserve this!
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