Chapter 124, Mimi.

Teacher... ah.

Thanks to their years of having a blank expression, Tsukino and Chiya managed to suppress the urge to twitch their lips when they saw the person approaching.

There was a slight commotion in the audience.

But that's normal.

The learning atmosphere in the preparatory class, which is still in the first year of high school, is not very strong, and class discipline is not strictly enforced. Although their class is not completely noisy and a problem class that causes headaches for teachers, sometimes they do need to be reminded by the teacher to quiet down.

And now... the atmosphere in the class is obviously a little more lively.

A new teacher or a transfer student would certainly attract some attention, but generally speaking, it wouldn't lead to the situation that is today. However, today was an exception, and if you ask why…

Because this new teacher is so young and beautiful, she is truly an undisputed beauty.

Who wouldn't want a teacher like that?

The new teacher had purple hair, the slightly curled ends draped lazily over her shoulders. She blinked, her wine-red eyes holding a hint of helpless amusement at the commotion below the stage.

"My name is Higashigo Mimi. The original teacher for this subject is temporarily unable to continue working for some reason, so I will be filling in for the time being."

At this point, the gentle-voiced Mr. Dong pursed his lips slightly, then gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

"I hope we can get along well in the future. Please take care of me then."

"Waaah..."

Tsukino and Chiya overheard the whispers among the nearby classmates.

"The new teacher looks so gentle and pretty, I feel like I'll never fall asleep in class again!"

"She's so beautiful, she looks like a model or idol or something. She's amazing."

"Right? This is very eye-friendly!"

"Mainly because she seems to have a very good temper... That's great, she seems very easy to get along with."

It seemed that most of the students in the class had a very good first impression of the new teacher.

To this, Tsukino and Chiya only had six points to make: "..."

Who are you?! A twin? A double? Or someone with multiple personality disorder?! This doesn't seem to be the Miyako Higashi I know!

It seemed not to be a hallucination; the guy currently standing on the podium, putting on airs, appeared to be looking towards where he was.

Tsukino and Chiya exchanged glances with Higashigo Miya for a few seconds before looking away.

Is this guy secretly laughing to himself?

Knowing that the person on the stage was not as gentle and harmless as she appeared, Tsukino and Chiya thought to themselves, while turning their heads to their right and then exchanging a glance with Hinata Hajime.

The brown-haired, green-eyed boy didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about the new teacher's arrival, but... sure enough.

Tsukino and Chiya understood each other.

Although it may not seem surprising, it is true that in the future that Hyuga Hajime originally knew, there was no such thing as a new teacher named Higashigo Miya for the new semester.

In the future that Hyuga Hajime had previously described, Tsukino and Chiya had indeed never heard of this matter. There are clearly only two explanations for this: either the matter of changing teachers is not closely related to those extraordinary events in the future, which is why Hyuga Hajime didn't mention such an insignificant thing at the time.

The second explanation... is that in the future that Hinata Hajime knows, there is no new teacher named Higashi Miya at all.

Tsukino and Chiya knew very well that the latter scenario would only happen at this point.

The guy on the podium is clearly only here because Tsukino and Chiya are here.

To clarify beforehand, the above idea is not based on any kind of "narcissism," but is simply stating a fact.

However, it is indeed somewhat ambiguous.

A more precise explanation for why this new teacher came to the school would be—

"Alright, please be quiet now."

After giving the students time to express their enthusiasm and discuss, Miyako Higashi raised her voice slightly, successfully stopping the whispering among the students.

The new teacher seems to have a gentle personality and no intimidating presence, but the words he speaks in a seemingly soft and gentle manner are exceptionally easy to obey and trust.

Miya Higashiko's eyes crinkled slightly, as if she was pleased with the class's tacit silence.

"Very good. Now, let's begin the class."

*******

"So, who is that Donghu teacher?"

After class, Hinata Hajime promptly asked Tsukino and Chiya, who were sitting next to him, about the situation.

The previous class ended just like any other ordinary class.

While Higashigo Mimi's teaching level couldn't compare to those of the more experienced teachers, it was still quite good. A single lesson, though not particularly engaging or entertaining enough to keep the students completely absorbed, was at least free of major flaws.

It was a very normal and ordinary lesson.

Tsukino and Chiya knew that for Higashigo Miya, this level of achievement was nothing special. However... watching her actually give a lecture still gave Chiya a somewhat subtle feeling.

This is probably the discomfort you feel when a familiar person suddenly becomes serious.

Hajime Hinata had some guesses about the new teacher who wasn't in his future memories, but based on his judgment, it would be more convenient, faster, and more accurate to ask Tsukino and Chiya directly if he wanted to understand the situation more clearly.

"It's exactly what you think."

Although Hyuga Hajime did not explicitly state his speculation, Tsukino and Chiya understood that he had probably deduced to a certain extent.

“She came because of me. To be more precise, she came because of the strange thing that I and Wangma got involved with. I had asked her for some help with the strange thing before... and that seems to have piqued her interest in Aurora.”

"But I really didn't expect... her to come this way." It was quite sudden.

In the future that Hinata Hajime knew, Tsukino and Chiya never enrolled in Hope's Peak, so Higashigo Miya, who was attracted by the strange phenomenon, could not possibly be here to teach.

Ouma Kokichi, who appeared out of nowhere and blended in quite naturally, said: "So, he's a new helper? The new substitute teacher even has a mysterious identity... Ahahaha, that sounds like something out of a shonen manga!"

"Oh, right. It's been a while, Hinata!"

"Long time no see, Ouma."

The purple-haired boy slipped in through the back door of the classroom. After entering, he went straight behind Tsukino and Chiya's chairs and casually placed his hands on the back of the chairs.

Tsukino and Chiya, who were already sitting sideways while talking to Hinata Hajime, could see Ohma Kokichi's face if they simply raised their heads slightly. Noticing Chiya's gaze, the purple-haired boy lowered his head and generously smiled.

Tsukino and Chiya: "If I remember correctly, your teacher, Yukizome, is quite strict with the class." So you skipped class right after the start of the semester?

Although that strictness is only relative to other undergraduate classes at Hope Peak, in a regular class like the preparatory course, it would just be a normal and reasonable requirement like "don't be late or leave early, and be present."

Wang Ma Xiaoji chuckled and said, "I'm the leader of evil, it would be strange if I obediently followed the rules, wouldn't it? Rather, tell us more about our new helper, Xiaoyueye."

Tsukino and Chiya nodded: "We should definitely explain... but there probably won't be enough time during break. So let's talk about it during lunchtime?"

Wang Ma Xiaoji pursed his lips, understanding the unspoken meaning: "Eh—? Xiaoyueye is being too much. I just arrived and you're already kicking me out? I haven't even had a chance to rest here! You're leaving without even sitting down?"

Hajime Hinata smiled helplessly and skillfully joined the吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) team: "We didn't have any extra chairs for Ohma in our class to begin with, did we?"

Tsukino and Chiya said sincerely, "Actually, I'm quite curious how Ohma will get through the next class if he insists on staying here."

Clearly, Wangma Xiaoji wasn't going to get away with it. He invited Tsukino and Chiya to skip class, but they declined.

"Oh, what a pity!"

The purple-haired boy sighed. He clearly knew that it was unrealistic to try to figure out the new teacher of the preparatory subject in such a short break. However, he was not an impatient person. Sometimes, it was easier to have fun if you let your curiosity ferment for a while.

After exchanging a few more casual words, Wang Ma Xiaoji left through the back door of the classroom. Did he just go straight back to his undergraduate studies?

Tsukino and Chiya thought it was unlikely.

But this is Ouma Kokichi, you know. Would he really get caught skipping class and wandering around at school? Tsukino and Chiya simply didn't believe it.

The black-haired boy confidently began preparing for the next class.

*******

After leaving the class where Tsukino, Chiya, and Hinata Hajime were, Ohma Kokichi did not immediately return to his undergraduate class, just as he had said.

Wearing a preparatory course student uniform of unknown origin did reduce a lot of trouble for Wang Ma Xiaoji when he sneaked into the preparatory course, but it also brought some new troubles to him when he was still wandering around the west campus of the school during class time.

For example, being mistaken by the teacher as a student preparing for a subject who is skipping class, or something like that.

Wang Ma Xiaoji had no intention of resolving the situation. He was always adept at playing cat and mouse, and if he were bumped into by teachers who didn't recognize him, he would simply run away without explaining anything. He had long since figured out the routes in the preparatory courses, and coupled with his speed and agility, the teachers and even the guards simply couldn't catch the seemingly unconventional Wang Ma Xiaoji.

"Wow, this is such a simple game!"

It had been a while since he'd engaged in a chase like this, and Wang Ma Xiaoji was in a good mood, treating it as a fun pastime. He dusted off the dust that had gotten on his hands and, more familiar with the area than some preparatory students, ran and jumped around the school.

Then, as he rounded a corner, he encountered people again.

Um?

Humans are visual creatures. Although for Ouma Kokichi, a pretty person is not as interesting as someone with a Tall (or perhaps tall) head, he still has the aesthetic sense of a normal person.

Of course, more important than appearance is... surely it's this person's unique charisma?

"The problem you're facing is far from being resolved."

...Perhaps we should also add this kind of ambiguous, yet seemingly pointed remark.

Noticing that the other person's attitude was different from that of other teachers, Wang Ma Xiaoji stopped.

"Huh? Teacher...you're a teacher, right?"

Wang Ma Xiaoji blinked, then revealed a well-behaved and adorable smile that no one could find fault with.

"The teacher just said something really interesting. Could you tell me what it meant?"

"Well... let me think about it some more."

The woman, who also had unusual purple hair, smiled slightly.

"But Wang Ma, is it really okay for you to skip class at a time like this?"

"Hehe, of course there's no problem!"

"Really? But I don't find it very convincing..."

"Is the teacher questioning the assessment of the 'Ultimate Leader'? That's really bold of her."

Despite it being their first meeting, the two maintained an unusually harmonious atmosphere. If someone were to pass by and see them, they might subconsciously assume they were siblings because of their similar hair color.

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Author's Note: Higashigo Mimi, from dmlc and the werewolf village, formerly known as Meko [covering face and peeking]