Chapter 3: The Melancholy Transfer Student on the First Day of School
April 10th
Lehigh University Opening Ceremony
Kirihara Akaya started screaming early in the morning.
"Risa-nee! Wake up! We'll be late if we don't leave now!"
Risa buried her face in the pillow and mumbled, "Stop making noise... I don't have any scenes to film today..."
When she turned over and opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar room with a ceiling.
Oh right, she's a Japanese high school girl now.
She slowly got up and drew back the curtains.
The sunlight was dazzling, cherry blossoms were falling, and the clock tower of Rikkai University Affiliated High School could be seen in the distance.
...This scene is exactly the same as the one I've seen in anime.
"Risa-nee! Are you alright yet?!" Kirihara shouted from downstairs.
"Coming, almost done!" came a muffled reply from upstairs, accompanied by the sound of rushing water.
Kirihara rolled his eyes and continued shouting upstairs, "Who was it last week who said 'the new semester should start all over again'? And on the very first day—"
"Okay, okay!" Risa's voice suddenly came from above.
Kirihara looked up and saw her leaning on the second-floor railing, a toothbrush dangling from her mouth, white foam sliding down her chin. Her hair was a mess.
"..." Kirihara's temples throbbed.
He took a deep breath and swallowed back the complaint that was about to come out: "...I'll wait for you at the door."
Although Qiu Nai always tells him he's "unreliable," this cousin has completely changed his perception. He stayed up all night reading novels for three consecutive days, and this morning his alarm clock rang seven or eight times without him responding.
It's already 7:40, and I still haven't finished brushing my teeth.
The clock in the entryway ticked away. He remembered Akina's words of advice before she went to university in Tokyo: "Take good care of Risa, okay?"
Suddenly I felt the burden on my shoulders was so heavy.
-
The wardrobe door slid open, and in the darkness, the new clothes that Sister Qiu Nai had taken her to buy a few days ago stood out.
My fingers just touched the hem of my clothes when I remembered that I was going to school today.
"Tsk." Risa rubbed her temples and turned to her school uniform.
"Ah~ I'm so sleepy." She yawned, changed into her school uniform, sat down at the dressing table, and began to put on makeup.
Putting everything else aside, the makeup skills he honed on set before becoming famous have now become his excuse for sleeping in.
"Is this the privilege of time travelers?"
She smiled slightly in front of the mirror. A light layer of foundation concealed her dark circles, a touch of blush brightened her complexion, and she added a natural inner eyeliner...
Perfect, she's transformed from a "gloomy transfer student" into a "refreshing and beautiful girl".
"Risa-nee! Are we really leaving?" The boy's voice grew increasingly anxious.
"Coming, coming!" Risa applied a final layer of lip balm, grabbed her schoolbag, and rushed downstairs.
Kirihara stood in the entryway, tennis bag slung over his back, looking impatient.
When he looked up and saw the girl, T, his expression froze instantly. The piece of bread he was holding in his mouth fell to the ground with a "thud."
Risa picked up the bread slice in three seconds and shoved it back into his hand: "Don't waste food."
"Who...who are you?" He stared wide-eyed, as if he had seen a ghost.
Risa bent down to put on her shoes, her long hair slipping off her shoulder: "...Your cousin."
"Impossible! My cousin is clearly a gloomy person—"
"Hmm?" Risa squinted her eyes.
Kirihara immediately shut up and said no more.
At that moment, Kirihara's mother poked her head out from the kitchen.
Risa greeted, "Good morning, Aunt."
Kirihara's mother was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction: "Oh, our Risa looks so beautiful today!"
Risa smiled and thanked her, then pushed Kirihara out, saying, "Let's go, we'll be late if we dawdle any longer."
On the way to the station, Kirihara kept glancing at Risa, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
After getting into the car, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Um... Risa-nee, did something happen to you?"
Risa: "?"
Kirihara asked with a serious expression, "For example... being possessed by a vengeful spirit? Or being possessed?"
Risa: "...You read too many comics."
-
At the entrance of Rikkai University Affiliated High School, cherry blossoms fluttered down as students walked into the campus in twos and threes.
Risa looked up at the large characters on the school gate and took a deep breath.
Next up is "The First Day of the Transfer Student".
Kirihara scratched his head: "Um, Risa-nee, I have to go to the freshman ceremony first. Your transfer procedures need to be completed at the academic affairs office."
Risa nodded: "Okay, go ahead."
Kirihara hesitated for a moment, then added, "I've already spoken to Yagyu-senpai, and he'll come to pick you up to complete the formalities."
"Yagyu?" Risa raised an eyebrow. "Yagyu Hiroshi?"
Kirihara: "Huh? Risa-nee, how did you know?!"
Risa's heart skipped a beat. Why had this kid suddenly become so perceptive?
She feigned ignorance and brushed it off: "Ah... Akina-nee mentioned that he's a 'gentleman' from Rikkai University, right?"
Kirihara gave a doubtful "Oh," waved, and ran off. As she ran, she turned back and shouted, "Risa-nee, see you later!"
Risa gazed at the boy's joyful figure, the smile on her lips gradually freezing.
If it weren't for that accident, her younger brother Haruno would be a high school student like Kirihara now.
The sky in April was a clear, deep blue.
A gentle breeze carries the faint fragrance of flowers.
In the original world, she was probably already dead, right?
If that's the case, she wouldn't have any regrets. Perhaps she can see her parents and brother in another world. A family reunion is always better than living alone.
But fate played a cruel trick on her. Instead of taking her to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, she was thrown into this virtual world, becoming a wandering soul and forcibly stuffed into someone else's body.
Now, she lives under the name "Matsuno Risa," like a thief, stealing the life that should have belonged to another girl.
Every decision or choice is made with utmost care, for fear that the slightest misstep will result in the body's original owner being unable to cope with such a life upon returning.
That's too cruel.
Such a self is nothing more than a ghost bound by the bodies of others, a time traveler.
It's best not to form a bond with them, as it will only increase your loneliness.
At first, she didn't understand the meaning of the words; upon closer inspection, she was already immersed in the situation. At that moment, she finally felt as if she were there herself and understood.
Sorrow is like the surface of an autumn lake; beneath the ripples, an unfathomable loneliness surges.
Her eyes stung. Risa tilted her head back, forcing back the tears welling up.
This kind of look shouldn't be on a high school girl's face. If someone saw her, they'd definitely laugh at her for having a fit of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).
Along the corridor on the third floor,
Yukimura leaned against the railing, quietly looking down at the scene below.
"That's interesting..."
When Sanada returned from taking out the trash, he saw his friend looking thoughtful, with a chilling smile.
"What are you looking at?" Sanada walked up to his friend.
Yukimura looked away, smiling but not answering.
"Let's go back." He turned around and patted Sanada on the shoulder.
Sanada was full of doubts, but he didn't ask any further questions.
Throughout the journey, Yukimura seemed to be in an exceptionally cheerful mood, humming a tune, a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor.
Sanada, seeing this, became even more curious and couldn't help but look back at the direction Yukimura had been looking down from.
Downstairs at the teaching building, Liu Sheng was walking from the flower bed. Behind a marble pillar, a girl was hiding, holding a letter in her hand, as if she was waiting for someone.
In the corridor not far away, there was another girl standing.
Wait a minute—
She seems to be...
Sanada pursed his lips, finally understanding where Yukimura's good mood came from.
-
Risa snapped out of her melancholy and quickly composed herself, turning to walk towards the academic affairs office.
Just turned the corner in the corridor—
"Senior Yagyu, I...I like you! Please go out with me!"
The clear female voice was particularly distinct in the quiet teaching building.
Risa paused in her steps.
In broad daylight, under the clear sky, who is making such a bold confession?
Looking in the direction of the sound.
In front of the flower bed, a petite girl with a chestnut ponytail was bowing deeply, holding a pink envelope high in her hands. She was trembling slightly, and the tips of her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
The boy standing opposite her was tall and slender, wearing glasses, and had a refined "gentlemanly" appearance.
No wonder he's a time traveler; he stumbled upon such a fascinating storyline right at the start of the school year.
Risa leaned against the wall, watching the scene with great interest. This was much more interesting than any TV drama; a real-life youth romance was unfolding right before her eyes.
"Thank you for your kind offer. But right now I just want to focus on my studies and tennis club. I'm not considering anything else."
The rejection was swift and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation whatsoever.
The girl's shoulders slumped visibly, but she still managed a forced bow, her voice trembling with tears: "I'm...I'm sorry..."
After saying that, he turned and ran away.
Huh? It ended so abruptly?
Giving up so easily? You should at least have said a few more words. Isn't there a saying, "A good woman fears a persistent suitor"? Why didn't you try a little harder...?
Risa couldn't help but shake her head. She secretly felt sorry for that girl, and even a little disappointed in her.
Remembering her business, she turned to leave, but unexpectedly bumped into a wall of people.
"Ouch!" Risa clutched her high nose bridge and staggered back two steps.
"Feel sorry."
A deep voice came from above.
Risa looked up and met a pair of sharp eyes hidden behind thin-rimmed glasses.
Short purple hair, a sharply defined jawline, and a striking tennis club badge on her sweatshirt.
Yagyu Hiroshi, a key player in the tennis club, student council president, and a gentleman.
A note from the author:
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Hi everyone, I've made some minor edits to the chapter. If no update was detected, long-press the novel in your bookmarks and select "Delete Download File" to see the revised version. Thanks! [yellow heart]
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