New Life
The clear and resonant voice of the lecture echoed in the moderately large classroom. The sounds of pages turning and pens scratching across paper were both chaotic and orderly.
It was the first time for Inujuanji to attend class in such a "quiet" classroom.
The students are listening to the lecture, and those who don’t study are actually the odd ones out.
Students who are no longer willing to absorb knowledge will just stare blankly or doze off by themselves. If they are caught passing notes, they will realize that what they did was wrong and obediently accept the teacher's punishment.
This is a learning environment that Gojumaki Ji could never imagine.
...Is this a normal school? Inujuan Ji thought.
In such a suitable environment for studying, he was a little dazed and couldn't help but recall his previous campus life.
——Physical skills and spells are the key to teaching, and cultural courses are just tools to supplement common sense.
Most subjects seem useless in the eyes of students, so they don’t spend time learning them, and it is normal for them to fight and make trouble in class.
The teacher knows the value of knowledge, but cannot make the students empathize with it. Teachers without background deserve to be bullied, and teachers with background are even more indulgent towards these future "pillars" of the magic world.
Especially the innate class differences, what the three great families said was compiled into "natural law", and cursed power was the only measure of talent, ability, and future.
The rest are not worth mentioning. Children who concentrate on studying other subjects are just idiots.
Inugami Satoru was also "favored" because of his natural cursed power.
He inherited the spell art that no one in the Gojumak family wanted to inherit, and from the moment he could speak, he was destined to enter the spell school.
Like an endangered animal, or a skill that would be lost if not passed on, just to protect that uniqueness, Gojumaki Saki was arranged to be protected by the high-level curse masters... but it was a protection that no one cared about.
Born into a disintegrating family, and without any powerful spells, he had no one to rely on. The so-called protection was just to ensure that he would not die.
It would be best if he could be a marginally invisible person - but he happens to be a unique spellcaster.
There are always those with a strong thirst for knowledge who force him to speak, and when they are hurt, they turn around and feel resentment and revenge, forcing him to speak out in resistance, and the cycle begins again.
In the face of repeated torture, Goujuan Ji was full of doubts about himself - would he never be able to master his abilities in this life and would he always be on the path of hurting others?
His parents expected him to control his own magical powers, to find people of his kind, and to make friends... but he achieved none of these.
Can a person who is isolated by the leader of the children in the magic school make true friends?
After days of silence, his mental problems were finally taken seriously. His parents didn't know how much effort they put into convincing the high-ranking officials in the magic arts to let him go and let him return to the life of a normal child.
When he first left, Goumaki Ji was afraid of having to go back, so he impulsively ran away from home, but luckily he met Hinata Aoi.
…and then he brought misfortune to others once again.
When he fell down the stairs, he really wanted to sacrifice his life for Hinata Aoi's. He had no idea about gods, so he shouted the general term "God" in his heart, praying only once before he fainted.
Perhaps because his intentions were sincere enough, the fracture fell on him.
He was happy, but it couldn't offset his guilt.
Inumaki Satoru was determined not to bother Hinata Aoi anymore, but was still persuaded by the man.
"Ji is such a brave boy, he has protected Xiaokui well~"
The outgoing Huiyuan Xiong addressed Goumaki Saki a little too intimately, and through his own experience and eloquence, he became familiar with Goumaki's parents and gained their trust.
He seems to be very good at intimidating and tempting children.
"If you're discouraged like this, then this is how my life will be!"
"Ji is 12, right? October is considered a young birthday, so it's just right for him to be Xiaokui's classmate. What a coincidence~"
"The danger may not be here, or it may be everywhere... Doesn't Ji want to be friends with Xiao Kui?"
It’s not that Haibara Yuuda is good at persuasion, but that he persuaded Goumaki Satoru to the point of being inconsiderate.
She might need my protection, Goujuanji thought.
He gave himself a reason to approach, nodded silently, and then let Huiyuan Xiong's hand pave the way.
The man achieved his goal and leaned closer with a frown on his face.
A light voice passed by Goujuanji's ears:
"Ji can talk to Xiaokui more secretly."
"Aoi won't be affected by any cursed energy—this is a secret."
…
After the class ended, the lively break time became a little awkward.
Just as they had sent off a deaf student, they welcomed a mute one. The previous unhappiness still left traces in the children's hearts, and they didn't know how to get along with their new classmates.
The stalemate lasted until the next break, and the first one who couldn't hold back was still Ueno Naoka.
The other person was a boy, and Ueno unceremoniously poked Ishida Masaya's arm with the end of his fountain pen.
"what?!"
Before she could open her mouth, Ishida understood her intention and lost control of the tone of his voice, shouting out a little louder with a hint of rejection.
Realizing that he had overreacted, Ishida shut his mouth and quickly glanced at Inuju, then looked at Ueno with a complaining look and turned his head away.
Ueno Naoka was also frightened by Ishida's voice, and muttered, "Why are you so excited?", but still poked Ishida again in a flattering manner.
"...You're the most popular boy in the class, so why don't you take care of the new students?"
She added softly, "Not everyone is Xigong..."
These two sentences were like a poke in the throat of Shoya Ishida.
Why mention her?! Ishida Shoya was furious.
Whenever he thought of that person, he felt aggrieved, as if everything that happened was his fault.
The more Ishida thought about it, the angrier he became. With the urge to prove himself, he stood up from his seat and walked quickly to Inumaki Saki.
"Hello, no, um... hello!"
Ishida's eyes were darting around, not daring to look at Goujuan for more than a second. He even deliberately glanced at Goujuan's ears to make sure there were no objects that shouldn't be there.
"...Would you like to have lunch together?"
*
"So you made a lunch appointment with someone without even introducing yourself?"
Ishida had no idea how red his face was, and he was still stubborn: "Won't we be familiar with each other after dinner? I was thinking of introducing it to you all at that time."
“…Don’t laugh!”
"I'm not laughing~" Ueno tried hard to hide his speechless and funny expression.
It was Kawai Miki who discovered the key point: "What does 'by that time' mean?"
"During dinner! Don't we eat together?" Ishida said as if it was a matter of course, without any guilt at all for dragging others into the mess.
Ueno Naoka was horrified: "Who wants to eat with you?"
"Didn't you stab me and persuade me?" This time, Ishida Shoya learned his lesson and no longer acted as the first bird to stick its head out or the gun that automatically aimed and shot.
If anyone leaves this dinner now, they can no longer be friends. Ueno and Kawai could only reluctantly accept it.
Lunch break——
Inujuki watched Hinata Aoi leave the classroom with her lunch box, and then went to keep the appointment.
He had long understood that if you didn't have too many expectations, you wouldn't be disappointed. He had come to a regular school simply hoping to live a quiet, stable campus life, free from the cynicism and violence of oppression.
To protect Hinata Aoi and to live a peaceful life - these were the two goals he set for himself.
But reality still severely knocked his flag off. Hinata Aoi ignored him.
...If the girl is in a bad mood, can he still continue the so-called "protection"? The boy concluded that the answer was no.
Inujū Sō probably learned about Hinata Aoi from Haibara Yuu, and knew that she was not the type to hold a grudge, but Haibara Yuu did not reveal more, and only told him to get along with Hinata Aoi on his own. After all, people's attitudes towards each other cannot be generalized.
Now he had a profound understanding of the inability to generalize. This was worse than resentment; it was like treating him like air. He had thought he was finding the beginnings of friendship, but instead he had stepped into the abyss that lay between them.
He urgently needed to analyze why Hinata Aoi reacted in this way, so he accepted Ishida's invitation and wanted to ask Hinata Aoi's classmates indirectly.
......
All participants in this elementary school lunch gathering learned a lesson – don’t let the mute be the topic of conversation during meals!
A person has two hands, but usually only one is trained to be extra flexible. If both hands are flexible and can write, then they are simply born with the ability to copy.
The students present were all right-handed, holding chopsticks in their right hands and their bento in their left, using their mouths to chatter. Inugamiji also held chopsticks in his right hand, using his left to pry open a small opening in his mask to pass food... He had no mouth to speak, let alone hands to "talk."
Even if he was born to copy the Holy Communion, he would not have a hand free to "speak".
At the beginning, he just nodded when others introduced themselves. For the rest of the time, no matter what questions he heard, he would blink his innocent big eyes and look over, as if he had "I'm not in a position to answer" engraved in his eyes.
The other three had no choice but to find no topic to talk about regarding their new classmates, so they could only chat about daily matters, gradually marginalizing Goujuanji.
Inujuan Ji was also eating his lunch box obediently on the side, and occasionally responded to the topic in a corresponding manner, making himself seem not so out of place.
His goal was achieved.
It would be strange to bring up questions about Hinata Aoi so abruptly if you are not interested in anyone else.
However, he himself is not good at expressing himself, so he does not waste time beating around the bush. Listening silently is more conducive to his collection of information, understanding each person's personality, and selecting the most suitable communication partner.
"...Your mom is a great hairdresser, so why do you have such a spiky haircut?"
The conversation turned to hair styles. Naoka Ueno measured Ishida's hair with chopsticks, as if she were trying to pry apart a sea urchin.
"Very handsome, okay!" Ishida was irritated by the girl who didn't know what cool was. He waved his hand and said, "Doesn't Gojuan have a spiky haircut too? Why don't you talk about him?"
Ueno's eyes rolled and his tone weakened slightly: "...Inujuan's mother is not a hairdresser." And she is much more beautiful than you, don't you know?
In order to prevent Ishida from losing his temper, she swallowed the second half of her words.
The topic returned to Inujuan Ji.
"Isn't it true that Gojuan-san is more suitable for a style with longer hair?"
"Yeah, it's the length that falls to the eyebrows." Kawai Miki confirmed.
"Oh, like the heroine's childhood sweetheart in 'I'm So Cool When I Get Off Work!'"
The girls had pictures in their minds.
"The hair is silky and fluffy, use a curling iron to curl the ends, and make a slight space in the middle of the bangs."
"Yeah, it really suits her!" Kawai Miki exclaimed, as if she had witnessed Inumaki Satoru changing his hairstyle to this with her own eyes.
Ishida couldn't stand them anymore: "How disgusting~, the coolest one has to be Ultraman Tiga's Mohawk!"
“…”
“…”
Both girls were silent.
"What? Am I wrong?" How could there be anyone in this world who would reject Ultraman?
"Nothing..." Ueno waved his hand, "As long as you like it."
It seems that Ishita's mother has made great efforts for Ishita's hairstyle.
Or they simply couldn't imagine how much Ishida's hairstyle would make the boys around her jealous.
Inugami Saki was still trapped in the hairstyle described by the two girls - long hair reaching the eyebrows, parted in the middle... Isn't that the hairstyle of Haibara Yu?
Huiyuan should have a good relationship with the girl.
So Hinata Aoi ignored him because she didn't like his hairstyle?
Then she must also dislike Ishida Shoya, Inumaki Tsutomu concluded.
He also listed this childish reason as one of the "factors that made him ignored." Unlike Ishida, who pursued "art" in his own way, changing his hairstyle to become close to Nishikaku Aoi was not a good deal.
Ueno Naoka turned around and saw Inumaki Satoru with his eyes downcast in thought. She thought he had heard what Ishida said and was also thinking about changing his hairstyle to be like Ultraman, so she quickly found a topic to interrupt him.
"Mr. Goujuan, just stay the same. It suits your temperament very well, a cool and refreshing feeling." It's so hard to get a handsome guy in the class, don't waste his energy on him.
"Thank you." Inujuan Ji had finished eating and took out his notebook to respond.
"...Ah, well, you're welcome." Ueno blinked, looked at Kawai beside him, and whispered to himself, "Inujuan-san and Aoi look alike, especially in the eyes."
"Where? The colors are all different?"
"It gives people the same feeling." It's a feeling of being able to see through people. No matter how much smile is on the face, the eyes maintain a calm insight.
She also noticed that her voice was not too low, so she turned to explain to Inumaki: "Hinata Aoi, you know what? It's your deskmate. Just like you, it's not convenient for him to talk."
"By the way, you should know sign language, right? That would make communication very convenient~"
Kawai, who was standing by, tilted his head slightly, feeling that this sentence sounded so familiar.
Did Xiaozhi...say something similar to Nishimiya?
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