Chapter 1 The Transfer Student's Disaster Day
On a warm and sunny morning at Sakura-on Elementary School, Rei Furuya walked alone in the third-floor corridor with his small schoolbag on his back.
It was during the first class at Sakura Elementary School. Apart from the faint sound of recitation coming from the classroom next door and the sound of Rei Furuya's own footsteps, there was no other sound in the corridor. The surroundings were very quiet, and there were no other pedestrians in Rei Furuya's sight.
Although there were no obstacles, Rei Furuya still walked very slowly, his steps sluggish, as if intentionally delaying his integration into the new group. Of course, this was understandable, because including this time, Rei Furuya had transferred schools three times in a short period of time.
His frequent school transfers were all due to his distinctive striking blond hair and dark skin, which set him apart from other children.
Such a unique appearance always attracts strange looks from others; most people will only be surprised, while a very small number will be repulsed.
Unfortunately, children's immature minds often make them express all their emotions very directly, which also gives them extraordinary drive.
At least... enough to make Furuya Zero's mixed-race features, which were sought after after his birth, the root of his childhood disasters.
Third grade C class, third grade B class, third grade A class... No matter how long the corridor is, it has an end. Even if it takes more time than normal walking speed, there will always be a moment when you reach your final destination. Furuya Rei stopped in front of the third grade A class sign.
Previous experiences have proven that no matter how many schools you change, you can't change the fact that you will eventually be ostracized. Furuya Rei unconsciously clenched the elastic band of his backpack hanging down his side, looked up at the Class 3-A logo that shone brightly in the sunlight, and his purplish-gray eyes dimmed.
He thought to himself with little hope, "How will this transfer be any different from the previous ones? Probably not much different."
Rei Furuya twitched the corners of his mouth, reached out and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on his backpack strap, mustered his courage and lifted his right foot, preparing to take a few more steps forward, until he reached the door of his new classroom, turned around and officially knocked on the door full of unknown future, facing his new classmates with whom he didn't know how long he would spend time.
But before his raised foot could touch the ground, suddenly—
With a loud bang, accompanied by an unusually loud sound, the door to Class 3-A was flung open from the inside to Rei Furuya's astonished gaze. The gust of wind that followed blew across Rei Furuya's face, instantly messing up his neatly styled blond hair.
Jiangu Ling: "?!!"
Rei Furuya's body stiffened involuntarily, his feet, which were suspended in mid-air, also froze, and he slowly raised his head.
'Gurgle'
After a long while, Furuya Rei finally came to his senses, swallowed hard in fear, his purplish-gray pupils contracted, and his gaze was fixed on the door that had almost brushed past him.
Two steps! Just two steps away!!!
If he had been just a second faster, he would have walked right up to the front door and crashed into it. In that case, he wouldn't have faced just a small whirlwind from the side when the door was pushed open. The consequences would have been far more severe than simply having his hair messed up!
Rei Furuya raised his hand to smooth his messy blond hair as he looked up angrily, wanting to know who was so inconsiderate.
Seriously, don't they know they should be careful when opening and closing doors to avoid accidentally bumping into someone who might be standing behind them?!
Fukiya Rei: (Kawahara River)!
Rei Furuya reacted fairly quickly, so even though he was a few seconds late, his raised gaze was still able to catch a glimpse of a woman hurrying away.
The woman who walked away quickly had long, glossy black hair that reached her waist, gleaming beautifully in the sunlight. Regardless of anything else, her cascading hair alone was enough to draw the attention of passersby.
Not to mention that while walking, she held her phone high to her ear and talked back and forth with the person opposite her, but her feet never stopped, and her high heels almost sparked.
Wow... she really is a... very energetic lady?
Despite leaving in such a hurry, she stubbornly maintained communication with the person on the other end of the phone. What could have happened in such a rush?
Rei Furuya's ears faintly caught the words 'police station,' 'deceased,' and 'witness' in the flowing wind, which only intensified his curiosity.
However, that's not the point. The point is that the figure who left in such a hurry seemed to be in such a rush that he didn't have time to carefully observe his surroundings. After pushing open the door, he turned straight to the left, crossed the corridor in a few steps, and rushed down the stairs on the other side, leaving only a fleeting glimpse of his back to everyone else.
Of course, given the current situation and time, almost all the teachers and students were quietly attending classes in the classrooms, so only Furuya Rei was caught off guard and had his face suddenly covered in a flurry of activity.
Class 3A was very close to the stairs on the other side, and the long-haired lady walked very fast, so even when Furuya Rei looked up in time, he only caught a glimpse of her turning around at the end of the corridor and walking towards the stairs. Almost the next second, her figure disappeared without a trace, leaving only the remnants of Furuya Rei's retina.
As for the fragments of conversations that Furuya Rei vaguely heard before?
Perhaps... that was just a useless attempt to hold her back from thin air, left behind by the long-haired woman as she moved forward.
Naturally, it's understandable that the long-haired woman, walking in such a hurry, wouldn't notice that Furuya Rei almost suffered an undeserved misfortune, since Furuya Rei was standing on the right side of the gate, which happened to be opposite to her path.
Perhaps, this is partly due to the fact that Riku Zero's current altitude is insufficient, its space occupancy is low, and its presence is not particularly significant?
However, Furuya Rei would never admit it; isn't it only natural that an elementary school student is not tall enough?
The series of thoughts I just had seemed to take a long time, but in reality, it was only a fleeting moment.
So even though Rei Furuya reacted quickly, by the time he truly came to his senses and realized what the scene he had just witnessed meant to him...
It's getting late (sad face).
Two seconds later, Furuya Rei's eyes widened suddenly. He unconsciously followed the direction the long-haired woman had left in a few futile steps before hesitating and stopping.
He stood there, bewildered, lowering his hand that had been raised unconsciously as a gesture of urging him to stay, his wide eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.
Wait, could the long-haired woman who just walked past him be... his new homeroom teacher...?
It's... it's that Matsusaka-sensei who was supposed to be in charge of his enrollment today?!
Zero stagnation during the trough.
He brainstormed, trying to recall as quickly as possible the voice he heard on the phone when he talked to his future homeroom teacher before transferring schools, and then carefully compared the gradually clearer memory with the voice he had just captured.
Finally, Rei Furuya came to a conclusion he desperately didn't want to face.
Although the impression Matsuzaka-sensei left on him during the phone conversation seemed to be slightly different from her actual appearance... if we only consider the voices, then they really are the same person!
And he... Furuya Rei slowly closed his eyes, his breath becoming heavier.
And he! He just stood there and watched Matsuzaka-sensei slip away right in front of him!!!
So what should he do now? Rei Furuya was speechless, choked with emotion.
He moved his right foot, which had just landed, and with a somewhat stiff expression, slowly turned his head to the left, only to meet the curious gazes of the room.
Ah, just as I expected, my anxiety has finally died down.
—The two steps he took while unconsciously chasing just now placed Rei Furuya right at the door of Class 3-A, completely exposing him to the sight of everyone in the class.
A class student: looking confused and surprised. Hey, why is someone suddenly appearing at the door?
Rei Furuya: Stiff movements, blank stare, haha, sorry for suddenly appearing!
Class A students: "..." Hehe
Jianggu Ling: "..." No hehehe
Everything happened too fast, leaving Furuya Rei no time to react or have any choice, just like when he watched Matsuzaka-sensei leave, catching him completely off guard.
So now, what should he do to resolve this unexpected and strange crisis? Rei Furuya brainstormed, thinking very seriously.
There was only one thing he was certain of: backing down and pretending nothing had happened was too late. That would only make him look stupid and like a fool, leaving a ridiculous first impression!
...
"Hello everyone, I'm Rei Furuya, the new transfer student."
In the end, Rei Furuya chose to face his fate alone. He calmly walked from the door to the podium, facing the gazes of the crowd, and introduced himself to the crowd below who were inexplicably silent.
Sigh, I can't just stand awkwardly at the door with these students, since it seems that Matsuzaka-sensei won't be able to come back to save the day anytime soon.
Life is full of surprises and unexpected events. Rei Furuya's lips curled into a slight smirk... This unexpected turn of events was anything but funny.
Although he was rushed into the task, in the short time it took to get from the door to the podium, Furuya Rei still managed to come up with several different plans to deal with the different attitudes of the students towards him.
Whether it's rejection or welcome, he has different solutions to deal with it, just waiting to obtain the unknowns representing different attitudes so that he can plug them into the formula to answer.
Rei Furuya shifted his gaze to the audience below, preparing to carefully observe their expressions.
Because he had a contingency plan, Rei Furuya's brows furrowed with a sense of composure, and his expression relaxed, no longer as stiff as before.
However, Furuya Rei's relaxed expression quickly stiffened again, becoming even more serious than before.
...Substitute the formula and answer?
Rei Furuya's eye twitched. Murphy's Law is indeed true. He knew things wouldn't be that simple. Damn fate wouldn't let him off so easily!
Having perfectly avoided all options, the reactions of the audience were completely different from what Furuya Rei had predicted.
There was no rejection, no welcome. All the students seemed not to have heard Furuya Rei's self-introduction at all, maintaining the same state as before, remaining silent on their own, as if they were more expecting Furuya Rei's next words or actions.
At the same time, everyone was scrutinizing him with eyes that Furuya Rei couldn't decipher, scrutinizing everything from his hair to his eyes, including his skin and clothing, leaving no detail unchecked.
...That's so strange.
These stares were so intense they were almost offensive. How could anyone scrutinize a complete stranger like that? It was blatant and utterly unreserved.
Strangely enough, Rei Furuya didn't sense any malice from him whatsoever!
Something's not right. Something's nine out of ten things is wrong.
Rei Furuya was completely bewildered. He looked at the crowd waiting below the stage, trying to understand their intentions. The crowd returned his gaze with expectant looks.
Students: all with starry-eyed anticipation.jpg
EEG reception failed, trough zero: "???"
Huh? What's going on here?
These seemingly harmless gazes left Furuya Rei somewhat bewildered, and the atmosphere around him, as if the silence had drained the air, was suffocating him—though it wasn't entirely quiet, Furuya Rei thought he heard a soft, surprised gasp, but he dismissed it as an auditory hallucination under the weight of the pressure.
Completely disoriented, Furuya Rei was momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Was he misreading the atmosphere? Or were they genuinely expecting something? If they were indeed expressing expectations, what were they expecting?
Do something quickly, Rei Furuya, at least don't let the atmosphere stay this awful and quiet!
Bathed in the strange, expectant gazes of the crowd, Rei Furuya, drenched in sweat and momentarily losing his composure (Rei Furuya is defeated, defeat CG +1), could only hesitate and repeat:
"Hello everyone, I'm... the new transfer student... Rei Furuya?"
This time, the people in the classroom seemed to finally realize that Furuya Rei's performance had come to an end, and they finally had a different reaction than before—Furuya Rei was almost grateful for it.
Unfortunately, he soon realized that he had been too quick to be grateful, and things seemed even more wrong than his earlier silence.
The air remained silent for three seconds before the suppressed excitement in everyone's hearts finally surfaced on their faces.
With a loud 'boom,' a continuous and intense cheer suddenly erupted in the classroom. Without warning, the atmosphere quickly changed from a cold, frozen state to a fiery, boiling one, and it was still heating up.
The change was too abrupt, and the current atmosphere seemed strangely intense to Furuya Rei, which made him take a defensive step back.
It's not that Furuya Rei can't accept others' welcome and cheers; in the past, many of his peers have praised his appearance, saying that his blond hair and dark skin made him unique and handsome, like a prince from a fairy tale.
Although these praises quickly disappear due to herd mentality and a desire to avoid trouble, this is because the few who truly reject him are often louder and bigger, and they are not stingy in causing trouble for him and anyone who dares to get close to him.
...as if they could derive pleasure from it.
Previously, even when someone praised him, he would only say a few words, very reservedly, unlike now, when the praise is overwhelming and can be described as fanatical.
That's right, it's fanaticism. For a moment, Furuya Rei felt like he was being besieged by zombies. He was almost terrified by this bizarre fanaticism.
Looking at the cheering crowd in the classroom, Furuya Rei felt completely out of place and was full of questions. He just wanted to ask loudly what everyone was cheering about. He couldn't understand it at all.
What on earth are you cheering for?!
Could it be that they are welcoming him—the unique and extraordinary transfer student, Rei Furuya?
But even after racking his brains, he still felt that something was wrong.
Yes, he was the center of everyone's attention and the focus of the cheers, but Furuya Rei always felt that everything he was facing was irrelevant to him.
He was like the protagonist in an important play who hadn't read the script or knew his lines. The stage was set, the curtain was drawn, and the other actors had already entered their roles and begun their immersive performances. Only he, suddenly pushed to the center of the stage, stood blankly facing the audience with an empty mind.
I have this feeling that I've unintentionally become part of someone else's game... Is it just my imagination?
...How awful!
Could this be some kind of strange prank, or some kind of special ritual for transfer students?
Furuya Rei thought resentfully.
Very well, now things are really starting to feel really wrong. It would be better to go back to a few minutes ago and have everyone face each other and remain silent!
At least he wasn't the only one who didn't understand!
Hmm, it's probably not just him... right?
Okay, okay, Furuya Rei admitted that not long ago, when he looked at the new class sign, he secretly hoped that this transfer would be different from the previous ones, but this was not the kind of difference he really wanted.
A missing teacher, strange classmates, a bizarre opening reminiscent of a ghost story, and yourself being the only one who doesn't fit in... It's a disaster day for a transfer student!
Just then, Rei Furuya's keen ears twitched, and he extracted a name that was frequently mentioned and seemed to be quite popular here from the loud and noisy 'white noise'—Nekono, Ikuya.
Nekono Ikuya? Furuya Rei blinked, quite curious. Who was Nekono Ikuya?
A note from the author:
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