Chapter 8, Chapter Eight, was so absurd that it made him laugh for no apparent reason. ...
Rei Furuya stared at the scattered odds and ends on the table, looking puzzled.
His classmates, who were silently watching him, also looked puzzled.
What is Nekono-kun doing? Why is she suddenly taking inventory of the props?
Or perhaps…? A subtle gleam appeared in everyone's eyes, a quiet anticipation rising within them. Could it be that Nekono-kun has come up with another brilliant idea?!
Today's "half-blooded prince" outfit is already surprising enough, could there be a hidden surprise?
Lost in their own emotions of confusion or anticipation, Rei Furuya and the others spent the break between the first and second classes peacefully.
Until—"Ring ring~"
The crisp, pleasant school bell rang, and Ms. Kobayashi slowly walked out of the classroom with her lesson plan in hand. The substitute teaching task entrusted to her by Ms. Matsusaka had been completed.
Almost the next second, the classroom door burst open, sunlight streamed in, and a tall, robust boy with a slightly tanned complexion strode in.
This tall male student was obviously from another class, but it was clear that the students in Class A were quite familiar with him, and many of them looked up and waved to him.
However, the other party ignored the Class A students who were waving and greeting him in a friendly manner. As soon as the door opened, his gaze was immediately locked in one direction—the direction of Furuya Rei.
Before anyone else could react, his eyes lit up, and he strode straight toward Furuya Rei.
The tall figure approached with an undeniable aura, ignoring Furuya Rei's slightly furrowed brows and instantly sharp gaze. With a loud "bang!", he slammed his palm heavily onto Furuya Rei's desk, the force so great that the notebook on the desk jumped.
The air in the classroom seemed to freeze for a moment. Furuya Rei's heart tightened, he raised his eyes, his body tensed silently, and he subtly adjusted his posture.
The newcomer was incredibly tall; his hands were resting on the edge of Furuya Rei's table as he slowly bent down.
An oppressive shadow pressed down as he leaned forward, instantly enveloping the tabletop, and the shadow climbed onto Furuya Rei.
The imposing size of his body was too overwhelming, causing Rei Furuya to furrow his brows even more deeply and be forced to lean back slightly.
The towering, burly figure blocked out a large portion of the sunlight, almost completely enveloping Rei Furuya in his shadow.
He stared wide-eyed, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping unceremoniously over Furuya Rei's face. His eyes, like blinding searchlights, pierced through Furuya Rei's exceptionally bright light-gold hair and the contrasting deep honey-colored skin.
The big guy brazenly scrutinized Furuya Rei, muttering in amazement, "Blonde hair and honey skin, I've never seen such a combination before..."
The tone was both curious and evaluative.
Rei Furuya's heart sank instantly, his fingers curled slightly, and his knuckles clenched quietly under the table.
What a boring opening line. Are they here to cause trouble again? Furuya Rei is all too familiar with this kind of opening. His unusual hair color and skin tone have often been the trigger for trouble in his past school days.
Is a new round of probing and provocations about to begin? Tsk, it's a bit earlier than usual, but not surprising.
Rei Furuya slightly bent his back, his eyes flashing with a wary, cold light, sharp as a cheetah poised to pounce; he was ready.
Unexpectedly, the situation changed drastically in the next second.
The big man suddenly straightened up, a bright smile spreading across his face, and the scrutiny in his eyes instantly turned into heartfelt admiration.
He exaggeratedly raised a thumb, grinned, and suddenly raised his voice to a booming level: "But—you're still as handsome as ever! Truly worthy of being called Nekono-kun!!!"
Ah, no, not this! Ah?!
The sudden turn of events caught Rei Furuya off guard, leaving his mind blank for a moment.
He maintained his slightly bowed, guarded posture, but his eyes gradually became vacant, as if his whole being had been put on pause.
No, Nekono-kun? Who? Me? Who is Nekono-kun? Am I Nekono-kun? No, is that right?
The loading icon on the bottom of the screen suddenly lit up, then started spinning, got stuck, spun again, got stuck again, spun wildly, got stuck wildly...
The illusory loading icon kept spinning and getting stuck in a loop until it finally gave way and exploded with a "bang," along with Furuya Rei's sanity.
He stared at the big man in front of him who was giving a thumbs-up and smiled broadly, not at all like someone joking.
This doesn't make sense!
But that wasn't all. The big guy's praise seemed to ignite a signal, and the students who had been peering around immediately swarmed over as if drawn by a magnet, chiming in with their own opinions:
"Yes, yes, as expected of Nekono-san!"
"This look is so unique!"
"When it comes to fashion, Nekono-sama is the only one!"
"Nekono-kun is still shining brightly today!"
...
Not only his own class, but when Furuya Rei glanced over unintentionally, he saw a row of little heads popping up at the door and outside the window, all staring intently at him. When Furuya Rei's gaze swept over them, he could even see them cheering softly.
Who are these people? When did they all arrive? And why are they all...?
Rei Furuya felt as if a string in his brain snapped, and a certain area of his brain overloaded with a "buzz," as if something was instantly pulled away, and what filled the void was a shockwave called absurdity.
A shockwave of absurdity: Aim, whoosh—boom!
The emotional shockwave of absurdity was so powerful that it felt like it had actually struck his brain, rushing down his skull to his scalp, leaving Rei Furuya sitting there frozen in place, his light golden hair almost standing on end under the influence of this invisible stimulus.
Rei Furuya: Messy in the wind.jpg
A few seconds later, his soul returned to its place, and his consciousness finally returned with difficulty. Furuya Rei suddenly raised his head, and the huge sense of absurdity instantly turned into a raging fire of anger, burning his ears and making his cheeks flush.
Although... the slight blush on his honey-colored face wasn't very noticeable.
Fire ignited in Rei Furuya's purplish-gray eyes, but his tone remained icy: "I am Furuya! Rei Furuya! I am not some Nekono-kun!"
He looked around, his gaze piercing the noisy classmates one by one, and emphasized his name word by word, each word pronounced clearly and forcefully.
Rei Furuya explained very seriously, and the students around him listened to him with great attention. Even the students who were talking stopped talking when Rei Furuya's gaze swept over them and stared at him intently.
Rei Furuya nodded in satisfaction, believing that this absurd misunderstanding—mistaking him for someone else—should end now, however it may have started.
Unfortunately, he was wrong again—in fact, since this morning, not a single one of his predictions has been accurate, and too many things have gone against his expectations.
Rei Furuya's resounding announcement and resolute clarification earned him a tacit nod of understanding from everyone.
"Oh, it's Rei Furuya~"
"I understand, I understand!"
"Yes, yes, yes, let the valley descend, let the valley descend."
"We understand, Furuya-kun!"
Everyone smiled knowingly, all showing expressions of "I understand, I understand" and "We all get it," and quickly changed their tune, exchanging glances with each other. Some even tried to exchange a look with Rei Furuya.
It's as if Rei Furuya's name isn't a real person's name, but rather a tacit code between them.
Rei Furuya's eyes widened: But I don't understand!
However, he quickly understood that because Furuya Rei's five senses were sharp, including his hearing, he could hear the whispers of his classmates.
Rei Furuya pricked up his ears and eavesdropped expressionlessly:
"Oh, did you hear that? Today, Nekono-san's persona is 'Mysterious Transfer Student Furuya Rei'!"
"A half-blood prince, plus a transfer student persona, that's so cool!"
"They even made a point of changing their names; the attention to detail is impressive, and they acted very seriously."
"As expected of Nekono-sama, her acting is so professional!"
"That's...that's Nekono!"
"If you're going to call him Rei Furuya, you can't call him Nekono anymore."
"Understood! Will definitely cooperate!"
...
A surge of heat rushed to the top of his head, instantly drying up the little rationality that Furuya Rei had left. Furuya Rei's mind seemed to be thrown into a vacuum, and he was in a state of near-out-of-body experience.
But this also calmed him down.
Furuya Rei gradually closed his eyes, chuckling. "Heh, it seems I know what's going on. These people... they're completely untrustworthy!"
Of course, other information could be gleaned from the noisy conversations around him, such as—"Note this down, note this down, Daily News, Today's Fashion Column, The Ever-Changing Nekono-sama Special Column—The Mysterious Transfer Student Furuya Rei!"
Furuya Rei looked around in silence. This school actually had a daily news program?! Well then, congratulations, you may have achieved a breakthrough today, broadcasting your first false report.
The school's false reporting adds one point, and the reporter's credibility decreases by one point. It's truly sad (sad).
Although she held out hope, Rei Furuya tentatively tried to explain to everyone again, "But I really am just Rei Furuya and not Nekono?"
Everyone said in unison, "Okay, Furuya-kun!"
Rei Furuya was speechless and choked with emotion: "..."
He felt his name being snatched away by some invisible force at that moment. The menacing "Nekono Ikuya" slammed down and arrogantly pushed aside the weak "Furuya Rei," domineeringly taking over Furuya Rei's head.
No, "Nekono Ikuya" not only maliciously pushed "Furuya Rei" out of its place and took over its original spot, but also went even further by pulling "Furuya Rei" over itself and using it as a blanket.
Furuya Zero (brain out, rambling): Three words really can't beat four words?
Now, "Rei Furuya" has completely become a disguise for "Ikuya Nekono," and everyone thinks that the person under the skin of "Rei Furuya" is actually "Ikuya Nekono."
Without hesitation, without pause, without a shroud in confusion, I am utterly baffled. Is this some new form of bullying?
Because things had developed so absurdly, Rei Furuya was not only not angry, but actually felt like laughing. Perhaps this was a case of laughing in anger.
That's weird, it made him laugh for no reason.
A note from the author:
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