Chapter 3, Section 3: The New School's Unusual Files
Meanwhile, in Class 3-A of Sakura Elementary School, the classmates whom Nekono Ikuya was thinking about did not notice that Nekono Ikuya had broken his promise, so naturally they were not disappointed, nor did they miss him.
As for the reason, it's because—they saw the new transfer student as a surprise and mistook Furuya Rei for Nekono Ikuya!
This is why Furuya Zero had a terrible experience after just one hour at the new school.
Rei Furuya: TDTDTD, terrible review, terrible review, terrible review!
There is no such thing as a peaceful and carefree life; it's just that someone is bearing the burden for you, so you can smile without feeling tired.
Although Nekono Ikuya, who was eating snacks, singing songs, and enjoying being fed by all the older brothers and sisters in the police station, was not very satisfied with his current situation, he would probably vehemently reject the description of a peaceful and idyllic life.
However, if Furuya Rei knew, he would definitely cling to the label of "carrying a heavy burden" and consciously identify with it, since this sudden burden was indeed too heavy for him.
Unfortunately, at this moment, Rei Furuya, who has lost his true identity and is innocently seen as someone else's substitute by his new classmates, has not yet discovered the real problem.
Rei Furuya just felt that this new school was truly strange in every way, whether it was the teachers or the classmates.
At this moment, Rei Furuya was sitting upright in his seat, listening attentively to the lecture. Although he seemed to have integrated into the group, he still felt like an outsider.
A few minutes ago, the classroom, which had been as noisy as a kettle being pushed open by boiling steam on a stove, finally began to quiet down. This was all thanks to a sharp-eyed student near the back door who shouted, "I think I see Ms. Kobayashi coming! Everyone, hurry back to your seats!"
It has been proven that the presence of teachers during one's school years still has a considerable deterrent effect on most students.
Sure enough, these words were like cold water being poured into a boiling pot, and the cheers around them gradually subsided.
Even a few classmates who had naturally gathered around him and curiously looked him over, perhaps because they were too outgoing, turned around and obediently returned to their seats.
Incidentally, when these people suddenly surrounded him, Furuya Rei felt a moment of tension, almost thinking they were going to fight him.
It's no wonder that Furuya Rei reacted so strongly. After all, if they weren't really planning to fight him, why would these people rush up to him and scrutinize him so intently as soon as he finished his self-introduction, with some even seemingly trying to reach out to him?
They had only just met, and such behavior would hardly be considered friendly or polite anywhere.
Hmm, were they actually trying to fight him? But it doesn't seem like it.
Rei Furuya was conflicted and couldn't make an accurate judgment for a long time, because despite their unruly behavior, Rei Furuya felt that these people's eyes didn't seem to have any malice towards him... although they didn't seem to have any kindness either.
Unable to make an accurate judgment about this strange behavior, Furuya Rei quickly gave up on useless thinking and attributed it to one of the anomalies of the new school.
Anyway, whatever these people wanted to do before, it seems they've given up now, since, as they said, Ms. Kobayashi is coming soon.
However, everyone had returned to their seats, and Furuya Rei wondered if he should also find an empty seat. After all, it would be rather awkward to stand alone on the podium.
"Why did Ms. Kobayashi arrive so quickly? Seriously, I haven't even finished admiring Nekono-sama's new skin yet. I finally managed to get a front-row seat, and Nekono-sama didn't refuse anyone getting close today. Why did Ms. Kobayashi arrive so fast? Damn it, this skin might be a rare, limited-edition skin!"
Just then, Rei Furuya, with his sharp ears, overheard a soft muttering complaint drifting from the side, coming from a friendly classmate who had just gathered around him.
That strange classmate... who seemed to have tentatively reached out to touch his hair earlier, so he marked him and left a deep impression on him!
A huge question mark appeared on Rei Furuya's small head, and he tilted his head in utter confusion.
Rei Furuya: There are so many question marks today, I'm overwhelmed by a mountain of question marks.jpg, the question marks are so big.jpg
What's with "Master Neko" and "limited edition skin"? What's with "Teacher Kobayashi"? What is he babbling about? Is he even speaking human language? What's the connection between these three words? He can't understand a word he hears.
Hmm... a rare skin? Nekono-sama? Furuya Rei guessed wildly. Could it be... this strange classmate is talking about a game character or manga character? Anime/manga?
I don't understand, but I'll just write it down in my mental notebook first.
The new school's unusual files have been updated with a strange anime classmate who talks weird.
The next second, just as the person marked by Furuya Rei as a weirdo from the anime world had left, another tall classmate who had also been familiar with Furuya Rei brushed past him and, before Furuya Rei could react, casually patted him on the shoulder to acknowledge him.
"Let's go back to our seats first. There's no other way, Ms. Kobayashi is coming soon."
Following the direction he was looking up, Furuya Rei saw a conspicuous empty seat, seemingly unoccupied.
Rei Furuya couldn't help but show a puzzled look: "???" Hmm, is it what he thinks?
And hold on a minute, tall guy, have we met before? Why do you act like we know each other so well?
We haven't met... before, have we?
So, what are we going to talk about again? I haven't spoken to you before... have I?
Rei Furuya brainstorms, attempting to unearth non-existent memories from his mind.
Because the tall classmate was so overconfident and showed no flaws, Furuya Rei became somewhat insecure about his own memories.
Seemingly noticing Rei Furuya's questioning gaze, the person who had just patted Rei's shoulder was also puzzled for a moment, then, after seemingly pondering something, immediately explained to him:
"Oh, you don't seem to know yet. Just before you came in, Ms. Matsuzaka hurriedly answered a phone call and ran out. We don't know what happened. But it looks like Ms. Kobayashi is here to substitute for us this time. Alright, let's go."
After saying that, he left first.
Furuya Rei hesitated, knowing full well that he had just watched Matsuzaka-sensei's retreating figure, unable to stop him despite his best efforts.
That's not what he was wondering about!
But... oh well, I'll write it down.
Another unusual case has been added to the new school's records: a strange, overly friendly classmate with nonexistent memories?
Rei Furuya remained silent for a moment, then hesitantly walked towards the empty seat. No one stopped him, so he sat down with a belly full of questions.
Perhaps, once the substitute teacher, Ms. Kobayashi, arrives, the eerie atmosphere around us will become a little more normal? At least it won't feel like a ghost story about accidentally wandering into a school.
Hopefully... that's the case.
...
As it turns out, it's best not to have unrealistic hopes for people and things you don't understand, so you're less likely to be disappointed. Rei Furuya remained expressionless.
Not long after Furuya Rei sat down with a belly full of doubts, the legendary Kobayashi-sensei finally pushed open the door in full view of everyone.
Contrary to what Furuya Rei had imagined, a single name was not enough to quell the noisy students. Furuya Rei had thought that Kobayashi-sensei would be a very serious teacher, probably around middle age.
If you had to describe Furuya Rei's preconceived notions about the unseen Kobayashi-sensei in one word, it would be the stereotypical image of a head teacher.
Unfortunately, none of the above predictions matched reality.
The real Ms. Kobayashi was a kind-faced old lady with a very intellectual and elegant temperament, and her eyes and brows contained the composure that time had bestowed upon her.
It's clear that the students in the class have a very respectful attitude towards Ms. Lin, but even more so, they feel close to her. This is probably why everyone becomes quiet and well-behaved as soon as they hear Ms. Lin's name.
Although the reason for his obedience differed from what Furuya Rei had imagined, it was still reasonable.
Because Ms. Kobayashi is not strict, the students feel close to her. So, when Ms. Kobayashi was preparing her lesson plan before class, some of the bolder students chatted with her.
The strange, overly friendly classmate with nonexistent memories asked curiously in a loud voice, "Ms. Kobayashi, Ms. Matsuzaka just rushed out after receiving a phone call, without having a chance to tell us anything. What did she do? Does Ms. Kobayashi know?"
By the way, this strange, overly friendly classmate was sitting in the seat in front of Furuya Rei, no wonder he just invited Furuya Rei to ride with him.
While flipping through her lesson plan, Ms. Kobayashi on the stage replied, "Unfortunately, I don't know what your Mr. Matsusaka is doing."
She sighed helplessly: "Because I met your teacher Matsusaka on the street, and she randomly grabbed me like a lifeline to substitute for your class. Almost as soon as I agreed to help with the substitute class, Teacher Matsusaka ran away immediately, so I don't know what your teacher Matsusaka is up to."
Ms. Kobayashi recalled: "The only thing I knew was that Mr. Matsuzaka was heading towards the school gate, so he probably needed to leave the school and wouldn't be able to come back for a while."
"I see." The strangely outgoing classmate was a little disappointed upon hearing this, and casually joked, "Matsusaka-sensei is still as energetic as ever."
"Yes, yes, she looks like a cold and beautiful woman, but she's actually a very energetic and decisive teacher!" The students around her nodded in agreement and chuckled to themselves.
Ms. Kobayashi smiled indulgently, her eyes crinkling into a warm smile, though it was unclear whether it was directed at the impetuous Matsuzaka or the chattering students.
Perhaps it's a combination of both.
Rei Furuya nodded in agreement. In the teacher section of the new school's anomaly file, it read: "The energetic Matsusaka-sensei!"
Perhaps it was the question from the student in front of her who had been so friendly earlier, or perhaps it was the actions of Rei Furuya that caught Kobayashi's attention, or perhaps it was the only time Kobayashi's questions had surfaced. In any case, Kobayashi's gaze finally turned to Rei Furuya with curiosity.
Ms. Kobayashi first scrutinized Rei Furuya's features for a while, her expression showing some confusion.
Then he looked at where Furuya Rei was sitting, and when he looked at Furuya Rei again, his gaze held a hint of understanding that Furuya Rei couldn't quite grasp.
However, her gaze remained gentle throughout, so even though it contained emotions that Furuya Rei couldn't understand, he didn't dislike her scrutiny.
Ms. Kobayashi suddenly realized: "It's a cat...?"
Jiang Guling: "...?" Cat?
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a girl in the front row wearing a butterfly hair clip, who was laughing.
"Ms. Kobayashi, this is our new transfer student—'Rei Furuya'!"
Rei Furuya: "...??" That's a strange tone.
The girl with the butterfly hair clip has a clear and sweet voice, which is very pleasant to listen to, and there is nothing wrong with what she says.
But whether it was just his imagination or not, Rei Furuya felt that there was something strange about that sentence.
It felt like it was hinting at something, strange and really inexplicable.
Unseen by Rei Furuya, the girl with the butterfly hair clip explained to Ms. Kobayashi with a grin while winking at her.
Rare skin, today's Nekono-sama, the collector's edition transfer student outfit makes a grand appearance!
Oh, oh, oh, the kind old lady on the stage saw the girl in the front row with the butterfly hair clip and winked at her playfully.
Don't worry, I understand.
She looked at Rei Furuya with admiration in her eyes: "Rei Furuya? Your outfit today is also very nice!"
Rei Furuya: "...???" Today's outfit?
After she finished speaking, she got into the zone, and soon the classroom was filled with a harmonious and joyful teaching atmosphere.
Rei Furuya remains, buried under a mountain of question marks. (Image: So many question marks.)
It seems his new school's unusual files are about to add two more characters. When will Matsuzaka-sensei finally come back?
He desperately needs someone to answer all the questions that have been piling up in his mind until now!
A note from the author:
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