The high school Kousuke attends divides grade level by floor.  The first floor has first years, the second floor has second years, and the third floor has third years.  There is no rule preventing students from going to another grade’s floor, but students rarely go to floors of a different grade than their own.

“Hey, isn’t that…!”
“Kyaa, today was a day Lisa-senpai comes to schoo—l!”
“Awesome!  The actual girl herself is quite cute after all.”
“What kind of business does she have on the 1^st years’ floor?”

However, this day was different.

“Hey, you.  Is this class 1-E?”
“Ah, it is!  This is class 1-E!  Also, I’m a fan!  I am always supporting you!”
“Thanks.  Please continue to support me from here on too.”
“Of-of course!”

Chasing after a certain female student, almost all of the 2^nd year and 3^rd year students have gathered on the 1^st floor, the floor of the 1^st years.

“If I’m not wrong, black hair, average build, average height…perhaps that child over there?”

A petite girl with short brown hair and a cute face enters the classroom of class 1-E with a composed expression despite being exposed to curious gazes.

◇

“I wonder what happened to everyone?”

It is lunch time.  While eating with Ishida and Takigawa in the classroom, Kousuke is thinking about yesterday.  According to the plan, the class representative along with Souji, Akira, and Shizuku were supposed to visit his home, but they suddenly cancelled.  I might have been able to learn unknown techniques from the class representative and her group, or possibly even acquire the abilities of Shizuku-san and her friends if it all went well… or maybe it was called off because I was thinking such wicked thoughts.

Evil thoughts, begone!

“The city of night where countless conspiracies swirl, ‘Susukino.’  A former denizen of the underworld speaks of its truth… Hm?  There aren’t many good articles.”

While Kousuke is dispelling his evil intentions, Takigawa, who is messing around with his smartphone, mutters that with a disappointed expression.

“Why are you so dissatisfied?  You always find talking about stuff like that fun.”
“That’s not it.  What I like are topics about the occult.  I like ghosts, aliens, and unknown phenomena.  Human conspiracies and schemes don’t interest me at all.”
“I see, I don’t get it.”

After exchanging those words with Ishida, Takigawa once again returns to fiddling with his smartphone in search of occult articles.

“I wonder, won’t something interesting happen?”
“No, no, peace is the best.”
“When Yuuki says ‘peace,’ doesn’t it sound like a flag?”
“True, it does feel like something interesting is going to happen!”

What’s that?  Sure, nothing but events far from peaceful have been springing up since high school began, and I even came to own this strange sword just the day before yesterday, but that’s because everything up until now has been far too abnormal.

In the first place, for such out-of-the-ordinary events to be happening so easily is strange.  Considering the frequency, I’ve gone through enough events that it wouldn’t be strange if the rest of my life was peaceful.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation.  Are you Yuuki Kousuke-kun?”
“Yes, that’s… me!?”

Kousuke is startled.  Meeting him as he tuns around is a beautiful girl with short brown hair.  This is their first meeting, but he knows her.  She is Hanazono Lisa-senpai from class 2-A.

She is a beauty boasting popularity on par with the class representative and the Tsukino sisters.  Furthermore, even though she is a student, she is a genuine celebrity, currently active as an idol.

“Uwaa, what a huge crowd.”

An abnormal number of onlookers can be seen gathered out in the hallway.  She rarely attends class due to her activities in the public sphere, so a crowd of students wanting to catch a glimpse of her seems to have formed.

“Succe—ss, do you have a moment?  There’s something I’d like to talk to about.”
“Ah, sure, that’s fine.”

Kosuke, taken by the hand by Hanazono-senpai, is led straight out of the classroom.

As expected of a celebrity.  She seems used to crowds and doesn’t care at all about the gazes around us.  Well, I absolutely care, though.  About 20 percent of those gazes are questioning while 80 percent are filled with murderous intent.

“Th-this ain’t interesting at all!”

Kousuke, hearing Takigawa shout like that, leaves the classroom, pulled along by Hanazono-senpai.

*****

Names: Hanazono means Flower Garden.

---

T/N:  For those of you unaware, high school in Japan is only the final three years of high school, 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th.   9^th grade is actually the final year of middle school.  Also, elementary school goes from 1^st grade to 6^th grade.  That said, when students ascend to a new school, the numbering system starts over from 1^st again.

~Alea

<63. A Powerful Existence
65. A Shady Part-Time Job>