A rather expensive-looking car pulled up at the entrance of a high school.
"Well then, I have plans this afternoon, so I won't be picking you two up. Find your own way back by train."
Before they could even process her words, the car had already sped off, leaving them standing in a cloud of exhaust fumes.
Even if she had no plans, Yazuki doubted that Yukinoshita would want to ride in Shizuka's car again. At one point during the drive, she had actually started street racing with another car.
Although Yukinoshita tried to maintain her usual composed demeanor, the pale color on her face betrayed her true feelings.
"…Dragon?"
Out of nowhere, a massive shadow passed over them at high speed, making Yazuki momentarily freeze.
He looked up but saw nothing—no, wait, a plane was roaring overhead.
Must've been a hallucination. He still wasn't fully adjusted to life in this world.
His gaze shifted toward the school entrance.
"Toyogasaki."
What a coincidence. He'd need to be careful—careful of a certain golden-furred mad dog lurking around.
After entering, the two of them sought help from a girl with bob-cut hair and an expressionless face, who led them first to the principal's office for a formal greeting before taking them to the reception room to wait for their contact.
"You look nervous, like you're afraid of running into someone."
Seated calmly, Yukinoshita glanced at Yazuki, her eyes seemingly implying: Are you worried about encountering a girl you've played around with? Afraid she'll come after you with a knife?
"Afraid?—"
As Yazuki was about to scoff, a certain nickname popped into his mind. At the same time, he recalled what Yukinoshita was afraid of. His expression instantly turned serious.
"We do need to be cautious. A certain violent golden-furred mad dog is rumored to be hiding in this school."
As soon as he said that, Yukinoshita Yukino's usually expressionless face showed a trace of fear. The healthy pink hue of her cheeks gradually drained to a deathly pale color.
Meanwhile, Yazuki failed to notice the slight movement of the door behind him, as if someone had just cracked it open.
"Is it really that dangerous?"
Despite trying to sound calm, a barely perceptible tremor in her voice betrayed her.
"Dangerous? You saw how I looked when I got back that day, didn't you? That was the work of that brutal golden-furred beast."
Yazuki shuddered as if recalling a traumatic memory. His reaction made Yukinoshita even more uneasy, and sweat began to form on her porcelain-like face.
Then, with a hint of terror, he continued,
"I heard there was a victim… When they were found, almost nothing remained but bones. Their internal organs—everything—had been completely devoured by that vicious beast…"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, and his body trembled as if he had personally witnessed that tragic scene. He also noticed Yukinoshita's slightly trembling legs as he reached this point.
"Bang—"
The door was suddenly and forcefully pushed open, and a petite figure rushed in at a speed too fast for Yazuki to dodge, slamming into him.
Her slender limbs clung to him like an octopus, especially her delicate hands, which were tightly wrapped around Yazuki's neck, as if trying to strangle him.
"Who are you calling a mad dog, you bastard?!!!"
A furious yet sweet-sounding voice erupted from her petite lips, revealing a pair of adorable little fangs.
At this moment, Yukinoshita finally saw clearly. The person attacking Yazuki was a beautiful girl with hair like a delicate golden craftwork—tied into twin tails, with clear blue eyes and porcelain-like skin, resembling an exquisite doll.
She was currently in a fit of rage, shaking her head furiously, causing her twin tails to whip against Yazuki's face like lashes.
"Ugh—let go, let go!!!"
Yazuki, struggling to breathe, desperately tried to pry off the hands choking him, but he hadn't expected this golden-haired "loser dog" to have such monstrous strength despite her petite frame.
She clung onto him as if she had taken some kind of performance-enhancing drug, refusing to let go.
Was she seriously trying to strangle him to death?
His only option now was to seek help from a third party. He looked toward Yukinoshita—but there was no hope. She completely ignored him.
To Yukinoshita, Yazuki deserved this. Not only had he frightened her, but he also described a girl in such an awful way. This was just karma.
That left Yazuki with only one choice—self-rescue. His hands flailed wildly.
"Ahhh—pervert! Where are you grabbing?! Let go!!!"
A sharp scream echoed right beside his ear, making his eardrums buzz. At the same time, he felt the grip on his body loosen slightly.
Though he had no idea what he had grabbed, it was clearly helping him escape. Without hesitation, he pulled with all his might.
But his actions only made the girl holding onto him squirm even more, causing him to lose his balance. He stumbled backward into a nearby bookshelf and then crashed onto the floor.
...
Half-lifting his head, Yazuki wiped the blood trickling from his nose with a handkerchief. He felt the softness of the fabric and caught a faint whiff of a girl's fragrance.
Before him stood a stunning beauty with long, straight black hair and an exceptionally graceful face. Her bright black eyes shone brilliantly, and even the uniform of Toyogasaki Academy couldn't fully conceal the perfect curves of her body.
Beneath her skirt, her toned and shapely legs were wrapped in black stockings, making her even more alluring.
This was Toyogasaki Academy's second-year student—Kasumigaoka Utaha, the school's undisputed prodigy.
Last time, she had used her sharp words to completely crush the confidence of his school's student council members.
Yet, looking at her now, she seemed like a very quiet and refined girl. Yazuki found it hard to believe that she was the same "witch" feared by the student council.
Ugh—she was leaning in too close. With her body slightly bent forward, her proud curves left him unsure where to direct his gaze.
Meanwhile, she was gently tending to his bleeding nose.
And no, his nosebleed wasn't caused by one of those cliché light novel moments where he got too excited from having his head buried under a girl's skirt—absolutely not! The real culprit was the heavy book that had fallen from the bookshelf and hit him.
But still, how could two prodigies be so different?
With this thought, Yazuki shifted his gaze to another slender beauty—one with a slightly more delicate build.
The next second, he saw Yukinoshita standing beside him, her icy gaze piercing through him like a blade. She had clearly noticed his subtle eye movements and instantly discerned his thoughts. Without hesitation, she slammed a book down onto his head.
"Ugh—"
Caught off guard, Yazuki groaned in pain, his vision going black for a moment.
This sudden attack startled the senior beside him. She looked at him with concern, worried that he had suffered further injuries. She truly seemed like a kind and gentle angel.
With a slight frown, she turned to Yukinoshita with a questioning look, as if asking why she would suddenly attack her schoolmate in such a rude manner.
"Oh my, Yukinoshita-san, what was that for?"
"Nothing. I just felt like his gaze deserved a beating."
Yukinoshita coldly replied. For some reason, Kasumigaoka Utaha gave her a sense of unease, as if there was a veil of mist covering her true nature, making it impossible to see through.